FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"This won't go the way you hope it will, Grom," Volcan said not for the first time since his capture.

They were outside of Marilogne, far from the eyes of the town as directed by Tabbis. Even though the town was effectively ruled by Calhoun, it was common practice to not let the citizens see the shadier side of his business, for fear that word of such activity might find a person of conscience among the desperate populace.

"Just keep your mouth shut, Volcan," Grom growled. "I've been planning this for a long time, and nothing you say is going to change my mind."

"Dammit, Grom! Can you just think for one moment?!" Volcan demanded, but his words were cut off as Grom spun him around, and dropped him face-down into the dirt.

"I said, shut it!" The Emboar growled. "Just lay there and keep quiet! This'll be over quick."

Quake, staring out to sea to keep watch, perked up suddenly as a silhouette began to take shape in the light of the setting sun. "A boat, boss," he said. "Looks like they showed."

"It's about time," the Emboar growled, still holding Volcan down. "When this is over, Volcan, you can finally consider us even."

"Grom..." Volcan tried to say one more time, but once more was silenced by the hoof on his back.

Slowly, the motorboat on the horizon grew closer, starting to slow as it approached the shore before banking to the side, so that its port side faced the beach. Eventually, the boat slowed to a complete stop, and floated in the bay quietly. For a while, nothing happened, until a flash of light erupted in on the beach, just twenty paces from Team Kopis and their captive, and from it materialized numerous Pokemon.

The dark Blaziken stood at the head, and with him were several of his lieutenants, one of whom was standing by the Dark Blaziken, supporting him. Calhoun looked battered and weary. He was kept on his feet with the supporting shoulder of a Lycanroc, and opposite them stood a Gallade, eyeing Grom and his crew with a menacing glare. To the left of him, a Decidueye, wings folded into a cloak. The last was an elderly Alakazam, standing to the right of Asya, arms folded across his chest.

Grom regarded Calhoun cooly as he appeared, doing well to hide the surge of emotions rising within him until the trade was underway. He lifted his foot from Volcan, seizing the ropes that bound him, and stepped forward with his team. He cruelly hurled the bound Blaziken to the ground at the feet of Calhoun and the Lycanroc.

"There he is. Captain of Team Phalanx, in the flesh," Grom bade. "I'll take my payment in Poks, if you'd be so kind."

Calhoun regarded Volcan for a moment, studying him. He looked at the Gallade beside him, who nodded as if in confirmation of Volcan's identity. Then, Calhoun regarded Grom, smiling wickedly at him. "Of course. Your service is appreciated," he said. "But, before you get what's coming to you though, sir... I was told you also wanted to join up with my," he chuckled as he gestured to the others with him. "Merry band here. Is that true?"

"I did, 'till I saw the sorry state you're in," Grom retorted, raising an eyebrow at the battered-looking Dark Blaziken. "What'd you do, get caught in a stampede?"

The Gallade's elbow blades extended in immediate response to the insult, but Calhoun stopped him with an upraised hand. "You caught me on a bad day is all," he replied. "Now, I believe we-"

Calhoun was cut off as a lightning bolt struck the ground behind him, followed by a thunderclap that seemed to shake the very air around them. Everyone threw their hands over their ears reflexively, all except for Volcan whose hands were bound, causing him to curl into a tight ball in response to the noise, eyes clenching.

Suddenly he felt himself being ripped from the ground, hoisted by his bound arms and legs as he was carried through the air. He yelped in surprise, his bound legs kicking out instinctively for any purchase they could find as the ground rushed by below him. He turned his head as much as he could to look over his shoulder, where he saw a yellow wing outstretched and beating hard to stay aloft.

"L-Lighris?" Volcan asked. "Is that you?"

"Sorry bro - gotta cut the ride short!" Lighris returned in a strained voice as he and Eagle Eye swiftly hit their limit, their talons slipping free of Volcan's bonds.

"Fucking-!" Volcan started to say, but stopped as he braced himself for impact, hitting the ground and rolling to avoid the full brunt of it. He grunted as he came to rest in the soil, hurt but unbroken.

"GO!"

At the shout, a dirigible airship materialized into being, and countless Pokemon launched themselves over the railing and to the ground below. One after another, many formidable fighters came to ground, many of whom Grom recognized. He was shocked by their sudden appearance, he and his team turning to face them, as did Calhoun's lieutenants, forming a line between them and Calhoun with Grom's team.

"If you still want your reward, master Grom, you'll have to secure it," the Lycanroc spoke up as she flexed her claws. "And I see one of your other bounties has come to you." she added as she saw the familiar Lucario among them. "Help us defeat them, and you will get double the Lucario's bounty, on top of the one for the Blaziken."

"Arceus damn it!" Grom cursed, seeing no way out of the predicament. "Team Kopis, take 'em down!" He commanded.

Among the attacker's, Luke's eyes found Grom. In an instant, all reason was lost when his red eyes settled on the Emboar, baring his teeth and clenching his paws angrily. His fury rose with his voice as he roared. "GROOOOOM!!!!"

In that instant, Luke abandoned their plan. He dashed forward, his body a blur of motion as he passed between Morganth and Sash, both of whom made attempts to stop him, but both missed. Luke closed the distance between himself and large Emboar in the blink of an eye, throwing all of his weight into a mighty punch to the Emboar's gut. The force of the blow sent Grom flying away to the opposite end of the beach. Without thinking, he darted after him with Extreme Speed, leaving a trail of dust and sand behind him as he disappeared.

"Luke!" Sickle called after the Lucario. "Don't break off!"

Sickle's plea went unheeded, and the battle was joined. Grom's teammates got over the initial shock of Lucario's fearsome charge, turning their attention forward again. Morganth had just time to brace himself as Tristan collided with him, the Tyranitar skidding as he fought to keep his balance, while Quake was forced to retreat from a Seamitar swing as Katsu lunged for him.

Tristan and the Tyranitar grappled, their heavy footsteps stirring up dust as they both fought to overpower the other. Their heads bashed together, and Tristan taunted Morganth as he spoke through gritted teeth. "You couldn't beat me in a wrestling match on your best day, Morganth!"

"We'll see about that, won't we?!" Morganth retorted as he pushed Tristan back with all his might.

Gaining some distance and some momentum, Morganth threw himself at Tristan, slamming into him with enough force to fell a wall. Tristan dug in his feet, slowing the Tyranitar, before delivering a mighty uppercut to his jaw, causing Morganth to reel in pain. Then, the Tyranitar snarled and threw himself at Tristan again, the clash ensuing once more.

Quake slapped the ground to send a ripple of moving earth - Bulldoze - surging toward Katsu as the Samurott moved to close the distance. The Samurott sneered before he leapt over the wave of earth, then using Aqua Jet at the peak of his jump, shot right for Quake and tackled him to the ground as hard as he could, slamming his shoulder into the Seismitoad as he descended upon him. Katsu would then hop back up on his feet and hold one of his blades pointed at Quake's face before he could get back up.

"Yield, traitor..." He growled angrily.

"No hard feelings bud, it's just," he breathed in, and his voice exploded with the force of a sonic boom, slamming Katsu with the unseen Hyper Voice. "BUSINESS!"

The attack succeeded in stumbling Katsu, leaving his ears ringing even as Quake launched himself at him again, and the two fell into a tumble.

Sickle extended his leaf blades, slashing and swiping at Asya. Though Sickle's combat skills had not waned in his evolution, his speed and agility had suffered, and without time to adapt to his new body, so did his fighting ability. His attacks were too slow to catch Asya, who moved and dodged his attacks with relative ease. She even managed to catch one of his Leaf Blades between her paws, halting Sickle's attack. At that, Sickle saw a flash of light behind him, and knew he was in trouble. The flash could have only come from Sash, about to carry out his usual method of attack by teleporting and striking his opponent from behind...

Sickle was rescued, as Sash's swinging arm blade suddenly ignited with pain and was stopped in its tracks. The Gallade turned to look at his arm, and saw a red pincer claw holding it fast. He followed the arm of the claw, and his gaze met the yellow eyes of a Scizor.

"I will be your opponent," he declared, before pulling his arm back and throwing Sash behind him.

The Gallade landed easily, and lifted his gaze to glare at Shamshir, a bloodthirsty grin appearing on his face. "I'm going to enjoy watching the life ebb away from your bleeding corpse..." The Gallade remarked.

"Better warriors than you have tried," Shamshir returned, widening his stance and snapping his claws.

Accepting the Scizor's challenge, Sash charged. They flew into a dance of death, blades meeting claws as the two sparred. A metallic ring followed every blow from one or the other. Claws snapped, blades swung. Steel met Psychic power many times. Once, Sash attempted his signature move on the Scizor, teleporting behind him with a Psycho Cut prepared. In that instant, Shamshir whirled around and caught Sash's blade in his claw, clenching taught and causing bones to creak in protest. Sash grit his teeth, and then recoiled as Shamshir backhanded him across the cheek with his other claw.

"Your cowardly tactics are known to me, murderer!" Shamshir declared, before their battle resumed.

Last, Kage's ninjato crossed blades with Tory's twin Leaf Blades, stopping a cross-slash from reaching his neck as Tory attacked. For a moment, their eyes met. neither one spoke a word, reading each other by expression along before breaking off their deadlock. Tory stood passively as he straightened his posture, eyes narrowing with intrigue as he continued to study the Greninja, and the faintest hint of a smirk appeared on his beak before he regained his combat stance, both blades angled forward, one low and one high like a pair of butterfly knives.

