FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Deep in the wastelands of the West Continent, the sound of pickaxes striking stone filled the air, rising in a cascade from a shallow valley. Within the confines of the valley, countless downtrodden, exhausted Pokémon worked, hewing the rocks with their tools to bring shining gemstones - Emeras, tumbled from the stone to be collected out of the rocks. Most of the Emeras were common ones; searchers, guards, a few intimidators, even a lullaby Emera.

The workers were tired; they had been forced to harvest these stones for days on end, barely allowed to stop. They toiled until their hands bled, some of them collapsing with exhaustion to be hauled away by the guards... Some never to be seen again. All the while, they remained under the watchful eye of a single overseer and his thugs - a fat Grumpig who even now was stuffing his face as he watched the workers.

He noticed one group was not at the mines and appeared to be formed in a line at the provision counter. "Hey," he called to one of his men, "Why aren't those louts over there working?"

"They're just starting their shift, sir," the Machoke replied, "They're getting their breakfast."

"Fuck that," he growled, "I have to eat. They have to work. That group is to bring me double the haul of Emeras today. And tell them they better find a damn good one if they know what's good for them."

"Yes sir," the Machoke replied with indifference.

It was not as if the miners had any control over the types of Emeras they would extract from the rocks. But the overseer didn't care; this mine belonged to _him_now, and he was going to turn a profit. It had been more than a month since they'd heard from Calhoun; the prevailing rumour was that he was dead. If that were the case, then the Dark Crusade was finished, and outlets like this one were now up for grabs.

The Grumpig had been quick to jump on the opportunity, asserting his authority by murdering the previous Overseer - a Pangoro who would have otherwise been a threat to him, being the only Dark-type among a throng of Fighting-type thugs. Fortunately, that former boss had needed to sleep just like anyone else, and at that time he'd been vulnerable. It'd almost been too easy...

Below, one of the miners - a Scrafty, pushing a cartload of stones, lost his footing and fell. The cart kept rolling, and eventually hit a loose rock and fell onto its side, spilling stones all over the path ahead of him. On the incline, the stones went tumbling down the hill and onto the heads of miners and guards alike.

Upon hearing the shouts of the offended guards, the Scrafty knew he was in trouble. But he was so exhausted, he didn't even put up a fight as a Machoke and a Primeape hauled him to his feet, and a third Fighting-type - a Gurdurr, approached, cracking his knuckles as he did.

"You think that was funny, you worthless little cretin?" he asked, ignoring the Scrafty's attempt to apologize. "Maybe next time, you'll make sure to keep your feet under ya. Assuming you survive the beating I'm about to give ya!"

The Gurdurr wound back his arm and was about to punch when someone caught his fist. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said behind him.

"Oh yeah? How about-?!" the Gurdurr started to turn, only for a fist to connect with his cheek and send him reeling. The single punch had been enough to knock the Gurdurr clean out, hitting the ground with a groan and not moving again.

Over the fallen Gurdurr stood a Blaziken, his wrists already aflame as he turned his attention to the two thugs holding the Scrafty. "So... You two going to let him go, or am I going to have to get rough with you too?"

"What the hell?!" demanded the Machoke as he and the Primeape dropped the Scrafty. "There are no Blaziken in this camp; where did you come-?"

Then, the Machoke backed into someone; his bare back touched a fuzzy surface. "Now what?" he started to ask, looking over his shoulder only to find his eyes on a pale underbelly of light yellow, belonging to a much larger Pokémon.

The Machoke was not small; height-wise, he was roughly the same height as the Blaziken in front of him. Even for his species, that was reasonably tall... But the being behind him was bigger still, heavily muscled and standing a full head over him; he tipped his head back to look into the sneering features... Of a very big Typhlosion.

Without a word, the Typhlosion grabbed the Machoke by the neck with a paw before he could even react, causing him to gag and kick out with legs after he was lifted into the air. Then the Typhlosion wound back his other arm and punched the Machoke in the gut so hard that he immediately fell unconscious before he fully wheezed, eyes rolling back in their sockets as he went limp.

"...Who's next?" The Typhlosion asked in a low growl, dropping the Machoke and looking over his shoulder at the Primeape, shooting daggers from his eyes with how heavy his scowl was.

The Primeape sputtered as he backed away from the two. But like his cohort, he found his exit blocked by another figure standing behind him - this one, as big as the Typhlosion, but with a much harder skin. He tipped his head back to look up and was greeted by an Aggron's clenched fist hitting him square between the eyes. The Primeape hit the ground hard, eyes crossed only briefly before they shut.

"Wimp," Tristan remarked with a chuckle.

"Alrighty boys. Let's clear this place out," said Volcan.

Back in the Overseer's office, one of the Machoke guards nearly broke down the door as he ran inside. "Boss, boss!" he cried, half-tripping over to the Grumpig's desk. "T-Team Phalanx; they're here!"

The Grumpig spat out a mouthful of food, and stood from the desk, slamming his hoof-tipped hands on the wood. "How the heck did they find us?!" he demanded. "Bah, never mind! Get every guard on them, and-!"

KABOOM!

The wall to his left suddenly exploded inward, showering himself and both of his guards in timbers and making them cover their heads. When the last of the timbers fell to the floor, they turned to find that the wall had been demolished, exposing the outside.

Standing in the now vacant opening of the hovel were two Lucario, one in a long black coat, the other in an undersized martial arts gi, and standing between them, a Delphox with shaved fur, tapping her branch in her open left paw - a branch that had been fashioned to resemble a gnarled club.

"Hello," the Delphox said, smiling. "So... Fatso there the one in charge?" she asked, pointing at the Overseer with her branch.

Without even answering the Delphox, the Grumpig ordered his two men to attack. The two Machoke charged, but they were easily dispatched by the two Lucario casting Psychic on them, lifting them up into the air and slamming them together hard before letting them drop in a heap in front of them.

The elder Lucario then stepped forward, summoning a blade made of pure aura and holding it at his side as he approached the Grumpig. "You wanna try your luck? Please say yes..." He said while smirking menacingly at the Grumpig.

The Grumpig swallowed, taking several steps back until his back eventually met the opposite wall. Seeing he had no way out, he took a chance; the black pearls in his forehead glowed, with his eyes matching in colour as he prepared an attack.

But he never had the chance to use it; a massive, electrically charged paw smashed through the wall beside him, breaking his focus as he gaped in horror at the arm, hastily scrambling away as the duster-clad Zeraora tore his way into the room, ripping through the wall and looming dangerously over the Grumpig, the blue lightning-bolt pattern on his forehead, along with his eyes, glowing brightly as electricity coursed along his arms.

The Grumpig once again tried to prepare a Psychic attack, but Koa struck first; seeing the threat, he lunged, and struck the fat pig with a Thunderpunch, launching him into the wall behind him before he fell hard to the floor, groaning and clutching where the Zeraora had punched him.

