Unfortunately for Niky Racz it was not in fact a cardboard cutout. The lights continue to flicker and with each one the figure "warps" closer and closer to the group until its only a few feet away from them. That is when they see it in all its glory. Its a character straight out of the movie they had just watched, the titular "Teddy" from Five Nights at Teddies.

And it screamed and lunged at them. It lunged at Kazimir Wynter specifically who locked up hands with the creature as it pushed him back trying to chomp at his face. Inside he could see the metallic sheen of metal inside, an endoskeleton just like in the movie. "Shit shit shit run guys!" The weight, the fuzzy material of the suit, the sounds. It was all too real.

Once again the lights flickered once again. Now in the hall stood the figures of a Chatot and a Lopunny all looking like the characters from the movie. Their hands were held out and they slowly trudged towards the group, ready to grab hold of the rest of them and take them away.

To where? Who knows.

"C'moooooooon Naaaaaaaavy. Thought you were the kinda guy that didn't back down from a fight!" Kaz swayed left to right from his cross legged position atop a rock as the hues of blue of the Ultra Deep surrounded him. From behind a translucent Ultra Beast familiar to both him and the man he addressed hovered behind Kazimir and rubbed one of its tentacles on his shoulders. Kazimir just nuzzled into it smudging the purple stains on his face even more. "Or is my new buddy here that scary?"

Blue eyes burned brightly as watched for the next move against him and the Ultra Beast. A smile crept along his face as he hoped it was direct against them. He wanted to tear into them. One way or another. That's what the poison that flowed in his body was telling him to do.

Let loose. Be wild.

Still the Ultra Beast had other plans in mind. It wanted to protect its new plaything and with raised tentacles chunks of rock broke apart from every corner around them and a field of stealth rocks levitated around it and Kazimir, a warning for anyone that approached them. Kazimir just rolled his eyes. "Awww c'mon. We want him to come to us don't we?"

What happens if he can't even get over the Champion? That was the million dollar question wasn't it?

"Then I get back up, dust myself off, and try again. And again and again and again if I have to. Improve even the tiniest bit with each try. If I gave up only after one shot then what kind of Trainer, no-person would I be? If I was fine staying in one place then staying in Elite Four would have been enough for me."

He realizes what he says and coughs before letting out a apologetic smile and an embarrassed scratch of the cheek, "Er no offense Grey. I don't doubt for a second you guys are ever the same every day. I'm just saying."

"Probably from whatever is on this island that's spewing that mist that's all over the place. It coughs up weird Pokemon already why wouldn't it just bring out regular ass Pokemon." Heatran was an odd choice though the more he thought about it. Maybe there was a piece of the puzzle that they were missing here. Questions for later.

Watching the Poliwhirl fall over and get returned to its ball had Kaz shoot the Elite Four a concerned gaze. "You holding up by the way? Your team's taking a beating." It was probably silly to worry over Matias handling himself fine, but the fact that both of them lost Pokemon just a few minutes earlier was really making it hard for Kaz to stay fully optimistic.

As Kyle pulled his little knife trick both Kazimir and the grunt he had in a headlock watched the display the champ did. Both of them let out an impressed whistle before Kaz squeezed the poor man's throat enough to knock them out. "Ok but, that was a little cool. Even I can't do something like that."

That's when he spots them, a grunt with their own knife coming down on Kyle as he reached for his. Tightly gripping the body he was holding Kaz threw it at the incoming grunt knocking him over. "Aren't you and Noah a thing? Does he not teach you any fighting moves or something?" Despite the fancy knife trick he did it was hard to imagine Kyle didn't know self defense. Or maybe Kaz just watched too many action movies lately.

Kaz turned to face the masked man from his angry expression it turned quizzical as he looked at the field of bodies before him and the man in question. When the Volcarona appeared the Lil' Busters took their own defensive stance as they backed away and raised up their shields ready for a fight. "Hold up." It was all that Kaz had to say to get them to lower their shields and share glances between Kaz and the masked man as Kaz did his best to step around the unconscious bodies of the grunts around them.

"I'll let ya go if you promise to just get out of here. Go on home and don't come back. You and your buddies here." He nudges one of the grunts on the floor with his feet. "This whole mess is getting messier and messier and the second. I might hate you Rockets but that ain't no reason to let you guys throw your lives away. Specially the bottom folk like you and these bozos."

He approaches the man, even looking at the Volcarana behind them and gives it a smirk before turning the same one to the masked man. Only he'd see that there was some hint of an apology in there, right in his eyes. "So I'll let ya go man. Just don't let me see ya back here. All this fighting's tiring both of us out yeah?"