Beneath his tongue scarf, Kage was also smirking.

Without a word, Kage leapt toward his foe, his blade coated with dark energy as he reared it back, readying a Night Slash. He swung his blade, but right at the moment of impact, he suddenly vanished into the ground with his Shadow Sneak. Tory scoffed, and leapt into the shadow of the airship above, vanishing just as Kage reappeared, slashing at him from behind. By then, Tory faded out of existence, reappearing behind Kage just as the Greninja had done with him.

Kage leapt away in the nick of time as the two Leaf Blades cross-slashed where his midriff had been mere seconds before. Kage hand-sprinted several meters before throwing a Water Shuriken at Tory. The Decidueye responded in kind by banishing his blades, and arching his wing into a bow. He ducked under the Shuriken and fired an arrow in retaliation, which Kage leapt over before throwing two more Water Shurikens. Tory brought back his blades and cut both shuriken in half mid-flight before charging at Kage again...

Grom dug in his hooves as Luke knocked him back again. Luke came at him again, but this time managed to catch Luke's oncoming punch in his hand, yanking the Lucario close to him and meeting his gaze as he grappled with the smaller, yet by no means weaker Pokemon.

"You shouldn't have come!" growled the Emboar. "You're ruining everything!"

"You had no right!" Luke roared back in his face. He snapped his head forward, driving his forhead into Grom's snout and causing him to recoil. "You had no right to kidnap my fiance, you bastard!"

"I wasn't-!" Grom started to say, but Luke had heard enough. The Lucario charged in, and unleashed a Close Combat attack, barraging Grom with a savage onslaught of high-powered punches, the Lucario roaring in anger all the while.

Seji watched the ongoing battles with only mild intrigue. He could have engaged any of the fighters if he so chose, but he was not interested in the battle. Above, he eyed the airship with some familiarity. He knew that ship well, and knew the Delphox who captained it. He took note of a figure standing at the bow of the ship - a familiar looking Typhlosion. Not who he expected, and he wondered why he of all Pokemon would be staying out of the fight ensuing below. He could only guess Sol was being kept in reserve. The Zapdos and Talonflame were making strafing runs over the beach and the bay ahead, intercepting reinforcements from the ship who were onto the ongoing skirmish on the beach.

Then, something else caught Seji's eye. He saw a figure scrambling down the rope ladder from the airship, landing on the grass beyond the beach before turning and running toward the downed Volcan. "..Curious...' Seji thought to himself, studying the little blue figure through half-lidded eyes. Something about the youth seemed familiar...

Caulin looked over to the battle multiple times as he crept over to Volcan, making sure that his approach went unnoticed. When he was sure he was in the clear, he approached the prone Blaziken who was still fighting with his restraints. He reached Volcan and put his paws on the ropes, seeking the means to untie them.

"Who's that?" He asked, turning as much as he could to look over his shoulder. "Hank? Is tha-" He choked on his words, his eyes matching the horror in his voice. "What? Caulin?! What in Giratina's name are you doing here?!"

"Rescuing you, duh!" Caulin retorted as he tugged at one of the knots. "Hold still. I'll have you out in a jiffy!"

"No! You have to get away from here, hurry before-!" His words died in a gasp as a shadow fell over him and the Riolu.

Caulin turned, and looked up at the elderly Alakazam standing over him. Seji's eyes narrowed as he studied the Riolu. "I thought I recognized you..." He said, smirking lightly as he raised the bladeless hilt in his hand, the pink glow of the concentrated psychic energy that formed his weapon appearing, taking on the form of a featureless sword. "The Prodigal Son of the Sword decides to be a man, I see. A brave gesture. Foolish...but brave."

Caulin shifted into a fighting stance, glaring defiantly at the Alakazam. "You won't lay your dirty, stinkin' hands on my Uncle, Seji!" He announced.

The Alakazam gave a bitter laugh. "You truly are your father's son, Caulin. It's just a shame we had to reunite under the current circumstances." He said as he stepped back and held his blade pointed toward Caulin. "Show me what you've learned so far, my boy."

"No! Caulin, run!" Volcan pleaded, thrashing violently against his restraints. He ignited his wrists in a vain effort to burn through his ropes. Unfortunately, Grom had been thorough, tying them where the flames would not get them. Even if the heat eventually burned though, it would take minutes.

His pleas fell on deaf ears as Caulin let out a battle cry before charging in. He leapt at Seji, thrusting his paws forward with a double Force Palm that Seji blocked with a simple twist of his wrist. The Alakazam would then swing his blade to push Caulin back before thrusting his weapon forward right for the Riolu as he stumbled back to regain his footing.

Instinct saved him from being skewered, as the Riolu let himself fall backward before the blade managed to touch him, rolling off to the side before rising back to his feet and countering with a Quick Attack. His paw connected with Seji's cheek, successfully recoiling him. It gave Caulin a window to follow up with another attack. He wound his paw back and concentrated as a small whirlwind formed around his arm, then he launched his paw forward and launched a Vacuum Wave at the Alakazam, who quickly brought his blade in front of him and parried the attack, sending the small cyclone off to the side and hitting the ground next to him.

"Impressive...Your father has trained you well." Seji remarked as he repositioned his stance. This time, his spoons appeared, hovering at either side of him, through each he projected two Psybeams at at Caulin.

The Riolu deftly dodged around each attack, but at the peak of his second leap, he suddenly froze in mid air, left suspended as Seji managed to catch him in a telekinetic hold. "But you are out of your league, young one. You may be younger and more lithe than I, but you lack the combat experience required to be considered my equal." He remarked before he slammed Caulin into the ground, making him cry out in pain upon impact.

"Seji! Get away from him!" Volcan screamed at the Alakazam, thrashing harder still. "I swear if you hurt him, I will kill you!"

Volcan's voice carried its way over to the airship, catching Lashanne and Serena's attention. They looked over, and their eyes widened in horror at the sight of Caulin, held in Seji's telekinetic grasp. "Oh my gods!" Serena shrieked.

"Caulin!" Lashanne matched her cry, her paw already reaching over her opposite shoulder, desperately trying to reach her wand.

Hank, from his spot at the opposite rail, turned to look at the Delphox and Vaporeon. "What? What's wrong?" He asked, running over to stand beside her. He quickly found the source of her distress. "Oh shit! What the hell are you doing, kid?!" He demanded, climbing onto the railing, about to jump down.

All three of them froze as they saw another figure dart past them. The sleek form of Jora leapt onto the railing faster than Hank could climb on, and she launched herself from the ship in a mighty leap, arching through the air and plunging toward the Alakazam from above. Seji had no warning for what was coming, save for a reflection in Caulin's eyes as the Riolu looked over his head, the rapidly growing silhouette falling toward them. But Seji noticed it too late...

A weight fell onto him. A hand seized his sword arm, another swung under his off hand, and claws flashed in front of his face, aiming for his eyes. Two slender legs seized him around his middle, and a tail wrapped around his leg, throwing him off balance. The last thing he felt, was the bite. Everything happened so quickly that even his mind did not register the attack until he felt Jora's jaws clamp upon his shoulder like the jaws of a Croconaw.

He let out pained cry, instinctively scrambling to try and shake the attacker off of him. It took him a moment to collect himself before he resorted to seizing the Salazzle in a telekinetic grip, pulling at her with his power. The pain in his shoulder intensifed as her fangs were ripped free of him, and he cast her away, his hand reaching up to grip his bleeding shoulder as he spun to face his assailant.

Jora was now standing between him and Caulin, the Riolu now sitting on his hindquarters, staring in shock at the unexpected rescuer. Jora was down on all fours, her belly so low to the ground that the sparse grasses were glancing over her scaled underbelly. She hissed loudly at the Alakazam, a feral glare in her eyes and her mouth hanging open, showing her teeth. Her tail whipped to and fro in anticipation as her claws dug at the soil, the pink marking across her body banishing her own shadow as they glowed.

"...You," Seji growled. "Traitorous wench!"

Jora hissed louder, her mouth dripping with venom - both literally and metaphorically as she spoke. "You will not harm the child," she said in a feral tone - the kind that only a mother could give when someone threatened their child. Her instincts evidently did not care that Caulin was not hers.

Seji raised his blade, but his shoulder flared with pain and his arm sagged. He looked at the bite wound, and then at the venom dripping from Jora's fangs. He scoffed in annoyance, knowing he was now at a major disadvantage. His species might have been resistant to Poison-type attacks, but Seji clearly knew how potent Jora's venom was.

"Looks like you've earned yourself a little longer to live, traitor." Seji remarked, extinguishing his blade. "Enjoy your life while you still can, for anyone that betrays the Dark Crusade faces extinction sooner or later..." He remarked before he vanished before their very eyes.

"Yeah, you better run Seji!!" Caulin hollered after he got back to his feet, shaking his paw furiously in front of him.

Jora returned to her senses as Seji departed, taking a moment to catch her breath before turning to Volcan. She took that moment to move behind him and saw at the roped binding his arms. The ropes refused to yield to her claws, too thick to cut even with a Dragon Claw powering them. She warned Volcan to brace himself, and then breathed a searing heat over the ropes. They frayed and smoldered to the heat, and when they weakened enough, Volcan broke them with a pull of his arms, the smoldering strands falling to pieces behind him.

