FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The heat upon Luke's face was searing, burning the tip of his nose and heating his entire body through to his core as he finally awoke, making him feel as though he were sitting within an oven as he regained his senses. He opened his eyes, only for them to be stung by the bright sunlight directly above him, forcing them closed again as draped his arm over his face to shield his eyes from the light.

His vision was slow to come into focus, but he knew he was looking at the sky. A blue, cloudless expanse, spreading infinitely in all directions as though he were floating in midair. As though to further prove this, his eyes rolled about, but he could see nothing around him whatsoever.

Was he dead?

That thought was short-lived, leaving his mind as he tried to move, and it was then the aches registered. What ached? What didn't ache? His entire body felt sore and every movement took more effort than it should have, reminiscent of a hard day's work without rest, only to wake up the following morning with his limbs feeling like iron. He could feel pain in muscles he didn't even know he had, causing him to curl into a fetal position, groaning.

"Well, at least I know I'm not dead," he grunted,

Despite the aches, the Lucario still forced himself to sit up, leaning back on his right paw while rubbing his face with his left. Another long groan followed as he became more conscious and his mind became less hazy, and when he lowered his paw, his vision had finally come into focus, and he saw what seemed to be an ocean of sand ahead of him.

Heat... sand... he was in a desert? He shook his head to clear it, finally reaching full consciousness. Why was he in a desert? How did he get here? These questions and more raced through his mind until he slowed them down enough to think clearly, thinking back to the last thing he remembered. He recalled... a battle. With the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo, carried into the air by the mighty Psychic-type Pokémon's power and feeling the very life being choked out of him and his beloved Volcan...

The very second his thoughts drifted to Volcan, he jerked, ears upright. The Blaziken had been with him in the battle, but where was he? "Volcan?" He called out, grunting as he forced himself to his feet and continued his search, calling again -louder. "Volcan?!"

No response. He started to walk to continue calling, but barely ventured two steps before he felt his footpaw fail to land on solid ground. He looked forward and found himself staring down a great drop. Crying out in panic, he brought his foot back to the ledge, flapping his arms for purchase as he tried to go back, but gravity was in control now, and he was a second from plummeting to his death. Thinking fast, he thrust his paws forward, releasing a pulse of aura and letting the force of it knock him backward, landing on his backside heavily, but safely back upon solid ground.

He sat there, wide-eyed for a moment, staring at the ledge he had nearly walked off. "That... was too close," he said, releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as he let the shock pass. Taking a second look at his surroundings, he realized he was not on level ground at all but in fact resting atop a stone pillar -a butte, or mesa perhaps. And over his shoulder he could see many more of them -an entire range stretching on for miles ahead.

Slowly, he crawled back over to the ledge, laying prone as he peered over the side to gauge the distance to the ground below. His breath caught as he peered down, seeing at least a fifty foot distance from where he sat and the sandy desert floor -there were a few ledges down the side of the mesa, but none wide enough for him to land on without dropping to his end, and there was still no sign of Volcan anywhere.

He felt panic starting to swell within him. Here he was, trapped and alone atop a fifty foot stone spire, and his beloved Blaziken was missing. Was he even still alive, or had Mewtwo for some reason only spared Luke and...?

No! He slapped himself, forcing himself to calm down and remove such thoughts from his mind. "Think, Luke. If I wound up here, he must be close by. I just need to find him!" He said to himself, sitting down in a cross-legged position as he shut his eyes, folding his paws across his lap and slipping into his Aura Sense, widening the radius of his search as he sought some clue to where his newly beloved may be.

Much of the land around him was barren and devoid of life -even vegetation was scarce, with little to no aura to detect in his vicinity. He widened his range further, searching carefully.... There! An aura, not far away coming from his left. Opening his eyes again, he peered in its direction, crawling as close to the ledge as he dared to look for its source, squinting his eyes as he tried to see through the shimmering heatwaves to the nearby column of stone.

There he was. Luke recognized the outline of his beloved Blaziken leaned up against the wall of the mesa on a ledge, halfway to its crown. He wasn't moving, but he was alive -his aura was strong still.

"Thank Arceus." He whispered to himself, touching his chest and sighing in relief. Though now that he had found him, the question as to how he would reach him arose. The butte was too tall for him to jump or scale by himself, especially considering the condition he was in. With no other option left, he took in a deep breath, cupped his paws around his mouth and hollered the Blaziken's name as loud as he could.

His voice echoed across the buttes. He had called out so loud he was sure that any living thing within a kilometer had heard him -if there were indeed any living things nearby besides himself and Volcan. At the sound of Luke's voice the Blaziken stirred, hearing him through the fog in his mind and beginning to regain consciousness. With another call from Luke, the Blaziken's head lifted, one hand rising to rest against his forehead. Luke thought he could see Volcan saying something, but he could not hear a word of it.

On a third call from Luke, the Blaziken became alert. He shook his head briskly and shot to his feet, his eyes darting side-to-side searching for the Lucario, until his eyes settled on the blue figure atop the mesa across from him. "Luke!" He called out, his voice barely audibly as he scrambled to his feet. "What're you doing up there?!" He called louder with his hands around his beak to amplify his voice.

"I could ask you the same thing!" The Lucario called back.

Volcan looked down, noticing the ledge he was standing on -and alarmed when he saw how close he had been to stepping over the side. Pulling his leg back, he shook his head to clear it, and peered in Luke's directions. "Wait there -I'll come to you!" He called and began to search for anything he could use to reach Luke's position.

'Does he think I have a choice?' Luke questioned with a roll of his eyes.

He watched as Volcan looked up the mesa rising over him. With a leap, the Blaziken launched himself up the side of the escarpment, reaching the top with relative ease before he turned back in Luke's direction. "Okay, stand clear!" He shouted, backing up until he was almost to the other side of the stone pillar. "Here I come!"

"Alright, just...be careful!" He called back, making sure to stand out of the way of Volcan's approximate landing zone for when he did make his leap.

With that, Volcan bound forward, reaching the ledge before making his jump, launching himself from the mesa in a single mighty leap. He soared across the gap like he had been fired out of a cannon, slowing only as he neared Luke's position and gravity began to take hold of him. He landed on the crown of the butte, stumbling to slow himself -and nearly pitching over the side before he managed to stop himself.

"Whoa shit -too far!" He yelped, flapping his arms and trying to lean backward. He felt Luke's paw seize him by his shoulder harness and pull him back, falling until his rump as he caught his breath, the Lucario kneeling beside him.

