FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The team left Tadpole Bay Village behind shortly after the battle between them and the Tentacruel gang, leaving with the gratitude of the villagers in their ears as they sailed out of the bay and back to the open sea, turning their course to the North-West, as directed by the ferry-operating Wartortle woman had told them, making their way to the epicentre of the West Isles Region. Hank and Luke were left to pass the time at the table with a game of poker while Volcan lay resting on the cot.

His throat was still sore from nearly being hung by the Tentacruel they had fought before, but he could speak clearly and without his throat burning too much in protest after a bit of hot tea and rest. Tristan was once again at the helm of the boat, steering it onward. With Volcan unable to take over, Tristan was teaching Hank how to operate some of the boat's controls so that he could take over if need be, while Luke watched, taking in as much as he could by observing.

Hours passed; countless islands came and went. Tristan told them what he knew about a few he recognized. "Over on the left there is Gadget Island; it's home to a population of electric Pokémon who spend every day developing little gizmos and tech that they sell to the other islands. The engine in this boat came from there too."

Luke thought back to their time on Team Warmachine's yacht, the Kyogre's Rest, and the advanced technology that they had, not the least of which being the monitor screen in the dining hall that had allowed people to watch the tournament from the comfort and quiet of the ship. "I always wondered where Torolf got that stuff," he said aloud. "There were things on that ship I've never even heard of."

"Yep; I'd bet you any money he got most of those gizmos from those eggheads on Gadget," returned Tristan. "And over on the right there is Wild Mango Island; the name should be self-explanatory."

"A self-sustained island of wild mangos?" Luke asked.

"Half right; there's a hive of Combee there that pollinate the flowers, and in turn the plants feed the Combee," replied Tristan. "At harvest time, lots of ships come by to harvest the mangoes, once the Combee have stored enough food for themselves. If they show up too soon though, they get stung. A lot."

"Duly noted," said Luke. "But how do the ships know when to come?"

"The Combee here finish storing food after the first snowfall," explained Tristan. "After that, they return to their hive and remain there for the winter, and the mangoes are ripe for the taking."

"Are the mangoes good?" Hank asked.

"They are delicious," returned Tristan.

Past Tristan's shoulder, look could see something jutting up from the ocean over the waves ahead, casting a shadow from the setting sun ahead. "Look," he said, pointing with his paw. "Is that it?"

Tristan followed where Luke was pointing, squinting his eyes at horizon until he saw the stone spike rising up from the waves. He grasped the throttle to slow the boat as they grew closer, steering to the left a little to circle around the rock to get a better look at it without the glare of the sunlight. The rock rose at least thirty feet above the water, while the base around it was just a small stone island, sunken beneath the waves and resting atop of an underwater ridge, covered in reefs that Tristan had to steer carefully to avoid.

"Yep; this is it," Tristan said as they circled the island until the sun was to their left, where he steered the boat back on course. "Anna said if we go straight North from here we'll get to Arc Island; our island."

"So, what exactly is yer home like?" Hank asked Tristan, looking up from his hand. "Ya didn't exactly go into detail about it before we left."

"You didn't ask before now," replied Tristan, before clearing his throat. "Arc Island... I guess you could say rests somewhere between Valvatna and Port Azure, in terms of architecture and size. It's not quite a city but it's bigger than your average town; slightly old world, but well kept. Over nine hundred Pokémon lived on the island in wooden lodges built to house small families. There's a mine filled with diamonds, a lighthouse, a pretty big dock and an entire area of the isle set aside for farmland.

"Then there are the Rescue Teams. Yeah, there was more than one; the town's big enough to support three of them. There's us, Team Phalanx, then there's Team Xiphos and Team Kopis. The three teams take up the responsibility of protecting this whole region, so getting around by boat is necessary if you don't have wings."

"What were the other teams like? Team Xiphos and Team Kopis?" Luke asked; the mention of other rescue teams on Volcan's home piquing his interest.

"Team Xiphos... well, they kind of lived up to their name; a short blade with a lot of bite. They consist mostly of Pokémon smaller in size than any of us here; their leader is a Togetic, in fact, and there's also this Buizel on their team who was the fastest in the water -faster than even our girl, Serena and she's no Slowpoke. They utilize their small size with a bit of guile to trip up their targets. They were loved by the townsfolk, and full of spirit, yet none of them are even the same age as Volc -practically kids. But they're damn good.

"Team Kopis, they're..." He grimaced. "A little different, to say the least. Don't get me wrong; they're strong. As their name suggests, a big blade with a heavy hit; they consisted of their leader -an Emboar named Grom who used to work in the mines like I did, where he built up his strength until he joined the team, along with a Seismitoad, a Krookodile, a Tyranitar and a Barbaracle. Every one of them could hit like a runaway bus; tough as nails, to be sure, with one major flaw. They had an ego big enough to be shared between them; they're really a bunch of windbags, always boasting and bragging about every one of their successful missions."

Luke grimaced at that. "I don't think I like them as much as Xiphos," he commented.

"And yer guy's team, Phalanx?" Hank asked.

"I guess we're sort of the middle ground; more balanced," replied Tristan. "I was the tank, obviously. Volcan was the brains of the outfit, as well as being a pretty damn good fighter, Serena our scout and medic and Minato our elite warrior."

"Elite, you say?" Luke repeated. "I take it he's strong then?"

"Oh, hell yes," returned Tristan. "Out of everyone on the island I think Minato was known as the best fighter there. Got a nice family too, including a nice wife and a chipper little kid who'd be about..." He rolled his eyes in thought. "'Bout twelve now, I think."

Volcan chimed in. "Is there anything else, Tristan; anything I should know?"

"Besides your old hangout spots, not really; there's your mom's restaurant, and the lighthouse I mentioned before. You always loved to spend time there."

"The lighthouse?" Volcan repeated. "Why would I go there?"

"For the view, I would imagine; you'd spend one night a week up there, just stargazing, lost in thought," replied Tristan. "It was the quietest spot on the whole island, aside from up by my house, but the view from the lighthouse is way better."

"Seems we all have our own places we like to visit to have some time alone." Luke stated. "I used to sit by the docks and watch the boats pass by as the sun set over the horizon."

"Same, but now I just do it from my balcony at home." Hank said with a content sigh. "Right with my Gatr right beside me as we shared a drink together..."

"Personally, at least once a month, I'd go back to my old home in the west," Tristan remarked. "Least when time would allow."

"Wait, you're not from Arc Island?" Volcan asked.

"...I keep forgetting you don't remember," Tristan admitted. "No, I'm not; I come from Gladiator City on the West Continent; long before I went to Arc Island looking for mining work -a little break from the Arena, I was a fighter there back when I was a Lairon, and when it was a big gambling racket instead of a sport or spectacle."

"Hey, come to think of it," Volcan said as a thought crossed his mind. "Didn't Romulus mention he was forced to fight in some arena when he was a kid?"

"You mean that Phobia guy?" Hank asked with some distaste.

"I do recall him mentioning that, yes," confirmed Luke. "Romulus said he was an arena fighter at his father's..." He grimaced. "Insistence. Part of why Romulus was so mean-spirited when we fought him."

"Yeah; that was probably Gladiator City where he was," replied Tristan. "And unfortunately, that was a common thing in that city; to make money you either bet on the matches or fight in the ring -that arena was the center of everything, especially commerce. A lot of Pokémon suffered there for a long time."

"Even when the fighters are their own kids?" Volcan asked in disbelief.

"Even then." Replied Tristan. "Life in Gladiator City is a life of constant pain, buddy. Even fatalities aren't unexpected. Those like me who got to fight of their own choosing had the option to walk away from it, which is what I did. But those forced into it by others, they aren't so lucky."

Luke flinched a little upon hearing that. "...Did you ever meet him in the arena, Tristan?" He asked. "The Houndoom, Romulus?"

