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In stark contrast to the night after his encounter with Jora, the sleep Luke had that night had been one of the most restful he had ever experienced. He and Volcan had spent much of the night recounting the events that had occurred while the Blaziken had been comatose, from Luke's battle and talk with Nendranos - the same Gyarados who had chased Volcan to Azure when they had first met, to their attempted arrest on Jora the Salazzle and her clan. He ended the recount with his talk with Drogo below, about the Raichu's reckless actions.

But it was Volcan's understanding of Luke's encounter with Jora that truly brought the Lucario peace of mind and heart. The Blaziken had not been upset with him, which had been Luke's greatest fear after what had happened. Volcan's faith in Luke's loyalty had proven unshakeable, even in what Luke considered to have been a moment of weakness, and he loved his Blaziken even more, thanking him again and again for his trust in him.

They had returned to their own room shortly after, and slept together soundly through the night. When Luke awoke the following morning, he felt like he had been blessed. His strength was back, the poison gone from his system along with the sickness that had plagued him. His mind free of guilt, and his body feeling stronger than it had in what felt like years. He was wrapped in his lover's arms when his eyes opened, and there was nowhere else he would have rather have been at that - or any other moment.

Seeing Volcan sleeping so soundly with him, Luke opted to give the Blaziken a little longer to sleep, and allowed himself to close his eyes and rest for a little longer. About fifteen minutes later, when Luke opened his eyes again and found Volcan still sleeping, he decided it was time to awaken the Blaziken from his peaceful slumber in his own way. Slowly he crawled up the bed until he was at eye level with Volcan, cupping his paws on Volcan's cheeks and nuzzling him affectionately.

"Time to wake up, Lazybones..." He whispered as he began to peck at Volcan's beak repeatedly.

The Blaziken stirred at his touches, eyes fluttering open slowly before finding his lover's, a smile slowly stretching across his face. "Hey there, handsome," he said softly.

"I can see you certainly slept well." Luke teased him with a chuckle. "You were about as statuesque as a Sudowoodo trying to blend in with a forest."

"I always sleep well with you around," he said, smiling wider as he rolled onto his back slowly and stretched out with a pleased groan as he let the blood flow back to his limbs again. He lay back and rested his hands behind his head, crossing his legs beneath the duvet as he turned to look at Luke again.

"I can say the same, you handsome devil." Luke replied, sliding his arms around Volcan once more when he was comfortable. "Though as much as I'd love to stay here and smother you with affection, we have some business to take care of today." He said as his tone and expression grew serious.

"Aww, can't we just have a moment?" Volcan asked, laying a hand on Luke's back and pulling him closer. "I didn't get to kiss you at all yesterday."

At that, Luke couldn't help but soften his expression and chuckle softly. "I just can't say no to you." He whispered as a grin spread across his face. "C'mere you!" He growled before suddenly pouncing on top of Volcan, locking his lips firmly around Volcan's beaklips and kissing him as passionately as they did when they confessed to one another back in Azure.

Volcan's strong arms wrapped tightly around Luke and pulled him deeper into the kiss, a hand resting on the back of Luke's head while the other caressed his back lovingly, enjoying the feeling of closeness and intimacy with his beloved.

When they slowly pulled apart, he whispered softly to the Lucario. "I love you so much..."

"I love you too, my beloved Blaziken." Luke whispered back, smiling joyously up at Volcan and idly stroking down his lover's back with his paws, then looked up a little in thought before continuing. "...You know, I think the others can wait just a _little_longer." He replied as his eyes travelled back to look into Volcan's, his grin still present.

"Good~," Volcan returned before he went back in, kissing Luke again and turning them over to put himself on top, their kiss escalating to passionate making out on the bed.

The Lucario dug his paws firmly into Volcan's back once he was on top of him, panting harder now that they were passionately making out with one another. Luke began to squirm a bit under the Blaziken's weight, so happy to share in this moment that he considered going all the way right then and there. Alas, his common sense and restraint kept him from pushing that far, instead settling on just sharing this passionate moment with his beloved for the time being... There would be plenty of time for that line of thought when they were finished in Hadleigh.

Certain Volcan was sharing his thoughts, the Blaziken eventually pulled back, staring down at Luke with a warm expression, though his eyes hinted his inner desires. "We're going to have a _lot_of pent up energy when we get home, I sense," he remarked.

"It was that obvious, eh?" Luke replied, his grin becoming more suggestive now that Volcan had caught on.

"Because I was thinking the same thing," he returned, nuzzling his beak against Luke's nose with a snicker, before he slowly eased Luke off him and. "Ooh, but damn I'm stiff from all that lying around. I could use some exercise."

Luke felt a sense of trepidation at Volcan's words, wondering if his lover was healed enough to be up and about. He gently pressed his paws into Volcan's chest to stop him from rising any further. "Are you sure you're alright to exert yourself so soon after waking up?" Luke asked with mild concern. "Who's to say you aren't fully healed yet?"

"Won't know until I try," replied Volcan with a shrug. "Besides, much as I love sleeping, I _really_could use a walk." At that moment, his stomach growled so loudly, that for a moment Luke wondered if there was a Rhyhorn in the next room, until he realized where it was coming from.

Volcan grimaced, a sheepish expression on his face. "And there's that."

Luke began stifling laughter after Volcan's stomach stopped growling, doubling over as he lost his composure and burst out into a frantic laughter, carrying on for a moment before collecting himself and wiping an eye with his paw. "You are so hopeless sometimes," Luke said teasingly as he slid off the bed and offered his paw to Volcan. "Let's get that raging beast all full of nutrients for the day."

"Hell, to the yes," Volcan returned, grasping Luke's paw and easing himself over the side of the bed, carefully putting one foot down and putting weight on it to test his stability. His knees wobbled somewhat, but he stayed upright, and leaned on Luke for support as they left the room.

Down the hall to the stairs, they descended carefully to the bottom floor. Out of the corners of their eyes, they saw a familiar form at the bar counter, talking with the bar keep. It took them only a moment to recognize the Primarina, especially when she turned to them bearing that heart-melting smile that had her fans swooning the night they had first met her.

"Oh, nevermind - there they are," she said to the barkeep, excusing herself before she turned to them. "Good morning, gentlemen."

"Good morning, Lady Cinnia." Luke greeted back cordially, then took a gander around and noticed the lack of the other Pokémon in the inn. "...Where's everyone else gone off to?"

"They're at the Overlook park, doing a training exercise," replied Cinnia. "I met them on the way, and Neilla gave me an update over the events of the past few days." Her expression shifted to a mild, sympathetic frown. "I daresay the last few days have been rather exciting for you - perhaps more so than I considered."

"Exciting is putting it nicely." Luke answered back with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Though at the very least, we're being kept busy."

Cinnia nodded. "Hadleigh is grateful for your aid. You might have heard, there are already stories about you being told around town - shared mostly among the refugees who have been coming in, but there are also those who witnessed your battle by the river yesterday, and the clash between Ernoul and that young Greninja."

Volcan and Luke both froze so suddenly it was like time had stopped around them, staring blankly at Lady Cinnia. "Come again?" Volcan asked, flatly.

"You don't know?" She asked, surprised.

Luke's expression quickly went from surprised to a stern frown. "...What did he do?" He asked firmly.

"According to Neilla, Hageshi - that is his name, correct?" She went on when they nodded. "He attempted to slay the Salazzle matron, Jora, after chasing her through town. Thankfully, Ernoul had stepped out from the Inn and happened upon them before Hageshi could finish her; they fought, and Ernoul bested Hageshi; Jora surrendered peacefully and Hageshi was taken to jail along with her."

A silence fell over the three for a moment, until Volcan's knuckles cracked audibly as his fists clenched. "Why that little son of a-!" He caught himself, stopping his imminent burst of profanity when he noticed Lady Cinnia's children over by the door. "That little cretin," he said, though the milder word did little to ease his anger.

Or Luke's, who was much less subtle with his approach. "That little... RGH!" He growled, slamming his paws together hard, sucking in a deep breath afterward in order to rein in his temper. "...I have half a mind to leave him here to rot in his cell! What part of 'we don't take lives' does he not understand??"

"And you say Ernoul fought him?" Volcan asked. "I hope he didn't get hurt too badly -I've seen Hageshi fight. Kid's almost as good as his dad."

"Actually, the way Drogo described it," Cinnia remarked. "Hageshi never laid a hand on him. In his own words, Hageshi... 'got stomped'?" She shrugged. "I do not know what the young are saying these days."

Luke disregarded Cinnia's attempt at modern slang, merely scoffing angrily and turning his head away. "Little punk got what he deserved as far as I'm concerned..." He said with a hint of venom in is tone. "He may fight like his father, but his morales are hopelessly misguided. Sooner or later he's going to become the very thing he claims he's trying to destroy, and as much as I despise his methods, I would _never_want to see a father have to put down his own son because of it..."

"As a parent myself, I concur," Cinnia replied, looking back towards her two children playing in the snow outside the door.

At that, Volcan's stomach let out another growl, louder before than it had been in the room upstairs. Cinnia looked back at him, stunned, and Luke was once more trying to stifle a laugh as Volcan stood, blushing with embarrassment, chuckling nervously.

"Eh... sorry. I've kind of been out the last day or so and haven't had a thing to eat."

"Well that certainly won't do," Cinnia returned with a light laugh, calling out to the barkeep. "A platter of your finest breakfast options for these fine gentlemen, good sir. I will pick up the bill."

"Right away, ma'am!" The Conkeldurr returned, practically striding back into the kitchen.

Again, Luke's cheeks were flush red when he heard Lady Cinna place an order on their behalf, his selflessness overtaking his anger. "Miss, please...you've already done so much for us financially." He pleaded.

"And you have already_more_ than earned the reward I promised you for your mission. I had thought the roads only to be plagued by a bandit gang, not a marauder and his small army," her expression soured. "Yet the fight is still far from over. It would be the least of what I could do, to make sure you are fed." She held up a flipper as Luke started to speak. "And I will not hear argument about it," she said with firmness in her tone, though she was wearing that smile again - the one that had caused a Golduck to drop in a dead faint the night Luke had first met Lady Cinnia.

Luke struggled to come with anything more to say on the matter. He was finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact he had finally met someone who was even more altruistic than he was, and he took that trait to the extreme both in and out of work. Sighing in mild defeat, he finally lowered his head graciously toward the Primarina. "Thank you..." He said softly.

"I suspect before long, Luke, it will be all of Hadleigh thanking you," she said, that heart-melting smile sending blood rushing to his cheeks once more. "Now, I will let you two enjoy your meal," she said as she lifted a small purse from her side and opened it out, scooping out a few Poks and placing them on the counter. "Before I go, I would also like to inform you that word is on its way to the guild hall in Westport, with a full report of the events; it is my hope that my Rescue Teams will be dispatched to Hadleigh to assist us."

"Funny you should mention that actually." Luke said as he lifted his head back up. "I also sent Eagle Eye back to Azure in order to gather up some reinforcements of our own. Hopefully they'll be on their way soon enough."

"What of the Salazzle matron? Will you turn her over to the guild to be put on trial?" Cinnia inquired curiously.

"No." Luke stated almost immediately and with surprising firmness in his tone. "...I will speak to her personally. I have a strong suspicion that she's not our enemy of her own volition, judging by her actions and demeanour."

Cinnia nodded. "I will trust to your judgement," she said, before she turned and dragged herself toward the door, pushing it open. "Come children - let's be heading home," she said as they made their way over to their cart and the Tauros waiting on them.

Volcan looked at Luke. "You're sure Jora isn't our enemy?" He asked. "What if she's been lying to you?"

