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Today was about to become a rather...interesting day in Port Azure.

Luke had been feeling somewhat antsy for a while now since his last group mission with Volcan and Team Phalanx, and it was becoming quite apparent to the Blaziken that something was definitely on the Lucario's mind. When they finally had a moment to themselves, he confronted Luke and asked him if he was alright, saying that he had been noticing he'd been acting rather pent up lately, which was very odd considering how often they'd share such passionate nights together. After a bit of convincing, Luke finally spilled the beans to his lover and explained to him his problem...if it could even be called a problem.

Luke explained to Volcan that he'd been having lucid dreams lately about his dirty little secrets, specifically his fetish to mud or anything he could sink into, and, although hesitantly, he explained that while the act itself was something he greatly enjoyed, the idea of being in such a state of helplessness and peril was what really got him off. To be drawn into something he couldn't escape from by himself, and then pulled under with no means to save himself. After his explanation, he started to feel mildly embarrassed about it, but Volcan had re-assured him that there was nothing for him to be ashamed of; that he was allowed to be into whatever he desired, even if it was mildly disturbing to others.

With that all said and done, Luke then went on to say he wanted to experience that kind of feeling again, much like when they were back in the Western Continent and were being swallowed up by shifting sands caused by a cave in below their feet. The issue now was figuring out a way to do so without really endangering themselves in such a way. Just acting out the situation wouldn't cut it for Luke. It had to feel and look genuine to him.

It was at that moment, the idea came to him. Something he once suggested to Volcan when he revealed his own dirty little secret to him.

"Well...we do have a master Illusionist." Were the words he said.

The following day after they completed their rounds for the day, Luke had asked Hank to meet with him in private, to which he explained to Hank that he wanted to have an illusion cast on himself and Volcan where they'd be in a state of peril, which had Luke revealing to him his favourite kink to him, yet would be totally fine in the real world. Hank was a bit weirded out by Luke's request to be placed under such an illusion, but being the crafty Trickster he was, he was sure he could get it done. After all, he and his husband would have fun with his illusionary prowess from time to time, so this request wasn't something that couldn't be done.

The one request that Hank had for Luke in return was for him to be patient. He would give him what he wanted, but it would be on his time and when they least expect it. He would need the time to fully prepare for the illusion and add in whatever he felt would see fit to have it meet his Team Captain's desires before he could unleash it.

Once they were in agreement, they parted ways and went on with their usual routines afterward. Luke informed his Blaziken that he had talked to Hank and said he would go through with this request, though it would be sprung on his own time and when they least expected. Like Hank said, he wanted it to feel as genuine as Luke wanted, so for it to work, they had to be completely vulnerable for it to work.

Days had passed...Hank was nowhere to be found and Luke was starting to feel anxious again. The build up to this happening was finally getting under his fur, and he grew more and more noticeably impatient, which was completely not in his character to be so antsy. One day he was sitting alone on the sofa at his and Volcan's home, having finished tidying it up for when his mate returned from his jobs, his tail wagging back and forth anxiously as he sat there, waiting for his beloved to return home, and also for Hank to finish up whatever preparations he needed to get this all going.

"I'm home!" Volcan called from the front door as he finally returned. "Luke; you here?"

Luke immediately stood up from his sofa and turned to Volcan as he walked in. "Hey love!" He called back, trotting over to properly greet him by throwing his arms around him and holding tightly.

"Whoa! Missed me, eh?" Volcan asked, returning Luke's embrace.

"Of course I did." Luke returned with a chuckle. "Every day we're not working together, I miss you." He added, sneaking a smooch along his neck. "How was work today, love?"

"Well, Tristan blundered a little bit today, but it worked out," he said. "Though there might be a recently fallen tree not too far into the woods from here."

"Oh dear...what did he do this time?" He asked with a chuckle, leading Volcan to the living room for him to take a seat on the sofa and kick back.

"Pretty much the same thing Drogo did when he fought Jora," replied Volcan. "Let himself get baited and then, ka-RASH! Right into a tree. Uprooted the whole thing."

Luke stifled a bit, then he suddenly burst out laughing at Tristan's folly, bending forward and clutching his gut from how hard he was laughing. "You're JOKING me!" He finally said after his laughing fit. "Oh man, that Aggron...I get that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but come on. Not even Katsu is that gullible to fall for that."

Volcan sighed and shook his head. "Yeah... Tristan's valuable to the team but if he only had a brain."

