"Alright, we have no more time. AB, you take the Haavik Troupe," Fic took control of the situation, then turned to them, "Hajime, Peko, Nagito, and I will take care of Koutarou, while Duri and Fuyuhiko deal with Hiro, if that's okay." 

"Sounds good to me," Dan nodded, and he gave both of them the stink eye, "If you guys fight again I swear I will not be happy." 

"R-Right," Duri gulped slightly. He didn't know why, but Dan... gave off scary energy even for Duri's tastes. Maybe it was just him? Or was it because he had just yelled? He didn't know, but Dan felt... sorta detached from the others. 

Ah, enough about that, though. He had to win this battle.

"Let's do this," Hiro's eyes narrowed as Gulus dropped down, followed by Hiro calling out a Bakeccha. 

"Okay, we have our differences, Duri, but we need to work together here. Are you with me?" Fuyuhiko asked him seriously, gripping his Monster Ball tightly as he said this. 

"Of course," he nodded. "Let's win this battle, Fuyuhiko!" 

"Alright, then let's go! Fuyumi!" he called out his Uonoragon. 

"Smiley, help us out here!" 

"Urara!" 

"Riru!" 

"Did you catch a new Pokemon before coming here?" Hiro rose an eyebrow. 

Here, his lips curled into a smirk, and for a minute, Duri felt a bit scared as Hiro laughed, "Doesn't matter much, though. We'll still beat you." 

"We'll see about that!" Fuyuhiko yelled. "Duri, come on, let's take them down!" 

"A-Ah!" he nodded. "Smiley, Double Kick on Gulus!" 

"Fuyumi, Ancient Power!" 

"Gulus, Endure! Pump, Pain Split!" Hiro commanded. 

Duri flinched as he saw Smiley take some damage while Fuyuhiko growled at Gulus enduring that hit. 

"Grrr! Use Crunch on Bakeccha!"

"Ice Shard, Smiley!" 

"Gulus, Detect! Pump, Seed Bomb!" 

This was getting really annoying! At this rate, they were going to lose! 

Time for Plan B then!

"Smiley, Baton Pass!" Duri suddenly yelled, surprising the other two as his Barikohru went back in and he called out Cream. "Cream, use Dazzling Gleam!" 

"Mawhi!" it complied, making Gulus take some damage. 

"That's really smart!" Fuyuhiko grinned. "Alright, Bite on Bakeccha, Fuyumi!" 

Hiro was still too surprised to give a command, but Gulus yelled, "Pain Split!" 

Fuyuhiko cursed under his breath at this, while Duri frowned, "Don't rush into things, Fuyuhiko!" 

"I'm trying not to!" 

"We have different opponents, so don't count your eggs before they hatch!" 

"How the heck was I supposed to know that Gulus could command a move as well!?" 

"Well maybe if you-" 

"Gulus, Dynamic Punch on Uonoragon! Pump, Razor Leaf on Mawhip!" 

The two turned over to see their Pokemon get hit, and Duri flinched once more as he realised he had gotten distracted. 

Ugh, what was wrong with him!? He was supposed to be able to keep his cool in battle-

"Duri... I-Is that you?" 

He froze. Wait, no, could it be...?

He could feel the fear coursing through his veins, and Duri's grip on his pants was tight. 

No no no, not now! He couldn't do this now when they were in a battle! Why the heck did he have to recall the aftermath of what had happened 2 years ago now of all times?!

"-uri! DURI!" 

He finally came back to his senses to see Fuyuhiko shaking him back and forth while the other yelled, "Are you okay!?" 

"I-I..." his grip was still too tight. A fog seemed to have covered his mind. What moves did Cream have again? Why couldn't he remember? 

"Duri, breathe! Deep breaths, in and out!" Fuyuhiko's voice was steady and firm. "Follow my breathing okay?" 

"O-Okay..." he tried to match Fuyuhiko's deep breathing as he was shown, but the memories still flooded his mind and he backed away, "No no no I can't it hurts too much leave me alone I'm a monster! I'm a spoiled brat! I'm pathetic and I'm evil-"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" 

His eyes widened, and the dark thoughts seemed to clear for a while, as golden eyes met caramel orbs, "You are an amazing person Duri, and you shouldn't let a single mistake in the past weigh you down no matter how hard it may be! You are Cha Duri, and you're way too stubborn to let this get the better of you, right?!" 

"B-But-" "No buts! You're loved and we are all here for you! No matter how hard it may be, I will stand by you no matter how hard the circumstances, no matter how dark the ending may be!" 

"W-Why though...?"

Fuyuhiko went quiet, but he soon gathered the courage to say, "I... I don't know myself, but I think... I think I like you, Duri." 

Duri could only give him wide eyes as the Kantonian continued, "I didn't like you for some reason when we first met. I thought you were a hardheaded jerk, but after you fought against Hiro, I was stunned, enchanted by how you had battled. You took my breath away Duri! You were amazing! And as I got to know more of you, I found... I found that I loved every part of you, both the good and the bad! Because both make up you, and I love you! Duri, I don't care that you've made mistakes before! You don't have to suffer alone anymore because I want to be with you every step of the way, so... so... will you please.. let us, let me into your heart? Take down those walls and let us see the real you?" he begged. 

What.. what was he saying, this... dumb idiot... 

He didn't know why he was crying, but it felt relieving. For 2 years, he had tried to run away from his mistake, but maybe, now, he was accepted. Not by his family, but by this amazing, wonderful, person who knew what it was like to suffer thanks to family and yet came out as kind as one could be. 

Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko was truly... he was truly something, wasn't he?

He then hugged Fuyuhiko tight as he said, "I-I... I guess I like you too, you know? You're just so passionate and determined, never giving up in the face of trouble. You care for everyone around you and that's a rare trait today, you know? So.... y-yes, Fuyuhiko, I-I feel the same way. T-Thank you for everything." 

"Ugh, this is so weird!" Koutarou wrinkled his nose at this, but for Hiro.... something seemed to shift in his eyes, but it was soon gone as he turned around, "Gulus, Pump, guys, let's retreat. We have bigger fish to fry." 

"Wait, what?! No don't you dare leave!" Dan yelled angrily. 

"I'm afraid the real show isn't here, Dan Kouzo. We have a ghoul gathering to crash after all" Haavik chuckled, walking backward to stand with the others. "We would find out eventually you know! You only delayed the inevitable! AHAAHHAHH! Have fun eating our dust!" 

"STOP!" Ajit screamed just as a smoke bomb went off in front of them, blurring their view for a few minutes. 

When the smoke was clear, they were gone. Just like that. 

So they had failed in protecting the information. In the end, it was all for naught.