"I'm confident she hasn't been." Luke returned. "I sensed no deceit in what she told me, and when I did become afflicted with poison, she tried to help me. What gain was in that for her?" The Lucario further explained, looking up to Volcan. "She isn't evil by choice, love, and I feel she at least deserves a second chance once this is all over."

Volcan let out a slow breath, the uncertainty clear in his voice. "Well, I may not trust her yet, but I trust you." He said. "Suppose after we eat, we should go see her?"

Luke nodded. "Better we get that out of the way, then we can regroup with the others and get some training in while revealing what info Jora can give us." He explained. "Basically we'd be killing two Pidgey with one Rock Throw... metaphorically speaking, of course."

"Of course."

~~~~~

The Salazzle lay with her tail curled around herself in her almost catlike position as she lay half-dozing in her cell, a blanket draped over her to ward off the chill winter air. She enjoyed the comfort of the warm bed, not knowing the last time she got to sleep without sharing the warmth of her circle as they lay draped about her. Not that she had ever minded -it was a fact of her station, but she nevertheless enjoyed the privacy, collecting her thoughts and looking back on her earlier decisions, everything that had led to this moment.

This moment... her mistakes... Oh, many that she had made.

She thought nothing of it as she heard the front door to the jailhouse closing, not knowing - or caring - who was coming in, as she doubted they were there for her. Little did she know that the visitors were Volcan and Luke, and she was exactly who they were there to see - though as they followed the corridor looking for her, they passed by the cell of another who caught their eye.

Hageshi, seated upon his bed in a meditative posture. His eyes opened upon seeing them, but no one wanted to be the first to speak, resulting in a long drawn out stare between them.

Luke and Hageshi were practically shooting daggers at one another as they continued to stare each other down. There were so many things he wanted to say to the cold hearted Greninja; so many spiteful, hate filled words he want to cuss out toward Hageshi, but he kept his anger reined in for the moment, sighing heavily as he turned and continued on his way toward Jora's cell.

It was in that moment of silence though, that Volcan could not only see, but _feel_the resentment radiating from Luke. In all the months he had known his betrothed, never once had he seen the Lucario so...hateful...so enraged, even. He had been angry before, but this time it was as though the room itself had darkened for that brief moment, before Luke calmed himself down and headed off, leaving Volcan to say whatever he wanted to say to Hageshi if he so desired.

Indeed he did have something to say, with a scowl to the Greninja. "I really thought you better than you turned out to be," he said. "Your father would be ashamed of you."

With that, he moved on, not even giving Hageshi the chance to make a retort before catching up to Luke.

Luke stood before the Salazzle's cell, leaning on the bars slightly and resting a paw on one of them as he stared at her in silence, finally speaking after a few moments.

"...We need to talk."

Jora's eyes opened slowly, rolling to peer in Luke's direction as Volcan arrived to stand beside him. "I see you brought a friend," she said half-heartedly.

"...He's more than that, actually." Luke stated. "That's neither here nor there now.I've come to you seeking information about our enemy. The more info we have, the better we can prepare for the oncoming assault they'll no doubt unleash when they arrive."

"I have already told your Lopunny friend everything I could," she returned, sliding out from under the blanket and stepping off the bunk, stretching like a cat on the stone floor before she rose on her hind legs, facing Luke again. "But very well; ask, and I will answer to the best of my abilities."

Luke cleared his throat for a moment, then looked her square in the eyes. "...I apologize if this gets personal, but first of all, I need to know _why_you joined Calhoun's forces..." Luke stated. "I can sense plain as day that you aren't an evil Pokemon, and despite what happened, you approached me with the best intentions in mind..."

She considered his question for a moment, never breaking her gaze from his and remaining statuesque in the cell as she began. "I am from the isle of Kia He -one of the chain of the Great South islands, far from here," she began. "A volcanic island - bountiful in vegetation. But, even in such a place, one can still find hardship. My clan; my circle and my children - you have met them all. We were in dire straits. Two warring bands of Kommo-O warriors, the mightiest beings of the great south, had driven off all of the game in the region we had settled, and plundered the resources left in the area leaving nothing for us. We tried to relocate, but the surrounding lands had become territory to these warring bands or other clans who would not let us cross without confrontation, and we were too weak to fight. I feared we were doomed to die, slowly and painfully.

"Until, one day, I was approached by a Decidueye known as Tory," she went on. "He told me that his leader had requested to meet with me. I did not know how this 'leader' knew of me, but I was not one to trust strangers, and so I refused." She scoffed. "As though I had a choice. The minute I turned my back, I was in blackness, and awoke later, on the deck of the ship I would later know as the Oppression. Standing before me was a nightmarish being -a Blaziken with feathers the colour of coal and ash, and eyes like two amethysts."

"Calhoun," Volcan stated firmly.

"Yes," Jora confirmed, nodding.

"That was when he gave you the option to join him, correct?" Luke asked, his tone sounding more sympathetic the longer he listened to Jora's story.

Jora shook her head. "At first, he did not even speak. He did not have to," she continued. "He tossed a loaf of bread to me, landing squarely at my feet. I was so hungry, I did not even consider the implications - I devoured it, without a second thought. When I was finished, he was kneeling before me, looking right into my eyes, and told me that my clan would be saved, if I would join him on his conquest."

She sighed. "I knew he was a monster, even with this act of charity... I could _sense_it - pure malice seemed to radiate from him like smoke from the volcano. But, my only concern was the survival of my clan. I agreed; the rest of my clan came to my side on the ship, and we left my homeland behind."

Luke gave her a slow nod in return. "So, it was desperation then just as I thought," He said softly to her, letting out a small sigh before he spoke again. "You went with him because it was either your clan died, or you accept his offer to keep your clan safe in exchange for serving his every whim. Knowing this, I can understand why you joined him..."

He then slipped his paw through a gap in the bars, holding it out to her. "With that said, now you have a chance to redeem yourself. You don't have to serve Calhoun's beck and call anymore." The Lucario explained. "I know you've given Neilla and the others information, but if you tell me everything you know right now, I can try to convince the others to give you a second chance."

She looked at his paw, once again in deep contemplation. She stepped closer to the bars, and her claw raised, shaking, towards his paw. But mere inches from it, she stopped, and drew her arm back as she averted her gaze.

"I cannot help you," she stated. "I will give you all the information you require... but my life is already forfeit. Calhoun will hunt me down for what I have done." The same words spoken by Nendranos, Luke realized... "And I have already done terrible things in his name; things that... fir which I do not deserve to be forgiven."

She then turned away, shoulders slumped. "I am sorry... but you should not waste your forgiveness on me."

The Lucario's ears twitched a little, then his soft expression grew firm and his paw clenched tightly. "...So, you'd rather give up? Is that it?" He asked in a sterner tone. "You have the chance to right the wrongs you've committed in that bastard's name; I heavily suggest you take this chance. You have a long life ahead of you, with an entire clan depending on you for their survival. You can run all you want, but in the end, he will catch you. Rather than fleeing, wouldn't you take a stand and fight back for their sake?"

She offered no immediate answer, but he could see by the twitch of her tail that his words had found their way to her. Luke felt Volcan's hand on his shoulder, and looked up at the Blaziken, who shook his head at him. "She has made her choice. We can't force her," he said. "For now, let's just focus on her cooperation."

The Lucario let out a long sigh, eventually nodding back to Volcan in agreement before he would turn his attention back to Jora. "...Tell us everything, Jora." He said with that sympathetic tone once more. "Any little bit of information helps."

"Where would you like me to begin?" She asked, turning to them again.

Volcan stepped forward at that, a hand around one of the bars as he spoke. "His allies," he began. "Where does Calhoun find his forces? He has a small army at his disposal, but I can't fathom where he could have found them all. Are they like you - plucked from desperation to serve his cause?"

"Some, perhaps," began Jora. "I know most of his army are of the refuse of their homelands - outcasts and criminals that he brought together and taught to fight as units. But his lieutenants, such as myself, each one is different. As far as I know, I am the only one who he brought in under the circumstances he did. The Alakazam - his lead researcher, was hired as well, and with him came the Gallade who has led so many of our massacres."

The bar Volcan held shook as the Blaziken tensed so suddenly, his body was rigid, knuckles white and the muscles of his arm hardening to the force of his grip. Jora looked up in some alarm, seeing the tension in him and taking a wary step back, fearing she might have said something he hadn't liked...

Luke placed his paw over Volcan's arm gently. "Calm down, Love..." He whispered to him. "Don't let yourself become blinded by rage at this moment...save it for the battlefield."

Volcan blinked, as if coming out of a dream. He released the bar and stepped away, a hand on his head. "I'm sorry..." he said in a strained voice. "The memories... they came back for a second..." He rubbed his head as he turned away from Jora, leaning on the wall opposite from her cell for support.

It was then that Jora saw the scar on the Blaziken's back. Luke saw her eyes widening in surprise at the still grotesque wound. Though it had long healed, the severity of the wound - and that he could have survived such an injury without being crippled, was shocking.

"By Lunala..." she whispered, covering her mouth with a claw.

"...He gained that scar from the same Gallade you described." Luke explained to her. "Volcan is a survivor of one of Calhoun's raids. He managed to escape the carnage, and later on, helped to bring all of the top level Rescue Teams together to free whatever prisoners they held at their fortress...Though while they all escaped, they lost their home, and several of their loved ones in the process..." The Lucario added with a somber tone.

Jora's eyes widened in sudden realization. "...He is from the island with the Arceus statue, isn't he?" She asked.

"He is." Luke returned softly.

"...That was the first attack... the first after the fortress was built," Jora recounted in almost a whisper, her gaze lowering as she laid a claw over her eyes. "Gods..." She said in a gasp, almost a sob. "I did not think anyone had escaped that carnage..."

"You... were there?" Volcan asked, his tone unreadable. His back was still turned to the Salazzle -even Luke could not see his expression.

"I was on the ship... I saw it all," she answered. "It was horrifying..."

Luke glanced back to his lover with mild concern, feeling it would be better to change the subject before the Blaziken suffered another panic attack. "...What else can you tell us?" Luke asked as he looked back to Jora. "You mentioned his lieutenants, Tory and Sash. Are there any others we should know of?"

Jora looked back at him, clearing her throat and regaining her composure before she answered. "Only one remains after them," she said. "Asya - a Midnight Lycanroc. It is she who leads the raid on this region, and who will lead the attack on this city."

Luke remembered the Lycanroc that he had encountered days before - the ones staging ambushes on travellers coming from or heading to the south. But Aerendyl had described them as 'Midday' Lycanroc. Luke had heard of some Pokemon capable of changing forms based on conditions - Castform, the weather spirit, was one such, or even Espeon and Umbreon, who seemed the most similar to these Lycanroc, evolving based on the day-to-night cycle.

"...Describe her to us in the best way you can." Luke stated. "I want to know everything about her. Her tactics, fighting style, demeanour. Everything."

"Unlike the Midday Lycanroc who led our attacks on the south, the Midnight form is a warrior body," Jora explained. "A Midnight Lycanroc stands upon two legs and often specialize in taking physical punishment only to deliver it right back two-fold. They are not as fast as their daytime cousins and are usually introvert, preferring to work alone. But they are much stronger and more durable than the Midday Lycanroc, and Asya is no exception. She is a cunning leader, far more subtle than Sash or Calhoun - the plan to use mind control to force the townsfolk to come without resistance was her own, and she enlisted that Malamar to do it."