"I thought that was further," he said, tapping his fist against his chest in a vain effort to slow his heart.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked.

"I'm fine," Volcan assured, turning his head to look at Luke. "Are you okay?" He asked with equal concern.

"A few aches and pains, but otherwise I'm fine." Luke answered, gently rubbing his shoulder to reassure him. "More confused than hurt, really."

Volcan leaned over, and pulled Luke into a gentle embrace, sighing. "That's a relief," he said, before turning to look around. "So... on the subject of confusion, where the hell are we?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure." Luke answered honestly. "From the looks of things, I can safely assume we're in a desert region... but as to why, I can't say for sure."

"Or how," Volcan added, raising a talon to rub the back of his head. "The last thing I remember was we were being crushed by..." He paused mid sentence, a frightened look on his face. "Mewtwo." He finished, looking at Luke again. "What... happened?"

Luke could see from Volcan's expression that the Blaziken was just as lost as he was. He too only remembered their battle with Mewtwo following the siege of the fortress, but after the psychic-type seemed to be on the verge of ending their lives, suddenly they had wound up in this barren wasteland.

Luke frowned and lowered his gaze as he tried to piece together what had happened. "Well, as you said, we were having our lives crushed by Mewtwo..." He began. "Then the last thing I remember seeing was a bright flash of light and then everything went black...You saw the same thing, I assume?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so," replied Volcan. "I thought for sure he'd killed us, but if this is the afterlife, someone needs to fire the decorator," he remarked with a weak jest.

The Lucario couldn't help but chuckle at his attempt to make light of their situation. "Points for trying, love." He returned before his expression grew serious again, recounting the events that preceded their coming to this wasteland. The scenario replayed in his mind repeatedly as he struggled to recollect anything that might help him understand what had happened to them. The dark-skinned, corrupted form of Mewtwo, transformed into a shadow Pokemon by the dark Blaziken, his hand outstretched toward them appearing over and over in his memories.

But there was another image in his mind that stood out. Mewtwo's face, ever unchanging -ever emotionless, suddenly shifting. He had seen the Psychic-type's eyes widen, as though realizing what he had been doing, and then... darkness. Nothing else, until he had awoken under the burning sun in this desert.

"I remember now," he said. "Just before everything went blank, I saw something happen with Mewtwo. His expression seemed to change somewhat, as if he suddenly became aware of what he was doing."

Volcan turned to Luke, eyeing him quizzically. "What do you mean 'aware'?" He asked.

"It's a stretch...but I think at the last moment, he resisted that Shadow Blaziken's influence and transported us in a way that made it look like we were killed, to deceive him but in turn saved us."

Volcan pondered Luke's claim at length. To him, it didn't seem logical at first, but at the same time he had no way to dispute it -he knew even less about Mewtwo than he did about the one that had turned the Psychic-type into a Shadow Pokémon. "Well either way," he said. "We've been sent somewhere far from home."

Luke nodded softly. "Yes, and while I'm thankful we're alive and relatively in good health, the question now is..." He looked out over to the horizon. "How do we get home?"

There was a long drawn out silence between them as they both deliberated on that very question, unable to come up with any semblance of an answer. They did not even know where they were, or what part of the world -hells with the unpredictability of Mewtwo's condition and his seemingly limitless power, they couldn't even make a guess! He could have sent them to land that had not yet been discovered for all they knew...

With a sigh, Volcan turned to his boyfriend. "Well, let's just get off this rock first," he said. "We'll plan our next move from there."

The Lucario nodded. "Good idea... sitting around here won't get us anywhere." He agreed. "Let's try to find some shade as well. The heat's starting to become really uncomfortable."

"Not going to be many options," Volcan said grimly, looking up at the sky. The sun was directly overhead, and there was nary a cloud in sight. He then put up his hand, finger outstretched as if he had an idea "But, as long as we're up here, we may as well see if we can spot anything of interest."

With Luke nodding in agreement, they stood up. Volcan cupped his hands around his eyes to keep the light out of them and see as far as possible, looking for anything that stood out, while Luke reverted to his Aura Sense, reaching out as far as he could to search for signs of life -preferably intelligent life, to point them in the right direction. Though at this moment he'd settle for finding a plant, as it would also likely mean a water source nearby, and he was certain to become dehydrated in this heat.

But to the disappointment of the Lucario, there was nothing nearby. The mesas were devoid of all life, sapient or otherwise. With a defeated sigh, he joined Volcan in searching the sands for anything of note.

Then, Volcan spoke up. "Hey... see that out there?" He asked, pointing out to the open desert beyond the mesas. "Something red is flapping around out there. It looks like..." he squinted his eyes. "A flag?"

Luke followed Volcan's gaze, squinting as well in order to get a better picture of what was in the distance. "...Hey, I think you're right! That does look like a flag of sorts!" He returned, a smile forming on his face. "Talk about lucky."

"What do you suppose it means though?" Volcan asked.

"It could be some kind of mark, possibly a way of lining a safe road," Luke began, before his smile faded a little. "Or it could be a sort of warning, considering it's colour." He added, looking to Volcan. "Either way, someone had to set it up, which means there is someone living out here. I say we take it."

"Worth a shot," Volcan agreed, and then began walking around the crown of the butte, gauging the distance to the ground below and looking for a possible foothold to jump down to in order to lessen the distance of their descent. But the towering escarpment had no such ledges -it was a nearly perfect ninety-degree angle, with only a few bumps and edges -nothing he could land on safely.

"Alright," he said as he walked over to Luke and scooped him up in his arms, much to the Lucario's initial surprise. "Brace yourself," he warned as he approached the ledge. "This is going to be really jarring."

It did not take long for the Lucario to guess his lover's plan. "Wait, you're not seriously going to jump from up here, are you?" Luke asked in shock. "That's a fifty-foot drop at least! Even you can't handle that!"

"Not much choice," replied Volcan. "There's nothing else I can jump to with both of us." He glanced at Luke, giving him a reassuring glance. "Don't worry -I can take it. I just need to power up a bit."

He took a deep breath, summoning his inner strength to fill his muscles. Luke felt his arms tightening, seeing the muscles of his chest and neck visibly swell as though flexing, but they didn't recede. Bulk Up, the Lucario realized -Volcan was increasing his strength and durability. Luke was still skeptical, but like Volcan he saw no alternative available if they wanted to get down...

