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Luke shouldered open the front door of the house as he carried in the armload of groceries. At the back of the house, he could hear the sound of light hammering coming from the bedroom. As he entered the kitchen, he heard the hammering stop, and two voices conversed briefly before the hammering resumed.

The Lucario tilted his head curiously - he wasn't expecting any other company today, and they had more or less finished putting together the basic necessities their new house needed. The matter needed some further investigation, he decided, so he left his groceries on the counter and crept closer to the source of the sound, being careful not to give away his presence.

As he reached the bedroom, he looked inside. He saw Hank first, recognizing the Zoroark's red and black mane. Below him, Luke could see Volcan's legs sticking out from under what appeared to be the foundation for a bed. Leaning over slightly he saw that Hank was holding a wedge of wood in place for Volcan as he drove in a screw to secure it, reinforcing the leg of the bed resting on the floor.

"Few more twists... and..." Volcan pulled back his hand. "Got it. That's this corner done." He slid out from under the foundation as Hank stood up to give him room. Then, the Blaziken saw Luke standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey love! Didn't hear ya come in." He said.

"Only because I made sure not to make a sound as I did." Luke returned with a smirk, then looked to Hank and nodded to him. "How's it going, Hank?"

"Aw ya know, usual stuff. Doin' some side jobs here and there, getting some much needed R&R in with my man now that he's on his vacay." The Zoroark responded before gesturing to the bed. "Chicken Legs came to me askin' fer some extra hands in putting this thing together, and I had time to kill, so here I am."

Luke rolled his eyes slightly, smirking more. "Well you two can afford to take a break now that I'm home." He remarked, gesturing out to the kitchen with his paw. "These groceries aren't going to cook themselves, after all."

"Sounds good to me," said Volcan, taking Hank's offered paw as the Zoroark helped him to his feet. "Oh! Also," he said as he exited the bedroom. "We got a package. From Neilla." He gestured to a cardboard box on the table. Luke hadn't noticed it when he'd come in. "The letter said it was a present for both of us so I didn't open it yet."

"A package from Neilla, eh? That's something new and exciting." Luke answered as he glanced to the box on the table. "Hank, why don't you get these into the pantry for me? I'm curious to see what this is all about." He asked, picking up the bags again to pass them to the Zoroark.

"Yea no prob. Hand em over." Hank said, gingerly taking the bags and carrying them to the pantry.

Luke then trotted over to the table and picked up the box in his paws, giving it a small examination and shaking it a little to try and get a feel of what was inside before he started to pull it apart. "Knowing her, it's probably something from the Artist's alley or something." He remarked in jest.

He wasn't far off the mark as he lifted out a framed picture from the box. Removing the wrapping paper that had kept it unscathed, he found a coloured portrait of lifelike detail. It was their teams - his, Volcan's, Neilla's and Ernoul's, standing together at the park in Hadleigh. It took a moment for him and Volcan, looking over his shoulder, to realize it was a recreation of the black & white photograph that Lady Cinnia had taken of their teams, this time adding colour to the image. Every detail of the photo had been captured perfectly, and everyone's body colours had been faithfully added.

"Oh wow," said Volcan, echoing Luke's thoughts at that moment.

"Okay, that is just beautiful." Luke openly admitted, drawn in by how detailed the painting was. "This is_definitely_ going up on the wall in the living room."

"Where should we put it?" Volcan asked. The living and dining room were both part of the same space in the house separated only by a large roll-out rug that sat under their new sofa. Most of the space was still vacant, with only a coffee table and a half-assembled bookshelf so far.

"Uhhh, maybe on the wall across the sofa, so that we can look at it while we're enjoying each other's company, or sharing a meal together where we shouldn't be." Luke answered, looking up to Volcan and raising his eyebrows a few times at him.

Volcan chuckled. "Alrighty then," he agreed. "Hey Hank, when you have a sec come check this out."

"Just about done here!" Hank called back as he put away the last of the groceries in the pantry, then quickly hopped over to the living room and stood in between Luke and Volcan. "Aight, what's the-Whoooooaaa hot damn, look at this!" Hank exclaimed, his eyes widening and his face contorting into a wide grin. "Shit man, I look fuckin good in this painting~~ Kinda wish I could take a copy of this with me and show Gexy back home."

"Can always bring him over to show him," said Volcan, passing the picture to Hank. "I'll go grab a nail and the hammer so we can hang it up." He said as he went back to the bedroom.

Luke and Hank were left to admire the portrait, seeing the lifelike work the painter had done in recreating the photograph. Whoever Neilla had commissioned for this picture, it was a masterpiece to them.

"I'm going to have to write Neilla a long letter thanking her for this." Luke remarked softly as he and Hank admired the picture in his paws. He then sighed and looked up slightly toward the ceiling. "Wonder how she's doing now...?"

"Eh, she's probably keepin busy with work and stuff. Hadleigh did get hit pretty hard from two separate attacks, and they still might be rebuilding from it all." The Zoroark remarked with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, if you wanna see her that bad, you could always just take a boat and sail there. Hell maybe even the treasure huntin' lady might let ya use her airship." He suggested.

"Whoa now, I'm not about to ask Lashanne to borrow her airship just to go visit someone. That'd be a major inconvenience to her and to Volcan's team." Luke pointed out.

"Was just a suggestion, boss." Hank replied casually.

Volcan returned then, hammer and nail in hand. Luke picked a spot for the picture, and after confirming where the support in the wall was, Volcam hammered in the nail, and Luke hung the picture via a string on the back from the nail. They stepped back to admire it, and Volcan put his arm around Luke, pulling him close to himself,

"Feeling like home yet?" He asked, smiling down at the Lucario.

"More and more every day." Luke answered, sighing in bliss as he looked up at Volcan with a loving gaze. "Of course, I've always said that anywhere could be considered home so long as it's with you..."

"I know you have. Doesn't mean I won't put more effort into it," he said, pecking the top of his head affectionately.

Then, at that moment, there was a knock at the door. Everyone turned toward it, and Volcan released his hold on Luke. "Who could that be?" He wondered aloud, moving to answer it as Luke and Hank followed.

Volcan opened the door, and outside stood Katsumoto. Even before the Samurott spoke, Luke could already tell something was wrong. The Samurott looked agitated, already out of character for him.

"Did... Something happen?" Luke asked the Samurott, his brow furrowing slightly as he grew concerned just from looking at Katsu's expression.