"Nice entrance, Koa," Lashanne commented.

The Zeraora flashed her a smile and tipped his hat. "All in a day's work, ma'am," he remarked, revealing yet another bit of slang Caulin had taught him over the past month.

"Hehehe, they grow up so fast." Caulin joked, shooting Koa a grin and a wink at him.

"You're one to talk, bucko," Minato remarked while rolling his eyes.

"Alright," Lashanne said, putting a paw to her ear to tap her earpiece. "Mission accomplished, Volcan; we got the boss. How's it going down there?"

"Most of the guards are taking off; mind sending Koa down here to help me chase 'em down?" Volcan replied.

"Can do," she said, and relayed Volcan's message to Koa. The Zeraora was off in an instant, running out the door before jumping over the edge of the catwalk to the grounds below. "He's on his way."

"Alright. A lot of the prisoners are in chains; see if the boss has a set of keys up there, then get down here and help Tristan and Sol unlock them."

"You got it," said Lashanne, taking her paw from her ear. "Minato, watch the boss man there in case he comes to; Caulin, help me find a set of keys to free the prisoners."

"You got it, mom," Caulin said with a nod.

"Guard duty again, huh?" Minato remarked, looking over at the Grumpig and sneering slightly. "Fun stuff..."

Lashanne moved to his side and leaned over to whisper to him. "We agreed to let Caulin do his part," she whispered. "Best tasks for him are ones that keep him occupied, right?"

"Yes, I know... It's just..." He then held a paw over his nose. "This guy fucking _reeks_of sweat and fat..." He mumbled.

"Drag him outside; easier to tolerate the smell there," she suggested.

Minato sighed softly. "Yes, ma'am." Minato jokingly answered, then hoisted the Grumpig over his shoulder and began making his way outside, crinkling his nose as he endured the smell.

It didn't take Team Phalanx long to seek out and capture all the mine's personnel. When they had them rounded up, Lashanne administered a drug to keep them asleep for hours - compliments of Team Plainsrunner, so that they would cause no trouble before they made it back to Gladiator City. In the meantime, after locating the keys and bringing them, Caulin and Minato unlocked the shackles of the imprisoned miners, informing them that help had come, and they would soon be going home.

The relief on the faces of the prisoners could have lit up the night. After so many long days of forced labour under the heel of the Dark Crusade and their remnants, many had given up hope of rescue. Now, they were finally free, and they began expressing their gratitude even as Volcan and the others went through their numbers, arranging them into an orderly group before he reached out to their contact.

'Mewtwo. Intel was solid; we're ready to come back,' he thought.

'At the moment, I am occupied. Wade will open a portal to your location shortly,' Mewtwo replied.

A few minutes later, a rift appeared in an open spot in the valley, and a Samurott stepped through to be greeted by Volcan. Behind the Blaziken, Wade saw the dozen-or-so slavers who had ruled the camp, including their obese employer, and at least four times as many miners standing together and watched over by the rest of the team.

"Looks like you've been keeping busy, Volcan," Wade remarked as he regarded the slavers. "A dozen slavers today... That seems like a new personal record for you."

"Not one I hope to surpass anytime soon, Wade," Volcan stated with a tone of bitterness as he looked back at the Grumpig and his thugs. "The less of _these_scum there are in the world, the better."

"Agreed," Wade said with a nod, then gestured behind him to the portal. "Well, no time like the present then. I've informed Captain Romulus of your haul before I ventured over here, so he should have some cells ready for them."

"Excellent," the Blaziken returned and then cleared his throat as he turned to address the miners. "Through this gateway is Gladiator City, home of Captain Romulus and the Guild Chapter of the West. We're going to get all of you food, water, and proper healthcare, and then we're going to start working on getting all of you home. Follow this Samurott through; he will take you where you will receive care."

The miners, reluctantly at first, approached the portal. Before any of them passed through, one stepped forward and touched the portal with his hand, pulling it back after a moment and satisfied that it was undamaged. He waved everyone onward before stepping into the portal, and one after another the rest of the miners began to follow him through to reappear in Gladiator City.

"Alright. Time for these guys," said Lashanne, picking up two of the enforcers with a Psychic hold. "Let's get them behind bars."

"Right with ya, Lashanne," Tristan agreed as he picked up a pair himself.

Volcan, Koa, Sol, Minato and Caulin all took their share of the convicts, with Wade taking one of the Machoke himself to free up Volcan's arms so that he could drag the Grumpig through the portal. Wade had redirected the rift in advance to take them to the dungeons of Gladiator City where they could deposit the slavers.

They left the silence of the valley, to be greeted instead by a cacophony of shouts and curses as they entered the arena dungeons, and the many filled cells within. Slavers, enforcers and informants of the Crusade all, taken from across the West Continent - compliments of Seji helping to expose locations and caches even he had not previously known about.

It was truly startling just how many the Crusade had numbered; even in their decline, they still had many members. It was disheartening to Volcan, to see just how many people could be tempted to join a band like the Crusade, relishing in the harm that the rogue faction had caused and the lives it had ruined... Truly, the world would be a better place overall with the end of the Crusade.

Once the last of the criminals had been imprisoned, Team Phalanx left the same way they had come - Wade transported them to the city's main plaza, and they were greeted by Team Valiant, having just returned from their own mission. Volcan suspected that was what Mewtwo had meant when he said he was occupied; he had probably been helping Luke.

Momentarily, Luke's eyes found his husband's as Volcan and his team approached, the two greeted each other with a loving embrace. "Good to see you, love," the Blaziken said.

"You too, honey," Luke answered, sighing as they held each other. "Productive day today?"

"Indeed," replied Volcan, "Twelve more for the slammer, fifty or so more waiting to go home."

"You know," Lashanne spoke up, "I think... That was the last of them, wasn't it? Seji did say there shouldn't be many holds left." She turned her gaze to Luke. "Were you guys sent to hit another one while we were gone?"

"Yea we were," Luke answered. "My team brought in another eight enforcers and some more slaves from another mining site. They're currently at the shelters getting situated."

"Neilla and Sickle's team are still out on their assignments as well, though they should be back soon, or at least hopefully soon," Doug piped up.

"With all of us hitting those caches across the continent, there can't be many left," stated Volcan, putting a finger to his chin. "I suppose we better check in with Romulus and Leon and see if there's anything else."

"Probably not, but it never hurts to be sure," Luke agreed with a nod.

Volcan nodded, and looked at his teammates, telling them he'd see them later, and Luke did the same for his team. With that, they headed to the colosseum, matching each other's steps as they crossed the city.

"Something else I want to check with them too," admitted Volcan, catching Luke's attention with the tone of his voice, and the lamentation it carried.