With his added strength, Volcan stepped over the side, bounding off the wall, and falling, with Luke clinging to him for dear life as they fell towards the sandy ground below. Luke had to force himself not to cry out in terror as the wind whipped around them, and to avoid biting off his tongue when they landed, the jolt nearly giving him whiplash. He felt Volcan shudder, the Blaziken losing his grip on the Lucario and nearly spilling him onto the sand as his legs buckled.

"Well... I didn't say it wouldn't hurt," he said, falling to his hands and knees. "Ow..."

"Well, I hope we learned something today." Luke said in a scolding tone as he gently helped Volcan to roll onto his backside into a seated position. "I don't know Heal Pulse, but I'll see if I can dampen the pain a bit."

Sinking to his knees, Luke raised his paws, summoning forth his aura to them, appearing as blue fire around his paws as he placed them upon Volcan's legs, the glow brightening as he gently rubbed along his calf muscles. Volcan watched with intrigue as Luke worked, feeling the energies flowing into his body and letting out a relaxed sigh as he felt the pain begin to ebb away, slowly but surely.

When it had reduced to little more than a prickly sensation, he looked at Luke curiously. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"I didn't learn it. I came up with it myself when I was younger, back when I was venturing with Nido." He answered. "As I said, I don't know Heal Pulse but Nido was always getting injured in fights. Needless to say, I got sick of seeing him constantly getting beaten up, so I improvised," Luke then chuckled. "Now that I know that Heal Pulse exists, I suppose I should have taken time to learn it."

"Let's make a note to ask your brother to teach you when we get home," Volcan remarked.

Luke nodded back in response. "First thing's first though -let's get to that flag and see what it's about," he said, offering Volcan his paw and hoisting the Blaziken to his feet, albeit he had to assist Volcan in keeping his balance.

Though the aches had lessened, the Blaziken was still struggling to properly use his legs. "That drop did not do my earlier aches any favours..." he muttered as Luke walked alongside him, a paw on his back reach to assist him as needed.

The blinding sunlight made it harder for them to find the flag they had spotted from atop the mesas, its incandescent glow reflecting off the surface of the sands and making them seem to shine as bright as gold. They might have missed it, if not for its silhouette rising above the sand enough that they spotted it peeking over the nearby dune, the waving red flag marking its location. Walking over the dune, they came upon a white sandstone path, and studied the two directions which it went.

"I know a road when I see one," said Volcan. "Well-travelled too, else it'd be buried under all this sand." He looked both ways, but nothing stood out to him -the desert seemed to go on forever in either direction. "Well all roads lead somewhere, but which way do we go?"

Luke took a moment to answer, hoping that he might see something but having no better luck than Volcan in that regard. With a defeated sigh, he raised a paw. "When in doubt, head left." He stated. "Standing here won't do us any favours either way."

They began walking. At first, their pace was matched, following the road northwards across the desert. Minutes felt like hours to their exhausted bodies, every lift of their legs feeling as though they were attempting to bend steel. They had not recovered from their ordeal at the fortress -they didn't know how long they had been unconscious, but it had done nothing to alleviate their exhaustion. They were tired, hungry, and most of all for Luke, thirsty. The heat did not affect Volcan as it did him -as a Fire-type the heat didn't bother a Blaziken, but Luke was no Fire-type, his dark fur and metallic growths -the spikes on his paws and chest, absorbing the heat and sapping the life from his body.

It wasn't long before he started to fall behind, every step becoming sluggish and making little progress. Volcan had moved ten paces ahead before he noticed Luke was no longer beside him. He stopped in his tracks, looking back and spotting him. "Luke?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

The Lucario shook his head in response, dragging himself until he was back at Volcan's side. He went to speak, but only a hoarse wheeze came out, and he started to topple forward as the exhaustion caught up to him. Fast as a whip, Volcan darted over to his lover and caught him before he could fall face-first into the stone pathway.

"Hey, easy," he said, softly, supporting Luke with his arms. "The fortress... We're still tired from that battle, and this heat's not doing you any favours."

"W-we can't stop...not here." Luke wheezed softly, smacking his dry lips. He would have traded an arm for a drink of water at that moment. "We need to press on..."

"And we will, but you need a rest," said Volcan firmly, moving beside Luke and scooping him up in his arms. "I can handle this heat, but you can't. So, I'll have to be strong enough for both of us."

Luke pressed as close a he could into Volcan, trying to shield himself as much as possible from the sun. "Thank you," He whispered back to him, shutting his eyes as the exhaustion claimed him, drifting away into sleep in the Blaziken's arms.

