FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Two days after leaving Port Azure, the team had reached the vicinity of the area known as the West Islands region; though it was more of a central location resting between the East and West Continents of the world, its name was derived from explorer Pokémon from the Eastern Continent who had discovered the islands while making a voyage across the seas. Since then they had simply been known as the West Islands, and even after the West Continent was discovered, the name was never changed. As the name implied, the area was a collection of countless islands of varying shapes and sizes, and according to Tristan were difficult to traverse as their staggered layout made them nearly impossible without a map and compass -which, they only had the latter, built into the console around the wheel.

During their voyage, Tristan did most of the steering, but whenever he needed a rest, Volcan would take over, remembering at least how to steer the boat, even if he didn't know where he was going, but Tristan would sleep on the floor next to him where Volcan could turn to him whenever he needed help or direction. But at the current moment, Tristan was back at the helm, Volcan and Hank were playing a game of cards and Luke was resting on the cot, sleeping peacefully to what at the time had been calm, gentle waves that seemed to rock him to sleep.

For a while, all seemed peaceful, until Tristan called back to them. "Looks like we're heading into a storm guys; we're going to have to make landfall somewhere," he said.

Volcan and Hank had ceased their game, putting away the cards and stowing them safely away in the drawer of the table before they stood up and walked up to the front, standing on either side of Tristan and peering out front as the sky was rapidly becoming dark, and the waters were rapidly becoming rough, beginning to toss the boat slightly and rousing Luke partly from his sleep as the Blaziken and Zoroark braced themselves for a wave that almost launched them out of the water, nearly stumbling Hank who was not as accustomed to sea travel as they were; both Volcan and Tristan kept their balance, showing that this was not their first time in rough water.

Noticing this, Hank let out of a chuckle after regaining his proper footing. "Hafta admit, I'm kinda surprised," he said. "Never took either of you for seafaring types. Especially since yer a Fire Type and a Steel/Rock Type and all."

"Well we have to get around somehow when we live on an island," Tristan remarked, and then widened his eyes slightly. "Heads up!" He warned as another wave formed ahead of them, heading right for them.

Volcan widened his footing, instructing Hank to do the same, but even with that, the Zoroark was still barely able to stay up, grabbing the wall with his claws and whooping as he nearly fell onto his backside. This time, the boat_did_ leave the water, and slammed down against roughly, sending Hank hurtling into Tristan's back and winding himself as he slammed into the armoured hide of the Aggron.

The half-asleep Luke shot upright in alertness as the boat hit the waves again, gripping the edges of the cot with his paws to brace himself so as not to be hurled to the floor. On a whim, Volcan looked back at him, seeing the now fully awakened Lucario reorienting himself and getting his bearings. "Luke, we're in a bit of a storm right now; better hang on," he said, obviously.

"I noticed," returned Luke as he struggled to get to his feet without rocking out of the cot. "Jeez, that's one way to wake a Pokémon. How long have we been in this storm?"

"It just started," Volcan replied, keeping his eyes focused through the front window. "We're just trying to get close to land so we can anchor there and try to find some shelter; not a good idea to go sailing through a storm in a boat this size."

"The fuck was yer first clue, sherlock?" Hank asked irritably, clutching his chest where he had slammed against Tristan. "C'mon, anyone with half a brain can tell you that."

"Hank calm down." Luke urged. "It's just a little rocky right now. Tristan seems to have some control of the situation... right?" He asked, looking to the Aggron.

"I don't want to give you false hope," the Aggron returned. "Brace."

No sooner did he say that was the boat launched out of the water again by yet another wave, flying for a second before splashing back into the water, jolting all of them sharply. This time, Luke was thrown out of his cot and landed in a heap on the floor, groaning a bit after the impact. Hank looked down blankly at Luke for a moment, then began laughing hysterically, slapping his knee a bit.

"HA!! If that ain't flying off the seat of yer pants, I don't know what is!"

"...Laugh it up, Fox," Luke grumbled.

While Hank laughed, Volcan turned away from the helm to move to Luke's side, helping him up. "Are you okay?" Volcan asked him.

"Yeah; just feeling a little tossed about." He returned, carefully rising back to his feet. "Though I admit, I'm concerned; I know this boat was just repaired but will it hold under all of this stress?"

"She'll hold," Tristan returned, squinting his eyes as he stared out the window. "I think we're getting close to an island, just ahead."

"Ease up on the throttle; we don't want to run aground," Volcan suggested.

"Right," Tristan returned, grasping the handle for the throttle and gently pulling it back to slow the boat down. As he did, the revving of the boat's engine became steadily quieter, until it could barely be heard over the howling wind that rushed around the boat.

Slowly, they crept through the darkness, but they were travelling blind. Volcan quickly rushed outside, clambering alongside the boat until he reached the bow and fired off a Flamethrower into the darkness, having to breath especially hard to sustain the flame through the falling rain and wind, but it provided enough light to reveal a shore just a little further ahead. Tristan turned the boat away from the short, making sure not to steer directly into it but letting the keep gently ease onto the shallows of the shore, while Volcan reached for the anchor to his left, dropping it overboard and hearing it thud to the shallow water below, before he grabbed another rope and leapt from the stern, vanishing into the darkness on the shoreline.

Meanwhile, Luke, Tristan and Hank disembarked from the boat, assailed by the wind and the rain as they stepped out and hopped out of the boat, wading through the bitter cold waters until they walked on a sandy beach, finding Volcan hammering a stake into a grassy path of ground with his fist until it was sunk in all the way up to the rope that was tightly wrapped around it. Thus, the boat was secured, and no sooner did he stand up that a frigid gale swept over them, chilling them to the bone.

"Jeez feels like a fucking hurricane!" Hank hollered over the wind. "Anyone see any shelter we can use??" He called out, feeling even his chest mane blowing up into his face a bit from the wind. He brought his arm up to force it back down, growling in irritation.

"I don't know; look around! You're the one with night vision!" Tristan returned.

"Oh sure! Just because I'm a fucking Dark Type! Had to go there!" Hank hollered back, glaring at the Aggron.

"That isn't what I meant and you know it!" Tristan retorted.

"Both of you stop it!!" Luke hollered, then he closed his eyes and tuned to his Aura Sense to get a much clearer view of their surroundings. "...There's not much we can use; trees at the very least, but that will offer minimal protection!" He called out.

"It'll have to do!" Volcan returned, putting up his arm to protect his eyes from the horizontal rain that bombarded them. "Come on! Let's get up there! Lead on, Luke!"

"Everyone stay close; don't venture off!" Luke warned as he began trotting ahead of the group, with Hank following close behind him as they ascended the beach toward the wooded area ahead. They entered the copse of trees, but as expected the protection they offered were minimal; the trees on this island were skinny and did little to protect them from the gale.

This wasn't going to work; this storm would freeze them to death if they didn't find somewhere else. The boat was not suitable; the cabin didn't have a door on it to keep the wind out, something Volcan admitted was probably something they needed to consider in the future. But as he turned, to his left he saw a large, dark, round opening just a short sprint away "Hey, there's something over there. Looks like a cave!"

"I'll take a cave over laying under a fucking tree!" Hank returned.

"I'm with that!" Tristan agreed. "I'm okay with sleeping on the ground but not while getting rained on!"

Luke turned, leading the group through the wind and rain over to the inky blackness, looking back just once to make sure everyone was present until they reached the cave, peering into it after shaking the water from his face. It was dark, but the wind wasn't getting in. "I guess this is it. Everyone inside." He ordered.

"Don't got to tell me twice." Hank said, quickly rushing past Luke and shaking himself dry as best he could once he was finally out of the wind. "It's official; I hate the rain," he grumbled.

"I'm not too crazy about it either," Volcan agreed, as he walked around the Zoroark, checking out the cave.

Luke was the last one to enter after Tristan followed the others inside. The Lucario shuddered a bit and sighed, feeling a little relief that they'd have a roof over their heads for the night, or at least until the storm died down. He looked back outside to the howling winds and torrential rain, grimacing a bit. "We might as well get comfortable here; it doesn't look like this is going to be letting up anytime soon."

"Yeah, I'd say so," Volcan agreed. "Look around for some dry wood; anything the storm didn't get at. See if we can't get a fire going."

"In that weather? Doubtful." Hank returned. "And I am not goin' back out there to check."

"He means inside the cave, Hank," Luke returned, sighing before he himself began scrounging about for anything of the sort.

Hank let out a scoff. "I knew that..." He said defiantly, then went to another part of the cave to do his own searching for kindling.

Volcan and Tristan proceeded to join the search, running their hands over the floor for anything dry enough to be used for kindling with which they could have some heat in their temporary home in the cave; the wind wasn't blowing into the cave and was thankfully redirecting the rain to keep it out of the cavern but it was anything but warm inside. The chill of the night and the dampness of the outside overpowered what would otherwise be a humid little alcove in the ground, creeping into the cave slowly but surely and leaving a faint fog over the ground.