"I can't say for sure," replied Tristan, humming in thought. "But now that you mention it I do recall that there was this one Houndour in some of the matches that seemed to always be angry at everything, making a point to unleash it at everything around him. I never got to fight him though, but he was tougher than nails and as savage as a Primeape."

Luke looked back down at the table for a moment, furrowing his brow a bit as he thought back to what Romulus said to him during the tournament. "...Poor bastard...." He muttered softly. "No wonder he was so hate-filled, and so desperate to control villainy with fear -as he was controlled by it."

"Romulus said that his father was wagering money on him while he fought," Volcan added, remembering the Houndoom's words. "There aren't any Rescue Teams there that would put a stop to that?"

"Until Team Phobia came along, no," replied Tristan. "The city didn't have any sort of justice system; that arena decided everything. Shortly

Luke hummed in thought, rubbing his chin a little as he thought back to his exchange of words with the captain of Team Phobia, comparing it to his lifestyle and how he had structured his team. "...I think I can understand why he chose his particular approach when forming his team; to be reliant on fear. At least a little. He and his team are alone in their fight against injustice; without some way to deter anyone who might want to go back to the old ways everything they worked to achieve would fall apart."

"Why didn't he just shut down the Arena then, if he was changing the town that much?" Volcan asked.

"Gladiator City's economy depends on that arena," replied Tristan. "Even if you take away the gambling, it's still the epicentre of traffic there. Last time I was there, I heard that the betting was removed, replaced instead with price of admission to see the battles, but gambling has been illegalized, and the competitors must be of a certain age to fight."

"Guess he did something right." Hank stated. "Still don't mean I condone what he does ahead of his battles."

"I can't say I do either, considering the rest of his team started using that same fear to intimidate their competition in the tournament," Volcan agreed. "But now I understand his motivations for using it; like Luke said, everything would come apart at the seams without him there to hold it together. Until he can introduce a stable new system, he's the only thing keeping Gladiator City from becoming a haven of abuse, exploitation, and pain."

"Let's... move on from this topic." Luke suggested, shuddering as he imagined a place as harsh as Gladiator city being made worse without Romulus to keep order. "How much farther till we hit land?"

"If I'm not mistaken," Tristan replied. "That's Arc Island straight ahead, just a few minutes away."

The others peered through the window, and sure enough, they were approaching the shores of a large island, still a dark silhouette on account of the sun already beginning to set. It was one of the largest islands they had seen since coming to the region, stretching as far as they could see in the dimming light. They could make out a cliff overlooking the shore they were approaching, which was located within a cove at the bottom of a ramp that led up to the rest of the island, at the top of which rested a large structure that appeared to be damaged, but still standing from what they could tell, becoming clearer as they neared the island.

Volcan stared up at that building, staring at it only briefly before another flash of memory raced before his eyes, showing the building cloaked with flames and with the darkened silhouette of a Blaziken standing on top of the burning building. No sooner did he receive that vision that Volcan stepped back from the window, clutching his arms and shivering with fear, prompting the others to turn and look at him -except for Tristan who kept his eyes forward, easing up on the throttle as the island neared.

Luke looked over to Volcan, recognizing the terror-stricken look in his eyes and how he was trembling. "Volcan?" He asked.

"You okay, man?" Hank asked.

"I'm... I'm seeing things," he said, still shaking. "I could see the shrine, the night that the island was attacked." He leaned against the wall for support. "Everything's coming back hard..."

"Easy..." Luke whispered to him as he stepped closer, gently touching his shoulder and rubbing it slowly as he used his other paw to support the Blaziken. "Whatever's going through your head, it's ok...just take deep breaths and remain calm."

"S-Sorry," he returned, shakily.

"Try to relax, alright?" He asked. "Remember, I'm right here if you need it."

"I know," he returned, but his shaking persisted. "I guess... one way or another, I'll know for certain what happened here that night I left."

Luke gave a nod once more, gripping his shoulder a little tighter as his gaze turned back ahead, looking at the large structure ahead as it came more into view. A shrine, dedicated to the creator of all Pokémon himself, Arceus. And yet, someone had attacked this island, directly assaulting the shrine itself along with the inhabitants. Someone who did not fear the consequences...

"The hell kind of sick fuck would attack such an outta the way town like this?" Hank muttered, getting a sudden case of the chills. "Seriously, it's like...no fucks were given."

"Well whoever they were, when they hit, they hit hard," Tristan stated. "The attack came so fast, no one even saw where they struck from. I was at home, so I didn't see them, but I heard the first barrage as it came down, bombarding the entire town, followed by people screaming." He shook his head. "I ran out of my house as fast as I could and made a beeline straight for town, but then I ran into that Metagross that launched me off the isle."

"A Metagross?" Luke suddenly asked, looking to Tristan. "Something like that managed to hurl you with its psychic powers alone? Even to someone well experienced in Psychic attacks would have to have at least some trouble lifting you up and hurling you away that far; besides your natural resistance to Psychic-type, you're also a heavy Pokémon; it'd take something very powerful to throw you that far."

"Well; this guy was it, 'cuz I barely even got near him -didn't even land a single punch, and then he just grabbed me in Psychic and away I went," returned the Aggron, shrugging helplessly. "If that Whailord hadn't been out there to see me fall in, I'd have been screwed."

"Something I think we all can agree on." Hank added. "Lady luck was on your side at least..." He looked back in the direction of the island, with the boat now seconds from landfall. "Still...I don't even live here and I'm getting a pretty bad vibe about this place."

Slowly, they landed on the shore, letting boat go aground ever-so-slightly to lodge itself in the sand, fortunately not hitting any rocks. As the boat stopped, Volcan tossed the anchor over the side to help secure it in case the waves pulled it away from the shore before he hopped out and trudged through the water onto the beach, his eyes still staring up at the cliff above.

His hands were shaking; he raised one to look at it, trying to will it to stop, but it wouldn't... he was still terrified of what he would find up there, even though he wasn't outwardly showing it.

Luke hopped off the boat after Volcan, keeping behind him as he walked toward the cliff. Admittedly he too was somewhat anxious, paws trembling as well for fear of what would await them if they progressed forward, but he clenched them tight and steeled his nerves. He had to be strong, for himself, for his friends, and especially for Volcan. He had a gut feeling the Blaziken would need his support to cope with whatever was waiting for them at the top of that cliff.

As Tristan and Hank joined them on the shore, the Aggron was staring at the ruined docks, noticing the lack of boats to be found. "Don't see any wrecks; water's not deep enough to conceal them. That could mean that some survivors got away," he said.

Luke walked over to the shore to look where Tristan was out of curiosity. Volcan too followed where Tristan was looking, turning his gaze to the docks, finding his gaze fixed upon them. At that moment, another image flashed across his mind, this time of the Gyarados they had fought back in Azure, seeing the sea monster towering over him and growling fiercely before lunging forward to swallow him whole. The image disappeared the instant before the Gyarados reached him but Volcan was already reacting as though the attack were happening again, reeling and falling onto his backside, alarming the others with his spastic movements.

The sound of Volcan falling to the sand caught Hank's ear; he spun around, and saw the Blaziken had fallen, propped upon his hands and breathing heavily. "Whoa hey, buddy you alright?" Hank asked as he walked over to the Blaziken, kneeling next to him.

Luke, seeing Volcan's situation, was at his side within a second, holding him up with one paw on his back and patting his shoulder with the other. "Volcan, breathe." He said firmly. "Deep breaths, Volcan; they're just hallucinations. They're not real," he said to him, trying to help his friend pull himself together, taking the Blaziken's hand in his paw and holding it tightly. "You have to try and calm yourself."

"I'm trying," Volcan returned, panting for breath as he put one of his hands to his forehead. "But everywhere I look, another one comes... I can't make them stop."

