FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The situation had turned dire for the five united Rescue Teams during their invasion of the fortress lorded over by the organization who had been terrorizing the West Island's region.

After a prolonged battle with the fortress sentries, the leader of the oppressors -a dark-coloured Blaziken who had remained unnamed thus far, emerged. Luke, having seen the dark void of aura that this being possessed, he had discovered that he was a Shadow Pokémon -a supernatural affliction that transformed Pokémon into twisted, savage variations of their former selves. In most cases, they would lose all sense of self, becoming blood-thirsty monsters. Yet, the dark Blaziken seemed to remain sentient and self-aware, defying all explanation.

Furthermore, whether as a by-product of the Shadow corruption, or carried over from his time as an ordinary Pokémon, he had become sadistic and blood-thirsty. Worst of all, he had the ability command another with the corruption, and he had one such being at his disposal. The legendary Psychic Pokémon, Mewtwo. A being of unknown origins, but possessing power beyond imagination.

With the appearance of the powerful creature, all hope seemed lost for the team. But in a final effort to ensure the success of the mission, four of the most able-bodied fighters left after the battle -Volcan, Luke, Shamshir and Romulus, remained behind to buy time until the Trident and the Peacemaker could get far enough away with the prisoners.

The odds were against them; Mewtwo was more powerful than any of them. Even with Romulus and Shamshir Mega Evolved, Mewtwo was stronger still. Volcan had already used the power of his own stone earlier, and it had none left to offer, while Luke had left his prematurely, and though he could ascend to it again if he so chose, he wanted to conserve its power for as long as possible...

It was Romulus who chose to take the first move, firing a Dark Pulse at Mewtwo, sending a stream of dark matter projectiles shooting forth from his mouth. Mewtwo put up a Light Screen to block the attack. Shamshir moved in to attack from the side, attempting a Vicegrip with his powerful claws, which clamped audibly as he snapped at Mewtwo, but the Psychic Pokémon teleported out of the path of his attack. Shamshir pursued, only to receive a full-force Psychic blast to his face; his Steel-typing protected him from significant harm, but the kinetic energy still sent the Mega Scizor careening out of control.

Luke saw a chance when Mewtwo pushed Shamshir away, quickly materializing his Bone Rush and hurling it like a javelin before using Extreme Speed to get to Mewtwo's blind spot and quickly discharge a Dragon Pulse toward where he predicted the Psychic type would dodge to. His strategy worked; Mewtwo evaded the Bone Rush by floating backward, right into the path of Luke's Dragon Pulse; the blast struck him right in the back. In that instant that he was stunned, Volcan sprang into action, launching himself into a Flame Charge and putting all his weight behind his knee, slamming it into Mewtwo's stomach.

Mewtwo fell to the ground hard, with Volcan soon to follow, bracing himself as he touched down, and allowing himself a light smirk. "Got you," he said.

Mewtwo sat up, shooting a cold glare at Volcan before lifting his arm to seize Volcan in a Psychic hold; the Blaziken felt the unseen force engulfing him, the pressure forcing some of the air from his lungs. "Maybe not," he wheezed, before Mewtwo threw him across the yard, where he crashed amidst a stack of barrels at the stockpile near the wall.

Romulus moved to attack again, unleashing a fiery hell from his open maw at the downed Mewtwo. Narrowly, the Psychic-type jumped clear of the massive cone of flames, and put up another barrier to protect himself as Romulus chased him with a second Overheat, the entire cone of fire engulfing Mewtwo and obscuring him from view. However, as Romulus ran out of breath, Mewtwo appeared at his side out of a teleport, holding between his hands a condensed yellow energy, raging like an entrapped wildfire, which he hurled at Romulus, sending the Mega Houndoom flying with the force of the attack.

Knowing the same kind of attack himself, Luke watched in alarm as Romulus was blasted away. "He knows Focus Blast?!" He demanded in shock.

"Oh, he knows much more than that!" the Dark Blaziken called down. "Show him, Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo turned to Luke, bringing his hands to his side and cupping them together before a glowing orb formed between his hands, condensing the energy into a swirling blue sphere that was all too familiar to the Lucario. Mewtwo threw the Aura Sphere towards Luke, who knew from experience the attack was unavoidable. Thinking fast, Luke held up his paws and emitted his own aura from his paws, trying to catch the sphere, only for it to explode on contact with his paws and send him skidding backward across the grass.

Luke barely managed to stay on his feet, his arms numbed and shaking from the force of the attack he had barely managed to defend himself again grunted as he stared at his shaking paws. "Au-Aura Sphere?" He growled, trying to fight through the pain he just endured, never expecting that signature technique of his species would be used against him by another Pokémon -other than perhaps another Lucario.

By now, Volcan, finally freeing himself from the pile of barrels, made another attempt to strike, breathing deeply before unleashing a Flamethrower, trying to final breach Mewtwo's defenses, but failing as Romulus had to penetrate Mewtwo's Light Screen. The Psychic-type turned to Volcan, who then received a Psybeam to his chest in retaliation, once more blasting him back into the barrels, this time smashing into one with enough force to break it. "Ow..." He groaned.

"Volcan!" Luke call out in concern, waiting until he saw Volcan move before letting himself relax. He turned to face Mewtwo, realizing they were getting nowhere. "...I've got only one shot at this." He said to himself, then looked to the others "Keep him busy! I have an idea!"

Romulus let out a growl as he staggered back to his feet, shaking his head to clear it and snorting smoke from his nose. "No problem," he returned nonchalantly

"Surround him!" Shamshir called, prompting Volcan and Romulus to form up.

Quickly, the three formed a triangle around Mewtwo, leaving him only one direction to go. The Psychic-type attempted to levitate again to regain his aerial advantage, but Volcan jumped in to stop him before he could, jumping over Mewtwo and attempting a drop-kick. Mewtwo put up his hands to create a barrier to stop Volcan's kick; Romulus fired a Dark Pulse into his back, staggering him, long enough for Shamshir to charge in, clubbing Mewtwo across the face with his clenched pincer, then again, and again, bludgeoning Mewtwo with his claws. Mewtwo quickly had enough with the beating, and created a pulse of Psychic energy that knocked Shamshir back, but only left him vulnerable to an elbow to the ribs by Volcan, and Romulus jumping onto Mewtwo's back, chomping onto his shoulder and trying to drag him down with his weight.

As the others battled Mewtwo, Luke got to work, summoning his inner strength. He activated his Mega Stone, returning to his Mega Lucario form again, and began to channel his aura to his paws, holding them in front of his chest and gathering his aura into a single, condensed energy, blazing like a pale, blue wildfire between his paws. His own aura radiated from his body, creating an ethereal bubble around him that resembled a blue flame.

Volcan, out of the corner of his eye, saw what Luke was about to do. His thoughts raced back to the battle in Azure, when the Gyarados had attacked the town; the same attack that Luke had used to severely wound that Gyarados, he was about to use again. "Get clear!" He warned Romulus and Shamshir, who broke away from their assault on Mewtwo. Volcan made one last move before he too disengaged, delivering a Thunderpunch to Mewtwo's cheek, both shocking and dazing him simultaneously to send him falling to his knees, and then, the Blaziken fled to get out of the way of Luke's attack. Mewtwo was wide open.

Luke with his friends out of the way of the attack, Luke thrust his paws forward, calling out, "AURA STORM!!!" And finally discharging his last resort attack.

The massive beam of blue aura raced towards Mewtwo. The Psychic-type saw the attack coming in time to try to protect himself, but this time his shield could not protect him. Luke had to anchor his feet to stay upright as he unleashed his most powerful attack upon Mewtwo; the barrier sent the blast breaking off in two halves, where it struck the wall closest to Mewtwo, utterly destroying a large portion of the walls.

Luke was faltering quickly; using this attack took all of his energy -even Mega Evolved, the strain was enough to down lesser beings. He started to lose his footing, until he felt two hands upon his shoulders, helping steady him. He turned his head just enough to see part of Volcan's face, the Blaziken adding his strength to Luke's the only way he could. With that, Luke turned his eyes forward again, pouring all his focus into maintaining the blast.

Mewtwo, even with his shield, was still being pushed back, the split beam cutting through the wall all the way to the ground when Mewtwo was finally pushed into it, and the shield broke just in time for the last of the blast to strike the Psychic-type Pokémon, throwing him into the wall as it was utterly annihilated.

When the blast finally cleared, Mewtwo was standing where the fortress wall had once been. He was shaking violently, struggling to stay up, until his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed, and did not stir again as he lay in the dirt.

Luke struggled to catch his breath, drained from his use of such a massive amount of power. His mega evolution expired, his vision swimming before he began to collapse as Mewtwo had. Fortunately, Volcan was there to catch him, cradling the Lucario in his arms and standing with him held securely against his chest, and beaming with pride at him.

"Good job, Luke," he said softly to his beloved.

Shamshir and Romulus watched the spectacle, mouths and eyes agape with shock and awe. Romulus was the first to break the awkward silence "I have never seen such a release of power all at once," he said. "Not even I am capable of such destructive force, even with my strongest attack."

"Luke has much untapped potential," added Shamshir, nodding to Romulus. "But now is not the time to think of that."

"Agreed," stated Romulus. "It's time to leave."

Luke stirred after a moment of being held in his lover's arms, opening his eyes and looking up at Volcan with a half-lidded gaze. "Did... it work?" He asked, weakly.

"You got him," Volcan assured him, smiling. "But we still need to get ourselves out of here. Can you walk on your own?"

"I think so..." Luke said as Volcan lowered him to his feet again; the Lucario wobbled, but eventually found his balance, looking up at his lover with a nod. "I can manage."

"How do we get to your boat, Volcan?" Romulus asked.

"We'll have to go over the wall," replied Volcan, turning towards the tower and pointing. "Over there."

"And just fall into it?" Shamshir asked. "That's a fifty-foot drop."

"No other choice. Shamshir, will you be able to carry Romulus down?" Volcan asked.

"My wings can barely support me; I cannot carry a Houndoom with me, let alone one of his size," Shamshir replied.

Romulus snorted. "I won't need someone to carry me," he returned.

"You're saying you can withstand a fifty-foot drop, then?" Volcan asked, eyeing Romulus incredulously.

"No, but we don't need to go over the wall," Romulus replied. "We can go under it."