"Ah, that's better," he said, sitting up and rubbing his wrists. He watched as Jora moved to his legs and repeated the gesture, burning away the rops binding his ankles. He pulled back a leg to rub it as they were freed, and nodded to Jora gratefully. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," she returned, softly.

"Uncle Volcan!!" Caulin exclaimed as he pounced on the Blaziken, latching onto his neck and nuzzling his cheek..

"Ah! Hey, sport!" He returned, putting his arms around Caulin. "I'm glad you're okay." He said before pulling Caulin away to look at him squarely. "But what the heck are doing here? Seji could've killed you."

"I came to save you!" Caulin retorted. "After I found out Grom had kidnapped you, I couldn't sit on the sidelines anymore. You saved my life when you rescued me, and then you saved my Dad from that fortress place. It's time I saved your life this time!"

Volcan let out a sigh. "Ugh... I suppose I can't fault your intentions. Still, that was really stupid, kiddo."

"I know..." He admitted, flattening his ears slightly. "But Grampa Victor always said that sometimes you gotta do a little wrong in order to do the right thing...and in my mind, the right thing to do was to come save you, despite knowing I'd get into a lotta trouble with my dad later."

"Let's worry about that later, and see if we can't help our team out," he said as he rose to his feet.

Luke and Grom's brawl still had yet to reach a conclusion. With Luke's furious onslaught, Grom had easily received the worst of the fight, bleeding from multiple places on his lip and from one of the nostrils of his snout, as well as his body being dotted in flowering bruises. Luke had taken a few hits, and would still have his own marks to show for it, but between Grom's toughness and his rage, it seemed the fight wouldn't stop.

But as Grom caught a punch from Luke and wheeled about, trying to throw him off balance, he saw Volcan, free of his ropes and rising to his feet. He scowled. "Well... It can't be helped," he said, ignoring Luke as the Lucario started for him again. Grom looked at the Lucario - or so it seemed. "It's now, or never!" He bellowed before he went into a mad charge, shoulder leading and body aburst with fire as he shot toward Luke...

No, not toward. He missed the Lucario entirely, and in what rationality Luke had left, he had semblance of mind enough for it to be clear to him that Grom had missed him on purpose. With his rage gone for a moment, he turned to look to where Grom was really going.

Calhoun... The Dark Blaziken was helpless and alone. Anyone who might come to his aid was already engaged. There was nothing to stop the Emboar from his target - his true target, now...

Except, as he closed in, Calhoun's fearful expression turned to a grin. He jumped out of the Emboar's path, and in the same motion, he lashed out with a headhunter, landing a perfect blow to the back of Grom's head as he zoomed by. The Emboar went immediately into blackness from the kick, his eyes rolling back before he fell to the ground with a thunderous boom that caught the attention of the fighters, especially those on the ship above.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Lashanne scramed.

"Fucker was faking it!" Sol growled. Without waiting, he conjured a ball of fire in his mouth, and shot a powerful Flamethrower down at Calhoun.

Calhoun dashed out of the path of the Flamethrower, paying it no mind. He rolled his shoulders, looked back at the downed Emboar briefly before he looked at his crew, raising his voice to be heard.

"We are withdrawing!" he declared.

At that, an aura to match his amethyest eyes enshrouded the lieutenants of the Dark Crusade. One after the other, they vanished, ending the skirmish in a stalemate. The last one to vanish was Calhoun himself, but not without parting words. "Until next time, heroes," he said, and vanished.

Out in the bay, the sound of a ship's horn blew across the water. Looking out to sea, they saw a ship accelerating out to open water. Without instructions, Lighris and Eagle Eye flew out to sea, attempting to pursue the ship. But they had to pull back as a barrage of Dragon Pulses harried their approach vector, forcing them to retreat. Calhoun would not allow himself to be pursued, try as the two might.

Luke was left dumbfounded for a moment, his mind trying to process everything that had happened. His gaze drifted to the unconscious Grom lying in the shallows of the beach. Propped on his side. He thought about Grom's kidnapping, and attempt to collect a bounty. The truth had come now, when Luke had seen Grom attempt to attack Calhoun while he was apparerently defenseless. Everything the Emboar had done - kidnapping Volcan, destroying Luke's house, attempting to collect a bounty on Volcan's head, even his declaration that he wanted to_join_ the Dark Crusade...

All just a ruse, to get to Calhoun.

Unable to mentally contain his frustration, Luke's shoulders and arms tensed, then threw his head back and let out a furious scream into the air, letting out all of his frustration and rage to be heard in that cry before falling to his knees, his eyes lowering to the sand below him. He was unaware of everyone's eyes on him, staring in a mix of concern and confusion. But there was one among them who had the courage to approach. He heard footsteps coming up behind him. He gave a half-hearted turn to see who it was, and life seemed to surge through him again as he found his beloved Volcan lowering himself to one knee behind him.

Tears flooded Luke's eyes then, his expression shifting to a relieved joy as he threw himself at the Blaziken, hugging him tighter than he'd ever held anyone in his life. "V-V-Volcan...!" He whimpered in a shaking voice.

"I've missed you so much, Luke," Volcan returned, his voice breaking as he spoke. He held Luke as tightly as the Lucario held him.

"I'm sorry..." Luke whispered back to Volcan, his entire body trembling in Volcan's embrace. "I'm so very sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," the Blaziken assured him.

The two were soon aware of their friends gathering around them, along with Grom's two teammates, detained by Tristan and Katsu with their arms locked behind their backs. Volcan pulled hesitantly away from Luke to address his friends, holding up a fist to Sickle and Hank for them to bump, and stroking Serena's side reassuringly as she brushed against him. He looked up apologetically at Lighris, who clearly wanted to hug him but didn't want to push Luke off in the process. Eagle Eye sat perched on Sickle's outstretched arm, and Volcan nodded to him.

"We're glad we found you, Volcan," Sickle stated.

"Just wish we could've figured out this was all a big fat hoax," Lashanne added, glaring at Morganth and Quake. "You two want to give the explanations or do we have to go wake up your boss and get it from him?"

"It was Grom's plan, and it was a damn good plan until you showed up," Morganth retorted.

"Oh, wake up and smell the sea salt, you moron!" Lashanne snapped. "Calhoun was onto you guys from the very start! Why do you think he brought all that extra muscle ashore?!"

"How could he possibly know what we were doing?" Quake asked.

"You mean besides the fact he had two Psychic-types with him?" Sickle added, in a tone that suggested the answer to the question should have been obvious. "You guys were all on Arc too, didn't you? You all fought the Crusade that night."

"Yeah, we did," Morganth returned, but then lowered his gaze. "I guess... we didn't think they'd remember us, or thought we'd decided to join the winning team."

"Oh yeah, great idea. How's that working out for you guys, huh?!" Hank shot angrily.

"You three are a disgrace to the very name of Rescue Team!" Katsu added.

Morganth lifted his head again, sneering. "Hey, back off! You don't know what we've been through!" Morganth retorted, meeting Katsu's glare with one of his own.

The arguments ended there though, as two massive figures fell between the four bickering Pokemon. Sol and Lighris loomed before Morganth and Quake, Sol's neck burning brightly and Lighris' body crackling with electricity.

"I didn't get to join that fight," said Sol, cracking his knuckles. "I've got a lot of steam left to burn... so before you two fucking idiots both become my new punching bags, I'd shut the fuck up."

Quake scoffed. "I ain't scared of you, you big-"

_ WHAM! _

Quake fell back, cross-eyed as Sol's fist landed between his eyes, dazing him. The Seismitoad fell dully to the ground, head tilting side-to-side as he tried to process the hit he had just taken. The speaker-like bulbs growing above his eyes quivered as his eyes uncrossed, and he grabbed his face where Sol had punched him, the pain setting in. He screamed into his hands, his face burning with agony.

"Then you're dumber than you look," Sol added, pulling back his clenched paw.

"Hey!" Morganth growled, rounding on Sol.

Thunder boomed overhead, and Morganth froze as he saw the electricty coursing over Lighris in visible plasma arcs. "You kidnapped my brother, Morganth," he said, the warning in his tone matching his glare as he took a threatening step toward the Tyranitar. "Do _not_test my patience right now..."

Morganth seemed to think better of making any sort of move with Lighris ready to strike him down. He gave no reply, deciding instead to take cautious steps to Quake's side. There, he knelt down and examined Quake's face where Sol had punched him.

Luke stood up, shedding the last of his tears as he reluctantly left Volcan's embrace. Taking a moment to collect himself, he turned to regard Grom, still unconscious in the receding tide of the beach, his entire left side now covered with mud. The fury returned in an instant to Luke then, but he held himself back.

"...Hank." He said in a low growl. "...Wake him up."

The Zoroark blinked a few times in confusion, but after seeing the seething gaze in Luke's eyes he knew better than to question his captain, especially when he was this furious. He approached Grom, moving to his face and kneeling beside him. He lifted Grom's head before pulling out a couple of Sitrus Berries from a pouch he kept in his loincloth and fed the berries into the Emboar's mouth. Instinctively, the Emboar chewed and swallowed the berries.