. During the search, Tristan was standing near Hank as he felt over the ground for anything they could use for burning, and gave the Zoroark an apologetic look. "Hey uh... when I mentioned the whole 'night vision' thing, I wasn't assuming just because you were a Dark-type. I had just heard somewhere that fox Pokémon can see in the dark," he explained in a surprisingly gentler tone than the Aggron was known for "Still, sorry if that bothered you in any way."

The Zoroark waved his claw dismissively. "Eh, forget about it. Water under the bridge," he returned. "We were all under some pressure with the storm and all. Besides, I'm used to it by now..."

"Okay," Tristan returned, oblivious to the melancholic hint in the Zoroark's tone.

Unfortunately, it seemed the search was for naught; other than some twigs that had blown in over the seasons -of which there was nowhere near enough to sustain a campfire- there was nothing in the cave that they could burn. With no other choice, they could only huddle at the deepest reach of the cave, distancing themselves as much as possible from the storm and try to wait it out. Volcan did what he could to provide Luke and Hank some warmth, igniting his fists and holding them out so the two could at least warm their paws. These flames were not spurred on by combat as they usually were; he was forcing them to ignite, and it was obvious that this was very taxing to him when he showed visible strain on his face.

Eventually Luke touched Volcan on the arm, looking up at him. "Save your energy Volcan; you've done all you can for now," he said.

Volcan sighed in exasperation, pulling back his hands and resting them across his knees as the flames went out, leaving him panting for breath. "Sorry guys," he said.

Luke shook his head and smiled at Volcan. "No, it's okay," he said as he reached up and touched his shoulder. "You're not at fault here. But thank you for trying either way."

Volcan glanced over at Luke, smiling broadly at him and peering at him through partially lidded eyes. "It's the least I could do," he said.

Hank was looking back and forth between the two of them, his eyes mostly on Volcan to see how he'd react or what his next words would be. The Zoroark's keen eyes did not miss a beat; Volcan and Luke held that stare for quite a long time, and it wasn't until Volcan forced himself to look away that Luke did so as well. The Zoroark huffed in disappointment, but it went unnoticed by the two.

"I guess we weren't prepared for this," said Volcan. "We didn't even bring sleeping bags or travel blankets; I suppose I thought we'd just stay on the boat until we got to Arc Island. Storm was so bad I couldn't even go for our supplies either."

Luke nodded. "Yes; I'm quite hungry myself, but I can manage," he assured. "We should just try to sleep for now, and let the storm pass."

"Right," agreed Volcan, leaning back against the cave wall and grunting. "Though we're going to be sore from sleeping against rocks."

"Speak for yourself," Tristan remarked with a chuckle as he laid down against the back of the cave. "I sleep in places like this all the time."

"Lucky you, Tristan," Volcan returned, shutting his eyes as he slid down to the floor tried to make himself as comfortable as possible on the bedrock, groaning as he shifted several times.

"Well in any case, let's try to get as much sleep as we can," Luke stated, leaning back against a wall as well and stretching his legs a little. "Our little journey isn't over yet."

"No argument there." Hank said as he flopped onto his back, then curled up into as tight of a ball as he could to conserve heat before closing his eyes. "See you guys in the morning."

"'Night guys," Volcan chimed in, rolling onto his side to keep his eyes towards the entrance, watching for anything that might come their way while he waited to drift off to sleep.

Hank was quick to fall asleep afterward, already snoring lightly as he lay there all curled up in his own little spot, with Tristan not far behind, laying flat out on his belly and curling his heavy tail around himself as he shuffled back until he was against the cave wall. His snoring was much louder than Hank's, but thankfully not unbearable.

Luke though wasn't as quick to follow. In fact, he couldn't sleep at all. As the night passed, he had his eyes closed and was trying to sleep, but the chill of night was creeping quickly into the cave, chilling him to the bone. He curled up as tightly against himself as he could, holding his arms across his chest as he struggled to warm up.

It was Luke's teeth chattering that alerted Volcan to his friend's situation, looking over his shoulder at him. It occurred to the Blaziken at that moment that Luke was the most vulnerable of the four; Tristan was always cold regardless of weather -having a body composed of rock and metal, the chill didn't bother him, while Hank had a bushy coat of dense fur and Volcan was a Fire-type and therefore always warm, but Luke wasn't as fortunate as them. He wracked his mind for something to do for him; they'd left all their blankets back on the boat -he had nothing to cover Luke with. Sitting up, he looked over at him, checking to see if he was awake.

"Luke?" He whispered softly, trying not to disturb Hank or Tristan. "Are you okay?"

Slowly he opened his eyes and glanced over to Volcan's direction. "J-Just a little cold..." He returned with a weak smile, broken by his chattering teeth. "I s-should be ok; d-d-don't worry."

But the look Volcan gave him was skeptical at best, staring down at the shaky, chattering Lucario for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Come here," he said, scooting closer to Luke. "The last thing we need is for you to get sick, so you can share my body heat tonight."

There it was again; that warmth passing through his chest as he looked back up at Volcan. His heart started to beat a mile a minute as Volcan moved closer to him, keeping his back to Luke so that the Lucario could lay flat against him. Slowly, and with mild reluctance, he moved closer to Volcan, draping his arms over him only to press himself closer as he felt Volcan's warmth, his freezing body calling for it. "You... don't have to do this, you know..." Luke whispered as he lay there with Volcan.

"Yes, I do," he returned. "You've been taking care of me for all this time; I think it's about damn time I did so for you." He looked back at Luke and smiled. "Besides, your brothers would kill me if they found out I let you get hypothermia."

Luke blushed softly after those words, then gave a sigh as he brought himself up to Volcan's eye level, leaned in and gently nuzzled him with his muzzle. "Thank you, Volcan," he whispered softly as he pulled back, laying his head down against Volcan's neck without even realizing it, and pressing into his warm, soft feathers.

The same warmth Luke felt suddenly filled Volcan's chest, especially when Luke cuddled him so. Why was it every time he got this close to Luke now he felt like this? Were his suspicions about him developing feelings for Luke true?