Volcan looked at Romulus curiously. "How?" He asked.

"Through the grate we saw before. Since we're no longer concerned with stealth, perhaps we can destroy the grate and get out through there, while the tide is still low," explained Romulus. "If my guess is correct, it'll bring us out close to your boat. Trying to jump into it from the wall in the dark would be nearly impossible."

Volcan and the others nodded in agreement. They turned to begin heading for the wall, only for the dark Blaziken drop into their paths, stopping them in their tracks. "Leaving so soon?" He asked menacingly. "I don't think we're done yet."

"Shit... forgot about him," Volcan remarked.

"Damn it... one thing after another," Luke growled. He wanted to force the Blaziken out of their way, but he was too drained from Aura Storm earlier, and couldn't even conjure an Aura Sphere, let alone fight the Blaziken.

"What now?" Shamshir asked, looking at Romulus.

"I've got one trick left," Romulus muttered, breathing in sharply as the dark Blaziken began talking again, taking a step towards them.

"You think I'm letting you walk away from this? "He asked. "Not on your li-!"

The Blaziken was cut off when Romulus suddenly exhaled sharply, releasing a sickly, dark green Smog from his mouth. The dark Blaziken, not expecting the attack, accidentally inhaled the gaseous attack as it enshrouded him, and began coughing violently, eyes stinging from the toxins in the smog. With that, Shamshir lunged, delivering a bullet punch to the dark Blaziken's stomach to wind him, followed by a bludgeon to the back of his head, sending him falling to the ground dully from the strike, groaning as he grabbed his head.

They felt they could've finished the dark Blaziken then and there, but they dared not press their luck; if there was any fight left in the villain, with the four of them as exhausted as they were, he would destroy them all, or worse, hold them off long enough for Mewtwo to recover. They couldn't afford to waste time with him.

"Now's our chance; into the tower!" Volcan urged them.

"Let's go!" Luke further urged, waving his paw at Romulus and Shamshir before he started running for the tower himself, still stumbling here and there due to his exhaustion, but sheer determination to escape was driving him to keep on running.

They reached the tower in seconds. Volcan charged through the door, holding it open for the others before he slammed it shut and dropped the bar into place to seal it before he spotted the nearby stairwell and ran for it with the others. "Let's get to that grate!" Volcan urged them.

"Hopefully it's not hard to find!" Luke stated as he led the way to the stairwell, the others following closely. They followed the rounding stairwell to the underground. And not a moment too soon either; they heard the front door to the down collapse inward, splinters flying everywhere as something powerful hit it. The dark Blaziken -or, perhaps Mewtwo, having healed himself by now, were coming after them. Time was against them.

By the time the four had entered the dungeon, the sentries, previously taken out by Kage and Sickle, were back up and stirring as they entered the dungeon, and moved to stop them. Romulus stopped in his tracks and let out a savage Roar, freezing the sentries in their tracks out of terror, where the Houndoom, Volcan and Shamshir bulled through the sentries, with Luke following closely behind.

After making their way through the sentries, they found the room where the water came in, slamming the door shut behind them, where Romulus proceeded to melt the lock shut with his fire breath, sealing the door and buying them a few more moments. Much to their delight, they found the grate was sitting wide open, giving them free access to the outside. "We're in luck; someone must've already used it to get out!" He looked at Luke, remembering how exhausted he was. "Are you strong enough to swim to the boat?" He asked.

"I can try." Luke returned.

"I'll stay next to him while we swim out; if he needs to, he can drape his arms over me," Romulus offered, eyeing the water warily as he prepared himself to jump in. "I warn you though, I'm not going to smell pretty after this." He finished before he plunged into the water, emerging a few seconds later and letting out a growl as the cold, biting water seeped through his fur, steam rising from his body. "Damn that's cold!

Volcan was the next to dive in, and quickly found that Romulus was right; he emerged from beneath the surface, shivering and holding his arms as his beak chattered violently "F-F-Fuck me; is th-there an Avalugg taking a nap under here?!" He demanded.

Luke took a deep breath as he too jumped into the frigid water, surfacing with a yelp from the cold bite of the water. As Volcan feared though, Luke's body was too sore to swim properly, and so he splashed his way over to Romulus, throwing his arms over the Houndoom's back and pulling himself up enough to breath properly. "We're a-almost there... let's go!" He said through chattering teeth, holding onto Romulus as tightly as he could.

Romulus dipped his head forward and began to paddle towards the open grate, with Volcan following alongside him. Shamshir's wings buzzed noisily as he took flight and hovered out just behind them, taking the lead and veering towards the boat which, as they had hoped, was still securely anchored off the shore of the island. Volcan, upon seeing the boat, swam faster towards it, getting ahead of Romulus and hauling himself up and over the railing onto the deck just as Shamshir touched down. Getting back to his feet promptly and then leaned over as Romulus approached. The Houndoom turned to his side, letting Volcan help Luke aboard first, and the Blaziken reached down, taking Romulus by his front paws and hauling him aboard too

"Luke, get on the wheel and start the engine while I untie us! We don't have much time before Mewtwo or that dark Blaziken find us! Shamshir, bring up the anchor!"

"On it!" Luke returned, shaking himself dry and darting as fast as his tired body would allow to the helm.

He applied the primer and then started the engine, remembering what Volcan had taught him a couple days prior to them arriving at the fortress. After a few frantic attempts, the boat finally roared to life. Meanwhile, Volcan had just finished untying the boat and reeling in the line, while Shamshir, having to work carefully so as not to accidentally pinch through the chain, brought the anchor out of the water and dropped it onto the deck noisily.

"Anchor's up!" He called.

"Go, go!" Volcan called to Luke.

Luke shifted the engine to full ahead and started turning the wheel frantically so that the boat would steer away from the rocks. "Come on, come on!" Luke growled impatiently as the boat began to accelerate slowly at first, but picked up speed. He veered away from the rocks, cringing them he heard the keel scrap against something below, and checked the compass in front of him. Once he had his bearings set towards the south, where the other boats were heading.

Volcan stood at the stern, watching the island as they left it behind for any sign of pursuit, daring to hope that the dark Blaziken and Mewtwo hadn't figured out how they had escaped yet. His hopes were shattered, however, as he saw a form rise over the wall and angle forward in their direction a moment later, falling into pursuit of the Team Phalanx boat. He knew it had to be Mewtwo, as the dark Blaziken could not fly and it didn't look like a Skarmory. "We've got incoming!" Volcan warned. "Keep the boat going, Luke; we'll hold him off!"

"Damnit, he just doesn't give up!" Luke growled, keeping his eyes forward, wishing art that moment that the Phalanx boat was just a little faster.

Volcan, Romulus and Shamshir formed up at the stern, the Blaziken and Houndoom firing Flamethrowers and Shamshir firing Flash Cannons, trying to hold off the corrupted Mewtwo as he closed in on them...

Less than a kilometer away, the Peacemaker was racing over the waves at full throttle, its crew determined to leave the fortress behind, with Kaen steering the boat to safety. The Trident, faster than the Peacemaker, was already some little ways ahead, just off starboard, but was slowed enough to keep the other boat in sight.

Out on the deck, Serena and Gallia were still tending to the wounded, the prisoners having been taken below where they could rest. But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a lightshow in the darkness yonder, squinting his eyes to try and see what was happening, but his eyes couldn't pierce the night. He left the wheel, locking it in place to keep it going forward, and ran up to the window in front of him, opening it and calling down to the deck below.

"Hey guys!" He called out over the roar of the Peacemaker's engines. "Look off port side; something's happening over there!"

The first to look where Kaen was indicating were Sickle, Torolf and Kage, who looked over the side to see streams of flame and silvery beams shooting through the night at a target they could just barely make out. Sickle had to really look hard, using the fire to illuminate the sight, and was introduced to the silhouette of Volcan just as the Blaziken was breathing another Flamethrower, which also served to illuminate Mewtwo as the stream of fire shot past the corrupted Legendary Pokémon.

"Mewtwo! He's still after them!" Sickle exclaimed.

Acting quickly, the Grovyle turned and shouted up to the air above, where the Red Talons, including Eagle Eye and Razorwing, were flying in a tight formation overhead. "Captain! They need help; get over there, hurry!" The Grovyle called, pointing to where he meant, and bringing Jake's attention to the ongoing battle and the fleeing Phalanx boat.

"All Talons, on me!" He ordered his squadron before banking away, turning his course for interception.

Following his lead, the many fliers banked hard towards port, zeroing in on Mewtwo and racing towards him. Each Talonflame prepared a Fire Blast to barrage Mewtwo as they passed. Taking his attention away from the Phalanx boat, Mewtwo put up a barrier just in time to protect himself from the volley of Fire Blasts that would have otherwise incinerated him had he been caught off guard. He retaliated by conjuring a volley of Aura Spheres, sending them racing after the Talons, who broke formation to try and outmaneuver the spheres; true to their nature the energy projectiles pursued the Talons, but they knew well how to escape such an attack, dropping Embers and Air Slashes to prematurely detonate the Aura Spheres before they could find their targets.

"We're having no effect on that thing's barrier!" One of the Talons called out.

"Keep firing! That thing's gotta have a chink in it's defenses somewhere!" Another added

Jake however, was watching Mewtwo closely as it unleashed another Psystrike attack, taking note of the fact, it had to lower its Barrier to strike back, unable to maintain a shield and an attack at the same time. "All wings, keep up your attack! I got a plan!"

"I'm willing to follow whatever plan you have; we have to stop that thing!" Razorwing called out to Jake from his left.

"Know any physical attacks?" He would ask.

"My specialty, sir," replied the Skarmory firmly.

"Good. Stay on my left wing, Eagle Eye, on my right!" Jake ordered. "Everyone else, hit the target, hard as you can! Give it everything you got!!" He added as he began to circle around to Mewtwo's blind spot, with Eagle Eye circling around to form on his father's wing.

Mewtwo watched as the Talons began to swarm around him, putting up another barrier to protect himself as their onslaught of attacks bombarded him, but not even one had the power to overwhelm his shields; his Psychic power seemed limitless, able to withstand anything, and he was quick to retaliating, making a backhand motion with his arm that sent a Psycho Cut straight at one of the Talons. This time, they didn't have the chance to dodge, and thus the Talonflame was knocked out of the air, splashing into the cold ocean below.