Luke calmed down a little and gently caressed his arm. "Well either way, it sounds like your mission was successful." He said before he sighed and rested his head on Volcan's shoulder. "Least your day was eventful..."

"You still sound bored," Volcan commented. "Nothing interesting on your end today?"

"Nope." Luke returned. "STILL waiting." He added, grumbling a little. "It's been almost two weeks since I asked Hank for that request. What the hell's taking him so long?"

Volcan let out a sigh. "Guess he's waiting for the right moment." He said with a shrug. "Come on; let's go for a walk. Maybe that'll clear your head."

Luke nodded. "Yea, that might help." He agreed, standing up and offering Volcan his paw. "Aw who am I kidding, anything I do with you helps." He added with a laugh.

Volcan laughed with him, taking his paw in his hand and walking with him out of the house. From there, they decided to walk toward the woods so they could enjoy the scenery and be in a much more relaxed scenario.

Unbeknownst to the two of them though, a shadow was lurking in the trees above them, a sinister grin on his face as he watched to two of them walking through the woods. He had waited patiently for this moment. Now the opportune time to strike was at hand.

As they walked through the woods, Luke looked up to his lover with a mildly concerned look. "So...you're absolutely sure you're alright with what I asked...?" He asked, still feeling he might be pulling Volcan into a situation he wouldn't like.

"I said one day I'd try to help you indulge, and I meant it. Just don't know how," Volcan returned. "We've enjoyed my kinks -it's only right we try some of yours."

"I know that. It's just...I know how you feel about what happened to me back then. I still want to do this, but i'm also concerned about your feelings about it as well." Luke answered.

Volcan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what I could say to reassure you..."

Luke stepped around in front of Volcan and gently placed both his paws on his chest. "Well...you don't have to say anything...you could just speak with your actions~" He replied, winking back at him.

Volcan smiled back and put his arms around Luke, holding him gently. "That I could," he said.

Luke grinned up at Volcan, already leaning in closer to kiss him lightly. However, something strange began to happen. He and Volcan suddenly felt light headed, and because of that, they were unable to focus on the shimmering air around them; the telltale sign of an illusion being cast around them. The light headedness felt...comfortable for some reason, as if they were suddenly extremely tired and were on the verge of falling asleep. It wouldn't be long before Luke succumbed fully to these effects and promptly fell forward onto his lover, zonking right out and quickly losing consciousness to whatever force had put him under.

"What's... going on?" Volcan asked, groggily, struggling to keep himself and Luke on their feet. Luke was unable to answer, as he was already out cold in Volcan's arms and was practically dead weight to him. The feeling intensified on Volcan, further weakening his mind and causing him further fatigue until he collapsed, falling under the spell and laying on his back with Luke on top of him.

