{"sf1_id":860095,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Team Valiant/Os-Nadarra: The Next Journey","author":"Volcan MacAingeal","words":10366,"posted_at":"2015-05-12T15:35:00.000Z","tags":["Greninja","RP","Story Progression","Story Series","Talonflame","blaziken","lucario","samurott","vaporeon","zoroark"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/860095-team-valiant-os-nadarra-the-next-journey","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/860095","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=860095\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"A few days passed since the end of the contest on Team\nWarmachine's island. All of the members of Team Valiant returned to their homes\nback in the vicinity of the secluded town, not the least of which Luke\nreturning to his house with his two guests, Volcan and Serena -the former of\nwhom had to remain bedridden for a time, due to his damaged ribcage needing a\nlittle more time to heal. Mikhail's work on realigning his bones, along with\nthe Warmachine healer, the Gardevoir 'Sage', using her powers of healing to\naccelerate the mending, it still often hurt to draw a breath, move his arms or\nroll over in his sleep; a few times, when Luke was getting up for a drink of\nwater in the night, he'd hear Volcan turn over in his sleep, only for the\nBlaziken to grunt in pain when he moved.\nMeanwhile, Serena had been given the guest room for\nherself... although she hadn't spent much time there. She spent most of her\ntime out at Katsumoto's house. As a result, the bed was usually left made,\nwaiting for the next guest that would require it.\nOn the morning of the fifth day since the end of the contest,\nLuke walked out into the living room after a good night's rest, finding Volcan\nstill asleep but... lying rather oddly, like he was holding something. When\nLuke peered over to the Blaziken's front, he saw that his guest was actually\nhugging the spare pillow against himself, almost like he would hold a mate, and\nwas still fast asleep.\nLuke tilted his head as he gazed upon this peculiar sight,\nblinking a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. \"Yep... I am\nnot imagining this. Wonder if he has a significant other back in his realm.\"\nHe muttered softly\nSuddenly, the Blaziken moved, apparently not as deep in sleep\nas Luke thought. He raised his head, looking up at the Lucario with a sleepy\nstare, before he felt the pillow against his chest and looked down at it.\n\"Uh...\" He let go of the pillow, letting it fall to the mattress.\n\"This isn't what it looks like.\" He said.\n\"Sure seemed that way,\" stated Luke.\nVolcan sat up, blushing with embarrassment as he scooted up\nand leaned against the back of the couch. \"Was hoping I wouldn't do that\nwhile staying here...\" He muttered.\n\"Well, why were you doing it in the first place?\"\nHe asked. \"Sure I've been lonely sometimes, but I've never snuggled with\nsomething like a pillow or anything.\"\nVolcan swallowed nervously. \"Well, you see... my species\n-phoenixes, rather, have these periods of our lives where we actively feel the\nurge to seek companionship. I'm at the age where I'm in that for the first\ntime. I guess my muscle memory is still haunting me even in a new body.\"\n\"So, you feel the need to seek a mate and settle down\nwith one?\" He asked, crossing his arms. \"I guess I can relate\nthere...though I settled down with my mate because we actively fell in love\nwith each other, not because we needed someone to mate with.\"\n\"Well, it's mostly an instinct drilled into us because\nour females only conceive once or twice per century,\" stated Volcan.\n\"It's just part of our genetics, but the choice is still always\nours.\" He sighed. \"Honestly, just by my 'sleep-cuddling' with a\npillow, I think I'm starting to want to meet someone anyway.\" He suddenly\nwent blank, blinking softly before he shook his head. \"Oookay, better stop\nthis conversation before it gets awkward.\"\n\"Probably... Though I'm curious; have you ever met anyone you were interested in?\" He asked,\ntaking a seat next to him.\n\"There've been a few, yes,\" replied Volcan.\n\"But... honestly, I'm afraid to let anyone get that close to me.\"\n\"Why?\" He asked. \"I mean, look at myself and\nmy team. I have a wife and three sons, two of them are adopted and one is my\nactual child. Hank has a boyfriend and even Kage has a family as well.\"\n\"I have enemies, Luke,\" stated the Blaziken.\n\"People more dangerous than you would ever possibly believe... people who\nwouldn't hesitate to kill anyone in their way to get to me; to target people I\ncare about just to break my spirit.\" He looked at his hand. \"Every time\nI consider it -every time I feel myself wanting to be with someone... I'm\nafraid for them. Will I be able to protect them? Could they protect themselves,\neven with me knowing what they're up against? Would I be able to live with\nmyself if I failed them -would there ever be a time I'd have to choose between\nthem, my best friends, my family, or the lives of the people I vowed to protect?\"\n\nHe clenched his hand into a fist. \"There's just too much\nthat could happen to them... With the people I face, I can't leave them with\nsomething that leaves me so vulnerable... even if it breaks my heart, until\nthey're defeated I have to keep anyone from getting too deep in my life.\"\n\"Well,\nwhy not find someone who can fend for themselves whenever you're not around?\"\nLuke suggested. \"Would that offer some solace?\"\n\"With the people I face, Luke, I wouldn't even know if\nsuch a person exists,\" stated Volcan. \"There's one among them, one\nwho knows me far too well... he already targeted someone I cared about once\nbefore; he attacked her in her home.\" His fist tightened. \"And\nhe...\" His muscles were tensing, a painful memory forcing its way to the\nfore of his mind, giving him a torturous reminder of his past. \"He\nmolested her... and then corrupted her; she almost became a demon because of\nhim. I almost had to kill her!\" The tension in his muscles was leaving his\narms so tight, his biceps were as hard as rock. \"It was a damn miracle we\nwere able to save her, but before we could, we had to fight her -to stop her. She\nnearly died because of that.\"\n\"O-Oh...\" Luke returned, suddenly feeling rather\nguilty for bringing up such a sensitive subject. \"I'm sorry...I-I had no idea.\"\n\"It's okay... you... had no way of knowing,\" said\nVolcan, slowly starting to calm down.\nLuke let out a sigh and flattened his ears, averting his gaze\na little as an awkward silence fell over the two of them.\nVolcan looked at Luke. \"But you understand my hesitation\nnow.\"\nLuke nodded slowly, still keeping his ears flattened and\nscratching the back of his head. \"Regardless... I hope you do find that\nspecial someone before your time is up.\"\nAt those words, completely out of the blue Volcan suddenly\nlaughed. \"I've got a LONG time before I need to be worried about that,\nLuke,\" he reminded him. \"But... I appreciate it.\"\n\"Even so, the sooner the better, right?\" He\nreturned, smiling back a bit at him.\n\"True enough,\" he admitted, and leaned back against\nthe couch, gaze drifting to the ceiling for a moment before he swung legs over\nthe side of the bed and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. He rubbed\nhis ribcage, rolling his shoulder a little. \"Still somewhat sore, but... I\nthink I'm pretty much healed.