Volcan started suddenly, raising his gaze. "Oh shit that's right!" He said, slapping his forehead. "I completely forgot!" He turned back to them. "Luke! The Malamar - Hageshi and I encountered him in the village before that Gyarados attacked. It was Bialo!"

He jolted a little and turned back to face Volcan with a stunned expression. "You're joking!" The Lucario exclaimed, and put a paw over his eyes. "In a world so vast, I didn't expect to actually be _right_that he was involved in this!"

"You two... _know_that scandalous creature?" Jora asked.

"Know him? We foiled his plans once before." Luke replied quickly. "He used to be allied with Team Warmachine, but when he and another of his colleagues - a Mismagius named Maggie, saw how far we were progressing in one of their tournaments, he mind controlled all of Team Warmachine's strongest members, turning them into mindless drones that answered to his every whim." He explained. "Thankfully we had some help in taking him down, but they soon escaped while we were on our way back to Azure after the tournament ended."

"So _that_is what he was doing wandering the islands," Jora said, putting a claw to her chin in thought. "I know of no Mismagius though - I believe we picked up Bialo alone out there."

"She probably left him behind," Volcan said with a scoff. "Or, he left her. Either way, loyalty was not the strong suit of either of them, only personal gain." He looked back at Jora. "So, Bialo works for the enemy now, and it was Asya who made use of his talents. So just as we thought, we're faced with someone who can think outside the box and use more subtle tactics."

"And not afraid to get her claws bloodied," Jora added. "I daresay, Asya is one of the most deadly of her kind I have ever encountered. She is also surprisingly nimble for one of her kind - I have seen her catch a fleeing Yanma out of midair in a single leap."

"Then we'll have to be extra careful should we encounter her during the assault." Luke returned, rubbing his chin as one more thought entered his mind. "...One last thing, Jora. Is there anything aboard the Oppression that stands out?" He asked. "Something that might turn the tide in their favour should they unleash it?"

Jora tensed at the question, but much to Luke's own fear... she nodded. "Yes... in the hold of the Oppression, there is something waiting. But I don't know what it is," she said with a helpless shake of her head. "I have not seen its like before; it looks like a half-bird, half-dragon, and its eyes." she shuddered visibly. "No mind behind them. Pure unbridled rage. I am certain it is one of Calhoun's corruptions."

"Half-bird, half-dragon?" Volcan repeated. "That's definitely not Mewtwo. So Calhoun has _another_servant."

"All the same, we need to treat it as a very serious threat if Asya has something like that at her disposal." Luke replied back to Volcan. He then gave Jora a small appreciative nod. "Thank you for your cooperation, Jora. You've been very helpful."

For a moment, it seemed like the conversation was over; Jora offered no other words, and Luke had no other questions. Before the silence had a chance to become uncomfortable, he looked to Volcan, and they started to leave. But before they did, Jora called after the Lucario, begging him to give her another moment. He turned, walking back to her and meeting her gaze through the bars of her cell.

She stepped closer to the bars, bearing an apologetic look on her face as she met Luke's gaze again. "I hope you understand my intentions that night," she said as a tear slid from her eye then, revealing her guilt. "I only wanted to save the people of this city any way I could. I thought that if I could convince you, that if the city were empty... perhaps I could stop the coming carnage." She leaned her head on the bars. "I am so sorry for manipulating you like that."

The Lucario stared silently at Jora as she confessed her apology to him. He felt a small twist in his heart, making him undergo mixed expressions of understanding, yet disappointment at the same time. After a long silence between the two, Luke slowly lifted one of his paws and placed it lightly on Jora's cheek, wiping her tear away as he looked her in the eye.

"I understand you were only trying to help." He said softly to her. "But your approach was horribly askew. By trying to manipulate me, you almost made me commit an act so egregious, I would never have forgiven myself had I fully been bent to your will..." He said in a firm manner, casting a glance Volcan's way. "You almost made me betray my future husband, and I should be angry at you for doing that, but I can't be. Not after hearing why you were forced into this life."

He then did something that caught Jora completely off guard. He pressed up as close to the bars as he could, slid both of his arms through and pulled her into a warm embrace, resting his chin atop her head as he comforted her as best he could. "Despite what you've done...I hold no ill will against you, Jora...Your intentions were good, and that's enough to earn my forgiveness."

She stood there, stunned and silent as Luke held her, as though she were having trouble processing what was happening. She looked at Volcan, seeing his expression neutral - no anger, even though it was his betrothed that she had tried to manipulate. She had figured it out earlier, when Luke had called Volcan 'Love'. But seeing no resentment from him, she leaned into Luke's chest, letting more tears flow from her eyes as he held her, sniffing briefly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He slowly pulled back and looked Jora square in the eyes, giving her a small nod before resting his forehead to hers briefly, as if trying to relay to her that everything would be alright through that small gesture of kindness. Luke would then slowly pull back from the prison bars and step away from Jora.

"We'll be back once the siege is over..." He said softly to the Salazzle, then nodded to Volcan to signal he was finished here, before he would turn and start walking back the direction they came.

Volcan put his arm around Luke as he moved to walk beside the Lucario, Jora staring after them fondly as they left the jailhouse. When they were out of sight, she returned to her bed, laying down as she had before, but wearing a smile that had forgotten all of her sorrow.

"She _was_rather lovely," Volcan remarked off-handedly as they stepped outside, giving his lover a teasing nudge. "I think _I_might've been swayed too if I had been the one in that room that night."

Luke knew Volcan was trying to make light of the night for good fun, to chase away any lingering guilt the Lucario might've still had. He couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little, tilting his head toward Volcan and wearing a small smirk along his face. "Even without whatever power she had to draw me to her...I have to admit, if it weren't for our engagement, I might very well have considered her as a bride." Luke replied, further teasing Volcan as his grin grew wider.

"Except unlike with me you would have competition," he reminded, gesturing back towards the jailhouse. "Her 'circle' she called them, right?" He hummed in thought. "An interesting culture, these Salandit and Salazzle... I wonder if Aerendyl has some books on them? I'd be interested in checking that out if we have time."

"Likewise." Luke concurred. "Though for now, let's head on over to the park and regroup with the others. I remember you saying you wanted to get a little exercise when we woke up." He pointed out.

"Right. And after that breakfast we had, I _am_feeling pretty strong again," he said, rolling his shoulders. "Don't know if I'm a hundred percent yet though, so I better take it a bit at a time."

Luke nodded, then he slid his arm back around Volcan's waist, pulling himself closer until they were hip to hip. "Shall we then, my love~?"

"Right with you," he returned as they followed the street, seeking the Overlook park.

Neilla ducked under Hank's swiping claw as the Zoroark lunged for her again, and punished his brief second of exposure with a clenched paw to his chest, sending some air from his lungs and out his muzzle before she retaliated with a punch from her other paw aimed for his cheek. Alas, despite being winded, the Zoroark was still as crafty as ever, grinning as he suddenly ducked low to avoid her punch and snapped his claw. Small roots then shot out and wrapped around her legs, planting her on the spot as Hank rose back up with a Night Slash coming right for her.

She put up her paws in the path of his attack, letting it come, and then the instant he made contact, her reaction was as quick as lightning, her other paw shooting forward like a striking Seviper and landing an open-palm strike on his chest that not only winded him, but sent him hurtling into Sarth behind him, the Flygon having already planted his feet and catching the Zoroark as he was thrown back.

For a second, Hank couldn't take in a breath, but when that passed, his lungs filled with air. "Easy there," Sarth said, keeping him propped up. "Neilla's Counter usually knocks her opponent clean out; you're lucky she only winded you"

"Yea no kidding... Jeez." Hank wheezed as he stood back on his feet again. "Gotta hand it to her, she's pretty tough. Much as I hate to admit it she might even be a match for Luke."

Sarth took a claw from Hank's shoulder, stretching it over and pointing towards the park entrance. "We just might find out, buddy. Look who's coming now."

It was not only Sarth who noticed the arriving Lucario and Blaziken. Val, in the midst of his sparring match with Azrael, paused and held up his paws to halt the Absol's next lunge, pointing past him towards Luke and Volcan. The others caught on, and - after Neilla freed herself from Hank's grass knot, gathered to meet up with the two.

"Good to see you guys on your feet," said Neilla, her remark aimed equally at both of them considering the state they had been in the night before.

"You alright, Volc?" Val asked, concerned.

Volcan nodded. "Better than alright," he said.

"Good to hear," the Floatzel said, smiling as he lifted his paw to bump fists with Volcan.

"Eyyy welcome back to the land of the living, Chicken Legs!" Hank called as he strode over and gave the Blaziken a hearty slap along his back that nearly set Volcan onto his belly. "You really had us worried there for a second!"

"Ow," groaned the Blaziken. "I'm not back to a hundred yet, Hank - still got a few aches... but thanks for your concern."

Aerendyl stepped up to Luke, studying him carefully. "It looks like the Poison has completely left your system," he said, seeing the colour of Luke's skin beneath his fur was restored, and the Lucario stood easily without any sign of nausea. He gave an approving nod. "I'd say you're back to normal."

"Oh I'm better than normal, Aerendyl." Luke returned with a smile, sneaking a glance back to Volcan momentarily before his expression softened. "How's Breenelle...? Is she okay?"

"Present and accounted for," a voice piped up from beside Drogo and Ernoul off to the side, the Umbreon stepping forth and nodding to Luke. "Thanks for asking."

"The antidotes did their job," Ernoul piped up. "All that was required after was bed rest."

"I'm still shocked to know Luke was poisoned," Drogo remarked, rubbing behind one ear. "Who'da thunk there was a Pokemon out there that could poison a Steel-type."

"Indeed, even I was not aware of the potency," Aerendyl admitted. Luke found it gratifying that the Espeon's earlier anger towards Drogo seemed to have abated with his sister's recovery, at least enough that he did not fault the Raichu for a simple question. "I knew Salazzle were said to have some of the most potent toxins of all Poison-type Pokemon, but I never imagined elements of corrosion existed within them as well."

"Well for the time being, let's take it as a lesson learned." Luke returned. "In the meantime, I'm a little insulted you guys didn't bother to wake Volcan and I from our slumber to train with you guys." He said with a smirk.

"We figured it was best to let you guys catch up after what happened." Hank said with a shrug.

Volcan chuckled. "Well I certainly didn't mind the extra z's," he said, his arm still holding Luke close to him. "Say, where's my brother? I haven't seen him."

"He's been keeping an eye out for us," Neilla replied, tossing her head towards the north. "He's probably still perched on the west gate now, watching for the Oppression."

"Him, doing sentry duty?" Volcan asked, bewildered. "...Somebody replace my bro with an imposter?"

"Wha...?" Neilla asked, tilting her head to the side, the motion causing her bound ears to sway behind her.

"Nothing. Just never known him to be so... well, I don't know. He's always hated sitting around," Volcan replied.

"I think the effect of what happened to you has given him cause to take more responsibility," Ernoul offered.

"...Seems he can be taught after all." Luke commented with a chuckle. "Well, as good as it is to hear that he's taking a more active role here, what say we get some sparring done?" He suggested.

Neilla grinned at that. "I was hoping you'd ask," she said. "Hank there seems to think you and I would be good sparring partners, so I'd like to call first round."

Volcan chuckled, looking at Luke. "Think you can take her?" He asked, rhetorically.

"I think so." Luke returned as he rolled his shoulder and stretched out his arm. "If I can take a punch from Torolf, I think I can handle a punch or two from Neilla." He added, shooting a wink Volcan's way before he looked back to Neilla with a confident grin. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Give 'em some room, people!" Drogo crowed, eager to see the sparring match.