"...I know that tone..." Luke remarked as he gripped Volcan's hand. "What's wrong?"

Volcan let out a sigh. "We've been out here almost two months now,

He began. "The fight's done, and I really feel we've done our part," he looked down at Luke. "I miss our families... Especially Ignus. Gods, I haven't stopped thinking about him for days now, I miss him so much."

At that, Volcan lifted his freehand to his eye, wiping a tear that had crept into his eye. "I think I'm more than ready to put an end to this adventure and go home," he said.

Luke, despite the melancholy in his husband's tone, found himself smiling at Volcan, tightening his grip on his hand and nodding. "...You know? I agree," he said softly. "I've honestly lost track of time until you brought it up just now. I bet everyone at home is wondering if we even won the war out here..."

"I did write a letter to my mother," remarked Volcan, "Shortly after we all came back. But that was still a month ago... Either way, I think we've more than done our part out here now."

Luke nodded softly. "It's time we returned home..."

With their minds made up, Volcan and Luke entered the Colosseum and made their way up to Romulus' office. They nodded a greeting at the guard standing outside, and Volcan knocked on the door. Hearing Romulus' reply, permitting them to enter, he opened the door and stepped in.

Romulus was seated at his desk, and sitting across from him on a wide stool was Leon, who looked over his shoulder at the pair as they came in. "Luke, Volcan; welcome back," he said. "Your missions were successful, I take it?"

"More than successful," Luke answered. "Both operations we tackled went down with barely a struggle, and the slaves have been freed from their confines."

"Excellent work," Romulus complimented, and looked up at the map on the wall. "Once Teams Kama and Plainsrunner return, I think that will be all of the Crusade's holdings that Seji told us about."

"All the better," said Leon, "Once the guild's relief mission arrives, there will be no concern of a retaliatory attack by the Crusade's remnants. They have nothing left now. No army, no centralized command, no assets and no resources."

"If indeed there are any stragglers out there, the smart thing for them to do will be to disappear, or turn themselves in," said Romulus. "They have nowhere else to go now."

"Which... Brings me to what we want to talk about," Luke began, earning Romulus' and Leon's attention again. "We've been out here for two months now, cleaning up the remnants of the Dark Crusade... And frankly, that's two months too long for us." He stated. "I think it's about time we returned to our homes."

Romulus and Leon shared a glance, before looking at Luke and Volcan again. "Well, it certainly cannot be said you two have not done your part," the Houndoom said, "I'd say it's more than fair then. Especially since we're so close to finishing the mission."

"I agree," said Leon, rising from his seat. "I think it's time we all go home then. Give me time to have the Kyogre's Rest prepared, and we can be on our way - one, maybe two days."

"That should give us time to get everyone else prepared for the journey home," Luke said with a nod. "Thank you, Leon."

"Of course," Leon replied with a nod. Then, a thought seemed to occur to him. "Oh, and Volcan?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"You may want to check on your friend, Serena," he said, "She did not show up to join the medics today. I asked Kari to go check on her; she seemed ill."

Volcan stood up straighter, his expression turning serious. "Okay. I'll go check on her. Thanks for letting me know, Leon."

With another nod from the Empoleon, Volcan and Luke turned and left, with the Blaziken walking with more haste in his step, concern written across his face.

"Serena doesn't get sick often... I hope the dry climate isn't getting to her or something," he said.

"When was the last time she hydrated herself, I wonder..." Luke asked out loud, then he sighed. "I imagine Katsu will probably charge through the doors demanding where she is once he finds out she's sick."

"I'm kind of surprised he left on the mission with you if she was sick. Unless this just hit after he left," the Blaziken remarked.

Leaving the arena, they headed up to the city's upper level, and made their way to the Diplomat's Manse. Volcan kept a brisk pace all the way to the mansion, and opened the door gently, remembering that Serena's room was directly above the entrance and did not want to cause too much noise.

They followed the main hall to the stairs and ascended to the second level. There, they found an unexpected figure standing outside of the door to Serena's room. Standing as if on guard was Koa, arms folded across his abdomen as he stood passively, watching the hall to his left until he noticed Luke and Volcan.

"Koa, hey," Luke called to the Zeraora in greeting as they approached. "I thought you'd be out exploring the city with Caulin. What are you doing here?"

"Came to see Jora," Koa explained, "Tending to friend. Ser... Serene?" he asked.

"Serena, but close," Volcan corrected. "So, Jora's in there with her?"

As if on cue, the door opened, and the Salazzle poked her head out. "Ah, I thought I heard you," she said, speaking lowly as she stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind her. "Serena is resting right now."

"Is she okay?" Volcan asked.

"She will be," Jora assured him. "It is just her first bout with morning sickness. It can sometimes strike quite suddenly, and the first one is always the worst."

Volcan and Luke stared, dumbfounded. Then, Volcan began to blurt out. "Morning si-!" he covered his beak with both hands at Jora's sharp look. "Sorry," he whispered through his hands. Now in control of himself again, he lowered his hands, unable to keep the disbelief out of his hushed voice. "She's pregnant?!"

Jora nodded. "Yes. At least six to eight weeks along, she believes."

Luke's eyes widened further as another realization dawned on him. "She... She came into this battle while she was pregnant and..." He was unable to finish his statement but trailed off into another. "...And Katsu let her?"

"Damn that girl, of course, she wouldn't tell us!" Volcan muttered, placing his hands on his head as he stepped away from the door so as not to disturb Serena. "She wouldn't want us to worry about her... But why would she take such a risk?"

"I asked her the same," Jora began. "The way she explained it... She feared the worst could happen. After the incident in the South Islands, she wasn't willing to take the chance that she might lose Katsu... Not without having the chance to be with him and have the chance to give him the greatest gift she could offer him."

"But... but still!" Luke hissed, looking toward the door where Serena was resting. "That was a dangerous risk both to her health and the health of her unborn child! The amount of stress a battle of that magnitude could have inflicted upon her... She could have risked losing the baby in the first place...!"

Jora shook her head. "There was no danger of that, I can assure you," she said. "Stress-induced abortions or miscarriages only tend to happen if the child bearer is farther along. She was still in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of the battle; that's why she had not fallen ill until now, as the child had developed. It should have no lasting effects when the child is born, especially now that she's had time to rest since then."

"Well, that's a relief..." Luke said as he heaved a sigh of relief. "...Wait... Does Katsu know she's here?"

"I am not sure," replied Jora. "He has not been info-"

Below, they heard the doors opening, heavily, and the thud of one of them hitting the wall made them jump.

"I think he has, actually," the Blaziken remarked dryly.

"Ohhh, here we go..." Luke muttered, already turning toward the stairway.

Thunderous steps could be heard ascending the stairs before the large Samurott emerged, a panicked expression on his face as he saw his captain, Volcan, Koa and Jora standing outside one of the rooms.