From outside the illusions perimeter, a certain tribal Zoroark was snickering to himself as he nailed Luke and Volcan with his powers. "Hehehe...worked like a fucking charm." He muttered. "Now then...let's give the boss one hell of a messy peril." He muttered as he snapped his claw.

~~~~~

Luke awoke with a start, gasping as he abruptly came to and quickly sat up and frantically glanced all around him. The Lucario was still in a forest no doubt, but it wasn't any forest that he had encountered before in his life...the trees looked half dead and were lacking leaves, not to mention some of their roots were exposed as well. He groaned and rubbed his forehead, but then promptly pulled it back when he noticed something wet on his head. Looking at his paw, he could see a thick brown fluid dripping down his paw, and when he looked down at the area around him, he saw that the entire area was all muddy and loose.

Through whatever means, it looked like he was now sitting in a swampy area, to as to how he got there, he couldn't even begin to remember. Try as he might, he had no recollection of how he got here, or why he was sent here. Though one thing did make him jolt when he thought about it. He remembered he was with Volcan, and looking around the immediate area, he could see no sign his lover at all.

"Volcan?" He called out, rising to his feet and looking around his immediate area for any sign of him. "Love??" he called out again, louder this time, and was about to scan the area for the Blaziken with his aura sense....only to find that he couldn't! Try as he might, something was blocking his ability to sense aura.

Seeing that he'd have to try and find him the old fashioned way, he began to take a step to his left, only to stop when he felt something tugging his torso. Looking down at himself, he could see a belt around his waist, with a line of chain he recognized all too well attached to the belt.

"Great...Siphoning Chain." He grumbled, reaching down at the belt and trying to tear it off with his strength alone, so that he could have access to his powers again. Though try as he might, the chain held firm to the belt with no visible signs of coming off anytime soon.

A thought then entered his mind. "Wait..." He muttered to himself. "This chain must lead somewhere..." He said softly, then he took the chain in his paws again and tugged at it until it went taught. To his surprise, the chain went taught quickly, and when he looked in the direction the chain came from, he immediately saw the sight of his Blaziken laying half hidden in some tall grass a few paces away from him. Feeling a wave of relief wash over him, he quickly trotted to Volcan and knelt at his side, gently lifting him up in his arms and lightly slapping his cheek. "Volcan. Hey wake up!" He said firmly to him in an attempt to rouse him from his slumber.

"Huh? What?" Volcan asked as he was roused, looking around. "Hey, what's going on? Where are we?"

"I don't know..." Luke answered back. "I'm just as confused as you love...one moment we were alone together, then...everything just went black, and I woke up with a belt and a link of siphoning chain around it..." He explained, holding up the chain that seemed to link Volcan and Luke together.

"Whoever did this to us is in for a world of pain when we get this off," Volcan said in a low growl.

"I hear you love...though right now, we need to focus on A. Finding a way out of this swamp, and B. Finding some way to get these belts off our waists." He returned, standing tall and helping Volcan to his feet, brushing off some of the mud on his back. As he wiped it off his body, he then felt something along the side of the belt. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was yet another length of Siphoning Chain attached to the belt. "...Hey what the." He muttered as he walked around Volcan and tugged at the chain. "There's another link here." He said, tugging it until it was taught.

"Wha? Then who else is attached to this thing?" Volcan asked, looking over his shoulder to follow the link. To both of their surprises, the line led them to not one, but THREE other individuals they recognized easily. A certain Samurott built like a brick wall, a Zoroark dressed in Tribal garb, and a Sceptile wearing armbands on his upper arms that bore the insignia of Team Kama. All three of them were laying unconscious, and all of them had belts with lengths of Siphoning Chain attached to them, linking them all together like a chain gang.

"Katsu?!" Luke cried out. "Hank! Sickle!!" He said as he quickly ran over to their sides and began to try and rouse them.

"Ugh..." Sickle was the first to move. "Anybody get the name of that Tyrantrum that stepped on me?" He asked rhetorically as he tried to open his eyes.

"Oooff...seconded.." Hank spoke up, rubbing his forehead and slowly opening his eyes. "Feels like I was put through a garbage press..."

Katsu was the last to rise, groaning deeply as he rolled to his side before pushing himself up on his forearms. He shook his head a little to gain his bearings and groggily opened his eyes to see he was in unfamiliar territory. "...What in the...?" He muttered. "What sorcery is this? This isn't my lakeside abode!"

"We're just as confused as you, pal," Volcan called out to him.