The group parted, forming a semi-circle to the side where the Lucario and Lopunny had plenty of room for their practice battle, both of them shifting to a defensive stance as they readied themselves.

"Ten poks on Neilla," Sarth remarked as they waited.

"I'll second that bet," agreed Breenelle.

"I've seen Luke fight -my money's on him," Drogo chimed in. "The guy clobbered a Gyarados by himself for crying out loud."

"I thought Lighris helped him?" Val asked.

"...Still, he did most of the work!"

At that moment Doug suddenly popped up from under Drogo's feet, causing the Raichu to topple onto his back as the three headed mole surfaced. "Ey I'm back! What I miss?" He exclaimed.

"Luke and Neilla are about ta throw down." Hank casually replied, gesturing to the two of them ahead.

"Oooh nice! This oughta be fun to watch!" He replied, swaying his heads a little. "We takin bets, cause my money's on Luke!"

A silence fell over the group as Neilla seemed to be about to make the first move. She hopped forward, as if to jump at the Lucario, but landed just shy of him and swung her leg out in a wide kick, and hopped away as the Lucario tried a retaliatory swipe of his paw.

He stepped after her after his attempt to strike back missed, following up with a simple one-two combination, then when she tried to punch back, he weaved to the right of her, catching her in a blindspot and landing a roundhouse kick to her stomach with enough force to send her skidding back a few feet. He used the time she took to recover to get back into his stance again, smirking a bit as he beckoned her to approach once more with his paw.

She flashed him a grin, and then rushed at him with Agility, zig-zagging with startling speed as she closed in and swung for his face with a Dizzy Punch. He instinctively raised his paw to block the attack, just barely parrying the blow before it slammed into his face. Again he flashed a grin at Neilla as he held her paw in his.

"...You aren't the only speedster around." He said softly to her.

Then as quickly as she could blink, Luke had moved behind her with Extreme Speed, landing a chop to the back of her head to send her stumbling forward. When she caught herself and turned to face him again, he was already in her face and slammed a Force Palm into her sternum, sending her skidding further away from the Lucario. She fell to one knee, and Luke saw her muscles spasm with signs of paralysis. For that, he believed the fight to be as good as over...

But then the spasms ceased, and the Lopunny returned to her feet, wearing a confident grin of her own as the Paralysis seemed to vanish from her. She gave a toss of her head, flinging her tied ears behind her again and returned to her stance.

Luke was certain he'd inflicted her with Paralysis, yet it seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever. Still, he'd proven the faster even without it, and with another Extreme Speed, he dashed behind her, fist drawn back to strike.

The instant his paw touched her, she suddenly snapped around as though her speed had quintupled, and her paw struck his chest just off to the left of his spike - as unlike with Hank, his sternum was protected. Still it forced some air from his lung as he was thrown back, into a half-spin from the angle of the strike.

"KUH!!" Luke grunted as he stumbled to catch his balance, rubbing his chest. 'Felt like I got rammed by a Cranidos!' He exclaimed in his mind as he faced her again, watching as she shifted her posture to its previous stance again, her eyes on his.

He narrowed his eyes, studying her. She stood with one leg forward, the other behind; her stance was similar to Volcan's except she better distributed her weight, whereas his put most of it into the back leg. Furthermore, her hands were positioned according to protect both high and low. Luke momentarily wished he had been around to see Neilla fight the Trevenant she had tackled alongside Hank, to have a better idea of her fighting style, but for now he'd have to wing it.

"Let's see how well your distance combat is," he muttered, bringing his paw to his sides and forming an Aura sphere, promptly hurling it at Neilla before she could have time to move or stop him.

But she didn't, and Luke's ear caught an off-hand remark from Azrael. "Bad choice," the Absol said.

Neilla's response was immediate, bringing her feet to a horizontal stance and positions at shoulder-width. She crossed her arms over her chest, and a flash of multi-coloured light shone around her, only briefly, but in the instant before the Aura Sphere found her. Upon connecting to her body, it blinked out of extistence, and then reappeared as if it had entered her body and circulated back out, heading straight for him.

In his stunned amazement at the turnabout, Luke almost didn't react in time. He summonedh is Bone Rush to his paws and struck the Aura Sphere in mid-travel, dispersing it before it could strike him. In the moment he parried it, though, his guard was open, and in came Neilla, slamming his lower back with a roundhouse kick that sent him hurtling through the air, until he corrected his course and somersaulted back onto his feet, facing her again when she pursued.

He maneuvered his Bone Rush to try and keep her at bay, parrying her kicks and trying to trip her up. As befitting her species, she was quick and nimble, able to turn on a dime, but their exchance was giving Luke more insight to her fighting style; she countered him when he tried a Force Palm, disarming him of his Bone Rush in the process, and when he fired another Aura Sphere at her she sent it back at him again with her body flashing that myriad of colours - which he now understood was Mirror Coat.

Neilla was quick. Precise, struck hard, and she could read her opponents well. Perfect on offense, perfect on defense... yet in that same understanding Luke figured out exactly how to beat her.

Luke used Extreme Speed as Neilla rushed him again, flipping herself into an axe kick that, had it landed, would've utterly floored him, but she rolled immediately after the kick had missed and was back on her feet again, turning as Luke ran at her. What she didn't see, however, was an Aura Sphere; in the instant her back was turned, Luke had thrown the sphere into the air, and it was making a circle to come at the Lopunny from behind.

Neilla shifted to a Counter stance as Luke rushed at her with a Bullet Punch, but the Aura Sphere reached her first. It struck her with the force of a ram, sending her hurtling straight into Luke's punch; she struck his outstretched fist chest-first, her legs flying out behind him as all momentum ceased and she fell onto her back with a grunt and a long groan of pain, curling her arms over her chest as she coughed.

"Ooooh, that was_brutal_," said Drogo. "But, ha! Twenty Poks my way!" Drogo crowed.

"He figured out her fighting style," Volcan thought aloud, nodding in approval.

Hank glanced at him curiously, arching an eyebrow at the Blaziken. "You saw all that?" He asked with a hint of intrigue. "They were moving kinda fast. I mean, I get Luke's always thinking while he fights, but..."

"Neilla is a one-direction fighter but not in the same way I am," Volcan explained. "She doesn't suffer up close or, with Mirror Coat and her speed, at a distance; she can pretty much throw anything you send at her right back. However, she can't block everything; throw a punch, she'll Counter. Throw a projectile, Mirror Coat. But she can only use one or the other, not both; in that moment she has to decide what to defend against, she stays in one place and that's where he got her.

"..Ooookay, I'm just gonna pretend I understood all that." Hank commented with a helpless shrug.

Doug rolled his eyes and groaned. "Dude it ain't rocket science man. She can't block a physical and a special attack at the same time and that's exactly what Luke counted on when he made that last rush; she was ready to Counter, but was hit by the Aura Sphere first, which Counter doesn't block."

"...Oh." Hank commented, now understanding.

Neilla, after catching her breath, rolled onto her back and blinked the stars from her eyes, looking up at the Lucario standing over her. She gave him a scowl, but there was still the hint of a smirk on her lips. "That was pretty sneaky," she commented.

Luke offered her his paw and smiled back at her. "Once I got a hold of how you fought, figuring out how to capitalize on your weakness was easy." He commented as he helped her back to her feet. "Still, you're pretty damn strong. That Counter attack to my chest would've taken me out if it had been dead-on."

She chuckled as she took Luke's paw, letting him hoist her back to her feet. "Sure worked against Hank when I sparred with him," she remarked.

"Hank can fight at all ranges like me, but he's more tricky than tactical," replied Luke.

"Oye!" Hank called out, offended.

"Still, it's helped me through plenty of jams," she said, shrugging. "But, you got me fair & square."

Luke nodded, patting Neilla's shoulder gently. "You keep training, I have little doubt you'll get me eventually, if not next time. Just try to stay more aware of what I'm doing, in case it's a fake out."

She nodded in understanding. "I'll remember," she promised. "Now, I suppose we should start up the next round. What about-"

:Hey!"

The group looked up at the sound of the call, and saw Lighris arcing towards them, falling into a low glide before landing in the park. "Hey bro!" He called to Volcan, waving his wings. "You won't believe what's coming!"

"Is it the Oppression?" Volcan asked, starting. "It can't be here already!"

"What? Nonono, that fox lady's airship, the one who brought you home?" He pointed to the north. "It's coming this way!"

"Fox lady..." Luke muttered. "Wait, Lashanne??" He blurted out when the realization hit him.

"What's she doin here? I thought Bird Brain was off getting reinforcements!!" Hank commented.

"Perhaps that is why she is here?" Ernoul offered.

Volcan walked over to the railing overlooking the plains beyond, leaning out as far as he dared and staring northwards. "Hey, Lighris is right! It _is_Lashanne's ship!" He said excitedly. "And here comes Eagle Eye now!"

"INCOMING!!!" The Talonflame hollered as he sped toward the group, flapping his wings frantically as he shot past them, skidding along the ground until coming to a complete stop. He then hopped a full one eighty and faced the crowd, his face beaming with confidence. "The Cavalry has arrived, ladies and gents!!"

The collective fighters watched in awe as the ship, rumbling with the sound of the engines powering its propellers, flew over the city before coming a slow stop overhead, where the props ceased their spinning and two anchors were lowered into the park, one of them thunking to a paved portion with such force it cracked the marble slab, making the Hadleigh residents of the group wince knowing that someone would likely be upset about that later...

Then, Lashanne appeared at the railing, bounding over the side with her wand in hand and plunging toward the ground, slowing her stop at the last minute with levitation and landing as softly as a Persian upon the grass. Slipping the branch back into the holster on her back she turned to face the group as they approached, finding Luke and Volcan among them and grinning.

"You look surprised to see me," she said.

"Well...we weren't expecting you, honestly." Luke returned, scratching the back of his head with his paw. "What brings you here to Hadleigh?"

"What, I can't come and lend a hand to a couple of my friends?" She asked. "Or offer a ride to the others who came to-" She paused as a shadow fell over her, prompting her to look up. Her eyes went wide and she shrieked as a massive form fell to the ground mere inches from her, landing with a boom.

The Aggron stood tall as he recovered from the drop, claws on hips as he laughed heartly. "Good to be back on solid ground again!"

Lashanne glared at him. "You rock-headed dimwit; you trying to pancake me?!" She demanded, but Tristan ignored her.

"B-B-Big, so very very big," Drogo said, looking at Tristan with eyes so round, they seemed like they might roll out of their sockets.

"You guys didn't say you were bringing Groudon's kid brother to help us," Sarth remarked.

Hank laughed heartily when he saw the Aggron before him, quickly stepping over to greet him personally. "Eeey! There's our big gun!!" He said as he clapped Tristan's arm with his paw. "Bout damn time you showed up, pal!"

"Good to see ya too, skinny!" He returned, giving Hank a light jab to the shoulder -though was still enough to leave the Zoroark rubbing his arm. Tristan looked over his shoulder at that moment. "Uh... Serena, you gonna hang onto my back all day?"

The Vaporeon climbed over his opposite shoulder, shaking noticeably as she stepped into view. "Please... never. Do that. Again." She said in almost a whisper before she finally hopped from the Aggron's back and onto the snow, shaking herself.

"At least _you_weren't below him when he decided to make like a boulder down a mountainside," Lashanne remarked.

"Guys!" Volcan stepped forward, arms held out welcomingly to his friends as he approached. "Glad you could make it."

They both called out his name as they ran up to him, Serena throwing herself into his arms and hugging him with her front paws. "We'd heard you were injured!" She cried, nuzzling his neck.

"You gave us a right scare you jumping jack!" Tristan added, giving Volcan a slap on the back not unlike Hank had before. Unlike Hank, this one _did_send the Blaziken toppling into the snow, nearly flattening Serena if not for him turning away to keep from pinning her under his weight. "Oops," the Aggron muttered sheepishly.