"Maybe we shouldn't do this?" Tristan suggested.

"No, we have to," Volcan stated, firmly. "I have to. If I don't do it now, I'll never find the courage again... I have to see."

He forced himself to stand up, using Hank and Luke for support as he got back to his feet, sucking in a deep breath before his eyes found the path to the cliff above. The Blaziken huffed, clenching his talons into fists, and the others watched him as he began to take a step forward; it appeared he was really going to make the climb to the top...

But not ten steps up the hill, he stopped catching something out of the corner of his eye. "Hey... what's that?" He asked, pointing out to the water.

The others followed where he was looking, peering out to the sea again, where they saw plumes on the water's surface, as though something unseen was moving through the water at high speed, making a beeline straight for their location. They instinctively tensed, with Volcan returning to the beach to stand with his friends, suspecting a fight was on their hands.

"I can't tell if it's friend or foe." Luke stated, clenching his paws at his sides

"With what we've been facing lately, I ain't taking any chances." Hank said as he flexed his claws. "I'm readying up fer a fight just in case."

Tristan stared out as the plumes got closer, watching them with some suspicion until his expression relaxed, and he began to chuckle heartily. "You guys can chill out," he said. "That's no enemy."

No sooner did he say that did the figure in the water emerged. A Vaporeon exploded from beneath the waves, soaring in an arch through the air before landing upon a post at the end of the dock, skipping across the remaining posts as they crossed the dock with incredible speed, crying out "Volcan!" with a gleeful, female voice as they leapt from the last post and pounced the Blaziken, knocking Volcan clean off his feet as he instinctively caught the Vaporeon only to be knocked over by her accumulated momentum.

It took a few seconds, of both Luke and Hank staring wordlessly and in confusion at the Vaporeon that was glomming onto Volcan as though she had known him for years, hugging him with her forepaws. But before long, Luke recognized the Vaporeon he had seen in the photo they had found on Volcan's boat the day after he had had crash-landed. The first and only clue was that the Vaporeon had the same emerald green eyes as the one in that picture -not a common eye colour for a Vaporeon; it could only have been her, especially with her reaction to seeing Volcan.

"Hank, at ease." Luke commanded the Zoroark. "She's one of them."

He looked over to Luke for a moment. "Wait, you've seen her before?"

"Not in the flesh, no." Luke responded. "But I saw her in a photo that contained Volcan, Tristan, another Lucario and this Vaporeon. I think they're what make up Team Phalanx." Luke explained.

When Volcan finally managed to sit up, he embraced the Vaporeon joyously. "Serena, you're alive!" He exclaimed. "We finally found you!"

"I've been so worried about you and Tristan," she said, nuzzling Volcan's chest. "When we evacuated the town, I tried to wait for you two. In the end, I stayed behind, searching for you and hoping you'd come back to the island." She looked up at Volcan with tears in her eyes. "I've missed you both so much..."

"Hey," Tristan chimed in. "Where's my happy reunion?"

"Oh, forgive me," she returned, leaving Volcan and hopping up to Tristan, letting the Aggron catch her and resting her paws on his shoulder. "I've missed you, Tristan."

"Likewise, Serena," he returned, gently stroking her back with his claw. "Good to see you made it."

"You've been very brave, Serena, staying here alone all of this time," said Volcan as he stood back up and dusted himself off.

When Tristan set her back down, she addressed Luke and Hank, narrowing her eyes a little when she saw Luke, only for her face to turn to a frown. "Oh... forgive me; I thought you were someone else at first..."

"I've been getting that a lot lately." Luke said, shrugging helplessly back at her. "Even Volcan made the mistake of assuming I was your fourth team member when I rescued him."

"Rescued him?" She echoed, tilting her head curiously at Luke. "From where? Were you on the island the night of the attack too?"

"Not quite, Serena," replied Volcan. "Almost three weeks ago, I crash-landed in a port town called Azure. I was really injured, and..." He frowned. "Had... no idea who I was."

She looked up at Volcan with some alarm. "You mean... you've lost your memories?" She asked. "But, you remember me, don't you?"

"Not everything about you... but enough," Volcan replied, kneeling and stroking the side of her head in reassurance. "I'm still your friend; hopefully more of my memories will come back in time."

She eyed him sympathetically, with some guilt even, lowering her head in apology to him. "I'm so sorry... I had no idea, else I'd have come to find you."

"It's okay," Volcan assured her. "The important thing is, we're alive..." He stood back up, and turned his gaze up the hill, towards the town. "But the rest of what I need to know... is up there."

Serena stiffened, looking like she wanted to say something, but the words died in her throat as Volcan began to walk back towards the hill for the second time, fighting his way through any hesitation that might have stopped him before as he began to ascend the path, refusing to let his fear stop him.

Luke looked on at Volcan as he continued his way up the path, looking back briefly at Serena before he trotted after Volcan, catching up to him and walking by his side. He remembered what he promised Sickle before they parted ways, that he'd stay by the Blaziken's side through any adversity that came their way, and he was damn well going to keep that promise...not just for Volcan, but for himself as well...

"Volcan will find only despair up on that hill," Serena said, stepping back slightly with her ear fins lowering. "I have seen it myself... it was so horrible I had to run back down again; I have not been able to climb up again since."

"Maybe," agreed Tristan. "But he has to do it... and we need to be there with him." He reached down, hoisting her up and placing her onto his shoulder. "Come on, now." He said as he began to Volcan and Luke, with Hank to bring up the rear.

"It's really that bad huh?" Hank asked, looking at Tristan and Serena as they ascended the path, seeing the looks on their faces; the dread on Serena's, and to Hank's shock, a deep grief-stricken on Tristan's. A face he had not once seen on the Aggron since the day they had first met.

They did not answer him...

On and on, Volcan pushed forward, with Luke at his side. At one point, Volcan suffered another flashback, of him running towards a burning town -the same town he had seen repeatedly in his dreams. The suddenness of it made him falter in his step, dropping to one knee, but he forced himself back up before Luke could even attempt to help him; even with his heart thundering and his legs feeling weak, the Blaziken was not stopping...

Luke was now becoming rather worried about Volcan as they continued trudging the path. A part of him wanted to try and stop Volcan from finding out the truth about whatever was waiting for him beyond the hill, but he knew how stubborn Volcan could be, and at this point there was no turning back. All he could do was support him as best he could, even reaching to gently hold his hand in his paw and squeeze it in a reassuring manner; to let the Blaziken know he wasn't alone in this.

Even from as far back as he was, Hank could see the struggles Volcan was enduring to make this climb, knowing that only pain awaited him, but desperate for the answers that had eluded him for so long. "The guy's braver than I ever gave him credit for," the Zoroark muttered.

Over the top of the ramp they rose, and were instantly met with a scene of destruction and the stench of death in the air. Ahead of them were the remains of a town, with not a single structure left standing. Nothing had been spared from the destruction that had stricken the village they now saw; buildings were smashed inward or burned to the ground. Houses, shops, even the town hall had been levelled, not a one left standing. The Arceus shrine, they could see clearly now. Half of the entire structure had collapsed, with only a crumbling wall overlooking the cliff left standing, and a statue of the creator itself lying shattered and broken below the steps of the shrine, barely identifiable except for the intact head lying on its side.

But worst of all were the bodies... dozens, maybe even hundreds of Pokémon lying in the streets, their bodies long dead and lifeless with no two ended the same way, the stench of decomposition rampant in the air over hundreds of corpses. The sight of these Pokémon was horrifying; male or female, child or adult -it did not matter. The deaths were indiscriminate; no one had been spared...