But in his mind, he continued to refuse to let those thoughts permeate. 'I'm not right for him... we're just really good friends; that's all. That cuddling is just affection...' He shut his eyes, trying to sleep. 'Besides... relationships have already hurt him in the past,' he thought darkly, remembering when Luke shared the secrets of his past love life and the painful heartbreaks he had endured, the last of which he had not recovered from yet. 'With all that in mind, why would he want to pursue one with me anyway...?' The Blaziken thought before shutting his eyes, refusing to think about it nay further as he drifted off to sleep...

~~~~~

The next morning...

As was per the usual, Luke was the first to awaken among the group, his eyes slowly opening as he took his first breath of the morning, tasting the morning dew on his tongue as his mouth opened wide for a yawn as he rolled onto his back, shivering as a sudden chill rushed over his body as if to remind him of the warm, feathery body he had been sleeping against until that moment. He turned his head to look at Volcan, blushing as he remembered how he had spent all night curled up to the Blaziken to share in his warmth and could not help but stare at him.

'He looks so at peace right now,' He thought to himself. 'Perhaps the most of seen him since I first took him in.' He remembered the night Volcan had first stayed in his home, and the nightmare he had suffered -the recurring nightmare that haunted his every dream and the terror that had laid dormant inside him until that fateful day they had seen the island village that had been attacked on their way home from Valvatna, the sight of which had sent the Blaziken into a fit of panic and then a state of shock. Seeing that island -seeing his recurring nightmare brought into reality before him had nearly broken Volcan completely, and even now as Luke watched him, he half-expected the Blaziken to wake with a start as he always did...

Luke, without even realizing it, moved over to Volcan's side once again, leaning against him as his ears flattened, absently placing a paw on Volcan's arm. And then, he felt it; the heat rising in his chest once again, just as he had a few nights before when Volcan had asked Luke to come with him on this voyage, and that awkward night before the tournament where Luke had tripped over his own feet and spilt milk all over his guest and put both of them in a very awkward position.

'That warmth again,' he thought to himself, putting a paw on his chest.'There's no question about it; I am falling in love with him...' He looked at Volcan again, nagged by the question of whether the Blaziken might have felt the same way. 'Do I even have the courage to ask him?' He thought, his past heartbreaks beginning to form at the front of his mind again...

'No!' He thought, giving himself a mental slap on both cheeks. 'Don't do that to yourself again fool. Those days are in the past. Look to the future, like Sickle said.'

Luke looked down at Volcan again, tempted to wake him and talk with him, but as he moved his paw to do so, the Lucario nearly jumped out of his fur as a deafening grinding noise filled the cabin, eyes popping wide open before spinning around to look in the direction of the sound, only to scowl as he realized it was only Tristan shifting on the cave floor, the metal plates on his back scraping against the cave wall making enough noise to wake the dead. Or in this case, a Blaziken and a Zoroark; at first, the scraping noise made them stir, but it was Tristan rolling back onto his front with a thud that made them both jolt fully awake.

Hank leered in Tristan's direction as he sat up, baring his teeth and scowling deeply "...Really Lunkhead?" He grumbled.

"Who's working a forge in here?" Volcan asked sleepily, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes to clear them of sleep until Tristan began to shift again, once more causing his metal plates to grind against the wall and alerting Volcan to the exact cause of the noise. "Oh."

Luke let out a sigh, the moment having been ruined by the noisy Aggron. 'Tomorrow is another day,' he thought, before with another movement from Tristan, Luke was forced to cover his ears to protect them from the grating noise. "Gah! It's worse than listening to nails grind on a blackboard," he growled. "How did we sleep through such a ruckus?"

"Permission to deck him?" Hank asked, looking to Volcan.

"Go ahead, though I wouldn't recommend it," Volcan returned, stretching and popping his back as he roused himself. "You'll hurt yourself way more than you'll hurt him."

"Bitch please. I got my ways." Hank returned, cupping his paws together as he channeled his energy into a Shadow Ball, grinning menacingly as he faced Tristan. "Rise and fucking shine metal head!" He barked as he tossed the orb of dark energy to Tristan.

The Aggron reacted about as expected as the ball struck his left flank; he let out a yelp, jumping up so suddenly his back hit the ceiling, resulting in an even louder racket than before as he slammed into the stone roof, coming back down and landing on all fours, where he scrambled about with his head swinging to and fro as he sought attackers. "Whowhatwherewhenwhy?!" He babbled

Hank burst out laughing from his reaction, slapping his knee and leaning back against a nearby wall for support as he laughed hysterically. "Holy shit that reaction was _priceless!!"_He bellowed before breaking into a second fit of laugher.

Admittedly, Luke got a chuckle from that as well, covering his mouth as he snickered slightly, did Volcan although he was rubbing his ear from the ruckus the Aggron's wake-up call had caused.

"Don't know if that solved the noise problem right away, but it sure woke him up," Volcan remarked with a glib tone. "Though for a second I expected the cave to collapse after that jump he did.

"Okay, who's the wise guy?" Tristan asked, glaring between the three of them.

Hank whistled innocently and averted his gaze, tapping his claws against the back of his head in a poor attempt to hide his guilt causing the Aggron to fix his gaze right on him.

"I'm going to grind you into...!" The Aggron began, rearing up on his hind legs and menacingly stepping towards Hank, but was interrupted by a voice from outside the cave.

"Hello? Is someone in there?"

All eyes turned to the cave entrance, where they saw a silhouette at the other end, standing outside in the morning sunlight and casting their shadow into the cave but the sunlight outside was too bright to spot any features on the newcomer. Luke stepped forward, using his aura sense to better perceive who was calling out to them, and detected that there were two life signs; one of them larger than the other, which was smile -a child, or a very small Pokémon.

Deciding to answer the stranger, Luke called out to them. "Yes, we're here. Who are you?"

"My name's Mort; I'm a fisherman from Tadpole Bay. I saw your boat down on the beach over yonder; that is yours, right?"

"Yes, it is," Volcan replied. "We didn't know the island was inhabited so we took shelter in here to wait out last night's storm."

"Are you all okay?"

"A little cold and hungry, but otherwise good." Hank called back. "Wait, so if yer a fisherman then that means you live here on this island, eh? Where's yer town at?"

"On the opposite side of the island from where we are now," he replied. "If you guys had walked some little ways to the south, you'd have seen it."

Luke looked to the rest of the group for a moment before speaking again. "I hate to impose, but do you think we could follow you back to town?" He asked. "We could use some supplies before we set off again."

"Of course; come on out," he urged them, stepping out of the cave himself. "It's just my son and I out here; I promise."

Luke then stepped out toward the entrance of the cave, motioning for everyone else to follow behind him as he walked out of their temporary shelf. As the four emerged into daylight, Hank gave a small sigh of relief as he hopped up to his feet and walked behind Luke, sneaking a sly grin at Tristan as he walked out. The Aggron narrowed his eyes in a glare at the Zoroark, warning him that their business wasn't concluded yet, but a sharp look from Volcan urged him to drop it as they addressed their visitor.

The figure at the end stepped back to let them out, revealing himself more visibly to them; he was a bipedal turtle-like Pokémon with a shell that looked like it was made of stone, and a similar facial layer in the likeness of a mask, behind which two light yellow eyes studied them as they stepped out. At his side was a smaller turtle, but clearly not of the same evolutionary line; it was a lighter blue Squirtle, a species they all recognized, with its distinctive magenta eyes and red shell. But the first Pokémon was one none of them had seen before.

Luke eyed the elder Pokémon with intrigue, not quite his species at first. "I beg your pardon, but I don't think I've ever seen your species of Pokémon before." He commented.

The rock turtle, who they gathered was Mort, chuckled. "I hear that sometimes," he said. "I'm a Carracosta. We're... kind of few in number these days, so it's not surprising you've never seen one of my kind before."

"Oh, I've heard of you guys." Hank stated. "Always blew mind how you guys are able to swim with such a heavy shell weighing ya down." He added with a snicker. "Anyway, where's yer town at? Frankly I could use a good fillet right about now." He said, rubbing his belly a little.

"It's just up that rise there," the Carracosta pointed to the south, before proceeding to reach down to pick up the Squirtle at his side and place him onto his shoulder. "I'll lead you there -it's not too far; follow me." He turned, and began to walk towards the hill, the Squirtle resting on his shoulder and humming to himself as they walked.

"That guy doesn't seem familiar to me," Volcan muttered. "I don't think we've been to this island before."

"This coming from the guy who can't remember his own home?" Hank asked.

Luke spun around on his paw, glaring harshly at the Zoroark. "Hank!" He barked angrily. "That was uncalled for!"

Hank flinched at Luke's very sudden change of manner, actually stepping back slightly and putting up his paws defensively. "C'mon man, I wasn't trying to be offensive!"

"It's alright, Luke," said Volcan, waving his talon in dismissal.

"The big bird's right anyway," Tristan replied. "I didn't know of any town on this island neither; I guess we're still further from our own isle than we thought."

"Well in any case, at least we know now." Luke said. "And judging from the fact neither of you knew of its existence, it can't be any larger than Port Azure."

"Azure?" Mort asked, looking back at them. "Did you say you were from Azure?"

Luke looked back to Mort and answered "We are... well, half of us anyway." Luke returned. "Myself and Hank reside there, Volcan and Tristan here," he gestured to the two, "are trying to get back to their own town and we're along for the ride to help them."

"Where's your hometown located?" Mort asked, directing the question to Volcan and Tristan.

"Arc Island," replied Tristan. "There's a Shrine to Arceus there, right above the docks; that's where the name comes from."

"Arc Island..." Mort repeated, turning his gaze to the ground and repeating the island name a few times before he shook his head. "Heard of the place but I can't say I've been to it myself; it's one of the islands closer to the north-western edge of the region." He looked over his uncovered shoulder at the group. "It it's of any help, you could ask my wife, Anna; she runs a ferry service between the islands here and has likely been to Arc Island at least once or twice."

Suddenly, he averted his gaze, but not before Luke caught a scowl on his stoney-faced features. "Although..." He frowned. "We haven't been able to do much business lately."

"Why is that?" Luke asked, tilting his head questioningly.

"There are these bad guys," the Squirtle chimed in, looking back at them. "They keep attacking every boat that tries to sail in or out of town, demanding money from them. If they don't pay, they sink the boat."

"I haven't been able to take myboat out for some time now to do any fishing," Mort added. "It's why I'm over here on this side of the island away from the village -to try and fish from the shore to at least keep everyone fed. Those punks don't come to this side of the island; they just block access to the bay."

Luke narrowed his eyes upon hearing that news. "Thugs, is it?" He asked with deep scorn.

Hank grinned, letting out a sinister chuckle. "We going to bust some heads and save a town?" Hank asked, rubbing his claws together. "Me likes the sound of that."

"None of you are water-types; how're you even going to reach them?" Mort asked. "And if you bring your boat around, they'll sink you."

"Leave that part to us; we'll figure it out," Volcan assured. "Those motivated by greed are often easy to bait; you just need to figure out what they want most, and they'll come right to you."

"In this case, it's money." Luke returned. "Simple enough, right?"

"We don't really have anything you could use to draw them in," Mort replied as they finally cleared the rise, and were now in sight of the village beyond, which Mort gestured to with his left flipper arm. "As you can probably tell, no Pokémon of wealth lives here."

The town below, nestled comfortably in an alcove overlooking a small bay shaped almost like a tadpole, was just as Mort said; clearly not a prosperous place. There were only eighteen houses, barely making it worth even being called a town; it was more of a village, a rather poor looking one at that. Some of the houses looked to be in some disrepair, even, maintained only enough to stay standing. The houses were built into the Cliffside of a cove, with every structure built upon stilts to protect them from incoming tides that would will the massive bay over which they resided. The docks, stretching out far from the houses, rested upon barrels underneath that would keep the walkways above water when the tide brought more water into the bay.

The boats resting in the bay were clearly of better quality than the homes. Two were fishing boats, similar in design to that of the Team Phalanx boat but a little larger, and the third was just as large, but was blanketed by a tent-like canvas that stretched from stern to bow, and under the canvas were several rows of chairs; at first glance, Luke estimated the boat had enough seating for as many as thirty passengers -probably the ferry service operated by Mort's wife, providing passage between the many islands of region.

"...And I thought Azure was backwater," Hank muttered, earning an elbow to the ribs from Volcan, bringing a grunt from the Zoroark, who glared back at the Blaziken.

Luke scanned the bay with his eyes, studying the lay of the land; he was surprised to see so few boats in a fishing village -surely Mort was not the only one who made his trade from the sea. But that's when he saw, at the mouth of the bay, a boat was lying smashed against a rock jutting out from the shore. It did not look like either a fishing boat or a ferry, which led him to suspect it was more likely a trade cog from one of the other islands and not the property of the villagers.

"The gang did that," Mort stated, once he saw where Luke was looking. "When the merchant who owned it refused to pay the gang's 'toll', they threw the boat into that boulder, smashing it to pieces. The owner had to swim to shore, and even now they're still stranded here until someone comes looking for them."

Luke took note of the damaged boat facing toward the town, narrowing his eyes slightly. "They even attack the boats that try to arrive just to trade..." He stated, clenching his paws tightly at his sides. "...Callous pricks. Clearly they value money over Pokémon life."

"So far, they haven't slain anyone," Mort corrected. "But they love to wreck everything they touch." He scoffed. "Bunch of damn jellyfish."

"Jellyfish?" Tristan echoed. "Tentacool or Frillish?"

"Tentacool; dozens of them, and three big Tentacruel that lead them," replied Mort.

Volcan and Tristan looked at each other suspiciously, sharing the same arched brow look. "Why does that sound familiar to me?" Volcan asked.

"It should if it's who _I'm_thinking of," replied the Aggron.

"Who?" Hank asked. "Know something we don't, lunkhead?"

"Tristan told me about them the other day," replied Volcan. "This big gang consisting of Tentacruel and Tentacool who raided a town once, back when my team and I were still active. We arrived to defend the town, eventually driving them off."

"They loved to hold up sailors and demand money from them, and not just_money either; anything of value they had on board. Jewelry, especially," Tristan went on. "But when _we fought 'em there were only two of those Tentacruel; one of them must've evolved and joined the big boy's table."

"So, in other words, you have experience with them." Luke returned, then his ears twitched a little, before he turned to look at Volcan. "Now that you mention it...you did say something about a past mission of yours before we left Azure; how ironic it appears to be the same one."

Volcan nodded to him. "It definitely sounds like the same gang he told me about."

Luke rubbed his chin once more in thought. "Then we might be able to make this work after all..." He muttered. "Though again, the question is how we lure them closer to land..."

"We may not have to use anything to do that," Volcan stated, smiling. "If that gang remembers my team and the beat down we gave them, then they might not pass up the opportunity to get even." His smile turned to a grin. "We can make them come right to us, without putting any of the town at risk."

"...I like yer way of thinking," Hank said to Volcan with a grin. "But we can get to that later, because right now I'm fucking STARVING!!"

"Of course," Mort chimed in. "Follow me."