"I _was_injured, thank you very much," Volcan muttered in a strained voice. "And after a hit like that, I might be again." Serena climbed off of him as he sat up, reaching behind himself to rub the spot where Tristan had clapped him.

Luke ran over and gently helped the Blaziken back to his feet, glancing to the Aggron with an unimpressed look. "Smooth, Tristan..." He muttered in soft derision.

"Hey cut the guy some slack. It's been a long ass trip." Eagle Eye chimed in. "He just got a little excited is all. Right big guy?"

Tristan chuckled. "Well, yeah, it was a boring trip," he said. "But I think Volcan's going to be the excited one when he sees who we brought!" He pointed up towards the airship as another figure leapt over the railing.

The group looked up just as the blue and black figure leapt off the railing of the ship, a long coat trailing above them as they fell. Upon landing, he fell into a roll to absorb the force of the drop, and stood up again after, the long coat falling about him, and Volcan's mouth fell agape as his mind registered who he was looking at.

Their eyes met, and neither one spoke as Volcan processed the turn of events - not even as the Blaziken spoke up. Minato didn't utter a single word either, staring in complete silence at Volcan as if waiting for him to speak up first.

"Minato?" He asked.

The Lucario in question then slowly turned to fully face Volcan, allowing a small smirk to cross his face as he looked at the Blaziken from head to toe. "...You look as though you've seen a ghost." He commented in jest.

All traces of the broken man Volcan had left in Azure were gone from his voice; his fur was clean, his coat even and neatly pressed, and most of all there was life in his gaze that Volcan had feared was gone forever.

Not seconds after Minato had made his jab at the Blaziken, Volcan beamed, and snapped forward like a crack of a whip, almost startling Minato as the darker-furred Lucario was swept off his feet and hugged so tightly it nearly stole the air from his lungs as Volcan spun around joyously.

"You did come!" He exclaimed in glee, laughing heartily even as Minato struggled in his grasp briefly.

"URK! V-Volcan!" Minato gagged as he felt the air forced out of his lungs when he was practically bearhugged by the Blaziken. "E-Ease up man! I can't breathe!" He further wheezed, tapping the Blaziken's shoulder repeatedly to signal for him to let go.

"Oh! Sorry!" Volcan replied, setting him back down again and pulling away. "I just... I didn't expect to see you here! I was worried you'd completely given up!"

At that, they were both swept up by Tristan, laughing heartily as he held them both in a headlock. "He had some sense knocked into 'im! And about damn time too!" He chortled as the two tried to pulled out of his grip.

"That's... one way of putting it." Minato commented, chuckling a bit as he gently squirmed his way out of Tristans' grasp. He then turned his head and showed Volcan the flowering bruise he still had on his cheek from where he was struck. "Took a bit of a heavy punch, and a sharp tongue before I was able to pull myself back from my depression..."

Volcan gawked at the sight of the bruise -though it had faded somewhat over the days, it was still plainly visible on Minato's cheek through the thin veil of his fur. He then turned on the Aggron, glaring. "Did you do that to him?" He asked.

"Not this time, Volc," he replied, pointing past him towards Lashanne. "Was our treasure hunting friend there."

Volcan looked back at Lashanne incredulously as if for confirmation, receiving only a shrug and a smirk in reply from her. "I may or may not have been involved," she replied, giving no clear answer.

Volcan blinked in confusion, but then shook his head, deciding it didn't matter. "Either way... I'm glad you're here. All of you - we're in deep down here."

"Well then it's a damn good thing they got Team Phalanx here, ain't it?" Tristan replied. "The _whole_team this time."

"Quite so." Minato replied with a nod. "I just hope I haven't gone _too_rusty since the last time I had a good fight...Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things before the real fight begins."

Volcan smiled at that. "Then you came at a good time," he stated. "Which brings me to the next subject," he gestured behind him. "To introduce our new friends."

He led his team over, standing before Neilla and Drogo's respective groups. "First, Team Plainsrunner," began Volcan, pointing to each in turn as he said their names, who each gave a nod of confirmation. "Sarth, Azrael, his wife Breenelle, her brother, Aerendyl, and their team captain, Neilla."

The Lopunny gave a two-fingered salute in response. "Glad to finally get some backup down here," she said.

"Pleasure to meet you as well." Minato returned cordially, nodding his head to the Lopunny, then noticed she was a bit scuffed up. "..You look as though you've had a fun little scuffle already."

Neilla jerked her thumb in Luke's direction. "Thank him for that one," she said, laughing lightly.

Minato looked over toward Luke and his team's direction, raising an eyebrow at the younger Lucario, who waved gently back at him in response. Minato nodded back toward him, wearing a look on his face that stated he had some words for him, but they would come when they were better introduced to one another.

"And this is Team Storm," Volcan went on. "Their captain, Drogo-"

"Ah, not, actually," Drogo interjected, earning a surprised look from the group. "I'm not the captain of Team Storm anymore. I've come to understand I'm not right for the position. So, I've given leadership to Ernoul here." He rested a paw on Ernoul's shoulder. "He's got a _way_better head for it than me."

Hearing that, Luke smiled warmly toward the Raichu, happy to see he had come to a decision that would better his team and his relationship with them. 'Off to a good start, Drogo..' Luke thought to himself, nodding in satisfaction when Drogo looked over in his direction.

"Well alright then. Ernoul, the Captain of Team Storm, Drogo, and," he stopped at Val. "An old friend of ours to boot."

"Hey guys," said Val with a grin.

Serena's eyes widened, her mouth falling agape as she recognized the voice of the Floatzel; it had deepened since she had last heard it, but her ears caught the faintest hint of one she knew well. "I don't believe it... Val, is that you?"

"That little Buizel from Team Xiphos?" Tristan echoed, studying Val closely. "Well I'll be a Dwebble's top; it is him! But he's big now!"

"Evolution tends to do that," Val returned.

Minato stepped forward and offered his paw to the Floatzel, smirking at him confidently. "Nice to meet a familiar face again." He said as he clasped paws with Val. "How's life here in Hadleigh treating you?"

"Well it was pretty quiet for a while. Then all this happened." He held his arms out. "Chasing Lycanroc, Salandits, bigass ships and getting smacked by a Gyarados." He grinned and gave a hearty laugh, very akin to Tristan's. "It's been a blast!"

"Sounds like I've been missing quite the party." Minato said with a chuckle. "Do me a favour; next time there's a huge rumble going on, send me an invite."

"We _did_ya jackass!" Volcan remarked, giving Minato a swat on the back, and everyone burst out laughing at the Lucario's expense. "Now... you weren't present for this, so there's one more person I have to introduce you to." He turned Minato away from the others and waved Luke over. "This is the one who saved me when I crash-landed in Azure... and has become the most important person in my life. Minato, meet Luke."

The younger Lucario stepped forward, walking until he stood at Volcan's side, facing Minato and offering his paw to him. "It's good to finally meet you, now that you're back to your old self." He said with a warm smile.

Minato slowly lifted his paw and grasped Luke's firmly, the two of them shaking paws a couple of times before the taller Lucario suddenly lowered his head toward Luke in a sort of bow.

"...Thank you, for taking care of my best friend." He stated softly, raising his head back up as he stood tall once more. "I just hope he didn't give you too much trouble when he arrived." He added with a small smirk.

"Actually..." Luke replied as he averted his gaze. "...He was at death's door when he crashed into Azure's harbour...and when he awoke, he lost almost all of his memories. I took it upon myself to help him recover as much of his past as he could." He explained.

Minato's smirk quickly faded upon hearing that, turning his gaze to Volcan with a concerned look in his eyes. "...Seriously?" He asked. "How hard did you hit your head when you landed?"

"Hard enough I went through the windshield of the boat," replied Volcan.

Minato visibly cringed at the thought. "Ow..."

"I was afraid he wasn't going to make it." Luke said as he allowed himself to lean against Volcan. "My brother was able to nurse him back to health, and since then, well... let's just say we've become quite inseparable as a result."

Minato eyed Luke curiously for a moment, noticing he was getting rather close to Volcan... closer than most friends would allow each other normally. His gaze shifted back between the two of them, until his eyes widened as the realization hit him.

"Hold on... are you two...?" He asked, pointing with his paw to the two of them.

As if to further confirm Minato's realization, Luke gently lifted his paw up to touch Volcan's cheek, bringing him down and kissing him gently for a moment, then pulling away and smiling warmly up at his lover.

"You were one of the first I wanted to tell," Volcan told Minato as he held Luke. "But, you were going through such a hard time... I was worried it might make you feel worse."

Minato just stared in silence for a moment as the realization that Volcan and Luke were a couple. It was something he never expected of the Blaziken, to be attracted to someone of the same gender. He was about to say something when he suddenly winced and put a paw to his head, images of his late wife flashing before his mind and causing him to stagger back a little, shaking his head furiously as he forced the images out of his head.

"Minato?" Volcan asked, concerned as the very thing he had been afraid of was now happening before him.

"Are you alright?" Serena added, touching his leg with her paw.

Once he was calm again, he looked up toward Volcan with a nod. "Y-Yea, I'm alright. Just... memory flashes." He returned, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly before he spoke again. "I... have to admit, this is a bit surprising. You were never much of a ladies man, but I never expected you'd find love in another of the same gender - not that I'm saying that's a bad thing." He added, lifting his paws up a bit.

"It's alright," Volcan assured him, and jerked his thumb behind him, towards Lighris who had been silent throughout the exchange, letting them enjoy their reunion. "Lighris more or less said the same thing when he found out. And, so did my mom."

"Well in any case, far be it from me to judge one's sexual preference when finding love in another." He said with a nod and a smile. "I'm happy for you, Volcan... Judging from the smile on Luke's face after he kissed you, I'd say you two deserve one another."

Volcan nodded to him, glad that Minato was happy for him, but still worried that the Lucario was likely to reel from memories of his wife if they didn't change the subject. "Well... shall we get back to our sparring session?" He brought up. "Daylight's burning and Minato and I need to get into shape."

"Agreed." The Lucario added, looking to the crowd of pokemon that had gathered around them. "Any volunteers? I'll take on anyone and everyone in this group." He boasted confidently.

"Wow, someone's not lacking in confidence..." Doug muttered lightly.

"I'll bite." Hank commented, cracking his claws a bit. "I'm a little curious to see what yer made of, personally."

"Count me in too!" Drogo piped up.

"And me. I never got to spar with Minato when we were rival Rescue Teams," added Val, casting a glance at Serena. "Though when we get warmer weather, I hope you'll indulge me on a rematch for that race we had."

Serena blushed, but smiled at him. "I can try."

Luke glanced around at all of the pokemon wanting to take a crack at Minato, then shrugged a bit and stepped forward as well. "What the hell. I'll fight too." He claimed, then looked to Neilla. "You want in as well?"

The Lopunny let out a laugh. "I'm still reeling from the beatdown I got from you. A Lucario confident enough to take on multiple people at once? I think I'll let my bruises heal first."

"Suit yourself." Luke returned.

Minato did a small headcount to those who wanted a piece of him. "...Four opponents." He muttered, nodding a bit in satisfaction. "This oughta do for a good warm up."

"Ooohohoho! Look at Mr. Big Britches here, thinking we're all just small fry." Hank commented with a laugh. "Oooh picking you apart is gonna be fun!"

"Don't underestimate him, Hank," Val warned. "If there's one thing I remember about Minato it's that he was Arc Island's best fighter. Give him an inch and he'll open up a can 'o whoopass on you."

"I'll be the judge of that." Hank retorted confidently.

Volcan felt Lighris coming to stand beside him. He looked up at him, and saw the Zapdos was matching his knowing grin. Ernoul, Team Plainsrunner and the rest of Valiant and Phalanx formed a semicircle akin to the one from Luke's sparring match with Neilla, but moved further back this time to accommodate for the bigger group. Tristan stood with arms crossed and a throaty chuckle heard from him as if he already knew what was coming.

The five of them moved further out into the field, giving them each an ample amount of space for them to begin their sparring session. Each of the fighters took positions all around Minato, while the elder Lucario stood casually in the middle, eying each opponent carefully, silently judging those he hadn't fought before.

