Again, blame YuseiDarkUmbreon for this finally being updated. He pestered me to death last night on Skype (again) until I got this done. Go congratulate him for getting my sorry butt in gear.

DISCLAIMER: Kevin belongs to YuseiDarkUmbreon. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo.

CLAIMER: I own everything else here.

Also, remember that /this/ talk is Lucar narrating. Much like what Sandra does in EoF.

Enjoy this despite the three year delay! :3

Chapter 5: Rescued…?

Raptor panted for breath. "How much further?" he gasped. "My wings hurt! And I'm tired! Can we land yet?"

"I don't see those two Exploration Team members anywhere," Thrax muttered, looking around. "Fine, you can land. But get ready to fly again soon, baby. This isn't over until we're back at the base."

"Okay," Raptor nodded tiredly, pulling in for a landing.

The trio landed in a clearing in a forest. A single look at the trees, overflowing with blue berries, proved where they were. They had landed in Oran Forest.

"How ironic," Thrax chuckled. "This is the same place we first met those brats, baby."

"Really?" Kevin looked around. "So this is where you found the black Pikachu?"

"Correct, baby," Thrax nodded. "Now then, let's see how our newest prizes are."

Thrax turned around and walked toward Raptor. The Staraptor quickly scrambled away, inching closer to Kevin. Kevin glared at him briefly before looking at the sack that Thrax was currently picking up. The Umbreon tensed, ready to pounce if either of their prisoners attempted to escape.

Thrax raised a glowing hand-claw to the knot near the top of the sack. Smoke curled up from the heavy brown fabric as the tip of his claw touched it, slowly burning through it with Poison Claw. A twisted grin appeared on the Toxicroak's face as he sliced through the knot with a single clean swipe.

"Well, hello there, ba—" Thrax started to say, only to be interrupted by Raptor's cry of alarm. "What the…?"

"Give Sandra and Luv back, Thrax! Right now!" a voice shouted.

"Ugh…" Thrax dropped the sack, keeping the opening closed with his foot. He looked at the intruders. "I thought we already lost you, baby."

"I guess you didn't," Carlos said, frowning.

"Nope," Lucar growled, stepping out to stand beside his leader.

"So, there are two of you? How funny!" Thrax laughed. "Recognize our surroundings, baby?"

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "It's Oran Forest. So?"

"I beat you here once, baby," Thrax said with a smirk. "I'll beat you here again."

"We're not the same as back then, Thrax. We're stronger now." Lucar corrected.

"And so am I," Thrax pointed out. "You kids can't possibly match my strength."

"Just watch us!" Carlos yelled, charging.

"Kevin, guard the sack! We'll deal with the brats!" Thrax ordered.

"Understood!" the Umbreon barked.

Kevin quickly took Thrax's place standing on the sack's opening. He was miffed at missing out on fighting Team Legend, even if it was only two members, but Thrax's orders were absolute. There was no time to argue, anyway, only time to act.

Thrax lunged at Carlos, claw aglow, but the Pikachu jumped over him. Carlos slammed into the larger Pokemon from behind with Quick Attack, electricity jumping from his cheeks. Thrax suddenly whipped around, throwing the Pikachu aside with a powerful backhand. Carlos yelped as he rolled along the bumpy ground, coming to a stop near the base of a tree. He lay there, gasping for breath.

"Carlos!" Lucar cried.

"Wing Attack!" Raptor yelled, attacking while the Riolu's back was turned.

"AAAH!" Lucar crashed into a tree and fell to the ground, bringing chips of bark down with him.

Thrax smirked as he approached where Carlos lay. "I warned you, baby. You guys, no matter how strong you get, can't defeat me." Thrax reminded.

"That doesn't mean…we won't…try…" Carlos struggled to say.

"The time for trying, kid, is over," Thrax replied with a frown. He raised his claw. "Goodbye, ba—"

Thrax was interrupted when something wet hit his arm. The Toxicroak drew back, confused. More drops of water began to hit him. Thrax suddenly looked up, registering the storm clouds gathering overhead. It was beginning to rain.

"Boss, shouldn't we get the Eevee and the Piplup out of here?" Raptor squeaked. "Remember what Snowflake said? About the sack and water?"

Thrax remembered that conversation all-too-well.