Once they were all back on their feet and fully awake, Luke explained to them what happened and how they ended up here, or rather, how they didn't remember how they ended up here. Hank piped up first after Luke finished speaking. "Yea I had the same thing happen to me. Lizard Boy here and I were just enjoying the day together and all of a sudden...BOOM. Lights out." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Last I remember was I was taking a late afternoon swim in my lake as I waited for Serena to arrive. We were about to undergo yet another date together." the large Samurott added. "Instead I find myself all soaked in this muck and bound by Siphoning Chain in the middle of nowhere....Whoever is responsible for this transgression shall feel the fury of my blades!" He announced loudly.

"And that goes double for me!" Volcan added.

"Katsu, Volcan. Focus." Luke instructed them firmly. "Save your revenge speeches for when we find the culprit. Right now, our biggest priority is to find a way out of this swamp and get these chains off us, so we can have access to our abilities again." Luke stated.

"Well that's all well and good, but where do we fuckin start?" Hank asked. "There's nothin but dead trees and cloudy skies man. We're in a land we don't even know is on the fuckin map."

"Maybe so, but Volcan and I have been in this situation before when we were teleported to the Western Continent. Let's see if we can find a path to follow, then go from there." Luke instructed.

"Luke's right; we need to keep our heads," Sickle agreed. "Freaking out now gets us nowhere."

"Aye." Katsu agreed with a firm nod. "Let us find a safe path out of this decrepit forest."

"Yea what he said." Hank agreed.

"Alright..." Luke returned with nod once everyone was in agreement. "We'll have to be extra careful since we don't have our powers. That said, since we're all chained up, we won't lose one another as we travel." He looked to Volcan. "You take point, I'll watch your back. Everyone else stay behind us, stay close and keep your senses sharp." He instructed. "We don't know what awaits us in this swamp."

"And watch your footing; the ground here looks slick," Volcan added as he searched for a safe path to walk on.

True to his word, the ground was indeed very slick and loose. One misstep would cause them to slip and fall flat on their faces or backsides. Thankfully to pokemon like Sickle and Volcan, who had clawed feet, keeping their balance was easier for them to accomplish, but for Luke, Katsu and Hank, they had to be extremely careful as to where they stepped or risk falling and taking everyone else with them.

Their trek would have them traversing deeper into the dead forest, the air filled with sounds they didn't recognize, nor feel comfortable hearing. As if the fauna in this realm weren't even pokemon in the first place. On and on they trekked, Once or twice having to wade through small pools of swamp water, but fortune would soon smile upon them for their troubles as Volcan saw a path ahead of them. A crudely put together path, lined with uneven rocks and sticks, but it was a path nonetheless.

"Alright, this looks like something. Let's go," he urged, leading the others on.

"Which way though?" Hank asked. "Damn thing goes both ways. What's to say the way we choose is the right way?"

Luke glanced up to Volcan with a small smirk. "Well, when in doubt..." He said, prompting Volcan to continue his sentence.

"Turn left," Volcan finished, chuckling.

Hank and Katsu looked at them rather oddly for a moment, unsure if that was really something to practically go by. Nevertheless they shook the thought out of their minds and Katsu spoke up. "Then left is where we shall head." He returned. "Let us proceed."

They fell into their line again, Volcan taking the lead with Luke right behind him, followed by Sickle, Hank and Katsu bringing up the rear. The path was very uneven, but at the very least it was stable ground for them to traverse. Should any of them misstep, they'd be able to catch themselves before they fell.

The path they went on soon started to look more and more unsafe as they continued. They were now along a shallow incline to their left, and tree roots were tangled up along the stones of the path.

"Starting to look more like we should have gone the other way..." Luke muttered as they carefully stepped over the roots that threatened to trip them if they weren't careful.

"Should we turn back?" Volcan asked.

"Well we've come this far already...that and if we try to turn around, we'll have to do so in a way that doesn't tangle us up." Luke replied, then looked back to Sickle and weakly chuckle. "If it weren't for these chains, I imagine you'd be able to clear these roots no problem, eh?"

"Without a sweat," replied Sickle. "I could carve us through here easily."

"Well, technically we still can...I mean...I have claws and the big man behind us has his swords....We could just cut our way through ourselves." Hank suggested.

Luke's ears pricked up at that notion, suddenly remembering they had a swordsman in their group. He slapped his paw to his head and rolled his eyes. "Doi, I'm an idiot." He muttered before he looked to Hank and nodded. "Good call, Hank." He complimented before he motioned for Katsu to approach them. "Swap places with Volcan and take point. The rest of us will move out of the way for you."

"Aye." Katsu returned, slowly making his way over to the front of the group so he could help clear the way for them. As he walked though, his ear flicked as if he heard something coming from their right, turning his head to see what the source of the noise was.