"You best see for yourself." Katsu answered as he handed Luke a small note.

Luke unfolded the sheet of paper and quickly scanned through it. "...It's from Kage." He stated to the others, reading through the note's contents quietly before looking up to everyone present. "It says he's been selected by the Council to undertake a top secret mission, and that he might not be back for a while."

"And he just... Accepted it? Didn't even think to consider how we felt about it?" Hank asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, Froggie, that's just cold...even fer you."

"How long ago did you find this?" Volcan asked, coming to stand beside Luke and directing his question at Katsumoto.

"This morning. Serena and I were going to take an early morning swim together when I found it at my doorstep." The Samurott answered.

"He couldn't have left it last night. It takes days to get from here to Hadleigh by boat." Luke pointed out. "Though that's neither here nor there. What gets under my skin is the fact he didn't tell any of us before he accepted this request..." Luke then sneered as he continued. "Romulus most likely had a hand in this... He couldn't win me over to his side so he's stripping members of my team apart as a means to get back at me."

"Luke, I don't think Romulus would do that," Volcan reasoned. "He's a lot of things but petty isn't one of them. Plus, wasn't it Captain Cedaris who put this idea forward?"

"True, he did, and we were all in favour of it." Luke agreed, then sighed heavily and rubbed his face with both paws. "It's just... I still can't get over what he did when we found out you had been kidnapped... He didn't even wait for me to return, nor did he see things from my perspective."

"I can't help but feel I had a hand in that with my report on Calhoun," remarked Volcan, guiltily.

"No, don't you start, love." Luke warned him firmly. "We're past that now. Don't start regressing back into that state of mind again."

"Sorry," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. "So... what do we do? Do we try to go after him?"

"I'm not sure... I mean, it's Kage. He can take care of himself no problem. What worries me is what mission he was assigned to." Luke answered, rubbing his paw under his chin in thought.

"It is possible that he might be undergoing an infiltration assignment behind enemy lines." Katsu offered. "Perhaps the council found a lead on the whereabouts of one of Calhoun's outposts."

"With that in mind, I suppose we'd do more harm if we tried to go after him," admitted Volcan.

"True." Luke concurred. "Although... If Kage's gone off on his own mission, then perhaps it's time we take one of our own." He mused, glancing to Volcan.

Volcan turned to him and met his gaze. "You think it's time, then?" He asked.

Katsu and Hank glanced at each other, both of them wondering what the two were talking about. "Uhhh... Did we miss something here? Whaddya mean 'it's time?'" Hank asked, narrowing his eyes at the two of them.

"What is this about a mission of your own?" Katsu added, looking between the two inquisitively.

"To find out more about our enemy," said Volcan. "We've talked about this a few times, but only started putting serious thought into it after the last missions. We learned a while back where Calhoun is from, right?

"Yeah, he's apparently some warrior monk from the north," said Hank, and then added with a shudder. "Which I_still_ struggle to believe."

Volcan nodded to Hank. "Well... we think it's a good place to start trying to find out how he became what he is." He said.

"It could also help us identify the source of how he became a shadow Pokémon in the first place, and if we're lucky, why he did." Luke continued.

Both Hank and Katsu looked at the captains with mild scepticism. "...This sounds like a wild Ducklett chase if you ask me." Hank spoke up.

"A risky one at that. One that might not reap any clues on how to defeat our adversary." Katsu chimed in. "Is it really worth pursuing....?"

"It's all we have left," replied Volcan, without even a pause to consider it. "We already found out we can't beat him in a straight up fight." He looked at Luke. "You and me, Shamshir and Romulus. Four of us against one. Never scratched him." He turned to Hank and Katsu again. "Then we find him again in Blackcoast. Cracked three of my ribs, broke Lashanne's arm, mopped the floor with Sickle and Kaen..." he paused briefly, taking in a breath. "And Minato nearly died."

The three of them looked away and slightly shuddered at the thought, knowing full well what Calhoun and his band were capable of. Then, Luke added, "and to this day, we still know_nothing_ about him. As it stands now, loathe as I am to admit it, we're never going to beat him."

A long silence hung over the four of them as they considered the proclamation. Luke was not one for giving up, nor did he believe that anything was impossible so long as you tried. For him to claim Calhoun could not be stopped by them, it spoke volumes.

Then, Katsu spoke up. "If you are going to pursue this path, then I will join you." He stated firmly. "I shall not take no for an answer."

"Eehhh... I still don't think it's worth the risk." Hank remarked sceptically. "If it's all the same, I'm gonna sit this one out. I don't get a lotta time with my man, what with our jobs and all, and I'd like to get as much time as I can with him before the next big mission."

Luke nodded back to Hank in understanding. "Take this time to get the R&R you both need." He replied, then looked to Katsu afterward. "You're sure about this? Granted yes, you've missed out on a fair bit, but Azure needs your indomitable strength to protect its borders-"

"Luke, I swore an oath upon joining this group and I once nearly could not own up to that oath." Katsu said firmly, interrupting him. "My decision is made. I shall join you in this endeavour of yours and make sure you return alive and healthy." He then looked to Volcan. "As Luke's betrothed, that oath now extends onto you as well, my friend."

"Well, I guess that settles that." Luke remarked with a light sigh. "Now we just have to pack some supplies and head on out. Of course, actually getting to the North will be the tricky bit, and we can't keep asking Lashanne for help, or she might end up actually charging us for her services." Luke added in jest.

"This time, I don't think we'll need to," replied Volcan. "I remember a port town out in the islands. My boat can take us that far at least, and from there we'll take a commercial vessel to the North. We still need to get that letter back from Captain Meilin on where the monastery actually is, so we won't know where to go until then."

"Then I guess we're stuck until we hear back from her." Luke returned. "Which can give us time to prepare for the journey ahead, since we might be gone for a while."

"Good thing setting up our new house is keeping us plenty busy," the Blaziken remarked in good humour, indicating the room around them with his hands.

Luke couldn't help but chuckle a little, leaning on Volcan's side gently as he looked up at him. "Always putting a smile on my face..." He mused. "I'd tell you to stop, buuuut... I can't not be happy around you~" he added with a wink.

"Right back at you," he replied, chuckling as he pulled Luke to his side.

The Lucario snuck a quick kiss along Volcan's cheek as he pulled him in, then he poked along his stomach lightly. "That said, let's get this monster all fueled up before we continue anymore renovations. As I told Hank earlier, those ingredients won't cook themselves."