\"\n\"Don't push yourself too hard Volcan; you don't want\nMikhail all up in your face again.\" Luke warned. \"He does take his\nfuture career very seriously.\"\n\"Don't worry; I won't do anything outside of my\nabilities,\" assured Volcan. \"I was just saying, I can breathe again\nwithout my ribs hurting.\"\n\"Well that's good then. Though I think we should wait a\nlittle longer until you're completely healed before we set off to Spear\nPillar.\"\nVolcan frowned at that. \"I don't know how much longer we\ncan wait, Luke,\" he said. \"Remember what Serena said when we found\nher? About how six days had passed in my world when I had only been here for\none? If you add those up, I've been here almost ten days now, and in my world's\ntime that'll be over two months. At this point, someone might've declared her\nand I dead.\" He looked at the floor. \"If I'm fit to travel... then I\nthink it's time we get started.\"\nLuke paused for a moment, and then sighed and closed his eyes.\nVolcan was right; the time difference between their two worlds was a\ncomplication that was hard to ignore. Getting Volcan and Serena home was a\npriority now; if they didn't, it would be even harder to return. \"Alright\nthen... then we'll set out as soon as possible.\"\nVolcan nodded, sadly. He didn't want to say it again... but\nhe truly wished he could stay\nlonger... there was so much more to see in this strange new world he had\nentered, and he had made great friends he wasn't sure he was ready to leave\nyet... but he didn't belong in this world; not he, nor Serena, and their world\nwould not wait long for them. \"I'll go get Serena,\" he offered, and\nbegan making his way over to the door.\nLuke nodded. \"I'll let the others know as well.\" He\nreturned as he headed off to find his friends after Volcan left to find Serena.\n~~~~~\nBack at Katsumoto's shack, he was going about his usual\nroutine of heavy lifting huge trees that he had cut down and used as weights\nbefore he cut them up into smaller logs to use as firewood when he was\nfinished. He brought the last stack of wood he had cut up next to his place,\nthen grabbed two small logs and brought them inside to add to his little\nfireplace, then sat back and let out a small sigh as he relaxed after his\nworkout.\nSerena was still sleeping soundly in his bed. She had been\nspending so much time with him lately, she had pretty much become a full-time\nguest at his house; the two of them spent every night together, sleeping next\nto one another as they had on the boat ride home. With the possibility of her\nand Volcan leaving sometime soon, they wanted to have every moment possible\ntogether.\nKatsu then glanced back and smiled a little, gently\napproaching his bed and walking around so he could gently hop up and lay down\nnext to her. Gently he wrapped both his arms around her and pressed his nose\nagainst her cheek, nuzzling lightly and purring gently as he shuffled closer to\nSerena.\nShe began to stir at his touch, and slowly her eyes fluttered\nopen. With a sleepy stare, she turned and looked at the Samurott, giving him a\nwarm smile. \"Good morning,\" she said.\n\"Good morning to you as well.\" He whispered to her,\nstroking her form gently. \"I take it you enjoyed your sleep?\"\nThe Vaporeon nodded in reply. \"Very much,\" she\nreplied. \"I always sleep so well with you nearby.\" She nuzzled his\ncheek with her own, basking in his presence.\nHe chuckled. \"You flatter me,\" he returned.\n\"Though I could say the same about you in regards to how well I sleep in\nyour presence.\"\nShe giggled. \"Well, I only speak honestly, and from my\nheart,\" she said, turning over to lie on her belly, resting her paws in\nfront of herself.\n\"As do I,\" he returned, sliding his nose along and\nnuzzling her right on hers. \"You are an amazing woman, Serena. I've never\nfelt so...content...so at peace before I met you.\"\n\"That makes two of us,\" she returned. Then, she\nslowly stood up, stretching herself out much like a cat and yawning, licking\nher lips slightly. \"Mm... could use something to drink. I'll be right\nback.\" She said before hopping down from the bed and walking over to the\ndoor. \"Just going to get some water from the lake.\"\n\"Take your time.\" Katsu returned. \"Perhaps\nyou'd like a small morsel afterward?\"\n\"Certainly,\" she replied.\nHe nodded. \"Then I shall have something ready for you\nwhen you return.\" He said as he hopped off and headed for his fireplace,\ntaking a small pot and adding some ingredients from a nearby pantry into it\nbefore setting the pot over the fireplace.\nSerena padded down to the lakeshore, dipping her head into\nthe water and taking a long drink, though pulled back briefly as she saw a\nPoliwag swim past, waving her tail in greeting to it, to which it returned by\nwaving its own tail back to her, and let her go back to her drink. When she was\nsatisfied, she took a brief dip into the lake, swimming around and letting her\nbody be properly hydrated before she climbed back out and shook herself dry,\nwalking back up to Katsu's house. \nAs she walked, though, something caught her eye; she turned\nher attention to the side, and saw a figure walking towards the house. She\nnarrowed her eyes, squinting in the sunlight as she tried to determine who it\nwas, and promptly recognized the red body of a Blaziken. \"Is that\nVolcan?\" She whispered to herself, but it was too far to tell. She headed\nback up to the house, poking her head inside. \n\"Katsu?\" She called. \"Are you expecting anyone\ntoday?\"\n\"Hmm?\" He turned back to face her. \"Not that I\nam aware of...why do you ask?\"\n\"There's someone coming this way; I think it's a\nBlaziken. Might be Volcan but I can't tell; they're too far away.\"\nKatsu narrowed his eyes a little and stopped what he was\ndoing. \"Let's be sure it is him.\" He said as he approached the door\nand stood at the doorstep. He had a feeling it was Volcan, but regardless he\nkept his guard up in case this Blaziken was an intruder.\nSure enough though, as the figure got close enough to\nidentify, he recognized Volcan; the Blaziken, having been bedridden the last\nfew days, was finally back on his feet after suffering numerous rib fractures\nat the hands of Team Warmachine's leader and strongest member, Torolf the\nSwampert, who had effortlessly beaten Volcan without even trying -or so Serena\nhad told Katsumoto, as he had been in the infirmary when Volcan was beaten.\nBut, now, the promising young fighter seemed back to normal, able to move on\nhis own without his chest hurting.\nVolcan waved to them as he saw them. \"Good morning,\nguys! How's it going?\" He asked.\n\"Fairly well. We were about to indulge in some\nbreakfast.\" Katsu returned, lowering his guard when he saw it was indeed\nVolcan.\n\"Ah, nice.\" He returned. \"Do you... mind if I\njoin you? I actually left Luke's without grabbing a bite myself.\" He\nrubbed the back of his head in mild embarrassment.\n\"Not at all,\" he replied, stepping aside to allow\nVolcan inside his hut.\nThe Blaziken had to duck a little as he stepped through the\ndoor, as it wasn't designed for someone his height, and found a place to seat\nhimself, with Serena choosing one across from him. \"So, how was your\nnight?\"\n\"Very good,\" returned Serena. \"At first I\ndidn't sleep so well when we first came here but, I think I'm starting to\nadjust.