~~~~~

The group was taken to Mort's home, at the center of town closest to the docks. There, his wife, a Wartortle, and the Carracosta served them a nutritious meal consisting mostly of fish, but also with fresh lemon and some apples that, according to Mort, were grown on one of the neighbouring islands, and he would often trade fish for them. They assured to the rescue team that they had plenty of food to go around, and could enjoy themselves to their heart's content.

During their meal, Anna, Mort's wife, had to silence her son repeatedly as he began to barrage their visitors with questions about where they were from, and even more when he found out they were a Rescue Team; he started to ask them about their adventures and battles before Anna finally managed to make him leave them alone so they could eat peacefully.

"Sorry about that," she bade as she silenced her son the second time. "He idolizes Rescue Teams out there; he wants to form his own someday."

Luke laughed a little. "It's alright, really." He returned, reaching down lightly rubbing the Squirtle's head in an encouraging manner. "There's nothing wrong with idolizing someone or something, and if he wants to form his own, then I for one respect his decision. The world needs more Pokémon who are willing to do the right thing for others."

"I agree," returned Mort.

When the meal was finished, and Anna began to gather up the dishes, the group thanked her and complimented her cooking, letting her know the fish had been delicious. She smiled at the praise, taking the dishes to the sink and rinsing them off with a Water Gun from her mouth, before filling up the sink with warm water to wash them. Mort took a seat at the table while she worked; all that was left now was to discuss their next course of action.

"So, all that's left to do now is go deal with those jellyfish," Volcan stated.

"I assume you guys have a plan, considering yer familiar with those extorting fuckwits?" Hank asked, crossing his arms.

"Last time we fought 'em they came after us when Minato knocked out one of their posse; we were lucky," Tristan replied. "But Minato's not with us today so we need another plan."

"If they're still miffed about that humiliating defeat, chances are they won't pass up the chance for payback," Volcan returned. "So, what we need is a place where the water's shallow enough they can't sneak their little tendrils in to trip us up, since they can't actually leave the water. If we fight them in the water, they'll drown us easily."

"So basically, we need a beach or something." Luke returned, then looked to Volcan and Tristan. "You sure you two will be alright though? I mean, you're both averse to water and Water-type attacks."

"But I've got Thunderpunch," Volcan stated.

"And these guys mostly stick to Poison-type attacks," Tristan added. "Which don't do squat to Steel-types like me; you guys I'd be worried about."

"...Luke's Steel-type too, Tristan." The Blaziken pointed out.

"Oh, right."

"Well I got a few things I could use against em. Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Night Daze. Oh, did I mention I'm an Illusionist?" Hank added in a cocky tone, then he perked up. "Oop! Idea!"

"Let's hear it," Volcan stated.

"What if I could somehow... make more of us?" He asked, grinning even more deviously than before as he held out his arms to emphasize his point.

"The old duplication trick," Volcan said. "I like it... but where could we use it?"

"Well like you said, we'd be fighting on a beach if we're to even get their attention, and in the water, they'll have an advantage." Luke answered. "We should try to engage them from high ground where they'll have to follow us out."

"Even they aren't that thick," Volcan stated. "We go to the high ground, they'll just stay below the water."

Luke grimaced, realizing that Volcan was right; no water-type Pokémon in their right mind would allow themselves to be drawn away from their natural element where they would be at their strongest. "You're right. We'll have to face them on the beach; force them to the surface, and battle them partially in the water."

"Hold on," Mort suddenly chimed in, bringing their attention to him. "Are you four sure you want to do this? Honestly, this is our problem; no need to endanger yourselves. Besides, we wouldn't be able to pay you."

"We're a Rescue Team," Volcan stated. "This is what we do; with or without a reward, it is what we do best."

"What birdbrain said." Hank said, jerking his head toward Volcan with that signature grin still on his face.

"Protecting the innocent has always been foremost on our minds, no matter what." Luke added. "No matter what it may cost us, we put ourselves in harm's way so that Pokémon like you, your family and your entire village can live another day in peace."

Mort smiled as much as his rocky features would allow him to. "Well in that case, I thank you, on behalf of our entire village," he said. "If there's any help I can offer, just ask; I'm not what you'd say a 'warrior' but I've chased enough looters off my boat in the past that I know my way around in a scrap."

"Mortimer, that is too dangerous!" Anna protested.

"Your wife is right, Mort," Luke stated. "These are thieves. They won't fight fair. Having you there could present them with a potential hostage, and they won't pass up a chance like that. Stay here to protect your family, and leave the rest to us."

At first, the Carracosta looked like he wanted to offer some assurance that he could help, but between Luke's words -and a stern look from his wife to add, he decided to listen to the Lucario, and nodded with a sigh to him. "Understood."

"Alright then," Volcan stated, standing up. "Let's go get these bastards."

"Agreed," returned Luke, before he headed out the door. Volcan was to be the second one out, but he felt a paw on his shoulder, stopping him, and Luke was instead followed by an eager Tristan who was laughing heartily at the thought of some action.

Volcan turned around, and found that it was Hank who had stopped him. He quickly noticed the rather serious look on the Zoroark's face; it was the first time he'd seen such an expression on the Zoroark, and it honestly shocked him, to see Hank looking at him like that. "When we get a moment, you and I need to have a little heart to heart."

"What...?" Volcan started to ask, but Hank stepped and left the house before he could finish, leaving the confused Blaziken standing in the shack. He rubbed his head, trying to understand what Hank would want to talk to him about, until he realized the others had already stepped out of the house, leaving him behind, and promptly hurried out to join them.

Heading over to the stairway access to the dock area, they stood at the top where they could get the best vantage point of the town. To their left, they saw a sign put at the top of the stairs, likely intended for visitors. 'Welcome to Tadpole Bay Village', it read; clearly the populace was aware of their bay's distinctive shape as well, and appropriately named their town to suit it. 'Hey, it works,' he thought, before he leapt over the railing to the ground below to catch up to his comrades, who were already crossing the sandy ground to the water.