"Don't worry, Luke," Volcan whispered as he continued following the road. "I will get us... somewhere safe. I hope..." He looked about the desert, not letting the hopeless look on his face be heard in his voice as he spoke on. "These sands are not going to be our grave..."

~~~~~

It felt like hours had passed since their trek began. Luke slept through the whole trip, Volcan's will alone the only thing that kept him pressing forward, but even if he could resist the heat, his body was protesting every move he made. Every muscle ached, his eyes were heavy, and his stomach growled repeatedly with growing hunger.

They approached a bend in the road, circling around a low dune, when he heard voices. He stopped, catching his breath and listening to the rising, hoarse voices coming from around the bend ahead. A mix of jovial laughter and spouting curses caused his body to become rigid. 'Get off the road' his mind screamed at him as the voices drew closer, his fight or flight instincts kicking in.

In his present state, and with Luke in tow, he doubted he could outrun whatever was coming. Turning to the dune, he strode off the sandstone road, bounding off the path as far as he could so as not to leave footprints for them to spot. The sudden jolt of him landing from the jump roused Luke from his slumber, raised his head with a start and snapping his eyes open. "Volcan...?" He whispered to him, his voice sounding raspy and weak from dehydration as he turned to look at his lover as he laid him down in the sand, seeing the intense look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Keep your voice down," Volcan urged him as he ducked behind the dune, laying prone and clutching Luke tightly against him. "Someone's coming this way, and they don't sound friendly."

Luke still didn't quite understand the situation. If he weren't so exhausted, he could tune to his aura sense and determine for sure what Volcan was talking about. For now, he trusted Volcan's word and kept still against him, though kept his ears pricked up to listen on the approaching voices. The triumphant jeering of numerous voices sounded like it was coming around the dune, and the two of them turned and dared to look over the top.

A cluster of quadrupedal Pokemon with gray and black fur, canid in form. Mightyena -a common sight across the world, lifting on the open plains of nearly every region of the world. But never had they seen such a large pack of them in one place -they usually stayed in packs between three and ten, but there had to be at least twenty in this group. Their fur was ridden with filth and matted in places from a lack of hygiene, carrying satchels on their sides that were bulging with what they sensed were ill-gotten gains, given the demeanour of the pack.

At the lead was a _massive_Mightyena, more than twice as large as the rest, and appearing to be the roughest of the pack. He had many battle scars across his body, a turn of his head revealed he was blind in one eye, the left having turned gray, a scar resembling clawmarks running over it -a sign of the cause of his blindness. A discoloured tooth protruded from the Mightyena's muzzle, standing out against his gray fur with its dark colour.

The Blaziken and Lucario remained still and with their hands over their mouths until they were certain the pack was far enough away to not hear them speak. Both let out breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding as they freed their mouths and Volcan turned to Luke, his face blanched with shock.

"That lead Mightyena was huge!" He exclaimed. "I didn't know they could even get that big!"

"I didn't either! They're normally smaller than a Houndoom, but that one looked like he might outsize even Romulus!" Luke agreed, looking back to the south, barely able to make out the distant silhouettes of the pack. "I think they're gone now."

Volcan nodded. "I did not get a good feeling from that group -I thought it a good idea to get off the road and let 'em pass."

"Indeed. Good call." Luke complimented him with a smile. "In our present state, I fear we would not have stood a chance if they had been hostile. We should..." He trailed off as he tried to stand up, eyes rolling back as his vision darkened and body teetered. Volcan barely managed to catch him before he hit the sand.

"Still exhausted," Volcan stated.

"Y-yeah," admitted Luke, taking in a deep breath as Volcan laid him in an upright seating position, a paw resting on Volcan's shoulder for support. "Did you see a town yet?"

Volcan shook his head. "Not yet... but that road has to lead somewhere -we just need to keep following it." He tried to stand up, but fell back onto his backside again as his knees wobbled, sending up a cloud of sand as he dropped, groaning.

The fatigue had brought Volcan to his limit. His body would no longer obey his commands, every movement an effort of lifting iron weights. Rest really started to sound good to him, but they couldn't do so here. They were too exposed to the elements, and if another band like those Mightyena discovered them, they'd be in even more trouble.

A sense of hopelessness rose up from within Luke, turning his gaze to the sky and cursing the incandescent star that cast its cruelty upon them. He hadn't the will to stop it, not when his mind was so foggy and longing for rest. "...I don't know what to do." He said in almost a whimper.

Volcan looked over at him, seeing the look of hopelessness on his face. That sight alone chilled the Blaziken to his core -until this point, he'd only seen that face once, and that was against Mewtwo at the Fortress. But before that, Luke had always stood strong. Against the Gyarados that had chased Volcan to Azure, their battles at Torolf's tournament, especially facing Team Phobia and the brainwashed Team Warmachine. Not even the sight of a Shadow Blaziken had brought such a hopeless look to Luke's face, and it twisted Volcan's heart to see it now. Luke's unyielding determination was one of the things he admired about the Lucario and he could not stand to see it lost, now of all times when they needed it most.

Weakly, he reached over, his talon closing around the top of Luke's paw, the paw-spike wedged between his fingers as he held it. "Hey," he said harshly to get Luke's attention. "Now's not the time for giving up, alright?" He asked with firmness in his tone as he stared into Luke's eyes, showing that even with his body on the verge of breaking, his spirit was as strong as ever, defying his fatigue to push himself forward despite the screaming protest of his limbs as he rose, bringing Luke up with him. "We will get through this."

Luke held his gaze on Volcan's for what seemed like a long time. Slowly, Volcan's determined gaze started to bring life back into his own, and he nodded back to him, grasping his hand in his paw as tight as he could. "Yes, you're right." He returned softly, putting on a small smile. "We'll find a way out of this mess somehow."

"Damn straight," he returned, nodding to Luke before taking back his hand and putting it around Luke's shoulder, beginning to guide them back to the road when his knees buckled again. This time it was Luke's turn to catch him, planting his feet in defiance of his own exhaustion to stop his lover from unintentionally burying his face in the sand.

"I got you." Luke returned, slowly pulling him back upright when he was steady once more. He then slid his paw down his arm until he was holding his talon firmly, nodding to him with that determined look Volcan remembered. "Let's go... just a bit further."

"Okay," Volcan returned without argument. "I'll try... not to slow us down," he added with a shortness of breath.

Luke moved to Volcan's side, letting the Blaziken lean on him for support as they began walking again, returning to the road and continuing their trek to the north with strength born only of their will to survive...

It was dusk when finally Volcan and Luke stopped, certain they could go no further for that day. They had come to the scene of what could only be an attack; a vandalized wagon lay on the side of the road, it contents pilfered -crates, smashed open and robbed of what goods they may have contained. Both of the wagon's left from wheels were missing -likely included among the pieces littering the road, and caught in the edge of one of the splintered pieces of wood was a tuft of gray and black fur.

Luke reached down to extract the fur from the wood, studying it closely and smelling it. Unclean and faintly smelling of blood and beer, his nose twisting with disgust. "Between this, and those pawprints, I would say we found where that pack of Mightyena was doing out here," he said, dropping the tuft. "This had to have been their work."

Volcan gave a nod, having come to a similar conclusion as he picked through what few items had not been pilfered from the wagon. "Molds, polish, spools of thread," he muttered, picking up the partly unrolled spool and studying it, noticing the thick cord entwined about it -not the kind used for knitting. More the kind one might find on a necklace or amulet. "If I had to guess, I'd say these folks were jewellery makers," he said, showing Luke one of the molds.

"A tempting target for banditry," Luke agreed, taking the clay mold in his paws, studying it for a moment and scratching at a trace of gold stuck to its side absently before he grunted with frustration, casting it aside to drop into the stand. "Damnit all... If only we could have been here."

"In our condition, Luke? Those Mightyena would have torn us apart," Volcan said plainly.

As much as it bothered Luke, he knew the Blaziken was right, and conceded the point.

As Volcan searched more of the wreckage, he spotted a canteen lying by the upturned cart, wedged between the broken wheels and the frame. Thinking he might have found some water for Luke, he seized it, but found it empty upon shaking it. "Damn it!" He cursed before throwing the empty canteen away, scouring the wreck for another. "Come on, throw us a bone here!"

He dropped beside the wagon, reaching beneath the wreck hoping to find a second canteen, when his nails touched something hard in the sand as he felt underneath it. The sound it made did not remind him of a rock, and so he felt around for it again before his pointed nails tapped against something hard, not as smooth as the eroded stones around them. He closed his fingers around it, pulling it free and turning his palm over to look at it.

Luke heard him let out a breath, and moved over to see what he found, his eyes catching the glint of blue held between his fingers. When it registered just what his lover was holding, his mouth fell agape at the size of the shiny blue stone he held. "That is quite a big sapphire!" He exclaimed, kneeling and staring at the stone to marvel at its beauty. "That looks like it could be worth a lot."

"Definitely. It's cut perfectly," he said. "Whoever did the gem cutting for this caravan, they were good at their job." He remarked, staring at the sapphire for a moment before closing his hand around it. "I hate to do it... but we're going to need this."

Luke looked back to Volcan with some surprise. "Wait, Volcan -that doesn't belong to us," he stated. "We can't reduce ourselves to looting!"

"I don't like it either," said Volcan, looking at Luke with a somber expression. "But we need money if we're going to get food or shelter when we find a town, and I don't know about you but all of my Poks are back on my boat."

Absently, Luke touched his side, where a belt would have carried his coinpurse -usually worn when he was out shopping, only to find to his chagrin that it was not there. He let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head as he considered what Volcan had said, eventually letting out a groan as he spoke. "Alright, fine... but just this one time only." He said firmly.

"I wasn't planning on making a habit of it," returned Volcan with a reassuring nod, tucking the sapphire into a small pocket on his shoulder harness. "I think we could rest here. This wagon's not ideal, but its canvas top is intact -could give us some shelter."

"I was just thinking that." Luke returned, looking up at the caravan thoughtfully. He then shivered and started to rub his own arms. "Woof... is it just me or is it getting colder?"

Volcan looked over at him, studying the fur on his body and noting that it was standing on end in reaction to the cold. He remained motionless, letting the change in temperature register with himself as well. "I don't think it's just you," he acknowledged. "From blazing heat to an autumn chill -what the hell is with this place?"

"We need to find some way to keep us warm while we sleep," he said, looking around.

Volcan moved back over to the caravan, noting the canvas top. In theory, they could use it for a blanket, but it was a thin material mainly intended to provide shade -not imperative to them at that moment. Still, it was all they had. With a heave, he ripped the canvas top down, throwing it over himself and ushering Luke over to him. "We'll share body heat."

"Good idea." Luke returned, nodding as he walked over, letting Volcan guide him into the cart and laying down with him, putting part of the canvas between them and the wooden floor as they lay down in the lop-sided wagon.

Volcan lay against the side, letting Luke lay on top of him as he put the canvas blanket over them, wrapping his arms around Luke and holding him tightly. "Not my choice of hotel," he remarked in jest. "Mattress is a bit hard... but with how tired I feel, I think I could sleep on the back of a Rhyhorn."

Luke let out a laugh. "No, you wouldn't." Luke replied with a playful little bop to his beak. "You'd still complain about how jagged it would be." He added, then he closed his eyes and yawned loudly as the fatigue caught up to him again.

"Maybe I would," Volcan returned, tucking an arm beneath his head to use as a pillow. "We may never know..." He trailed off as his eyes slowly shut, giving in to his fatigue and falling asleep in minutes, with Luke not far behind, pressing against his lover to share in his warmth.