\"\nThat remark made Volcan flinch a little, but he kept a\nstraight face. \"Good to hear,\" he said, and looked at Katsumoto.\n\"How about you big guy?\"\n\"Well...in all honesty, things have been much more\ncontent as of late.\" He returned with a soft smile, gently setting down a\nsmall bowl of rice and miso before each of them. \"I've been able to sleep\nmuch more soundly...\"\nVolcan smiled and nodded in thanks to Katsumoto. \"I'm\nglad to hear it,\" he said, and looked around. \"Uh... don't suppose\nyou keep utensils around, do you?\"\n\"Ah of course.\" He returned and quickly got back\nup, rummaging around his pantry for some utensils for Volcan to eat with. He\npulled out some chopsticks and passed them to Volcan, then grabbed a pair for\nhimself and sat back down next to Serena.\n\"Was never very good with these,\" Volcan muttered,\nbut accepted the chopsticks and did his best to use them for his meal.\n\"So, you guys have any plans for today?\"\n\"Not at the moment no. Serena just woke up and I\nfinished my workout regime not too long ago.\" Katsu returned.\n\"Ah, I see,\" the Blaziken returned.\nSerena dug into her food; she didn't have any way to use\nutensils with her lack of opposable thumbs or actual hands, so she had to eat\nas any quadriped would, though she stayed quiet in the process.\n\"So what brings you here today?\" Katsu asked Volcan as\nthey all dug into their breakfasts\n\"Well...\" Volcan began, but paused, and then shook\nhis head. \"It's nothing major; we can finish eating first. We...\"\n\"It's about the journey home, isn't it?\" Serena\nsaid suddenly, her words once more making Volcan flinch; his reaction alone was\nenough to tell them she was right...\nKatsu also flinched, glancing back to Serena for a moment,\nthen back to Volcan for a moment. \"Are you feeling well enough for the\njourney? From what I was told you were injured badly...\"\n\"Normally, I'd probably still be down for another\nweek... but between Mikhail and Sage pitching in, I think I'm at least\ntravel-ready. Just have to avoid battles if we can, and I'll be fine.\"\n\"That will be difficult; we will most likely run into\nbattles with wild Pokémon along the way Volcan.\" Katsu warned him.\n\"Don't worry about me,\" the Blaziken assured him.\n\"I'm well enough I could at least defend myself. Just don't let me have a\nwrestling match with another big Swampert.\" He chuckled at that.\nKatsu glanced back to Serena for a moment, wondering what she\nthought about this current change of pace. Her expression was unreadable,\nthough. She clearly was uncertain -either for Volcan, or for her own\nreadiness... but she said nothing.\n\"Katsu,\" began Volcan. \"There's another reason\nwhy I feel it's time for us to leave. Not only because we're needed back home,\nbut to help solve the mystery of what's happening here in your world.\"\n\"And you believe the gods of Space and Time might hold\nthe answers.\" Katsu finished, then closed his eyes and let out a small\nsigh. \"When do you plan on leaving...?\"\n\"Not for a little while yet. Luke's informing the rest\nof the team,\" replied Volcan. \"Furthermore, whatever is happening\nhere, in your world, it's not just Palkia and Dialga who I believe will have\nanswers; there's someone back on my world who I believe may be able to find out\nas well.\"\n\"You mean Izrail?\" Serena asked.\nVolcan nodded. \"As the Servant of Anubis he's pretty\nup-to-date with stuff like this. If he doesn't know what's going on he'll know\nwho will, and maybe, somehow, they can work on repairing the damage on their\nend too -whatever's happening on this world, it's coming from our end. If we\ncan stop it there, then this world will be safe from further danger.\"\n\"I do not know of this...Anubis you speak of...but if\nyou're sure he may have the answers then I will help you reach him any way I\ncan...\"\n\"Well not so much Anubis himself,\" replied Volcan.\n\"Anubis is the God of Death in our world; he may know about what's\nhappening, but he'll have no control over it. Travelling between worlds is no\nproblem for him but mending damages in space and/or time is beyond his power.\nThere are other gods above him who do that.\"\nKatsu nodded. \"This sounds like it just got rather\ncomplicated; I'm not sure I understand it all.\"\n\"Well, let's just say that, if I'm right, whoever is\ncausing these anomalies, they're going through Serena and I's world to do\nit,\" said Volcan. \"And in doing so, they're bringing Demons to your\nworld -beings normally not seen here, and if they're set loose, they could\ndestroy every living thing here. Therefore, we have to find out who's doing it\non our end, and stop them. But to do that, we have to go back to our own world,\notherwise, if the problem is solved before we can go home...\" He hung his\nhead. \"Then we'll be permanently trapped here.\"\n\"I see...\" Katsu lowered his head as well. \"Perhaps\nwe better get moving then; I'm sure Luke has gathered the rest of the team by\nnow.\"\nVolcan stood up and walked over to Katsu, putting a hand on\nthe back of his neck; when the Samurott looked up at him, he saw honest\nreluctance in Volcan's face. \"I'm sorry,\" he said to Katsumoto.\n\"I don't want to pull you two apart either...\"\nSerena looked at Volcan. \"You... know?\"\nThe Blaziken chuckled. \"Not to be blunt but, you're both\nbad at hiding it if you were trying to do so,\" he said. \"I've been\nable to tell since you two came back from your first training day there'd been\nsome chemistry. If it were up to me, Serena, if it were truly what you wanted\nand if it were possible to do... I wouldn't stop you from staying with\nKatsu.\"\nSerena's ears lowered and her expression soured, but she\ncould not find words to express what she felt.\n\"I'll leave you two alone for now; you can come whenever\nyou're ready,\" said Volcan. \"Thank you for the meal, Katsu.\"\n\"I-It was my pleasure,\" he returned, stuttering a\nlittle as he glanced away for a moment, completely caught off guard by that\nlast remark.\nWith that, Volcan gathered up his bowl, taking it over to the\nwashtub to rinse it out before he left the house, looking back at the two only\nonce before he left the house.\nSerena sat silently, still unable to find words even as she\nlooked at Katsu.\n\"Serena...\" He said as he broke the silence, gently\ngrasping her paw in his. \"I understand this must be hard on you; it is\nhard on me as well.\" He added. \"After meeting you, I finally found\nsomeone I'm completely happy with, and yet...even though I know you must return\nto your world,\" He paused for a moment before continuing. \"I... I do\nnot want you to go.\" He admitted. \"As much as I know you must, I don't\nwant you to.\"\nShe moved closer to him, leaning on his shoulder. \"I\nknow, Katsu... I feel the same way.\" She said. \"But my presence in\nthis world could cause gradual damage to the fabric of reality itself; I was\nnot meant for this place, no matter how much I wish I were.\" She kissed\nhis cheek, a tear falling from her eye.\n\"D-Don't say that!\" He said softly to her, wiping\naway her tear and looking deeply into her eyes. \"We do not know that yet, for\nall we know, it could very well be something else...! Something Volcan forgot\nto mention.\" He said as he struggled to contain himself. \"Whatever is\nhappening here is not your fault, and it never will be your fault.