FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was mid morning in Azure, with the entire town now active and going about its daily affairs, including for the local rescue team. Kage was performing his usual routine through Azure at this time, watching the streets from the rooftops for any sign of danger; there hadn't been any job listing as the Pelipper Post Office that morning, so he was passing the time with a patrol as there was little else to do that day. It had been five days since Luke, Volcan, Hank and Tristan had left to find Volcan's home of Arc Island, leaving him in charge of Team Valiant until Luke returned.

So far, things had been peaceful; everyone was going about their business; everything was normal, as far as his eyes could tell. But from within, an ominous sensation was welling up within him; he could not shake the feeling that there was something amiss in the town that day -as though there was something that didn't belong. He wasn't sure why; everything was as he recognized it; aside from a few travellers who were passing through or coming to trade from the sea, there was nothing that stood out to him. Yet still, the feeling persisted; his instincts were rarely wrong, and he wanted to know what they were warning him of.

As he proceeded to the next rooftop, something caught the eye of the Greninja. Turning, Kage saw a slender, cloaked figure walking amidst the crowd below. It was well into the Autumn season, but it was warm that morning -hardly the weather that would require such attire. Narrowing his eyes at the cloaked figure and deeming it as suspicious, he began to tail the figure from the rooftops, leaping silently from building to building while keeping the figure in his line of sight.

After a moment or so of pursuit, the figure either detected him, or made a sudden turn at one of the intersections, because after rounding a corner on the street, Kage lost sight of them completely amidst the dozens of Pokémon below, none of whom wore the cloak or could have done away with it so swiftly. The Greninja let out a small scoff upon losing sight of the figure. Not one to be deterred easily, he closed his eyes and called upon his Extrasensory to try and accurately pinpoint which among the crowds was the figure in question. Regardless of whether he could or couldn't, it would at least narrow down the vast list of Pokémon that could be hiding within such attire.

But, his Extrasensory revealed nothing. Somehow, the figure had seemingly vanished or hidden themselves somehow, leading Kage to conclude that they had known they were being tailed. 'I can't be getting sloppy,' he thought with certainty. "...He must have used a Teleport..." He thought out loud, staying low upon the rooftop he was hiding upon, which served to help narrow down the list of Pokémon to only those that knew Teleport.

He did not linger long, though. As much as he wanted to keep searching, even he couldn't seek out a Pokémon that clearly was not there. He would have to inform the rest of the team of this potential new suspect and keep a closer eye on Azure than ever -at least until Luke and the others returned. As he rose back up to his full height again, he took a glance out to sea, and once more something would catch his eye. A familiar boat, approaching the docks, plumes racing out from beneath the keel as it approached at high velocity. As it drew closer, he recognized it as Team Phalanx's boat; it appeared Luke and the others were returning.

He huffed. "Ask and he shall appear." Kage muttered to himself, then raised his hand to where his ear was. "Calling all points. Head over to the docks; it appears Luke and the others have returned." He stated, then cut off the feed before he began leaping his way over to the docks, seeking to greet his leader as well as inform him of foulness afoot.

Upon reaching the docks, Kage took position on a warehouse to watch the boat arrive. He spotted movement on the deck, and then, unexpectedly, someone sprang away from the boat before it even reached the pier, landing upon the nearest wharf and sprinting towards the town. It was Volcan, and cradled in his arms, Kage saw a young, unconscious Riolu held against his chest. Volcan, looking quite distressed was moving swiftly through the town, dodging townsfolk in his path until he was on the streets. From there, he kept running, heading in the direction of the hospital, not even bothering to wait for the others on the boat.

The Greninja narrowed his eyes curiously at Volcan, suspecting that the Riolu was someone the Blaziken knew, given how desperate he seemed. Before he had much time to question it, there was a small blast coming from the docks, alarming him into turning back in the direction of the boat once more as plume of smoke rose from the deck of the boat, and he could hear the others on board coughing as it finally slowed to a stop, followed Tristan's voice bellow over the sputtering of the engine.

"Ah! Everyone off; move it!"

Within seconds, Luke, Hank and a Vaporeon that Kage did not recognize left from the boat, coughing the smoke from their lungs as they stood on the deck while Tristan opened the hatch to the engine compartment, causing more smoke to billow out into the air. He shut his eyes and reached into the compartment, shutting off the engine before the damage could worsen.

"The fuck caused all that?!" Hank demanded, still coughing a bit of smoke out of his lungs. "Don't tell me this hunk of junk reached its limit already!"

"We were running it full throttle for an entire day straight; how would you feel after running non-stop for twenty-four hours?" Tristan returned before coughing again as he waved his arm to clear the smoke until he was finally able to see through the smoke enough to determine the cause. "We're in luck; it just blew a gasket. Easy enough to fix."

"That's a relief." Luke returned, sighing and rubbing his forehead a little. He then turned to the direction he saw Volcan run off to, only to yelp when he saw Kage standing before him only inches away. "CRIPES!!" Luke hollered as he jumped back.

"I take it your excursion gave your friend the answers you seek?" He asked in a low tone.

"You need to stop doing that!" Luke scolded him, and then took a deep breath and calmed himself down before responding. "Well... more or less." He replied.

He nodded, then glanced to the new face among them. "...And you are?" He asked sternly, narrowing his eyes at the Vaporeon.

"S-Serena," she returned nervously, ducking slightly behind Hank as she felt unnerved by the Greninja. "Of Team Phalanx," she added.

"Hey, go easy on her Froggie." Hank piped up in on Serena's behalf. "The Birdbrain just had one hell of a meltdown earlier, don't go giving her one too."

Kage stared at Serena for a moment longer, then looked back to Luke and Hank. "I figured he would." He replied. "Given his reaction to seeing that burning island while on our way back here, I predicted he would not be able to handle the truth."

Luke narrowed his eyes at Kage for a moment for his callous response, but before he could speak, Kage interjected again. "Regardless, we have a problem...Not long before you arrived, I caught sight of a suspicious individual here in Azure," and went on, filling Luke in on what he had observed.

As Luke heard Kage's report, Tristan was already coming off the boat with a rope in hand, one end tied into a loop which he threw over one of the dock posts to secure it. "...So, someone suspicious is wandering Azure?" Luke asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "And that whoever it is, they managed to evade you without a trace?"

"Of which I can conclude that whoever it is, knows Teleport." Kage added. "Meaning he is most likely of the Psychic Type." He then narrowed his eyes. "We'll need to keep a closer eye on Azure from now on. Whoever this is, I can only deduce they're here for one reason."

"Did you say Psychic-type?" Tristan asked, poking his head out and looking over. "How big was he? Was he a Metagross?"

"He was garbed in a cloak, so it was difficult to properly identify who or what they were," Kage answered back. "But, he was definitely not a Metagross; nowhere near big enough."

Luke lowered his gaze to the ground a bit, also having a promising idea as to why this stranger was in town -the last unexpected visitor to Azure was the Gyarados that was hunting Volcan. He didn't know if this cloaked stranger was there for the same reason but remained quiet on the subject. "...Thank you, Kage." He said softly.

"YO!!" Eagle Eye hollered from above, prompting Luke and the others to look up as the Talonflame descended toward them, pulling up at the last minute and folding his wings to land in front of them. Just after he landed, Doug popped up next to him, spinning on the spot once before facing the three of them. "Kage gave us the word that you guys were back! How'd things go?" The Talonflame asked.

"And who's the Vaporeon?" Doug chimed in. "Friend of Volcan's?"

Once more the Vaporeon seemed ready to hide behind someone as she saw more Pokémon arriving, her shyness becoming overwhelming. It was only made when Katsu had joined the group as well, keeping silent as he was unsure of what they were talking about. However, his eyes did pass over Serena, causing him to make a double take on her, then stare at her for a moment before quickly averting his gaze, hoping that she didn't notice his stare.

Tristan reached down to pat her side, introducing her on her behalf instead. "This is Serena, our team healer. She was keeping watch over the island, waiting for us to come back, for the last few weeks. We reunited with her right when we made landfall."

"Weeks?" Doug echoed. "How did she survive?"

"I f-foraged," she returned, shakily. "From the nearby islands."

"On a separate topic, where'd Volcan go? Wasn't he with you guys?" Eagle Eye asked.

"Volcan departed the second we landed." Luke answered. "We found a Riolu clinging to life while on Arc Island, and treated as well as we could until we could take it to the hospital here. I assume that's where Volcan's headed now."

"Yea, poor little guy was practically at death's door...only reason he made it the whole trip was cause his ma gave up what little life she had in her to preserve his..." Hank added with mild remorse.

"Linda kept him alive for so long," Serena added, her ear fins drooping and her expression souring. "I was there the whole time, but I had no idea they had survived; I couldn't bring myself to go back to the village before Volcan and Tristan returned." She sniffed. "I was such a coward... And now Minato's wife, Caulin's mother..." She trailed off to stifle a sob. "Is gone."

"Hey, easy on yourself, girl. There's no way you could've known; they were buried under a house," stated Tristan, trying to reassure her -although his clumsy method did little to alleviate her woes, as evident by her turning her head away and sniffing again.

"REAL smooth, man..." Hank scowled at Tristan, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Sorry," returned the Aggron with a grunt.

A short silence fell over the group before Serena piped up again, sniffing deeply before she spoke. "We should go check on Volcan," said Serena, looking up at Tristan. "I just hope I was able to keep Caulin stable enough to make it here..."

"I should probably come too." Luke added, then looked to Kage. "Have the rest of the team keep an eye out for that cloaked figure. If he shows up again, let me know."

"Wait, cloaked figure?" Eagle Eye asked, tilting his head. "Did I miss something here?"

"Kage will fill you in on the details." Luke returned quickly, then he turned toward the direction Volcan had run and began making his way to the town streets, with Serena following him and walking at his side.

"Though I'm worried about Caulin too, I'll come with you guys," Tristan offered to Luke's teammates, punching his fists together and huffing. "If it's one of those guys who hit my island, I'm looking to even the score."