"Talon Five's down!!" One of the others called out.

"Someone get him out of the water!" Jake called over to the Peacemaker using his wireless radio, then motioned with his head towards Mewtwo as the Psychic-type prepared another attack. "He's open! Hit em hard!!" He roared out as his body became immolated with fire, charging at Mewtwo with a Flare Blitz attack. Eagle Eye was quick to follow suite, charging in alongside his father and bracing for impact. Razorwing took point, using Autotomize to increase his speed and preparing a Steel Wing.

Mewtwo turned too late, seeing the three racing towards him. He was too slow to stop Razorwing; the Skarmory stuck him with his wing with the force of a missile hit, knocking Mewtwo out of the air, but not sparing him from Eagle Eye and Jake as they zeroed in on him and struck Mewtwo full force with their double Flare Blitz. With a trail of smoke marking his descent, Mewtwo fell into the ocean water below, disappearing beneath the waves.

"Direct hit!" Razorwing called.

Eagle Eye whooped triumphantly, spinning in an aileron roll as he celebrated their apparent victory over Mewtwo "That was tight!!"

"Nicely done boys!" Jake returned with a now, and noticed the Peacemaker was on its way over, Gallia reaching out with her Psychic powers to pick the Talonflame who had been knocked down earlier out of the water and bring him onto the deck. "Now, let's form up over the Phalanx boat; it's time to..."

Suddenly, the surface of the water erupted, cutting Jake off mid-sentence, and out from beneath the waves, Mewtwo appeared. His body was covered in burns, and he looked furious; another Talon moved to try and attack him again as he reappeared, only to get backhanded by the Psychic-type and sent careening into the ocean below. Following this, Mewtwo stretched out his arms, and suddenly all the Talons along with Razorwing felt themselves being seized by a Psychic grip, stopping them in midair with such suddenness that each of them felt mild whiplash.

"Gah fuck!!" Eagle Eye hollered out as he and his squad mates were trapped in the hold. "I-I can't move!!"

With that, Mewtwo callously threw them all straight down to the waves below, sending everyone plunging beneath the waves. As the Talonflames were not accustomed to such conditions, many of them were left floundering as they tried to surface, but their feathers were too wet for them to stay afloat, and the freezing water was sapping their strength. Razorwing was in even more trouble; though he had no feathers to soak, there was nothing for him to beat his wings against, forcing him to thrash violently just to keep from sinking to his death.

Volcan had been watching the battle thus far and, seeing what had happened, turned to Luke and cried out. "Turn around! All of the Talons are drowning; we have to help them!" He called.

Luke looked over his shoulder, to where Volcan saw the Talonflames hit the water. Without a second thought, he turned the wheel sharply and circling around to head towards the Talonflames. He was not going to let anyone die on his watch if he could help it. Romulus and Shamshir reengaged the battle with Mewtwo as Luke cut the engines and helped Volcan begin pulling the Talons aboard. By now, the Peacemaker and Trident had also arrived, and the Water-types were all diving into the water to assist the fliers, while everyone else did what they could to stall Mewtwo.

One of the Talons that Volcan managed to grab was Eagle Eye; recognizing him, the Blaziken hurried to lift him out of the water. "Come on, you!" He said to the Talonflame as he brought him onto the deck. "You okay?"

Eagle Eye sputtered and coughed as he was brought aboard, shivering from the icy water still dripping off his body. "Th-that's freakin' cold!" He exclaimed, before he jerked back into alertness and looked around frantically. "Wait, where's Dad!? And that Razorwing guy!?"

Volcan stood back up, looking over at Luke as the Lucario managed to bring another Talon aboard, until his eyes found the Peacemaker, where he saw Katsu and Torolf swimming up to the hull, climbing over the side with Jake and Razorwing, along with one other flier apiece, where Tristan and Sickle took them and let the two dive back into the water to collect the rest. "They've got them," he said to Eagle Eye. "They're fine."

"Thank fuck..." Eagle Eye said with a sigh of relief.

"Do we have all of them?" Luke asked back to Volcan.

"Some of them; the others are gathering the rest," replied the Blaziken, still supporting Eagle Eye in his arms. "Steer us over to any islands you can see; run us aground if you have to. We have to get them out of the water -and us, too, if we're going to stand against Mewtwo."

"On it." Luke returned, heading back into the cabin and looking back out the front viewport to see if he could spot any nearby islands he could head toward. Sure enough, thanks to the now visible moon, a nearby atoll was illuminated, giving him a heading.

As Luke began to steer the boat towards the island, Volcan called out to the rescuers in the water. "Follow us!" He bellowed over the ongoing sounds of the battle as the others tried to stall Mewtwo while the talons were rescued.

Mewtwo was engaged by Revane, Phanto, Shamshir, and from below, Katsumoto and Blaster, who every time Mewtwo flew low would attempt to either knock him out of the air or shoot him with a Hydro Pump attack. Shamshir was the first of the five to fall, taking a direct Focus Blast that sent him hurtling towards the water. Fortunately, Blaster could swim below him fast enough to catch him-.

Seconds before impact, Shamshir devolved from his Mega Evolution back into the form of an ordinary Scizor, landing heavily upon Blaster's shell. Revane and Phanto both attacked simultaneously; the former with a Shadow Punch, the other with a Shadow Ball, only for Mewtwo to teleport out of the way, causing Revane's fist to collide with Phanto's projectile, injuring Revane's hand; the Dusknoir withdrew his fist, holding his arm with his uninjured hand and groaning with pain.

---

Phanto felt a presence behind him, his grin fading as he looked back to see Mewtwo charging a Psychic attack, unleashing it point-blank into the Gengar. Phanto was knocked out instantly, and this time it was Katsu who had to catch him. Revane tried to counter with Ominous Wind, but Mewtwo, without even looking, threw a Shadow Ball behind him that finished off the Dusknoir.

Finally, Mewtwo could turn his attention back to his primary targets. He turned in the direction of the atoll, and flew towards it just as the Red Talons were being brought onto the beach from the three boats; they all understood Volcan's reasoning for taking them there as to risk the ships endangered everyone on them; they would have a better chance fighting from dry land. Volcan, in the process of carrying Eagle Eye and the other rescued Talon off his boat, looked up in horror to see Mewtwo approaching once more.

"Shit; here he comes again!" He called, setting down the two birds on the deck again and jumping out to run onto the beach. "Everyone, heads up!" He called.

Katsu, after taking Phanto to the Trident and handing him off to Hook, heard Volcan cry out, seeing Mewtwo moving in for the final attack. Katsu hurriedly dove back into the water, using Aqua Jet to race from the Trident to the atoll and putting himself between the islet and Mewtwo, drawing his swords.

"You will go no further!" He roared, shrugging off his kimono to hang around his waist while tensing his body as he forcefully tapped into his Torrent ability, his muscles swelling to nearly double their size! He held his blades in a cross in front of him as he began to charge up a full power Hydro Cannon at the oncoming Mewtwo, releasing it once it was fully charged.

Mewtwo once more put up another barrier to stop Katsu's attack in its tracks, followed by something even Katsu could not expect. Lightning shot forth from his other hand, sending a Thunderbolt attack trailing along the water stream all the way back to its host.

Even Katsu could not withstand a Thunderbolt coursing over his entire body, and fell to his knees, dropping his swords as he needed his forepaws to hold himself up, panting for bread

"Katsu!" Volcan called, with Luke also witnessing his friend's fall. Spurred by concern, he and Luke leapt out of the boat and ran over to Katsu to check on him.

"Are you alright?" Luke demanded.

"Worry not... about me!" He growled, lifting his gaze to Luke's. "Go! Head back to the Peacemaker!"

"We can't just leave you here!" Volcan protested, turning his gaze up to Mewtwo, looming over them with a cold look in his eyes. Everything they had tried thus far had failed, but Volcan, more angry than afraid, met Mewtwo's look with a defiant glare. "I've had enough of this!" He roared before he inhaled deeply, and launched the most powerful Flamethrower he could muster at Mewtwo. The cone of fire was so vast, it illuminated the entirety of the atoll and the surrounding ocean; Volcan was pouring everything he had into this.

But it was once again for naught. Mewtwo teleported out of the trajectory of the attack, and held up his hand. Volcan's beak slammed shut as he became enveloped in psychic energy, lifted off the ground and carried into the air, straining as he tried to break free.

"Volcan!!" Luke hollered in terror. Summoning what strength he had left, Luke faced Mewtwo, charging an Aura Sphere in his paws. "you're not taking him away from me!!" He roared as he discharged his attack to Mewtwo.

This too proved to be for naught; Luke's limited strength caused his Aura Sphere to dissipate harmlessly against Mewtwo's chest. Mewtwo lifted his other hand, and suddenly Luke was enshrouded in psychic energy as well, carried up into the air with Volcan as both began to feel a suffocating force closing in around them. They could not draw in a breath, their flesh felt as if it was being squeezed from every direction and their bones were already beginning to groan in protest.

He was crushing them!

Serena, from the deck of the Peacemaker, screamed in terror as she saw her friends being tortured by Mewtwo. Torolf tried to swim towards the Psychic-type as fast as his injured body could move, hoping to stop them. Romulus was already off the deck of the Phalanx boat, but he didn't know what to do; he couldn't attack without hitting Luke and Volcan as well. As he contemplated this, his Mega Evolution expired; the Houndoom cursed, turning his gaze back up. For the first time in his life, the Team Phobia Captain felt powerless to do anything...

Serena was on the atoll while all of this was happening, running to the shore and looking up and horror at what was happening. "No! No stop!" Serena screamed desperately up to Mewtwo. "Someone do something -he's going to kill them!"

Luke and Volcan could not even struggle, so strong was the hold in which Mewtwo held them. They could only stare into the uncaring eyes of the corrupted Mewtwo as the life was slowly squeezed from their bodies, their vision already darkening. They felt as though the weight of mountains was upon them, and any moment their bodies would give under the intense pressure and be reduced to a bloody mess.

However, in a flash, Mewtwo's expression suddenly shifted. Only Luke could see it as Volcan had already closed his eyes to wait for the end. But what he saw was a look of... shock. No malice, just horror, as if realizing what he was about to do.