\"\nShe smiled weakly at him. \"I'm not referring to\nanomalies, Katsumoto,\" she said. \"What's happening now, I know isn't\nour doing. But by being in this world, the damage to space itself could\ncontinue; this is only a theory of many, but the potential risks are too great\nto ignore.\" Her face soured again; despite how much she understood why she\ncould not stay... clearly it was the one thing she wished she could do.\nHe slowly lowered his gaze and grit his teeth for a moment,\nthen slowly he brought both his arms around her and pulled her in close,\nkeeping her against his form as he clung to Serena tightly, resting his head on\nher shoulder after a while and shuddering a little in anxiety.\nShe wrapped her forelegs around him as much as she could,\ntears streaming from her eyes. \"It will be alright, Katsu,\" she said.\n\"For now, let us simply enjoy the time we have left... Spear Pillar is\nfar, and there is more we could share in that time.\"\n\"Y-Yes indeed...\" He returned, holding her tightly\nin his powerful forelegs and then slowly pulled back and looked in her eyes. At\nfirst glance she could see what looked like tear stains along his cheeks as\nwell...he had been shedding tears himself as he leaned on her.\nShe reached up with a paw and stroked his cheek, brushing\nwhat remained of the tear away as she peered into his eyes. \"Whatever\nhappens, Katsu... no matter how far apart we may be, there'll always be a place\nin my heart for you.\"\n\"As there will be a place in mine for you...\" He\nreturned, pressing his nose against hers once more before he spoke those life\nchanging words. \"Serena... I love you.\" He finally admitted.\n\"And I... love you too, Katsu,\" she said, leaning\ninto him once more, just wanting to feel his warmth.\nAt first he snuck a small lick on her nose, then after a\nbrief moment he pressed right in and kissed her deeply, emmiting a soft purr\nfrom his throat as he poured all his emotion and passion into the kiss, once\nagain shuddering as he held the incredibly passionate moment with her. A moment\nwhich she happily shared with him, pressing their lips together and holding the\nkiss for a fairly long time, just not wanting to pull apart...\n~~~~~\nVolcan arrived back at Luke's house, his heart feeling\nheavy... no matter how much he himself wanted to go home, he was not happy that\nSerena would have to leave the first male she had ever grown so attatched to\nbehind as well... he had little doubt the two were exchanging words they had\nlittle time left to be sharing, and the least he could've done was give them\nthat chance, so he declared he would wait for them at Luke's, whenever they\nwere ready.\nSure enough, Luke was there with the rest of his team,\nwaiting for Volcan, Serena and Katsu to arrive so they could discuss their\nplans. Luke looked over to Volcan as he approached. \"You found them I take\nit?\"\n\"I did,\" he replied. \"They'll be along soon.\"\nThe Blaziken looked among the group to see who had shown up\nfor Luke's meeting. Luke had summoned all of his members to the meeting, though\nsome of them had some disgruntled looks on the faces, like they were\ndisappointed about something.\n\"You guys okay?\" Volcan asked, reading the dismayed\nexpressions they had.\n\"Yea just peachy.\" Hank returned.\n\"You can stop lying...\" Kage stated plainly.\n\"Oh bite me froggie...\" Hank retorted.\nLuke sighed and rubbed his forehead. \"We were discussing\nwho should come with you and who should stay behind to look after the town.\"\n\"And, who'd you pick?\" Volcan asked.\n\"Kage.\" Luke returned.\n\"Just Kage?\" Volcan asked. \"Well, a small\ngroup would travel quickest.\" He added, nodding.\n\"And I know the quickest way to Spear Pillar that will\noffer minimal resistance from wild Pokémon...\" Kage returned.\nVolcan nodded again. \"That sounds like a plan,\" he\nagreed, and looked at Hank. \"I'm guessing you wanted to come?\"\n\"Damn fuckin straight I did.\" He growled. \"But\nmeh... guess not this time.\"\nVolcan chuckled. \"You'll get another shot, buddy,\"\nhe said.\n\"Yea, yea whatever...\" He returned, crossing his\narms and sighing irritably\nVolcan looked at Luke. \"It's likely Katsu will want to\ncome to,\" he stated.\n\"Indeed... which is why three of us will accompany you,\nwhile the other three will stay behind and keep things in order.\" Luke\nstated. His ear flicked and he looked behind him. \"Speak of the\ndevil.\" He said as he saw Katsu walking toward the group with Serena.\nVolcan looked over with mild surprise, having expected the\ntwo would wait a little longer. He turned back to the others, and addressed\nthem. \"Now... guys,\" he said to the remaining members of Team\nValiant. \"You all remember what I said about the demons if they show up\nhere?\"\n\"Yea. If the corruption makes 'em too far gone or\nsomething then we gotta off them, right?\" Eagle Eye stated.\nVolcan nodded. \"Right. But, for that reason, you may\nneed help from Luke's brothers, Mikhail and Rigel. I assume they can manipulate\nAura like you can?\" Volcan asked, looking at Luke.\n\"Yes they can...\" Luke returned. \"Though\nthey're not quite as proficient at it as I am...\"\n\"But you told them how to extract the corruption?\"\nVolcan inquired further. \"Long as they know how to do that, they may be\nable to save at least some of the corrupted.\"\n\"I told them yes.\" Luke returned. \"I just hope\nthey're strong enough in mind to do it.\"\n\"Best case scenario, they won't have to,\" said\nVolcan. \"The anomalies don't seem to be happening as often around here\nlately; they might be in the clear, but they always have to be ready\nnonetheless. As long as they can see some of the corrupted Pokémon's own aura\nstill in them, there's a chance.\" \nHe looked at Eagle Eye, Hank and Doug. \"But whatever you\nguys do, if one of those things are coming at you, don't hesitate; you give\nthem even a second, they will tear out your throats. The best you can do for\nthem at that point is end their suffering... I know that's not how you all do\nthings here, but if everything I have in mind works out then you won't have to\ndo it for long.\"\n\"Yea... frankly I'd rather NOT go on a killing spree,\"\nDoug said, all three of his head sighing in unison.\nVolcan nodded to them, and then added sadly. \"It's... been\ngreat meeting all of you. Just in case Serena and I don't come back with the\nothers; I wish you all the best.\"\n\"Heh yea...been one hell of a time hasn't it?\"\nEagle Eye stated as he smiled a bit and averted his gaze. \"Erm...you guys\nwill come back and visit every so often, right?\"\n\"Don't be foolish Eagle Eye,\" Kage stated to him.\n\"If they return to their own world, we may never see them again...\"\nEagle Eye scowled at Kage. \"Jeez...ever hear of a thing\ncalled hope? Or are you just that cold?\"\nVolcan chuckled. \"If the opportunity ever presents\nitself, I will definitely come back,\" he promised.\n\"Heh, sweet. I'll look forward to it.\" Eagle Eye\nstated and flapped his wings a bit.\n\"Now...\" Volcan looked at Kage and Katsu.\n\"Either of you guys need some prep time before we get going?\" He\nasked.\n\"I am ready....\" Kage stated.\n\"I've already gathered what I need for the\njourney...\" Katsu also added in.\nVolcan nodded. \"I guess that's all then... except one\nthing.\" He suddenly removed his shoulder strap that carried his mega stone.\n\"I won't be needing this anymore...\" He said.\n\"Keep it, Volcan.