"Shouldn't we tell the rest of your team about Kage first?" He suggested. "And for that matter, might be time to let them all know about our plans to head up north."

"We can tell them after we've had our meal." Luke returned insistently. "I've been dying to try out this new recipe I heard about and I need my number one critic to tell me how I did. Besides, you need to keep up your strength if you're going to keep working on the house whenever I'm not home."

Volcan chuckled, but looked at Hank and Katsu as if asking for their input. Hank spoke up first after giving a helpless shrug. "I mean, he ain't wrong man. You've been workin almost non stop since I got here. Ya need yer strength."

"The news of this development can wait for now." Katsu assured Volcan with a slow nod. "In the meantime. I have a certain maiden that I promised I would share a meal with today, so for now I bid you farewell." He said with a small bow before he went to take his leave.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds ta have at it." Hank said with a casual wave before he started to disappear into thin air, giving off that cheeky grin of his before he vanished entirely from sight.

"Oh no ya don't," said Volcan, darting over to the door and blocking it as the invisible Hank tried to leave. "You helped me out. Least we can do is offer you some of what Luke's cooking up."

"Nah man it's cool, don't worry about it." Hank insisted, lifting his claws up and waving them a couple times as he turned visible again. "I was just in the neighbourhood and had some time ta kill. 'Sides." Hank then leaned in and whispered to his ear. "I think he's lookin ta cook more than just food if ya catch my drift." He said with a wink.

"...You know I can hear you right?" Luke pointed out, his large ears twitching slightly.

"So don't stay for dessert," joked Volcan, though he still moved out of the way of the door as he walked around Hank and over to the kitchen. "But you'll be missing out either way if you leave now."

That brought a deep blush to both Luke and Hank's faces at the implications. The Zoroark blinked a few times before he could come up with a response, clearing his throat and tugging at his tribal necklace, muttering something about a 'frisky bird' before he shrugged.

"Ah what the hell, I could use a quick meal anyway." He said as he stepped back from the door. "Surprise me, magic chef man." He said as he turned to Luke.

He smirked at that. "I think you'll love this. Both of you." He assured as he turned on his heel, grabbing an apron as he passed by the archway to the kitchen and began prepping the meal he had in mind to try out. As Luke worked his culinary magic, Hank and Volcan seated themselves on the sofa and were left to their own devices until the Lucario was finished.

Roughly forty five minutes later, Luke would finally walk in with three dishes of food on his arms, sliding each one on his arms to Volcan and Hank before he took a seat next to Volcan and tucked into his own meal. As they ate, Luke was pressing against his Blaziken so much that they were practically joined at the hip, occasionally sneaking Volcan some extra morsels of his plate in a playful manner.

As the trio reached the end of their meal, Volcan leaned back on the couch and patted his stomach. "Another masterpiece, love," he said. "You never cease to surprise me."

"I aim to please." Luke answered, then he let out a small hiccup that made him cover his mouth with his paw. "Whoof. May have used too many herbs for that..." he added, patting his chest some.

"I think it was the best damn meal I've had in ages! Hell Gex couldn't even cook something that delicious to save his life." Hank joked.

Volcan chuckled. "Now you see what I get to enjoy every day, buddy," he said.

Though Volcan kept talking, Luke and Hank weren't listening. They heard it before the Blaziken did - footsteps, coming their way at a rapid pace. Volcan heard the steps on the stairs, but still jumped when the door flew open abruptly. He was on his feet even as a Riolu appeared in the door. It was Caulin, the Riolu's eyes wide with horror as he caught his breath.

"Caulin? What's the matter?" Volcan asked, already rising from his seat.

"F...fight!" He managed to get out as he struggled to catch his breath. "T-there's a fight... in town! Lighris and Mr. Rigel! Mom saw them butting heads and told me to come find you!"

Luke groaned as he heard Caulin's claim, quickly rising from the sofa. "Oh Arceus damnit, Rigel!" Luke growled, already running past volcan and speeding to the door.

"Dammit, I hoped Lighris wouldn't find out!" Volcan exclaimed, following after Luke.

Having just filled their bellies, the two were slower than they normally would be, but they still made good time heading to town. It wasn't hard to spot the battle either, even from afar...

Lighris stumbled as Rigel struck him with the Blaze Kick. He hadn't anticipated a Lucario knowing that move, and had dropped his guard. Despite the surprise, he still only glared at the Lucario, shaking off the pain.

"Call that a Blaze Kick?" He spat. "Come on, my bro had more fire than you when he was a Torchic!" He then flared open his wings and lunged, talons forward to claw at the Lucario.

The Lucario deftly leapt over the charging Zapdos, spinning a few times in the air before he fired two flaming Aura Spheres down at his back as he passed under him before landing on his feet. The blasts, while not very effective against Lighris on their own, still left behind a burning sting along his back that was enough to make him stumble again.

"Oh yea? I've seen Elekids with more zap in their attacks than you! And you call yourself a legendary?" Rigel taunted back as he took his stance again, waiting for Lighris to get back up and face him again. "You're a fuckin joke, ya know that?"

"I'll show you a joke, you loud-mouthed Vulpix ripoff!" Lighris bellowed as his body crackled with electricity, throwing bolts in random directions.

Lashanne had put herself between the fight and the crowd of onlookers watching the scuffle unfold. She had to ease everyone back when her attempts to prevent the fight had failed, and now watched carefully to make sure no one got hit by a stray bolt or flying debris.

"Come on, guys, hurry up," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Someone's going to get fried here!"

"I'm still not laughing!" Rigel openly taunted as he dodged and weaved around the bolts of lightning that shot at him randomly, then dashed in close as fast as he could toward Lighris...

Rigel never reached his target, as a blur of motion - similarly coloured to himself, flew at him from his side when he was only a second from the recovering Zapdos. He yelped as he received a smack along his cheek from the blur approaching from his flank, causing him to veer off course and hit the ground hard on his side before rolling to a stop a fair ways away from where he landed.

When he scrambled to his feet, he was stunned to see his attacker was none other than his little brother, glaring intently at him as he stood between him and Lighris. "B...Bro? The hell man, why'd you hit me??"

Just as Luke started to answer, he heard Lighris moving behind him. "I'm not done with him yet!" He declared.

But from above, Volcan dropped into view, landing between Lighris and the two Lucario. "Yes, you are," he said sternly. "This fight is over, Lighris!"