Luke gasped in utter shock and covered his mouth from the sight before him, his eyes widened like dinner plates as he took in the destruction. All the homes that were destroyed, the lives that were taken, the bodies laying before them. It was a slaughter -no, worse than that. Only 'genocide' could describe what he saw what had happened to this poor town. "My dear Arceus..." Luke whispered, recovering from his initial shock. "What could bring about so much destruction...?"

As he and Volcan stared at the carnage, the others joined them over the top of the hill, seeing the damage for themselves. Even Tristan turned his gaze away at the sight of it. "It's worse than I imagined," he muttered, shaking his head in disgust.

"Holy mother of fuck..." Hank whispered, even stumbling back a bit from the sight, placing a claw over his heart. "Wha... How... What the fuck happened here?!" He suddenly demanded.

"Exactly what you see, Hank," replied Tristan, nonchalantly, reaching down to hold Serena as he heard the Vaporeon sob. "A massacre."

Volcan stared with eyes as round a dinnerplates, unmoving, unflinching, as though the sight of the destruction had utterly petrified him. But inside, he was being torn apart. More images than ever were racing across his mind, with everything that had taken place that fateful night -the night he had seen in his dreams every time he closed his eyes. His heart ached as though a knife had been drilled into it as the memories flooded his mind repeatedly, until there was no possibility he would ever forget them again. They were now burned into his brain, and he sank to his knees, mouth agape as he finally spoke.

"...I remember now," he started. "That night... the night all of this happened. It's all... coming back to me now." A tear streamed down his cheek from his left eye, sliding down to the lower line of his beak before it fell to splash upon his leg. "I was responding to a disturbance... on the other side of the isle. I ran there to find out what was going on; I met a Heliolisk there, attempting to sabotage the boats at the docks on the other side of the island. As I caught him, the attack began... I saw the initial volley of Draco Meteors, falling upon the town, plummeting into the houses, and then I saw the wave of fire that engulfed the buildings as the attack began.

"I ran back towards town; I ran faster than I ever had before, but I was just too late... everything had happened so fast I just couldn't get there in time. I arrived to find Pokémon -many I think I even knew, lying dead in the streets, with the houses on either side destroyed by the meteors or broken into, their residents having been cut down as they fled from their homes. And it was there I saw that Gallade, just as he finished off another resident of the town. I felt myself become taken by my rage and attacked, but I was no match for him; were it not for Minato intervening, he would have surely ended my life..."

He sank lower, his gaze falling to the ground with his arms draped at his sides. "Minato told me to run -to go get help; I refused. He grabbed me with a Psychic attack and hurled me down to the docks; I landed in the water, and as I tried to climb out, that Gyarados appeared, tried to finish me off. I managed to stun him long enough to scramble into the boat and start the engine. And then I... I...!"

Despite how desperately he tried to stay strong, everything was coming to him too quickly, finally breaking him. Volcan fell forward, landing on his elbows as he pounded both of his fists into the burnt soil, sending a plume of ash and dust up from where his fists had hit the ground. "I ran away! I left everyone behind to save my own skin! These Pokémon depended on _me_to protect them and I failed them all! I left them all to die!"

The tears were gushing forth from his eyes now as he fell onto his side, sobbing so loudly. "It's my fault! I failed everyone!!" He cried out, but nothing else he said after was clear, his words becoming incoherent due to his cries. He fell onto his side, laying in the dirt and ash as the Blaziken was flooded by a deep-seated grief...

As he lay there, wallowing in pain, Serena jumped down from Tristan's shoulder and stepped over to him, laying against his chest, leaning into him to let him know that she was there; he absently put his arm over her, hugging her tightly as he continued to cry, all the pain in his heart that had lain dormant and forgotten finding its way to the surface, boiling over and leaving him to suffer.

"Volcan..." Luke muttered softly as he watched his friend weep and sob. It made his heart wrench as well to see him in such a state of emotional agony, and even more so when he realized there wasn't much he could do to help him. He walked around to stand behind Volcan, kneeling and gently embracing him from the side and nuzzling his cheek, also reminding the Blaziken he was there for him as well.

He lay there crying for so long, never stopping, until very suddenly the Blaziken went quiet, minus a few sobs and whimpers that escaped him until even those stopped. Luke and Serena both looked at him, seeing his tortured face, but other than his breathing, he had become silent. He had blacked out completely, unable to take the pain all at once.

"...He's out cold." Luke muttered softly, gently lifting his paw to stroke his cheek lightly, feeling on the verge of tears himself. "Damnit, he didn't deserve any of this!" He growled, clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth firmly.

"No one here did," Tristan growled deeply. "But it happened..." His claws clenched into fists, grinding so tightly that his metal fingers screeched as they dug into his stone palm; the Aggron was no longer able to contain his emotions either, feeling them spilling over as they had for Volcan. His however were less bemoaning and more rage, turning to some nearby debris and with a furious roar, he shattered the pile of wood into a shower of splinters.

"And we... we couldn't stop it from happening! We couldn't do anything!" He roared. "We swore to protect this island, and yet we could not even slow it down when the time came; now there's nothing left here but this graveyard of our failure!" He stared at his claws, shaking the splinters from them before clenching them into fists again; Tristan was a being of great strength, of nearly unrivalled power, with a natural suit of armour and the might to rip mountains asunder, with his only desire being to protect his home; this island he had grown to love despite not being born there, and the inhabitants who had depended on him.

And yet, for all his power, the one place he had sworn to defend to his last breath now lay in ruin, and his might had meant nothing. His power was all that he had faith in, and yet, it was easy to see that he now questioned his very self...

Hank looked up at the Aggron sympathetically, gently lifting his claw and patting his arm a little. "Fuck, I can't say I get yer pain but all I can say is, I'm sorry..."

"I know," he returned, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. "Let's take Volcan back to the boat and put him on the cot; let him rest. Then... we should bury the dead. Better late than never, I guess..."

"Yea, least that's something we can agree on." Hank said.

Luke drew in a deep breath to calm himself down as well, then slowly he rolled the unconscious Blaziken onto his back before trying to lift him. But Volcan was too tall for Luke to carry properly. Hank stepped in to help, taking Volcan by his legs while Luke carried him by his front. Tristan stayed put atop the hill, trudging along to the ruined town to get started on burying the bodies.

Luke glanced back down at Volcan, his heart aching as he saw that tortured face was still there even with the Blaziken having drifted off, carrying his suffering into even his subconscious mind. Luke's face scrunched up as he sniffed, trying to hold it in, but he no longer could. "...I'm so sorry, Volcan," He whispered down to him as the tears finally escaped from his eyes, streaming down his face as he cried for his friend.

It was only moments after they left Volcan on the cot aboard the boat that his eyes reopened. He was lying on his back, hands folded across his stomach. He absently rolled his eyes to the right, and he saw Luke seated in the chair next to him, meeting his gaze for a moment, before his eyes resumed staring straight ahead.

Luke could sense the emotional despair Volcan was going through, scooting closer to him and gently placing his paw over his chest comfortingly, but the Blaziken was unresponsive to his touch. "...Volcan?" He asked softly to get his attention. But he didn't reply, nor even look at him. "...Volcan I'm...I'm truly sorry about what happened." He said softly, rubbing his chest a little. "I can't say that I understand your pain; that would be pretentious of me... but..." He paused and took a moment to collect his thoughts before he spoke again."Look, I get that this isn't the best time to be bringing this up, but you need to remain strong, Volcan. If not for yourself, then for everyone else. Your team, your friends... They need you."

"Luke..." Volcan began in a glib tone, shutting his eyes. "My team is broken, nearly all of my friends -if I could even remember them, are dead, my family is gone -probably also dead. My home is in ruins; everything that was part of a life I can't remember, and with it any chance I had of remembering who I am... All of it, is gone, and it's all because I failed them." He then rolled over onto his other side, turning his back to Luke. "Just forget it... far as I'm concerned, I'm not worth it. Volcan of Arc Island... he may as well have died that night too."