"Provided your presence doesn't drive him to stay hidden," Kage retorted. With that, Kage proceeded to fill the others in on as many details as he could on the suspicious individual before they began their search.

~~~~~

The doors to the hospital practically flew open Volcan charged into them with his shoulder while entering the hospital, looking around frantically for the reception desk before finding it. He spotted an Audino and Chansey looking over at him rather irritably at his manner of entry. He brushed it off, striding over to their desk with Caulin still cradled in his arms while he panted for breath.

"I need a doctor, right away; this boy's comatose and very malnourished," he said quickly, showing Caulin to them.

The two nurses looked at Caulin, and did not give it a second thought before the Audino looked up at him. "Bring him this way!" The Audino directed him, stepping out from behind the desk and leading Volcan towards the emergency room, opening the door for him and pointing him to a row of beds lining the wall on the left across the room, each one lined by curtains for patient privacy. "Put him on one of those," she instructed. "I'll locate a doctor."

Volcan strode into the room as the Audino departed, trying not to make too much noise as he picked the closest available bed, stepping inside and pulling the curtain partially closed. "It's going to be okay, Caulin," Volcan whispered to the Riolu as he laid him down on the bed. "Just please hold on."

Unknown to the Blaziken, a familiar face was entering the ER as he stood over Caulin's bed; a Lucario wearing glasses, accompanying a Sceptile wearing a long white lab coat with multiple pockets, entered the room together. The figure of the latter was incredibly tall, far outside the average Sceptile and even seemed to even be taller than Volcan. But it was the Lucario who saw the Blaziken, and immediately recognized the scar across his back -a scar that he himself had treated, telling him immediately who it was.

"Wait is that...?" He started to ask, but trailed off. "I thought he had left already." Mikhail looked up to the Sceptile next to him. "Pardon me, honey. There's something I need to check." He said, then quickly ran over to Volcan and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

Volcan turned with a mild start to look over his shoulder, seeing Mikhail, and immediately turned fully to him, standing up. "Mik..." He whispered, and then smiled. "Gods, I'm glad to see you." He said with a relieved tone, but the smile quickly faded. "I... I need your help." He stated before he stepped aside, turning his attention back to the bed, letting Mikhail see the unconscious Riolu on the bed behind him.

The Lucario looked behind him to the injured Riolu, his expression quickly turning to one of surprise. "Good Arceus!" He said as he quickly pushed past Volcan and began examining Caulin closely, muttering as he made a swift diagnosis. "Heavily malnourished...extensive injuries...He looks as if he's been through hell and back." He looked back to Volcan. "What happened to him?"

"Based on how we found him, he and his mother were buried under a house," replied Volcan. "His mother kept them in stasis since I left Arc Island to keep them alive until we found her yesterday." His face soured as he recalled Linda's passing. "She didn't make it, and he's been comatose since we left. I did my best to keep him hydrated until we got here but he hasn't moved at all and he's only gotten weaker." He turned back to Mikhail again, his voice a little higher and his expression desperate. "Please, you have to save him!"

"Volcan! Remain calm," Mikhail stated with surprising firmness, looking at the Blaziken over the top of his glasses and into his eyes. "Panicking won't make the situation better; take some deep breaths." He instructed him, and then placed his paws on Volcan's shoulders. "We'll save him."

Volcan continued looking at him for a moment, eventually following his advice, shutting his eyes and sucking in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "I'm sorry..." He returned. "It's just... he's Minato's son." He looked at Caulin, barely holding back the tears that were emerging from beneath his eyelids. "And right now; I'm all he has. I already failed to save his mother; I can't fail him too... Not again..."

"I understand." Mikhail returned. "We'll do everything we can to save him, Volcan. For now, you've done all you can. Go to the waiting room and take some time to relax; I'll keep you informed." He promised, and then left to find the Sceptile he was with before.

Volcan watched Mikhail walk away before he turned to look at Caulin again, once more frowning as he stared painfully at him. "Please hang in there, Caulin," he whispered before he turned to leave, only to nearly bump into a nurse that was coming over to check the Riolu. Apologizing and letting her pass, he slowly made his way out of the waiting room, putting a hand over his eyes as he opened the door before he walked over to the nearby sofa and sitting down, stifling a sob as he slumped back in the chair.

"Excuse me."

He looked up with alarm, startling whoever had spoken to him but calmed again as he saw the Audino nurse from before standing over him. "Oh, sorry. Yes?"

"I just have a form for you to fill out here," she returned, handing him a clipboard with paper and a pen to write with.

"Oh, sure," he returned, wiping his eyes before taking the clipboard and looking at it, and began to fill out the form, starting with his name, but paused at the word 'Place of Residence', staring at it for a moment as the horrid realization filled him.

He had no home, now... He had not considered it until this moment, with the tip of the pen hovering over the paper -only then did the shocking truth for both himself and the Riolu he had brought in dawn on him. He and Caulin had nowhere to go that they could call 'home' anymore. Arc Island was destroyed, and even if it would one day be resettled, it could be years before he could go back again. Even if they did, what was there for them to go back to? He hung his head, this time a tear escaping from his eye to fall to the base of the clipboard.

"We've lost everything..." he whispered, sorrowfully, sitting like that for a while before raising his gaze again. "But..." He began, though didn't finish, clenching his eyes shut and simply leaving the section blank before he resumed filling out the rest of the form, feeling as though a heavy weight had been placed onto his back.

At that moment, Luke and Serena entered through the front door. The Vaporeon spotted Volcan in the nearby seats, nudging Luke with her side to get his attention before she pointed with her paw over to the Blaziken. The Lucario nodded softly back at her, then began to walk over to the Blaziken, placing his paw on Volcan's shoulder when he was close enough to get his attention. The Blaziken nearly jumped again, his head turning to see Luke out of the corner of his eye before he calmed himself again.

"Oh... hi, Luke," he said, turning more towards him so that he could see the Lucario fully, but could not think of any other words to say until Serena walked over, though all he could say was hello to her as well. Before it could turn into an awkward silence he went back to filling out the form.

Luke could sense the amount of internal turmoil Volcan was harbouring at that moment, a saddened expression crossing his face as he took a seat next to Volcan, still rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "...He'll be in good paws, Volcan." He tried reassuring him. "We've one of the best doctors in the region here in Azure."

"I know," he said, before signing the bottom and lowering the form, along with his gaze. "I'm just..." He couldn't even finish, unable to find words to describe how he felt now, sighing unhappily and setting the form down as he put his hand over his eyes again, wetting his palm with his tears.

He felt Serena brush against his hand, and looked down at her, putting on a weak smile and gently caressing the back of her head, her presence bringing him some comfort, but very little. "I just hope we were in time..." He said lowly before he looked at the form again. "I uh... better take this up to the front. Excuse me a sec," he said before slowly rising up from the couch, leaving the two and walking over to the front counter, leaving the form there and letting the nurses know he had finished it.

With that, he turned away and walked back over to the couch, but stopped at the other end, sighing again before looking at Serena. "Do you mind staying to see how he's doing?" He asked her. "He's with Mikhail, Luke's brother, right now -a Lucario with glasses."

Serena nodded. "I'll stay," she promised. "What about you?"

"I uh... I need some air. I'll be right back," was all he said before turning to the front door.

Luke and Serena could only watch as the Blaziken walked out of the hospital, hiding his face from them as he stepped through the glass double doors and back out into daylight. Serena hopped up onto the couch, standing on her hind legs to look over the back until Volcan was out of sight before she turned to Luke, her face wrought with a deep concern.

"He's tearing up inside," she said. "I'm worried about him..."

"I am too." Luke returned softly, then he slowly stood up from the couch. "I should follow him; right now; he needs to be reminded he's not alone."

She nodded to him. "Please do," she said, stepping forward and rubbing her head against his belly. "I just found my friends; I don't want to lose either of them again -they're all I have left." She stepped back, looking up at him with those sad, emerald eyes of hers. "I'll be here, waiting."

After giving her a reassuring smile, Luke started to leave, but one of the nurses came over, holding the clipboard with the form Volcan had just filled out. "Excuse me; did you see a Blaziken here a second ago? Name..." She looked at the clipboard. "Volcan?"

"Yes, he just left. I was just about to go after him." Luke returned. "Is there a problem?"

"He left a spot on this form here blank," she replied, showing Luke the form. "He forgot to fill in the 'Place of residence'. I don't suppose either of you know where he's from?"

Luke took the form from the Nurse, looking it over for a moment and noticing the spot he left blank. Luke then felt a pang in his heart, as he realized Volcan's predicament and coming to the same conclusion that the Blaziken himself, which made him lower the paper for a moment and shut his eyes. His ear then twitched, and he lifted his gaze up to the Nurse. "...Is there a pen handy?" He asked.

"Of course; right here," she returned, as she showed one held in her paw -the one Volcan had been using, which she'd been holding onto when Luke had taken the clipboard to him, and offered it to the Lucario. Luke took the pen from her, then looked at the spot he left blank. With a small smile, he began to write down Volcan's place of residence as 'Port Azure,' then he passed the form back to her. "There. That should clear any discrepancies."

She took the form back from him, checking the form again and arching an eyebrow at the lack of an address, but Luke was already leaving before she could bring it up. She looked at Serena, who helplessly smiled and shrugged, bringing an exasperated sigh from the nurse before she returned to the desk to resume her duties, leaving Serena to watch for Caulin.

When Luke stepped out of the hospital, Volcan was already out of sight. After a quick search with his aura sense, Luke detected the familiar aura of the Blaziken to his left, following the road that led out of the town. Following it and rounding a corner, he spotted the Blaziken, already leaving the premises of the village, head lowered and arms hanging at his sides as he dragged his feet with every step. He was moving slowly, and his aura was dim as though a reflection of how unhappy he felt.

Luke chased after Volcan when he had him in plain sight, rushing up and darting around to his side. "Hey." He said softly. "Where do you think you are going, hmm?" He asked softly.

"Nowhere; just... just taking a walk," replied Volcan in a somewhat hushed tone, looking at Luke briefly before turning his gaze back at the ground again. "Just getting my thoughts together, like Mik suggested."

"Probably a good idea..." Luke said softly, though he then took his talon in his paw and held it firmly. "Though it also helps to have someone to talk to about your problems, don't you think?"

Volcan forced a weak smile to the Lucario. "Yeah... I suppose it does," he said, before his gaze fell again, becoming silent for a moment as they wandered out of the town, until he finally managed to muster the courage to speak. "Luke... will he ever forgive me?" He asked.

"How close are you to him?" Luke asked softly back.

"Quite close, I think," replied Volcan, rubbing the back of his head. "I can't recall too well. I know I'm close to Minato -we're teammates after all. But even so..." He looked at Luke, honest dread on his expression. "Will he ever be able to look at me again when he learns we couldn't save his mother? Or if I fail to save Minato?"