"Says you! Tristan told me how this little punk sucker-punched you and gave you that black eye some time back, when you did nothing wrong!" Lighris retorted. "I came to teach him a lesson about sneak-attacking - fight dirty, ge-"

"Enough!" Volcan shouted in his brother's face, silencing him. "The fight. Is over." He repeated, slowly and sternly.

Rigel wiped a small trickle of blood off his lip and spat the rest out of his mouth before he looked onward at his brother more seriously. "You aren't seriously defending that spiky fuckwitt and his-"

"You even think_about finishing that sentence, and a bloody lip will be the least of your concerns, Rigel." Luke stated firmly to him. "I don't know what happened to cause this fight, and I don't care. We don't pick random fights out on the streets, Rigel! _Especially against family!"

"That joke of a legendary isn't family bro, and as far as I'm concerned neither is he!" Rigel retorted, pointing at Volcan now. "He fuckin broke your heart, bro! You think I'm just gonna let that slide? After everything you've been through?!"

"We're past that now! We've reconciled!" Luke snapped back. "Didn't Mikhail give you and Mother the news?"

Volcan moved to stand beside his betrothed then, to emphasize the point. He still cast a wary look at Lighris, knowing his brother was still eager to continue the fight. For his part though, Lighris was standing aside, watching. Lashanne was still keeping herself in front of the crowd of onlookers. As if understanding the incident was over, she turned to the people, and began to reassure them that everything was under control, and encouraged them to go about their business.

"...Wait, you mean... You're _not_breaking up with him?" Rigel asked, now more dumbfounded than ever.

"Of course I'm not! Didn't you just hear what I said, or are you really that punch happy?" Luke openly scorned Rigel for his idiocy. "I was angry, yes, but I never gave Volcan the chance to explain his actions. Eventually I did hear him out and...well... we ended up making things right between us." He explained. "Look, I get that you're trying to be a big brother, but you getting into a fight with Lighris is going too far!"

"He started it-"

Luke cut off his brother then. "I don't give a Ratatta's ass who started what!" Luke exploded at Rigel, making him flinch and jerk back slightly. "You're starting to become too overprotective of me, and I'm getting sick of you butting your nose where it doesn't belong, Rigel! You need to start backing off and start treating Volcan's family with the respect they deserve!"

Luke wasn't finished there. He turned sharply and glared angrily at Lighris. "And you!_I've put up with your erratic behaviour in the past, but now you've gone too far! Rigel may have gotten a cheap shot on Volcan when we were on poor terms with each other, but that does _not give you the right to sink to his level and go after him for it!" He went on at the Zapdos, no longer pulling any punches against him.

Lighris stood there in stunned silence for a moment, not having any retort to offer.

"So if you two are quite finished," Volcan added. "Let's all go back to going about our days, shall we? Without turning Azure into the site of a disaster." He looked between Rigel and Lighris.

Rigel snorted a little, turning his head away and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If he's expecting an apology, he can stick one of his spikes where the sun don't shine." He retorted angrily. "Whatever... I'm goin' home." He growled before turning on his heel and storming off in the opposite direction.

They watched him leave in a huff, a silence hanging over the four remaining as Lashanne came over to join them. Then, there was a snicker from Lighris. Volcan whirled on him, and darted over to stand over his brother.

"And just what're you laughing at?" He demanded in a warning tone.

"Not what you're thinking, little bro," he replied. "Just delightfully imagining the day you really make that man of yours really angry."

"Another stunt like that Lighris, and you'll find out long before me," the Blaziken stated, nearly beak to beak with his brother as he glared into his eyes. "Now, I trust you have somewhere better to be?"

"Yeah I'll... I'll head out," he replied, opening his wings and taking to the air.

They watched him pick up speed as he flew over the town, and only once he was gone did Lashanne finally speak. "Thanks for the quick response," she said. "I didn't know how I was going to break that up. Lighris just dive bombed him and they started yelling and, well, you can guess the rest."

Luke gave a heavy sigh and rubbed his snout with paw. "To be frank, I should have seen this coming after Rigel's last attempt at beating you down, love." He remarked toward Volcan. "Maybe I should have talked to Rigel the day after we made up instead of relying on Mikhail to deliver the news..."

"It was oversight on both our parts... Things got crazy, and we needed time to recuperate," said Volcan. "I was hoping Lighris wouldn't find out about it because I knew that's exactly how he would respond. Seems we both have overprotective brothers - another thing in common." He chuckled, but then scowled and muttered through a clenched beak. "But for now, I think I need to go chat up a certain Aggron with a fog horn mouth."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Agreed... Cmon, let's get going."

Volcan paused as they started to walk, having an idea. "Actually... this might be a good way to kill two Tailow with one stone," he offered. "Better gather up the teams. It's time we drop the bomb."

"Say what?" Lashanne asked.

"Metaphor, Lashanne."

"I know that! But what are you guys talking about - is something else going on?"