\" Luke bade him before he could\nlet it go. \"Think of it as a souvenir of your time here.\"\nBut he shook his head. \"A stone with that kind of power\nwould be dangerous in my world, and I doubt I'd be able to use it,\" he\nsaid. \"Better I just leave it where it'll be safe.\"\n\"And how do you know it will even work in your\nworld?\" Kage plainly asked. \"If your world is different from ours,\nthen your Blazikenite will just be a stone. Nothing more.\"\n\"After seeing these in action, that's not a chance I can\ntake...\" Volcan said, but hesitated. \"But... I may need it on the\njourney if nothing else...\" And with that, he put the strap back on.\n\"I guess I'll decide when we get to Spear Pillar.\"\n\"A good idea.\" Katsu concurred.\nLuke nodded as well. \"Alright then....everyone\nready...?\"\n\"Ready,\" Volcan returned.\n\"A-as am I,\" agreed Serena.\n\"Then let's head out...\" Luke stated as he turned\nto face the direction of Spear Pillar. \"Stay close and stay alert...\"\nHe stated firmly before he started trotting off toward the direction of Spear\nPillar. Katsu gently lowered himself down so Serena could climb on before he\ntrotted after Luke, while Kage quickly leapt for a nearby tree branch and began\nhopping from one tree to teh next.\n\"Is the Spear Pillar inland?\" Serena asked, looking\nat Katsu. \"Couldn't we just use the boat to get there?\"\n\"The Spear Pillar is atop a large mountain that is inaccessible\nby boat. We have to climb to the top by foot, and even then the route there is\nfar from any body of water.\"\nShe nodded to him in understanding. \"I see,\" she\nsaid.\nVolcan walked alongside Luke as they began their journey into\nthe unknown, looking back towards Luke's home briefly; he had enjoyed his stay\nthere, despite knowing it wouldn't last. He stopped and waved to the other\nmembers of Team Valiant before for a moment before resuming his trek, sprinting\nto catch up to Luke and once more travelling alongside him.\nLuke glanced beside him as Volcan caught up to him. \"I'll\nbe honest....it'll be sad to see you leave.\"\n\"I know... I feel the same way,\" he agreed, looking\nat Luke. \"We just met... but I would've loved to really get to know you\nand your whole team.\" He looked over his shoulder at Serena and Katsu.\n\"And my heart aches knowing they'll be pulled apart.\"\n\"Yeah...\" Luke returned, glancing back toward them.\n\"I don't need to sense their auras to tell they're in love; honestly I'm\nhappy for them, but at the same time...\" He trailed off and moved his gaze\nforward again.\n\"I know,\" said Volcan. \"If it were possible,\nand if it's what she really wanted, I would leave Serena here so she could be\nwith him... but there are many unforeseen consequences that would have, and I'm\nnot referring to my team. She's a being from another dimension, as am I; our\npresence here may actually be causing damage. I can't say for sure; I'm no\nscientist on the theory of multi-dimensions... but if it's at all true, then we\ncould end up destroying this world instead of living in it.\" He let his\ngaze fall at that. \"For that reason, I have to take her back with me; even\nif it isn't what's best for her, I can't let our personal attachments cause any\ndanger.\"\n\"I understand.\" Luke agreed. \"I just hope THEY\nunderstand as well...\"\n\"So do I, Luke... so do I...\"\n~~~~~\nThree days later...\n\"'West, Bluegrove village',\" narrated Volcan,\nreading the signpost at the fork in the road they had come to as they stopped\nfor a rest. During his downtime at Luke's with his ribs broken, Volcan had\ndecided to learn how to read the languages of this world, just in case he wound\nup staying longer. He caught on to it rather fast, surprisingly. \"North...\nBlackcoast City.\"\nThey had entered a forest, and the road they had been\nfollowing cut straight through the woods, rather than going around; these deep\nwoods went on for so many kilometers, going around would take days. However,\nthis was the part of the journey where Kage's safe path was not 'quite' as safe\nas the rest. They had avoided incident thus far, but with so much forestation\naround them, anything could be waiting out in the shadows.\n\"Bluegrove... isn't that where Sickle was from?\"\nVolcan asked, looking back at Luke.\n\"And wasn't Blackcoast where Torolf was born?\"\nSerena inquired.\n\"Probably best if we took the route to Bluegrove\nthen...Torolf did mention Blackcoast was a haven for criminals and\ngangs...\" Luke stated. \"And hey, if we're lucky, we'll run into\nSickle and his team on the way.\"\n\"Yeah; that'd be nice,\" agreed Volcan. \"We've\nbarely seen anyone on this road at all since we left; it'd do us some good to\nsee a friendly face.\" He looked at the sky. \"Plus, looks like we\nmight need shelter soon anyway; I can smell some rain in the air. Storm's\ncoming our way.\"\n\"Indeed. It should arrive in about half an hour or so,\"\nKage returned, also looking up at the sky.\n\"In that case, let's double time it.\" Luke said, and\nthen he trotted off toward the direction of Bluegrove town.\n\"Right with you,\" agreed Volcan, not wanting to be\ncaught out in the rain. \nThey travelled up the road for a while keeping a brisk pace\nas they desperately tried to keep ahead of the storm they could sense moving\ntheir way, until coming to a second fork leading off in two directions, but\nthis time there was no signpost; just a stake of broken wood resembling what\nmight've been one, with the top piece nowhere to be seen.\n\"Which way now?\" Serena asked.\nVolcan peered up both directions, before something caught his\neye beyond the trees, down the road to the left. \"Hey, I think I see house\nover there; that might be the village. If it isn't, maybe they can tell us\nwhere to go.\"\n\"Let's not dawdle then.\" Katsu urged as he trotted\nahead toward the house. Luke and Kage followed close behind; though they had a\nfeeling in their guts something was amiss...\nThey stepped out of the trees into the small clearing,\nrevealing a fenced property around the house. Stepping through the open gate,\nthey saw what appeared to be a playground off to their left, along with a shed,\na greenhouse and a flower garden all rowed along the fence, while off to the\nright was the house Volcan had seen, which was a lone-standing, large but not\nquite a mansion-sized home, built with a symmetrical layout and with two\nfloors. The building was wide, stretching all across the property and equally\ndeep from the front to the back; Luke and Volcan agreed that it would probably\nsupport a family of more than two dozen.\nAbove the door to the house was a sign, reading 'Bluegrove\nDaycare and Orhanage'.\n\"An orphanage this far out of town?\" Luke asked out\nloud, rubbing his chin a bit.\n\"Maybe the town's not that far away; this place could\njust be in the vicinity of it,\" Volcan remarked. \"I guess we should\njust...\" He suddenly recoiled as something hit his head. \"Ah! Hey,\nwhat the...?\" He asked, looking around as he rubbed the spot where the\nobject -a pebble, from what Luke saw, had struck him.\nLuke then turned toward the direction the pebble came from.\n\"Who's there?\" He asked, stepping forward.\nAnd then, someone ran out from behind the playground\nequipment; three small figures, dashing across the yard and ducking behind the\nshed.\nLuke let out a small sigh and shook his head. \"Just\nchildren...\" He muttered, and then looked back to Volcan. \"You\nok?