"We haven't failed in saving your friend yet." Luke returned firmly. "If he was captured, then odds are he might still be alive. We just need to form a plan to get him, and everyone else that was captured, out of wherever they're being kept prisoner." He added, then he gripped Volcan's hand tighter in his paw. "I believe he'll forgive you, Volcan..."

Volcan stared back at Luke for a moment, though the worry did not leave his face immediately. "I hope you're right," he said. "Until we get Minato back, though... I intend to take care of Caulin myself; right now, I'm all he has. I'll just have to find somewhere for us to live." He looked back at Luke again. "Though... until I do, can we stay with you a little longer? There's... really nowhere else I can take him."

"About that." Luke returned, stepping in front of Volcan and crossing his arms. "The nurse back at the hospital made note that you left your place of residence blank when you were filling out that medical form." He pointed out.

Volcan's expression shifted to a more blank one. "Uh... yes?" He asked.

"Well...I took the liberty of correcting that." He said with a warm smile.

Once again, the Blaziken's expression shifted, this time to a more confused look. "Really?" He asked. "But why? And... to what? Azure's not really my home..." He frowned. "Well, not technically. Technically I suppose I'd be homeless, or..." and then to an incredulous frown. "I'm... just going to make myself sound like a buffoon at this rate to I should just shut up."

Luke only chuckled a little bit, then that blush of his started to form on his cheeks as he looked up at the Blaziken. "As far as I'm concerned, Volcan, Azure is your home now." He said warmly. "Besides, you've been living under my roof since you first arrived, and I see no reason to have you live elsewhere."

This time, the smile that formed on Volcan's face was true, from his heart and filled with gratitude as he looked down at Luke. "At this point, I should just stop expecting any less," he said, slowly reaching forward with his talon to grasp Luke's paw. "You've been there for me ever since the beginning, and I can never thank you enough for it."

Volcan kept talking, but Luke's attention soon drifted away from him as he spotted movement coming from behind the Blaziken, though Volcan seemed oblivious to it at that time. Looking past him, Luke saw a cloaked figure approaching; he couldn't see much about them besides the brown cloak that completely enshrouded them, hiding their, though he did catch the cold, red eyes that glared out from beneath the hood.

A glare aimed at Volcan. The figure took a few more steps before stopping, followed by an elongated green, curving limb that appeared from the flap of the cloak, becoming coated in the violet energy of Psychic power, and his intentions suddenly became clear.

Luke's eyes widened when he saw the green limb emerging from the figure's cloak. "MOVE!!" Luke hollered at Volcan, quickly grabbing Volcan and throwing him off to the side, quickly materializing his Bone Rush just as the figure darted forward to strike, hitting Luke's Bone Rush in place of Volcan. After being thrown to safety, Volcan spun around to see the cloaked figure just as the two clashed, with the assailant stuck in a deadlock with Luke.

The cloaked figure leered down at Luke coldly as they clashed. "...Out of my way..." He said, with a tone that matched his stare.

"If you're after Volcan, you'll have to get past me first!" Luke growled back, then roared as he forced the figure back and swiped at him in retaliation as the figure stumbled back. His bone caught on the figure's cloak, tearing it from his body as he was forced back, revealing just who the figure was beneath it.

Volcan's eyes grew wide with horror as he saw the face of the assailant revealed, feeling his heart beginning to raise in his chest within seconds of seeing the tall, pale white, slender body with a green upper torso and arms, a white mouth and green head with a dark green shape growing from the top, with two deep, red eyes that glared at the two emotionlessly. His back ached, with an itch arcing along the scar on his back as though to remind him that those elongated elbow blades were what had given it to him. No sooner did he feel the itch that memories of the attack on Arc Island raced through his mind again, of the Gallade that had nearly taken his life until Minato had saved him -a face he had seen in his dreams every night since coming to Azure.

But this time, when he was seeing him again... it was not a dream.

"You..." Volcan said in a low tone.

The Gallade looked past Luke to Volcan, eyes still narrowed as he stood tall. "...I was told you were suffering from amnesia, and yet you seem to recognize me." He commented. "It matters little. I've come to finish what my colleague failed to do when he tailed you to this backwater hole." He added. "Accept your fate and order your 'friend' to stand down, and I'll grant you a swift, painless death... should he interfere, then you both will suffer a much more excruciating demise."

Volcan could not think of any words to say; emotions were racing through his mind at a rapid pace, unable to settle upon whether to feel infuriated by being faced by one of those responsible for the destruction of his home and the death of Caulin's mother, or to feel terrified that the very same Gallade who had nearly slain him once already was now just meters away, with the intent to finish the job.

Luke glanced back to Volcan, sensing the confusion he was dealing with, then glared back at the Gallade, stamping his bone on the ground. "If you think I'll just stand by and let you kill my friend, you're gravely mistaken." He stated firmly. "Volcan is a resident of Azure now, and by that regard, it's my job to make sure Pokémon like him stay safe from criminals like you..." He then narrowed his eyes. "I will give my life before I let you take his."

The Gallade scoffed. "Then you shall die with him..." He muttered. He then vanished into thin air, making Luke flinch a little before he quickly turned around instinctively, barely managing to parry a Psycho Cut from behind by the Gallade. From there, it turned into a quick skirmish, both sides skillfully parrying each other's' strikes before they were forced to back up and resort to distance strikes; Luke with Aura Spheres, and the Gallade with Psyshock.

As the exchange continued, a flash of red to his left caught the Gallade's attention; he looked over to see a Blaziken-sized fireball rushing at him; he narrowly dodged the flames, feeling the heat from them, before Volcan appeared from the fireball, skidding to a stop and whipping around to face the Gallade just as another Aura Sphere raced towards him from Luke. The Sphere nailed the Gallade on the cheek, making him spin and fly back from the strike. Volcan lunged forward and unleashed a powerful roundhouse Blaze Kick at the stumbling Gallade as hard as he could.

His attack fell short however, as the Gallade managed to Teleport just as the Blaze Kick was about to hit him, making the Blaziken stumble a bit as the Gallade re-appeared a fair distance away from the two of them, his cold glare intensifying as he stared them down. "...So, it seems you've grown stronger since last time." He commented.

"I will not let you endanger anyone anymore!" Volcan hollered at him, grasping his shoulder harness and spinning it around until his Mega Stone was revealed. He placed his hand upon the stone, causing it to glow; the glow shone through his fingers, bathing him in light until the crystalline sphere of Mega Evolution formed around him, shattering to reveal him in his Mega Evolved form, facing the Gallade again as the red-hot ribbons of fire extended from his wrists.

Luke was quick to follow suite, tugging the Lucarionite free from his scarf and Mega Evolving shortly after Volcan. Once his metamorphosis was complete, he tensed his body and a red aura flame exploded outward and burned fiercely around him, taking up a stance again with his Bone Rush at the ready.

The Gallade was mildly surprised by this development, his eyes widening from the sight of two mega evolved Pokémon. However, his surprise started to turn into intrigue as a small smirk crawled along his lips. "So, you two can Mega Evolve..." The Gallade muttered, shifting his stance into a wider fighting pose. "...This might actually prove to be worth the journey after all."

Luke glanced to Volcan. "We'll need to stay co-ordinated if we're going to beat this guy..." He whispered up to him. "He'll mostly be going after you, judging by his obsession to kill you. We can use that to our advantage."

Volcan nodded in agreement. "I'll be careful," he promised. "But you be careful too. I don't think he's even begun to fight yet."

"Glad to see you've noticed as well..." Luke returned. "Stay on the defensive until you find an opening, and then strike. I'll try to flank him to get him to loosen his defenses."

"Got it," returned Volcan. "If he tries to teleport again, throw an Aura Sphere."

"Understood." Luke returned with a nod, then looked back at the Gallade silently with a stern glare.

With that, Luke made the first move, charging forward and materializing his Bone Rush as he clashed with the Gallade, trading only a few blows before the Psychic/Fighting-type teleported behind him, kicking him away before he made a dash towards Volcan. The Blaziken stood his ground until the Gallade was close, dodging the first slash, then the second, and then counter-attacking with kick, swinging himself around to strike with the heel of his foot. The Gallade scoffed, quickly Teleporting out of the way of Volcan's kick and appearing at the blind spot, preparing to strike before he could recover.

However, Luke was faster, taking advantage of the moment and quickly discharging an Aura Sphere at the Gallade. Out of the corner of his eye, the Gallade saw it coming, turning to slash the sphere in two with his Psycho Cut previously meant for Volcan. The Blaziken took advantage of the distraction caused by Luke as planned to deliver a mighty Blaze Kick to the Gallade, sending him hurtling forward.

The Gallade managed to stop himself, skidding along the grass and turning to face Volcan again, only to look up as Luke, arching overhead, threw a Focus Blast down at him. He leapt out of the way in the nick of time, sending a column of dust billowing about, obscuring him from sight. Volcan, remembering where the Gallade was, attacked with a Flame Charge, shooting through the cloud like a red missile. He struck something; he saw what at first appeared to be the Gallade, only for it to explode into a cloud of dust, and be revealed as a Poke Doll!

Volcan skidded to a halt, cursing as he kicked away the doll and immediately walked in a circle as the dust cloud began to dissipate, expecting another attack to come at any second. "Dammit; first teleport, now Substitute. Does this guy ever run out of tricks?" He grumbled.

Luke was about to come up with an answer, but he suddenly felt a burning slice along his back, making him roar out in agony before quickly turning around, seeing the Gallade; he retaliated with and Aura Sphere, but the Gallade slashed through it with a Psycho Cut, and then delivered a second Psycho Cut to Luke's torso. Volcan heard Luke get struck, turning to see the Gallade looming over him. His eyes glazed over as another image passed in front of his eyes, of the Gallade standing over several slain or mortally wounded Pokémon, before it immediately changed back to the present, where he now saw Luke in the same position.

By now, Volcan's heart was thundering in his chest, and his rage boiled over. Using all of the speed his Mega Evolution had given him, Volcan took off towards the Gallade, moving with such velocity that he left afterimages of himself as he charged. The Gallade looked up, but acted too late, before Volcan charged into him with a flying knee-strike to his chest, sending him hurtling backwards with his lungs emptied of air. He struck the ground over a dozen feet away,

"You. Will not. TOUCH HIM!" Volcan screamed with a rage like none Luke had ever heard from him before, his voice echoing around them.

Luke looked up, awestruck for a split second by Volcan's sudden ferocity before he shook his head and forced himself up onto his feet. "Thanks. I owe you one." Luke said softly, looking up to see the Gallade slowly rising to his feet as well.

Volcan looked over at Luke briefly, before returning his gaze to the Gallade. "Are you okay?" He asked Luke, never taking his eyes off the Gallade.

"Yea. I'll live." Luke returned, keeping his eyes on their foe. "I guess my theory about him focusing on you has been shot out the window... He seems to go for whoever's the most vulnerable. He's an opportunist fighter." He deduced.

"And not above dirty tricks to open those windows of opportunity," Volcan commented. "What should we do while he's down?"

"We need to knock him out before he has time to recover." Luke returned. "You're faster. Get in there and subdue him. I'll cover you."

"Alright," returned Volcan.

They both tensed as the Gallade began to stand up again, his cold glare becoming one of intense malice toward the two of them, his eyes even shrinking to mere pinpricks as he glared at the two of them.