The bay wasn't as large as the one around which Port Azure was built, limited to the inside of the cove but currently sitting at a low level that left the body no more than fifty meters wide. However, the water grew dark very quickly a short distance away from the docks, indicating it was quite deep past the boats themselves -more than deep enough to allow them to sail. The shallow water areas were limited to the shoreline, and the 'tail' of the distinct shape stretched out to the water, passing between a row of rocks only ten meters apart -barely wide enough for a fishing boat to pass between, and only if the boat driver was extremely cautious.

"Pretty deep out there," Volcan stated, narrowing his eyes as he stared into the dark waters ahead. "They could be anywhere in there."

"Well why don't you just flush em out with a Thunder Punch?" Hank asked. "Ya know, give em a jolt to know we're here by shocking the water."

"Doesn't work that way," replied Volcan. "The jolt my Thunderpunch delivers wouldn't be enough to electrify the entire bay; it'd course over the surface but not all the way down to the deep waters, where they're probably hanging out."

"Maybe I could drop a big boulder down there; scare 'em all out with an underwater landslide," offered Tristan.

"That could work." Luke said with a nod. "Just need to find one big enough..."

Volcan looked around the bay, studying the rocks that lined the edges of the cove from the ocean to the rocky walls around them, spotting several particularly large, fang-like rocks jutting out of the sand. Their shape must have been from erosion from when the bay would become filled with water in high tide. "What about those rocks over there?" Volcan asked, pointing where he meant. "Could we use one of those?"

"They look to be a good size," agreed Tristan, grinning. "Yeh. I'll smash one in half and then drop it in."

"Then get to smashing Metal man!" Hank stated, clapping his claws together and rubbing them deviously. "Then I'll get my magic working when they show up."

"Alright; follow me!" Tristan bellowed, turning and striding across the sand towards the boulders. If not for the soft sand, his steps would have been thunderous. Luke was quick to follow the Aggron, once more leaving Volcan and Hank behind, oblivious to their lagging.

Seeing the opportunity to find out what Hank wanted to talk about, Volcan turned to him. "Alright," he began, getting Hank's attention "What's on your mind?"

Hank didn't even hesitate before delivering his blunt response. "You really think you can pull the wool over my eyes, pal?" He asked with a wry smile.

"What're you talking about?" Volcan asked, warily. "I'm not hiding anything from you, Hank."

He laughed. "I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm _anything_but thick," he retorted, then glanced back to Volcan. "You want Luke, don't you?" He suddenly asked.

Volcan's face went red beneath his feathers, making them look darker than usual as a surprised look dominated his features. He skidded to a halt, kicking up a small cloud of sand as he looked at Hank. "W-What?" He asked, unable to find any other words to say.

Clearly expecting that reaction, Hank smirked, turning fully to face Volcan as they stopped running, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "You heard me." He returned. "You love him, don't you? I've seen the way you two look at each other, the way you interact with him. If it were anymore obvious, you might as well tattoo it on your arm."

Volcan pushed aside his initial shock, briskly shaking his head before facing Hank again. "N-No, there's nothing like that between us," he denied, shaking his head. "Why would there be? I'm hardly right for him." He looked away from the Zoroark. "If you saw him lying against me this morning that's because last night was cold; I had to lay next to him, so he wouldn't freeze to death."

Hank's usual cocky smirk vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced instead by a deep scowl. "Buddy...stop lying to me and stop lying to yourself," he said sternly, stepping closer to Volcan and almost standing nose-to-beak with him as he glared directly into his eyes. "It's not just last night I noticed. During the tournament, I saw multiple times where you two got a little too close to one another to be friends. They way you two hold one another was a dead giveaway for me; friends don't just embrace each other the way he did after you beat Romulus, and you never showed any aversion to it."

"Hank," Volcan said firmly, returning the Zoroark's glare. "It wasn't anything, understand? Even if it was," his gaze fell away, eyes scrunching as he shut them, turning to the sand. "This is hardly the right time... for either of us. We don't know what's waiting for me out there. How do we know I'm not already spoken for? Besides, Luke is still getting over the pain of his last lovers -yes, he told me about them." The Blaziken opened his eyes, shaking his head and looking at Hank again. "I'm not going to add to that heartbreak... I can't. I just can't do that to him; not after all that he's done for me. I won't be the one to break his heart again."

Hank grit his teeth for a moment, clearly not expecting Volcan to refute his claims so, eventually sighing in annoyance. "Ok you know what? Shut up." He said suddenly in a rather snappy tone. "You ever stop to think that Luke might feel the same for you?" He asked. "Sure, he may be getting over his last heartbreak, but being alone ain't gonna solve that problem." He said. "Frankly buddy...I think he needs you." He then looked down to the ground for a moment before he spoke again. "Lemme ask you something... Whenever you're near him. You ever feel a warmth pass through your chest and your heart beating a mile a minute?" He asked

"How...?" Volcan began to ask, but then collected himself; he couldn't lie to Hank, even when the Zoroark was calling him out on it earlier, he didn't want to lie to him. It felt wrong... and denying the truth was wrong too. "...Yes... I have felt it." He said. "But I'm pretty sure Luke's already got his eyes on someone else."

"If you ask me, flamie, that was purely just a one night stand," Hank stated, uncrossing his arms and gesturing In Luke's direction. "Don't believe me? Then just ask Luke yerself when you get the chance, but let me say my piece before we continue." His expression shifted to a more sympathetic one. "I know exactly how you feel man. That...

Volcan's mood shifted in a split second, his eyes angling sharply as he scowled at the Zoroark. "You don't know shit!" He said sharply, fighting back the urge to yell. "How could you know _anything_about me? I don't even know myself!"

"Just hear me out," Hank returned, letting Volcan's outburst slid this time. "I know because I felt the same thing when I started seeing my Gatr. In fact, like with you and Luke, he saved my life; I would have kicked it years ago if it weren't fer him."

Volcan was about to give another sharp retort, until the meaning behind Hank's words reached him, causing his rather snide choice of words to catch in his throat, his expression softening as curiosity won over his anger. "What do you mean; what happened to you?" He asked

Hank shrugged. "It happened a long time ago. I got into a pretty bad brawl; bastard nearly turned my lungs to dust from all the stomping on my chest. My kind weren't well-liked around here, see, so even though lots of people saw the fight, nobody was in any hurry to help me." He went on, motioning for Volcan to follow him as he explained.

"By the time the bastard finally gave me some reprieve, things were black and shit, I honestly thought I was dead. Until next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital bed, all bandaged up and drugged with morphine, and to my left was the guy who saved my life -you saw him when we returned home. Beefed up Feraligatr, one smart ass doctor too. For a while, he was my hero, and I looked up to the bastard from that moment on. I started seeing him more, got to know him...and I started feeling all warm and fuzzy in my chest whenever I got close to him. Like you, I refused to believe it could be more than it was; we were just buddies, nothing else."

Hank then gave a chuckle. "And then the unexpected happened; he popped the question, not me. Apparently, he was feeling the same warmth I was and well, sooner or later, we ended up dating, owning our own home and even got married." Hank raised his gaze, looking at Volcan with a warm smile. "That's why I told you not to waste your chance back at the tournament, I could tell there was something goin' on between you two, whether you were aware of it or not. Love is a very fickle thing man, and if you let it go to waste, yer shit out of luck."

"But, Hank..." Volcan began, averting his gaze again. "Luke's just..."

"Luke won't get over his pain if he remains alone pal. He needs you in his life, even if yer like, a continent away, he needs to know there's someone there who loves him, so that the void in his heart can be filled and he can finally_move on from what happened in the past." He paused for a moment. "And one more thing. I can tell you right now he _won't tell you about his feelings first, because he's afraid to... It has to be you to tell him first, then he'll crumble and follow suite...ya get me?"

Volcan let out a long sigh, rubbing his head in exasperation as he considered Hank's words. "Damn it all if you don't make sense," he s aid. "But... It's just not the right time. Let's just focus on our job, but I promise you... if I get the chance, I'll tell him."

Hank raised a claw, touching the tip of Volcan's beak with it. "You better," he said firmly, before stepping away again. "But anyway, I've said my piece, now it falls onto you to act accordingly. Just remember what I said man...Whether you know it or not, Luke needs this. Poor bastard's been alone for WAY too long. His heart won't mend without you." He concluded before turning away, picking up the pace and heading to rejoin Luke and Tristan.

"One last thing," Volcan called, prompting Hank to stop in his tracks. "What's your boyfr... pardon me, husband's name?" He asked, as Hank hadn't even said his 'Gatr's' name.

At the question, Hank smiled and even blushed a bit. "His name is Gex... and honestly he's the best damn thing to ever happen in my life." He added.

Volcan smiled, nodding. "I'm glad you found someone... for whatever it's worth, coming from me," he said honestly to Hank.

"Teh...you've already proven yer alright in my books. I think I trust ya enough to believe yer word." He added. "Now let's hustle. We kept the others waiting long enough."

"Right," Volcan agreed. "We've still got a mission to complete."