"Let's just say that during our time apart, we actually managed to still help each other out in a manner of speaking." Luke answered with a bit of a smirk. "Gather up the teams, we'll explain once everyone is present."

~~~~~

Teams Valiant and Phalanx were quick to round up at the call of their captain's, rallying outside of Team Phalanx's new homes. Luke's team was quick to gather - sans Hank who was still at the house with Caulin after Volcan and Luke had run out. When everyone was present, it was up to Luke to speak first, starting with the message Kage had left and catching Doug and Eagle Eye up on their absent team member.

"So Froggie got called upon by the council to do a super secret mission eh?" Eagle Eye chirped, ruffling his feathers a little after he spoke. "Well, I can't help but feel a_little_ jealous after hearing that. I kinda wanna get in on that sorta action."

"Be that as it may, why didn't Kage tell us?" Doug piped up from the tub he rested in, extracted so that he could enter the house. He was feeling quite annoyed by this latest reveal, each of his three heads expressing the same thoughts. "Dang it, this feels like the other missions I couldn't be a part of. I_hate_ being left outta the loop! It signifies a lack of trust if you ask me."

"Whaddya suppose they sent him off to do?" Tristan asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Given his skill set, they probably have him out on a reconnaissance and espionage task." Luke answered. "He_was_ a former assassin before he joined my team."

"Hopefully not by himself." Minato added. "If he's been sent to spy on our enemies on his own, they'd be placing a death sentence on him."

"Should we consider going after him?" Serena asked, concerned.

"We already considered that," Volcan replied, shaking his head. "If he is going on a mission that'll take him into hostile territory, seeking him out could expose him and put him in more danger."

"For now, we're just going to have to trust that he'll come back safely." Luke stated. "Personal gripes aside, the council won't be stupid to send Kage on this mission alone. He'll likely have a small unit with him for this mission." He concluded. "Which leads us to our second topic." He added, looking to Volcan to continue.

Volcan nodded, and took his turn to deliver an explanation to the teams. He told them what he had already passed along to Hank and Katsu and discussed among themselves. He reminded them of how they had learned that Calhoun might have been a warrior monk from the northern lands, of the same order that the captain of Team Tao was from, and how she had told Luke that their northern monastery had gone dark.

"Fighting Calhoun hasn't worked," he said as he went on, seeing the skepticism painted on many of their faces. "We're running out of options. We know beating him is... Difficult. I don't want to say impossible, but even an attack that should have killed him," he regarded Minato, "only kept him down for a momentt. We're hoping that maybe by finding out who Calhoun was, we can learn how he became what he is and maybe, just maybe, find some definitive way to stop him."

Volcan looked at Sol. "We know Blessed Pokemon like Sol are immune to the curse of the Shadow Corruption," he continued. "Sol found that out for us when Calhoun tried to corrupt him, and Reshiram's divine essence repelled it." He looked at Luke. "We also know the corruption manifests as Aura, and someone capable of manipulating Aura like Lucario can extract it if the infected isn't too far gone. But that's _extremely_risky."

He looked at the others again. "We need another option. What we have now are, at best, contingencies. A Blessed, or an Aura Master. But we need more than that, and this is the only way we can think of to find it."

Sol grumbled irritably as he scratched the back of his head. "Damnit, old man. Of all the times fer you to skip town..." He grit his teeth for a moment before signing heavily. "Well, I could ask Luna if he'd wanna help, though I suspect he'll refuse. He'd rather just sit idly by and let his own talents go to waste than start fighting again..."

"Seasoned aura users are few and far apart as well, my species notwithstanding." Minato piped up. "That being said, we have an entire family here composed of them. Perhaps they'd get involved if we-."

Luke cut him off immediately. "Mikhail detests fighting and Rigel has a family of his own to look after; and even if they wanted to help they'd only be putting themselves at risk, because out of the three of us I'm the most proficient in using our gifts." He explained. "And as for my mother, I lost her once already. I won't ask her to put her life in danger like this."

"...Well I tried." The elder Lucario muttered.

"It's too great a risk," said Volcan. "Drawing the corruption out of Lugia required Luke to take that dark power into himself. However brief it was, it could've taken him over if he hadn't cast it out." Volcan shook his head. "We can't be dependent on it - one slip up, and one more addition to Calhoun's army."

"Well, unless you guys find anything out at this temple place, we don't seem to have any other options." Minato pointed out. "Unless we find more legendaries and try to harness their power, we're stuck with what we have."

"Yea, don't put too much stock in that idea," Sol put in. "Bein' a Blessed ain't all it's cracked up to be. It takes a long time to get down, and if ya aren't in sync..." He then made a slashing motion with his paw across his neck to emphasize his point. "You're toast."

"This is all we have left to try, Minato," Volcan spoke up again. "Otherwise, the next time we run into Calhoun will end as last time did, only one of us might not walk away from it." His hands clenched into fists as he tightened his resolve, speaking with more strength than even Minato had ever heard him with. "I have to try... if it means saving my friends and family from being more victims, I _have_to take that chance."

Minato sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his snout with his paw as he weighed the situation in front of him. "Then I hope for all our sakes you find _something_we can use to our advantage..." He remarked solemnly.

"Well, I'm gonna be gone a long time, old friend," Volcan remarked, walking up to Minato and clapping him on the shoulder. "You have plenty of time to find something better, then you can say 'I told you so.'."

Minato couldn't help but smirk from how volcan worded that statement. "It's on then." He retorted as he shot a challenging glance back at the Blaziken.

"So..." Lashanne started to say, looking down at Caulin who stood between her and Minato. She could see he wanted to say something but was having trouble. "How long until you go on this little... expedition?" She asked.

"We're still waiting on some information," replied Volcan. "We only know the monastery is up somewhere in the north, but we don't know where. We sent a letter to Team Tao's captain hoping she might be able to help us out."

"When we do hear from her eventually, we plan to leave right away." Luke added as well. "The sooner we depart, the sooner we can start tracking down clues about Calhoun's origins and any possible way to defeat him... Of course, that's _if_we hear back from her."

"You don't think she'll respond?" Doug asked.

"Well, I did leave a bad impression on the Council after I tendered my resignation..." Luke answered, flattening his ears some. "I might have lost a fair amount of respect from them as a result of my actions..."

"Surely not _all_of them are going to hold that against you?" Serena offered. "Any of them would've done the same if someone they loved was in danger. Did the captain of Tao seem like she would?"

"Honestly, out of all the council members there, she was the hardest to read." Luke answered. "She seemed rather... indifferent. Like she was only there out of necessity and nothing else."

"A byproduct of the isolated lifestyle, perhaps," suggested Lashanne, rubbing her chin in thought. "Monks tend to live away from modern society, dedicated to a life of meditation, martial arts and spiritual balance. That she leads a rescue team means she's willing to put those skills to use for the benefit of others, but for her character. Hard to say. Especially having not seen her myself."

"When we got that parcel from Neilla today I partially hoped it'd be the message from Meilin," admitted Volcan.

"Oh? What'd she send you guys?" Lashanne asked.

"A little present for all of us, actually," replied Volcan. "We'll show you in a bit." He looked at Luke. "Think there's anything else to add or, did we cover everything?"

"I think that's about all." Luke answered. "Unless you think I missed anything, I'd say we've said about all we have to say. It's just a matter of waiting for a response now."

"I guess this concludes the meeting then," said Volcan.

"So, I guess we just go on about our days until you guys get the call to head out." Doug remarked, looking around the rest of the teams present. "However long that takes."

"Hopefully soon." Luke answered with a heavy sigh.

~~~~~

After the teams dispersed for the day, Volcan and Hank went back to working on the bedframe they'd been building earlier. By the time night rolled around, they managed to finish the supports and added the mattress and box spring. Volcan dropped onto the bed to test it, and when the supports didn't collapse, he sat up and gave an approving nod to Hank. He thanked the Zoroark for his help, and Hank headed home for the night.