\"\n\"Yeah; just a stone,\" he replied. \"Although\nwhoever threw it either had a slingshot or a heck of an arm.\"\nAlmost as if on cue, another one came flying their way, this\none hitting Luke in the shoulder; it pinged off of his steel skin harmlessly,\nbut hard enough he felt it, and another two came at Serena and Katsu. The\nchildren Luke had spotted weren't throwing those stones playfully; the force\nthey were hitting was aggressive.\n\"Go away!\" One of the young Pokémon yelled, still\nhiding just out of sight.\n\"Yeah! Leave Kima and all of us alone!\" A second,\nunseen one shouted before Volcan was hit by another one, this time in the\nchest.\n\"Ow! Mother...!\" Volcan grunted, but controlled his\nprofanity.\n\"Why are they throwing rocks at us?\" Serena asked.\nLuke sighed and approached the children, ignoring the stones\nbeing thrown at them before he stopped and crouched down to their level.\n\"It's ok...we're not here to hurt any of you; you can stop throwing\npebbles at us.\"\nThe child he\nwas closest to -a Torchic, incidentally, responded by leaping out of its hiding\nplace and spitting an Ember at him. \"Foo!\" It chirped as the little\nfireball shot from its beak.\n\"HEY!\" Luke yelped and quickly tilted out of the\nway of the attack, feeling the heat run past hsi face as he dodged. He then\nglanced back at the two and had a bit of a scowl on his face. \"That was\nrude...\"\n\"Luke! Look out!\" Serena called, but she was too\nlate.\nThe Lucario saw darkness, and something heavy landed on his\nhead, clanging with the unmistakable sound of a bucket; the handle fell down\nand dropped below his chin, making him unable to pull it off -especially since\nsomething was sitting on the bucket, drumming away at the top and sending an\nirritating banging into his ears.\nAt that moment, something hit his legs, causing him to\nstumble forward, landing with the bucket still on his head and ringing audibly\nas he struck the ground, and the figure on his head jumped off. The three young\nPokémon -A Torchic, a Riolu and a Chespin- turned and ran away from Luke after\nknocking him down, trying to make a beeline for the house, but as they did,\nVolcan stepped in their path, though kept low so as not to look imposing.\n\"Hey, come on now!\" Volcan urged. \"We're not\nhere to cause trouble; you don't have to attack us!\"\n\"Liar! You're probably with those meanies who keep\ncoming and stealing our food and Kima's money!\" The Riolu shot.\n\"Yeah! We don't want you here, so get out!\" The\nChespin shouted at Volcan.\n\"Uh... who's Kima?\" Volcan asked, looking at Katsu\nand Kage.\nThey both shook their heads, though Kage did speak up.\n\"I had a feeling this was the case...I think we've taken a wrong turn\nsomewhere.\"\n\"Gee, you think?\" Volcan asked sarcastically.\nSuddenly, the Chespin leapt on Volcan's head, catching the\nBlaziken off guard and starting to punch him in the forehead. \"Ha! Not so\ntough, are you?!\" The Chespin shouted.\n\"Ow! Hey, come on you little munchkin; give me a\nbreak!\" Volcan pleaded, trying not to swing his head around so that he\ndidn't throw the poor Chespin, but he still made grabs for him, trying lift him\noff of his head.\nWhen Volcan finally got a hold of the Chespin and lifted him\naway, holding him out to look at him, something flew across his field of vision\n-a solid, pale bone, whirling through the air, which came back and hit Volcan in\nhis legs, smacking them out from under him and bowled him over. He dropped the\nChespin, who landed on his feet easily, and rejoined his friends as they ran\nfor the house.\n\"Okay, that smart,\" said Volcan holding his head as\nhe sat back up. \"Who's throwing bones anyway? I didn't hear anyone yell\nfetch.\"\n\"I did,\" a threatening, female voice called from\nthe direction of the house. The group turned, and there stood a short but\nsturdy-looking reptilian figure with what appeared to be a smoothed-out skull\nresting upon its head, and a thick bone held in her hand; she stared through\nthe sockets of the skull mask with irritated, Amber-coloured eyes as the three\nchildren hid behind her, the bone in her hand held as if to throw it again.\nSerena looked at Katsu. \"I've never seen that Pokémon\nbefore; what is she?\" She asked.\n\"That's a Marowak; a Ground type Pokémon.\" Katsu\nresponded. He approached the Marowak and lowered his head to her respectfully.\n\"I believe there's been some mistake; these children believe we are here\nto cause harm to them and presumably you. I can assure you that is not the\ncase. We are but simple travellers looking to seek shelter from the coming\nstorm.\"\n\"And how do I know I can trust you?\" She asked.\n\"Lately the only ones who come to visit this orphanage are those thugs\nfrom Blackcoast, wanting their 'protection money'.\" She glared at him.\n\"What proof have I you're not with them?\"\n\"It's okay, Kima,\" a familiar voice called from the\ndoor of the house; a voice that caught the ears of both Volcan and Luke -once\nthe Lucario got the bucket off of his head. They turned, looking past the\nMarowak -now confirmed to be 'Kima', and saw the face of a Grovyle they knew\nwell standing at the top of the short stairway leading up to the door.\n\"I know these people,\" Sickle informed the Marowak,\nwho was apparently Kima -the one mentioned by the children before.\n\"They're friends of mine.\"\n\"Sickle??\" Luke exclaimed in surprise. \n\"Hey, Sickle!\" Volcan called out happily, waiting\nas the Grovyle approached him and the two shook hands. \"Didn't expect to\nsee you here.\" He looked at the orphange. \"This where you live?\"\nSickle laughed at the question. \"Oh no, not usually; my\nhouse is in the village,\" he replied. \"I'm a volunteer here; Kima is\nan old friend of my mother's, so I come here when I'm home to help her with the\nchores.\" He looked back towards Kima, or rather at the three children\nstill hiding behind her. \"And I see you've been acquainted with our\nrambunctious 'Terrible Trio'.\"\n\"We didn't know they were friends of yours,\nSickle,\" the Riolu pleaded. \"We're sorry.\"\n\"You should be telling Luke that,\" said Sickle.\n\"I saw you jump off the roof of the shed and stick that bucket over his\nhead; you could've hurt him if he'd been standing near anything sharp.\"\n\"It's alright.\" Luke said. \"They were acting\nin defense, not knowing we meant them no harm.\" He said as he knelt down\nand gently pet the Riolu on his forehead. \"Frankly he reminds me of myself\nwhen I was a Riolu.\"\nThe Riolu giggled as Luke petted him.\n\"And who're these little ones?\" Serena asked,\nlooking at the Torchic and Chespin.\n\"I'm Pyra!\" The Torchic peeped, hopping around\nhappily.\n\"And I'm Iggy!\" The Chespin chimed in.\nSickle laughed as he saw the moods change so suddenly on the\nkids. \"Ah, to be little again,\" he muttered before turning to Luke.\n\"So what brings you guys to my neck of the woods?\"\n\"Well right now, looking for a roof between us and that\nrainstorm coming,\" said Volcan, pointing up at the sky. \"Don't\nsuppose we could?\"\n\"Oh sure,\" agreed Sickle, before looking at Kima.\n\"If that's okay with you?\"\n\"If they're friends of yours, Sickle, they're friends of\nmine,\" returned the Marowak, tucking her bone under her arm and using it\nlike a crutch as she turned towards the house. \"Come on in; I'll make you\nall some hot soup,\" she offered as she walked back to the house, the\nlittle Riolu -who Sickle introduced as Zackie, holding her free hand as they\napproached the door.