~~~~~

Neither of the two slept particularly well on the hard, wooden floor of the lopsided cart. The Blaziken shared as much as his warmth with Luke as he could as they rested, and when they awoke the next morning, they were still tired and feeling rather sore from the uncomfortable bedding. Still, they felt some strength had returned to their bodies, and so their journey continued.

The left the wrecked caravan behind, hunger and weariness haunting their every step. Luke's mouth was dry as a bone, every word coming out in a rasp when he spoke and his breathing becoming ragged. The severity of his dehydration was becoming more apparent as his head started to pound and his muscles in his legs started to cramp, nearly sending him falling onto his face. But Volcan caught him, and once more carried the Lucario on his back.

Volcan was weak, but better off than Luke. He did not need as much water to survive as a non-fire type would, and the heat of the sun affected him less. But he needed food and proper rest as much as any other Pokémon did, and he had not had it in what felt like days. But he pressed on, for both his sake and that of Luke's.

Finally, his eyes found a change in the landscape. He could make out the faint silhouette of buildings on the horizon, and when it registered to his tired mind, his relief brought new strength into him. "Luke, look!" He said to the half-conscious Lucario resting his head on his shoulder. "Up ahead! I think it's a town!"

Luke lifted his head up from looking at the path before him, his gaze lighting up when he saw the silhouette of the buildings ahead. "It is a town!" He exclaimed, his voice rasping, but he bore a smile of relief upon his face. "Finally, some reprieve from this unforgiving wasteland!"

"Time to get you hydrated and fed," the Blaziken stated as he broke into a half-run towards the settlement.

With vigour powering his steps, Volcan crossed the distance in minutes, though they found the place was not quite at the level of 'town' -it could barely qualify as a hamlet. There were only three buildings, each seemingly designed with a focus on durability rather than decoration in mind -they were strongly built, but rugged and with few features. Any paint that might have once given colour to the weathered wooden exteriors had faded away. A short fence sat to the left of the road, with a row of wooden troughs placed before them for pack-bearing Pokémon, though there was no water to be found in them.

Volcan looked down at the street as he walked into the settlement, noting the sand that had accumulated over the stone. Wind had worn the sand in many places into mounds, but the footprints were few -almost absent. He began to fear the town might've been deserted, until he wandered over to the building, marked General Store by sign above its front door, and the 'open' sign hanging from a nail on said door. Peering through the window, he spotted a Kecleon at the counter, looking bored.

Volcan gently set Luke down on the bench resting adjacent to the door. "You rest here for a moment -I'm going to see if I can sell that stone we found," he said gently to the Lucario.

He gave a small nod in return. "Hopefully it'll be worth enough for a decent serving of food and water." The Lucario rasped, closing his eyes and letting himself relax against the bench, still trying to conserve as much energy as he could until they had a chance to fuel up later.

Volcan stepped into the shop, and through the door, Luke could hear him conversing with the proprietor within. The haggling began almost immediately after Volcan produced the sapphire, showing it to the shopkeeper. The Kecleon was practically gawking at the sight of the precious stone, and immediately made an offer of a hundred Poks. Luke could only imagine his lover giving the Kecleon a glare that could've melted steel when he heard the merchant shakily adding another fifty to that offer.

In the end, Volcan received a hundred and eighty Poks for the stone. He accepted it, and so Volcan began to use the Poks to pick out supplies, buying two large canteens for water, and some rations for the road -though the merchant had little to offer in either. His mood changed abruptly though as Volcan spoke his next question, and the Blaziken came running out the door with the Kecleon shouting after him.