Luke stiffened and his eyes widened when he heard those words come out of Volcan's mouth. "You... you don't mean that." Luke said in a quaking voice, then his brow furrowed and he clenched his paws tightly as he held onto the cot. "Don't you dare even go there, Volcan!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Volcan of Arc Island, leader of Team Phalanx, is not dead! He's right here in front of me, and right now he needs to be reminded that he's _not_alone!

"You may think you failed, but you didn't! And more than that, you're still breathing! Rather than wallowing in despair, the Volcan I know would put all of his energy into bringing whoever did this to you to justice! Make them answer to their crimes!!"

In response to Luke's words, Volcan suddenly spun around, facing Luke with such a stern glare as he sat up that it made the Lucario flinch, feeling as though Volcan were about to attack him. "Maybe the Volcan you know was just a stupid mask he made to hide how much of a coward he was!" He yelled back at him. "The Volcan you know may have just been an illusion of his own making, to hide how weak and foolish he was believing he was anything less than an

"Stop that! Stop saying those things!" Luke screamed. "You're not weak! You're not foolish!" He seized Volcan by his shoulders and shook him feverishly, his eyes watering up a little as he glared right back at Volcan. "You aren't an Illusion made by some Zoroark or anything! You're a living, breathing Blaziken! You're a valiant warrior who fights with everything he's got, no matter the odds!"

"Yeah," Volcan scoffed, pushing Luke's arms away, not wanting his comfort. "I am living and breathing... more than can be said for my people. And clearly I'm not as brave as you think I am." He turned his gaze away, refusing to look at Luke anymore. "The way I see it... no one needs me."

Luke had to use every ounce of restraint to hold himself back from punching Volcan for his blasphemous words. "_Listen_to yourself!!" He bellowed, his voice hoarse from yelling at him "You really think sitting here and wallowing in your own despair will solve anything!? By letting yourself sink into despair, you're failing those you swore to protect even more! You...!"

Volcan interjected on him mid-sentence, turning his gaze back to Luke with the most intense, furious expression Luke had ever seen on his face. "Failing them more?!" He echoed. "They're dead Luke! How much more can I fail them when they all lost their lives because of me?!" He had drawn back his fist; he really was going to hit Luke!

But at the last second, he changed the course of his punch, slamming it instead into the wall next to him, causing the wood to splinter and crack. A grim silence fell over the cabin at that moment, only the sound of the Blaziken panting for breath could be heard as he tried to calm himself. Luke was frozen in shock at the understanding that Volcan had actually intended to strike him. Eventually, Volcan pulled is fist back from the wall and faced forward once more, keeping Luke out of his peripheral while a shadow formed over his eyes from his lowered gaze.

"...Get out," he said in a low voice, lowering his fist and turning away to lie on his side again. "Just leave me be..."

Luke's heart hurt, worse than any ache he had ever felt. To think Volcan would ever consider raising a hand to him, regardless of him changing the course of the punch... Luke felt as though he was about to split down the middle, tears freely flowing out of his eyes.

-

"... Fine." Luke returned, fighting to hold back his heartache, too angry to let it show. "...Wallow in your despair then..." He said, slowly turning away to walk out the door. "But you're wrong on one thing, Volcan." He said, throwing in his last two cents before he left. "Your friends do still need you..." He paused. "I need you..." He finished, before he stormed out of the cabin.

Volcan scoffed as Luke left the cabin, shutting his eyes and curling into a ball. "Yeah, right... who could need someone like me?" He muttered

Now alone out in the open, Luke left the boat, walking along the dock with heavy steps until he reached the shore and stopped, looking down at his feet, tears still flowing freely out of his eyes and falling to the pier before he finally let himself go, falling against one of the dock's support columns, sliding down to sit on the boards, hiding his face in his arms as he sobbed. It hurt him... cut him so deeply to see his best friend, the Blaziken he had been living with and taking care of for so long, and had come to adore, in such a deep pit of depression, with no hope of coming back.

"Oh Volcan..." he whispered, clenching his eyes tightly.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but after some time he heard the padding of feet coming towards him. He forced himself to look up to see who it was, and saw Serena approaching. She paused as she drew near, seeing his face and the tears streaming down his face, which caused her ear fins to lower as she frowned "Should I... come back later?" She asked, easily figuring out the cause of his pain.

Luke quickly wiped his tears away, trying to sound strong as he replied. "He just... needs some time alone." He said through a stifled sob.

She nodded in understanding, stepping onto the dock and seating herself in front of Luke, the two of them sitting silently for a moment before she finally spoke. "How did you meet him, if I may ask?" She inquired softly, her voice level and very gentle, letting Luke know he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to.

He sniffled a little, looking her in the eyes. "After his boat crashed into Azure, I saw him thrown out the wheelhouse... He was practically at death's door when I approached him. I had one of my teammates, Katsumoto, go and grab my brother and have him meet me at my place, where I took Volcan and helped nurse him back to health. If it weren't for me finding him and Mikhail treating his injuries." He shuddered at the thought.

Serena nodded, staring up at Luke for a moment before she stood from her seated position and stepped closer to him, walking around to his side where she leaned up and kissed Luke gently on the cheek before pulling back. "Thank you, for saving him," she said as she sat down again. "He is a dear friend. I can only hope that in time his heart recovers from what he has suffered this day."

"I hope so too, Serena," Luke said with a whimper, reaching over and resting his paw on Serena's shoulder. "Since the day I met him, he..." He stopped to sniff. "Volcan's become quite possibly the closest friend I've ever had -maybe even more than that." He clenched his eyes shut and grit his teeth, folding his paws across his knees again. "I can't stand seeing him wallow in despair like that; I care too damn about him to just let him sink into depression... There has to be something I can do for him!"

"For the moment, the best thing you can do is let him calm down," she said. "Give him a moment to reflect." She sat back down, curling her tail around her legs. "There's something I wish I had been able to tell him... but I don't know if he'd even hear me right now."

"He won't even listen to me, let alone anyone else...." Luke whimpered, his ears drooping low and his expression saddening. "It just breaks my heart, Serena, to see him so broken like that, making claims that no one needs him, when the truth is that his friends need him...and..." He paused and clenched his eyes shut. "That I need him as well..."

Serena nodded once more in understanding, before she spoke. "We _will_need him -the real him, for what we must do next," she began, her tone prompting Luke to look at her. "Not everyone on the island was killed here. Some people were evacuated by the other Rescue Teams in time, but others..." Her face fell. "Were taken."

Luke's ears perked up a little at that bit of news. "Some made it out alive?" He asked suddenly. "Others were taken? Who took them?"

"The invaders," replied Serena. "After the initial attack, I met with Team Xiphos; I worked with them to evacuate the townsfolk onto the fishing boats at the second dock on the other side of the island. Not everyone made it in time, though. Those who didn't were captured by the invaders; those who resisted were killed..." Her gaze elevated again. "Except for the other rescue teams, and Minato."

"Minato... he's that other Lucario that's on your team, right?" Luke asked.

"Yes," replied Serena. "I saw him being carried to their ship by some... creature. I swear on Kyogre that I could_feel_ evil radiating from this being; it was like staring into a nightmare. But he had Minato with him when he returned to the ship." Her gaze hardened. "I'm sure of this... Minato was still alive when they took him. He may still live."

"It wouldn't make sense to carry a corpse back onto their ship either way... but why take him hostage?" Luke asked, rubbing his chin. "What purpose would that gain?"

Serena shook her head. "I know not. Half of Arc Island's surviving population was taken onto that ship; Team Xiphos, Team Kopis, and many of our miners -they seemed to be focused on able-bodied Pokémon, but why they want them I cannot say, nor does it matter," she added firmly. "The fact remains, they live; prisoners of the enemy, and waiting to be freed. I told Tristan and your friend -Hank, wasn't it? -and they asked me to come and tell you. They wanted to talk with you."