Volcan and Luke slept soundly that night on their newly constructed bed. As always, Luke was the first to awaken the next morning, but found it was much earlier than he usually did when he looked out the window. The sun hadn't even started to come up yet. Squinting his eyes to look at the clock, he saw it was at least another twenty minutes before it rose. He decided to let Volcan keep sleeping, and surprise him with a hearty breakfast when he woke up. Sliding out of the bed and tip-toing out of the room, he headed for the kitchen.

As Luke downed a glass of water, he heard something pushed through the mailslot on the door. He turned, and saw an envelope lying on the floor. Outside, he heard wings flapping as the postman who delivered it flew away. _'Strange,'_he thought. It was too early for the Pelipper postal service to be starting deliveries.

He slowly approached the letter that had dropped through the mail, kneeling down and picking up the letter gingerly in his paws. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over the envelope, having to walk over to one of the nearby light switches and flicking it on just to read who it was from. The letter didn't have a return address, but it was sealed with a wax imprint that Luke recognized. It was the emblem of Team Tao - he remembered seeing it on Meilin when he first met her, resembling a Yin and Yang symbol with a outer ring.

Her reply had finally arrived.

His eyes widened in realization, and soon a gleeful smile started spreading across his face as he quickly turned on his heel and bolted back to the bedroom. He practically _slammed_the door open with such force that the room shook, no doubt stirring Volcan with a jump, before he announced in a loud, ecstatic tone.

"It's here!!"

Volcan sat bolt upright, launching the blanket into the air as he sat up, only for it to fall over him again. "Ah! Fucking-!" He pulled it off him, shaking his head and looking around the room. "What, what? Where's the fire?" He babbled, still waking up.

"No, no fire love! The letter!" Luke stated again, jumping onto the bed and showing him the letter. "Meilin_finally_ sent a reply!"

Volcan rubbed his eyes and shook his head again, looking at Luke. "She did? What's it say?" He asked.

"I haven't opened it yet." Luke answered before he got to work on tearing the envelope open and pulling out the letter inside. "Figured you'd want to read it with me."

"That was worth scaring my feathers off?" He asked, but he reached over to the wall-mounted lamp and flicked it on, giving them some light.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You're lucky I love you so damn much." He remarked, unfolding the letter and holding it up so they both could read the contents.

'Dear Luke,

I do apologize for how long it took for this letter to reach you. I was not in Hadleigh when your original letter arrived. Fortunately, the post office took it directly to the guild and it was rerouted to my location at my home temple. I hope my courier was able to locate you without much trouble.

This is all I can offer for help in finding the monastery. I am consulting an old map used by the pilgrims as I write this, which I could not include in this letter. The best I can offer is that the monastery is nearest to the city of Calygrad. Take a ship to Valvatna, follow the King's Road - there should be signs that will lead you there. Once you reach Calygrad, seek assistance at the local guild hall. They may be able to find you a guide to the monastery. But be mindful of yourselves in Calygrad - things are very different there than in the communities you are accustomed to. I would advise researching them before you enter the city.

Be on your guard. Calhoun may be gone from there, but the area was wild even before he destroyed the monastery. There is no telling what dangers have moved into the ruins. I hope you find the information you seek.

Meilin'

"Calygrad..." said Volcan, rubbing his chin. "Never heard of it. I wonder what she means by how things are different there?"

"Well she did warn us to do a little research before we depart so that we aren't caught off guard." Luke stated, looking up to Volcan. "Lucky for us though, we have a certain Delphox who's probably has a whole library of different locations we could go through."

"Worth a try. Lashanne does do her research," agreed Volcan He gave a nod. "Okay. We'll head to Minato's after breakfast then and ask her." He slid his legs over the side of the bed, and began to stretch. "Not like I'm getting back to sleep now."

Luke gently tugged his arm. "It's still not quite light out yet though...~" Luke said with a smile. "Surely we can afford maybe.... Twenty more minutes~"

"You're the one who woke _me_up," he said, turning to the Lucario sitting on the bed. Then, he moved closer. "Unless you had something in mind to spend those twenty minutes?" He asked with a grin.

"Oh I have a few ideas..." Luke responded, his smile becoming more of a sultry grin. "All of them involving a rather sexy, tasty rooster~"

"Tasty, huh?" He asked as he moved in, pushing Luke onto his back as he loomed over him. "You really want me wearing you out when we have such a big day ahead of us?" He asked, arching a brow at him.

"I don't hear you objecting~" Luke pointed out, laying back with his paws next to his head, then reaching up to gently boop Volcan's beak in a playful manner. "Not that you ever do anyway~"

"I'd be a total madman to do that," he retorted, leaning down and giving Luke a love bite on the neck.

"Ah~" He moaned softly, pressing back against the bed and fully surrendering to Volcan's advances. "Well... twenty minutes until the sun rises. You better make them count, my future husband~" He added with a wink.