What happened next was a shock to all of them. They were suddenly being swarmed by bats that had shot out of a nearby cave, screeching as if something had spooked them from within its dark confines. They all had to shield themselves from the bats as they screeched and practically flew through the group. Katsu especially was surprised by the bats to the point where he took a step back and stumbled over one of the roots behind him and cried out in surprise as he teetered back over the edge of the slope, tumbling down the slope and landing at the bottom of the incline with a thick, wet plop. The others were dragged off of their feet as a result of Katsu's folly, landing on their sides and dragged to the edge of the incline, getting covered in mud and sticks, but still on the higher ground at least.

"Well that could've gone better," Volcan commented when the bats were finally gone. "Wonder what spooked all those Zubat?"

"Well if I were a gamblin man, I'd say some weird sound from within the cave close to their location would do the trick. Zubat are pretty easily spooked by that kinda shit." Hank commented.

"Katsu, you okay?" Sickle called.

"Aye!" He called back. "Just a bit bruised, but fine nonetheless." He returned.

"Can you get back up here?" Luke called down to him.

"If I use my blades, then perhaps so." The Samurott replied as he went to lift his arm up to grasp one of his swords.

...Except he couldn't...

"What in the?" He asked softly, noticing that he couldn't pull his arm up to grasp at his Seamitar on the opposite arm. He looked down and noticed that half of his body was submerged in some very thick, very viscous muck, and his eyes widened in alarm when he noticed that his body was slowly being devoured by the muck. In a panicked frenzy, he suddenly began to struggle to pull his limbs free, but to no avail. He was trapped!

"I-I am stuck!!" He called out suddenly to the others. "I cannot pull myself free!!"

Hank looked over and noticed Katsu's predicament. "Oh shit! Guys, he's stuck in Quicksand!!" He exclaimed.

"He's sinking! We gotta pull him out!" Volcan said, urgently.

"Already on it man!" Hank said as he was already tugging at his chain to try and get his ally free from his dilemma. Luke was quick to follow, growling as he used every ounce of strength he had to try and free the Mighty Glacier of his team.

To their own dismay, despite them all working together, they couldn't even get Katsu to budge. He was far too heavy and still slowly sinking into the quivering pit, small thick bubbles popping around him as he sank deeper into the molasses like grip that held him firm. To top of all off, they were also slowly being dragged down the slope as a result of Katsu sinking. The Samurott was now shoulder deep and frantically looking around for some way to free himself, but he found no way to do so, and without his powers, he couldn't liquify the quicksand and make it more fluid and watery for him to escape with ease.

"Forget about me, my comrades!! Save yourselves!!" He called out to them, having to tilt his head back as the quicksand began to swallow what was left of him. "Break your chains! C-Continue on without m-mpph!!" He tried to say before the muck filled his mouth, and he slowly disappeared from view completely into the thick mass.

"No, this can't be happening!" Volcan exclaimed defiantly, pulling harder on his chain.

"Oh shit shit SHIT!!" Hank would exclaim as he was next to be dragged into the pit, dropping in from a small ledge of the pit knee deep and already being pulled toward where Katsu last was. "Fuck! Not like this man, not like this!!" He further exclaimed, defiantly struggling against the pull of the quicksand, but all that did was delay the inevitable, and he was slowly brought to his waist by the time he was at the center of the pit. "Guys! Little help here!!"

"Hang on, Hank!" Sickle called, turning back to the ground behind him and grabbing onto it with his claws, attempting to anchor himself and the others while Luke and Volcan kept pulling.

"Damnit how thick IS this stuff??" Luke growled as he and Volcan kept trying to pull the Zoroark and the submerged Samurott free. He was NOT about to lose his comrades to this patch of bog. He looked to his left and noticed a root he could grasp onto, reaching out and grabbing it with paw, hoping that would help to anchor him down as well.

Despite their efforts, Hank was still being consumed, with only his head and an arm above the surface. He looked at Sickle with a grim expression before he put on a weak smirk for him. "Well...I guess this is it, Lizard man..." He said in a regretful tone, a small tear running down his cheek.

"No! Come on Hank, keep trying! We can pull you out!" Sickle called back, clawing at the ground for purchase as he tried to keep them all from going under.

He shook his head slowly, tilting it back as he was further sucked down. "I'll....be thinking of ya...on the other side..." He said as he prepared to accept his fate, taking a deep breath as he slowly went under next, only his claw remained above the surface and waved a bit in a feeble attempt to grasp at something to save him from his demise, but soon his claw went under, leaving only a mass of bubbles in his place. Now both members of Luke's team had sunk...Only Sickle, Volcan and himself remained and they were still being pulled toward the pit ever so slowly.