"I deal in goods, not small-talk! Go talk to that brat in the tavern if you want information!" He yelled as Volcan shut the door and stepped out of sight.

"What crawled up his tail and died?" Volcan asked sourly, shaking his head.

Luke peeked an eye open after Volcan exited the store, opening his mouth to say something in response to his question. Though when he saw the canteens, he couldn't help but start panting again as he was once again reminded of his thirst, and slowly he pushed himself off the bench he sat on. "N-Never mind that. Let's get those filled with water...I feel like I'm mere seconds from shrivelling up like a prune." He rasped softly.

Volcan nodded, helping Luke back to his feet and leading him across the road to the tavern. He pushed open the door and they stepped into the gloomy interior. Though it came as little surprise to them, the tavern was almost completely empty- only two other patrons could be seen, both tucked away in a corner drowning themselves in strong-smelling drink. One was a Monferno, the other an Illumise, and both looking ragged.

At the counter ahead, a Cubone -who looked far too young to be running such an establishment, stood behind the bar, cleaning a pewter mug. They saw him look up as the door opened, spotting the two new arrivals as they stepped in. Volcan led Luke up to the counter, helping him onto a stool, and turned to the Cubone.

"A jug of water and some food, please," he requested, setting a handful of Poks on the counter/

The Cubone nodded and turned to walk into the room behind the counter -the kitchen, most likely, to retrieve their order, letting the two settle in.

Luke made himself comfortable on the stool, finding the dark interior a welcome reprieve from the scorching sun outside, no longer heating his fur through to the flesh. He took that moment to examine the interior of the tavern, taking note of the gloomy atmosphere. It bothered him, but when he saw the two patrons his mood only worsened -never had he seen a more thoroughly miserable looking pair in his life. They were battered, as though they had been in a fight, and they looked thoroughly miserable as they slumped over the table, the Monferno never letting go of the tankard.

'This place makes even the darkest alleyway of Azure feel like a ray of sunshine in comparison.' He thought to himself, deciding to keep his gaze forward to try and ignore all the negativity he was being exposed to, eagerly waiting for his food and drink to arrive.

"How are you holding up?" Volcan asked, resting a hand on Luke's back.

The Lucario gently leaned into his hand and sighed lightly. "I'll feel better once I have something in my stomach." He replied, his ears drooping a bit. "...And a better idea on where we are exactly." He added in a dismal tone.

"Definitely," agreed the Blaziken, taking a seat himself. "Oof... my feet feel like I've been stepping on thorns." He lifted one foot and rubbed it with his hands, sensing he was going to regret it when he had to walk on them again.

Luke smiled weakly. "Well, you have been carrying both our weight for a while," he remarked. "Still... all things considered, you seem to be faring well."

"Somewhat... but if I don't get something to eat, I might drop," Volcan remarked dryly, laying his head down on the counter and letting out an exhausted sigh. He seemed like he might be able to fall asleep right there, but a clench and growl from his stomach would deny him a much-needed nap.

"Now there's something we both can gripe about..." Luke replied with a dry sense of humour himself, leaning forward and resting his arms on the counter, tapping impatiently with his digits as they waited.

The Cubone returned moments later, bringing a clay pitcher filled with water and two empty glasses, which he placed upon the counter in front of the. As he returned to the back room, Luke immediately filled his glass and took a drink. The water wasn't as cool as he would have liked, but it brought the much-needed moisture back to his dry mouth. Never had water tasted more delicious than it did to him at that moment. He chugged the water back like it was a milkshake, poured a second glass and downed that as well, feeling relief as it trickled down to settle in his stomach.

"That hit the spot..." he muttered as he went to pour himself a third glass, taking his time with this one.

As Volcan downed his own glass, the Cubone returned with plates of food, consisting of non-perishable items such as cooked beans, pickled fish eggs, and a few strips of jerky. "All I've got left is stuff with a long shelf life," he told them as he set the plates down in front of them. "Caravan's ain't been coming for a couple of months now."

Luke looked at the plate of food before him, studying its contents before he would slide it closer to him and began to dive right in. Normally he was averse to any sort of dried or pickled food, but in his current situation, desperate times called for desperate measures. He began to chew on a strip of jerky before looking back at the Cubone curiously. "Why's that? Is this a slow time for caravanners here?" He would ask.

"Not hardly," the Cubone replied with a scoff. "This is the only road that goes between Princeport and Gladiator City -caravans are a constant, and normally I'd have more customers. But ever since that slimy hairball Redfang showed up," he pointed to the wall beside the bar, to a sheet of paper tacked to the wooden boards, carrying the image of a one-eyed Mightyena on the front. "the caravans have all but stopped coming, and any that do get hit. Nobody can get to this outpost to trade without running into him." He pointed to the patrons in the corner, adding in a hushed voice. "The lucky ones get away with just a beating but lose everything in the process."

"Gladiator city," Volcan whispered, looking at Luke. _Now_they knew where they were...

Luke nodded slightly to Volcan, having also caught the name and knowing only of one community that went by that moniker. But out of curiosity, he looked over to the pair in the corner indicated by the Cubone, and then to the poster tacked on the wall, his eyes narrowing slightly as he voiced his next question to the Cubone. "...How long has he been hounding the caravans coming through here?"

"A couple of years now. At first, he wasn't that big an issue -no more than any other bandit or wilderness pack. He'd hit a caravan or two, occasionally getting chased off by their guards, until his gang grew to triple its size," the Cubone explained. "After Sandjaw finally got nabbed, the guy just moved right in and now he's out there constantly hitting every caravan that shows up -even came traipsing through this outpost once and robbed all the merchants. Plenty of Pokémon have tried to hunt him down but he's got a hideout in the crags. That place is a labyrinth, so it's practically impossible to flush him out."

"Has Team Phobia or any other Rescue Team tried to go after him?" Volcan asked.

"Other rescue team?" The Cubone echoed incredulously. "Where the heck are you from, stranger? There are no Rescue Teams here in the West, except for Team Phobia, and we are a long ways away from Gladiator City."

Before either could speak up again, one of the patrons in the corner called out. "Hey! Kid! Bring me another bottle!" The half-drunk Pokémon shouted.

The Cubone scowled but excused himself and went to retrieve the customer's order while Volcan and Luke processed what they had heard. Now, with the mention of Team Phobia, the hometown of Romulus and Tristan, the question of where they were had been answered.