"They do?" He asked. "About what?"

"I told them about the people who were captured as well; Hank asked me to come and talk to you. I think they want you to decide what is to be done next," she replied, adding in a low tone. "Volcan is... in no condition to lead right now. But we must think of something to save those Pokémon. We cannot leave them there."

"I agree, but we don't even know where the enemy is hiding right now." Luke returned realistically. "I want to save them just as much as you do, but we need more information before we act."

"I..." she began, hesitantly. "I know where they are." This earned her a surprised look from Luke, his wonderment urging her to continue. "When the ship began to pull away, I followed it; I had hoped I could do something but I knew I couldn't save them alone. That is why I waited here, waiting for Volcan and Tristan, but not before I found where the enemy took our people." She nodded firmly to Luke. "I can show you where."

Luke stared down at her in bewilderment for a moment, and found himself managing a small grin, his mood lightened by her news. "...You're a lifesaver, you know that?" He asked as he scrambled to his feet. "Take me to Hank and Tristan. We can discuss a plan of action then."

She nodded, standing up from the pier and turning to lightly trot towards the hill to head back to the village. Luke jogged after her, running along the wharf to the hill where Tristan and Hank were waiting for him. He reluctantly turned to look over his shoulder at the boat behind him, still deeply concerned for Volcan's mental state, but for now, all he could do was focus on the task at hand and trust that Volcan would recover in due time.

Following Serena up to the top of the hill, Luke would find that most of the bodies had been buried already, at an untouched plot of land near the Arceus Shrine. Tristan and Hank had done well clearing them out so quickly, and even now the Lucario could see them still hard at work as the Aggron dug a hole for the next one. Neither of them look pleased with the task, but they had taken it upon themselves to see it through.Luke approached the two of them as Hank gently laid down another body to rest, which prompted the Zoroark, who was in the process of filling one of the graves, to look up at Luke's general direction as he approached.

"Yo boss..." Hank said in a disheartened tone, rising back to his feet. The sharp-witted Zoroark was quick to notice the reddened eyes of the Lucario, and knew he had been crying. "You uh... you ok? Is birdbrain ok?" He asked.

Luke gave a sigh in response. "He...needs some time alone..." Luke replied, turning his gaze away a little.

"That bad, huh?" Tristan asked, overhearing the conversation even as he dug another grave with his claws. "I can't say I don't share his pain... I made a vow to these people too." He paused in his digging, raising his claws to stare at them. "I thought with my strength, and this armoured hide of mine, I could stop anything that might threaten this island. And yet, all it took was one big iron quadruped to change my perspective."

"We all have strengths and weaknesses, Tristan," Luke said softly, still keeping his gaze away and even clenching his eyes shut. Volcan's last words still tearing away at his heart even as he tried to remain strong in front of the others. "When I made Team Valiant, I thought we were pretty damn unstoppable as well... but we all had our...our share of failures." He returned, clenching his paws tight at his sides.

"...You sure you're alright Luke?" Hank asked softly.

"I'm fine." He returned in a somewhat harsh and defiant tone.

"So..." Tristan began. "What's our next move? Serena mentioned to us about Minato, but from what she said about the island that they took him to, there's no way in hell just the five of us -including Volcan- can save him."

"Yea, what the big lug said." Hank added. "Apparently, they got one hell of a fortress with big iron reinforced walls and a gate and a small army protecting it. Even if our froggie friend could get inside, getting back out again would be a challenge."

Luke tried to recollect himself. "So, they have a fortress, and it's heavily fortified... Am I understanding this right?" He asked, looking to Serena.

She nodded. "Yes. A lone island, at the farthest reach of the West Islands Region. They built their fortress upon that, protected by steep slopes and iron-reinforced walls. Even the port where they keep their ship is fortified. I could not even attempt to sneak in; they would have seen me." She shuddered. "Just the sight of that place frightened me."

Luke rubbed his chin a little in thought. "We'd need nothing short of an army if we're going to find our way into that kind of place." Luke stated, narrowing his eyes. "Either that, or...." He trailed off as an idea started to come to mind, his ears upright as he hummed.

"You having a thought?" Tristan asked.

"Or we could call upon some old friends of ours." Luke stated, looking to Tristan and Hank.

The Zoroark gave a nod and a smirk. "You mean those guys from the tournament, right?"

"Exactly." Luke returned. "Team Kama, and Team Warmachine. If we explained the gravity of the situation, they'd be sure to pitch in."

"Having big 'ol Torolf on our side would certainly tip the scales in our favour," stated Tristan.

"Torolf?" Serena asked.

"The leader Team Warmachine, and arguably the strongest Swampert in the entire world -rumour has it he went a round with Groudon himself and walked away," replied Tristan. "Been in the business for a long time; way longer than any of us here."

"Then there's Team Kama, led by a Grovyle named Sickle." Luke added. "I've faced him personally during that tournament. He's got himself a good team backing him up, consisting of a Blastoise and an Arcanine, and he is quite a cunning and skillful fighter himself." Luke's expression then soured a bit. "And as much as I'd hate to bring this up... we might also need Team Phobia too."

"Those schmucks?!" Hank demanded.

"You actually want to ask them for help?" Tristan asked.

"If we're going to launch a successful attack on that fortress and get your teammate back, we'll need all the help we can get." Luke stated firmly. "Since that's the case, I'm willing to put whatever quarrels I have with Romulus aside if we're to succeed."

Tristan grunted. "Well, Romulus is pretty damn powerful, and if nothing else, he'll be motivated to take these guys down. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask him."

Luke gave a nod. "Let's see..." he muttered. "Who else are we missing?"

"What about that old team your Talonflame buddy is always braggin' about?" Tristan asked.

"The Red Talons?" Luke asked, intrigued by the suggestion. "We'd have to ask Eagle Eye if he knows where they are." He added. "But having the air support would be invaluable; they could clear the way of us to get over the wall and..."

"We may be planning too far ahead," Serena stepped in. "First, we must gather these allies, and then plan the attack. And we still have to tell Volcan."

"Yeah, Serena's right," agreed Tristan. "I think it's time we head back to Azure; there's nothing left for us here. I need to head over to my house first; see if I can find a few things I left behind. Boat needs fuel too; there should be a few canisters at my place, as long as it wasn't hit." He looked between Luke and Hank. "Mind coming to help me carry the stuff?"

"Yea, sure man." Hank returned with a nod, looking to Luke for a moment before he stood up. "C'mon, let's get moving."

Luke gave a nod, slowly standing up and sighing as he rose to his feet and followed Tristan. As he walked though, a sound reached his ear; a sound like that of a release of breath, coming from a demolished house he was walking past, reduced only to a pile of rubble. He turned, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "...Hey, I think there's something over there." He announced, bringing the rest of the group to attention

"Like what?" Tristan asked, following Luke's gaze. "It's just a collapsed house."

Luke then tuned to his aura sense, his focus purely on the rubble that caught his eye. He then gasped a little. He was sensing an aura signature from within that destroyed house. "There's a survivor!" He exclaimed as he darted over to the wreck and started pulling timbers aside. "There's an aura signal under this house!"

"Wait for real?! Someone's alive!?" Hank asked, darting over hurriedly followed by Tristan and Serena

"How's that possible?" Tristan demanded. "The town was destroyed three weeks ago; no one could've survived that long!"

"Less talking, more digging, lunkhead!" Hank hollered back. "Kick it into gear and fucking help us!"

"Uh... right!" He returned, joining them by the ruins and beginning to lift away some of the debris, working strategically to make sure to remove the loose stuff first so that they wouldn't fall upon whoever was underneath the rubble.