"Where is she??" he demanded quickly as he moved closer to them. "Is she inside that room?? I need to see her!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Katsu!" Volcan said, jumping into the Samurott's path and putting up his hands to catch him by his shoulders. "She's sleeping. Assuming your crash below didn't wake her," he added in a more chiding tone, matched by a scathing look from Jora behind him.

"Apologies, but I must be in there with her," he said in a calmer tone, still trying to push past Volcan.

"I'm not stopping you from doing that," Volcan assured him, "Just don't make like a battering ram about it."

With that, he stepped aside, and allowed Katsu to continue toward the door. He lumbered past him, gently peeking inside the room first and seeing her lying on her side before he gently slid inside the rest of the way, shutting the door behind him quietly before moving to be at her side.

"...Well, he calmed down quickly," Luke remarked. "I thought he was just going to barge right through us."

Volcan flashed a smile and then glanced at Jora. "We may be heading home in a day or two. Will she be okay to travel?"

"As a Water-type, travelling by sea should not be of any difficulty to her," Jora replied. "It will give her plenty of time to rest as well."

Luke nodded. "Katsu will be relieved to hear that," he said with a smile, then sighed softly. "Just two more days, then another two or three weeks out at sea... then we're finally home."

Volcan nodded, smiling brightly. "I can't wait to get there... And have Ignus in my arms again," he said. "Come on. We should go inform the others."

"I will stay here and notify Katsu and Serena," Jora offered.

"We appreciate it, Jora," Luke said with a smile and a nod before the two of them took their leave.

When Luke and Volcan rejoined their teammates, they informed them that they would soon be heading home. The news was, of course, well received; they were all as ready as their captains to finally be heading home again. There was still a long journey ahead, but the fact they would soon be heading home was welcome news, met by cheers from the others.

The next bit of info they shared, however, was met with less glee and more shock.

"Whoa, whoa, back up a second," Tristan began, "Serena, our shy, tiny, gentle medic, is pregnant?!"

"Well, that does explain why Katsu went off in such a hurry after he spoke to Kari," Lashanne remarked, stroking her chin.

"Probably the most scared we've ever seen him be. He was as pale as a Litwick," Hank remarked.

"Indeed... One would have thought he had seen a ghost," Kage chimed in stoically.

"Wait a minute..." Lashanne began and looked at Volcan. "...How far along is she?"

"Six to eight weeks, apparently," replied Volcan.

"So, she's been pregnant since we left Azure?" Lashanne asked, her arms falling to her sides. "Well, she picked a hell of a time to have Katsu's baby!"

"And it's Katsu's baby?!" Tristan cluelessly asked.

Everyone looked at Tristan with blank, incredulous expressions on their faces, giving off a long awkward silence before both Sol and Minato clocked the Aggron on the top of his head, a resounding thunk echoing from the combined blow.

"Seriously?!" Sol exclaimed angrily.

"Whose did you think it was, rock head?!" Minato demanded.

"Your idiocy knows no bounds, I swear..." Kage remarked, irritably pinching the bridge between his eyes.

"I mean... Look at her, and then look at him!" He clarified. "He's almost as big as I am; how did he not squish her when they did it? That's what's got my mind reeling!"

"Just because Katsu's as big as you, doesn't mean he's as clumsy as you, lunkhead," Hank retorted, shaking his head at Tristan.

"Well, either way, this family's going to get just a bit bigger soon," Lashanne said with a giggle before bringing the subject back to its previous subject. "I suppose I ought to go tell Toby we're heading out soon then."

Volcan nodded. "Alright. Let's go take care of any business we have left here and get some rest. It's a long journey home yet," he said.

They all nodded collectively, and then one after the other the teams began to disperse, each of them going to take care of personal matters before tucking in for the night.

~~~~~

That night, Luke's dreams were troubled, as they had been ever since they returned to Gladiator City... That moment where he'd struck down Calhoun continued to haunt him, replaying in his mind over and over again. Always that same moment, when his claws had pierced Calhoun's heart, realizing the gravity of what he had done.

Sometimes, the dream altered; sometimes it would show Calhoun as a regular Blaziken again - only recognizable because of those purple eyes of his. Tonight was one such night, with Calhoun shown as a regular Blaziken - before his corruption, and Luke treated to the sight of his blood on his paw...

The Lucario had started to hyperventilate, staring at his blood-soaked paw in horror. Then, all of a sudden, Calhoun shot up, and grabbed Luke around his throat. He had transformed back into his shadow self, grinning maniacally as he looked into Luke's eyes, and Luke could hear his voice - disembodied, but unmistakable.

"How does it feel being a murderer?!" he demanded before erupting into laughter.

Luke screamed in utter fright as he shot upright, panting heavily as he awoke in a cold sweat. His face was already tear-stained as he wiped his cheeks with his arms, looking around frantically and calming down slightly when he realized he was still in his room.

He then began to stifle a few sobs as he recalled that nightmare, holding his paws over his eyes and shaking his head back and forth in a vain attempt to get that image out of his head. He barely felt the movement beside him, so lost in his despair.

"Luke?"

The Lucario stiffened, even as he felt Volcan's arm slide around him. This was a moment he had feared, hearing his husband's voice speaking beside him. For the past month, Luke had been suffering these recurring nightmares, and he had kept it to himself, only managing to hide it from Volcan by virtue of him being a heavier sleeper and Luke waking earlier than him. But for whatever reason, tonight... He was awake.

Luke slowly turned to look at him and could see by Volcan's expression that the Blaziken had been awake for some time now. He eyed his husband with concern, and Luke could only stare back at him in silent shock before he gulped and dared to speak.

"How... how long have you been awake...?" he asked in a quiet tone.

He shrugged. "Hour or two," he said, "But never mind that... What's wrong; are you okay?"

"U-uhm... I..." Luke stammered, trying to think of an excuse right on the spot and failing miserably to do so. He eventually sighed and began to lay back in bed again, staring up toward the ceiling.

"I... had a nightmare," he answered finally. "About what happened at the Nexus."

"About when-" Volcan started to ask but seemed to catch on to what would trouble Luke at that time. "...I see," he said and then looked squarely at the Lucario again. "...How long have you been having these nightmares?"

Again, Luke hesitated to answer, even looking away from Volcan for a bit before finally answering. "...Since we got back from the battle..."

This seemed to catch Volcan by surprise. "You've been having these dreams for the past month?" he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because... Because I didn't want to worry you," Luke answered, feeling his bottom lip quivering as he came forward with his emotions. "I-if I ever worried you then it'd distract you from your work, and you already had enough on your plate as it is..."

Volcan wrapped his arms around Luke as he lay down beside him, a chiding tone to his voice despite a rather neutral expression. "Whatever happened to us never keeping secrets from one another?" he reminded Luke. "If something is troubling us, we always tell each other, right?"

"I know, I know," Luke answered quickly back, pressing as close as he could into Volcan as he wrapped his arms around him. "It's just... Even in death, Calhoun still haunts me. You've already had to go through so much against him that it felt wrong to bring up the topic again..."

At that, Luke felt Volcan peck the top of his head. "Is that really so different from all you've done for me ever since we first met?" he asked, softly. "Isn't the point of being married supposed to be that we share each other's burdens?" His hand idly caressed Luke's abdomen as he held the Lucario tighter. "My demons are finally at rest... So let me be a pillar of strength for you now."

Luke's ears flattened when he realized that he was right... This was the exact same instance as when they first met, and Volcan was suffering from his own demons in the form of night terrors. Now here he was in his lover's place, with Volcan being the one to support him...

Eventually his walls crumbled, and he started to shudder, then turned and practically clung to Volcan as tightly as he could, sobbing heavily into his chest as he let out all of his anxiety and fears all at once. Volcan did not hesitate, wrapping Luke in his arms and holding him tightly, letting him unleash all of his sorrows into his chest as he held him...

"H-He... He taunts me... Every night." Luke managed to utter after having a moment to let his anxiety all out. "E-every night, it's the same thing... He gets impaled by my hand... But sometimes, he's a normal Blaziken when it happens - like my mind is trying to tell me he still could have been saved. Then he always repeats the same question about being a murderer... Before he starts cackling..."

Volcan let out a sigh. "Even in death, he still messes with us," he said. "I can't promise the memory will fade, love... But time does heal all wounds; that, I can say with experience. Just never forget that you did the right thing."

"I-I know... But you know how I've always felt about killing..." Luke reminded him, and then absently looked at his paw - the same one that had ended Calhoun's life... He could still see the blood in his mind's eye, even though it had long since been washed off... "I don't think I'll be able to shake this off for a long time..."

"Maybe not," replied Volcan, thinking of how long it took him to recover from his own experiences. But rather than say that he opted to peck the top of Luke's head again, speaking to him softly, "But I'll be with you every step of the way..."

Luke managed to smile, sighing as he lifted his head to look at Volcan gently. "...What would I do without you?" He asked.