"...So who's first?" He would ask, giving his opponents the opportunity to attack first.

The group stood there in silence, all of them in their respective fighting stances and slowly circling around the Lucario in the middle. This went on for a solid minute, before Hank finally grew impatient and rolled his eyes.

"Fuck this." He growled, then quickly charged forward with his claws extended for a Night Slash attack. Minato looked over to Hank, rearing his arm back to defend himself and counter the Zoroark's rush, though to his shock, the Zoroark disappeared into thin air the second his paw was about to connect with Hank, causing him to stumble a bit as a result.

When he looked up, he saw Luke charging in at full tilt with his Bone Rush in paw, swinging it hard for Minato's face. The Lucario frowned a bit, quickly gathering his footing and grasping Luke's weapon in his paws before it could make contact with him. He then hurled Luke around him a few times before releasing him, throwing the Lucario into the ground a good several feet away from him.

Seeing his chance, Val shot forward with Aqua Jet, aiming to ram Minato from the side. Minato heard the sound of splashing that came before Val's rush, and then spun in his direction, holding out his empty paw toward him. Val suddenly stopped just short of Minato and was left suspended in the air, unable to escape the invisible grasp he was caught in.

"Gotcha bitch!!" Hank shouted from Minato's left flank, appearing out of nowhere and exhaling a potent cone of fire from his mouth. A Flamethrower attack!

Minato felt the heat from behind him, this time unable to dodge the attack in time. He shoved Val away from him and turned to face the fire just as it hit him, smothering the Lucario in red hot flames.

"Ha! Got 'im!" The Zoroark exclaimed triumphantly.

"Don't count on it," Volcan called. "Remember, _I_was his sparring partner!"

"Dude, the guy's smothered in fire! He's as good as-" Hank was cut off when he saw the mass of flames suddenly disperse, revealing Minato in their place, with barely a singe on his fur. "....Toast." The Zoroark finished, his confident expression quickly turning to one of shock.

Minato then focused squarely on the Zoroark, then within a blink of an eye, he was right in front of Hank, his speed rivalling that of Luke's Extreme Speed, and quickly socked the Zoroark clean in the jaw with a heavy uppercut. Hank was sent soaring into the air with that one hit, arcing over Volcan and the others.

"Told ya!" Volcan called.

"FUCK YOU, CHICKEN LEGS!!" Hank roared angrily before he hit the ground hard, his legs twitching a little after he landed face first.

"...Chicken Legs?" Minato asked. "That's your nickname around here?"

"Only from him and Eagle Eye," Volcan replied with a shrug.

"...I guess I've heard more cringe-worthy names before." He muttered softly.

"Zappy, zappy, Mr Distract-y!" Drogo called, prompting Minato to look his way and barely notice the incoming Electro Ball.

"Damnit!" He growled, lifting his arms up and blocking the attack as it hit him.

The force of the attack sent him skidding back a bit, feeling the electricity coursing along his arms for a time before it eventually ceased. Minato then lowered his arms and held his paw toward Drogo, preparing an Aura Sphere attack to retaliate with, but flinched when he saw Luke charging at him out of the corner of his eye and taking a swing at him with his weapon once more.

Thinking fast, Minato clenched his paw around the Aura Sphere, quickly changing its shape from an orb to a long, thin bone made out of his own energy, then quickly swung back toward Luke and blocked the younger Lucario's attack. Luke stared in shock, not so much of the fact that he was parried, but more to the fact that in that split second, Minato had turned his Aura Sphere into a Bone Rush of his own, but rather than a staff or a escrima fighting stick like most Lucario were known to create, Minato's Bone Rush resembled that of an actual sword, one sharpened edge and a bone-shaped handle, but no crossguard.

"...Not bad." Minato commented softly before he pushed Luke back and pressed his attack, swinging his weapon at Luke and forcing him on the defensive.

Luke was further baffled as their little duel continued. Try as he might, he couldn't find a single opening in Minato's onslaught. Every strike, dodge and parry he made was immediately followed up with another technique that he moved into as if he were a Sharpedo streaming through the ocean in pursuit of his prey. As far as Luke could tell, Minato's swordplay was almost flawless.

Soon their duel had reached a stalemate, with both sides clashing with their weapons heavily and struggling to overpower one another. Minato would then flash a smirk and step back, disintegrating his own weapon and causing Luke to stumble forward. From there, Minato's left paw was shrouded in a cold mist before becoming encased in ice, while his right was immolated with fire, and Luke was nailed with a one-two Fire and Ice Punch combo respectively. Luke recoiled from each hit, grasping his chest when the Fire Punch made contact with him, then he was sent flying back into the ground again by a powerful Force Palm from Minato, tumbling along the ground until he came to a complete stop, laying there motionless.

Thinking Luke was unconscious, Minato then turned his attention to Drogo and Val. "And then there were two," he muttered as he looked to each one expectantly. "So what will it be? You two gonna attack together, or one after the other...?"

"Maybe a bit of tag team action might help us out here," Val whispered to Drogo.

"What'cha got in mind?" Drogo asked.

"Follow my lead - hit 'em soon as I'm clear," replied Val, before he rushed at Minato again with another Aqua Jet, trailing moisture along the ground from his feet as he moved.

Val sprang at the last second, water exploding from his tails as he spun, striking out at Minato with them. The Lucario narrowed his eyes suspiciously, taking a step back and leaning away from Val as the Aqua Tail passed in front of his face, getting a bit wet from the water trailing off of his tails.

Minato then lifted his paw in front of his face and swung at Val with a back fist, angling his paw spike upward so as not to accidently impale his face as he counter attacked. Val blocked the strike with his own paw, and then grinned as he leapt back and practically _hosed_the Lucario with a blast of water from his mouth.

"Now, Drogo!" Val called.

"Comin' at ya!" Drogo called as he fired a Thunderbolt, but not directly at Minato. He was aiming at the ground... at the trail of water leading up to the now drenched Lucario!

When he realized their plan it was too late for him to react. Minato was given the most potent shock of his life, literally, as the Thunderbolt raced along the ground and finally nailed him. He let out an agonized roar as the electricity coursed all over his body, making his body spasm uncontrollably as he suffered tremendous damage from the attack. Drogo made certain to only make it last a few seconds, so as not to cause the Lucario any permanent harm.

When the attack finally ceased, Minato stood there, panting a bit as he recovered from the attack. Sparks of electricity zapped all over his body, and small streams of smoke rose up from around him as he straightened up and sucked in a deep breath, then slowly let it out and opened his eyes at Val and Drogo.

"That hurt." He plainly said, shaking his body a bit and rolling his head a little along his shoulders before he clenched his paws tightly. "Got anything else? Or is that the best you can come up with?"

Their jaws fell almost to the ground. A reaction shared by many of the rest of the group.

"How is he still_standing_ after a jolt like that?!" Sarth demanded in disbelief. "I'd expect that from a Ground-type, but he's not one!"

"The guy got hit with Soak, then took a freaking Thunderbolt and he's still_acting like he's not even hurt??" Doug commented in disbelief, then looked over to Volcan. "Where the hell did you _find this guy?? He's like an offensive TANK!!"

"Minato has mastered his Aura so well, he can use it to strengthen his body in ways that you can't imagine," Volcan explained. "Until he's drained to his limit, he won't ever stay down."

The Lucario sighed a bit, seeing as neither Drogo or Val were going to make a move. "Alright fine... I'll just come to you then." He commented, and took a few steps toward his opponents, flexing his right paw as if to call forth his sword once more.

A brilliant light coming from behind him caused the Lucario to pause mid-step as he sensed a strong energy coming from that light. He instinctively turned to glance back at it, only to be greeted with the sight of a paw slamming right into his face. The attack carried enough force to actually send Minato careening back, flipping a few times in the air before he corrected himself and landed in a crouch, looking back at whoever struck him.

There stood Luke, pulling his paw back and assuming his stance once more, now clad in his Mega Evolved state. "Time to get round two underway..." he commented, his Red Aura Surge flame exploding outward from his body before being reined back into control.

"Awwwww shit, Luke's busting out the Mega Stone!" Eagle Eye squawked, a confidence grin crossing his beak. "He's toast now, that guy."

Minato slowly rose to to his feet once again, staring at Luke in his powered up state with a look of mild shock. His expression then changed into on of...disdain, as he frowned heavily at Luke the longer he looked at him, almost as if he were silently scorning Luke.

Minato then shifted his position a bit, shuffling his legs apart and crouching forward quite a bit. His left paw resting almost to where his knee was, while his right was held elevated behind him. It was an unorthodox stance to say the least, but to Team Phalanx, they knew it meant only one thing.

...He was about to take this fight very seriously.

"Oh boy..." Tristan grunted, swallowing.

"Careful, Luke," Volcan said in a raised voice, making sure his lover heard him.

Luke glanced quickly at Volcan, indicating he had heard his warning. Though the second he focused back to Minato, he barely had time to react as the elder Lucario has closed the gap between them in a heartbeat and was lashing out with a Force Palm, tilting his head out of the way as the attack grazed his cheek.

Luke could feel the raw power exuding from that one attack, as the shockwave that came afterward nearly blew him off of his feet despite Minato missing his mark. Luke quickly darted away with Extreme Speed to get some distance, but Minato wasn't giving him a chance to catch his breath, as he was on Luke like a Venomoth to a flame. The two began a heated skirmish, punches and kicks flying around each other as they fought to overpower one another.

At one point, they backed away and began firing Aura Spheres at each other, the blasts meeting in the middle and creating a cloud of smoke that obscured the two combatants from view. Those that were watching could then hear the sounds of fists clashing within the smoke, and within seconds, the smoke was violently blasted apart as the two engaged in a Close Combat clash, each Lucario striking the other as hard and as fast as they could, despite the damage they were suffering from each other's strikes.

They went at it for a solid minute, but Volcan could see the fatigue starting to catch up with Luke as his strikes were slowing down just enough for Minato to gain the upper hand. Capitalizing on this, Minato pushed through Luke's offence and slammed both paws into Luke's chest, causing him to freeze on the spot and suffer a great deal of damage thanks to Close Combat's negative effect. From there, Minato caught Luke in a Psychic grasp, lifting him up off the ground and blasting him away with incredible force, sending Luke tumbling along the ground until he slammed into a fence near the edge of the park.

"Oooohhhh! That's gonna leave a mark..." Doug commented after witnessing his captain take a heady blow.

Luke shook his head and tried to sit up from the fence, until he felt a jab to his forehead which made him back up instinctively as he saw Minato standing before him with his blade pointed right at Luke's head.

"...You are beaten." Minato growled down at Luke.

Luke could only stare up at Minato as he sat there, noticing the intense look in the elder Lucario's eyes. His pupils were constricted into beads, and his brow was furrowed heavily, almost in a resentful manner as he kept his blade pointed at Luke.

It was at this moment Luke realized that judging from the intensity of his gaze, that he wasn't even looking at him. Rather, he had an image before him of someone else, someone that no doubt filled Minato with a burning rage... though as to who he was imaging, he couldn't tell. Regardless of the fact, it was still quite an intimidating glare to look at.

"Alright, I'd say that concludes it," Volcan stepped in, sensing something was amiss. He turned to Minato, eyeing him curiously. "You alright?" He asked, lowly.

He blinked a few times, his intense glare vanishing as he calmed down and lifted his blade away from Luke. "Yea, I'm okay." He said to Volcan, casting aside his weapon and offering his paw to Luke after he devolved back to his normal state, pulling him back to his feet. "Sorry about that...I kinda let myself get carried away there." He added apologetically to Luke.

"It's alright. No harm done." Luke assured Minato, though deep down he was quite unnerved by the Lucario's change in demeanour the second he mega evolved during their sparring match.