"It seems I've underestimated you..." He said lowly. "You've not only grown stronger, but you have acquired an ally that works in complete tandem with you." He straightened up and reached behind him, producing a small round object in his hand.

"Oh no..." Volcan whispered as he saw the object, realizing immediately what it was their foe was holding.

"It appears the time for holding back is at an end, Blaziken. One way or another, you will meet your end today." He added as his hand clenched around the object, and his entire body started to glow and become encased in a crystalline sphere as he underwent a Mega Evolution process.

"This just got a lot more complicated," said Volcan.

Luke grit his teeth and stared in silence as the Gallade completed his Mega Evolution, the sphere shattering around him and revealing him in an all white body, save for his head. His arm blades were sleeker and protruded farther from his body in the shape of curved elbow blades. A long cape billowed behind him in the wind as he stood there with that same cold stare. The Gallade's eyes flashed for a second before he resumed his fighting stance again, beckoning the two of them to come. "Let's see just how fast you can move now that the tables have turned..." He stated coldly.

"We'll see about that!" Volcan retorted. "You still can't keep up with me!"

"I won't have to," the Gallade returned coldly.

He crossed his arms over his chest, channeling his energy, before throwing his arms out as his muscles visibly swelled as he used Bulk Up, filling his body with strength and toughening his body. With that, he lowered himself into a low position, and charged, running full speed at the Gallade, and attacked. The two flew into a Skirmish, with Volcan's blinding fast attacks forcing the now much slower Gallade on the defensive as Volcan attacked with powerful but precise moves. When he nearly landed an elbow strike, the Gallade teleported again, but unlike before, Volcan had learned. He dropped onto his hands in the nick of time to avoid an attempted strike at his neck, and then whipped around like a Hitmontop on its head, attacking with a head-hunter kick aimed for the Gallade's face, stumbling him and sending him staggering.

"Fool me once, bitch!" He said, sharply.

With the Gallade now off balance, Luke darted in and jabbed him with his paw. The Gallade wince, but found his footing once more. They charged at each other, engaging in a lightning fast Close Combat skirmish, each of them matching each other's strikes blow for blow. Eventually Luke broke off the attack and fired a few Aura Spheres to break his focus, but the Gallade's reflexes were on point, quickly slicing at each of the spheres before they could touch him.

Luke landed in a crouch, his eyes still on the Gallade, but narrowed slightly. "...Something's off." He muttered softly. "At this range, he should never have been able to block those."

While Luke contemplated this, Volcan resumed the fight, lunging at the Gallade from behind with an airborne spin-kick. At Volcan's speed, there should have been no way to avoid him, but somehow the Gallade was able to weave out of the way of the strike and grab at Volcan in a Psychic hold, holding him suspended in the air before slamming him into the ground. He then readied his arm blades again and rushed in to finish Volcan while he was down.

Luke rose to his feet and tried to run as fast as he could to intercept the Gallade, but stopped as he realized that rather than running at his full speed, he had slowed down almost to a crawl! And come to think of it, Volcan had seemingly slowed down as well, yet the Gallade seemed to be moving faster than either of them! 'This isn't possible,' he thought. 'I've seen Volcan move faster than the eye can follow while Mega Evolved but the Gallade is out speeding him_? What power could allow him to...'_

The Lucario jerked as if he'd been hit, eyes widening in horror as it dawned on him -the one attack that could make such a thing possible. "Volcan, get back! He's using Trick Room!!"

Volcan rolled out of the way of the attack, leaping to his feet and readying himself for any further attacks, narrowly catching the Gallade's incoming slash and hurling him behind him with an over-the-shoulder throw, but it was easy for the Gallade to recover from, landing on his feet. It was only then that Volcan looked up, and saw the distorted air around them, thus confirming Luke's claim of Trick Room being active.

"When the hell did he do this?!" Volcan asked. "I never saw him cast it!"

Luke thought back to when the Gallade first Mega Evolved, remembering that his eyes flashed briefly shortly after he had finished. "He must have cast it after he ascended!" He hollered, running to Volcan's side. "Our speed is useless here! We'll have to think of a new plan!"

Volcan was about to speak, but saw the Gallade rushing at him once more; in the warped space, he was the faster now, while Volcan and Luke, both given blinding speed by their evolutions, had only their strength left, for their speed was gone. However, he failed to act in time, and the Gallade managed to nail a clean Psycho Cut onto Volcan's chest, then pelted him with a Psyshock attack to keep him from countering while he turned to Luke and discharged a Psybeam at him, all in a space too short for Luke to react. The Lucario took the beam head on, sending him off his feet and onto his back and groaning from the attack.

The Gallade then turned back to Volcan and ceased his Psyshock attack, darting in and pummelling him with a Close Combat rush, all of them aimed at the fresh cut he had inflicted onto him earlier. Volcan screamed in agony as the attacks barraged him, falling from his feet onto his back and clutching his chest to slow the loss of blood and futilely try to lessen the pain from the onslaught he had just suffered.

"F-Fuck!" He cursed.

The Gallade stood over Volcan, holding his arm blade over his head and leering down at him mercilessly. "So ends your futile resistance, Blaziken..." He muttered softly, lifting his arm as high as he could, taking pause to savour this moment.

Luke sat up on his elbows and gasped in horror at the Gallade preparing to strike Volcan down, scrambling to his feet and trying to run as fast as he could to intercept him. "STOP!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" Luke roared out, but his words fell on deaf ears as the Gallade brought down his arm blade. "NOOO!!" Luke hollered, clenching his eyes shut, expecting to hear the sound of Volcan being rent in two...

Clang!

No sound of flesh being cut was heard... but rather the sound of a blade hitting metal. Luke dared to reopen his eyes, and to his shock, saw the huge, metal-clad form of Tristan laying prone over Volcan, supported by his arms and taking the strike instead of the Blaziken, with barely a mark left in his face-plate where the blade had hit. The Aggron had seemingly come from nowhere, intercepting the Gallade's attack, and eliciting a feral growl as he began to stand, pushing back the Gallade, who still held a stunned expression at the timely appearance of the Aggron.

"Get away from my pal, scrawny," he growled deeply, now back at his full height and stepping over Volcan, and then took a swing at the Gallade with his fist, forcing him to teleport out of the way to escape harm.

"T-Tristan!?" Luke exclaimed, rubbing his eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him, but to his delight, the Aggron was indeed standing there before him. "How did...How did you get here so quickly?"

"All the Mega Evolvin' caught some eyes," returned Tristan. "Eagle Eyes, that is," he added with a grin as he raised his fists, facing the Gallade, and began to advance on him again as he pounded his fists together. "C'mere, punk..."

The Gallade leered back at Tristan, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "Another Arc Islander, is it?" He muttered softly. "I'm impressed any besides those we took on our ship survived."

"Take a lot more than the likes of you scum to kill me," the Aggron snarled angrily before he lunged forward, roaring as he delivered a heavy-handed punch to the Gallade's face. Much to the disbelief of both Luke and Volcan, Tristan had moved very fast; he had literally closed the distance between himself and the Gallade in a split second, preventing the Psychic/Fighting-type from evading and suffering a living sledgehammer of power to his face, which sent him spiralling almost comically through the air.

He had closed the distance between them in a fraction of a second. Both Luke and Volcan knew Tristan, even with Autotomize, was incapable of such a feat. "What the hell?" Luke wondered allowed, having finally crawled over to Volcan to stay by his side as they watched the fight in collective disbelief.

"How... the fuck?" Volcan asked, strained.

Suddenly, it dawned on Luke. "Wait! Trick Room!" He exclaimed. "It's turned Tristan into the faster fighter, just as it did for the Gallade against us!"

Volcan grinned. "Of course!" He exclaimed. "He's got every edge now!"

As if to confirm, the Gallade was forced on the defensive against the mighty Aggron. Even mega evolved, Tristan proved the stronger. Thanks to Trick Room, he was the faster, and what few opportunities the Gallade had to counter-attack were subverted by Tristan's nearly invulnerable body, nullifying the Gallade's favorite tactic of teleporting behind his opponent to slash them in the back, but the blade barely added to the countless battle scars Tristan already bore, and such was promptly rewarded with an Iron Tail that bowled over the skinny Gallade.

Luke, managing to tear his eyes away from the battle, suddenly remembered Volcan's injuries as he looked at his chest, seeing the cut on his torso still oozing blood. Swiftly, he practically tore off his scarf, sliding behind Volcan and throwing it around his chest, pulling it back against his torso.

"Wait, Luke; your scarf," Volcan said, looking over his shoulder. "It's going to get soaked..."

Luke looked sternly back at him. "Your life is far more important to me than some article of clothing, even this one," He returned. "It'll be fine. I can wash it later."

Volcan looked at Luke for a few seconds, struggling with a response until a low hum caught their ears. They looked up, and saw that the Trick Room was starting to fade. "Uh oh; not good!" Volcan exclaimed, looking over at Tristan. "Tristan; the Trick Room's failing!"

Tristan hit the Gallade with Iron Tail to knock him back, looking over at Volcan. "Wait, Trick Room?" Tristan asked, evidently having not even been aware of his unexpected handicap.

"You're joking!" Volcan bellowed in disbelief.

The Gallade saw his opening, right as the Trick Room fell, he lunged at Tristan, forming a Focus Blast in his hands and thrusting it at the Aggron's chest at point blank range before it exploded with incredible force. Tristan was blown backward, sent skidding across the ground and leaving a deep gouge in the soil as he slid to a stop, holding his chest where he was hit.

"Ow... okay, that hurt," he said, and looked up as the Gallade loomed over him, but the Aggron only grinned. "Now I get why you sent me in first."

It occurred to the Gallade at that second that Tristan wasn't looking at him. He was looking over his shoulder...

When the Gallade realized this, he quickly turned around, only to see the face of a Greninja leering right into his eyes. Before the Gallade could react, Kage drew his blade and landed a clean Night Slash on his chest, forcing him to back up and cover his wound with his arm, glaring angrily at the Greninja, who had now sprung over his head, arching above and landing in a low crouch, placing himself between the Gallade, Volcan and Luke, with Tristan just off to his side, but still in a position where he could intercept him.

Luke perked up when he saw his fellow team member at the scene. "Kage!"

"...You'll not lay a hand on either of them again," The Greninja stated lowly.

Tristan slowly rose back to his feet, chuckling menacingly as he pounded his fists together in readiness for the next round. There was a whooping from overhead, followed by yet another of Luke's team arriving; Eagle Eye descended from above, perching on Tristan's shoulder as he stared at the Gallade, and suddenly Tristan's earlier comment about 'Eagle Eyes' earlier made sense to Luke. Eagle Eye must have seen the battle from above and warned the others, and Tristan and Kage had been closest.

"The Cavalry has arrived, mofo!" Eagle Eye chirped.

But the Gallade scoffed. "An increase in numbers won't change a thing. None of you will be walking away alive." He stated, lifting his other arm up, the blade glinting in the sunlight to emphasize his point.

But the team was unmoved. "You're a fool if you think you can still win," Volcan stated, standing up with some help from Luke. "It's five against one; your Trick Room faded, meaning you're out sped by four of us, and if you use it again, you're outmuscled by another. If you think this is the end of our reinforcements, then you're quite mistaken; there are more still coming."

"Somebody order a beatdown surprise?" Announced another voice seemingly from nothingness, until right next to Tristan, Hank fizzled into existence, that smug cocky grin present on his face as he stared at the Gallade. "Sup biatch." He said, waving a claw nonchalantly.