Mewtwo grit his teeth, the glow starting to return, but then his eyes shot open, and with a flash of light and the scatter of a thousand particles of energy from where his two victims had been, and then there was nothing.

Luke and Volcan were gone...

"No...!" Serena squealed, tears already streaming from her eyes as she saw her friend vanish into thin air, with not a trace of him left to be seen. Her lip quivered, her body shook, and then she let out a horrible scream as she fell upon the grass of the atoll.

Katsu stared up where Luke had been prior to vanishing, and watching the particles that had previously been his leader, eventually letting out a pained roar of anguish as he slammed his paw into the sand repeatedly, repeating "NO!" with every impact his fist made with the sand, until he finally stopped, and cried out to the sky. "CURSE MY WEAKNESS!!"

"S-Say it ain't so!" Eagle Eye stammered softly, becoming frantic, repeating "This isn't happening!" over and again.

From the decks of the Peacemaker and the Trident, everyone still conscious to witness what had happened struggled to come to terms with what they had witnessed. No one was taking it harder than Sickle, however; his body was trembling, his eyes as round as dinner plates as he struggled to speak. "T-that c-c-can't have... t-t-tell me I didn't just see that!" He cried, already shedding tears as he tried to find words to deny what he had witnessed, his claws held up near his face.

"He didn't..." Tristan growled, his eyes filling deeply with rage. "He _fucking didn't!!!"_He roared suddenly, before he tried to scramble over the side "When I get my hands on that monstrosity, I'm gonna bury him!!!" The enraged Aggron was held back by Aegis, who struggled to tell him that there was nothing the Aggron could do.

Kage was staring up to Mewtwo in utter disbelief himself, mentally imagining the unthinkable had just happened. His arms dropped to their sides as he continued to stare up at Mewtwo, then his gaze drifted to the particles falling to the island below. Immediately his expression changed from shock to suspicion, that cold glare returning in his eyes again as he watched the particles fall. 'Wait...' he thought to himself silently. '...Something's off about this...'

But he had little time to ponder it. Torolf, now overcome with anger, launched himself from the water, soaring at Mewtwo and raising both of his fists to hammer the Psychic-type into the depths, but Mewtwo fired a Psychic that sent him crashing back into the atoll hard enough to rattle the coral bed upon which it rested. One by one, the remaining able-bodied members of the team attacked; Hook stepped out of the Trident's cabin, being the only one from Team Phobia who hadn't fought. Howler and Kari stepped atop the cabin of the Peacemaker, Blaster rose from the water on the shore of the atoll. Leon and Hank moved to the rails and prepared their own attacks.

But nothing they did worked. Every attack they sent at Mewtwo was either stopped by a barrier, or avoided completely by teleporting, and each of them received a retaliation. Aura Spheres took out Hank, Tristan and Hook, a Focus Blast downed Romulus, a Thunderbolt incapacitated Leon and Blaster, a Psychic blast sent Howler and Kari skidding from the roof of the Peacemaker and falling to the deck and a Psybeam sent Torolf back onto his stomach as the Swampert tried to attack again. A final Psybeam struck Aegis as he attempted to fire a Pin Missile, sending the Chesnaught crashing to the deck.

And with that, the last of the team's fighters were down. There was no one left standing but Sickle and Kage, still wounded from the battles at the fortress, and Gallia, Team Warmachine's healer. Strong of a Psychic as she herself was, she was nothing to Mewtwo. All the Red Talons remained incapacitated upon the atoll. Team Phobia's spiders, Zofia and Voltner, were the last ones standing from their side, but neither one had the courage to even attempt to attack. Mewtwo had defeated the five teams single-handedly...

"We're beaten..." Sickle said. "He's taking out everyone; nobody can stop him..." The Grovyle was on the verge of snapping, the shock of Luke's apparent death and the horror of Mewtwo taking out every one of their allies one by one finally overwhelming his courage. He was trying to stay in control but he was at his limit.

Even Kage could feel his body shaking; fear did not come easily to him, but even he felt the hopelessness of the situation. Kaen, still in the cabin of the Peacemaker, had already tried to run out to join the attack, only to suffer another flare from his ribs that brought him to his knees, clutching his chest.

Back on the island, Serena was standing, shocked and quaking, and staring at the fallen Pokémon all around her. Volcan and Luke were gone, and now only she stood between Mewtwo and the countless injured on the atoll with her. She was crying heavily, staring up in terror, tail between her legs as Mewtwo rose high into the air until he was floating directly in front of the moon, the glow of his eyes and the silhouette of his body against the moonlight a terror to behold, holding his hand above his head, and preparing his final attack to end them all.

She collapsed, covering her head with her paws and cowering. "Someone, help us... great sea, mighty Kyogre; someone, please hear me! Help us!" She repeated this several times, not daring to open her eyes even as Mewtwo began to conjure the largest Shadow Ball anyone there had ever seen, growing larger and larger until to the terrified Serena it seemed as large as the moon itself, and just as he was about to cast it, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"HELP US!!!"

Katsu looked over to Serena as she cried out for help, growling and pushing through his paralysis with the last of his strength, standing in front of Serena and leering defiantly up at Mewtwo, waiting to face his end with pride...

But it never came. As Mewtwo reared back his arm to throw the giant shadow ball, the sea below him seemed to explode as a waterspout taller than Spear Pillar exploded from the ocean surface, engulfing Mewtwo and sending him hurtling into the air out of sight, carried aloft by the watery cyclone to disappear into the atmosphere. He instinctively cried out at the torrent, emitting only a stream of bubbles as he was tossed about until finally being thrown out of the spout to splash into the ocean below.

Serena did not dare open her eyes until she felt the water droplets falling upon her, looking up to see Katsu standing over her, poised to use his body to shield her. Over him him, she saw the towering water spout reaching for the sky, the awe of it overcoming her fear and giving her the strength to stand on her feet again, stepping around the Samurott to get a better look at the anomaly before them. "What is...?" She asked Katsu in bewilderment.

"I... I have no idea." Katsu admitted softly, his own shock matching that of the Vaporeon.

Finally, the whirling spout collapsed, and began to fall back to earth, creating a brief torrential downpour that blanketed the atoll and the surrounding sea, drenching everyone on the island and rousing them from their unconsciousness, sputtering and wet. Romulus, still tense and full of adrenaline, react

"What's happening?" Romulus demanded, only to look up and see the being that emerged from the pillar of water, his eyes becoming as round as dinner plates as he stared in disbelief at the great beast. "What in the...?"

A huge, pale, winged form that closely resembled a dragon without scales hovered overhead, wings ending in tips like hands, fingers and all, stretched widely and flapping only lightly to keep it aloft. The creature had an elongated neck, ending in a streamlined face resembling that of a beak, with blue protrusions jutting up from the eyes. Six spikes jutted up from its back, moving in tandem with its wings as if also playing a role in keeping it aloft. Its body became thicker as it travelled lower, becoming widest at the belly where a light blue undertone began, running between its thick but short legs to the end of a long, slender tail ending with two spikes matching the protrusions of its eyes.

The large Samurott's jaw fell open as a wave of awe washed over him, as he quickly recognized the great beast above them, knowing it could only be one being. "The great guardian of the seas..."

"Wait that...you mean that's...!" Eagle Eye chirped, looking between the large creature and Katsumoto frantically, babbling incoherently as he tried to say the winged beast's name.

But it was Serena who would finish it for the Talonflame. "Lugia..." She whispered, her wide emerald eyes filled with wonderment. She had never seen the guardian of the seas himself; only heard legends of his existence, and even then, she had never really known what he looked like. But seeing the mighty beast of the seas itself, beholding him in all his splendor, she knew it could be no other...

Back on the Peacemaker, Sickle's growing dread had been replaced with disbelief, his mouth hanging open as he stared up at the savior of their friends on the atoll. "Wh-what is that?" Sickle asked. "Is it on our side?"

"Wasn't there a busted statue of that guy on that destroyed island we saw near Valvatna?" Tristan asked.

"There was," Gallia chimed in from behind them. "That is Lugia, one of the great guardians; next to Mewtwo, it is one of the most powerful Psychic-type Pokémon in existence, and has the power to control the very weather itself."

"It appears he's come to our aid." Kage added with a nod. "And not a moment too soon... We may survive this after all."

The proven stubborn Mewtwo emerged from beneath the waves of the sea again, roaring angrily as he found his assailant, face contorted with rage. He conjured a Psystrike and unleashed it upon Lugia; the guardian generated a barrier to stop the oncoming attack. He then turned his head to the side to look back at the Pokémon behind him. His one visible eye glowed, and suddenly everyone on the atoll felt themselves gently encompassed in psionic power and being lifted off the island.

All at once, he carried them over to their ships, placing them upon the decks safely, including the Red Talons -both conscious and unconscious alike, setting them down as gently as he could while also maintaining his barrier to stop Mewtwo's attack.

"He's... really here to save us," Romulus said in realization as he was placed upon the deck of the Peacemaker. "But why?"

He overheard Serena as she answered. "Could it be he heard my prayers and answered them?" Serena asked, curious and humbled by the possibility that one of the guardians would see fit to aid a lowly one such as herself.

"It is possible..." Katsu would say; Lugia was psychic just like Mewtwo, and could likely have sensed the fear above, and heard the desperate prayers of Serena while investigating. Without hesitation, he looked up at Lugia as he carried everyone back to the Peacemaker, lowering his head to him. "Our deepest gratitude, O great guardian..."

Lugia made no response, focused only on shielding them as Mewtwo barraged the guardian's barrier again and again. It was clear that this was costing much of Lugia's strength to protect them, but he stayed firm until he finally retaliated, unleashing a mighty Aeroblast -his legendary signature attack, emitting a cyclone from his mouth that tore into Mewtwo, tossing him around and scratching his body horrendously before he was thrown clear of it.

With that second bought, they all felt a tingle in their minds, sensing the presence of another consciousness entering their own, speaking only a single, short word to via telepathy. <Go.>

Kage was the only one not to freeze in shock after receiving the telepathic message from the Guardian. He heard Hank calling out next to him, "Are you sure you can take him alone? I mean, not doubtin' yer power or no-MPH!"

Kage had shut Hank's muzzle with a webbed hand, silencing him. He then looked back to Lugia silently and nodded, then looked over his shoulder toward the bridge, and to Kaen. "Full throttle! Get us out of here!"