~~~~~

The next two days felt longer than they really were, with everyone eager to depart. When Leon finally announced that the ship was ready to go, everyone hurried to board, except for Luke and Volcan, still waiting on one more.

"What could be keeping her?" Volcan asked. "She knows what time we were supposed to meet here, didn't she?"

"I don't know... Mother's normally not one to be tardy for anything." Luke answered, rubbing his chin a little. "Maybe she got held up?"

"Hopefully not for much longer; the ship leaves with the tide," said Volcan, worriedly.

Then, he noticed something through the crowds at the docks. Standing as tall as he could he finally spotted Luminara coming into view. She was accompanied by Romulus, the Houndoom walking at her side as they made their way to the docks, several Pokémon stopped to let him pass when they recognized him.

"Ah, there she is," said Volcan.

"Oh, thank Arceus..." Luke whispered, breathing a sigh of relief as the two of them stood before them. "I was wondering what was keeping you. You get lost or something?" he asked jokingly.

"Uhm... We... Maaaay have slept in a little." Luminara answered, rolling her eyes to the side. Romulus let out a light cough but didn't speak.

Volcan arched a brow, before looking at Luminara again. "Well... Ready for the boat ride home then?" he asked. "Hope you're ready for a bit of a long trip."

Luminara looked at Romulus for a moment, biting her lip slightly before she turned her attention back to her sons. "...About that," she said in a soft tone. "I'm actually here to see you two off..."

Luke's ears pricked up for a moment and his expression went blank, then he slowly opened his mouth, but barely a single word came out when he spoke. "W-what?"

She cleared her throat and spoke more clearly this time. "I've decided to stay here in Gladiator City..." she repeated. "I've given this a lot of thought in the two months we've been here, and... in those two months, I feel Romulus and I have bonded very closely," she added while gently placing a paw along the back of his neck. "If I were to return home, I don't think we could manage the time apart until our next visit..."

Volcan looked between the two of them and gave a cursory glance to Luke before he looked at Luminara again. "...It's gotten that serious then?" he asked.

Luminara nodded softly. "It has..." She answered gently. "I love Romulus... So much that I can't be apart from him," she went on before stepping forward and placing her paws on Luke's shoulders. "This isn't goodbye forever, son... We will see each other again in the future."

Luke lifted his gaze to meet hers, and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when she spoke first. "Before you even say it... You're a grown man now, Luke. You have a whole town waiting for your return, and you have a growing family that loves you more than I could on my own... You can manage just fine without me."

"I-I was more concerned about my brothers missing you," Luke stammered. "Especially Mikhail..."

"Again, they are grown men now with families that can love and support them in my stead," She reiterated. "If you're that concerned, then have them send me letters every so often."

"I'll hold you to that," Volcan put in, "Ignus is going to miss his grandma... So's Rigel's daughter too, I wager."

"I know, and I will miss them dearly as well." She agreed with a nod.

"Before you two go," Romulus piped up, "I have a gift for you."

"A gift?" Volcan repeated.

Romulus nodded and turned his head around to grasp something from the pocket of his harness in his teeth, pulling it free before holding it out to Luke, who was closer. The Lucario held out his paw, and Romulus dropped a key with a ring and chain into his open paw - a very familiar looking key...

"I understand that you lost your boat at the attack on Azure, Volcan," began Romulus, "And Miss Lashanne lost her airship en route to the Nexus. I know it is not capable of flight, but I hope this will be a suitable replacement."

"You're... You're giving us the Trident?" Volcan asked.

"W-Wait what??" Luke asked, looking between the key and Romulus. "I-I can't accept this! If we take the Trident, you'll be without a vessel of your own!"

Romulus lifted his paw, waving it dismissively and shaking his head. "It will be no difficulty for me to procure another one," he said. "Besides. I suspect I won't be leaving Gladiator City, much less the mainland, for a while - there is much work to do here. If only for the sake of the boat itself, it should go to someone who can make use of it, rather than float here in the harbour collecting barnacles for Arceus-knows how long."

At that, he cast a sidelong look at Luminara. "Pardon me," he remarked.

She chuckled and knelt next to him. "You get a pass, dear," she responded while giving him a gentle nuzzle along the cheek.

Luke let out a disheartening sigh, seeing that his mother was dead set on her decision. He looked between the two of them, seeing how happy they were together and reminding him of himself and Volcan.

"Romulus?" Luke said in a firm tone.

Hearing the firm tone of Luke's voice, Romulus turned to the younger Lucario, and gave him his full attention. "Yes, Luke?" he asked.