"Don't you know that, if thoroughly wet, heavy fabrics collapse in on themselves?" Snowflake asked. "The sack ended up being completely soaked, probably by your fighting, and started to sink on me. If that Exploration Team's Riolu hadn't freed me, I'd probably be dead."

Thrax frowned. "Kevin, get them back to the base. Raptor and I will finish these two off."

"Got it," Kevin nodded.

The Umbreon lifted his forepaws off of the sack and reached down to pick it up in his jaws. Before he could realize what was happening, the sack suddenly flew open and dozens of bubbles began to pummel his body. Kevin cried out in pain, leaping away from the sudden onslaught.

"Boss! The sack!" Raptor warned.

The warning came too late, though. Luv and Sandra dashed out of the sack, ran past their captors, and slid to a stop beside their teammates. Carlos and Lucar quickly placed themselves between their newly-freed teammates and Thrax.

"I told you to get them out of here!" Thrax yelled, glaring at Kevin.

"I'm sorry! I didn't expect them to attack so suddenly!" the Umbreon yelped.

"Are you guys okay?" Carlos asked, looking at Sandra and Luv worriedly.

"We're okay," Luv reassured.

"Where are we?" Sandra asked.

"Oran Forest," Lucar replied.

"Oran Forest?" Sandra looked around, suddenly nervous. This is where we first met Thrax, she remembered.

"Carlos, we've got Sandra and Luv. Let's go," Lucar advised. "We may have gotten stronger, but we're not strong enough to beat them. Not yet, anyway."

"Yeah," the Pikachu reluctantly agreed.

Carlos reached into the Treasure Bag, digging around for an Escape Orb. Thrax smirked, only for it to fade when he realized what was going to happen. If Team Legend warped back to Treasure Town now, they'd never have this chance again.

"What are you waiting for, babies?!" Thrax demanded, whirling around to glare at Raptor and Kevin. "Get them before they escape!"

The pair jumped at the sudden order, fright forcing them to obey. Raptor shot forward, claws outstretched and glinting with malice as he charged on Carlos. Kevin lunged, body glowing brightly as he struck out against Lucar.

Carlos cried out, ducking as those deadly talons tore above his head. A few strands of yellow fur fluttered to the ground. Cheeks sparking, the Pikachu whipped around and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt. Raptor twisted away, disappearing above the treetops to avoid the move.

Lucar yelped as he was crashed into, the power of Giga Impact throwing him quite a distance backward. As Kevin was recovering, though, the ground shook wildly and flung him into the mud. The Umbreon lifted his head, only to receive a face full of bubbles. An enraged Luv glared at him.

"You guys think we're that easy to kidnap? You're real morons, you know!" the Piplup declared, shooting more bubbles at him.

Kevin pulled back, dodging and rolling to the side. He glared at her, eyes glowing violet. Luv gave a scream, falling to the ground.

"Luv!" Sandra cried out, horrified.

"Psychic's quite a pain, isn't it?" Kevin taunted, straightening. "I suggest you both give up right n—GAAAH!"

Rocks dropped down on him from above, crushing the Umbreon flat. Lucar was back on his feet, blood oozing from a cut on his forehead. His eyes didn't need to be open to display how angry he was.

"Stay away from our teammates!" Lucar barked.

/It shouldn't have been this difficult of a fight. Yeah, Thrax had us severely out-leveled…but we had numbers. If we could just escape, Thrax would be forced to give up…for the moment. He'd no doubt be back. Thrax wasn't one to surrender on his targets so easily. This very fight was proof of that. He wanted Sandra and Luv…and he wasn't letting us stop him from getting either of them!/

"What's the matter with you two? They're just a couple of weakling kids!" Thrax shouted, growing annoyed. "Do I need to do this myself, babies? Useless, the both of you!"

"We can do this! Just watch, boss!" Raptor cried fearfully. "We'll get those two back for you!"

"We won't fail you," Kevin guaranteed, dragging himself out from under the rocks. "You will have what you desire…no matter the cost. Just give us a chance to make a good strike."

"Then make it fast, babies!" Thrax hissed, stepping back beneath a tree to shelter himself from the driving rain.

"Carlos, get an Escape Orb ready! We can't take much more of this!" Sandra pleaded.

"Got it!" Carlos nodded, digging through his bag.

"No you don't! You're not going anywhere!" Kevin snarled, lunging.

"Just try and stop us!" Lucar countered, lunging with a Force Palm at the ready.

"Gladly, puppy!" Raptor shrieked.