\n\"We apologize for the intrusion, Ms. Kima,\" Katsu\nsaid as they entered the house. \"But we do appreciate your hospitality.\"\n\"I should be the one apologizing for assuming you were more\nof those gangsters from Blackcoast,\" she said. \"Or those strange Pokémon\nI've seen wandering the property at night. I have no regrets telling you,\nwhenever Sickle isn't here, I'm often afraid for the safety of the children\nhere.\" She hung her bone on a pair of hooks over the fireplace, where a\nsimmering pot of soup waited. She put on a glove, and lifted off the lid,\nstirring the water in the pot.\n\"What kind of strange Pokémon?\" Volcan asked.\n\"It's hard to describe them; was always too dark for me\nto get a clear look,\" replied Kima. \"But they were strange ones\nindeed; some of them looked familiar but... different somehow, like deformed,\nand they behaved like mindless, rabid animals. It was unnerving, and the way\nthey howled and bellowed at each other; many children have woken up in the\nnight and come screaming down the stairs. Thankfully none of them have come\nnear the house; they seem to be staying out in the woods.\"\nUpon closer inspection, Katsu, who was standing closest to\nKima, could see her eyelids beneath her skull mask were dark; she had not slept\nproperly in quite a while, if she had at all.\n\"It's because of all that I've been staying here most of\nthe time,\" said Sickle. \"I know a lot of the kids here, and I adore\n'em like little siblings. I couldn't bear the thought if something attacked\nthem.\"\nKage uncrossed his arms. \"Deformed black Pokémon... sounds\nan awful lot like those demons you mentioned Volcan.\" Kage said as he\nglanced to the Blaziken. \"Also, the fact we're closer to Blackcoast can\nonly mean we took a wrong turn at that broken sign, or someone purposefully\nswitched the sign around.\"\n\"Oh no, you came the right way,\" Sickle replied.\n\"Blackcoast just isn't very far away from here. If you were following a\nsign post, you came the right way if Bluegrove is where you were heading, but\nif you went left at that second fork, that's where you went wrong; you\nshould've gone right, and that would have taken you to Bluegrove.\"\n\"But we caught sight this orphanage and thought it best\nto see if we could stay here until the storm passes.\" Luke returned.\n\"However, if you are receiving trouble from thugs from Blackcoast, then\nwe'll have to help anyway we can.\"\nKima sighed. \"Much as I appreciate that, I doubt you can\nstay long enough to deal with them,\" she said. \"They come at the end\nof each week -day after tomorrow, usually. Though they only show up if Sickle's\nnot here; they're afraid of him, and won't come near us as long as he's\naround.\"\n\"Another reason I'm here as often as possible,\"\nadded Sickle. \"I've chased those thugs off before but they always seem to\nknow when I'm here.\"\n\"Where's your team?\" Serena asked. \"Maybe you\ncould rotate shifts?\"\nSickle shook his head. \"They're away on another job\nright now,\" he replied.\n\"If taking out the thugs will not work then take out the\nsource of the problem.\" Kage said matter of factly.\nKatsu glanced to the Greninja. \"You're not suggesting...\"\n\"I am.\"\n\"Go to Blackcoast?\" Volcan asked. \"Torolf said\nthat whole place is a den of thieves; where would we even start looking for\ntheir boss?\"\n\"A fearful heart will crack with the right presuasion.\"\nKage returned, narrowing his eyes in a menacing manner.\nLuke sighed. \"Perhaps I should have brought Hank along then; he's our go to guy for\ninterrogations.\"\n\"Am I chopped liver?\" Kage queried as he glanced at\nLuke. \"I have my ways of gaining vital information.\"\n\"So do I,\" agreed Volcan. \"Back home we call\nit the 'good cop, bad cop' routine.\" He smiled. \"Two of us\ninterrogate them; one appears as a brute, the other as a friend; the trick\nbehind that is to make the prisoner open more to the friendly guy out of fear\nof the brutish one.\"\n\"A reputable tactic, but I do have my ways of making\nsomeone talk without much assistance.\"\nKatsu sighed. \"Always the lone Houndoom...\"\n\"And what's your solution for the corrupted Pokémon\nwandering around here?\" Volcan asked Kage.\n\"If they are able to be saved, then Luke will suffice...\notherwise, we'll have no choice. As you aptly put, we'll have to end their\nsuffering.\" Kage returned quickly and without hesitation.\n\"Not quite that simple,\" Volcan remarked.\n\"They're hanging around here in this general area, meaning there's\nsomething here drawing their attention.\"\nSerena perked up at that. \"You think there's something\nout there that's attracting them?\"\n\"Has to be, or they'd have wandered off by now, or\nattacked this house looking for victims, but something out there is holding\ntheir interest,\" said Volcan. \"Honestly, I'm more afraid of what that\nsomething might be.\"\n\"What do you think it could be that's keeping them\nhere?\" Katsu asked Volcan.\n\"Demons are drawn to sources of energy -in their case,\nnegative energy. It could be some embodiment of dark matter, or some nexus of\nmagic, or even someone who's fostering a lot of dark emotions -strong enough\nfor them to sense.\"\n\"It could be that they're drawn to all the negativity of\nBlackcoast itself. After all it IS a city teeming with gangs and violence.\"\nLuke suggested.\n\"Exactly,\" said Volcan. \"So, the only way to\ndeal with them is to track down each one of them, or they won't go away. Sooner\nor later they'll lose interest and come right at this house looking for\nsomething to kill; the kids here won't stand a chance.\"\n\"Sounds like you guys know what to do,\" said\nSickle. \"Any way I can help?\"\n\"Can you call the rest of your team?\" Luke asked\nSickle. \"If we can infiltrate the city, we'll need an extra team here to\nprotect the children and Kira in case they come here\"\n\"I can try, but it could take them a while to get\nhere,\" said Sickle. \"Howler can get here in less than an hour,\nthough. He can help you track them too.\"\n\"I can stay here with Kima and help her,\" offered\nSerena.\n\"As can I,\" agreed Katsu.\n\"Which leaves the rest of us to enter Blackcoast and\ntake out the demons...\" Luke finished.\nVolcan nodded in agreement. \"Alright. I'm used to\ndealing with demons and thugs alike, so I can go either way.\"\n\"I'll go with Kage,\" offered Sickle. \"I've got\na bone to pick with those thugs for going after Kima, and I know that city\nfairly well; I've had to go there a few times.\"\n\"Alright. When Howler gets here, Luke and I will head\nout to the forest with him and find the demons,\" said Volcan.\n\"Leaving Kage and Sickle to navigate the town and locate\nthe gang leaders;\" Luke concluded. \"It's a plan. Not a great one, but\nit's a plan nonetheless.\"\n\"Oh finding the gang leaders won't be hard,\" stated\nSickle. \"Just making sure we spot the right gangsters will be the trick.\"\n\"Then I'll leave that part to you.\" Kage returned.\nSickle nodded. \"Alright. I'll call for a friend of mine\nto take a message to Howler and the others; if we're lucky they're already on\ntheir way back, so they'll be here even sooner. For now, you guys can just\nhunker down in here.\"\nKima had finished making the soup, and was laying out bowls\nto serve it to the group. \"Yes. You all are welcome to stay here as long\nas you need to; I have some spare rooms you can use.