He knelt in front of the Houndoom and stared right into his eyes, staying silent for a long moment before he spoke. "...You take good care of her, you hear me?" the Lucario said in a firm, level tone. "If I hear that anything happens to her, I'll be coming for you." he concluded, leaving it there for a few moments before he smirked and winked at Romulus.

At that, Romulus gave Luke a warm smile and answered with determination in his voice. "I will give her the best life that I can provide for her. That is a promise."

"I'll hold you to that..." Luke answered, smiling warmly back at Romulus as he got back to his feet, then turned to Volcan. "...It's time, love."

"Should I... Go get the boat first?" Volcan asked.

"Already taken care of," said Romulus, "I had the crew of the Kyogre's Rest lift it aboard last night."

Volcan let out a huff. "Then I guess there really is no reason to delay further then," he said, before stepping over to Luminara and embracing her. "I'll tell my mom you said hi... Be sure you keep writing to her too."

"I will," Luminara answered, hugging Volcan tightly against her before they pulled apart, then she turned and shared a heartfelt embrace with Luke, stroking up and down his back gently. "I'm very proud of you, Luke... Continue to be the beacon of hope the world needs."

"I'll try, mother..." he whispered back to her, giving her cheek a small kiss before he pulled back from her, trying to hold back tears.

With that, Luke reluctantly pulled back from his mother, needing Volcan to put his arm around him again to guide him toward the ship. Luke's heart felt heavy as they walked away, knowing it'd be a long time before he saw his mother again... He felt like he was losing her again, after growing up most of his life believing she was dead - which, she _had_been, and though it wouldn't be forever this time, it was still difficult for him not to run back to her and beg her to come home...

No... He had no right to tell her how to live her life. She had come back to them... But now she chose to give her heart to someone else. Someone he felt confident would at least keep her safe and comfortable...

But the heartbreaking moments, it seemed, were not over, for at the gangplank to head up to the ship, they found Lashanne, knelt before Toby and sharing an embrace with the Meowth. She looked as though, just like Luke, she was holding back tears herself, and Minato and Caulin put their paws on her shoulders as Toby stepped away and gave the three one final wave before he started walking up the pier in the direction Luke and Volcan were coming from.

The Meowth noticed them quickly and flashed them a smile. "Save travels to you guys too," he said.

"Toby... You're not coming with us?" Volcan asked.

Toby shook his head. "You guys don't need me anymore," he said. "I ran the airship, kept it for your missions... But now the ship's gone. What skills I got won't really help you guys out, and I'm a lousy fighter even if you wanted to take me into the team."

He looked past them, toward Gladiator City. "But they'll need some extra paws around here for a while, and I got word that some eggheads from the academy wanted to study the Nexus and they were looking for a guide to show them how to get there, so thought I might apply for the job."

"Are you sure about this?" Luke asked, kneeling to Toby's level. "I know you've lived out here for a good chunk of your life, but you won't have Lashanne watching your back if things ever get crazy..." He cautioned the Meowth.

"You're right, I won't," he admitted. "But I can't expect her to watch over me all the time. She's got a life of her own now, a new boyfriend, a new son-in-law. Life's moving on for her, so it's time I move on too."

"We're gonna miss ya, Toby," Caulin piped up, offering a sad smile to the Meowth.

"Agreed... Things won't be the same without you caterwauling about," Minato added with a slight smirk.

"I know... I'll miss you guys too," Toby replied, and then made a finger-gun motion at them. "Don't you guys be strangers; you ever find yourselves in town here, look me up, alright?"

"We will, Toby," Lashanne replied, wiping her eyes once more. "Take care of yourself."

"You too, Lashanne," he promised.

With that, the Meowth walked past Luke and Volcan, and made his way over to where Romulus and Luminara were standing. He went to stand by Luminara, voicing a question to her that they didn't hear, and she nodded to him, her paw idly caressing Romulus' neck as she looked in Luke's direction again.

So, with reluctance, the five of them boarded the ship and ascended the gangplank to the deck of the Kyogre's Rest. Once the last of them were aboard and the ramps were lifted, the ship's foghorn sounded, announcing that it was departing.

Luke, Volcan, and many of their friends gathered at the stern, watching as they left Gladiator City behind. Luke could see his mother standing at the end of a pier, waving to him as they got further away; he waved back, up until he could no longer see her, though the heaviness in his heart remained...

Off the port side of the ship, Volcan noticed and gently tapped Luke's shoulder to get his attention. Turning to look where Volcan pointed, he saw an old-fashioned sailing ship that they slowly passed - a triple-masted beast of a vessel though still dwarfed by the enormous cruise ship on which they stood.

On the deck of the ship though, he saw five familiar figures watching them, with one in particular waving to them. Calyrex levitated by the railing, flanked on either side by his Royal Knights - no longer carrying their Crown equipment, letting them appear as their ordinary, scarred selves. Zacian and Zamazenta sat tall beside their king, watching the passing ship, and to the left of them, Shogun Hizashi and Mewtwo also watched them.

Luke felt a mild pang of something in his head and knew Mewtwo was expressing gratitude to him one more time as he said goodbye. Out of the corners of his eyes, he noticed Volcan and Minato likewise lifting their heads, like they were receiving the same message.

At that, Volcan smiled. "Well... This has been one crazy adventure, hasn't it?"

"Sure has, little bro," Lighris, standing beside Volcan, agreed. "Almost hard to believe it's finally over. We're going to have a heck of a story to tell mom when we get back."

"I seem to recall you being rather excited about the story you plan to tell Ignus when you get home," Minato remarked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and shaking his head with a smile. "I still can't believe that was the highlight of your life... Not saving the world but kicking the literal devil in the face."

Volcan chuckled. "Oh, don't get me wrong, bud. Saving the world is the highlight of this entire journey... But getting to kick Giratina in the face, that was a personal highlight. After all the shit that Calhoun put us through, getting a shot at his patron was as cathartic as it was... Hmm... What's the word for something you only get to do once in your life?" he tilted his head back as he tried to find the word he was looking for...

"I don't think there's a word for that," Lashanne commented.

"Well, now's your chance to invent one, man," Minato added, chuckling softly.

Volcan barked out a laugh. "With a Librarian right over there?" he remarked, referring to Aerendyl standing over by Neilla. "He'd probably smack me with a dictionary if I tried inventing a word."

"Well... you only live once~" Luke teased, chuckling along with Minato and nudging his side.