From the Gallade's right, the rasp of blades leaving their sheathes prompted him to look over and see a Samurott of monstrous proportions slowly stand up on his hind legs and leer back at him, paws already on his Seamitars. Further adding to their numbers was yet another Samurott, not quite as large as Katsu, but still imposing enough to make the Gallade flinch as he leered at him. Finally, emerging in a plume of water next to Kage appeared another Greninja, this one slightly shorter than Kage and was garbed in a cloak, and like with Kage, also wore a cold glare in his eyes as he stared the Gallade down, sword in hand.

Volcan grinned at how many had come to help -especially for the fact he had partly been bluffing, as he had no way to know if the rest of the team had been informed in advance about what was happening, but he did not voice so, instead facing the Gallade again. "Still think odds are in your favour?" He asked. "Go ahead; give us a reason to prove how wrong you are."

The Gallade looked at all the opponents that had come to protect his target, scoffing in irritation as he turned back to Volcan, their eyes locking in a hate-filled stare, the rest of the group tensing as they fully expected him to make at least one last run at the Blaziken, their collective stares daring him to try. Luke stood in front of Volcan, Tristan standing behind him, shielding him if the Gallade were to teleport and attempt to eviscerate him once more.

Finally, the Gallade relaxed his stance. "...So be it," He muttered, his body gleaming as he exited his Mega Evolved state. "You've earned yourself a little more time to live, former Captain of Team Phalanx, but know this: my colleagues will have your head before long. No one escapes our hands, and no matter how many allies you attain, I assure you it will not be enough to stop what lies ahead."

With those last words, he suddenly vanished into thin air via teleport. The group remained tense, expecting at any second for him to pop out of nowhere again for that final attempt to take one of them out before he left. But no attack ever came, and the feeling of his presence soon waned and disappeared...

"Hmph. Coward." The cloaked Greninja muttered, crossing his arms.

Wade looked over to Luke and Volcan, noticing the blood-stained scarf over the Blaziken's chest. "Are you alright?"

"Believe me when I say, I've had worse," Volcan returned with a weak smile. "Thank you for coming." He addressed the rest of the group. "All of you."

"Hey no sweat. Yer one of us now, so we gotta make sure you stay outta trouble." Hank said with a wink.

"Indeed," added Katsu, sheathing his Seamitars into his sleeves and falling on all fours again. "We assist one another with even the smallest of obstacles. You are no different, my friend."

Volcan smiled broadly, and at that moment, his Mega Evolution dispersed, reverting him to the form of a regular Blaziken. "Thanks, guys," he said again.

"Yo Volc," Tristan chimed in. "Was that the same Gallade you fought on Arc Island the night you left?"

"Without a doubt," Volcan returned, looking absently over his shoulder to indicate the scar on his back, left by his first encounter with the cold-blooded Gallade -an encounter that, just like this one, had nearly ended in his death. "It seems that Gyarados that escaped told him I was here, and now he came to finish the job himself." He added before addressing the group again. "But yes... that was the same Gallade that I fought, and that Minato fought after he saved me."

"Yea well, he'll think twice before he messes with you again." Hank returned confidently, placing his claws on his hips and grinning smugly. "He comes back here again, we'll knock his ass straight to the Distortion World."

"It's almost comical that you believe it will be that easy," Kage muttered.

"You say something, Froggie?" Hank asked.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall." The cloaked Greninja spoke up, approaching the group. "He knows of us now, which means he will inform whatever colleagues he has that Volcan has allies that will defend him from them. They will most likely change their tactics and quite possibly send in greater numbers, or even go so far as to put Azure at risk." He then looked to Volcan and leered at him. "Your presence here has made Azure a target for these criminals."

"Hageshi. You are speaking out of line." Wade stated firmly at him, glaring at the younger Greninja.

"If I am the only one to have thought of such a thing, then the rest of you are dense fools. You included, Wade..." He retorted sharply.

"He's right about one thing, though," Volcan stated, bringing attention back to him as well. "My presence here has made Azure a target; I did not intend for this to happen. None of what has happened was ever my intention, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit on my hands and wait for it to end." He lowered his gaze slightly, until he raised it again to show the determined scowl on his face, reflected even more in his voice. "That's why next time, I'm taking the fight to them."

Luke smiled up at Volcan, having also descended from his Mega Form earlier as well, and nodded up at him in agreement. "Well spoken, Volcan."

"Here here!" Katsu added, pounding his chest with pride. "We'll bring these tyrants to justice! For Azure's... nay. All of the world's sake!"

"Hell yea, boi!" Eagle Eye chirped excitedly.

Hageshi scoffed. "I hope you have a plan to make that a reality. Otherwise, it's your funeral..." He coldly stated.

"That's enough out of you, Hageshi." Kage snapped at the younger Greninja. "Don't forget your place, boy."

Hageshi grimaced for a moment before he sighed in annoyance. "...Of course, Father..."

"I may have some ideas," returned Volcan. "But they're meaningless without the right amount of help. And I fear even with all of you at my back..." Volcan gestured to the group. "It still wouldn't be enough. According to Serena -the teammate of mine Tristan and I brought back with us from Arc Island -the enemy is hold up in an iron fortress in an isolated area of the sea, North of Arc Island. For all we know, an entire army of hostiles waits in there, and so we will need an army of our own to bring them down."

At the very mention of the word 'army.' Luke's mind was already hard at work coming with a solution. A small, confident smile started to cross his face as an idea came to him. "...If an army is what it will take... then let's assemble us one."

Volcan looked over at him, smiling as though reading the Lucario's mind. "We already know who to ask," added Volcan, smiling as well. "For starts, a certain pair of gold-ranked Rescue Teams who are already looking for these guys."

"You mean Team Warmachine and Team Phobia?" Wade asked.

"Precisely," Luke returned. "Also, I think it's about time we called upon some friends from Bluegrove for this." He then looked at Eagle Eye. "As well as the best fliers in the world."

Eagle Eye went silent for a moment as those words processed in his mind. "...You mean... The Red Talons?" He began flapping his wings gleefully. "My old team?!"

"The very same." Luke returned with a nod. "I have a feeling we'll need their expertise for this mission."

"Between Warmachine, Phobia, the Red Talons, Team Kama and us, we should be able to take down that fortress," said Volcan. "And, while we're at it, try to find survivors of the islands they've attacked. Serena told us that many people from Arc were taken captive; if any of them live we may still be able to save them."

Eagle Eye was shuddering at the thought of flying with his old man again, let alone his old squadron. He let out a screech of joy as he soared into the air, performed a few loops before he landed back on Tristan's shoulder. "Oh MAN you guys just made my fucking day!! I'll break the freaking sound barrier if that's what it takes to find 'em!!"

"Do you even know where to look?" Volcan asked, matter-of-factly.

"They've got a few old bases that I remember back when I was still a Fletchinder. If I know my Dad well enough, he'll most likely be stationed at one of em. It's just a matter of finding the right one!" Eagle Eye chirped.

"Then contact will be your job," said Volcan. "It'll be up to you to fly to Team Warmachine's island; get in touch with Torolf and tell him what we found out and have him tell Romulus the meeting place is Needle Point Rock; that's where we'll join up and head for the fortress, and that's also where all of us will put our heads together and come up with a plan. We'll also need one of Torolf's boats to carry all of us -mine's just way too small. Then, go find the Talons." He regarded the rest of the group. "Someone else here will have to head to Bluegrove to find Sickle and get his team out here."

"I will inform Team Kama of the recent development," Kage stated. "I can reach Bluegrove in less than a day at my speed."

"Consider it done!" Eagle Eye hollered, then before anyone could say anything more, Eagle Eye shot back into the air, looping once before immolating himself with Flame Charge and zooming to the direction of Team Warmachine's Island, whooping excitedly as he took off.

Volcan turned to Kage, nodding in approval to him. "We're counting on you."

He nodded back to Volcan, then wordlessly disappeared into a plume of water before his eyes, almost splashing some onto him in the process, making the Blaziken turn his head away, but said nothing about it. "For the rest of us now, preparations must be made," Volcan suggested. "We'll need to be at the top of our game for what's coming."

"I agree." Luke returned. "If that fight was any indication, we're severely under prepared...We'll need to get in as much training as we can before we set out on this endeavour. That goes for all of us." He pointed out.

"I shall increase my regime then to lifting six trees a day then." Katsu stated boldly.

"Been meaning to hit the gym at some point anyway. Guess now's as good a time as any." Hank returned with a shrug.

"Then let's get to it," said Volcan. "There's somewhere I have to be right now, but the rest..." He looked at Luke, not wanting to take over his team again.

Luke looked back up at Volcan, nodding to him in understanding before he addressed his team. "The sooner we start preparing, the better. Train as hard as you can, but don't forget to get some rest in between training sessions." He then waved his paw to the side. "Dismissed."

With that, the rest of Team Valiant began to go their separate ways, to train in the own manner to prepare for what was to come.

With their departure, Volcan let out a sigh, turning to Luke. "That Gallade... To think he'd come here looking for me after we beat that Gyarados from before. And he was even stronger than that beast."

"Just goes to show that you really can't judge a book by its cover." Luke returned, rubbing his chin. "And he mentioned other comrades that might even be stronger than him..." He then looked up to Volcan with a slightly worried expression. "Not going to lie, I'm pretty unnerved by all this."

"Me too," agreed Volcan. "But let's not let it get to us right now." He turned his attention back towards town. "Let's get back to the hospital. I want to check on Caulin."

Luke nodded back to Volcan, but then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Volcan, holding gently onto the Blaziken for a moment. "...I'm glad you're alright..." He said softly. "I was afraid I had lost you when that Gallade had you pinned down."

Volcan blushed deeply as Luke hugged him, feeling the heat rising in his chest again as he stared down at the Lucario, at first unsure of how to react. But why? He'd hugged Luke several times now... was it something about how he was holding him? Or what he said? Volcan didn't know what was suddenly wrong with him, but he quickly brought up his hands to hold Luke as well, gently caressing his back as they stood there.

"Don't worry, Luke... I'm not going anywhere. To quote what Tristan said, it'll take more than the likes of those scum to stop me."

That response only made Luke hold onto Volcan tighter, clinging to him before he relaxed and looked up to Volcan. "I'll hold you to that." He said softly, smiling back at him, but also blushing deeply as well and feeling his heart beating a mile a minute as they held one another like this.

"A-Anyway," Volcan said, pulling back from Luke. "Let's be off. I still need to get checked myself." He gestured to his chest.

"R-Right." Luke returned, releasing Volcan as he pulled away. "I'm going to need my scarf back anyway, after you've been properly treated." He stated, quickly averting his gaze and rubbing the back of his head a little. "L-Let's get going."

"Yeah," replied Volcan, before turning and leading the way back to town, trying not to look at Luke again so that he couldn't see his blushing face. 'Dammit... Hank was right. I do love Luke... and he loves me.' He grunted. 'I can face a pissed off Gyarados but I can't find the courage to tell him how I feel?'

Ironically enough, Luke was feeling the exact same thing...His feelings for Volcan were only growing the more they were together... but he couldn't bring himself to tell him directly. Luke felt ashamed; he knew he would never have the courage to say the words his heart wanted to. He could only hope that his actions were enough to send the message...