Luke and Hank worked in tandem to sift through the rest of the rubble, desperately tossing away old planks of wood and other materials to get to their target, clinging to the hope that they might be able to save whoever was underneath this rubble. Luke lifted a large plank and gasped, almost dropping the plank back down before he caught himself. He saw a Gardevoir by his feet, very badly beaten, bruised and cut up, laying on her side facing the Lucario. Clutched protectively in her arms was a smaller figure, a Riolu, and like with the Gardevoir, he too had a signal as well, but it was very faint, and from the looks of things, neither of them looked as if they were going to last much longer.

"...Oh my Arceus." He whispered.

"Holy fucking shit." Hank muttered as he helped Luke toss the plank he was holding up to the side, kneeling to get a closer look at the two. "A freaking kid too..."

Tristan and Serena, now able to see the uncovered victims, both went wide-eyed as they saw them. "It can't be," Tristan breathed. "Linda and Caulin?"

"Kyogre's mercy; how are they still alive?" Serena asked, stunned.

Hank then looked over his shoulder at them. "You guys know these two?"

"Yeah," replied Tristan, nodding, hesitating slightly before he went on to finish. "This is Minato's wife, Linda, and his son -his name's Caulin."

Luke knelt to the two of them, gently placing his paw over the Gardevoir, tuning to his aura sense once more to get a better answer to Serena's question. "...From what I can tell, these wounds are indeed weeks old, and they have barely healed." He said. "My only answer could be that she put herself and this child in a sort of stasis, to preserve their lives until someone came to rescue them. We may have arrived just in time."

Serena ran over and stood over Linda, looking desperately at her and Caulin before she turned to Hank. "Go get Volcan and the medical kit, now!" She practically screamed at him. Hank didn't even bother with a reply, too surprised by the timid Vaporeon suddenly becoming so assertive to make a retort, and simply did as she asked, sprinting off in the direction of the boat to retrieve their missing comrade.

Suddenly, there was a small bit of movement from the Gardevoir, her eyes slowly fluttered open weakly, scanning the three around her before falling upon Luke. It was doubtful she could see him clearly, but she recognized the silhouette he cast, and began to utter a name they had come to know. "M....Mina....to?" She asked, then clenched her eyes shut when she tried to move, but her body was too weak, and her life was fading ever so slightly with each passing moment...

"Hey hey! Save your strength!" Luke urged her. "We're going to get you patched up; you and your child. Just... just hold still, alright?" He asked.

Serena laid down at Linda's side, speaking softly to her while Luke watched for Volcan's return. But the Vaporeon was distressed. "Gods, I don't even know where to start; she's badly wounded..."

"Just do what you can," Tristan gently encouraged her.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, Hank had just reached the bottom of the hill and was sprinting down the pier with all haste, running perhaps the fastest he had in a long time as he beelined for the boat. "Yo! Chicken legs; up 'n at 'em you tool!" He called, reaching the boat and hopping aboard.

"Go away," Volcan retorted from inside, not even turning over as Hank stuck his head through the door, seeing the Blaziken lying on his side facing the wall, exactly as Luke had left him.

"Volcan!" Hank bellowed. "Pull yourself together ya fuckin' idiot! We found a survivor!"

This seemed to get Volcan's attention, turning over to look at the Zoroark, his eyes intense. "A survivor?"

"Yes! And lunkhead said her name was... Linda or something, and she has this little Riolu with her!" Hank informed him.

At the mention of the name Linda, Volcan's eyes shot wide open, once more seeing vivid images flashing across his eyes. Hank called out to him, seeing how his eyes had glazed over and knowing that the Blaziken was trapped within another recurring memory of his life, but unlike every other time before now, he was not seeing the attack on Arc Island -a distant, and far more calming memory was entering his mind, revealing itself to him.

In his mind's eye, Volcan saw a family, seated around a table before him. He looked to his right to see a joyful Riolu saying something to him, though he couldn't hear what the boy was saying. He turned his gaze forward again as a female Gardevoir set a plate of food down in front of him, smiling at him before turning her attention to the Lucario seated in the chair next to her, kissing him on the cheek before she walked around to her own seat, with the Riolu bounding after her and reappearing in his own chair, sitting down to their own dinners, with Volcan happily digging in to his own.

And then, after blinking his eyes, he saw Hank standing in front of him again, watching him with a concerned look. Suddenly, he flew to his feet, seizing Hank by his shoulders and looking him in the eye, still carrying that intense look. "Where?!" He demanded, practically screaming the question in Hank's face.

"U-Up in the village! She was buried under a house; she's hurt pretty bad, man!" Hank replied, taken aback by Volcan's change in demeanor.

Volcan released him, spinning away from the Zoroark as he darted for the first aid kit on the wall, practically ripping it down and charging out of the boat, jumping onto the pier and breaking into a frantic run towards the cliff.

"Hey! Wait up!" Hank called after him, sprinting in pursuit of the Blaziken, scoffing at what he had just said. "'Wait up'. Now there's two words I never thought I'd use!"

Sheer instinct drove Volcan to run faster than he ever had before, climbing the hill in a record few strides until he reached the top and ran towards the village. He spotted the group gathered near a ruined house, seeing a white-clad figure amidst them, and altered his course to run over. The rest of the group heard him coming, looking up to see him and moving aside for him. He fell to his knees, as he reached them, almost dropping the first aid kit in the process as he looked at the Gardevoir.

"Linda!" He exclaimed. "Linda, can you hear me? It's Volcan. Look, we're going to patch you too up; you're going to be okay!"

She coughed a little, fluttering her eyes open again and looking up at Volcan, a faint smile slowly crossing her face. "You... came back," she whispered softly, which turned into another small coughing fit as she struggled to hold onto what little life she had left. The Gardevoir's wounds were severe; countless lacerations and burns dotted her body. Some of the cuts appeared to be from nails, the rest from claws or blades as they were too clean cut to be from debris.

Serena cast an Aqua Ring around herself, a veil of water enveloping her body before she placed her paws upon Linda's arm. As Luke and Hank watched, the Aqua Ring flowed off Serena's body to envelop Linda instead, clearing her wounds and staunching them,

"Serena, please; can't you save her?" Volcan asked, desperately.

"I'm trying," she replied. "But there's so much damage... I can't repair it all."

Linda's eyes reopened as she heard Serena's words, and the look on her face seemed to be one of surrender, as if she knew already that there was no hope to save herself or her son. Her eyes furrowed into a scowl, and she shifted her gaze down to the Riolu in her arms. "... Volcan..." She said softly to get his attention, her gaze relaxing again.

"Yes?" He asked, following her gaze down to Caulin, waiting to hear what she wanted.

She then slowly scooted Caulin away from her chest, as if holding the young Riolu out to him. A faint glow shone from her body, covering her torso completely before it separated, flowing along her arms, before they flowed into the body of the comatose Riolu in her arms. When the light faded, Volcan heard the Riolu take in a sharp breath, filled with a new strength that could only have been from his mother.

Linda released a breath, and then turned her gaze up to Volcan again. "Please... protect... him," she pleaded, the last of her life beginning to fade away as her eyes began to droop shut while the colour faded from them. "...Protect...my son..."

With her last words, the Gardevoir became limp, shutting her eyes with the last of her strength and lying still.

"Linda wait; hang on, please!" Volcan begged her, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her.

Serena stopped casting her Aqua Ring, leaning close to Linda and placing one paw on the side of her neck, listening and feeling, until her ear fins drooped as her eyes widened in horror. She tried desperately to revive the Gardevoir, but despite her best efforts, Linda would not stir, all life having left her body. "...She's gone," she said, her voice breaking somewhat. "Volcan... she's..."