"D-Damnit, No!" Luke whimpered, clenching his eyes shut as the reality set in for him.

"This can't be how it ends!" Volcan growled defiantly.

No sooner did he say that, Luke's branch began to crack, then snapped entirely, causing him to yelp in surprise as he barrelled right into Sickle, causing him to lose his grip and have them both splash into the quicksand at the same time!

"Damnit!" Luke exclaimed in horror. "S-Sickle I'm sorry!"

"Not your fault," Sickle assured him. "Come on; climb out, before you sink too deep!" The Sceptile urged him, trying to get him back to the shore where Volcan was still trying to pull them back out.

"I'm trying!" Luke cried out in return, trying to move his arms and legs to escape the quicksand with Sickle and get back to solid ground. Alas, the muck wasn't making it easy for them. It clung to them like super glue, and every movement only served to tire them out faster and draw them closer toward where Hank and Katsu met their ends. Luke looked back in fright as he found himself being pulled to the center, then looked back to Volcan, desperately lifting a paw up to try and reach out to him, despite being out of reach.

"Luke!" Volcan called, the horrors from the West Continent replaying in his mind as he once more saw his lover being dragged to his doom as before, desperately still trying to pull him out even as the Blaziken's feet reached the ledge. In another second, he'd be dragged in as well.

"Well crap..." Sickle said painfully as the bog had now risen up his neck to below his chin. "So this is how it ends, huh? Not exactly the heroic end I envisioned..." He said as he eyed Luke sadly. "Was fun... meeting you, handsome..." were his last words before he too was pulled beneath.

"SICKLE!!" Luke cried out as he watched his friend sink under as well, tears freely rolling down his cheeks as images flashed through his mind of how they met, how they became close friends, and especially the night where he helped him open his heart back up and helped him find love once more. He was soon brought out of his trance when he noticed his chest spike was being consumed. Soon he would follow Sickle and the others into the quicksand, joining them in their their mucky tomb.

"V-Volcan...!" Luke cried out to his lover as he elevated his gaze to look back at him. "T-Try to break your chain! Save yourself!" He stated desperately.

"I can't..." Volcan returned, tears forming in his eyes. "Even if I could break it, I'm not leaving you all here. Either all of us leave or none of us do..."

His feet slid over the edge, and into the quicksand he fell, sinking almost immediately up to his knees and losing his balance to fall onto his backside, which of course only sank him deeper.

"Gah... this sucks on so many levels," he growled, squirming instinctively to try and get free.

"Please love, there's still a chance for you!" Luke pleaded desperately. "Pull yourself free!" He added, the quicksand now resting at his shoulders, grimacing as thick bubbles popped and splashed his face.

"Doesn't this scenario seem familiar?" Volcan asked defeatedly as he sank deeper. "How I was spouting this same thing to you out west, and you refused to abandon me?"

Luke froze for a moment, remembering back to the west continent where they were in a similar situation, when they both were caught in the dry sinkhole and Luke refused to abandon Volcan despite their impending doom. He grimaced slightly and flattened his ears as he stifled a sob. "...I-I remember..." Luke admitted softly. "I guess...I'd be a hypocrite to ask the same of you...." He said defeatedly, only his head from the neck up was visible with one paw above the surface.

Volcan pushed forward, reaching out with his talon to grasp Luke's paw, and with all of his strength, pulled the Lucario up to his level, embracing him as they sank deeper. "At least in our last moments... I'll still get to hold you," he said, resting his head on Luke's shoulder as he embraced him as tightly as he had the day Luke had proposed to him.

The Lucario clung instinctively to Volcan as he was pulled forward and held, his bottom lip quivering as tears freely rolling down his cheeks as they soon approached chest depth, thanks to the Blaziken pulling him more to his level when he grabbed him. "...I'm so sorry, my love..." He whimpered, nuzzling his cheek softly.

Volcan shushed him gently. "I love you," he said in a final whisper as the mud rose to their chins.

"I-I love you too..." He whimpered as he lifted his chin slightly. "...Goodbye...my husband." He said before he went in for a kiss, their last kiss together as the quicksand slowly worked their way up their heads...

Their lips met just as the sand finished consuming them...The last thing going their minds being the day they came forward with their feelings and confessed their love to one another...Deeper and deeper they sank, joining their comrades in their thick, sludgy grave, everything slowly fading into darkness as they began to drown...

*SNAP*

Luke and Volcan suddenly awoke with a start, the former gasping for air as if he had just held his breath for an eternity. He rolled off of Volcan and grasped his chest as he gulped in fresh air, then slowly began to calm down and squinted open his eyes, seeing the twilight sky above him, as the sun was now starting to set over the horizon.