Grom stirred a moment later, his body shifting on the sands of the beach as he started to come around. Hank stepped away from him as his eyes opened. Grom pushed himself up on his hand, spitting sand from his mouth before he turned over to sit up, feeling his rump splashing into the shallow waters. As his eyes cleared, he looked up to see the others gathered around him.

As with Morganth, Lighris took a step toward the Emboar. "Give me _one_reason," Lighris began, "not to paralyze you and drop you into the bay, Grom. One reason!"

Volcan stepped over to his brother, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him back. "Take it easy, Lighris."

"Easy?!" Lighris echoed, whirling to face Volcan. "He trashes your boyfriend's house and kidnaps you, and for what, money?! He deserves to get fried as far as I'm concerned!"

"Calhoun's the one he was after, not my bounty," replied Volcan in a calm voice.

"We already figured that part out," Lashanne added. "When he broke off the fight and went for him."

Hank stepped away from Grom as Luke stepped closer to him, paws clenched so tightly at his sides that they were shaking uncontrollably as he glared down at the large fiery pig.

"...I couldn't care less as to whether or not this was part of some elaborate ruse in order to get to Calhoun," Luke growled through clenched teeth. "The point of the matter is... You destroyed my home, you kidnapped my betrothed, and you betrayed the guilds with this half baked idea of yours..." He listed off, his tone elevating as he went through the crimes Grom had committed. "I think for once, I'm going to have to side with Lighris on this one. Give me one good reason - one very convincing reason why I shouldn't make you pay for what you've done."

Grom glared defiantly at the Lucario, wiping some blood away from his face before he spoke. One of his nostrils had been bleeding from a strike he'd taken from Luke earlier, and one of his eyes was irritated from some sea water that had leaked through his eyelid.

"It's Volcan who was paying, and it was to get payback," he returned. "Volcan owed us, for running out on us, and Calhoun. I had a score to settle with him for murdering my sister, and my teammate. I watched him off both of them, right in front of me." He shook his head "I didn't care about his organization or this whole calamity he's started... I didn't even want the money. I just wanted him."

Right as he finished, Luke socked the Emboar so hard along the jaw he was sent face first into the sand. Everyone on his team winced from the sound of Luke's paw connecting with Grom's cheek, and again when he hit the ground. The Lucario then grabbed Grom by his flaming collar and pulled him back up to look him square in the eye.

"YOU STUPID! NARROW-MINDED IMBECILE!!" Luke shouted into his face. "Volcan! Did not! RUN OUT ON YOU!" He punched Grom three more times, one for each pause. "Minato was the one that sent him away, to SAVE HIM!" Another punch. "Volcan was also the one who formulated the plan that saved your! UNGRATEFUL! HIDE! If it weren't for Minato, you'd all have been reduced to nothing more than Calhoun's slave labourers! If it weren't for Volcan,_you'd still be on that damn island! WHAT PART OF THAT IS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND, YOU _DUMBASS?!"

Luke's voice was already hoarse from shouting, but he barely noticed the ache in his throat. He wanted so badly to keep pounding on Grom. He even drew back his fist, ready to strike again. Sickle, though initially stunned that Luke had actually lost control, acted on his promise and intervened. He seized Luke from behind, and Luke instinctively fought against him as the Sceptile tried to pull him off. Sickle let out a grunt as Luke elbowed him, but he held on as Volcan and Katsu worked to calm Luke down.

"Wait a sec," Morganth spoke up from Quake's side, looking at Grom. He stood up, eyeing his leader squarely as he spoke. "You never said_Minato_ was the one who sent him away! You just said he ran!"

"You also never said he was at the prison when we all got sprung!" Quake added. "You said he'd been hiding in Azure ever since the attack! You never said he came back for us!"

"Did it matter? He still took off!" Grom shouted back to his teammates. "Who cares if Minato's the one who told him to, or that he came on some attempt to clear his conscience? He's still to blame!"

"Boss..." Quake said, clearly upset with the revelation. "How could you keep that to yourself?"

"Oh, well this is just beautiful," Lashanne groaned, rolling her eyes. "You were even holding information from your own team to keep your story straight?"

"Dude, that's just fucking low." Hank remarked with disgust, crossing his arms in front of his chest and shaking his head at Grom.

"It's not often I agree with Hank on certain topics... but in this, I must agree," Kage remarked coldly. "Keeping your teams in the dark, to condemn an innocent man just so they'd carry out your foolish plan?"

At that, Grom, seething with anger, roared and reared back, throwing his hands in the air before slamming his fists heavily on the ground with a mighty tremour. His neck exploded into flame as he repeatedly pounded the earth, sending waves back out into the bay instead of coming in from it. He kept this up until he ran out of breath, spitting a mouthful of bile into the hole he'd created from his pound, before he glared at them, all of them, even his own teammates

"How can... any of you... back him?" He growled between breaths, his voice carrying no hint of regret. Only hatred. "Volcan didn't just run away... He lost nothing in that whole incident! His team, all survived, reunited... his mom, his brother, both still alive. How many others that night can say the same, huh?! Even his own teammates can't! Minato lost his wife," he gestured to Serena, "and Ms. Timid there lost her mother! But what'd he lose? Nothing! He walked away from it all scot free!" He punched the ground again. "Never... I'll never forgive him! Running away, willing or not, and then coming back to have everything he should have lost!"

"Oh boo fucking hoo!" Came the voice of Sol, parting the rest of the group as he approached the furious Emboar. "Cry me a fucking river, build a fucking bridge and get over it, ya big baby!" He remarked scoldingly before hocking a loogie down at the Emboar, splashing into the water beside him. "I may not know what the hell happened that night, but I know one thing's fer sure. Yer a fucking coward and a disgrace to the very people you hoped to avenge with this dumb-fuckery!"

He further went on, reaching down and picking Grom up by his ear, holding him up to his eye level with some effort. "Yea, shit happened and you lost a lotta good pokemon. It. Fucking. Happened! Nothing you say or do can change it. Now, from one broken soul to another, grow a pair and move on from it, and stop trying to blame someone else for your weakness_!_" He growled before releasing Grom and backing away. "Honestly, you guys should let me torch this piece of shit. But lucky for him, not my call to make," he concluded, gesturing at Luke as he walked away from Grom.

The Lucario was now free from Sickle's grasp, and watched in bewilderment as Sol said his piece, clearly not expecting the Typhlosion to say something so...profound. When their gazes met as Sol passed, Sol gave him a nod to proceed. With that, Luke sucked in a deep breath and approached Grom again, this time in a more tempered manner than before. His glare was still present in his gaze, but his anger was a lot more focused and reined in as he regarded the Emboar at his feet.

"Grom of Team Kopis." He addressed him by his full title. "By your actions this day, and the days leading up to this ordeal, it's clear to me that you are unfit to be considered a member of the Guilds any longer." He said with great authority in his tone. "By my right as a member of the High Council, I hereby terminate your position as a Team Captain. From this moment on, Team Kopis is officially disavowed. You and your teammates will face charges for your crimes, and be banned from taking any further guild-sanctioned missions indefinitely."

Grom's eyes widened in horror. "You can't do that!" He declared, shooting to his feet.

"Yes, he can," Shamshir spoke up for the first time, stepping forward to stand by Luke. "And I act as his witness, as a representative to the current head of the High Council, Torolf of Team Warmachine. You will submit to an immediate arrest, and be taken back to Hadleigh for incarceration."

"Guys! Back me up here!" Grom pleaded to Morganth and Quake. Neither one spoke up, sharing a look between them before turning to glare at Grom again. "What's wrong with you two?! You aren't just going to take this, are you?"

"Forget you!" Morganth snapped, furious. "You didn't tell us the whole truth Grom! We lost Zashi, but it was never Volcan's fault! Now we used an innocent man for our ends! How does that make us any better than the scum that took our home, huh?!"

The betrayal and guilt was evident on Morganth's face, and likewise on Quake's. They had nothing else to say to Grom them, disgusted with what he'd made them do. Quake turned to Volcan then, looking up at the Blaziken with regret. "Volcan... we're sorry. We thought all this time that you'd abandoned us... I know we can't take back what we've done to you. But we're going to make up for it, starting now." He looked at Katsu. "I submit to the arrest. I won't resist."

"Same here," agreed Morganth. "Take us in."

"Well, Grom?" Shamshir asked, looking at the Emboar. "The next move is yours. Will you surrender willingly, or will you be taken by force?" His claws opened then, already prepared for a fight, as were the others.