They rejoined the others, just as Tristan punched away at the bottom of a stone pillar, breaking away one chunk after another with each swing of his fist. The boulder had proven a little tougher than initially expected, and it took Tristan some time to wear it down with his fists, but every chunk he smashed or clawed away brought him closer to bringing it down. Finally, as he wore away the stone until barely more than a splinter held it up, he heard a satisfying crack, followed by a creaking as the stone started to give.

As he heard that sound, he backed up, watching the pillar carefully until it started to fall towards him, putting up his arms and waiting until it fell upon him with its full weight, bringing a grunt of effort from him as his legs absorbed the impact, lifting it away from the base and hoisting it over his head. His grunts were soon replaced by a hearty chuckle as he held the stone pillar above him, looking towards his friends with a diabolical grin.

"Sorry, I forgot to yell 'timber'," he joked, slowly turning his attention to the bay. "Alright... special delivery, blob boys!" He growled, and began to run towards the bay with the broken pillar in tow.

"Keep up with him!" Volcan urged. "Get ready with those illusions, Hank!"

Luke and Hank nodded and began chasing after the Aggron as he charged for the bay, staying a safe distance behind Tristan so they had plenty of time to stop in case the huge steel beast came to a screeching halt. Tristan's strength was truly astounding; his initial running speed was slow, but as he ran, he started to move faster while carrying the stone pillar over his head as though it were a lightweight canoe.

As they ran, Volcan suddenly had a thought and immediately turned to Luke. "Your Aura Sense; where are they the most concentrated?" He asked, urgently.

Luke quickly tuned to his Aura Sense, turning his attention back to the bay ahead to try and scope out where the most Tentacool were gathered. He flinched when he finally caught sight of a large mass of aura lingering just outside the mouth of the bay. "Over there; lots of smaller signals and three large ones!" He replied to Volcan.

"Tristan!" Volcan called. "Aim for the mouth of the bay!"

The Aggron changed direction, not even slowing down as he diverted his path of approach, and when he was close enough, he hurled the rock through the air, sending it flying end-over-end towards the water. It landed with an almighty splash, sending a plume of water reaching for the sky as the boulder sank beneath the surface and dropped towards the bottom. To Luke's Aura Sense, he could see the various auras scattering about to evade the boulder as it sank towards them, some going out into open sea, the rest into the bay, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the massive stone. To his relief, none of them had been caught beneath it; he had not thought of that before now, but then he remembered that Tentacool had very slimy bodies and no bones -they could easily have freed themselves from the boulder even if they had been caught under it.

"That ought to get their attention!" Tristan bellowed, pounding his fists together triumphantly.

"Good job, Tristan," Volcan complimented. "Alright; everyone gathered at the shore; keep your feet out of the water until they surface. If one of them snare you, they'll pull you under."

"Hehehe...time to work my magic then," Hank muttered, his eyes flashing yellow a bit as he prepared to spring his Illusion once the Jellyfish Pokémon got close enough. The others spread out along the beach, keeping their formation widespread to avoid making themselves easy targets -Tentacruel were usually Special Attackers, and a cluster would be too easy for them to bombard with water attacks.

One by one, the tall, blue heads with ruby-embedded lenses in the tops began to emerge from the water, rising higher until their eyes were revealed below the lower rim of the blue top, peering out and searching for the offenders until their eyes fixed upon the four on the shore. "Who _dares_intrude on us?" The one closest to the shore demanded as more and more -easily twenty of them by now, surfaced and followed where the first was looking.

"Sup ass wipes!" Hank called out to them, casually saluting the Tentacool. "Heard you guys were impeding on some townsfolk making an honest living!"

"Care to explain why?" Luke asked in a much more serious tone.

"Look boys; more of the backwater villagers trying to play hero," one of them mocked.

"Look again, idiot; those guys ain't from here," another stated. "Only Water-types live in this village."

"How'd they get here? We've had this bay blocked for a week!" Another one added in.

The lead one, answering Luke, simply glowered at him. "Rule of nature, pal; the weak give to the strong," he said. "And these villagers are weak; all too easy to take what we want from them. Plus, there are lots of boats that visit this place; plenty more money to be made from sailors."

Volcan cracked his knuckles. "Ever considered a different career path?" He asked. "The kind that doesn't end with you guys getting your asses kicked, a second time?"

The lead one arched an eye. "What're you talking about?" He asked. "We've never been beaten by anyone."

"Hold on!" A gurgled voice spoke, as a trio of larger-bodies creatures erupted from the water. Their bodies, shaped almost like mushrooms, shared the same blue colour patterns and ruby encrusted lenses on the tops of their heads, but underneath were black bodies with two large eyes glaring out from underneath.

The first of the three Tentacruel glared long and hard at Volcan, and then at Tristan, considering them for a while until his eyes widened with shock. "It's them!" He exclaimed. "The same punks who chased us from Bronze Island a year ago!"

"No way! The same guys?!"

"Wait, that Lucario looks different... and where's the Vaporeon; who's the fox?"

"That's a Zoroark, dummy!" One of the other Tentacruel shot back.

"At least someone knows what I am." Hank muttered, crossing his arms.

Luke then spoke up. "We represent Team Valiant." He began. "You've been terrorizing these innocent Pokémon for long enough. You can either leave and find better things to do with your lives, or we can make you leave the hard way." Luke said as he clenched his paws at his sides. "The choice is yours entirely, but should you choose option B, then don't say we didn't give you a chance to end this peacefully."

"You've got to be kidding," the third Tentacruel said incredulously. "We've got you outnumbered six-to-one; how do you think you're going to chase us off?"

"That didn't help you last time you fought me and my friend here," Volcan returned, cocking his head towards Tristan.

"How about you guys move just a little closer," Tristan began, grinding his knuckles together, "so I can throw you back out to open sea?"

"I don't think so!" The lead Tentacruel growled. "Everyone, blast 'em away!"

"There's your cue," Volcan whispered to Hank as the Tentacool and Tentacruel began collectively lifting themselves out of the water to prepare to unleash a storm of Water Gun attacks upon the outnumbered rescue team.

Hank chuckled sinisterly. "Time for the fun to begin." He said with a grin, snapping his claws into the air. "A'ight boys! Let's lay a beat down on these bitches!" He called out suddenly. From that moment on, the air behind the four of them began to shimmer and distort, and then multiple Zoroark began appearing from behind the four of them, all of them grinning sinisterly at the Tentacool and Tentacruel gang as they prepared for their attack. The numbers continued to increase until they numbered several dozen, surrounding the renegade water Pokémon from all sides.

The trick seemed to work at first. "W-What?! There's thirty of 'em now; where they come from!"

But one of the Tentacruel saw through the deception. "You idiot; it's just a trick! Fire away!"

Simultaneously, the horde of Tentacool lifted themselves upon their tentacles to emerge from the water, opening their previously hidden mouths and firing stream of Water Guns at the countless Zoroark illusions, now unable to determine where the real Hank was. But Hank had already concealed himself before even his friends noticed, and thus none of the targets was the real Hank. Volcan leapt into the air as one of them decided to make him their target, avoiding their attacks by jumping into direct sunlight and blinding anyone that tried to follow him as he dropped back down with a lightning-charged fist, punching into the water and sending said charge across the surface. His actions successfully electrocuted half of the Tentacool with just that one attack.

"Rush him!" One yelled, now interpreting Volcan as the bigger threat.

Six of the Tentacool sprang out of the water, lunging for the Blaziken with outstretched tentacles, ready to sting him when they got in reach, but Luke was faster, using Extreme Speed to dash in front of Volcan, materializing his Bone Rush and smacking them all away before their tentacles could even touch either him or their previously intended target. He stood tall and spun his bone in his paw before slamming it down into the ground firmly before giving the remaining renegade Pokémon a cold glare. "Anyone else want to try their luck?" He asked in a tone that matched his stare.

The Tentacool clearly did not wish to test the limits of Luke's mercy, several of them swimming away from the Lucario. But their bosses were not intimidated. "All of you simpletons, get back!" One of the Tentacruel growled as all three of them advanced, lifting themselves out of the water fully and facing the three, the ant-like mandibles previously hidden by the water, curtained by their many tentacles, revealing themselves and moving as the three of them spoke. "We'll deal with this ourselves!"

Volcan punched both of his fists together, charging another Thunderpunch as he met the gazes of the Tentacruel with a harsh scowl. "Bring it on!" He bellowed.

Tristan stood next to them, a big toothy grin still plastered on his face as he stared back at the jellyfish-Pokémon. "We can kick your sorry asses all day long -assuming you had any to kick!"

The Hank clones also joined in, all of them speaking simultaneously to keep the Zoroark undetectable. "Ferget kicking their asses, let's send 'em home crying to their mommies." He stated, sharing a grin as broad as Tristan's.

"Triple Acid Spray!" The three Tentacruel chimed, rearing back and about to spew a whole stream of acidic vapour.

"Get behind Tristan!" Volcan warned Hank, having to raise his voice to ensure that the real Hank among his multiple illusory clones would hear him.