~~~~~

Serena had not left the lobby/waiting area of the hospital since Volcan and Luke's departure, waiting patiently to receive word about Caulin. She was reading a magazine she'd found on the table to pass the time, laid out on the sofa cushion in front of her. Each time the front or ER doors opened, she would look up to see who it was, and this time when she did, she saw Volcan and Luke re-entering the hospital.

She was alarmed when she saw Luke's blood-soaked scarf wrapped around Volcan's chest, a sudden rush of concern prompting her to jump from her seat and run over to them with a worried expression on her face. "What happened?" She asked, concerned.

"We erm...had a bit of a clash with a troublemaker." Luke answered, trying to remain subtle so as not to cause a panic. "He just needs a few stitches and proper dressing for his wound."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her usually timid demeanour no longer visible in her facial expression, as though seeing her friend hurt brought out another side of her entirely. "Volcan, over here," she instructed, leading them back over to the couch. "Sit down, and remove the scarf."

"Really, Serena; I'm..."

"Do it," she said, adopting a stern tone that previous Luke had not heard from the usually timid Vaporeon. It was so sudden it made the Lucario flinch, wondering briefly if it was even the same Serena he'd met on Arc.

Her tone alone made Volcan capitulate. "Alright, alright," he said, looking at Luke. "Do you mind?" He asked, turning his back to the Lucario so he could unfasten the scarf.

"Yea sure," Luke nodded, feeling slightly intimidated by Serena's sudden change in demeanour. He sat next to Volcan and began to remove the scarf from Volcan's body, avoiding eye contact with him as best he could.

Once the scarf was off, she hopped up onto the couch and sat down next to him, shutting her eyes and generating an Aqua Ring around her body, humming lowly as she placed her paw onto his chest, and sending the veil of water trickling onto him instead. The Blaziken and Lucario could only watch with keen interest as the water flowed over the cut around Volcan's chest, covering it, cleaning away the blood to reveal it fully. It truly wasn't that severe, but she was taking no chances; they watched through the murky water as the cut slowly began to close.

Serena's face showed visible effort as she worked, though she managed to hold it until the wound closed, leaving a mild bald spot and a visible mark where it used to be over Volcan's feathers, but those would grow back in time. With that, she manipulated the water over to a nearby potted plant and directed it into the soil, where it sank into the dirt, blood and all.

"There," she said, panting slightly. "That should do it."

"Serena, I have to know... how do you do that?" Luke asked, remembering to want to ask her back on Arc Island when she had used it on Linda, but at the time it had seemed inappropriate. "I have never seen such a power."

"Serena's special gift," answered Volcan, looking at Luke with a smile. "When she uses Aqua Ring, she can channel it from herself onto someone else, allowing her to heal their injuries."

"My mother taught me," Serena added.

Luke looked incredulously between the two of them before starting to smile. "That's quite a handy ability." He complimented her. "I wasn't aware Aqua Ring could be used like that."

"Truthfully, it can't," replied Serena. "My grandmother created the technique, passing it onto my mother. But she never explained to me exactly what she did to create it. As it became a family power, it became necessary to pass it on from mother to daughter, but only a Vaporeon daughter as only a Water-type can learn it."

Luke nodded, satisfied. "It's fortunate you have such a skill." He returned with a nod, before his face grew more serious. "How's Caulin doing?" He asked, turning his gaze towards the ER doors.

"I have not heard yet," replied Serena, turning her gaze to the ER. "They're still examining him, as far as I know."

Luke sighed and flattened his ears a little bit. "I hope he'll be alright..." He muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Me too," returned Volcan, staring longingly at the door. "I've spent all this time worrying, I still don't even know what I'm going to tell him about his parents." He lowered his head and held it in his hands. "He's going to be shattered..."

Luke placed his paw over Volcan's shoulder, trying to offer him some manner of comfort. Volcan responded shortly by raising his head again, looking at Luke briefly before resting his chin upon his knuckles as he sat there, contemplating. Serena stepped forward and rubbed her head against his arm to add her own support. "Caulin is strong of heart and mind, Volcan," she said, softly.

"I know but... he's just a kid." He sighed. "No twelve-year-old boy should ever have to be without his mother."

"Believe me, I know..." Luke replied, his tone filled with melancholy as he looked away. "He should never have to have experienced such an event at such an early age."

Serena's ear fins twitched. "It sounds like you speak from experience?"

He nodded back to her. "I had to go through that kind of trauma at a young age myself; younger than Caulin, actually..."

Volcan looked at Luke apologetically. "I forgot about that... sorry," he said, softly.

He waved his paw dismissively. "Water under the bridge. I'm over it now."

Suddenly, the ER doors opened, and out stepped Mikhail and the Sceptile that Volcan had seen him with earlier. At the sight of the Lucario with glasses, Volcan shot to his feet, desperate to hear some news as he stepped out and approached him. "How is he?" He asked, longing for answers.