Volcan looked between the two of them, and then shrugged. "We'll see if something comes to mind on the way home then," he said. "Going to have lots of time to think about it."

~~~~~

Three weeks later...

Port Azure...

Of all the times in recent months that Luke had left it in his adventures with Volcan, it had never felt so good to lay eyes upon his home as it did now... The sight of the small fishing town as the Kyogre's Rest approached had him - and most of his team, eager to depart, finding all of a sudden that the ship was just going too slow for them.

Briefly, Volcan suggested they use the Trident to make it ashore, but the vessel was too large to take everyone that planned to disembark here; his team, Luke's, Neilla's, Sickle's and Ernoul's alike all intended to leave here, and that was not even mentioning all of the Blessed who lived in Azure.

Soon, they were as close as the Rest could make it, and Leon called for the rowboats to be lowered into the water, as well as the Trident. "My crews will take you all ashore," he said to Luke and Volcan as they came to say their goodbyes. "Before we part ways, let me just say, it's been a pleasure working alongside you two."

"Likewise, Leon," said Volcan.

"What'll be first for you now that you're home?" the Empoleon asked, curious.

"Seeing our boy without a doubt," Luke answered. "We've been apart from him for far too long, and now that Calhoun is no longer a threat, Volcan and I plan to give him the best life possible..."

Leon nodded. "Well, I wish all of you the best then," he said. "Until we meet again my friends."

"Take care, Leon," said Volcan as he and Luke made their way over to where the Trident waited to be lowered, with Volcan and Luke's teams squeezing themselves aboard - plus Jora and Koa.

With that, the boats were lowered into the water and the teams were brought ashore. Volcan steered the Trident into an open spot on the docks and told everyone to go ahead while he went to talk to the dockmaster about renting a spot. Fortunately, they still had his old paperwork from his original boat, saving him much of the time to register his new vessel. A welcome reprieve, as he was eager to get their son and go home...

In town, they were greeted by cheers from a crowd that had gathered very suddenly. It seemed like most of the people on the docks or in the market that day were coming to greet them, with countless voices calling out praises to them.

"I guess word got around that we won," Volcan remarked, his throat suddenly raw and causing him to reflexively swallow.

"Word travels fa-AST!" Luke yelped as the crowd suddenly swarmed him, praising his name and thanking him for saving their home. They then gathered around Luke and started tossing him in the air in a celebratory manner, with Luke's panicked yelps quickly becoming relieved chuckles even as he was thrown into the air.

"Wow, they're really happy to see him, eh?" Hank asked with a cheeky grin. "Kinda feeling a little jealous right now."

"Eh, the life of being the boss, Hank," said Lashanne with a shrug, "They get the credit for the whole team's accomplishments."

"Kinda like me at Team Warmachine's tournament," said Volcan, idly scratching the side of his head.

"Aye, only we saved a team's reputation. Saving the world makes that achievement feel insignificant in comparison." Katsu chimed in with a few nods.

"True enough," Volcan agreed.

The townsfolk eventually put Luke down and began swarming Teams Valiant and Phalanx, giving them their praises and thanks for saving their world. Even Sol received a ton of praise, which took him by surprise considering the town mostly hated him for his past antics. Regardless, he awkwardly accepted the praise, clearly not used to being hailed as a hero. Even Lighris, Jora and Koa despite not being members of either team, received the same kind of praise; Jora looked like she wanted to curl into a ball and hide, while Koa was standing ramrod straight, eyes darting to and fro as he tried to think of how he was supposed to respond.

Then, the families of the teams started flooding in. Wade grunted as he found himself being pounced on by a sudden white blur, forcing him from his feet, and chuckling a little when he realized it was Ray, his girlfriend, that had tackled him. He embraced her tightly in his arms as he sat back up, and then felt the paws of a smaller Oshawott hugging around Wade's leg, which he scooped up in his arm and embraced him firmly with Ray.

Luke's brothers shot through the crowd and embraced him. Mikhail babbled incoherently as he bawled into his younger brother, while Rigel held Luke in a headlock and noogied him relentlessly. When Luke finally managed to push them both away a little, they then asked where their mother was, and Luke had to explain to them her decision to stay in Gladiator City, as well as her relationship with Romulus.

"Wait _what?"_Mikhail exclaimed.

"Ain't that the same dude that threw you under the bus when you went to save Volcan?" Rigel demanded, "And mom's staying with him?"

"He also saved all of our lives when we went to rescue Kage, don't forget," Luke responded. "He's a changed man now... I have faith that he'll look after mother as best he can."

"He better, or else I'll be comin' for his ass," Rigel remarked arrogantly.

"Trust me... He already knows," Luke said with a chuckle.

"I can attest to what Luke says," said Volcan, coming to stand beside the Lucario, followed by his brother.

"Also, Rigel, I don't think you should go making threats to someone like Romulus," Lighris added, snickering. "Right now, that guy's the top Gold Captain in the world and he took down an alien Pokémon that was as powerful as Giratina, practically by himself. I think he'd clobber you."

"That being said, this is Luminara we're talking about," Volcan added, "I'm pretty sure if Romulus did have any ill intentions, she'd make him regret it. Not that I really think he does."

"Like I said, he better not," Rigel repeated, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Then, a series of excited, high-pitched yips filled the air, causing them to turn and see a light brown blur running right for Volcan. The sound of those familiar yips sent Volcan's heart soaring, and he knelt with his arms open to catch the brown blur as they practically flew into his arms.

"Ignus!" he practically cried as he hugged the Rockruff.

"Daddy!!" Ignus cried happily, scrambling in Volcan's arms excitedly as he held him, trying to get into a good position to utterly drench Volcan in puppy licks. "Daddy came back!"

"Oh, of course I did!" Volcan replied, standing up and lifting Ignus in his arms as he spun around with him, getting more excited yips from the Rockruff in return. "Gods, words cannot begin to describe how much I've missed you!"

"Hey, what am I? Chopped Liver?" Luke asked as he stepped close to Volcan, allowing Ignus to see his other father and start yipping excitedly again.

"Papa!" He barked as he jumped out of Volcan's arms and into Luke's, where the Lucario held him close and nuzzled his head repeatedly while Ignus licked his face all over.

"Gods, I've missed you so much, son... I'm so sorry we had to leave you again..." Luke whispered to the young pup. "No more... We're here to stay for good now. We're never leaving you behind again."

"That's right," agreed Volcan, putting his arms around Luke and caressing Ignus' back with the other. "The crisis is over. We never have to go away again."

"I bet a lot of people all over the world are happy to hear that," another voice chimed in, and Volcan turned gleefully to see his mother approaching.

"Hey, mom!" Lighris crowed, opening his wings and hopping over to meet her, and embracing both her and Volcan in his wings.

"Oh, my boys," Degra said, trilling as she hugged them both. "I'm so happy to see you both back, safe and sound."

"It was one hell of an adventure, mom," said Volcan.

Degra pulled back to look at him. "I want to hear everything. But I think it's fair I let you boys settle in here at home for a bit first," she said, "You must've had a long trip home."