Lucar gave a pained cry as he was hit from above, the massive bird dive-bombing him. Driving the Riolu into the mud, the Staraptor remained perched on his back to keep him from retaliating. The bird hunched over, allowing Kevin to leap over him and continue his charge toward the remaining three members of Team Legend.

"I said STOP!" Kevin howled, leaping up into the air with fangs bared.

"And I say SIT!" Luv cried, unleashing a barrage of bubbles upon the leaping Dark-type.

The bubbles bounced off of a round blue barrier. Kevin grinned. "Protect is so very useful," he chuckled. "Especially when I do this! Dark Pul—"

A sphere of dark, crackling energy appeared in the corner of Kevin's right eye. He barely noticed it. What shocked him was how close it was. How did it get so close so fast? And his Protect…!

The sphere broke through the barrier, smashing into the side of the Umbreon's face. Kevin yelped, crashing hard into the muddy ground and skidding quite a ways. A light splash nearby made him force his eyes open. He was shocked to see the Eevee had made the noise.

That attack! Did she…? Kevin wondered.

Sandra glared at him coldly. "Shadow Ball," she said. "Packs quite a punch, doesn't it?" She smirked tauntingly at him.

"You little…" Kevin hissed, struggling to get up.

"I've got one, guys!" Carlos suddenly cried.

All eyes landed on Carlos, who yanked an Escape Orb from the depths of his Treasure Bag. Kevin and Raptor froze, petrified. They could practically feel the killing aura coming from their boss. Thrax didn't even need to speak. The pair was already launching their next round of attacks, intent on recapturing their hostages immediately.

Raptor instantly abandoned Lucar, claws extended as he aimed for the orb. If he could break it…

The Staraptor gave a terrified squawk as rocks dropped down on him, pinning him to the ground. Lucar got to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth.

"You guys won't win," he said.

"We don't need to!" Kevin barked, shooting in from behind Carlos. "We just need to keep these two from escaping!"

"Carlos, the orb! Activate it!" Luv shouted, shooting bubbles desperately at the oncoming Umbreon.

"Yeah!" the Pikachu nodded, raising the orb into the air.

/I really thought we were safe. We had the Escape Orb, we had Sandra and Luv… There was no way to stop us from fleeing. Raptor was trapped, Thrax was too far away, and this Umbreon would never make it past Luv's attacks. So why?/

Sandra tossed in a Shadow Ball among Luv's bubbles, causing an explosion. Carlos brought the orb down, about to smash it to unleash its effects. Lucar bounded backward, rejoining Carlos. They were ready to go.

…Then it went wrong…

"CARLOS!"

"Sandra!" Carlos cried, whipping around.

Kevin burst through the smoke, ramming right into Luv. The Piplup was thrown back, crashing right into Lucar. Carlos yelped as the Riolu fell back into him, making him slip in the mud. The Escape Orb tumbled from his paws, falling toward the ground.

That wasn't the worst part, though.

Kevin suddenly whirled around, jaws snapping shut on Sandra's scruff as the Eevee tried to flee. The Umbreon bounded past the fallen trio. Sandra gave a cry of terror, brown eyes wide and full of tears.

"SANDRA!" Carlos shouted, trying to follow after her.

The world suddenly twisted. Carlos felt like he was being yanked backward. He realized in horror that it was the Escape Orb. Having been broken, it automatically activated. It was sending Team Legend back to Treasure Town...without Sandra.

Everything was engulfed in a burst of white light. Then they were falling, crashing into a pile safely within the confines of Wigglytuff's Guild. There was shouting from guild members and Sheriff Magnezone's officers.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay? What happened?" Chatot squawked, flapping in a panic nearby.

"Luv! Oh my gosh! Hooray! You're saved!" Sunflora cried, hugging the Piplup.

"Sandra!" Luv wailed, pulling away from the Grass-type to look at Carlos. "What happened? Where's Sandra?"

"She isn't with you?!" Chatot squawked, beak dropping open with shock.

"The Escape Orb activated by accident," Lucar whispered, staring at his paws. "Sandra was…out of range of it. She wasn't brought back with us."

"Then you mean she's…!" Luv gasped, flippers over her beak. Tears welled in her blue eyes. "No… No! No, no, no!"

"Thrax still has her…" Carlos said softly, unable to believe it. "We couldn't…save Sandra…"

/How could it have all gone so wrong so fast?/