Kaen, after snapping out of his shocked state, hurriedly ran to the ship's wheel, ignoring the ache in his chest and restarting the engines, putting the boat into reverse to pull away from the island. Over on the Trident, Hook, now back on his feet, rushed into the cabin and switched the engines on as well, following the Peacemaker's example and pulling of from the island.

Mewtwo moved to intercept; Lugia attacked. A climactic battle between the two would begin, with Lugia possessing a clear advantage, as Mewtwo was weakened from prolonged battle. But no one intended to remain to find out. The two boats raced across the waves, leaving behind the Phalanx boat, and the two Legendary Pokémon to battle, they fled.

What else could they do? They fled.

~~~~~

It wasn't until an hour into the journey that the shock of the loss of Luke and Volcan would return to the group aboard the ships, gathered now at Needle Point Rock in preparation to head their separate ways as the passengers worked out amongst themselves whether they would be heading to Azure on the Peacemaker, or to Gladiator City on the west continent aboard the Trident. The details of this were being worked out between the teams that owned the boats, while the collected members of Team Phalanx and Team Valiant sat in the lower holds, trying to come to terms with their loss.

It seemed so unreal, so impossible... Luke and Volcan were gone, meeting their end by Mewtwo's overwhelming power in their efforts to protect their friends and their charges from harm. Their efforts would have been in vain if not for the intervention of Lugia, whose fate was yet unknown.

Serena was held tightly in Tristan's arms, crying her eyes out into the stone chest of the Aggron, who had been quiet for the longest time, never uttering a word as he tried to comfort his friend. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Valiant were coping with the loss of their leader in their own manners. Eagle Eye and Hank were in denial, attempting to come up with several reasons for them to still be alive, though nothing they suggested had any merit. Kage was standing in the corner, arms crossed and leaning against the wall as he stared at the floor; he had said nothing to any of his comrades since their escape.

But Katsu was by far taking the loss the worst out of the group. His fists pounded the wall repeatedly, denting the metal as tears fell from his eyes. "Damnit to hell!" He suddenly exclaimed as he stopped pounding the wall, panting for breath. "I could have saved them! I should have! This failure is unacceptable!!"

Also present in the hold was Sickle, though the rest of his team was topside. Though he was not part of either Valiant or Phalanx, he had been accepted to be among them, due to his friendship with both Luke and Volcan. Though he fought hard to contain his own sadness, he still walked over to the Samurott to offer his consolation, placing a claw upon his back.

"There's nothing any of us could have done, Katsu," Sickle stated, his words shaken as he fought back his own emotions. "We could never have been ready for Mewtwo -none of us here ever expected such a thing to be waiting for us."

"You do not understand!" Katsu shouted firmly back at Sickle, throwing off his claw as he turned to him, glaring at him through tear-filled eyes. "It is more than just our duty to protecting the innocent! Luke is the reason I still live to this day! He turned me from a wandering Ronin into a Yojimbo with a purpose, and for that I owe him my life many a time over! I vowed I would always defend him; that I would be his shield! And I failed!" Katsu fell back to all fours, sobbing. "I failed my duty..."

"Luke was just doing what he swore to do," Sickle went on. "Both he and Volcan were trying to protect us, and the people we were there to save. It's what they vowed to do -what we _all_swore to do." He turned his gaze away, feeling himself losing his composure. "We all knew..." he choked. "The risks..."

Finally, Sickle's forced courage lost the battle with his emotions. He collapsed against the wall next to Katsu, sliding down to the cold metal floor and sobbing as he curled into a fetal position. "We knew..." He muttered weakly as tears streamed from his eyes.

Hank heard Sickle crying, turning to look at him and seeing the Grovyle give in to the same pain everyone in the room felt. The Zoroark, pushing aside his denial for the moment, stepped over to the Grovyle, crouching next to him and gently sliding an arm around his shoulders to offer some measure of comfort for him. Only Hank knew about Sickle and Luke having a short but intimate relationship before Luke had chosen to give his heart to Volcan, and knew that the loss must have been as devastating for Sickle as it was for the rest of the team...

All that is, except for their team shadow...

Kage was staring off into space with his arms crossed, rubbing underneath his tongue scarf in a pondering manner. He kept thinking back to when Mewtwo supposedly crushed Luke and Volcan to death; the manner of which they had seemingly died, and the lack of any remains. Something about it just didn't fit together for him, and he was soon to voice his opinion, raising his gaze and addressing the team.

"...I'm not convinced they're gone," he said, firmly.

Everyone the room looked at him. But nobody looked as though they believed him. Tristan, finally leaving his stupor of silence, was the first to speak, sitting up and setting Serena down on the floor before he stood up and addressed the Greninja.

"We all saw what happened, Kage," he said in a low tone. "I may not know how Psychic powers work, but I'm pretty sure when you explode into a million little sparklies, it means you're pretty much gone."

"That one detail alone convinces me that they aren't dead..." Kage returned, looking back to Tristan. "The matter bears further investigation; I need to return to the atoll."

"How?" Sickle asked. "We left the Phalanx boat behind when Lugia rescued us, and Torolf still has to take the people here to Azure. It's kind of far for an amphibian to swim through salt water." He emphasized the word salt, pointing out that it would not be healthy for Kage to swim through the ocean water for a prolonged period.

But ever stubborn, Kage scoffed at Sickle's concern. "Then we either head back to Azure and procure ourselves another vessel, which will cost more precious time and reduce the chances of finding any evidence to support my hypothesis, or we either borrow one of the vessels currently here at Needle Point and use that." He said lowly, narrowing his eyes in a threatening manner. "One way or another, I'm going back to that island..."

"Not alone you aren't," Sickle stated firmly, standing up. "That island is in eyeshot of the fortress; if those sentries see you, you think they'll just let you walk away?"

"I am more capable of stealth than you will ever be; they will not see me," Kage returned.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Sickle demanded angrily, storming up to Kage and glaring into his eyes. "In case you forgot, Kage, I infiltrated that fortress right alongside you last night; we both got in there undetected. But _that_was in the dark of night; the sun's up now! You can't hide in broad daylight!

"I know how to blend even in plain sight, Sickle," Kage retorted, brushing off Sickle's claim. "With or without your consent, none of you are stopping me from going."

"Who said anything about stopping you?" Sickle returned. "I'm merely saying you're not going alone."

"I may work well in a team, but I work far better alone," Kage returned, pushing Sickle aside and heading for the stairs. "I don't need your help."

But Tristan stepped in Kage's path. "And what happens if Mewtwo finds you?" Tristan demanded. "Not even Romulus, a Dark-type much stronger than you, was able to last a minute against him! You gonna throw those stupid little water disks of yours at him and hope he backs down?" He growled as Kage attempted to ignore him and step around him. "If you turn out to be wrong, I already have to tell Caulin his uncle's gone, after he just lost his mother; you want me to tell _your_kid that you're dead too because you were too stubborn to bring backup?"

At that, Kage stopped dead in his tracks, a scowl present on his face as he stood there right at the staircase leading up to the upper decks. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder at Tristan, with a glare as sharp as a knife meeting the gaze of the Aggron. "...So be it. We'll play it your way." He said lowly to him.

"Wuh-oh..." Hank whispered softly to himself, recognizing the tone Kage was taking toward Tristan. "You really crossed the line there, big guy..."

Before the situation could escalate any further, a deep voice boomed down from the upper deck. "What's all the noise down here?" Torolf asked as he descended into the lower decks, ducking under the edge of the roof above the stairs as he entered, which forced Kage to move to the side to make room for the giant Swampert. "Is there something wrong?" Torolf asked, noticing the look on Kage's face.

"No...." Kage returned, still looking at Tristan. "I was just going to confirm my hypothesis."

"What sort of hypothesis?" Torolf asked.

Kage finally took his gaze away from Tristan and then looked to Torolf, his expression softening a little bit as he spoke to the Swampert. "That Luke and Volcan might not be deceased as we originally thought."

Torolf narrowed his eyes, deliberating Kage's claim before turning fully to him. "Explain," he said, firmly.

"When Mewtwo supposedly crushed them, they left behind trails of what could be described as particles of energy in their place..." Kage began. "I was not on the atoll when it happened, but I saw from the shore that nothing was left behind. But that alone is what has me suspicious - there should have been remains of some kind -blood, bone fragments, accessories. We didn't have time to check, and I want to go back and do so, thoroughly."

Torolf listened to Kage's description attentively, eventually putting a hand to his chin in thought, before taking that same hand to tap his earpiece. "Kaen, it's Torolf. Tell Razorwing I want him to head back to Warmachine Island; tell Galmar to bring the Skimmer our way. The faster the better."

With that, he took his hand away from his ear. "The Skimmer is much faster than the Peacemaker; Galmar can meet us here in six hours, and then, we'll head back to that atoll to find out if you're right." He turned to Hank next, fixing him with an authoritative stare and a voice to match "And you are coming with us," he said; it wasn't a request.

"Y-Yea sure..." Hank returned, taken aback by Torolf's manner. When the Swampert turned away, Hank then looked down at Sickle. "Feel like coming with us, bud?"

"Absolutely," returned Sickle. "If Kage _is_right, and though I fear I'm getting my hopes up saying this, then it's worth knowing for sure."

"I will go too," added Serena. "Volcan is my friend; I want to know if he's alright."

"The Skimmer seats five, so you'll be the last one," Torolf informed her, before looking at the rest of the group. "Everyone else will have to head back to Azure while we investigate this. For now, get some rest; it'll still be some time before Galmar reaches us."

The others agreed with the Swampert, and began to retire to their compartment beds. Sickle looked at Hank with a more reassured look on his face. "Seems we can accomplish both our tasks without losing much time," he said. "Should've known old Torolf would have something to help us out."

"Heh yea. Funny how things work, huh?" He added with a smirk, patting Sickle's shoulder gently. "Guess we owe him one, now."

When everyone was out of sight, Kage stormed up to Tristan before he could enter his compartment bed, stepping into his path and looking him in the eye with the same dagger-like stare he had given him before. "If you ever mention that kind of topic to me again, even think about it, and I will make you regret it," he said lowly. "Do I make myself clear, you iron-headed fool?"

Tristan lowered his head enough to look Kage directly in the face. "I may be a fool, scrawny," he retorted. "But I don't take pleasure in delivering bad news to the loved ones of those who get killed in the field or are victims of other kinds of violence. Only my skin is stone and steel, not my heart. Can't say the same 'bout yours though."

Kage's glare deepened. "When you live through the same life as I," he began, his tongue whipping around and lightly striking Tristan's side, making him flinch, before the Greninja walked through him like a Ghost-type Pokémon, "then you will understand the reasons for my demeanour."

Tristan looked over his shoulder at the Greninja. "What makes you think my life has been any brighter than yours?" He asked, matter of factly. The Aggron's words stopped Kage in his tracks, lending the Aggron his ear. "You ever been a gladiator? Ever fought in an arena, trapped and fighting in an enclosed ring for your very life? Some have to fight against their will, others simply enjoy the thrill of it. But either way, fatalities were accepted in the ring. Those of us who didn't like it," he scoffed. "Well, no one cared what we thought. They only cared how much money they were making off our blood."

Kage was silent for a few moments, memories of his own past -of his time as an assassin, resurfacing to the point where they made him grimace; he'd taken lives for money, but he had chosen to leave that life behind. "Not everyone handles bloodshed the same way, Tristan," he stated. "Some let it control them, where others decide to do something about it."

"Sometimes, it ain't that easy," returned Tristan. "Some of us end up in a place we can't come back from, whether we put ourselves there -like my parents did when they made me, or were by someone else. I fought in the arena to feed myself, but the first time I ever went too far was when I battled a guy who was there to feed his children, and he ended up partially crippled -couldn't walk properly anymore.

"A crime boss he owed money to took his house from him; he confronted the guy, and then ended up back in the ring with one of the meanest gladiators there. He _didn't_walk out, and it fell to me to tell his sons what happened to 'im. Later those two boys were chased out of town by the same boss that put him there when they tried to take him out for revenge."

Kage looked back at Tristan. "And how is this story relevant to our situation?" He asked. "I am not out for revenge -not if Luke and Volcan have not left this world."

"Those who fight alone are usually the first to die," Tristan returned plainly. "Even if you have someone to fight for, eventually you will end up facing somethin' you can't handle by yourself, and when ya have someone waitin' for you to come back, that's when you really need to reconsider what you're doin'. That's what being part of a team is for." The Aggron turned back to his compartment bed, slowly crawling in. "I may not be too bright, Kage, but I think you know that as well as I do. Otherwise, why else would ya even be here?"

With that, Tristan pulled the curtain of his bed closed, leaving Kage to stand alone in the room, pondering the Aggron's words until he walked out, deciding now was an appropriate time to take a walk around the deck.