For the first time in his life, Grom had no retort to make, and no other choice but to capitulate...

~~~~~

The members of Team Kopis were kept separate as the airship flew back to Hadleigh. It was actually Morganth and Quake who suggested they be kept apart from Grom, expressing that they wanted nothing to do with their leader henceforth. Their cooperation would earn them some leniency from the guild, but they would still face time for their involvement in Volcan's kidnapping - a fate that they declared they were willing to accept, knowing they had wronged him.

Enroute back to Hadleigh, Lashanne questioned Morganth and Quake about why they also believed in Grom's accusations toward Volcan. In addition to not knowing Minato had sent Volcan away, they had also been told Volcan had been hiding in Azure since fleeing Arc, and never given any hint to the contrary. They had seen him at the fort, but had not recognized him. Volcan had been wearing the form of a Mega Blaziken. It seemed Grom had also not informed them that it was him there that night, to keep his story of Volcan's 'selfish cowardice' consistent.

All in all, it had come down to shared resentment, backed by withheld information. Grom had used the pain of the incident, including the loss of their teammate, Zashi, to justify everything and get his way.

As Hadleigh came in sight on the last day of the return journey, Luke found his lover absent from their shared bunk in the lower decks. They had hardly parted for much of the journey, leaving Luke wondering why Volcan would leave his side now. Heading up to the main deck, he found Volcan leaning on the rail at the bow, watching the city as it grew closer.

Slowly he approached the Blaziken, standing at his beloved's side and resting his paw along Volcan's back in order to get his attention. "Everything ok?" He asked in a soft tone, looking up at him with concern.

Volcan looked back at him with a slight start. "Oh, sorry, love," he said, sighing. "Just had a bit on my mind..."

"Like what?" He asked softly, placing his other paw over Volcan's hand. "About everything that's happened so far?"

"Well, yes," he said, shrugging. "Had nothing but time to think over the ten days I was captured. I... as much as I hate to admit it, I sympathize with Grom on some things."

Luke's ears flattened with displeasure. "But... why?" He asked softly, his voice breaking at the latter end of his question. "How can you sympathize with him at all? He had no right to do what he did. You never abandoned your home..."

"Don't worry; I'm not looking past that part," agreed Volcan. "But, he told me his plan pretty much from the start. He intended to let me go, once he had taken out Calhoun, but... at the same time, I'm not sure Grom planned how he was going to walk away from that fight. He had hoped Calhoun would meet him alone, but when he didn't, I think he knew he wasn't getting away. But it didn't change his plans. Vengeance was all that he wanted, even if he died in the process"

Volcan pulled Luke tighter to him. "But... I think I understand his resentment of me, now. Yeah, he let it be an excuse, but the fact that he lost people he cared about, and I didn't... I suppose he took it as an insult, like some divine intervention showed me mercy but denied it to him. Now, he has nothing left to lose at all... I suspect he'll hate me now more than ever before."

Luke sighed and held on to Volcan just as tightly, rubbing his cheek along the Blaziken's chest feathers for some measure of comfort. "So what if he hates you?" He asked softly. "That still doesn't mean he can get away with kidnapping you. Regardless of his situation, he's going to get what's coming to him for this transgression," He added as he lifted his gaze to meet Volcan's. "I'm not losing you, Volcan... even if I have to stay attached to you from the hip from now on."

"Might be kinda hard with you working down here in Hadleigh," Volcan remarked, earning a scathing look from the Lucario. "I'm kidding. I think both our teams have earned a break, so I'll stay here in Hadleigh until your work with the council is done, and then we can go home." He frowned at that. "Though... our home is trashed, now. I'm sorry, Luke... Grom wrecked your house when he attacked me. Sickle told me the whole place has collapsed."

"Then we can add property damage to the list of crimes Grom will have to answer for." Luke remarked scornfully, then sighed and lifted his gaze to look at Volcan. "Though with that said... I suppose we'll have to build up our own home from scratch just like your teammates, huh?"

"Looks that way," he replied, nodding. "Still, you brought me back from the brink in that house, and it was where we confessed and where we..." he blushed. "First made love together. I was looking forward to making it our permanent marital home."

"Me too. It also just occurred to me that Nido's not going to be very happy to see the home he built for me now nothing but ruins, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Luke remarked with a shrug. "Though... on the topic of construction. I think I might know someone that could help us build our new home." He added.

"Perfect. We'll need all the help we can get," replied Volcan.

After a moment of watching Hadleigh grow closer, Volcan pulled Luke tighter to him then, and turned to face him before he picked up his lover to kiss him passionately, his embrace tightening as he pulled him deep into it. Luke dove right into the kiss without hesitation, his cheeks turning slightly red as they expressed their love to one another once more, relieved to be together again

"Welcome home, my love," Luke whispered softly during their exchange, small tears of joy running down his cheeks.

"I missed you so much, Luke..." he returned. "I know I've said it several times now... but it was a long journey without you."

"I know. I'm just glad it's over and done, and we're back where we belong."

"With each other."

"For all eternity." Luke remarked, lifting his paws to cup Volcan's cheeks as they embraced one another tightly, staring into his lover's radiant eyes with a loving smile.

They stood there in each other's arms until they felt the airship going into a vertical descent. They looked over the railing, and saw the streets of Hadleigh slowly coming up to meet them.

"Good to see familiar territory," said Volcan. "I think I missed this place almost as much as I missed Azure." He chuckled, to show he wasn't being serious.

"Well, Hadleigh does have a lot going for it, so I can't really fault you for thinking such thoughts." Luke said with a small laugh of his own. "It is a bustling city after all, offering more amenities that Azure couldn't even begin to fathom."

"Eh, might start to feel a bit too crowded overtime," replied Volcan. "Still... better than where I've been these past two weeks." He rolled his eyes. "I swear I'll be happy if I never see another pile of garbage or run-down house for the rest of my life. Blackcoast sucked."

"On that topic." Luke remarked, looking up to Volcan, brimming with curiosity. "I still can't get over the fact that you not only managed to beat Sol, but turn him over to our side... You managed to accomplish a feat that not even his father could accomplish...How'd you do it?"

"Well..." Volcan rubbed the back of his neck, trying to find how to explain what he'd done. "Turning him over, I guess I just found the right button," he began, looking over his shoulder to check for the Typhlosion, making sure he wasn't eavesdropping. "After the fight, I appealed to a side of him that I hoped was still in there, from the days before he went rogue. I told him he was never at the mercy of his own powers, that they're his to use as he chose. I may have also compared him to a tornado, flinging debris and causing havoc but having no direction to go. I guess it made him realize he was wasting his potential."

Luke was slack jawed after hearing Volcan's explanation, blinking a few times in an attempt to snap himself out of his amazement. "...And you say I have a way with words." He remarked. "You know, part of me feels incredibly jealous at you, but for the most part, I'm very proud at how far you've come since we first met..." He added as his gaze softened into a heartwarming smile.

Volcan smiled back at him. "I guess I was able to take a page out of your book this time, with a bit of an extra touch. Sol was never going to learn by words alone - he was too angry, and his fight with Torolf proved might alone wouldn't work either. So, I had to mix it a little. It took the realization he lost to someone weaker than him to understand that it's not power that defines you, it's what you do with it. A choice only he could make."

Luke turned his gaze away and looked at the Typhlosion, who was crouched down in front of Caulin and sharing a bit of banter with the Riolu, even going so far as to give him praise for standing up to Seji despite being no match for him. "...Seems he made the right choice." He remarked with a small smile.

"I certainly hope so," said Volcan, chuckling nervously. "I'd rather not have to fight him again."

"Well if he's as loyal to you as he claims to be, I imagine the only times you'd be fighting him would be just to spar." Luke assured Volcan with a small laugh. "On that topic... I have to ask. Would you really be okay with him being on your team instead of mine?"

"I wouldn't be against it, but Arceus knows where I'll put him. We just got Lashanne for the position of our javelin," replied the Blaziken, scratching his head. "I suppose I'll have to talk strategy with him and the rest of the team."

Luke nodded. "You'll have plenty of time to do that while I'm at work with the Council. In the meantime." He slid a paw along Volcan's stomach slowly. "When we land, I'll treat to you whatever your heart desires. After everything you've been through, you deserve one hell of a reward."

"I'll start with a bed I'm not hogtied on top of, with a side helping of my favourite person to join me," he joked, putting an arm over Luke again. "Maybe some nachos to snack on?" He added with a shrug.

Luke shot him an incredulous look. "...Nachos? Really?" He asked. "Love, you're talking to a self made chef here. Surely you hanker for something more hearty than just nachos." He remarked.

"Hey, I've been eating preserved food for a month now. At this point I might even go for sushi, just to have something fresh."

~~~~~

Moments later, the airship finally stopped its descent, and everyone was free to disembark at their leisure. Luke and Volcan were the first ones off the ship, ready to take a walk through town and stretch their legs, while Katsu and Tristan went down to the hold to retrieve the captives .

As they neared the street, they noticed someone approaching quickly. They soon realized it was Neilla and her team, running briskly to meet them.

"Volcan! You're okay!" Neilla chimed as she skidded to a stop before the Blaziken, hugging him tightly. "We were worried about you."

"Good to see you, Neilla," returned Volcan, returning the Lopunny's friendly embrace.

Neilla pulled back from him, and turned to Luke. "I'm glad you found him," she said, but her smile faded. "You... doing okay?"

Luke sighed. "Better than I was before this whole incident." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head slightly with his paw. "Though as you could imagine, I wasn't exactly my usual self before and during my fight with Grom..."

"That's an understatement." Luke felt a claw on his shoulder following the voice coming from behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see Sickle. "Still, it all worked out." He added with a reassuring smile.

"Yea..." Luke remarked, managing a small smile to Sickle, but that soon faded as his gaze lowered to the ground slightly.

Neilla looked to Luke, her expression sympathetic as she pulled him into an embrace like the one she had given Volcan. "It's in the past now, Luke. We keep going forward, as always," she said.

"I know.. Thanks, Neilla." He remarked softly as he embraced her tightly in return. "Honestly if it weren't for you guys, I probably would have flown off the handle a lot sooner than I did."