"Minato, I know you've always disliked Mega Stones, but that might have been excessive," Serena whispered to the Lucario as she came over to check on Luke, seeing if he needed any help.

'Is that what that was about?' Luke thought, looking behind him. He saw Volcan and Neilla's gazes drifting to their own mega stones - Volcan's to his harness, and Neilla's to her paw, although she wasn't wearing her ring at that moment.

"I know..." Minato replied, averting his gaze and feeling a bit ashamed he let his anger cloud his judgment so harshly. "Like I said, I guess I let myself get carried away in the fight. I'll be more careful next time." He assured the Vaporeon.

She nodded to him, and went back to Luke, using her projected Aqua Ring to sooth his bruises for him. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt her healing powers wash away his wounds, looking to the Vaporeon and nodding to her in appreciation.

"Hot... DAYUM!!" Eagle Eye squawked frantically, flapping his wings a few times as he made his exclamation. "I thought the boss was a one man army, but yer friend. WHOO!"

"I'll say!" Doug chimed in. "Heck we might only need just _him_fer our reinforcements if he's _that_strong!"

Yet Volcan was not listening, too bothered by his friend's uncharacteristic behavior to make any reply to the two. Despite the gaps in his memory, he was certain he had not seen Minato act in such a way before...

Luke had caught onto Volcan's concern, seeing he was sharing his thoughts as to how drastically he had changed in such a short time. He had gathered he disliked Mega Stones from hearing Serena say so, but he knew there was something more to it. That look in his eyes when he stared him down while holding him at blade point... He looked almost ready to kill at that moment.

"Let's take a break, guys," Volcan called. "Let's all go back to the inn to warm up, and maybe pick this up later."

"I'm for that!" Sarth piped up before anyone else could say anything.

"Good chance to check out this town too," agreed Lashanne.

"Luke," Volcan began, speaking lowly to his lover. "Mind going back with the others and filling them in? I think I need to talk to Minato."

He nodded softly in return, leaning up to give him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you in a little bit, love." Luke said softly back to him before turning and leaving the park with the rest of the group.

Volcan and Minato left the park shortly after the others left, talking as they explored the city streets and catching up on the past few months. Volcan shared stories of his landing in Azure, the loss of his memories before then, his competing in Team Warmachine's tournament alongside Team Valiant - where he had also found Tristan.

When the cold weather got the better of them, they stopped at a café for a hot beverage, letting their bones regain some warmth and carried on with their conversation. Volcan went on to describe the journey to the West Islands, searching for Arc Island and reuniting with Serena there, who had led them to Minato at the fortress. Seeing Minato shifting uncomfortably at the mention of the place, he went on to talk about the siege, the teams he had gathered to launch the attack and describing the battle in as much detail as he could.

Even Minato was shocked to find out that Mewtwo had been at the fortress, evidently under some sort of possession by the enemy. He looked down at the table for a few moments as he absorbed all of this knowledge, taking as much time as he needed before he would speak up again.

"...They had something as powerful as Mewtwo under their command," he whispered in disbelief. "....We never stood a chance to begin with when they attacked our home."

"I don't think he was there for that. The enemy leader - Calhoun is his name, apparently, kept him aside as a trump card," replied Volcan. "Myself, Luke, Captain Romulus and Shamshir of Team Warmachine, fought to keep him at bay while the others escaped. But we were barely able to hold our own. Then, during the battle, Luke and I were both certain that he was going to kill us - he had us up in the air and was crushing the life from us, but then as if in some act of defiance against Calhoun, momentarily regaining himself, he teleported us away, and we wound up on the other side of the world, in the great desert of the West Continent. "

"All the way out_there??_" Minato exclaimed, staring at Volcan in utter disbelief. "How in the hell did you two manage to survive?"

"Believe me. It wasn't easy," Volcan said, rubbing the back of his head. "Hell we very nearly did die during a sandstorm, where we - in a one in a billion chance, ended up over some old cave entrance that decided to collapse and suck us under the desert." He shuddered. "I almost lost Luke then," he added somberly.

"Oh jeez... I'm sorry you had to experience that..." Minato returned apologetically, though as he reached to touch Volcan's hand reassuringly, he froze once more and shook his head a little as memory flashes once again appeared in his mind, causing him to spasm lightly and jerk his paw back to grasp his head as he struggled to force the images out of his mind.

"Minato?" Volcan asked in concern, seeing his friend in distress, but dared not try to approach him, recognizing it as the same sort of memory relapse that he suffered often.

"Ngh... I'm alright." He growled, slowly lowering his paw from his head to rest at his side once more. "Sorry, just... more flashbacks."

Volcan grimaced. "Yeah... I get those quite a lot myself," he offered with a hint of sarcasm, trying to make some light of it. But then he frowned, his expression souring so suddenly it was as though he had slipped into a memory himself, and not a good one. Minato saw him back into a lamp pole for support, cupping a hand over his eyes and shaking his head, silently muttering to himself.

After recovering from his episode, he lifted his gaze up and noticed Volcan was leaning against the lamp pole and undergoing a flashback of his own. "Hey. Volcan." Minato said sharply as he approached the Blaziken and stood at his side. "You alright, buddy?"

But the Blaziken shook his head. "No, I'm not..." he said. "It was all my fault, Minato... I was too slow. If I could've gotten to the island sooner," his eyes began to tear, and he had to stifle a sob to continue. "If I just could have done better, I could have saved her... she gave her life for Caulin but if I had just gotten there sooner I could have saved them both!" His hand fell over his eyes again. "And now because of me, you lost your wife, and Caulin lost his mother... I'm so sorry I failed you."

In that moment, Lashanne's scolding words came back to Minato a second time - the first, having been when he had looked at Caulin. He remembered how she accused him of believing only he had been suffering for Linda's death, and understood with Caulin that was far from the truth, but it was not the only truth. Now he saw before him, his best friend and the godfather of his son, had been living with the guilt of a self-imposed failure this whole time. Had Lashanne known all along? Or had she perhaps been referring to Caulin. Either way, now he knew the truth...

The Lucario's expression saddened greatly the longer he watched his best friend weep for something he felt was his fault, feeling his heart twist the same way it did after Lashanne reamed him out. Slowly, he got got up from his seat in the cafe, stepped close to Volcan and gently put his arms around the Blaziken, holding him in a firm embrace as tears slid down his own cheeks as well.

"...It wasn't your fault, Volcan," the Lucario whispered to him softly. "Linda was_my_ wife...I should have been there to protect her during the attack. Instead I focused too much on defending the island as a whole. I chose to save you, above all else" He admitted softly.

"But you sent me to find help..." Volcan started to say, glad at that moment the cafe was mostly empty save for the employees at the counter; one had taken notice of their exchange, but she was wise enough to stay out of it and let the two have their moment.

"Even so, the result would have been similar if you stayed..." Minato replied, trying to stifle a few sobs a he spoke. "I still would have lost her... and I would have lost you and Caulin as well."

Volcan scowled. "Grom would say differently," he said sourly.

"Grom can get bent," the Lucario replied, gently rubbing down Volcan's back slowly. "That pig only cares about fueling his own ego. He should never have started in the Rescue Team business in the first place," he added with a bit of venom in his tone before he calmed down and looked at Volcan square in the eyes.

"...You're not the one at fault for any of this, Volcan. I'm the one that failed to protect Linda, not you....there was nothing-" he trailed off as he choked a bit on his words, his eyes watering up again and his paws clenching Volcan's shoulders so tightly they were shaking. "....T-There was nothing you could have done... to change what happened..."

"Hey, hey," Volcan said urgently, grasping Minato by his shoulders to steady him. "Her loss was not your fault either... you could not be everywhere at once anymore than I or Val or Serena or anyone could... there is no doubt in my mind you would have done anything to save her. When I found her, her only desire was that I save your son. She gave her life willingly for that, and in hindsight I don't think she would have had it any other way, than to ensure the two most important people in her life survived."

His gaze lowered. "Against what we faced, it was a miracle _anyone_escaped or survived... I might think there could have been a better outcome, but after all this time... I'm not so sure there _was."_He elevated his gaze, looking off in the distance as if in reminiscent thought. "We couldn't have saved everyone, and fate doesn't pick favourites. There is only one person to blame for Linda's death, and it is not you-" he took in a deep breath, "or me..." He referred to himself with hesitation, as though he wanted the blame to be more immediate, but Volcan was smarter than that - made wiser perhaps by Minato's refusal to let him carry the guilt.

The Lucario allowed a small sob as he listened to Volcan's words before he sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "...You're right..." He finally whispered to Volcan after a moment of silence. "It was that Dark Blaziken that took her from me, and I swear I'm going to make that son of a bitch pay for what he did to us." He growled as his anger started to rise once more, but he was quick to reel it back in before it grew too strong.

Minato sucked in another deep breath, filling his lungs before he slowly let it out to calm himself down, then elevated his gaze to meet Volcan's once more. "With that said, I know I can't beat him alone..." He admitted, his gaze once again becoming that sharp, determined look that Volcan had seen many a time during their missions together. "I need my friends to back me up. I need Team Phalanx at my side if I'm going to bring that bastard down."

Volcan nodded. "And it will take no less... perhaps more still," he said, reaching up with a hand to grasp the harness worn on his chest. "I know how you feel about these things," he said, turning it over to show the Blazikenite it housed. "But if it gives me the strength to ensure Calhoun will be brought to justice, then I must use it. Even with its power, I was barely a match for that Gallade that put this scar on my back, proving that the temporary gain alone isn't enough. All of us must get stronger, and break our current limits if we're to stop him."

"...You know, when you put it that way, I guess I can come to terms with the fact you and Luke use such a power," the Lucario admitted. "Just promise me one thing, Volcan. Use that power if you have to but don't let it consume you and make you dependant on it." He said firmly, holding his paw up in front of the Blaziken. "You were strong even without this Blazikenite's power, so don't go thinking you're nothing without it."

"Then in return I ask you to make me a promise," began Volcan, lifting his hand to grasp Minato's upraised paw. "Don't let your rage cloud your judgement. I have already been down that road myself, short though it was, it only resulted in my own self destruction." He held up his other hand, looking at it.

The wounds from when he had mangled them by pounding on a tree stump had long since healed but he remembered them as vividly as the night he had received them. "Anger is fuel, but I tried to use it to subvert my fear, failing to realize that either way l wouldn't think rationally." He clenched his free hand into a fist. "So promise me even if you meet Calhoun himself, hold back your rage and fight the way you always did. Let it fuel you but do not let it take over. It will fail you in the end."

Minato nodded firmly, grasping Volcan's hand in his paw firmly. "I promise." He said with a firm nod, before his expression softened and he gently threw himself against Volcan, embracing him hard and patting his back. Their embrace was more like a reunion of brothers than of friends; an expression akin to love for one's family, even though neither of them were related to the other.

Volcan held Minato in that moment as tightly as he might have held Lighris after fearing him lost forever, letting out another sob. "I have missed you, my friend," he said solemnly.

"I've missed you as well, Volcan." He said back as he pulled back a bit to meet his gaze.

Volcan smiled at that, letting out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad to have you back," he said. "I don't think Team Phalanx could rightly continue without our blade," he added fondly.

Minato chuckled a little and gave Volcan a firm pat on the back. "Well you needn't worry about that. Team Phalanx's Sword is back, and sharper than ever." He announced with pride.