~~~~~

As Torolf had predicted, Galmar, the younger brother of Gallia, arrived with the Skimmer within six hours, meeting them halfway back to Warmachine Island. The Skimmer was the same boat that Timber had once used to transport Sol to the Siphon Prison during the tournament days back; a small, pointed craft designed for speed, with several spare cans of fuel in the back behind the seats, the largest of which was taken by Torolf as Kage, Sickle, Hank and Serena filled the remaining four.

After making sure everyone knew where they were going and ensuring the fuel tank was full, they set off, travelling north back in the direction of the fortress. Even with its greater speed though, it still took them at least another three hours before they got to the atoll, the sun burning high in the skies above, but the air was still cold as the chill of winter settled across the islands -this area never saw any snow, but even the salty air over the sea could not chase away the icy winds.

The sea had been merciful that morning; although the Team Phalanx boat had been carried out a little by the tide, it was still near the atoll, allowing them to retrieve it. But, much to their shock, when they looked towards the sinister fortress not too far from their current position, they saw... nothing. The walls of the ironclad stronghold held no sentries that they could see, further confirmed by Torolf giving Kage a telescope to peer in the direction of the walls. Yet, despite a thorough search, he could not see a soul in sight there.

"...Looks like they've abandoned the fortress." Kage muttered, lowering the telescope and handing it back to Torolf.

"Why? We didn't destroy it. It still looks relatively intact." Hank commented. "Well, yanno... except for that section of wall Luke blew away and the uh... the gate Torolf smashed down."

"Damage like that can be repaired. So, why abandon a fortified position after just one siege?" Sickle asked.

"Perhaps their reliance on the fortress was mostly on its anonymity," suggested Torolf. "Now that it's been discovered, and damaged, they chose to desert it, knowing that as they carried on their work this would be the first place anyone would look for them. The fortress itself may stand out like a sore thumb but amidst these islands it would've been hard to find if not for Serena discovering it.

"Huh...not gonna lie, ya raise a good point." Hank commented.

"I agree with Torolf," Serena added, looking around the surrounding sea. "The islands in this area are mostly uninhabited except for a few migratory bird Pokémon that might use them as the seasons change. It's the perfect place to hide an operation, which we've now ruined and sent them into the winds."

"Which means we probably haven't seen the last of them," Torolf added, gruffly. "It's only a matter of time before they return. That ship of theirs is still out there, stalking the seas waiting for its next target."

"We'll have to wait for them to make the first move again before we can try to track them down." Kage stated as he steered the boat towards the atoll. "But that's neither here, nor there. Let's get to the atoll."

"And how," Sickle agreed. "Even if that place is abandoned, it still gives me the creeps."

"Yea me too..." Hank said, shuddering noticeably.

First retrieving Team Phalanx's boat from off-shore, with Sickle taking the wheel this time, the group made their way over to the atoll, anchoring the boats on the beach before they jumped out, wading ashore before Kage motioned for them to stop, allowing him to begin his investigation without any evidence being subject to further contamination.

He searched the beach thoroughly, taking slow, careful steps along the sandy ground until he located footprint impressions that he was certain were left by Luke and Volcan. He ran his fingers over the ground; the sand was dry. The tide had not taken anything away, to his relief. But there was nothing to find. He searched in a wide are, consistent with the manner which Volcan and Luke seemingly died, but he could not find a single piece of evidence to suggest they had...

"Just as I suspected." He said, then turned back toward the others. "They're alive."

"What did you find?" Sickle asked.

"Absolutely nothing." Kage returned. "Which proves my hypothesis to be correct. There's no blood, no tissue or fibers, or even fragments of their mega stones -the two of them simply were here, and then they were gone. Things don't just disappear; matter can't be destroyed, only changed into different forms..." He trailed off, becoming silent for a few seconds as his gaze drifted off into the distance. "Or moved," he finished.

"But then..." Serena began, stepping out of the shallows and trotting over to Kage to look up at him. "I saw them vanish; there was not a trace of them left... did he transport them somehow?"

"That's the only plausible theory." Kage returned, looking at Serena. "He must have used Teleport on them to transport them elsewhere." He narrowed his eyes again in thought. "The question now is...why? He was under that Shadow Blaziken's control, and ordered to kill them...?"

"Unless, for one moment, he wasn't," Torolf chimed in. "What if Mewtwo was resisting the presence somehow? Maybe seeing what he was about to do snapped him out of it long enough to change his actions before they happened?"

Sickle jerked slightly as though he'd been struck from behind, recalling the night of the infiltration. "Wait a minute," he said. "Kage, remember when we were hiding outside of that chamber, in the tower of the fortress? That dark Blaziken said something about strong minds..."

Kage's eyes widened slight after hearing Sickle's words, remembering the conversation he and the Grovyle overheard while they were infiltrating the fortress. "...Which means his control over Mewtwo isn't absolute."

"Mewtwo's still resisting him," added Torolf. "He really didn't kill them, then; he only made it look like he did to fool the dark Blaziken in case he was watching."

"Which means they really are alive!!" Hank said in a joyous tone before exploding into laughter, pumping his arms into the air as he screamed in the direction of the fortress. "Yes! In your face, you fuckers!"

"Not to kill your buzz, Hank," Sickle chimed in. "This answer unfortunately only hit us with an even bigger question. _Where_did he send them to?"

"Given the pressure of the situation at the time, it is unlikely he had the chance to come up with anywhere specific," Torolf added to Sickle's statement, turning to look out to sea. "There's no way of knowing where they ended up -Mewtwo's power is so great, the range of his teleportation could reach across the world."

"Wherever they have been transported to, they will find their way back." Kage returned firmly. "Luke is a survivor. He has been through more hazards than you can imagine..."

"And we already know Volcan has been through hell and back," Sickle added. "That guy can take anything that comes his way." Despite his confident tone, a frown crossed his face. "Though still," he sighed. "I wish we knew where they were."

"I fer one know they'll make it back." Hank said firmly. "Just you wait and see."

"I hope you're right, Hank," Sickle stated. "I truly do..."

A silence fell over them at that moment as they stared off beyond the horizon, everyone with the same question on their mind -where Volcan and Luke were now, how they were faring, and the severity of their current situation. It was a maddening question they all wanted answered, but knew none would come to them there.

"We've done all we can here," said Torolf. "For now, it's best that we all go home. I will keep in touch with my contacts, and see if they can find them."