Volcan's eyes clenched, lowering his gaze to the ground in front of him, only for his eyes to fall upon the Riolu that had been placed at his knees. Volcan's eyes glazed over as he saw more memories flashing through his mind, filling the gaps in his memories with images of the Riolu; of cradling him in his arms as a baby, all the way to nights where he and Minato both read bedtime stories to the boy as he went to sleep, and even bouts of sparring with him; the boy was like family to him...

"Caulin..." He said, the name of the Riolu finally reaching him.

Gently, he lifted the Riolu from the arms of the Gardevoir, cradling him against his chest as his eyes began to water again as he sat back on his calves, tears streaming from his eyes. "Oh, Caulin I'm so sorry," he sobbed, holding the Riolu tightly to his chest, his body trembling.

"She gave up what little life she had to preserve her child's life." Luke muttered, looking at the Riolu in Volcan's arms, then back at the now deceased Gardevoir, feeling his heart clenching in his chest as he, with shaking paws, reached over and closed her eyes fully, silently praying her to rest peacefully.

"Fuck... that's dedication man; only a true ma would go so far for her kid," Hank added, closing his eyes and rubbing his nose with the back of his paw.

"Any true parent would do anything for their child," Tristan stated, leaning down and gently picking up Linda in his arms, looking down at her as he let out a sigh. "...Gods, what are we going to tell Minato?"

Volcan looked up, his gaze locking onto Tristan with a look of shock. "...Wait, what?" He asked. "What do you mean?"

Seeing her chance, Serena stepped forward, looking up at Volcan. "I did not have the chance to tell you sooner..." she said, stopping to swallow nervously. "The night of the attack, many people were taken away on the enemy ship, including Minato, and Teams Xiphos and Kopis; they have become prisoners of the enemy but they may still be alive." She stepped closer to him and placed her paw on his arm. "They need us..."

Volcan looked at her for a moment, and then to Luke, as if looking to him for confirmation. Luke looked back at Volcan with a firm expression before he spoke. "...We've already come to a consensus that we're going to storm that fortress and rescue your comrade." Luke stated, before he scooted closer to Volcan and placed his paw on his arm. "That means all of us... including you, Volcan. We need you."

Volcan stared at him, that same doubtful look he'd had earlier still present, but it appeared the Blaziken was fighting to force away that doubt. He turned his gaze down to Caulin, and after looking at the Riolu for a moment, he finally showed some resolve again, his brow furrowing deeply, rage burning in his eyes. Luke saw Volcan's knuckles whitening as he took them off of Caulin to clench into fists, his shaking now one of anger.

"...So be it," he said, as he began to stand up, looking at Tristan and Serena. "Team Phalanx still has one last mission, my friends; we're short one man, but we're going to change that, because we're going to get him back." He looked at Caulin again. "For Caulin, and for everyone who lost their lives to these monsters, we're going to save everyone who they took." He elevated his gaze again, and a burning passion Luke had never seen in him before practically radiated from him; even now, as Luke watched him, he swore Volcan's entire Aura was glowing like a red-hot fire as he spoke his next words. "And we'll make those devils pay for what they've done! This, I swear on my life!"

Hank grinned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now yer talking, birdbrain." He said with a chuckle. "Count me in."

Luke slowly started to smile once more, seeing Volcan's resolve return as he made those proclamations. He slowly rose to his feet to stand with, wiping his eyes a little on his paw before looking up at the Blaziken. "Team Valiant has your back as well on this Volcan," he stated, clenching his paws tightly. "We'll bring those bastards to justice, even if it's the last thing we do."

"Normally, I know I'd probably say that this is our mission, and that you don't need to do this," Volcan admitted. "But, I've long since given up talking you out of something when you make up your mind, and I'm not foolish enough to believe we can do this ourselves." He turned fully to Luke, nodding. "This time, I'll welcome your help."

He then looked at Caulin again. "First thing's first... we need to take Caulin back to the clinic in Azure; his mother's last act has prolonged his life, but he's still weak and won't last if we don't find care for him." He looked up. "Back to the boat; we're leaving."

"I need to bury Linda first," said Tristan. "And the boat needs fuel. I should only need ten minutes," he looked at Hank. "If you don't mind giving me a hand?"

"Right-o Lunkhead!" Hank returned, stepping over to Tristan. "Lead on!"

"Move fast; every minute counts," Volcan urged.

~~~~~

Tristan and Hank arrived back within Tristan's promised time, carrying an armload of fuel canisters and some other items with them. They had been slightly delayed as Tristan wanted to bury Linda before they left; it had to be a shallow grave, but it was all he could muster for them. Upon their arrival, the Aggron proceeded to empty the canisters into the fuel tank of the boat, filling it to the brim and then stowing the canisters into the cargo hold on the back of the boat, along with the other supplies they brought. With that, the five of them piled onto the boat, Caulin still cradled in Volcan's arms as Tristan took the helm, Luke and Hank pushing the boat away from the shore before jumping in, and then setting sail back to the south east, running the engine at full throttle

Everyone else was gathered in the cabin, while Volcan sat outside, keeping Caulin held close to his body, trying to keep the Riolu warm and comfortable while watching him closely. At one point, he even tried to give him water the only way he could think of, dripping some into his open mouth from a rag -just a drizzle, and then stroking his throat gently to induce a reflexive swallow. He repeated this several times, hoping that he had sufficiently hydrated the Riolu; if nothing else, it would at least give him a little more strength

"I will save you, Caulin," he promised in a low whisper. "And then I'm going to bring your father back to you."

A knock was heard to the Blaziken's left, and upon looking, He saw Luke's head peering out from the cabin, his ears lowered and his expression sad. "Uh... hey." He said softly to Volcan.

"H-Hi," Volcan returned shakily, suddenly feeling a rush of guilt running through him as he thought back to how he had talked to Luke before; with his mind now clear, he understood that the Lucario had merely been trying to console him. 'Gods, I'm a piece of trash,' he thought.

"Is this a bad time?" Luke asked, sensing Volcan's distress.

"Not at all," he replied softly, scooting over on the bench to make room for Luke on the bench. "I... think I could use the company right now."

Luke allowed a small smile, coming around the corner fully stepping forward to take a seat next to Volcan, both sitting in silence for a moment before Luke looked down at the Riolu cradled in Volcan's arms. "...How is he?" Finally breaking the awkward silence.

"I've managed to give him some water," Volcan replied. "So far, he's holding on, but he's very weak." He looked out to the sea ahead, staring around the cabin as they passed Needle Point Rock and turned their course east. "He doesn't have long if we don't get him some proper care." His eyes clenched together he groaned with frustration. "I'd give my left lung for a pair of wings right now though..."

"I understand your urgency," Luke said, keeping his eyes on Caulin for a while, then he slowly averted his gaze and looked back down at the deck. "Listen, Volcan..." He began, swallowing nervously. "About what happened earlier..."

But Volcan interjected gently, speaking first. "You don't need to say anymore, Luke," he said. "I am the one who should be apologizing to you... you were trying to help me, and I threw it in your face." He leaned back his head, staring up at the sky "I may never forgive myself... but if nothing else I _can_try to make things right. If we can save Minato and the others who were taken, it'll be a start."

"I agree..." Luke returned, holding his gaze toward the ground. "Just...promise me something, ok?"

"What's that?" Volcan asked, slowly lifting his eyes to look at Luke.

Luke then closed his eyes tightly, and Volcan could sense the sadness beginning to well up in his clenched eyes. "Next time something like this happens... please don't say those kinds of things about yourself again..." He returned in a pleading manner.

Volcan felt his heart wrenching with guilt again as Luke spoke his feelings to Blaziken, knowing that he had truly hurt Luke for speaking about himself in such a way. After a moment, he reached out with one shaking talon to place it upon Luke's back, earning a look from the Lucario. "I won't..." he promised.

Luke nodded slowly to him. "I will hold you to that..."