Mikhail let out a sigh, wiping his brow with his paw. "The worst of it is over." He returned. "He's stable now, but he's going to need some time to fully recover from his wounds." He informed Volcan. "If you brought him in any later than you did, well..." He shook his head at that thought and adjusted his glasses. "Nevermind. The important thing is that thanks to you, he's going to be ok."

A wave of relief washed over Volcan, and slowly he put a hand over his heart, releasing a long breath from his beak. "Thank Arceus..." he said. "We made it in time."

"I'm so relieved," agreed Serena, shutting her eyes and leaning against Volcan's leg, prompting the Blaziken to kneel down and embrace her, sharing their joy.

"Likewise," Luke added, smiling at his brother. "Thank you, Mikhail."

"I wasn't alone for this endeavour." He said, gesturing to the Sceptile next to him with a smile. "I had the best surgeon in Azure helping me as well."

Volcan, releasing Serena and rising back to his full height, looked up at the Sceptile, studying him briefly before speaking. "Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you so much for saving Caulin."

The Sceptile nodded back silently to Volcan. "Forgive me for being blunt, but I'm afraid I have other patients that require my attention." He returned.

"I understand," said Volcan. "But... can I make a request?"

"I cannot promise anything." He returned. "What is it you require?"

"I want to be the one to take custody of Caulin when he can be allowed to leave," Volcan explained, pleadingly. "His mother's... gone, and his father is currently missing. My friends and I the only ones here he knows; you have to let me take care of him."

The Sceptile stared at Volcan silently for what felt like several minutes, considering the Blaziken's request before closing his eyes. "If you are the only family he has, then I suppose it can be arranged." He returned. "Both Mikhail and his brother seem to hold high regard for you, so in turn I shall place my trust in you in taking care of the young Riolu." He then looked to Mikhail. "Make sure all of the forms are properly in order before he is discharged."

"Of course," Mikhail nodded, then waved the Sceptile off as he excused himself to tend to his other patients. Mik then turned to the others and smiled at them. "He's currently resting, but you may wait in Caulin's room for him to awaken if you'd like."

Volcan nodded to him. "Thanks, Mikhail," he said, and waved to the Lucario as he followed the Sceptile, waiting until they were out of earshot before Volcan turned to Luke. "That Sceptile; that was Mikhail's husband?" He asked. "Er... I forget his name."

"Yes, that was Mordecai." Luke answered. "He started as Mikhail's mentor and his inspiration for wanting to become a surgeon, and after that well... they just connected and soon they began dating."

"I have to be honest, he... seems a little stern," Volcan commented. "Or, is that just because he's on the job right now?"

"He takes his job very seriously." Luke explained. "It's because of his sternness that he's the best surgeon in Azure. He's got a near perfect success rate for every surgery he partakes in."

"What's he like off the job?" Volcan asked, approaching the ER door to head inside, holding it open for Luke and Serena.

"Outside of work, he's actually quite gentle." Luke explained. "Especially when he's around children. Mikhail told me that during his breaks, he heads to the Pediatric ward to spend some time with the children while they recover from their illnesses." Luke then sighed, still smiling, but holding his paw over his chest. "Mikhail's very lucky to have someone as passionate and intelligent as his mate..."

Volcan smiled. "I agree," he said as they walked through the ER.

After entering, they found that Caulin had been moved to a quiet, more isolated room at the other side of emergency, which a nurse led them to, opening the door for them to let them in, where they found the Riolu sound asleep in his bed, freshly bandaged, cleaned and fed by an IV as he lay with his head on the pillow.

Volcan crossed the room quietly, standing at the bedside as he stared unhappily at the sleeping Riolu. "Poor little guy..." He whispered.

Serena stood up on her hind legs to rest her paws on the bedside as she looked at Caulin, her ear fins drooping as she saw him, unable to find words to say before she dropped back to the floor, sitting down next to Volcan.Luke watched in silence as well as Caulin rested, thinking back to when he was separated from his family when he was a young boy himself. The image made him cringe a bit and scrunch his face before he relaxed and took a seat on a nearby stool.

"All we can do now is wait for him to awaken..."

"How long will he be asleep?" Volcan asked.

"In his weakened condition, it will be a day at least," replied Serena, looking up at Volcan. "He's strong for one his age, but the body takes time to heal, especially after the ordeal he has endured. Even my power cannot accelerate that."

"Then we'll just have to remain at his side until he awakens." Luke returned. "Even if it does take a day."

"I have no intention of leaving, for as long as I can avoid it," said Volcan firmly, pulling up a chair and seating himself next to the bed. "I'm going to look after him, until we get his father back."

Serena's gaze fell to the floor, blinking a few times before she spoke again. "I suppose I too will have to find somewhere to stay here as well."

"There's a hostel not too far from here. You could stay there if you'd like." Luke offered. "Or you could ask one of my teammates. They could offer you shelter for the time being."

"I..." She began, blushing again. "I don't want to impose on any of them like that but... I don't have any money. Everything was left on Arc Island."

"Just bring me the bill," offered Volcan. "I'll cover it for you."

"Are you sure?" Serena asked, and then tilted her head. "But... how do you have any money either?"

Volcan chuckled. "Well, in the time I spent regaining my memories, I was working with Luke," he replied. "I'm good for it."

She sighed. "I suppose I have no choice," she said. "I'll make sure to pay you back."

"Don't worry about it," assured Volcan.

Luke smiled at Volcan briefly. "It seems I've rubbed off on you more than I thought." He joked.

"I'd never leave anybody to sleep outside," Volcan returned, chuckling.

"It's true; he wouldn't," added Serena. "I'll go get checked in then. They'll probably want me to pay the first night though."

Volcan reached behind him to the small satchel on the back of his harness, fishing around in it for a small coin purse, which he gave to Serena. She had to carry it in her mouth, nodding to Volcan and promised to be back after she was done, heading out the door and leaving the ER.

Volcan shifted a little in his chair, resting his head in his hand again as he went back to watching Caulin. "I guess I should try to get some sleep myself," he said, shifting slightly in his seat to get more comfortable. "I could be here a while."

"Would you prefer I stay with you, or will you be fine on your own?" Luke offered, shifting in his seat to face the Blaziken.

"I'll leave that part up to you," returned Volcan. "But I'll be alright either way. I just want Caulin to see a face he recognizes when he wakes up, above all else."

Luke blushed softly again, feeling his heart flutter in his chest at the thought of staying at Volcan's side. However, he turned his head away a little and flattened his ears before giving his response. "I erm... I think I should go do some rounds before I grab some food for tonight." He looked back to Volcan. "Would you like anything specific for dinner?" He asked.

"Uh..." Volcan tilted back his head in thought. "Kind of in the mood for something spicy but mildly so; know something for that?"

The Lucario nodded back. "Yeah, I can manage that." Luke said, gently rising to his feet and looking at his scarf. "I should also get this washed as well while I'm out and about."

"Sorry about that," Volcan bade him, regarding the scarf.

Luke lifted his paw up. "Like I said, your life is more important to me than some article of clothing." He reiterated. "Sure, this scarf means a lot to me... but..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence before he quickly changed the subject, stammering as he did. "A-A-Anyway. I should get going." He said abruptly.

"Okay," returned Volcan, watching as Luke prepared. "I'll see you in a bit then?"