"You only wanted your man back. No one can fault you for that," she replied, pulling back from him gently and nodding in understanding. "I doubt there's anyone who wouldn't do the same for the one they love."

"Agreed," added Sickle.

"Third," Volcan piped up, kneeling beside Luke and putting his arm over his shoulders.

As the four stood there, they looked over as Tristan and Katsu, each holding one of Grom's arms, led the Emboar past. He refused to even look in the direction of the four captains, despite the scowl that Luke couldn't keep from forming on his face, or the resentment on Volcan's. Neilla caught their sudden shift of mood, and turned her gaze on the Emboar.

"Is that him?" She asked.

"That's him," Volcan replied lowly.

"And those are his teammates," Sickle added as Morganth and Quake walked by, escorted by Kage, Shamshir and Sol. "They surrendered willingly, after they found out Grom hadn't been keeping them in the loop about his plans."

"What?" Neilla asked, surprised "They weren't after the bounty?"

"It was all a ruse. Grom was really after Calhoun the whole time," explained Volcan. "That part of the plan, they were in on, but they were not kept up to speed on the conditions of why I left Arc the night of the attack. Apparently, they didn't even know I was involved in the fortress raid that freed them. Grom kept all that from them to keep them on his side."

Neilla's scowl matched theirs, and she turned back to her team. "Azrael... show our friends to the county jail and make sure that Emboar gets a cell until the Guild Trial," she instructed. "And if he tries anything, you're free to engage."

The Absol nodded, and with Bree and Aerendyl to follow, he took point for the escorts and started leading them into town. Volcan looked over the group, and then turned a concerned look to Neilla.

"Where's... Sarth?" He asked.

He immediately regretted the question when Neilla's expression changed from a scowl to a pained frown, and she looked to Luke to offer the explanation, not comfortable with revisiting it herself.

The Lucario let out a pained sigh before he answered on her behalf. "He's... in the hospital." Luke answered grimly. "You see, while we were apart, Hadleigh was brought under siege once again. This time, Calhoun sent in none other than Eberon himself, along with Sash to back him up." He said as his composure started to falter. "Torolf's also in the hospital as well, but he's in far better condition than Sarth... He took a severe blow to his back when Eberon hurled him against a building during our engagement..."

"Oh no," the Blaziken muttered, fearing the worst. "Is he...?"

"He'll live," Neilla put in softly. "Doctors had to put him through surgery to realign his spinal rings that Eberon dislocated. Miraculously, none of them were fractured. He'll be bedridden for quite a while, but he'll walk and fly again."

"Neilla, I'm so sorry. If I had sought out Eberon first, maybe-"

"Don't," she cut him off firmly. "You aren't to blame for it, Volcan, not by a longshot. The only one to blame is that scumbag who set that monster loose in my town." In her eyes, they saw a seething hatred that they never could have imagined Neilla would ever cast at anyone, even someone who wasn't there. "I hope when the time comes you guys find him, and you need backup, you'll call on me. I've got a score to settle now too," she said coldly.

"We'll be sure you're the first to know." Luke returned with a firm nod. "We'll need all the help we can get for when we take him on next time..."

She nodded, satisfied with the answer. After a moment, the sour mood passed, and she spoke in a more level tone. "So, what's next for you guys? Heading home?"

"Not just yet," replied Volcan, glancing at Luke.

Luke shared the glance with the Blaziken and grinned slightly. "We have some... catching up to do." He remarked with a sly wink. "Plus, I'm still needed at the Council Hall."

Neilla bit her lip. "You... Probably better you go see Torolf first. He's out of the hospital now."

"He is?" Luke remarked with a sense of hope. "Well, that's a relief... Where is he now?"

"Apparently at Lady Cinnia's place. He's been staying with her since he got out."

Luke nodded, and turned to Volcan. "I better deal with this on my own. I shouldn't be too long, unless you'd like to come with me. Otherwise, head on over to Aerendyl's Library. He's been letting me stay in one of his guest rooms there."

Volcan nodded back, and turned to Neilla then. "Mind showing me the way?"

"Sure thing," she replied. "Sickle, care to join us?"

"Be glad to," replied Sickle. "Luke, you sure you're okay without us?"

"I should be fine." Luke returned with a nod. "And Sickle... Thanks for your help." He said with a nod and a warm smile.

"Anytime," he replied, patting Luke's shoulder. "See you soon."

"Take care." He bade the rest of his friends before turning on his heel and taking off in a trot. "Let's see. Lady Cinnia's house is... that way, highest point of town." He muttered as he turned slightly to the left down one of the streets leading to her home's general area.

He followed the street to the highest area of the city, finding himself in the aptly-named Musician's Row, where street performers played on many a corner to the delight of passersby, many of whom left them Poks as tips for their performances. He remembered Lady Cinnia's house was a manor nearly halfway between the two ends of the street, ironically putting it in sight of the old cathedral being used as the new Guild Council's hall.

From where he stood on the street it was not a long walk to the mansion; crossing the street and walking by three houses he stopped outside the manor. While most of the buildings in Hadleigh in general were made of marble or other types of stone, Lady Cinnia's managed to stand out by having a low stone wall with a wooden lattice archway between the stones, laden with ivy that was dotted with red flowers, and behind it, a cobblestone pathway leading up to the ornate double doors of the home.

To the right of the doors, he saw a wide patio with a small swimming pool, in which Luke could see Lady Cinnia's two children playing in the water, tossing a ball between them. The young Popplio, Moby, saw Luke as he caught the ball on the tip of his nose, balancing it there as he waved a flipper at the Lucario, recognizing him. His sister, Dina, paused their game, following where her brother was looking, and the Brionne also waved at him.

Luke smiled and waved back at the two children, approaching them casually and kneeling at the edge of the pool to properly greet the two children. "Afternoon." He said in a friendly manner. "Is your mother home today? I need to discuss a few things with her."

"Oh yeah, she's inside," Dina replied, pointing to the door with a flipper. "Mr. Torolf is in there too. He looked really sad when he came by though."

That was enough to give Luke pause, a concerned look replacing the warm smile he wore as he addressed the children. "I see...well, thank you. Sorry to interrupt your playtime." He returned with a nod, standing tall again and heading for the front door in a quick trot.

When Luke entered the house, his nose was immediately greeted by the smell of herbal tea, steeping in hot water until its aroma filled the air. He followed the smell, along with voices, to the living room where he found Torolf and Cinnia at the table. Yet, he was surprised to find Torolf with his head down, groaning in frustration before he lifted it to accept the tea offered to him by his host.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"Of course," he replied in her usual sweet tone as she dragged herself into her own seat. "You must try to relax, Torolf. What happened was not your fault."

"But I should have done more to prevent it," returned Torolf, shaking his head. "I never expected Romulus to make a move like that. I underestimated how underhanded he could be in politics."

Luke chose that moment to speak up, clearing his throat to gain their attention before he chose his next words. "I... apologize for the sudden intrusion, but would either of you care to explain what move Romulus has made?" He asked in a cautious tone.

The two looked his way, startled. Both stumbled over their words for a moment. Cinnia cleared her throat, regaining her composure and gave a clear answer. "F-Forgive us, Luke. We didn't hear you come in," she said. "H-How... much-?"

Torolf cut in. "You better sit down, lad," he said, gesturing to an empty chair. "This... may be shocking."

Luke nodded and promptly moved to the empty seat Torolf offered him, setting himself down on it before gesturing for Torolf to continue.

Torolf cleared his throat, and began his explanation. "When you left... A report came in, updating us on the situation about the Crusade - specifically about Calhoun and everyone was at odds about what to make of it." He paused before carrying on. "The proposition to elevate Calhoun's threat status was brought back in response to it, but it got nowhere for a time. You had been the most opposed to the original proposition."

"You won a lot of respect with the councilmen," Cinnia added. "Nobody wanted to make a decision without you. It was back to the perpetual stalemates."

"Oh joy..." Luke moaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his paw. "So this whole time I was gone, the council were at each other's throats once again about Calhoun's threat level." He added before he addressed Torolf again. "I assume they're still waiting for me to return so that we can end this fruitless debate?"

"Actually... no," replied Torolf. "That's the thing... The bill passed. Calhoun's been made threat level S by unanimous council decision."

Luke froze for a moment, his expression remaining neutral for a long moment as his mind processed what Torolf had told him. "...I'm sorry, would you care to run that by me again?" He asked, his voice low as his expression slowly shifted from neutral to one of growing anger. "Because I'm pretty sure I did _not_just hear you say that the bill to elevate Calhoun's threat level was passed."

"Unfortunately, Luke, it did," replied Torolf, sighing. "But only after Romulus shattered the credit you've gained with the rest of the council."

The answer stunned Luke, more than hearing the bill had passed. "...What did he say about me?" The Lucario slowly asked as he struggled to keep himself reined in. "Tell me what that bastard said to the council that made them lose their respect for me."

"He called your actions, specifically leaving to carry out Volcan's rescue... self-serving," replied Cinnia, regretfully. "That you fail to see beyond your emotions, and that waiting for your return would change nothing. In the end, the council decided that he was right, and that a decision had to be reached, with or without you..."

Luke then remembered all of the times Kage would scold him for letting his emotions guide his actions rather than taking a step back to look at the bigger picture, but remembering all of that only served to infuriate Luke even further. He quickly shot to his feet in such a manner that the chair he sat upon fell onto its side, and without another word he began storming toward the door without giving Torolf or Lady Cinnia a chance to try and calm him down.