Hank suddenly materialized next to him as they both crammed themselves behind the Aggron; Luke did not need to as he was a Steel-type just like Tristan, and immune to the poisonous vapors sprayed by the three Tentacruel. He also spun his Bone Rush to help deflect the acid spray away from his allies, which swept over Hank's many illusion clones and caused them to disperse but left the original otherwise unharmed. Thanks to Tristan's cover, Volcan and Hank were spared the burning acidic vapour, allowing them both to rejoin the battle when the three Tentacruel stopped spraying. Following that, Tristan fired a Flash Cannon, sweeping across the three to trip them up; they braced themselves, softening the blow, but still causing them to flinch.

"I got this!" Hank hollered as he cupped his paws together over his head, baring his teeth as a red-black sphere of energy formed between his claws, which he aimed at the three Tentacruel. "Eat Darkness ya fucks!" He hollered, unleashing a full power Night Daze down at the Tentacruel, blinding them in his damaging dark shroud that enveloped them, bathing them in blackness and sending shocks of cold pain through their bodies.

They cried out as the dark energy of the attack damaged them, but they were far from finished despite the severity of the attack. When it ended, they flew into a violent rage, extending more tentacles from their bodies and lashing out with them, unleashing a hundred whipping attacks at the four on the shore and slapping at the ground wildly, forcing the team to back up to avoid getting stricken as the tentacles left deep impressions in the sand.

Thinking quickly, Luke raised his Bone Rush and held it above his shoulder, poised to throw it like a Javelin. Taking aim and hurling it as hard as he could to his first target, then created another Bone Rush and hurled that one at the next, rinsing and repeating on the third target. Now knocked from their fit of anger, Hank resumed his attack launching several Shadow Balls while strafing alongside the bay to make himself a moving target, adding to Luke's assault.

"Barriers!" One of them shouted, desperately.

Despite the pain two of them managed to turn back towards the Rescue Team, putting up shields of psychic energy that blocked their oncoming attacks with the shields, including another Flash Cannon and a Flamethrower unleashed by Tristan and Volcan as they attempted to add on to the onslaught. At that, the third Tentacruel raised himself up over his allies with his multiple tendrils, the smaller red gem on his forehead glowing before a shrill sound swept over the group.

Everyone cringed and covered their ears, especially Hank having the most sensitive hearing of the four. Recognizing the attack as Supersonic, he tried to get his bearings, gritting his teeth and struggling through the pain as he thought of how to stop it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other two Tentacruel crawl onto the sand, reaching out with their many tentacles towards him and his friends; if he did not act immediately, they would be enveloped in those tendrils and very likely dragged to a watery doom.

Forced to uncover his ears, Hank yelped in pain but successfully struck the ground with his paw, unleashing a Grass Knot attack and causing a large root to shoot up from the sand below and wrap around the Tentacruel firing the attack. With a sharp pull, the Tentacruel splashed loudly back into the water, removed as a threat for the moment.

The soundwaves stopped, finally allowing the others to uncover their ears in time to notice the tentacles reaching for them. Tristan felt his arms already bound by one of them. With a menacing glare at their owner, he seized the tentacles with his claws, and gave a sharp pull, yanking the Tentacruel towards him before delivering a punishing Head Smash directly to their face, which would no doubt send stars exploding across the eyes of the Tentacruel and knocking them clean out. But that wasn't enough for the Aggron; he then pulled the tentacles taught again, swinging himself around and pulling the Tentacruel from the ground to begin swinging them around, again and again until the tentacles around Tristan's arms broke free from Tentacruel's body, sending it flying out to sea and splashing into the ocean too far away to be heard.

At the same time, Luke and Volcan had followed Tristan's example, pulling together to drag the second Tentacruel out of the water, dropping him helplessly onto the sand. The Tentacruel tried to scramble back to the water, but Volcan and Luke were too quick, already charging at him. Luke materialized another Bone Rush, Volcan's fists became charged with electricity. The end of Luke's Bone Rush and Volcan's Thunderpunch simultaneously struck the Tentacruel in the face, and he was sent skidding across the send before sliding back into the water again, sinking unconsciously to the depths.

"Knockout," Volcan commented.

Looking at his arms at the now ownerless tentacles bound them, Tristan his limbs until they fell away and dropped wetly to the sand. "Sticky little things," he growled in disgust.

"And then there was one." Luke muttered, turning his gaze back to the last Tentacruel. "Well? Still think option B was the best decision?" He asked rhetorically. "I won't ask you again. Leave! Take your posse and never bring harm to any innocent villagers again!"

"You haven't won this fight yet, boy scouts!" The Tentacruel retorted.

"Oh, shut up!" Tristan barked as he fired another Flash Cannon at the jellyfish.

A second before impact, the Tentacruel's body suddenly glowed a rainbow of colours, and as soon as the Flash Cannon landed, it bounced back like a ray of sunlight striking a mirror, but unlike such a light, it followed the very trajectory it had come from, arcing towards Tristan and blasting him with his own attack. Tristan was blown off his feet, landing onto his back and going still. While the others were distracted by their fallen teammate, the Tentacruel plunged beneath the surface of the water, along with the rest of the Tentacool who had still been watching the fight.

"Crap! That was a Mirror Coat!" Hank exclaimed, then looked back to the water and saw the Tentacruel and his gang were gone. ".... Uh guys? Where'd they go?"

Volcan, following Hank's gaze, studied the surface of the water, eyeing the new wave of ripples covering the surface following the lack of bodies. "Looks like they went under," he replied. "Why? Are they retreating?"

"Unlikely..." Luke tuned to his Aura Sense to see what exactly they were plotting.

From what he could see, they had gathered at the bottom of the bay, fifteen of them total as the rest were either defeated or had fled, but it wasn't under the water where the trouble was brewing; it was on top of it. Hank and Volcan were the first to notice that water seemed to be getting pulled in from the sea, accumulating into the bay at a rapid rate, causing the levels to rise until even though they were on the beach now, they felt the water flowing around their feet and rise rapidly to their ankles.

Hank looked down and froze. "They're gonna fucking drown the whole town!!" He exclaimed suddenly.

Almost as if cued, the water suddenly receded and formed into a massive wave, on top of which the Tentacruel and Tentacool appeared as it grew more than twenty feet high, casting a shadow over the four and then rushed towards them.

"No... just us!" Volcan cried out in horror as the wave rushed towards them.

But they could do nothing, even as the wave veered off and swept towards them from the other side, catching all four of them in its wake. Tristan was barely moved due to his mass, but Luke, Volcan and Hank could do nothing as the surf was steered into them; out of instinct they tried to run but the wave struck them from behind, hurtling them dizzyingly through the water and docks of the village, where Mort was watching in horror as he and eight other Pokémon, all Water-types who had been observing the battle, cried out as they expected the tsunami to wash over their town and destroy their homes.

Fortunately for them, they were not the target; the wave dropped at the last second, splashing the docks and washing over the supports that held up the walkways, throwing the Pokémon caught in it painfully against the columns or the rocky wall behind it, and when the water receded back out into the ocean, they were left to fall to the wet sand, waterlogged and sputtering to collect their breath.

Luke tried to push himself back onto his feet, coughing up some water, but before he was halfway to his feet, he felt something whip around his legs and yank them out from under him. Instinctively, he clawed at the sand for purchase, but the mud offered no solid grip. More tentacles spun around the rest of his body, pulling his arms back before winding around his torso and trapping him. Hank soon suffered the same fate as he struggled to get up; he thrashed about for a moment but was soon immobilized as he was bound. Volcan, lying over by one of the columns, was the last to be caught, but unlike Luke and Hank, he wasn't seized by his legs, he was seized by his neck. The Tentacruel looped a noose around Volcan's throat and hoisted him up from the ground, catching his talons before he could even try to claw at them.

Volcan kicked his legs frantically, but there was nothing to kick against, and he gagged as he felt his throat being constricted, tightening until there were impressions of them in his neck feathers. Luke was still struggling break free of the Tentacles around his body, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Volcan being asphyxiated by the tentacles. Feeling a burning heat rising in his chest, he fought harder, but it was no use; the tentacles wouldn't break, and he couldn't get his arms free to use Metal Claw to cut them off. He could only watch helplessly as Volcan was brought over to stare into the face of his would-be executioner.

"Your team humiliated us the first time, now you come back with new friends to get in our way again," the Tentacruel said angrily. "Well there won't be a third time for you!" No sooner did he say this that the tendril around Volcan's neck tightened further, threatening to crush his throat completely. The colour was already leaving the Blaziken's face, eyes rolling back as he fought to stay awake.

Luke's eyes widened in horror at the sight, seeing Volcan being brought closer to asphyxiation. At that second, rage took hold; his eyes glowed bright as he channeled aura into his limbs, before emitting a pulse that tore his bindings asunder, freeing him from their hold. Without hesitation, he reached into his scarf, producing his Lucarionite and clenching it in his paw. The stone glowed through the creases of his paw and engulfed him in light, forming the violet crystalline sphere around him before it shattered and revealed him in his sleeker, more powerful Mega Lucario form. Upon his completed transformation, he returned to the ground, and was off like a shot, making a beeline at the Tentacruel with murder in his eye.