He nodded quickly, waving back at him as he headed out the door and back into the hallway. When he shut the door, he leaned back against it, clenching his eyes shut and cursing himself. "Why?" He asked as he looked down at his scarf. "Why can't I tell him?" He muttered to himself, tears forming in his eyes.

~~~~~

The next morning...

The young Riolu began to stir in his sleep, scrunching his face and tossing about a bit in his bed, evidently suffering from a nightmare that was quickly making him whimper and toss about harder. After a few more moments, he finally shot up and let out a horrified scream, his eyes opening wide and frantically looking around as he backed up against the headboard of the bed, panting erratically. The scream awoke the sleeping Volcan lying head-down alongside his bed, the Blaziken's head shooting up as he half-expected to find an intruder, but only saw Caulin in his panicked state.

The unfamiliar surroundings, along with awakening from such a nightmare, did not help Caulin remain calm, falling into a panicked state. "W-Where am I?! W-What is this place?!" He asked frantically. "Mom! Dad!"

"Caulin!" Volcan rose from his chair, leaning over the bed to put himself where the Riolu could see him while also flicking on the lamp on the side of the bed. "Caulin it's okay; you're safe." He said gently, waiting until Caulin got his thoughts together enough to recognize who was in the room with him. "You're safe," he repeated.

Caulin then turned to the sound of the familiar voice, his eyes still watering up even as he saw the Blaziken at his side. He sniffled a bit before he could form a response, blinking until his gaze reverted to normal. "U...Uncle Volcan?" He asked timidly.

Volcan wasn't sure about the 'uncle' title at first, until he recalled in his mind that that was what Caulin always called him; Volcan had been friends with Minato for a long time, as far back as likely Caulin could remember. Volcan was more of a godfather, but Caulin had taken to calling him uncle. He went with it, and nodded to the Riolu. "Yeah, it's me," he said, sliding onto the bed to sit next to him. "Are you okay? How do you feel?" He asked, reaching out to gently touch Caulin's forehead, feeling the sweat coming from beneath his fur.

The Riolu quickly launched himself into Volcan, clinging to him so hard and crying softly into his chest. "Uncle... W-Where are we?" He asked in a whimper. "W-Where are mom and dad...?"

"You're in the hospital in Port Azure," Volcan told him, gently embracing Caulin and holding him as he cried. "We had to bring you here after we found you and your mom on Arc Island buried under some rubble."

"P-Port Azure?" He asked, lifting his gaze up to look at Volcan. "Where's that? I've never heard of it before..."

"Neither had I before I landed here a while back," replied Volcan, pulling back enough to look down at him. "It's pretty remote but don't worry; I've made some friends here that're looking after us."

At that, the door suddenly opened, and Luke stepped into the room. Volcan turned to look over his shoulder to see a Lucario there, allowing Caulin to also see him as week. Caulin perked up when he saw the other Lucario walk in. "D-Dad?!" He suddenly exclaimed.

Luke stopped in his tracks and stared incredulously at Caulin. "Erm...wait what?"

Caulin stared at Luke for a moment longer, then he shook his head. "No wait... you're not Dad." He said softly. "He's taller and wears a coat. Sorry mister."

Luke looked to Volcan. "...Is this going to become a trend?" He asked, exasperated.

Volcan laughed softly. "It's starting to seem that way, isn't it? First Tristan, then Serena and now this," he commented, before turning back to Caulin.

"Tristan and Serena are here?" Caulin asked, his face lighting up.

"They are," replied Volcan. "They were really worried about you, sport; we all were. I'm glad you're okay." He then gestured to the Luke. "This is Luke, Caulin; he's the leader of a Rescue Team here in Azure. He's been kind enough to look after me ever since I crash-landed here while I was injured, helping me recover until I was able to come back for you."

"Oh," Caulin said, glancing to Volcan, then back at Luke, then waved softy at him. "H-Hi. Thanks for looking after Uncle Volcan." He said softly.

At that, Luke couldn't help but smirk toward the Blaziken with a raised eyebrow. "Uncle Volcan?" He asked. "You never mentioned you had a nephew."

"I'll explain later," he replied, and then his expression soured slightly as he knew it was time to explain the situation to Caulin. "Listen sport... there's something you need to know." He said, gently easing Caulin back enough that the Riolu could look him in the eye, letting Caulin see the seriousness on his face.

The Riolu stared up at Volcan silently, tilting his head a bit as he watched his expression carefully. "W.-What's wrong?" He asked. "You look upset about something."

"I'm afraid I don't have good news for you, kiddo," Volcan began, keeping his talons on Caulin's shoulders as he spoke. "When we got to the island, we found you with your mom... she was keeping you two in stasis to keep you both alive until we could find her. But... too much time had passed since the attack. Both of you were too weakened when we uncovered you, and it looked like neither of you would survive...

"However, your mom," he began, his expression grief-stricken as he continued, even as he saw Caulin was starting to understand what he was saying. "She made one last effort to save you... she gave you what remained of her strength, and then entrusted you to me. But..." A tear escaped his eye. "I'm so sorry, Caulin..."

Caulin's heart must have skipped a beat when Volcan finished his explanation, his body began to tremble a bit in Volcan's embrace before he spoke in a shaky tone. "...M-M-Mom... she... you mean?" He asked softly as tears began to well up in his eyes. "W-What about Dad? Where was he?!" He demanded. "Why wasn't he there to save her?!"

"Because... he was helping me," replied Volcan. "During the attack on the island, he came to help me, and sent me away to find help. That was the last I saw of him. But he..."

Caulin cut him off, the boy's pain boiling over. "H-He sent you away?!" He demanded. "Why!? Why did he do that?! Why didn't you stay and fight with him?!" He demanded, grabbing at Volcan's shoulders and shaking them as hard as he could as he spoke, the tears flooding from his eyes now as he glared shakily up at Volcan.

"I wanted to, Caulin, but he threw me out to the ocean -to our boat, and then a Gyarados chased me," he said, lowering his gaze in shame. "I went to find help, but I... I failed... I couldn't get back to the island in time."

Caulin began to tear up even more, his bottom lip quivering at the news of his father missing and his mother deceased. He couldn't contain himself anymore, throwing his head back and bawling his eyes out, crying out for his mother in vain before he clung hard to Volcan as he cried his heart out until his words became unintelligible. Luke could only stand and watch as Caulin unloaded his sadness onto Volcan, feeling his own heart twinge in pain from how traumatized the young Riolu was right now. Volcan wrapped his arms tightly around Caulin, holding him and crying with him as Caulin emptied his tears into the feathers of the Blaziken.

"I'm so sorry, Caulin," he said, his voice weak and as shaky as that of the Riolu while his talon caressed Caulin's back. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save your mom..."

Caulin started to calm down after several minutes of crying and being comforted by the Blaziken, eventually pulled back and looked up at Volcan, his eyes pink and puffy from crying. "What's going to happen now, Uncle Volcan...?" He asked weakly.

"I don't know for certain," began Volcan, reaching up to gently wipe the tears from Caulin's eyes. "But, Serena stayed at the island after the attack; she saw people being taken away by the ones who destroyed our home, and she saw your dad being taken away among them. We think he's still alive, and thanks to her bravery, we know where he's being held."

"Y-You do?!" Caulin asked, suddenly filled with hope. "You're going to go save him, right?! You're going to bring him back home?!"

Volcan nodded firmly. "I am," he said. "I'm already working on a way to do just that, but I can't do it alone. I'm gathering allies to find the ones who took him, and I'm going to free him and bring him back to you." He gestured to the Lucario behind him. "Luke here has already volunteered to come with me, along with his team, and I've made some other new friends who I'm hoping with all be willing to pitch in."

Caulin looked past Volcan to Luke, who nodded back at him before taking a step forward and standing next to the Blaziken. "I swear to you we'll get your father back safe and sound." He stated firmly to the Riolu.

Caulin quickly nodded back and sniffled lightly. "T-Thank you..." He whimpered softly, then looked back to Volcan. "So... what's going to happen now?" He asked. "Where are we going live now that our home's gone?"

Volcan held Caulin's shoulders gently. "Let me worry about that part," he said assuredly, before his expression soured again. "Caulin... I don't know if you'll ever forgive me for failing your mother, I don't know if your dad will, either." His face hardened again, his grip on Caulin's shoulders tightening slightly. "But I swear to you, I'm going to do whatever it takes to reunite you with him, and Giratina himself won't be able to stop me." After that, he gently pulled Caulin into a gentle embrace. "Until then, if you'll let me, I'll take care of you. I promise."

Caulin nodded without any hesitation back at Volcan. "I-I know you will, Uncle Volcan." He said softly to him, then held him tightly around his neck and nuzzled his cheek. "Please, bring my Dad back."

"I will," promised Volcan, holding Caulin tightly in his arms and letting another tear escape, one that Caulin felt drip onto his shoulder. "I swear to you, Caulin, I won't fail you again."

The two of them sat there like that in the dimly lit room for what seemed like a long time, until they finally pulled apart, Volcan gently laid him back down in bed and put the covers over him. "Now, you should rest a bit longer," he said. "The nurses here will let me know as soon as you can leave, and then I'll come pick you up, okay?" He gestured to Luke again. "We'll be staying with him for a bit, until I go get your dad. Would that be alright?"

"Okay." Caulin returned. "Where does he live anyway?"

"On the outskirts of town." Luke answered. "You could say it's a... bit of a hole in the ground, but it's home, nonetheless."

Caulin tilted his head inquisitively. "...You live underground?"

Volcan snickered. "It's not quite like it sounds, I assure you," he told Caulin before standing back up, rubbing the top of his head. "I'll stop by to pick you up as soon as they let you out. Serena will probably swing by to see you too." He looked back at Luke again briefly. "There's a doctor here named Mikhail; he's Luke's older brother," and then shifted back to Caulin. "He'll be here to check in on you from time to time; you'll know him when you see him. He wears little spectacles on his snout." He tapped the top of his beak to emphasize his point.

"Okay." The Riolu returned, managing a small smile back up at Volcan as his eyes started to lid shut again. "See you soon, Uncle..." He said softly as sleep started to take him over again.

"Pleasant dreams, Caulin," Volcan whispered, affectionately pecking the top of Caulin's head before he stepped back from the bed, shutting off the lamp to make it easier for Caulin to sleep. With that, he turned to Luke and gestured that it was time for them to go.

When they stepped out and walked a few paces away from the room, Volcan suddenly fell against the wall, putting a hand on it for support and putting the other over his eyes. "Gods, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do..." he said weakly, rubbing his eyes. "How can you ever be prepared to tell a child that their parent is gone?"

Luke quickly placed his paw over Volcan's that had touched the wall. "You can't..." Luke returned honestly. "I'm no stranger to that myself, having to explain a loved one's passing to someone else..." He then gripped Volcan's hand tightly. "Nevertheless, you handled yourself very well back there, and thanks to your support, Caulin took it better than I thought." He smiled softly. "He really does seem to admire you, Volcan..." He then averted his gaze slightly. 'Kind of like how I do,' he thought to himself.

Volcan removed the talon from his eyes, staring over Luke at the wall for a moment before returning his gaze to the Lucario, and placing that hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for being here, Luke," he said. "I really needed the support once all was said. "He then looked towards Caulin's room. "I just hope I can fulfill those promises to Caulin. I can't fail him again..." His face soured, as though he'd just swallowed something awful. "I've already lost everything... I don't want him to suffer the same way."

"So long as I'm at your side, Volcan, he won't lose anything more; and you won't either." Luke returned firmly, now gripping Volcan's hand in both paws and holding it between them. "I promise to continue staying by your side, and help you save as many of those captured by those criminals as we can."

Volcan looked back at Luke again, smiling warmly at him. "Ah, what god did I please to earn a friend like you?" He asked, staring at Luke until his gaze drifted aside again. "And... maybe..."

"Hmm?" Luke asked, his ears perking up as his gaze returned to Volcan's. "Maybe what?" He asked, his eyes having a bit of a hopeful gleam in them.

"Uh..." Volcan tried to say, but the words died in his throat again. "It's nothing... come on; let's go back home for a while. I... think I could use some sleep in a proper bed."

Luke's ears wilted slightly, but he nodded in agreement. "Y-Yea... me too." He returned. "Let's get out of here."

Once again, Volcan was silently cursing himself as he realized he'd just chickened out -metaphorically speaking- of his chance to tell Luke his true feelings, for yet the second time in the last two days... why was it so hard for him to tell him his true feelings?

'I can't keep going on like this... somehow, some way, I have to tell him.'