He sat up, and looked around his surroundings, noticing he was back in familiar territory again. He was back in the forest where Volcan and he were taking a stroll to get his mind off of waiting for...

"...Hank's Illusion..." Luke whispered, then he started to grin a bit. "You damned, sneaky fox..."

He then looked over to Volcan, quickly crawling to his side and helping him sit up. "Hey, you alright?"

"I am so very confused," Volcan remarked, a cross-eyed expression on his face. "What the fuck just happened?"

"Yoooohooo!" Came a familiar voice, prompting them both to look up and see Hank reclining against a thick tree branch high above them. "Thank you for flying Zoro Airlines. Please stow all tray tables away and disembark at the nearest exit." He joked, grinning at the both of them from his resting spot.

Volcan looked up at Hank blankly before his gaze fell back to Luke. "...So, I guess he did it, finally." Shaking off his earlier confusion he smirked at Luke. "And, how are you feeling?

"Well...honestly?" Luke returned, smiling back at Volcan. "VERY relaxed...and quite relieved too."

"In more ways than one!" Hank called down, pointing to Luke, which made him look down between his legs and noticed a rather sticky mess between them, making him blush in embarrassment.

"I guess so." Luke said sheepishly, then glanced back to his lover. "And what about you?"

"Well..." Volcan blinked. "I really don't know what to feel. I thought we were goners and it turns out to all be fake. I mean," he looked up at Hank. "I knew he was going to do it, but not when. So... for a moment I thought it was real." He patted his chest. "Heart still thinks so; it's going a mile a minute."

Suddenly a pair of green claws appeared over his eyes. "Guess who?"

"AH!" Volcan jumped so violently he launched himself off of the ground, nearly striking the very tree limb upon which Hank rested, before falling back to earth once again. Getting over the initial shock, he whipped around, looking at the Sceptile behind him. "Wait... you were actually here?!" He asked.

"Of course I was," Sickle returned, grinning smugly. "Think I'd miss out on a chance to see what gives Luke 'wet' dreams?" He gestured to the Lucario.

Luke blushed heavily at his claim, instinctively closing his legs and smiling sheepishly. "W-Well...now you know." Luke replied. "I'm sorry if it was so weird for you, Sickle."

"You forget I'm into some 'weird' stuff myself," reminded Sickle. "Nothing fazes me."

"More power to you then, my friend.." Came another deeper voice, causing Luke to turn around and see Katsu behind him, standing on all fours and scratching his whiskers a little.

"Wait, you were there too??" Luke asked. "But...I thought....when did you...?"

The Samurott chuckled heartily at Luke's reaction. "My dear friend and Captain...It was Hank that came to me about helping you relieve some tension you were experiencing, and that he asked Sickle to assist in doing so as well." He explained, then he shot Hank a bit of a dirty look. "Although I was not expecting to end up drowning in a patch of quicksand...something he failed to inform me about..."

Hank whistled innocently, rolling his eyes back a bit and idly swinging his leg back and forth. Katsu grumbled a little, but continued. "Well regardless...I am glad that I now know you are relieved of your tension. Should thou ever require my assistance again, I will gladly help you once again."

"...I didn't think you were into that kinda stuff, Katsu." Luke pointed out.

"I am not, but as your guardian, I will willingly put aside my concerns to assist you again. 'Tis what I promised you when I first joined Team Valiant." He answered.

"If my mind gets blown any further, I think my head is going to go blastoff," Volcan remarked, putting one talon to his head. "Until Sickle jumped me, I thought you both were just part of the illusion..."

"That's how fucking good I am at what I do, birdbrain!" Hank called down with a snicker, then let himself fall off the branch and landed gracefully on all fours before standing tall again, jabbing a claw at himself confidently. "They don't call me the Trickster just cause it sounds cute."

"Well you certainly took your time..." Luke retorted. "Seriously, I knew you needed time, but TWO weeks??"

"Hey, it was an intricate Illusion. I needed the time to properly play out the scenario in my head until I was able to get it down pat." He said with a shrug.

"I guess that makes sense," remarked Volcan, shrugging.

Luke pushed himself to his feet and sighed softly, looking at the three that were part of the illusion and smiling warmly at them all. "Well in any case, thank you all..." He said, scratching the back of his head a little. "Perhaps maybe we can do this again sometime."

"Eh, I'm down to do another, but it'll take time~" Hank returned teasingly. "Gotta make each scenario unique and all....unless anyone wants to pitch in and offer THEIR ideas." He openly offered.

"Well, I know something else these two are into," Sickle remarked, looking at Luke and Volcan deviously, causing both of them to blush with embarrassment.

"Oh yea? Lay it on me, lizard boy." He returned. "We just explored my boss' kinks, might as well form a que and spill the beans." He said, then snickered playfully. "Man I could make a killing turning this into a business..."