"Don't I always?" He replied as he nibbled away at Luke's neck, his hands exploring the Lucario's body.

~~~~~

After a passionate morning, and a hearty breakfast to get them through the day, Volcan and Luke headed next door to Minato's house. The Blaziken knocked on the door and they waited, and after several seconds of waiting, the door finally swung open, revealing a rather groggy Lucario holding a mug in his paw and blinking a bit to try and clear his vision enough to see who was visiting.

"...Little early for a vi-Oh!" He perked up as he saw Luke and Volcan at his doorstep. "Well this is an unexpected surprise. And so early too... What's the occasion?"

"Morning, Minato," replied Volcan. "Sorry for dropping by so early, but we needed to talk to Lashanne. Do you know if she's up yet?"

"I was just fixing her morning caf when you guys knocked, so she's probably just waking up." He replied. "Just be warned... She's VERY crabby when she's disturbed from her beauty rest." He added in jest as he stepped aside to let them in.

"Sounds familiar." Luke remarked offhandedly, poking at Volcan's hip with his elbow. "...Lazybones."

"We'll give her as long as she needs," promised Volcan, but nudged Luke in response.

"Make yourselves comfortable in the living room. I'll be right back." Minato offered, gesturing to the sofa in the next room over before he disappeared into the kitchen to finish making Lashanne's morning coffee, then disappeared upstairs once it was brewed and ready to be served.

Lashanne was upright in bed as Minato opened the door, her head resting against the headboard as she rubbed her eyes. She heard the door opening and looked up at Minato as he entered. "Morning," she said, sleepily. "Did I hear the front door a moment ago?"

"Yea, Luke and Volcan are down in the living room. They mentioned they needed to speak to you about something, buuuut I told them it'd take a little bit." He said as he handed Lashanne her coffee. "Should buy you enough time to perk up and go back to your usual, chipper self." He teased.

"Chipper, eh? Sure you're talking about the right Delphox?" She asked rhetorically, sipping her drink and swallowing. "Did they say what they needed to talk to me about?"

"No they haven't, but considering how early they came by, it must be pretty important." He said as he sat next to her, gently stroking her side as he enjoyed his coffee with her.

They sat there for a moment, discussing their morning plans while enjoying their drinks. When Lashanne was fully awake, she handed her cup off to Minato and got out of bed. She took a moment to stretch and straighten out her fur, brushing it to a more presentable appearance before she took back the cup and followed him downstairs. At the bottom, she moved to the living room and found their two visitors waiting on the sofa.

"You guys wanted to see me?" She asked.

"Oh hey Lashanne." Luke piped up and smiled warmly at her. "We're sorry if we woke you prematurely, but we need your help with a few things." He began. "We just received a letter from Meilin with information about where the old temple Calhoun resided at is, but we need to study up on the location before we depart."

"She said the closest place to the temple is a place called Calygrad," Volcan added.

Lashanne thought for a moment, putting a finger to her chin as she considered. "I think so," she said. "Come into the study." She turned, and headed to a door behind her, first to the left before the second bedroom where Caulin slept.

She set her cup down on a table and approached a bookshelf on the wall opposite the door, scanning the shelves. She selected a book from the arrangement, flipping it open and leafing through it. The title read "A Guide to the North." She tapped her finger on a page before turning the book over and showing it to the two.

"Here it is," she said. "The Sovereignty of Calygrad, the world's largest monarchistic state and the biggest city in the north."

"Monarchistic?" Volcan asked. "As in a royal family?"

"Just one King," replied Lashanne. "Supposedly he's been around for a _really_long time."

"Must be from a species of pokemon that can live for several hundred years." Luke remarked as he took a gander at the page for himself. "Maybe something like a Carracosta or... perhaps a Probopass?"

"It doesn't specify," replied Lashanne. "His name is Calyrex, but there's no illustration of him in there."

"Well t_hat's_convenient..." Luke groaned, studying through the rest of the page. "So it's a Sovereignty ruled by a monarch that's lived for a very long time... I'm going to go out on a limb and say they most likely have their own strict set of rules for visitors to follow, am I right?"

"I didn't read that far in," she said, shaking her head. "But, you're welcome to borrow the book for as long as you need it. These guidebooks can be found everywhere so it's not like I can't find another one."

"We appreciate it." Luke returned gratefully, gently taking the book out of Lashanne's paws and into his own, holding it up for Volcan to get a look at himself. "...What do you think? Maybe a couple days worth of reading? A week at most?" He asked.

"Give or take," he replied, studying the contents of the book. "We want to make sure we have everything memorized for when we get there."

"We'll have to pace ourselves then. Take as much time as we need, but not so long that we end up missing our window of opportunity." Luke returned with a firm nod. "Let's head back then. We've got a lot of research to do, and the sooner we're done the sooner we can depart."

Volcan nodded back, marking their place in the book and tucking it under his arm. "Thanks, Lashanne. We owe you one."

She nodded. "I take payment in treasure," she replied in jest. "You two just be careful up there. And better bring something warm - it supposedly gets pretty damn cold in that area."

"Thanks for the tip." Luke returned, waving back to Lashanne as he and Volcan left to return to their own household.

"Meeting for training at nine, right?" Volcan said to Minato as they headed for the door.

"You know it." The Lucario returned with a nod. "Caulin might want a few rounds with you too, so better watch out."

"Kid grows bolder by the day," said Volcan with a chuckle. "Can't help but wonder if it's because both his parents are bad-ass."

"You had a hand in his upbringing too, Volcan. Don't sell yourself short." Minato stated with a small laugh. "He takes after your scrappy and unorthodox fighting style after all."

"But he's got your spirit," replied Volcan, pointing to his friend. "Seeya later."

With Minato's goodbye, he closed the door behind them and followed Luke back outside. They went home, and spent the rest of the morning studying the book together, learning the facts about Calygrad. One passage caught their attention regarding the laws. The city still operated within the control of the Rescue Team Guilds, but the guild hall followed regulations that were enforced by the royal guard.

While this restricted the anonymity of the guild, they were otherwise still allowed to operate within the city so long as they operated within the laws of the city, which was normal. Most cities within guild operating territory had their own laws, determined by a city council or an elected mayor. But a king often expected to have more control of events within his domain.

"So it's just as I thought. They have stricter rules thanks to it being a monarchy, but so long as we play by those rules, we can go about our business without any hassle." Luke surmised as he finished reading the passage. "That said, I imagine we'll still have to run it by the king before we can investigate the temple, if only to stay on his good side."

"The temple's supposed to be outside his domain, beyond his range of control," said Volcan. "I don't think we even need to be concerned. But, we'll still need to find a guide and there's no telling where we'll find that."

"At least not without asking around or openly exploring the city, which I wouldn't mind doing while we're there." Luke pointed out. "Of course, business before pleasure, so if we find what we're looking for in an ample amount of time, we could afford to see the sights before heading back."

"Our missions seem to be taking us all over the planet anyway. Might as well enjoy it," the Blaziken concurred.

"As much as we can anyway." Luke added. "Hmm... Lashanne did mention it would be pretty cold up there, so I'll need more than just this tattered scarf." He muttered, tugging at his scarf in emphasis.

"I should consider a jacket, and maybe something to put on my feet," agreed Volcan, looking at his talons.

"Agreed, and maybe bring some spares while we're at it." Luke returned, then he froze and slapped his forehead as he remembered something. "Crap. We probably should have brought Katsu in on this. He was very adamant he joined us for this excursion."

"I can go get him," offered Volcan, rising from the couch until his eyes found the clock. "Oh, crap... it's later than I thought. Training's in five minutes."

"You go train. I'll go get Katsu and fill him in on what's going on." Luke offered. "Just try not to wear yourself out too much against those three."

"You mean five. Don't forget I'm sparring with Lashanne and Sol, too," he reminded.

Luke looked to the side slightly and grimaced. "...Yea, you're screwed." Luke remarked, then began to snicker slightly, expecting to be given the stink eye from him. "I kid, I kid. You'll be fine." He assured the Blaziken before giving him a peck on the cheek. "Go knock them out of the park."

"Will do. I'll see you at lunch," Volcan replied, leaning into his kiss before heading out the door and jogging away to where he was to meet his team.

With Volcan gone, Luke placed a bookmark on the page they were reading before shutting it. "Right. Time to get our muscle involved." Luke muttered, and he too left the house, book in tow as he headed for Katsu's.