"Luke, wait!" Cinnia called. "You haven't heard-!"

But he was already out the door and heading for the council hall...

The doors practically flew open with a boom as Luke entered. He had arrived just as another session of the council was ending, and the other captains were on their way out. They saw him, saw the anger on his face. They said nothing, but parted for him, clearing the way to the main hall where he supposed Romulus was, as he did not walk among them. Their expressions were mixed as they regarded him, various emotions worn upon their faces as he passed. Regret, scorn, sympathy, disappointment alike... Some of them clearly bought Romulus' act to discredit him, others were still at odds with the decision, including Cedaris and Meilin.

But at that moment, he didn't care. There was only one captain he needed to see at that moment. He walked between them, paying them no mind as they exited the building, and he entered the main chamber. As he expected, there was Romulus in his usual place, his eyes on a paper laying on the table in front of him. He turned to look at Luke after a moment, regarding him coolly.

"So, you made it back," he said, nonchalant. "I suppose your mission was successful then?"

Luke nearly lost it at that moment, infuriated by how casual Romulus was being. Like he hadn't done anything wrong at all. He growled and slammed his paws heavily on the table, causing it to groan in protest before he spoke up.

"You callous, unbelievable bastard!!" He roared furiously at the Houndoom. "Using my departure to save my fiance as leverage to sway the council into your way of thinking? Really? Is there _any_level you won't stoop to in order to get what you want?" He demanded, almost screaming in Romulus' face.

"All I want, Luke," Romulus replied evenly. "Is to bring this crisis to an end, and I will go to many lengths to see that happen."

"Including backstabbing your own allies??" Luke further reamed, once more slamming his paws on the table angrily. "I _trusted_you, Romulus! For the first time since the siege of Calhoun's fortress I actually put my faith in you! E_specially_after you came forward and disclosed the possibility of a mole within our ranks! I really thought you were changing into something better! But no. You're just the same old Hound of Terror that will go to any length to get what _he_wants beneath that facade of wanting to end a crisis as quickly as possible!!"

Luke took a moment to catch his breath after he finished his tirade before he continued. "What if our positions were swapped, Romulus?? What if it was someone _YOU_loved that was being kidnapped and potentially being handed off to our enemy?? You can't tell me you wouldn't at least entertain the idea of rushing to save them!!"

Romulus let out a slow breath, his eyes narrowing. "That is not a question I can answer," he said. "Unlike yourself, Luke, I _have_no such vulnerabilities."

"_Bullshit!!_What if it were one of your teammates?? Surely you'd risk life and limb to ensure their safety just as much as the public you swore to protect!!"

"When you put it like that, then I can offer you an answer," the Houndoom answered patiently. "If it were one of my team, yes, I would _want_to help them. But while I'm on this council, I'd understand there is a bigger picture than my personal ties, and trust someone as capable - if not more so, to carry out the rescue mission. Exactly what I suggested to you the day you stormed out of here. How can the council depend on you if you might run off the next time your friends are in danger?"

"I made a damn promise to that Blaziken that I would never abandon him no matter the case. His life was in danger and I was _not_going to allow that monster to get his hands on him." Luke countered, seething in anger as he spoke back to the Houndoom. "The oath we took when we first joined the Guilds doesn't stop at the general public. It includes _every_living Pokemon on the surface of the earth."

He then shook his head as he changed topics. "I really hoped you were better than this, Romulus. I _wanted_to believe you were a changed man after we worked together to not only expose the mole hidden within our ranks, but when we all stood together to defeat Eberon when he besieged the city... but that was wishful thinking. You've gone back to your old ways of using fear and intimidation to get what you want, and now you can add backstabbing to your repertoire of underhanded tactics."

Luke then pressed his paws on the table as he leaned closer to Romulus, practically butting heads with him as he shot daggers into his eyes. "...You're no better than the monster we're fighting against..."

In that instant, Romulus' eyes seemed to light up like a gas fire, going wide in alarm but the pupils shrinking to the size of beads. Suddenly, he snapped forward. His horns slammed into Luke's gut as he rammed him, throwing the Lucario onto his back heavily. In that instant, Romulus was on top of him, teeth bared and snarling as he glared down at Luke, who sat frozen at the sight of the teeth.

"Never. Compare me. To that demon, boy," he growled. "Everything I have done for the past twenty years of my life has been to protect lives. Everything, from the day I cast out the rulers of my city, to my actions on the council. All I have _ever_done was work to make the world safer. Don't _dare_mistake my gray morales for the menace before us."

"And what do you have to show for it??" Luke growled back after recovering from the headbutt. "You claim everything you've done was to protect civilian lives, but every time your name is brought up, they don't sing praises about what you've done. They're_afraid_of you. Even our fellow Guild members feel a sense of unease at the very mention of your name." He continued before he brought his legs under Romulus' stomach and shoved him away before he sprung back to his feet once more.

"We're not supposed to be feared, you callous prick. We're supposed to be selfless, generous, respected and even admired. We set the bar for those who want to pursue this line of work, and when you give them the falsity that fear is an acceptable method to maintain the peace, then you make us look like dictators, which makes _you_just as much of a monster as the next villain that might pop up!"

"You need look no further than my city to know that my methods work, Luke," returned Romulus, still glowering at the Lucario despite the levelness of his tone, though his posture was defensive. "I do not do my work for praise, only to ensure the continued safety of those who I work for. I don't seek to leave a dynasty, only a legacy. Maybe I am a dictator, but I am not one who puts his own comforts ahead of everyone else's, nor do I allow morales to stop me from doing what is _right_for the masses. Calhoun is a creature of pure malice and destruction, as much as if not worse than The Black Titan. Such a being is too dangerous to be allowed to live."

"That still does not give you an excuse to stab your allies in the back." Luke pointedly retorted. "Just like how Grom's reasons for kidnapping a fellow Team Captain, let alone my groom-to-be, don't justify his actions."

At that, Romulus' scowl dissipated, and he narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Wasn't the Emboar only after the bounty on Volcan?"

"Give me one reason why I should even disclose this info with you," Luke returned, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Clearly it is relevant to your argument, or you would not have brought it up." Romulus retorted without missing a beat.

Luke's eye twitched. Even in his rage he couldn't deny Romulus had a point, and he walked himself into a corner by hinting at Grom's real intentions. He let out a long sigh before he let his shoulders slump slightly. "Grom didn't do it for the bounty. He kidnapped Volcan to use him as bait in a plan to take out Calhoun by his own hand." He explained as calmly as he could. "He didn't count on him bringing his allies to the drop-off though, but I can assume that he was prepared to die if it meant getting his revenge for his island home being destroyed."

Romulus lifted his head, puzzled. "Vengeance? That was his motive?" He asked. "And where did Volcan fit into that? Why target him, and not any of the other captains, like you or I? Surely he might have thought Team Kama's captain an easier target."

"Because he felt Volcan owed him. From what he disclosed with us, Grom lost his little sister and one of his own teammates during the raid on Arc Island, whereas Volcan didn't lose any of his friends and family." Luke explained. "In his eyes, Volcan got off scot free, and he developed a misguided grudge against him for it..."

"So he betrayed and used Volcan as a means to get to Calhoun, for personal revenge," said Romulus. He scoffed. "Selfish and foolish, using such a-" He paused, his eyes widening in realization. "Wait..." He looked at Luke again, staring at him for a moment before his eyes narrowed, followed by a slow exhale through his nostrils. "Now I understand... You think it was me who reintroduced the bill to raise Calhoun's threat status. You probably also think I put the idea forward the moment you were out the door, don't you? That discrediting you was to get _my_way."

"That's one way of putting it." Luke said with a low growl. "After all, it was you that first brought up the idea during our first session."

"Which I rescinded when the other councilmen chose to follow _your_example," he said. "I was willing to try to see it from that perspective, to see if maybe there was another way." He turned to the table then, rearing up to his hind legs and reaching out with a paw for the sheet of paper he'd been staring at earlier. "It was _this_that made us _all_reconsider the motion, Luke." He said as he slid the paper closer to the Lucario. "Perhaps you should take a closer look at it before passing judgement."

Slowly, Luke regarded the paper, thinking it was just Romulus trying to distract him. Until he recognized the handwriting on it. It was Volcan's - he'd know it anywhere. Immediately, he picked up the report, and began to read it. Most of it consisted of details regarding the mission to Blackcoast, headed by Team Phalanx. He skipped the pages about the individual criminals - although briefly regarded Sol's out of curiosity that he quickly pushed aside, moving to the last page.

"After much consideration, and a prolonged battle firsthand with the leader of the renegades known as the 'Dark Crusade', it is clear that Calhoun is a threat that defies conventional logic and classification. After striking down most of my team, and two members of Team Kama, nearly resulting in multiple deaths, I am now struggling to see any solution to the threat presented that can be resolved peacefully. My teammates agree that Calhoun is too dangerous to be allowed to wander, and I now have to consider the option that more extreme measures may need to be taken if this crisis is ever to end. That is a decision beyond my station, however, and better left to the guild council who receives this report. It is my opinion that Calhoun must be recognized for the danger he represents."