They had been thrown across the world, to the West Continent.

Luke was staring blankly at Volcan as he processed the information they just received, then he would break the silence in a hushed voice. "Well that solves that mystery." He would say. "I can't say the answer is a welcome one, tough."

"No kidding," replied Volcan, popping one of the pickled fish eggs into his mouth, his face souring at the taste and grunted with mild disgust, but managed to swallow it after chewing briefly, moving on instead to the jerky. "I get the feeling this 'Redfang' guy was that huge Mightyena we saw on the way here. Bet you any Poks he's the one who hit that caravan too."

"If that's true, then we already have a pretty good idea as to where he and his pack like to frequent." Luke answered, his gaze glancing back to the poster once more. "He's probably got quite the price on his head."

"Let's find out," Volcan replied, rising shakily to his feet and dragging himself over to the paper on the wall to study it, still munching on the dried meat in his hand as he read the poster. "It says, 'Wanted: Redfang. Crimes of banditry, pillaging, felony assault, robbery -' etcetera. Big list, this guy. 'Travels in the company of a Mightyena pack, numbering...'" He paused. "There was a six here, but it's been crossed out. Now it says, 'eighteen to twenty-four'."

"Sounds like he's built up quite a band." Luke commented, rubbing his chin a bit. "Though he seems to have made one crucial mistake in doing so..."

"What's that?" Volcan asked.

"They're all the same species." Luke answered. "Same species, same typing..." he then smirked a bit. "Same weaknesses."

"And Mightyena are Dark-types," said Volcan, looking at Luke. "But..." He suddenly realized where Luke was going with these inquiries. "Hang on, are we really going to take up bounty-hunting?"

Like sighed a bit. "I don't like the idea of it, and any other time I'd be opposed to it, truly." He explained. "The way I see it, this crook needs to be stopped and we might be the people to do it. Besides, if we're going to return home to Azure, we need money for transportation. We can do both if we do this."

Volcan sighed, looking at the poster again. "Alright... 'to collect the reward, bring Redfang's namesake -a discoloured tooth- to the sheriff's office in Princeport or Team Phobia's office in Gladiator city, to claim'...." Volcan's eyebrows raised. "Two thousand Poks_?_ That's a pretty big price."

"That should be more than enough to cover the cost of a ship back to the East." Luke added with a hint of hope in his voice.

"And then some," agreed Volcan with a nod as he returned to the counter to sit back down and resume their meal. "But how do we find him?"

"The Cubone said he hangs out at the crags, like where we first arrived at." Luke answered. "We can start our search there. l'll sweep the area with my Aura Sense and then work from there."

Volcan nodded. "Alright. But even if we have a type advantage, twelve-to-one odds are still a heavy tip of the scales against us."

Luke nodded back in agreement. "We'll have to thin the numbers a bit before we face the big boss himself." Luke resounded, sipping some water as he thought about their best course of action.

The Cubone returned at that moment. "Checking out the reward poster, eh?" He asked, having apparently noticed them. "I hope there's more than just the two of you."

"There isn't, but we can handle ourselves," assured Volcan. "Could you tell us how far Gladiator City is from here?"

"About six days across the desert, southeast," replied the Cubone. "Half that to the next outpost."

"Six days?" Volcan echoed in disbelief. "How does anyone make it there?"

"A lot of preparation," replied the Cubone, in a tone that suggested it should've been obvious. "Nobody crosses the Bone Desert alone, pal. You're either part of a caravan or you're dead -that's life out here."

"And... Princeport. Is it closer?"

"About half the distance. The road rounds the mesas and then it's a straight shot there. The journey would take a little over three days."

Volcan sulked, dropping his head on the counter. "So much for getting a favour from Romulus," he muttered, leaning on the counter as he bit into another piece of jerky.

"It can't be helped, love," Luke said softly to his lover, wrapping an arm behind his back and stroking softly as he bit into a piece of jerky himself. "Right now, we should stock up on supplies and perhaps get some rest for our upcoming hunt." He suggested.

Volcan sighed and nodded, starting on the pile of beans on the edge of his plate with the fork on the side. He slid another couple of coins to the Cubone and asked him to fill the canteens he'd purchased before. The Cubone nodded and disappeared into the back again, where they could hear the squeak of a wheel being turned. Curious, Volcan peered into the back room, wondering where the water was coming from.

Through the doorway, he saw a stone wall in the corner, with a bucket and pulley system. He found his question answered when he saw the Cubone lowering the bucket into the well via the pully system, turning a crank to add length to the rope until he heard a splash. With that, he reversed it and then drawing it back up, the bucket dripping with water as it elevated back into sight.

"Now I see why they chose this spot for this outpost," he said, pulling back to look at Luke. "He has a well back there."

"Hard to believe that there's ANY water in this hellish desert," remarked Luke.

"Groundwater is usually fed from somewhere. Maybe we're near a lake or a river?" offered Volcan with a shrug.

Luke nodded, turning back to the food on his plate. He had only the beans and a pickled fish egg left, which he managed to eat without making a face. He put a paw on his stomach after swallowing the last of it, feeling uncomfortable. "That isn't going to sit well in my stomach, but it will do." He muttered.

"Take what we can get, even if it doesn't go down easily," Volcan agreed, finishing off the last of the stack of beans. "Still better than sushi," he added.

"I still don't see what you didn't like about it. To each their own I guess."

When the Cubone returned, he handed them the filled canteens. Volcan thanked him, and then asked, "do you have any rooms here where we might rest?"

"Yeah, I do," he replied. "Three Poks a night. Will that be one for each of you?"

"Just one will do," Volcan replied.

The Cubone looked as though he wanted to ask more, but he held back the question, and took the coins as Volcan offered them to him. "I'll show you up when you're ready."

"Much obliged, sir." Luke returned politely, taking his canteen in both paws. He looked at it blankly as he realized he didn't really have any way of carrying it on his person aside from his paws. "...I think I'm going to need something to carry this with," he said.

"Wait, it doesn't have a strap?" Volcan asked, looking at his. His canteen did have one, wrapped firmly around the body of the canteen. It was short and would have to hang off his harness, but it was functional, while indeed Luke's canteen didn't have one. "How the hell did I miss that?"

"Looks like you grabbed a caravanner's canteen by mistake. I could give you some string or something if that'd help," the Cubone offered.

Luke looked back to the Cubone and smiled. "That would be most appreciated. Thank you."