Her face was familiar but it was still hard to place. He just knew that it made his blood boil the longer he looked at it. But why? Why was that?

It wasn't until she let out an Alakazam that it all came to him. Flashes of a glass workshop and the chaos that came about when he and several others fought inside of it. "Wait you!" She was the one that shot him wasn't she?! No way he was going to let her get away this time!

"Get 'em Tigger!" He slams a ball on his belt and out comes a hulking Incineroar who roars to intimidate the duo as he charges at the Alakazam. If they can knock them out then that was one less thing to worry about. So with a Thunder Punch it aimed to knock its lights out with a single blow. Meanwhile Kaz leaned forward to launch himself at the woman to try and tackle her to the ground pin her there. Call it payback for last time, and whatever it was that she was doing to him while he was out.

Another sip of the wine was taken and for a second he was sure it was warming him up. Or was that the other man on his arm sharing his body heat with his? Kaz couldn't quite tell nor did he really care to figure out. It was a nice feeling he hadn't felt in a while.

What brought it down was when he heard the man whisper into his ear, sending a chill down his spine. The large man froze as his eyes followed the man as he moved himself in front of Kaz and their faces were inches in front of one another. His words felt honeyed, Kaz could recognize the possible meaning to them. Still he had to ask. "And...what-what do you want?" But he probably knew the answer already.

The question caught his attention and when he saw the one who asked it he couldn't help but stare at the man. The eyes on him did keep Kaz from making any sort of movement or even gesture. They were fierce. It was the casual bite of the apple that managed to settle his nerves and make him kick himself for being so on edge. Maybe it was just the fact he was the newcomer here getting the better of him.

"Yo." He says with a wave and a smile, "Heard 'round these parts this place teaches people how to study the blade right? Used to be handy with one but I sort of fell outta practice," Until he picked it back up and trained for another twenty years only to forget about it all in an instant, "So I was wondering if ya'll were still taking students. Would love to pick it back up again."

If not for himself than to keep other people safe, "All the dangers round the region would be easier to deal with if I could protect myself y'know?" Not that he couldn't handle himself thanks to his own size, it helped to have as many skills and options under one's belt.

"Uh yeah. I'm with the Rangers kinda." It only dawned on him how long he's been with them now that someone says it out loud. Had it really been that long since he stepped down? "Name's Kaz. But who the heck are you? Your certainly no Ranger." He was pretty sure not many civilians were supposed to be down here unless they had an escort, so with no sign of anyone else here things seemed to paint a picture he didn't like.

"Did you come here by yourself-" His question is cut off by the sound of something stirring close by. The clunking of metal, the grinding of gears, the whistle of steam as a metal body moves and hidden behind mountains of scrap and iron it arises with a cry that even shakes the metal floor beneath them.

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

It was a Corviknight. Only it wasn't one. It wasn't a real one. It was much too big and much MUCH too mechanical for it to be actual flesh and blood. Ironic considering their typing. As it raises to the sky it swoops down at the duo and Kaz grabs the man and presses him close to his chest as he dives out of the way acting as a cushion as he turns to let the man fall on top of him as he pulled him out of the bird's way.

"We gotta move! Now!" Slapping a ball on his belt out comes an Urshifu who takes a stance at the sight of the bird, acting like a shield between it and the two that stood behind it as Kaz go to his feet, holding out a hand to help the other man up. "Maybe we can find cover from it or something!"

"Shame but fair. We also don't want to bring this whole place down on us." Being buried under the sea didn't sound all that appealing anyway. So if they were going with the quiet route then Kaz removed two balls to hold up as Thomas listed his team. In it was two that would probably be useful for this job.

"I got my own Lucario with me so we can get a wider search area. And the other one..." Opening up one of them a small yellow fuzzy spider popped out with a happy chirp waving at the two men before jumping onto Kazimir's head, "Bitty here's small enough to get into tight spaces and can sneak by just about anyone. That and give anyone a nasty shock." Having a small portable stun gun had its perks.

With a gesture to signal them to get started Kaz walked out of the room and down the hall, keeping his footsteps as light as he could with his size and hugging against the wall. There was a corner that he stopped at and right as he was about to peek around the corner he felt a tug on his head. The joltik had spotted it before him and pulled at his hair to pull him back right as a Megalopolan rounded the corner and paused right as he and Kaz locked eyes.

There was no hesitation as Kaz cupped his hand around the alien's mouth and pulled him into a headlock as they kicked against the floor. It didn't take long for Kaz's large bicep to choke the air right out of them leaving them breathless and unconscious as they slumped against his large frame and Kaz slowly carried them back to the room they came in from, passing Thomas as he did. "Well, one down. About a dozen or more to go."