Plain as day, Volcan's signature and team emblem dotted the lower right corner of the page. Volcan had written this report himself, and Luke knew then what had really spurred the council.

"...This..." Luke stammered, quickly shifting his gaze to Romulus for a moment, then back to the report in his paws. "...This has to be a joke. T-There's no way he would consider such measures..."

"I was surprised as well," said Romulus. "But it was _that_report that made us reevaluate our decision, not any actions of mine. The council would not reach a consensus though, since you were the one most opposed before. They did not want to decide without you and I knew the moment you came back you'd be as opposed as ever, and this stalemate would continue. _That_is why I had to discredit you, Luke, to make sure that the progress we had already made wouldn't come to a halt all over again."

He stepped closer to Luke, and spoke lower to him as he passed. "If you think that I am _proud_of that decision, even if I believed it necessary, then you have misjudged me yet again." He looked sidelong at the Lucario, reading his expression for a moment. "Perhaps, Luke, it is you who needs to consider that your methods will not always be the right answer - that the obvious, simple answer may be the only one. Sometimes, to defeat a monster, you need to be able to think like one. Consider that for a time."

The Lucario's expression was once again neutral, his gaze never leaving the report in his paws even as Romulus left his parting words. He couldn't wrap his mind around it; that it was his own fiance who managed to sway the Council into believing that Calhoun needed to be destroyed, not Romulus. It was only after the Houndoom took his leave that Luke tore his gaze from the report to look over his shoulder to the door just after it shut, then he felt that bubbling anger start to return at a steady pace. This time though, it wasn't directed at the Houndoom he thought was responsible for this transgression...

He then clenched his paws tightly, almost ripping the report in half before he turned on his heel and began storming out of the Council Hall to find Volcan.

"You guys had quite an adventure out there, didn't you?" Neilla asked as Volcan finished telling the stories of their mission in Blackcoast.

"To say the least," replied Volcan.

"A city of filth, five escaped convicts-" Tristan began.

"Four. Remember, Eberon was sent away," Lashanne pointed out. "We never even got to see him."

"Consider yourself fortunate that you did not," Azrael remarked.

"Yeah, that's an experience I'd sooner avoid repeating," agreed Neilla, rubbing her chest. "Felt like I got smacked by a wrecking ball when he nailed me with that Drain Punch."

"Cripes, he's that strong, _and_he's got a healing attack??" Hank remarked in disbelief before he threw his arms out. "That's just not fair!"

"That's just the hit I _remember_taking," Neilla returned. "Apparently the first time he punched me, before Luke got there, I blacked out. My... heart might've stopped for a few seconds."

"_What?!"_Volcan exploded, shocked. "How-?"

"Luke resuscitated me," replied Neilla. "Something about using an Aura Pulse to jumpstart my heart. Handy when you don't have a defibrillator around." She shuddered.

"Commotio cordis?" Lashanne asked, as shocked as Volcan. "From a punch?"

"Not impossible," said Serena. "Any fast moving object could trigger the same reaction, hitting at the right moment in the right spot. If Eberon swung hard enough, it's more than possible."

"Indeed," agreed Aerendyl. "What surprises me is that Aura could be used to restart the heart like Luke did - though I am quite thankful he knew how."

"I can support that. Aura _has_been used in situations like that, but it comes at a risk if you don't apply the right amount of force behind the pulse." Minato piped up. "You don't want to imagine what would happen if _too_much force was applied..."

"...And here I thought Kage was the only one that could be so glib." Katsu remarked offhandedly, earning a small sneer from the Greninja.

A moment later, the door to the library opened. The group turned to look to see who had come in, and they saw Luke appear at the doorway to the main body of the library. They started to say hello, but the words died immediately in their throat when they saw the look on his face. He looked... furious. Perhaps more unsettling, however, was that his gaze was on someone - a target for his rage.

"Luke?" Volcan asked, standing up from the couch. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Outside. Now." Luke said in a low tone toward Volcan before he turned and headed back out the door, travelling a fair distance so that they would be out of earshot of the others while they had their discussion.

Volcan hesitated but a minute, puzzled by his lover's behavior. Eventually, he followed him, walking slowly out of the room and out the front door while the others watched in continued bewilderment.

"He... looked... _Very_angry," said Breenelle.

Tristan looked at Minato. "You don't think... Grom broke out of jail, do ya?" He asked.

Minato tuned to his Aura Sense, reaching out to scan the city limits until he focused on the city jail. A moment later, he spoke up. "No, Grom's still in his cell." He said, opening his eyes again. "Though I don't think that would have been the case." He added with a slight hint of unease. "The way he looked at us... It was like he was angry at one of us, and considering he just told Volcan to join him outside."

"Eh?" Hank looked to Minato oddly. "What, you sayin' that Luke's pissed off at Chicken Legs? For why? He did nuthin wrong."

"Minato's right," agreed Lashanne. "Luke was looking _right_at him... I'm not sure he even knew the rest of us were watching." She looked at Minato. "I know Volcan's your friend, but you don't suppose he might've... maybe-"

Minato caught on immediately, and became defensive just as quickly. "Absolutely _not!"_He stated firmly, appalled that Lashanne would even entertain the idea. "Volcan's the most loyal Pokemon you could ever ask for. He'd rather have his hands sliced off before he entertained the idea of going behind his fiance's back like that."

Lashanne put up her paw. "You're right. That was uncalled for," she admitted. "I should know better... I may not have known him for long but there's not a dishonest bone in his body."

"I hope whatever he's angry about is just a misunderstanding..." Serena said worriedly, looking at Katsu and then moving over to his side, leaning against him for reassurance.

The two came to the park before Luke finally stopped walking. The paper bearing Volcan's report was still in his paw, even as Volcan stepped up behind him, his steps slow and calculated. They stood there in silence for a moment, Luke's breathing heavy and ragged as he tried to keep himself under control.

"Luke," Volcan began, pleading for his lover to talk to him. "What's the matter? Did something happen at the council hall?"

"You tell me." Luke growled before he suddenly shoved the report he was carrying into Volcan's chest with enough force to make him step back a bit. "You tell me why I'm so utterly furious right now..."

Volcan held the paper between his hands, studying it for only a few seconds before he understood what it was. "My report from the Blackcoast mission?" He asked, reading it over. "...'That Calhoun must be recognized for the threat he...'" He paused, blinking. He understood then, his eyes widening as he regarded Luke.

Luke hadn't really needed confirmation, but that expression was enough for him to know that the report was undoubtedly Volcan's, and not a fabrication. "I was actively trying to keep Calhoun at threat level B, because elevating him to 'Kill-on-sight' would incite vigilantes and even _civilians_to take action, endangering countless lives! And yet just like that, with one report, you've undermined my efforts and undone _everything_I've been trying to put in place at the Guild Hall." He growled angrily at the Blaziken.

"What? B-But I didn't know they'd go that far!" Volcan protested, looking at the report. "I was just trying to convey how dangerous Calhoun was, that bigger measures might be needed! I wasn't-!"

"Then answer me this, Volcan." Luke interjected just before Volcan finished his statement. "...Do _you_think Calhoun absolutely needs to be destroyed if we're to restore peace to the world?" He asked pointedly.

Volcan looked at him, meeting Luke's eyes for a moment that felt like an eternity to them both. Already, he could feel an invisible wedge being driven between them. He could feel a distance forming, even as Luke stood only a few steps away. But he dared not lie to his lover, nor try to dodge the question with uncertainty. His hands lowered, one of them gripping the report as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, love," he said softly, regret and guilt apparent in his voice as he answered. "But, after what happened up there... I don't see another way."

"So you believe that killing Calhoun is the only way to go about this,_knowing_that I vehemently oppose the notion of taking lives in this line of work no matter how dangerous or maniacal they may be," Luke stated afterward, to which he only frowned more heavily once Volcan nodded in confirmation. The Lucario stepped back from him, the disgusted look never leaving his face. "...I thought out of everyone, _you_would understand how I felt about this. Clearly I was mistaken."

"Luke, I _do_understand!" Volcan tried to explain. "I didn't want you to find out this way but I didn't have the chance to-"

Luke cut him off. "Shut up!" He shouted angrily at Volcan, tears already starting to well up in his eyes. He turned his back on Volcan, refusing to let his tears be seen. "Just shut up, Volcan... I don't want to hear another word from you." He took a few deep breaths before he continued. "...Just... Get out of my sight. I don't want to be anywhere near you right now."

Volcan took a step back from him, feeling his heart breaking as he heard the words leave Luke's mouth. The report fell from his hand, landing on the ground soundlessly. Tears welled into his eyes and his beak trembled as he spoke. "Luke... please... don't do this..." he begged him.

"I said go!" Luke said, almost in a shout, his shoulders tensing and fists clenching as he kept himself reined in.

Volcan backed away from him slowly, his expression souring as he tried to hold back his own tears. He wanted to keep trying, to try to make Luke understand. But he knew Luke wouldn't listen. Not in the mood he was in now... Any attempt to press would only make things worse. Eventually, he turned away and began to walk, slowly, leaving his lover behind, though every step felt heavier, and only added to the sting within his heart...

Luke stood there for what felt like an eternity, his red eyes staring to the horizon with rage, even as his tears flowed down his face, matting his fur and dripping onto his footpaws. Yet he never looked over his shoulder before Volcan was long gone...