The Cubone went to retrieve the string, selecting a spool of sturdy twine that he thought might do the trick and bringing it back to Luke, offering him a pair of scissors to cut his own length of the string as he needed it. The Lucario unwound the spool until he was sure he had enough length, then cut the twine with the scissors provided and began to tie the two ends together while tying the rest around the canteen. He then hung it off his shoulder, pulling on the canteen to test the thread.

"There we go." He said with a nod.

"Think that'll hold?" Volcan asked.

"That's a pretty sturdy twine. Similar in tension to what they use for making rope," the Cubone answered. "Short of someone swiping your canteen, it'll hold."

"Then I'll take extra care not to let that happen." Luke answered firmly before he stood up from his seat. "I think I'm about ready to check into our room."

"Me too," agreed Volcan.

"Right this way," the Cubone replied, walking around the counter and leading them to a hallway over on the left side of the inn.

He led them three doors down, picking a key from off the set worn around his neck and using it to unlock the door, pulling it open and letting them inside. "There you go. It's not the inns of Gladiator City or one of Princeport's hotels, but that bed is the softest thing you'll sleep on for a while." He said, in some attempted sales pitch, as the two stepped inside to see their accommodations.

The room was small, and the ceiling barely high enough for Volcan to stand. It had a double-bed with a side table, and a trunk in the corner with an open padlock and an attached key, for storing their belongings and keeping them secure. It had no window, only a vent leading outside, but was thankfully cool against the scorching desert heat.

Luke turned and thanked the Cubone once more for his hospitality, allowing him to leave the two to get settled into their room and rest their still weary bodies. Luke would slowly walk to the bed and take a seat on it, testing how soft it was before looking to his lover. "...You think he caught onto the fact we might be together romantically when you said you only wanted one room?" He asked with a snicker.

"Possibly," he replied with a shrug. "But it's good to see he wasn't one to judge. Still... he seems way too young to be running a place like this."

"I honestly felt like asking that myself, but..." He trailed off a little. "It's really not my place to butt in on other's business. If I had, he might not have been so friendly to us."

"Probably for the best," said Volcan as he sat down beside Luke, but his eyes remained on the floor. He seemed distraught, and Luke could recognize the worry on his face as his eyes remained fixated on the floor, though there was nothing there that could hold his attention so.

"...Hey." Luke said softly, lifting a paw to touch Volcan's shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. "I know that look. What's bothering you now?" He asked.

"Our friends..." he said, not averting his gaze. "...What do you think happened to them after we were sent away?"

Luke's ears flattened softly, and he too lowered his gaze to the floor "That's right..." He muttered, his eyes darting back and forth a little. "...They probably don't know what happened to us."

"Yeah..." Volcan agreed, not wanting to voice what his real thoughts were... that the worst might have happened. Once again, his mind was receding to that night at Arc Island, but this time, the innocent inhabitants were being replaced by faces he knew. He tried to force the images away but they relentlessly hounded him, and he eventually grabbed his head and cursed. "Fuck!"

His outburst was so sudden it made Luke jump. "Hey, hey!" Luke would exclaim after Volcan cursed out loud, reaching up with both paws now and pulling him against his smaller form. "It's alright, love... We'll just have to send them a letter the first chance we get to let them know we're alive." He reasoned with the Blaziken.

"Don't you get it?" Volcan asked. "What if they are not? Mewtwo mopped the floor with everyone that tried to fight him... If he lost control of himself again after he sent us away..."

The Lucario's blood ran cold as Volcan's words sank in, realizing that they really had no idea of knowing if Mewtwo had managed to hold onto his consciousness after he had spared them. His eyes fell back to the floor again, paws gripping his knees and trembling heavily. "You think... but... no, no they couldn't!" He protested. "Surely they couldn't be..."

Volcan looked at Luke, seeing his lover starting to fall apart before his eyes, and felt a deep regret filling him at the sight. Quickly, he put his arms around Luke and held him tightly, scooting closer to him so that Luke could lean on him. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that."

Luke quickly slid his arms back around Volcan and hugged him as tight as he could, seeking comfort from the Blaziken and slowly calming himself down in the process, trying to steady himself to keep from hyperventilating. "...It... It's ok." Luke returned softly, lifting his head to look at his beloved. "It was a legitimate concern, and you're right to be fearful of the fact Mewtwo might have..." He trailed off, feeling his fear arise again and quickly shaking his head to clear the thought out of his mind. "I'm... I'm sure they're alright. We just need to have faith in them."

"Yeah... I'm sure they're fine," Volcan returned, despite his doubts and the images flashing through his mind, bringing a tear to his eye as he pulled Luke tighter against him, as though he felt the Lucario might be lost to him if he were to let go.

"Let's try to get some rest, Volcan." Luke would suggest, lifting his paw to caress Volcan's cheek gently. "We'll worry about the others after we secure a means to get home...Right now, we need to focus on our own survival."

"I know," he said. "But... can we just stay like this a bit longer?" He asked almost pleadingly, not moving as his arms pulled Luke tighter to him.

Luke stared into Volcan's eyes silently, then he would start to smile warmly as his other paw slid up to cup Volcan's other cheek. "I'll do you one better." He whispered before gently pulling the Blaziken down and pressing his lips into his beloved's beak, sharing a long, tender, intimate kiss with him that served to help ease both of their nerves.

Volcan leaned into the kiss welcomingly, his hands resting on Luke's back to steady them as they held it for a long moment, until he reluctantly pulled back. "Thanks... I needed that," he said.

"I did too." Luke whispered back, staring at him through half-lidded eyes and smiling at Volcan. "...Want another?"

"Yes please," Volcan returned, almost like a child being offered candy, as he went in and kissed Luke again, sliding his hands under him to pull the Lucario up onto his lap and cradling him as they kissed.

Luke eagerly kissed right back, sliding his arms around Volcan's neck once he was comfortably seated in his lap, steadily escalating the moment into passionate making out once he was securely in Volcan's arms.

Slowly, Volcan lay them back on the bed, keeping Luke on top of him as their tongues danced together between their open mouths, savouring the moment between them before they had to stop to catch their breath. "I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you, Volcan." Luke whispered right back, panting a little as he caught his breath. "We'll get through this. I promise."

Volcan nodded, saying nothing more as he held Luke against him, letting the Lucario listen to his heartbeat as he lay his head against the Blaziken's warm chest. Soon, the exhaustion of the road caught up with the two, and they slowly drifted off to sleep in the dark tavern room, wondering what challenges they might face in this dry, unforgiving wasteland...