"Agreed," Sickle added reluctantly, though still stared out over the horizon as the others returned to the boats ahead of him, staring off into the distance as the wind began to pick up, blowing the leaves growing across his body to toss them about. He put a claw over his heart, holding it there for a drawn-out moment before clenching it into a fist, and then turned on his heel, walking to join the others at the boats. "Let's go..." He said as he climbed aboard the Phalanx vessel, and the long journey back to Azure began.

~~~~~

Ever since the return to Port Azure, Minato had been left in the care of the doctors at the clinic, and was visited every few hours by his son and Tristan, checking on his recovery as they awaited the return of his friends with news of the findings brought by their investigation. Over a day had passed since the parties had separated; Romulus and his team headed back home to Gladiator City in the west, while the rest of Team Warmachine had gone home to their island, where Torolf would soon rejoin them.

Ever since Tristan had come back without Volcan or Serena, Caulin had constantly pestered him about knowing where they were. Knowing that Linda's passing would still be fresh on the Riolu's mind, Tristan could not bring himself to tell Caulin the possibility that Volcan might be dead -unless the investigation proved otherwise, and so he always answered Caulin by telling him that the Blaziken and Vaporeon were on another mission. Of course, Caulin was not as naïve as he often appeared, and Tristan knew that the Riolu suspected otherwise, but that was all that the Aggron would part to him.

'Heh... I can stare down the scariest Pokémon in the world yet when it comes to kids I'm a big wuss,' he thought, as amused as he was ashamed by this.

But, to his fortune, that day his friends would return, while Caulin was at Luminara's home awaiting his father's awakening and any clarification of his uncle's whereabouts. Tristan was on a walk through the market when the familiar rumbling of the Phalanx boat's engines reached his ears, and he knew that his friends were back. He made his way out to the docks to greet them as they tied the boat to the pier, calling out to announce his arrival as he joined them on the wharf.

"You guys made it," said the Aggron. "Well, what did you find?" From his tone of voice, he wasn't expecting to hear anything besides confirmation of Volcan's end, having already braced himself for it.

But Serena gave him a weak smile. "We're _certain_Volcan is still alive," she said, directly.

"He is?!" Tristan exclaimed, unable to believe what he had just heard and looking to the others for confirmation; Sickle, Hank and Kage all nodded to him, and the Aggron could not contain his excitement, exploding into a fit of laughter and pumping his arms in the air. "Hell yes! No Psychic sideshow freak ever gonna stop him!" He shouted as though he wanted the entire world to hear, before he turned back to the others again, hopeful. "So, where is he? Did you guys find him?"

At that, Serena's ear fins lowered. "Unfortunately, no," she replied. "Although we've confirmed that he and Luke are very likely still alive, we have no idea where they are at this time."

"But... how..." Tristan asked, shaking his head and rubbing his skull. "That... doesn't make any sense; how can you be sure they're okay if you can't find 'em?"

"We have reason to believe that Mewtwo may have teleported them, not killed them," Sickle explained. "We think he's still fighting whatever control that dark Blaziken has over him, and teleported them away to protect them. Unfortunately, we just have no way of knowing where."

Tristan huffed in disappointment, arms falling noisily to his sides. "Dammit... there goes my mood."

"Hey, it can't be helped man." Hank returned. "At least we know they're alive, and if I know Luke, he'll make it back to us in no time." He said with confidence.

"I sure hope you're right, pal," returned Tristan. "Poor Caulin has been asking about him non-stop... and I just can't bring myself to tell him what happened."

"You haven't told him?" Serena asked him sternly. "You think leaving him in the dark will make him any less worried?!"

"How do you tell a kid their uncle is dead?" Tristan asked. "Or, at least, what we thought happened at first. I couldn't put him through that; he just lost his mom! So, I'm too soft when it comes to kids; like I told the shady frog there the other night, not _all_o' this bod is made of rock 'n metal." He rapped his knuckles against his chest.

"Well hey, now you can tell him that he's alive and will make his way home soon." Hank returned, nudging his shoulder with his elbow. "Better than the alternative, right?"

"True, I can do that now," replied Tristan.

"What about Minato; how is he?" Sickle asked.

"Still hasn't woken up yet," replied the Aggron. "Some Sceptile doc there said he thinks Minato was being tortured physically -and probably mentally too, for some time, and he ain't moved a muscle since we got 'ere. Caulin's been visiting him every few hours too, wantin' to be there when he does."

"Poor kid..." Hank said softly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I will head to the clinic," said Serena. "Volcan was there for Caulin when he awoke; it's only right I am there for Minato."

"Same here," agreed Tristan.

Hank nodded. "Then in that case, I think I'm gonna clock out early today..." He said as he stretched and groaned a bit. "Jeez, that mission did a fuckin number on me. I can't recall ever being this exhausted in my life."

"Considering how you pushed yourself battling the sentries, I am not surprised," Kage commented. "You overexerted yourself."

"Says you," Hank countered back. "I'm just a little sore, and I been up for over a day now. I'll be fit as a fiddle after I get some shut-eye."

"What about my team; know where they're at?" Sickle asked Tristan

"Blaster said they'd head back to Bluegrove ahead of you; he wanted to get back in case any missions had popped up," replied Tristan. "Kaen wanted to wait for you but Blaster insisted they head off."

Sickle nodded. "Alright; I guess I better get some rest here and then head home first thing tomorrow morning," stated the Grovyle.

"Got a place to stay?" Hank asked.

"Probably just lay over at the hostel," replied Sickle. "They might still have the room I used available from before we left."

Hank scoffed at that. "Dude. Hostels are fer cheapskates, and you ain't no cheapskate." He said, then draped an arm around him. "C'mon, i'll let ya bum at my place. We got a spare room fer guests and everything."

"You sure your mate will be okay with having a stranger in his house?" Sickle asked.

"I'll give him the sitrep when he gets home." Hank returned. "'Sides, a hero like you needs some proper R&R and a Hostel just doesn't cut it. Know what I'm sayin?"

Sickle eventually gave in to Hank's offer, shrugging and replying. "Guess I won't look a gift Ponyta in the mouth; right now, I just want a bed to fall into," he said, before nodding to Hank. "Alright; lead on."

He grinned back. "Trust me, you won't regret it." He said, winking at Sickle before patting his back and leading him away from the others to his own abode.

Kage turned away silently and began walking off, presumably to where his own family was waiting for him. He peered over his shoulder briefly at Tristan, and then vanished in a plume of water that splashed around the area he stood on, leaving only a small puddle to mark where he had been.

Nice exit," the Aggron huffed before looking at Serena. "I guess there's only one place for us to go now."

Serena nodded in understanding, knowing just where the Aggron had in mind. "Let's go," she said.

They left the docks behind and made their way into town, crossing several blocks before they reached the street with the clinic. As they approached, they saw two other figures approaching from the opposite direction; when they were close enough for them to identify, they saw Luminara, walking paw in paw with Caulin towards the clinic. When both sides were in sight of the other, Caulin excitedly released Luminara's paw, calling out to Serena as he ran ahead to greet her.

"Serena!" He cried out joyously as he ran up to the Vaporeon. "You made it back!!"

"Hello, Caulin," Serena greeted the Riolu softly as she stepped up to him. "Have you been well?"

"Kinda. I was afraid you got caught by the bad guys or..." He trailed off a little, his expression souring slightly before he quickly hugged Serena around her neck, nuzzling her cheek. "I'm glad you're ok..."

"It's good to see you, young one," she said to him, lifting one of her forepaws and rubbing Caulin's back as he held her. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long. We had to find some answers."

"Answers to what?" He asked, pulling back to look up into her eyes. "Where's Uncle Volcan? Tristan wouldn't tell me anything; he says you guys were off on a mission, but you'd never go just the two of you, right?"

Before answering Caulin's question, Serena shot an annoyed look back at Tristan. The Aggron shrugged helplessly, as if asking 'Whaddya want from me?' before averting his eyes to avoid her gaze. Serena was, by nature, timid and patient, but even she was not above showing displeasure. In fact, in addition to when her profession as a healer came into play, Serena had shown her teammates she could be quite cross when they erred -as she had with Volcan when he had been wounded by Sash, or had hurt himself in training days before.

She turned back to Caulin, looking up as she noticed Luminara had also joined them. She could see in the female Lucario's eyes that the absence of her son demanded an explanation, and it was up to Serena to provide it.

Taking a deep breath before sitting down in front of Caulin, Serena began to explain what had transpired at the fortress, starting from Sickle and Kage's infiltration all the way to the encounter with Mewtwo; the mere mention of Mewtwo seized the attention of both Luminara and_Caulin, even they knew of immensely powerful Psychic Pokémon - though for Caulin's sake she left out any mention of the dark Blaziken who commanded him, fearing that it might provoke a reaction from Caulin. She had been told that the Dark Blaziken claimed it had been him who had taken Linda's life; Caulin did not seem to remember the face of his mother's killer, but Serena dared not take chances at traumatizing Caulin further by mentioning _him.

"During the battle with Mewtwo, the Red Talons were severely injured; Luke and Volcan tried to protect them," she went on. "Mewtwo carried them into the air and... they vanished, with thousands of light particles scattering everywhere as they did. We thought Mewtwo had killed them. However, we went back to the island where they faced him, and we have reason to suspect Mewtwo did not actually hurt them; he may have only transported them. But if we're correct, then your uncle," she looked at Luminara. "And Luke, are still alive, lost somewhere in the wilderness."

Luminara had let out a huge sigh of relief upon hearing her youngest might still be alive. "Thank Lord Arceus above..." She whispered softly, placing both paws over her chest. "My son has not been taken from me."

Caulin lowered his head slightly, also relieved to hear Volcan might be ok, though he still was worried for him, ears lowering as he looked at Serena again, and asked softly, "Do you think they'll be ok...?"

"I know_they will," Serena returned, placing her paw upon Caulin's shoulder. "Volcan is a survivor, as is Luke from what I have heard. Somehow, someday, they _will return to us, Caulin. We just need to have faith."

He nodded back slowly. "I hope they come back soon," he said, lifting his ears again as he then turned back toward the clinic. "I was just going to go see my Dad. Are you here to see him too?"

"We are," Serena replied. "And... unfortunately, we still have to tell him about..." Her ear fins drooped. "About your mother, too. That is going to be hard for him, as it was for you..."

"Yea..." The young Riolu said softly, his ears flattening slightly. "H-He'll be okay... right?"

"I'm sure he will... your dad is strong," replied Serena. "But, wounds of the heart do not mend quickly. It may take him some time."

Caulin nodded. "He's the strongest in the world..." He said softly, sticking to that claim before he urgently turned to run into the clinic ahead, followed by Tristan.

Before she would follow, Serena looked up at Luminara, giving her a gratuitous smile. "Thank you for looking after him while we were away. If you want, I can watch him from here on. You have been most generous in taking care of him."

Luminara chuckled a little, putting a paw to her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter. "That boy has so much energy it's unbelievable. He makes all of my children at his age look like lazy little Slakoth."