~~~~~

Days later, Volcan, Luke and Katsumoto finished their preparations for their journey to the North. The boat was loaded with enough non-perishable supplies to get them to the islands, where they planned to sail to Valvatna from a major port town. Their teams gathered to see them off, and they had one final announcement to make to them.

"Since Kage's gone, Team Valiant is down its backup leader for the time being," Volcan spoke on their behalf. "The next choice, logically, would be Katsumoto, but he's also accompanying us, by his own choice." He looked at the Samurott pointedly. "This puts Valiant down to just three members. So, I suggested to Luke that you guys," he addressed Doug, Hank and Eagle Eye, "join my team as a temporary merging until we come back. But that's up to you three if you want to do it like that."

"Hey I got no complaints with that. Not like it's the first time we've all worked together as a single team." Hank returned with a shrug.

"Same here." Doug added, waving his heads a little.

"No objections from me either." Eagle Eye chirped.

"I guess that settles that then." Luke remarked with a small chuckle. "Should we merge the names of our teams too while we're at it?" He added in jest.

"I don't think there's an eligible way to merge words like Valiant and Phalanx," replied Volcan with a chuckle. "And who shall we appoint as temporary captain?"

"In my team, the most logical choice would be Kage, but since he's gone, I suppose we should name someone from your team who's capable of taking the mantle; at least until we get back." Luke answered.

"And therein lies the question," Volcan said, rubbing his chin as he looked among his team members in consideration. "I think... it should be a joint command, in this case."

"A what?" Tristan asked, scratching his head.

"Leadership shared by two or more," Serena answered for the Aggron.

"The only one with any experience here_leading_a team, is actually Eagle Eye," said Volcan. "But he's used to leading an air troop, not a ground one. And he's the only one that can fly among those we have present. So..." he looked at Lashanne. "I think Lashanne would be a good pick."

Lashanne jerked slightly. "Wait, me?" She said. "But aside from Sol I'm the newest one here. Why pick me?"

"Maybe because he has faith in you?" Minato pointed out, placing his paw gently on her shoulder. "You're the smartest among us, hon. You've got logical and analytical abilities that are pretty much on par with Volcan's ability to think outside the box."

"He's got a point, Lashanne." Luke concurred. "I'd say you've got this. If anyone can lead Team Phalanx in Volcan's place, it'd be you."

"Eagle Eye has the experience, but you've got the head for it," Volcan added. "I think having you two is the best way to go."

Lashanne turned to look at Eagle Eye, wondering what he thought of the idea. He flapped his wings a few times as he gave his two cents on the matter. "Hey, I'd be game for it if you are. Someone's gotta keep my feet on the ground, so to speak."

"Well, if you really think I'm right for it, Volcan," said Lashanne. "I'll give it a shot."

Volcan nodded. "I'm counting on you," he said, and then cast a long look over the team, before settling his gaze on Luke. "I guess there's no putting it off any longer. We should be on our way while the tide's with us."

"Yea. No time like the present." Luke answered with a nod, then looked back to his team. "Try not to miss us too much, okay?" He said with a nod.

"Hey, back atcha boss. We all know how homesick you can get." Hank retorted playfully.

Katsu had lowered himself to Serena's level while the others were saying their goodbyes to Luke and Volcan. "I suppose this is farewell for now." He said softly to the Vaporeon. "Unless you would care to join us in this endeavour..." He offered with a small hint of hope that she would.

"I wish I could Katsu," she replied, sadly. Raising her paw, she rested it against his cheek, stroking him gently. "But my talents are better suited here with the rest of the team - they may need a field medic if we embark on any missions. I feel I would offer little to your venture."

The large Samurott let out a low purr as his cheek was stroked, sliding his own massive arms around Serena and lifting her closer to him, rubbing his nose along with hers gently. "A fair point." He relented before sighing heavily. "I will miss you greatly, my dear maiden... Not a day will pass where I will not think of you."

"I will be looking forward to your return every day," she replied, wrapping her paws around his neck and embracing him.

Katsu felt the same yearning he felt when Serena left to help her allies at Hadleigh, where he wanted desperately to go with her just so they could spend more time together, only it was in the opposite manner this time around. He didn't want to let her go despite knowing it had to be done. Slowly he pulled his head back to look into her eyes for a brief moment before planting a tender kiss on her lips, holding onto it for as long as he could.

With their final goodbyes said, Volcan, Luke and Katsu boarded the boat. Volcan took the helm, and let Luke and Katsu wave to their friends as the boat began to pull away from the shore. Caulin sat on Lashanne's shoulder to get a better view, waving both of his arms to them. Volcan looked out the back to see the Riolu and waved back, ending the wave with a thumbs-up - a silent promise he'd be back soon.

Both Katsu and Luke waved back at their friends until they were out of sight, with Luke sighing a little and looking to Katsu, seeing he had a disturbed look on his face. "Hey, you okay?" He asked softly.

"Aye, I will be." Katsu assured Luke with a heavy sigh. "I will miss her dearly though..."

"You'll see her again soon, don't worry." Luke said as he gently patted the Samurott's shoulder with his paw. "It's not like this is goodbye forever. Hell, I went through similar phases whenever Volcan and I worked independently from each other. If anything, being apart will only build up your relationship even further."

Katsu nodded slowly in response. "Yes, I suppose you are right." He returned with a small smile as he looked back down at his captain. "At the very least, I have something to look forward to when we do return."

"There you go." Luke replied, smiling more at Katsu. "Now you're getting it."

"Better settle in, guys," Volcan called back to them. "We have a long trip ahead of us."

"We know." Luke answered back, then motioned for Katsu to follow him to the cabin. "C'mon. I'll show you how to play chess. It's a great way to pass time and it builds on your tactics and intuition." He offered.

Katsu shrugged. "I suppose I can try it." He relented, following Luke back inside.