"LET HIM GO!!!" He roared, and delivered a punch so powerful to the Tentacruel that it left an impression in the forehead of the Water-type.

Out of the corner of his eye, Volcan, even with his vision starting to darken, saw Luke sinking his fist into that boneless flesh of the Tentacruel such force the air seemed to shimmer around Luke's arm from the point of impact. At that very second, a flash of light across Volcan's eyes, and he saw Lucario wearing a black coat delivering an identical punch directly to the face of a Tentacool, fangs bared and forcing it to let go of the tail of a Vaporeon it had been trying to drag back into the water, and he realized he was seeing a vision of Minato again, one of the two team members he had yet to reunite with, but just as soon as it began, it faded, greeting him again with the sight of Luke, and the subsequent disappearance of the Tentacruel as it was sent flying back into the bay and left a trail of ten foot high plumes as it soared out of sight.

Volcan felt the pressure on his neck recede, and could suck in a breath again as he and Hank, still wrapped in the tentacles, fell to the ground as the owner of them left them behind following Luke's attack. Meanwhile, the other Tentacool stared in utter disbelief from the bay as the third and last of their leaders was defeated. They turned, looking up at the Mega Lucario now standing on the shore, glaring out to sea as he caught his breath before turning his gaze to them, giving them such a cold look that they knew exactly what his intentions were if they did not leave.

They needed no more incentive than that to flee as if for their very lives, swimming frantically to the mouth of the bay, babbling a collective stream of incoherent nonsense that Luke cared little to understand, only that they were leaving, and he sent them off with one last threatening roar that told them what would happen if he ever heard of them returning. "AND DON'T EVER COME BACK!!!" His voice was so powerful that it echoed over the waves, leaving little doubt they heard him.

Taking a moment to calm himself down with deep breaths, Luke turned away from the sea, shutting his eyes and devolving back to his regular self. With that, he reopened his eyes, which found Hank and a violently coughing Volcan lying on the beach nearby. Without hesitation, he strode over to the Blaziken first, who was still trying to get the dislodged Tentacle off his neck; Luke helped him remove it, pulling a few feathers with it before discarding it. As he supported the coughing Blaziken, Luke looked over at Hank. "Are you alright?" He called with concern.

"I'm good!" Hank replied, waving to him before using his claws to slice the appendages off himself.

Volcan turned to Luke, trying to speak between coughs as he held himself up with one talon. "Tri-hi-ristan!" He rasped. "Check... Tristan!" He pointed out to the beach there the wave had struck them; the Aggron hadn't been carried as far as the rest of them, but he was still lying in the sand, half sunk in the wet sand of the shore.

Luke turned to the Blaziken and nodded, and then called out to Hank, "Watch over Volcan!" before making a dash over to where Tristan was to check on him. "Tristan! Hey!!" He called to him as he approached, falling to his knees and skidding to a halt next to the large Aggron. "Tristan!" He yelled again as he shook the Aggron.

Tristan shifted as he heard his name being called, coughing a little as he sat up, but as he tried to breath, there was only gargling. His eyes widened as he choked slightly, thumping his chest several times with his fist before he let out a loud belch that sent a torrent of water, followed by something else; a poor Remoraid had been swept into his mouth during the tsunami, trapped inside Tristan's throat until now. It flailed on the sand, deprived of its element.

Luke sighed, relieved that Tristan was unharmed before he turned his attention two the Remoraid. He walked over to it, taking it up into his arms and headed back to the water to and lowered it into the water to release it. "There. Go on, get out of here." He said softly to it as he lowered it into the water. It swam away quickly, likely still a little scared from the experience, but unharmed.

Meanwhile Tristan, coughing up a little more sea water, thumped his chest a few more times. "Any more stowaways in there?" He asked rhetorically before he turned to Luke. "What'd I miss?"

Luke turned back to face Tristan. "We got swept away by a Surf attack the Tentacruel hit us with...then it snagged myself, Hank and Volcan in its tendrils and tried to squeeze us to death. I mega evolved and sent it flying back into the ocean where it belongs."

"Bah... darn it; didn't get to finish the fight," he grumbled, shaking his head. "Well, at least they're gone." He turned his attention back towards the docks, where some of the townsfolk were joining Hank and Volcan on the pier, offering some help and expressing their gratitude to the Rescue Team for saving their town. Mort was helping Volcan back up to his feet, and assisting him up the stairs to back to his hut where he could comfortably rest and be treated for any injuries in case the Tentacruel had poisoned him or Hank, who followed behind. "Looks like mission accomplished."

"Yea, the gang's been pushed back, hopefully for good this time," Luke said, his eyes on Volcan as he watched Mort carry him away, breathing a huge sigh of relief in the process. "We should return back to the village as well."

"Aye," returned Tristan. "We still need information for our heading." He looked at Luke. "Good job, by the way; I may not have seen the finishing touch but you handle yourself pretty damn well."

He smiled up at Tristan. "Thanks." He returned with a nod, stepping past him toward the village.

~~~~~

The group gathered back in Mort's house, seated in a bedroom while Volcan lay down on the offered bed to rest as his throat healed from its earlier ordeal, Anna serving each of them hot drinks in gratitude for their efforts. Mort was in there too, having just come back from telling the rest of the town already about how he had found Team Valiant, and their generous offer to free them from the Tentacruel and Tentacool gang, and was speaking on the behalf of the other villagers.

"That scum would've driven our town to poverty and suffering if you hadn't come along," said the Carracosta said warmly. "Everyone here owes you a great debt of gratitude."

"It was the least we could do." Luke returned with a warm smile. "I wasn't about to let those thugs get away with crimes against a peaceful village."

"Personally, I wanted to slash that last Tentacruel to pieces, but eh, guess I was beaten to it." Hank said with a shrug.

"Maybe after a second defeat they'll finally get a clue," Tristan added. "Though I doubt it. Oh well; if they don't we'll just beat 'em up again."

Anna chimed in suddenly. "Mortimer told me you four are trying to get somewhere," she stated. "Arc Island; is that right?"

"Yes," Volcan replied, speaking with a raspy voice.

"There haven't been any ferries coming from there for some time now, but I can tell you how to get there," she offered. "If you want, I could take you."

"That's alright," Volcan returned. "We have our own boat; just point the way for us and we'll manage." He added with a smile.

"Well, if you're sure," she replied. "Anyway, if you want to get to Arc Island, it's a little further west, almost to the edge of the West Isles region, and it is one of the biggest. If you head straight west of here, look for a stone pillar, like a giant needle coming out of the sea. That's the Needle Point Rock -turn directly north from there; you should see an island on the horizon as long as it's not foggy or dark. Head straight for that one, and that'll be your destination."

"We appreciate your help, Anna." Luke returned with a nod, then looked down at Volcan and smiled a bit. "Guess we weren't too far after all, huh?" He asked in mock jest.

"Guess not," he returned, turning his gaze up to the ceiling. "Then it won't be much longer before we finally get there." He looked at Tristan. "Just a little longer." He coughed slightly. "I can't wait..." Volcan grunted, trying to sit up. "We have to get moving...!" He coughed slightly, his body still too weak from the battle earlier to sit up properly, but he was still trying.

"Whoa! Careful man; your throat's still not better!" Hank exclaimed in protest, rising from his chair instinctively.

"I can rest on the boat," Volcan returned, until Luke shot up from his chair and stepped forward, putting his paw on Volcan's chest to keep him from moving.

"I understand your urgency," he said to the Blaziken. "But there's no need to push yourself. Let us go get the boat and bring it around to the bay first, and then we can be off."

Volcan looked up at Luke, clearly wanting to argue, but the burning in his neck was stronger than his desperation and quickly let common sense win over his impatience. He compliantly laid back down on the bed, nodding to him. "Okay... I'll."

Luke nodded, smiling at him before he looked to Mort. "Do you mind at all?" He asked.

"Nope," Mort returned. "I'll keep an eye on him until you get back."

Luke nodded, before he motioned for Tristan and Hank to follow him; the two rose from their chairs, all three of them downing the beverages Anna had brought them before they made their way to the door, exiting the house and heading back to the opposite side of the island where their boat was anchored, leaving Volcan to rest on the bed, with Anna and Mort stepping out of the room to leave him in peace, alone with his thoughts.

Even if he didn't remember his home at that moment, he was so eager to see it, hoping the rest of his memories would return when he arrived, and even if they didn't, there were people there, waiting for him, who would help him uncover the secrets of his past. He had been reliving the memory of the attack on his home since the day he had landed in Azure, but he held onto the hope that his home had somehow survived and was waiting for him to come back; that hope and Luke's guidance had been the only thing carrying him forward to this point.

"Home..." He said aloud. "I'm almost home."

But, it was not the sweet, joyful feeling that accompanied this thought, because Volcan knew what awaited him when they reached Arc Island...