"M-M-Maybe another time," Volcan stammered. Though Sickle did know what he was into, he didn't want word of it getting out to everyone yet...

But Sickle wasn't letting up. "Yanno those vines of mine I sprout with frenzy plant?" Sickle asked, making Volcan go beet red. "Well, Volcan especially gets of-MPH!" He was cut off as Volcan shot towards him like a lightning bolt and clapped a talon over his mouth.

"PUTACORKINIT!!!" He babbled hastily.

Luke, Katsu and Hank all laughed hysterically at Volcan's attempt to shut Sickle up, but by now it was too late. Hank had heard enough to know what Volcan liked. "Alright, alright, I can dig that. What about you, Brawn for Brains?" He asked looking to Katsu.

It was the Samurott's turn to blush in embarrassment as he was asked what his dirty little secret was, making him turn his head away slightly and grimace a bit. "E-Erm..." He said softly, struggling to find the right words to say.

"...Wow...I've never seen you so flustered before." Luke teased. "Must be pretty naughty if it has you this speechless."

"L-Luke please!" Katsu bade him, then he cleared his throat and let out a sigh. "Well...If I had to choose...I suppose my deepest secret that I....get off on, for lack of a better term...would be rough intercourse..." He admitted. "As in...my partner being insistently rough with me...to the point of wounding me."

Hank's cocky demeanour dropped almost instantly when he heard that, staring at the Samurott wordlessly before he spoke. "...Wait...you're a masochist?" He asked suddenly, then he started bursting out laughing and clutched his chest as he laughed. "DUDE!! C'mon, that's fucking TAME compared to what these guys are into!!" Hank blurted out. "I mean...you're into pain! These guys like playing with their LIVES! That takes balls!"

"You are in the way wrong partnership to indulge in that," Volcan remarked, imagining Katsu and Serena together, but unable to depict the Vaporeon doing anything remotely resembling 'rough'.

"I am aware...but I love Serena the way she is. I would never ask her to change just because one thing I am into. As long as she is happy, that is enough for me." Katsu returned.

"Well then, if masochism is what you want, I could squeeze that in too." Hank returned. "So let's see....We got Vines, Masochism, Quicksand...What about you, Lizard boy? You never mentioned yours...or is it the same as birdbrain there?"

"More, I like to be the one to do it," replied Sickle. "While I go over the many different ways I can wrap someone up in vines growing off my back... yeah, that turns me on." He shrugged. "Dunno if there's a word for that -not sure 'bondage' fits."

"And what about you, Hank?" Volcan asked. "The rest of us are spillin' our guts. Your turn."

Hank grinned. "Well, unlike you, Chicken legs, I ain't ashamed in what I like."

"I-I'm not ashamed!" Volcan protested, crossing his arms and averting his gaze. "I just have a submissive side... And extreme one."

He laughed at that. "Whatever you say, pal. Never really took you for a subby lil' bitch-" He paused when he saw Luke shoot him a warning glare for his remark, making Hank backtrack a bit. "But hey! Who am I to judge, right?" He added, laughing nervously before he put his claw to his cheek.. "Jeez though, where to begin...there's so many that I like...." He said with a chuckle, then clapped his claws together. "Aight. I got it. My biggest secret iiiiiiisss..."

He paused for dramatic effect before he continued. "...Getting the life choked outta me SO fucking hard, it like my head's about ta pop off. Oohhh....makes me shiver just thinkin about all the times ol Gexie does that to me...Truly an Apex predator he is." He said with a grin.

"...So you're into asphyxiation," Volcan stated, clearly having expected something else with the way Hank had made it seem so dramatic.

"Yup! That and so many other things. That was just ONE of the things I'm into." He added. "Wanna know more? Pay up pal. I take anything embarrassing to admit or other sexy kinks as payment."

"...And I thought you were trying to change everyone's image on Zoroarks, Hank." Katsu stated in mild jest.

"Hey, if you're good at something, never do it for free." Hank replied.

"Well, perhaps another time we can indulge in everyone's secrets with Hank's help. For now..." Luke strode toward Volcan and gently wrapped his arm around his waist. "What say we get cleaned up and enjoy a hearty meal together...?"

"Sounds good to me," agreed Volcan, nodding to Luke.

"Mind if I bum in for some grub?" Hank asked. "I think I deserve a little sumthin fer makin yer wildest dreams come true." He added with a grin.

"Hmmmmm...." Luke hummed in thought, then he shrugged. "Ah well the hell...I've been wanting to flex my culinary muscles for a while now." He admitted. "Sure, you can have some too. In fact, might as well invite you all to dinner." He added.

Katsu smiled. "That sounds like a splendid idea...so long as Volcan is content with it."

"I'm fine with it, of course," returned Volcan, smiling and nodding.

"Then let us all feast on Luke's Legendary culinary masterpieces!" Katsu exclaimed.

The Lucario chuckled and blushed a bit. "They're not THAT legendary..." He said, then nodded and began to walk to his and Volcan's house. "Well come on then. Dinner's not going to cook itself." He bade them as he led the group to his house, wearing the most content smile on his face as he thought of delicacies to make for his friends and his beloved.