\"\n\"Again we appreciate your hospitality,\" Katsu\nreturned, bowing humbly to Kima as she served the soup to him and the rest of\nhis allies.\n\"It's my pleasure,\" she replied.\nSickle looked at Luke. \"You mind if I speak to you for a\nsec?\" He asked, cocking his head towards the nearby living room.\n\"Of course,\" he returned, excusing himself before\nhe stood up from his chair and followed Sickle toward the living room so they\ncould talk privately. \"What's on your mind?\"\nThe Grovyle sighed, and turned to Luke, a look of gratitude\non his face. \"I appreciate you guys offering to help out here,\" he\nsaid. \"To be honest, I've been a little afraid for old Kima.\" He\nlooked back into the dining hall, his yellow eyes on the Marowak with an\nexpression of concern. \"She's a tough old nut, but she's not as strong as\nshe used to be; between those thugs and... demons, was it? I've been afraid to\nbe away from here at all. \n\"But I couldn't tackle these problems on my own; Howler's the\nonly other one who actually lives here in Bluegrove besides myself -he actually\ngrew up in this very orphanage. Blaster lives in the next village west of here\nand Kaen's staying with him now; they can't always get here to help out. So...\nthank you, very much, for offering to help out. I really appreciate it.\"\nLuke nodded in return, gently placing his paw on Sickle's\nshoulder. \"It's what we do Sickle; we stick our necks out for others when\nthey need it the most.\" He then smiled more. \"Especially when it's a\nfriend in need.\"\n\"I know. I'm damn lucky you're here, too,\" he\nadded. \"But I'm also curious; I doubt you guys came this far just for a\nvisit. Where you heading?\"\n\"To Spear Pillar.\" Luke returned. \"We need to\nspeak with Palkia and Dialga about sending Volcan and Serena back to their own\ndimension...\"\nVery suddenly, the Grovyle's mood changed from grateful to\nlooking as if he'd seen a ghost. Sickle gawked at Luke, and nearly sputtered as\nhe tried to come up with a response. \"S-S-Spear Pillar; are you nuts?! Haven't\nyou heard what's going on out there?\"\nLuke tilted his head curiously, mildly disturbed by the very\nsudden change of mannerisms in Sickle. \"No...What's the matter?\"\n\"There have been numerous disappearances around the\npillar over the last week,\" replied Sickle. \n\"There's trouble on Spear Pillar??\" Luke almost\nblurted that response out before he collected himself.\nThe Grovyle nodded. \"At first there were just some hikers\nor travellers going missing, but then an entire village went dark; a Rescue\nTeam went in to check it out, but they never came back. Furthermore -though\nthis is only a rumor- some have said they can hear someone roaring up the\nmountain. A lot of people think it's Palkia, wailing in pain -as if something\nis attacking him. Whatever that sound is a lot of Pokémon have fled that\narea.\" He shook his head. \"Luke... you don't want to go there. I\ndon't know what you mean about sending Volcan and Serena to their own\ndimension, but whatever you want to go there for it's not worth it.\"\n\"I see...\" Luke returned. Sickle wasn't aware of Volcan\nand Serena's true origins, but the Lucario had come to trust him enough that he\nbelieved he could know the truth. \"Sickle, there's something you have to\nunderstand. Volcan and Serena...they're not actually a Blaziken and a Vaporeon.\nThey came to this dimension through tears in the fabric of space, and their\nbodies transformed from their usual forms into what you see now.\" He said,\nnudging his head toward the two of them as they watched Kima serve soup to the\nmany children that had gathered in the dining room. \"I swore to them I'd\nhelp them return home, and I never go back on my word Sickle; I have to go to\nSpear Pillar with them.\"\n\"Well I don't know about that dimensional stuff,\"\nsaid Sickle. \"But... if you're going to that Pillar, stay on the roads;\ndon't leave them even for a moment, and whatever you do don't stop for\nanything. If you do... I don't know; something will probably come after you.\"\n\"Noted. Thank you.\" Luke returned. \"For now,\nlet's enjoy our meal until we're ready to move.\"\nSickle nodded in agreement, and walked with Luke back out to\nthe dining room. Numerous kids by now had come down to join in the meal as\nwell; Pokémon of various species, all in their youngest and cutest stages. When\nLuke sat down, Volcan, who was seated next to him, chuckled in disbelief.\n\"That little Pyra girl mentioned she'd one day be a Blaziken too; is that\nreally how this species starts out, as that cute little thing?\"\n\"Yes. Torchic is the first form of the Blaziken\nline.\" Luke returned, smiling at him. \"She'll evolve first into a\nCombusken, and then when she matures even further, she'll eventually evolve into\na Blaziken.\"\n\"Wow; talk about a growth spurt,\" remarked Volcan.\n\"Growing from a ten-inch tall little chick to a six-foot tall kickboxer.\nNo matter how many days I stay here I keep getting surprised.\"\n\"The world is full of surprises Volcan; some of them\njust pop out of nowhere, others you discover on your own.\" He said as he\ntook a sip of his soup. \"Mmm... quite tasty.\"\nVolcan too sipped a spoonful of the soup. \"Oh wow, that\nIS good,\" he said. \"Nothing like a home cooked meal, eh?\"\n\"Indeed. This is even better than any soup I make at\nhome.\" He returned. \"I could learn a few things from Kima.\"\n\"I think I could too,\" agreed Volcan. \"Of\ncourse in my real body I can't eat soup; the water hurts me. Still, least I can\nenjoy it now.\" He chuckled. \"Yanno I might miss this form with that\nin mind.\"\n\"Well. Perhaps after this all boils over, there might be\nways you could come back and visit occasionally.\"\n\"I don't know how... but if there is a way you can bet\nI'll make use of it,\" promised Volcan.\nLuke smiled more. \"I'm sure a lot of my friends would\nappreciate that,\" he returned as he sipped more of his soup.\n\"I'd love for you to meet some of mine as well,\"\nagreed Volcan, taking a few more spoonfuls of the soup before he looked at\nLuke. \"So what were you and Sickle discussing? I wasn't eavesdropping but\nI thought I overheard you guys talking about Spear Pillar.\"\nLuke flattened his ears a little. \"Well... it turns out\nthere's trouble atop Spear Pillar...\" Luke returned. \"Apparently Pokémon\nhave been disappearing at random and there have even been rumours that they\nhear Palkia crying out in pain.\"\n\"Palkia in pain?\" Volcan asked, but then his eyes\nnarrowed. \"The anomalies... could they be involved somehow? Maybe he's\ntrying to prevent them but they're straining him, or something from the Demon\nRealms has found its way to him.\"\n\"Whatever the case, we have to be extremely careful\nnow.\" Luke returned. \"If Palkia is indeed in pain, we have to find a\nway to relieve it of its suffering and return him to normal.\"\nVolcan nodded. \"Hopefully he hasn't been\ncorrupted,\" he said. \"No matter how tough we are I don't think we're\nready to fight a Deity.\"\n\"I agree.\" Luke said, gulping down the last of his\nsoup and setting the bowl aside. \"The last time I fought a legendary,\nwell...things escalated rather quickly.\"\nVolcan sighed, and spoke low. \"Either way we may be\nrunning out of time,\" he said, more to himself as he stared at his\nreflection in his half-empty bowl in front of him."}