Serena laughed light heartedly. "I know what you mean," she returned. "But he is his father's son."

"With that said, he's got a lot of fighting potential." She complimented. "I daresay he may one day be even stronger than my sons. He spoke abundantly of surpassing his father one day as well. But, he's got a long road ahead for him." She then turned, nodding once more to Serena. "Take care of him, and yourself. Let me know if you hear anything more about my son, and of Volcan of course."

"I will. Thank you again," Serena returned to the Lucario before the two parted, Serena making her way into the clinic while Luminara started to walk home.

Following directions from the nurse, they made their way to the room where Minato was recuperating, standing before the window to the dimly lit room, and seeing the Lucario inside, his black trench coat hanging from a hook on the wall. The heartbeat monitor was going steadily as it measured his vitals. Caulin stared through the window longingly at his father, wanting desperately to go in and see him.

He felt Tristan stepping up behind him. "I'm glad to see he's alive," he stated, and then looked down at Caulin. "And I wager he'll be quite happy to know you're okay too, eh?"

Caulin nodded back to Tristan in reply, though he kept watching his father. "Come on, dad..." he whispered. "You're the strongest Lucario in the world, right? You gotta be okay..."

Suddenly, as if in response to Caulin's words, Minato began to shift in his sleep, his face contorting to a pained expression as he began to toss and turn on the hospital bed. "Hey! I think he's waking up!!" He exclaimed, then without thinking he tried to push the door open, even though it was a pull open door.

"Hey, hey; come on, simmer down, squirt," Tristan returned, picking up the Riolu gently. "He's just shifting in his sleep; everyone does that."

"No! He's having a nightmare!" He exclaimed, struggling against Tristan's grip. "Lemme go! I need to go see him!!"

Serena stared into the room attentively, watching how Minato was moving. Sure enough, his movements were growing more and more frantic, as if he were suffering the worst nightmare he'd ever had -just as Caulin suggested. Serena felt concerned, and after a brief pause of consideration she turned to Tristan. "Let him go; find a doctor!" She practically commanded him, and he compliantly did so, heading off to find assistance while Serena pulled the door open and followed Caulin into the room.

The Riolu was on the bed in seconds, scrambling up to his father and grabbing his shoulder. "Dad! Dad wake up!" Caulin cried, trying to shake his father awake from his dreams.

"Caulin don't shake him! He's still injured," Serena stated firmly, rearing up on her hind legs on the opposite side of the bed and motioning for Caulin to back away, fearing Minato might wake rather violently. She watched carefully as she called out to the Lucario. "Minato? Can you hear me? Follow my voice, Minato; follow it and you will wake!"

Minato seemed to hear the Vaporeon, turning in her direction as he tossed about, his paws reaching in her direction, clawing at the bad while his face contorted as though he were in pain. Finally, his eyes opened, and he briskly sat up, looking about the room frantically as if searching for enemies, pausing only when his eyes fell upon Serena, though did not lose their intensity, as if struggling to recognize her.

"Minato, be calm," Serena said softly to him, gently bringing him out of his entranced state, keeping her eyes locked to his. "Listen to me; hear my voice, my friend. You are safe. It's me," she carried on, never breaking eye contact with him.

Minato shut his eyes briefly, shaking his head before opening again, the intensity leaving his gaze as his red eyes stared into Serena's emerald ones. "S-Serena...?" He asked softly.

His gaze left hers, and began scanning the room, finding himself in a room he did not recognize; his last memory had been of a dungeon, waking only to be subjected to torture, while he was chained to a wall, but now he lay in a soft, comfortable bed. His body ached, and he had no recollection of this place he was in -it was still strange to him. But a familiar sight sitting at his feet brought him out of his stupor completely as his eyes met the gaze of his beloved son...

"Caulin?!" He asked, in a mix of shock and relief.

"Dad!!" Caulin exclaimed, throwing himself at Minato and hugging him tightly, feeling his father's own arms wrap him in a protective, loving embrace as they celebrated their reunion "I knew Uncle Volcan would bring you back! I knew he would!!"

Minato was almost crying as he held his son, ignoring the aches his son's squeezing caused him as he relished in the fact that his boy was here, unharmed. "Caulin... thank Arceus you're alright." He whispered softly, choking a little. "That means Volcan was able to get the help he needed to free us." He added, looking over to Serena. "Didn't he?"

"Yes," she replied, nodding to him. "Volcan returned to Arc Island with allies -including Tristan, and when I told him you were alive, he raised even more, forming a coalition to lay siege to the fortress, freeing you and everyone being held prisoner."

Minato managed a small chuckle after hearing that. "The son of a gun actually did it..." He said with a sigh of relief. "I guess that's one more I owe him for saving my neck..." He added. "You mentioned Tristan; is he here?"

"He is; he just went to get a doctor," replied Serena.

"So, it seems Team Phalanx is still alive and kicking." He said, smiling genuinely. "I guess sending him off was the right move after all...otherwise we all would have either died or been imprisoned by those bastards."

He then jolted a little, looking down at Caulin for a moment, then back to Serena. "Wait, what about Linda?" He asked suddenly. "Did she get to safety?"

Serena's ear fins fell at that question, her gaze averting slightly as she struggled to find words to explain. "Minato, I..." She began, barely able to remain coherent as she knew what she was about to say would break her friend's heart. Minato remained oblivious as to what she was trying to say, which only made it harder for her to force the words from her mouth. "I'm afraid... it took a long time for Volcan to get back to the island... too long -there were complications that stopped him from coming back... and..." She turned back to him, already feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. "Linda kept herself and Caulin alive in stasis until he found his way back, but by then it was too late... they were both barely clinging to life. Neither one was going to survive."

She looked at Caulin. "But Linda refused to let Caulin's life end in such a way," she went on, seeing Caulin's face saddening as he once more had to listen to the story of his mother's passing, but Minato was hearing it for the first time, and stared blankly at Serena, struggling to process what the Vaporeon was saying. "Using all of her remaining strength, she transferred what remained of her life force into him, stabilizing him long enough for us to get him back to Azure and save his life. But..." Her gaze fell, her voice shaking as she struggled to finish. "M-Minato... I'm sorry... L-Linda did not make it."

At first, he stared at her studiously, his own expression unreadable, until eventually furrowing his brow at her, looking unconvinced "...Serena that's hardly a thing to be joking about..." He said softly in a glib tone.

She elevated her gaze, scowling harshly at him. "You think I would joke about something like that?" She asked, hurt.

Minato reared his head back a bit from her, his eyes widening a little from her tone. He could then see in her eyes that she was indeed dead serious, which made him suddenly freeze and stare off into space as the realization hit him. He then began to lower his gaze and look at his paws, seeing them tremble before his eyes. "...That... That can't be true...." He said softly, his tone quaking softly. "I... She can't have died... I saw her running away; she was alive! She was!"

"Minato... I was there when she passed," Serena continued. "I watched her give her life force to Caulin... she died right in front of me." Tears were beginning to flow from her eyes. "I tried to save her but my powers just weren't enough... I couldn't revive her; I'm just... I'm so sorry..."

"N-No...!" He said in a louder tone. "I-It's a lie...It has to be a lie!" He said, his voice growing louder and louder. He began to hyperventilate, his heart thundering in his chest as vivid images of his now deceased wife flashed across his eyes.

"D-Dad...?" Caulin whimpered softly, backing away from his father fearfully.

Suddenly, with a furious roar, he reared his paw back, turned around and slammed it into the nearest thing to him, in this case a wall. He punched it so hard his fist went through it, exposing the building supports beyond. He sat there motionless after, his body shaking violently as the shock was overcoming him and tears were freely rolling down his cheeks. Finally, after a few moments, he began to openly sob and fall limp onto the bed, his face hidden in the pillows as he sobbed harder and harder.

"A-Am I interrupting something?" Came Mikhail's voice as he entered the room, adjusting his glasses and seeing the unconscious Lucario now fully awake, though his ears flattened when he saw the state he was in. "Oh dear...What happened?"

"Serena?" Tristan asked as he appeared behind Mikhail. "I heard Minato scream..."

"He... he woke up," replied Serena. "He asked about Linda and I... I had to tell him..." She hid her face, still crying as well as Caulin lay draped over his sobbing father.

"O-Oh..." Mikhail flattened his ears and looked down at the floor sadly. "I see... My erm... My condolences for his loss..." He said, placing a paw over his heart.

Eventually the Lucario ceased sobbing into his pillow, slowly lifting his head up and wearing the most blank and emotionless expression on his face. "...Who killed her...?" He asked in a low tone. "Who took my son's mother away?"

"There was a... a dark Blaziken that told us he did it," replied Tristan. "I dunno if he was telling the truth or just trying to provoke Volcan -which he did, but he claimed it was his doing."

Serena's eyes immediately fell upon Caulin, gauging his reaction. Unlike his father, Caulin was beginning to fume with anger, his paws clenching tightly at his sides, and was just about to speak before Minato spoke up first. "...I see..." He said softly, then slowly his face lowered back into the pillow, obscuring it from view of everyone else.

Serena leaned forward a little to look at Minato's face. "Do you... want anything before we go?" She asked.

"No..." He said, his voice muffled by his pillow. "I want some time alone. All of you, please leave..."

"B-But Dad...!" Caulin began to say.

"I said get out...!" He returned in a firmer tone.

Serena could see Caulin was hurt by his father's tone, and stepped over to place her paw on his cheek. "Let's leave him be for now, Caulin," she urged, turning him to face her. "He'll be fine now; let's go outside and get some fresh air. I'll even race you, if you'd like," she offered, giving him a weak smile.

"Okay..." He returned softly, seeming to brighten up a little about the idea of a race. But even as they turned to leave, he looked back at his father, the hurt look returning to his face before he followed Serena off the bed and towards the door, putting an arm over Serena's back and holding her tightly.

Tristan held the door open for both as they left, casting a glance at Mikhail who had been standing by this whole time, before Mikhail also left. Tristan turned off the lights and shut the door behind him as he left Minato alone in the dimly lit bedroom.

Mikhail went on to check on other patients, while Tristan, Serena and Caulin walked outside. They made a left down the street, but Serena stopped mid-step, staring blankly at the ground before her gaze turned out to sea towards the setting sun, her ear fins drooping and her expression one of desperation as she silently.

"Volcan... Luke..." She whispered, a tear escaping from her eye. "Please come back to us soon... we're all lost without you; please find your way home. And until you do... may Lunala watch over you both, and keep you safe, my friends..."

With that, she rejoined Tristan and Caulin, the three of them wandering silently up the street and leaving the clinic behind as the last light of the sun vanished over the western horizon, casting Azure in a gloom that matched the mood of the Lucario lying in the clinic, hiding his face in his pillow as he sobbed in the warm darkness...