"Then the scum on the Oppression better beware, lest they find their ship cut clean in half beneath them," the Blaziken returned with confidence.

"Amen to that." Minato concurred with as much confidence as Volcan, releasing the Blaziken and taking a step back to hold his paw out to him like a fist. "Let's regroup with the others and figure out how we're gonna take that ship down for good."

"And to protect this city," said Volcan, holding out his fist and bumping it with Minato's. "I go with a promise, that this is the last place that wretched ship will ever threaten. Before this battle is over, I am going to destroy that ship and send it to the bottom of the river, where it might become a home for the fish. It'll be the most good that thing will ever be used for."

"Well said." Minato agreed wholeheartedly.

The two arrived back at the inn to find the teams becoming acquainted in their absence, sharing stories of their many adventures, even the more recent ones. Some looked up to see the two as they stepped in, finding the two of them wearing smiling faces as they regarded their friends, both old and new. Luke was among them, and felt relieved to find his lover return with an expression so full of life -as did his friend coming in behind him.

Seeing the two of them in better spirits, Luke stood up from his seat and was the first to approach them as they entered the inn, embracing Volcan warmly for a brief moment. "Everything alright?" He asked as he pulled back from his beloved.

"Better than alright," returned Volcan with a nod, putting an arm around Luke and holding him lovingly.

"Good." He returned happily and leaned back into the embrace.

"Hey, erm... Luke?" Minato said, catching his attention as they held one another. "I'm sorry for earlier, when I snapped during our sparring match. I didn't intend to go as far as I did."

Luke shook his head at the elder Lucario. "Don't worry about it." He assured Minato with a smile. "Let's just chalk it up to pent up stress that needed to be vented out, and we'll call it even."

He smiled and nodded softly back at Luke. "I can do that."

"Soon as we can, Luke, let's gather up Neilla and Ernoul for a strategy meeting," said Volcan. "We need to rethink our plans to defend the city; now that we have some backup, our chances have increased. "

Luke nodded. "I'll go get them now." He returned, releasing his lover and heading back to gather Plainsrunner's and Storm's captains, informing them of an impromptu strategy meeting and they were to meet in a vacant room to make their plans.

"You want to join us?" Volcan asked Minato. "Or, you could just stay here to get to know everyone?"

He shrugged a bit. "As much as I would like to be involved, strategy was more _your_strength than it was mine." He said with a smirk. "I'll leave the heavy thinking to you; just let me know where you need me when the battle begins.

Volcan nodded. "I'll see you later, bud," he returned, clapping Minato on the shoulder before he turned to head for the stairs, waiting for the others as Neilla went to the innkeeper to ask if he had a city map she could borrow.

When the map was stretched out over the table between the four of them, Volcan was the first to speak, indicating points of interest on the map he had assessed prior to the meet. "Alright. The Oppression will be sailing in along the river - we know this. Our first priority should be to get the townsfolk to safety before the attack begins."

"We don't have enough time to evacuate everyone," Neilla added in, placing her paw upon a spot on the map. "So I'd recommended we move everyone to this area of the Music District - it's the highest point in the city. The Draco Meteor attack shouldn't be able to reach this elevation from the riverbank."

"That gets the townsfolk out of harm's way," Ernoul agreed. "Our next concern then is how to engage the enemy in the streets, or how we might hinder their advance."

"The way I see it." Luke piped up as he placed his paw along the main street leading from the front gate. "Our best bet would be to bottleneck their forces, make them unable to traverse anywhere else within the city but through the main street here." He explained. "I can have Doug create giant roadblocks that prevent the enemy access to those roads; we'll fill the alleyways with debris, force them to stick to this route, but he'll need help in doing so."

"Are there any other ways into the city aside from the main gates?" Volcan asked.

"The ramp down to the quarry, from the Sculptor's District," replied Neilla, moving her paw to another spot on the map, on the east side of the image. "We'll have to block it, else they could come up to the city and flank us."

"If you have any able bodied Ground Types that could assist Doug in making these barricades, that'll go a long way to fortifying this city's defenses." Luke informed Neilla. "We also need to take into account the fact that they might have possible air forces that might swarm us from above, if Eagle Eye's encounter with Sound Breaker is any indication."

"I know a few Excadrill who work in the quarry that might be able to help," Neilla answered. "A rowdy bunch, but tough as the steel of their claws."

"Perfect." Luke returned with a nod of satisfaction. "That covers at least one problem, and Eagle Eye, Sarth and Lighris can handle any air attacks that come our way. Now it's just a matter of the Oppression itself, its leader... and whatever that beast Jora described is, hiding in the ship's hold."

"Right; even if we beat the ship's landing party, there is still that," said Volcan. "By Jora's description, the creature in that ship is definitely a Shadow Pokemon. If we can't detain it, I don't know how we can stop it before it hurts someone."

Luke had lifted his paw to his chin, his eyes narrowing as though he were lost in thought. There he remained like that in the collective silence of all the team captains within the room, and only after a long while of thinking did he finally speak up.

"I might have an idea on how we can stop the Shadow Pokemon." He announced. "...It's a theory at best, but it's one worth exploring."

"With so few options available to us, we have little else to consider," Ernoul returned. "Tell us."

Volcan showed obvious trepidation but voiced no protest.

"The thought entered my mind some time ago, after we first arrived in Hadleigh," Luke began, looking around at the rest of the captains before continuing. "Calhoun managed to take in the Shadow Energy and bend it to his will, making it part of his own life force. If he's able to infect others with that same energy, then it stands to reason that it behaves like a twisted version of one's own Aura, which means one with the ability to manipulate aura could, in theory, extract the Shadow Energy and free the Pokemon afflicted with the cursed power."

Ernoul perked with realization. "You think you can draw it out; remove it from the host body?"

"Yes, I believe I can," Luke answered. "In fact, either myself or Minato could possibly pull off this task, as he and I are masters of Aura ourselves."

Neilla crossed her arms. "I smell a catch," she said, bluntly.

Luke glanced to Neilla's direction, then sighed and gave her a nod. "...There is." He returned, pausing for a moment longer before he explained further. "For this process to work, the Pokemon extracting the Shadow Energy must act as a conduit, exposing themselves to its corruptive power, and then expel it from their body before they become a Shadow Pokemon themselves."

"No," Volcan cut in sharply. "No way! That's too risky!"

"Volcan," Ernoul began to say, but stopped when the Blaziken glared at him.

"I won't risk someone else like this, least of all Luke or Minato - there has to be another way!" Volcan protested.

"Volcan, there _is_no other way." Luke firmly shot back at the Blaziken. "As far as we know, there's no recorded method of purging Shadow Energy from a Pokemon. This might be our best and possibly only method of cleansing Calhoun's influence from whatever Pokemon that are trapped under his curse." He further explained, turning fully to face Volcan. "It's extremely risky, I know... but unless you have a better idea, then this is the way it has to be done..."

"Luke, I can't..." Volcan tried to say, but the words caught in his throat. "What if it takes you over? And then Minato tries to save you only to be corrupted himself? I can't bear the thought!"

The Lucario sighed softly, approaching Volcan and placing his paw along his cheek to try and calm him down. "I won't let it take me over; not without a fight." He assured the Blaziken in a soft tone, rubbing his cheek affectionately. "I know you're scared about this, love. I am as well... But I wouldn't even entertain the idea if I didn't think we had a chance."

"But this energy - this_evil..._ you've never exposed yourself to such a thing. How can you be sure you can protect yourself from it?"

"Honestly I don't know if I can or not." Luke admitted, now lifting his other paw up to touch Volcan's other cheek, effectively cupping his face between his paws. "But I know this much... I have something truly wonderful to look forward to. Because of that, I will fight until my last breath in order to purge this curse from the face of this planet." He said firmly to him before he snuck a kiss on Volcan's beak lightly. "So that you and I can finally have what we desire most..."

Volcan seemed ready to fall over at that moment, staring down at his betrothed with an unreadable expression, conflict within his eyes. Neilla and Ernoul said nothing, knowing this moment had to be resolved between those two alone. Finally, Volcan did start to lose his footing, and Luke had to turn him to the wall to keep him from dropping to the floor.

"Dammit all..." he cursed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to find anything else to say.

Luke stood at his side, supporting the Blaziken as best he could, letting himself rest his head against Volcan's chest. "Love, look at me." He said as he elevated his gaze to look up at his beloved. "I won't let this thing take me. As powerful as it may be, the fact that I have you as my fiance gives me all the strength and courage I need to face this dilemma head on, and ultimately conquer it.

"You once claimed that I was your pillar of strength that supported you back when you were still trying to find your memories. Well this time, you're_my_ pillar of strength... one that I can count on and trust with my life to help me see this through." He added, nuzzling the Blaziken just under his chin.

"You better," the Blaziken said finally, embracing the Lucario as tight as he ever had. "I'll never forgive you if I end up having to fight you instead of whatever creature lingers in that ship."

"Then I have all the more incentive to make sure I succeed." Luke whispered back, smiling as he let his professional demeanour drop for a moment and kissed Volcan warmly, caressing his cheeks and neck in a comforting manner as he held that moment for several seconds. "I love you, Volcan."

"I love you too, Luke," he returned, then stepped away from the wall and looked at Ernoul and Neilla, somewhat sheepish. "Sorry about all that."

Neilla waved her hand dismissively. "It needed to be said," she replied. "I'd be worried too, I imagine, if someone I loved was going against something I could not comprehend. Which, I certainly can't comprehend_this_ kind of risk." She held her smile for only a few seconds before her face contorted into an incredulous frown. "And, I just said the stupidest thing I have ever said right there."

"I believe there's a proverb about inserting one's foot into their mouth that may apply here," Ernoul piped up, surprising them all with the jest from him. He only smiled at their reaction.

A laugh was shared between the four of them, the somber mood lightened with the Ninetales' work. "Alright. Let's get back to business," said Volcan, returning to the table. "We still have lots of planning to do, and not much time to do it."

With that, the four gathered around the map on the table once more and returned to their planning for the coming siege...

Meanwhile, far from Hadleigh the Oppression, the great iron vessel, powered by mighty engines that belched black smoke from the stacks atop the deck sailed into the mouth of the river that would take them to their next, and final destination in the south. Asya, the red-furred Lycanroc commander of the campaign, stood brooding at the bow as she orchestrated her own plans for the attack.

Her forces had grown noticeably smaller over the past days - Bialo was missing an arm, and though it would eventually grow back, he was of little use in a fight regardless. Even then, her subtle approach to this invasion had already failed. Mighty Nendranos and the Clan Matron, Jora, were missing in action. She did not know what could have driven the battle-lusting Gyarados from their ranks, but she suspected Jora - ever lacking the taste for blood that her cohorts thrived on, had abandoned their cause - though where the foolish reptilian hoped she could hide, Asya could not fathom.

'I'll deal with her later... and Nendranos too,' she thought.

Time was of the essence now, time before other Rescue Teams started pouring in from afar and grant the city of Hadleigh a small army to defend itself. With a force of three hundred Pokemon outcasts - criminals and money-loving mercenaries alike at her back, Asya was intent on burning Hadleigh to the ground and returning to her leader's side with a sizeable count of new slaves for their efforts - a count that ten raids on the West Islands would not have matched.

The Midnight Lycanroc smiled deviously as the small silhouette of the famed city of art loomed on the horizon ahead. It would not be long now, before she would have her triumph...