"Oh, you have no idea," Volcan replied, rolling his eyes.

"Frankly, after everything we've been through, I just want to go home, have a nice home-cooked meal, and flop into bed," Luke added with a heavy sigh. "I've never felt so exhausted in my life..."

"Completely understandable," replied Degra with a nod. "We'll catch up as soon as you are ready and able."

Volcan nodded back. "Thanks, mom. Hope you're ready for some stories when we do meet up," he said.

With that, Degra turned to Ignus and gave him a pat on the head. "I enjoyed having you over, Ignus. You keep being good for your fathers, okay?"

Ignus yipped a few times, then he surprised his fathers by clearing his throat a bit and saying. "I will! See you soon, Granny Degra!"

Luke's expression fell flat for a few moments, his ear twitching a few times before he turned to Volcan and pointed at Ignus. "...Did he just...?"

At that Degra smiled. "Did you think I wouldn't be teaching him a few words while you were away?" she asked with a tone of mischief.

"Well..." Luke tried to speak, but ultimately the words died in his throat, instead only looking down and smiling at Ignus before giving a small kiss to his forehead. "That's our special little boy..."

"Sure is," said Volcan, smiling proudly.

"Well, I'm going to head home and hit the hay myself then," said Lighris, "See you around little bro. And you too, nephew," he said to Ignus. "Heh. Still getting used to that," he added under his breath.

"Can you say goodbye to Uncle Lighris, Ignus?" Volcan asked, wanting to test Ignus' vocabulary further - which made Lighris pause mid-step, interested to hear.

Ignus tilted his head a little at Lighris for a moment, his ears flopping a little as he did before he tried speaking. "Bye, U-Ungle... Likris." He tried speaking.

Luke chuckled softly at that. "Not bad for a first attempt."

Lighris shrugged his wings. "Close enough," he said. "Anyway, you guys better see off your friends while you have the chance; I think Sickle's taking off soon."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me." Luke remarked. "We better go see them before they take off."

"RIght with you, love," said Volcan.

Saying their farewells to their friends took the better part of the hour, and brought its own bittersweet moments. But before long, everyone was heading their separate ways again; Neilla and Ernoul and their teams were being sent back to Hadleigh with help from Wade, and Sickle and his team left on foot, taking the road for their journey home. But it was not just Sickle and his teammates; Hank was also going with them.

Luke wasn't sure what he thought of that at first, but he supposed it was just Hank taking a well-deserved holiday with the new man he was seeing. Arceus knew they had all earned that.

When Luke saw Neilla off, he let her know of their plans for him and Volcan to take their honeymoon in Hadleigh, and that Ignus would be coming with them. Neilla promised to show them the sights they'd not had the chance to see when they were last in Hadleigh, including its theatre square, opera house and everything in between. With a hug from the Lopunny, they said their goodbyes, and they vanished into Wade's portal to return home, followed by Team Storm.

By this time, Team Warmachine had also departed, the Kyogre's Rest sailing away to return to the team's island home. With everyone heading their separate ways, Luke and Volcan were finally heading home themselves, with Ignus trotting along with them - sometimes darting ahead and running back in his excitement to have his fathers back.

At the house, Volcan found the hidden key they'd left below the porch - in the event they'd lost their regular house keys, and unlocked the door before stepping inside, holding it open for Luke and Ignus. The room was dark, with the fading sunlight in the west; Volcan found a candle tree and blew flames over the candles to give light to the room.

Volcan let out a long, tired breath as he took in their house's interior for the first time in months. "Oh, it is so good to be home," he said, tiredly.

"You said it." Luke agreed, moving toward the living room and letting himself flop onto the sofa, sighing as he lightly sank into the cushions and practically melted from how soft they were. "Oh, I've missed this place so much..."

"That makes two of us," said Volcan, walking over to join him - having to stop when Ignus jumped onto the couch before him, eliciting a chuckle from Volcan. "Careful son; I almost sat on you," he remarked as he found himself a spot and scooted closer to Luke, putting his arm around him as he leaned against him.

"It's finally over..." Luke whispered as he leaned into Volcan's embrace, idly stroking Ignus as he got comfortable in his lap. "The Dark Crusade is all but wiped out... Giratina is sealed away once more. We finally have a moment of peace for ourselves."

"With many more still to come," added Volcan, lifting his head to look down at Ignus and bringing his hand over to scratch him behind the ear. "Well, Ignus, because you were so patient waiting for us, how about you pick what we have for dinner tonight? What would you like?"

Without skipping a beat, Ignus yipped excitedly and jumped back to the floor, moving in a circle before shouting. "Steak! Steak!" several times.

"Well look at that. He even has your voracious appetite for meat," Luke joked as he stood up himself. "Guess I'm taking a trip into town for some fresh meat. Doubt we have anything still fresh in the fridge."

"Let me do that, so you can do your prep," said Volcan, scooting away from Luke and standing up, "and spend a little time with our little one here while I go find us some steaks."

With a nod from Luke, Volcan left the house to pick up their dinner, giving Luke time with Ignus before the Blaziken came back, carrying four fresh cuts of meat, with a salad for the side dish, and a carrot cake for dessert, along with an armload of other groceries to get them through the night. While Luke prepared their supper, Volcan played with Ignus in the living room, and when it was ready the three sat down for their first family meal in months.

At the end of the meal, while Luke handled cleanup, Volcan took Ignus to his bed and began to read to him, hoping to help him get to sleep - although Ignus was not so eager to sleep, simply happy to spend time with his father again. It wasn't until Luke came in with a glass of warm milk for Ignus that eventually helped him finally fall asleep, allowing the couple to retire to their room for the night.

As they lay together in bed, Volcan pulled Luke on top of him and kissed him passionately as his hands caressed his husband. Luke immediately reciprocated and made out passionately with Volcan, sliding his arms tight around the Blaziken that changed his life forever. He pulled back and smiled down at Volcan, knowing that no matter what came their way in the future, they'd take it head on together...

For now though... he slowly began laying his head on Volcan's chest and sighed as he closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to have another passionate night with his husband, he craved sleep even more. With a final "I love you" from each of them, the two finally drifted into a blissful sleep in each other's arms.

The two could finally rest peacefully, knowing that now there was a bright future waiting for them... Luke's sleep was not even troubled that night; not even the nightmares could ruin the joy for him, now that he was finally home...

Team Valiant and Phalanx's stories have ended.

But the story of the world does not here...

Be on the lookout for Team Blitzkrieg; the return of heroes old and new!

Upcoming:

Team Valiant 9.5: Team Vanguard

Team Blitzkrieg Arc 1: New Heroes

Special thanks to all of our fans who have stayed with this story to the end, and all of those who picked it up along the way! This has been a great pleasure for us to write, and we hope you all continue to enjoy it and the upcoming series to follow!

Written and edited with characters by:

Phoenixrage16 AKA Volcan/The Phoenix Library

Lampshadeheadman AKA Korban

See you all again for the next epic tale!