FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ori was as much relieved as he was frantic when Volcan and Luke returned with the unconscious Carl, still comatose under the hypnotic spell of his kidnapper, whom they also had in tow when they reached his camp. Volcan keeping his distance from the Quilladin was all he could do to keep him from pulverizing the Hypno himself, but he settled instead for going with them back to town to stay with Carl when they got to the clinic. They left Carl under the care of the nurses, who took him to their on-site Psychic doctor to try and ease the Machop's nightmares and bring him out of the dream gently.

With that, all that was left was to take the Hypno to the town jail. Following Luke's lead, with the culprit slung over his shoulder as they walked, Volcan all-too-happily carried the renegade all the way to the small jail on the far end of Azure, where they met the on-duty guard that opened a cell for them. Volcan practically hurled the Hypno into the cell when the supervising officer opened it for them, letting him fall to the floor a little roughly but nothing to do him any permanent harm, or rouse him from his unconscious state.

"All things considered, I'd say that was a job well done." Luke commented, keeping his arms crossed in front of his chest as the guard started to shut the door, ushering Volcan aside to clear the way.

Volcan backed away from the cell, letting it be closed as he clapped his hands together as though dusting them off, snorting. "Good riddance to bad trash," he said, scornfully.

Luke gave a small sigh as the two began to leave. "It's a little disheartening to see there are Pokémon out there out for such selfish goals, they'll go so far as to endanger others to achieve them, even if the victims are unrelated to their objective..." Luke said softly.

"You and me both, my friend," Volcan said, patting Luke's shoulder as they headed back out to the streets of Azure.

Luke stretched his arms a little and looked up to the sky. "Still a fair amount of daylight left. We should have time for one or two more missions."

Volcan beamed at that. "Alright; let's go have a look and see what's still there," he replied, eager to do more.

Luke smiled. "Glad to see you're still raring to go." He commented, leading the way back out of the jail and enroute back to the post office which, fortunately, was not far away.

"After that last mission? Hell yes," Volcan returned, filled with confidence. "I'm pumped up after that battle, surprisingly."

Luke smiled even more and chuckled. "You're just like Eagle Eye. He's always raring to go whenever he gets a mission." He commented. "Of course, he does tend to get a little ahead of himself when he gets that pumped."

"I'll try not to be that bad," Volcan promised, chuckling.

"I'll hold you to that." He said with a wink.

A short walk later, they returned to the building, finding the building made in the likeness of a Pelipper as easily as the first time, and made a beeline right for the job listings board. The other jobs had been claimed already, except for two courier jobs; one to deliver a package to a local farm, and the other to help move a shipment of fish to the local packaging warehouse from the docks.

Both of the jobs looked relatively easy and wouldn't likely take long; eventually both Volcan and Luke agreed that taking the two jobs together would be no hassle, so they claimed them, taking the first to the post office as they decided to start at the docks; the farm delivery job was actually at a location past Luke's house, so by doing that one last, they could return home at the end of the day. It was a most convenient setting.

And so to the docks they went, finding the warehouse and moving crate after crate full of freshly scaled fish to the warehouse, where other Pokémon were hard at work wrapping the fish; they had to move three dozen crates, but between the two of them and the thankful proximity to the dockyards, it didn't take nearly as long as it might've for just one Pokémon.

By the time they were done, they both smelled of fish, so when they returned to Luke's to clean up and get the smell out, before they retrieved the package they had to deliver and headed out to the farm, which was run by a Loudred that... was not a very welcoming host when they arrived.

The moment they announced themselves, they were met with the signature gale-force bellow of the Exploud evolution line, in the form of a "WHADDYA WANT?!" from the grouchy farmer, which had resulted in Volcan being sent flying on account of taking the full force of the mighty bellow, with Luke, being two feet shorter than the Blaziken, took the vocal gale only across the face unlike his companion, left merely windswept and to present the package to the farmer...

The Loudred's mood seemed to brighten a little when the Lucario mentioned the item; he paid them for the delivery, throwing in an extra coin as a tip, and headed into his house with the package, while Luke had to go collect Volcan from an awkward position by the grain silo, legs in the air and left laying on his head and shoulders.

"I may never use the term 'loudmouth' the same way again," Volcan declared as Luke approached.

"Sorry?" Luke hollered down at him, his ears still ringing from when the Loudred screamed up a storm in his face.

"I said...!" Volcan began, before stopping. "Nevermind." He wiggled himself away from the wall and fell onto his side, standing up and rubbing his back.

Luke kept rubbing his ears a little in a vain attempt to clear the ringing from them, but to no avail. "Well, let's just head back to town for now." Luke said to Volcan, his face still cringing from the ringing, which was slowly starting to die down.

When Luke was sure he could hear again the two of them went over the day's events, recounting each job, and on the way home began to feel the after effects of a hard day's work; slightly sore muscles, accompanied by the satisfaction of knowing how well they had done on all of their jobs that day.

"I think after all that work, we've earned ourselves a small reward." Luke stated. "Normally I prefer cooking my own food, but today, I'm feeling a little adventurous. Let's eat out this time." Luke offered to Volcan.

"Sounds good to me; where would you suggest?" Volcan asked.

"Well..." Luke thought for a moment. "There's a small sushi shop I always see Katsumoto dine at...and I've never tried sushi before."

"I wouldn't remember even if I had," Volcan remarked with a light-hearted chuckle. "But I guess I can try it."

"Alright. Sushi it is then." Luke said with a warm smile, then took the lead and headed on over to where he remembered the small restaurant was.

"Before we go there, mind if we stop to check on my boat?" Volcan asked.

Luke hummed in question, before his ears perked up. "Oh of course," he returned, quickly changing direction and heading back toward the docks. "I imagine it should be at least partly repaired by now."

"If nothing else, they'll have at least assessed the damage," Volcan returned. "Or... found something else that might help me remember my identity..."

Luke's ears wilted a little when hearing that. "I take it you still don't recall much."

"No... only what my dreams have shown me, which isn't much."

"On that topic." Luke suddenly spoke up. "When you went to help me up, during the fight with the Hypno, you almost called me by another name." He pointed out.

Volcan froze mid-step as Luke mentioned that, suddenly remembering that the Lucario was indeed right. He stood, deliberating or a moment as he considered how best to answer him, eventually finding words as he continued walking. "When you knocked that Hypno down during the fight, I... had another flashback," he said.

"In the thick of battle?" Luke asked, tilting his head, finding the timing in which Volcan would have another memory. "...What was it this time?"

"I saw... a Lucario," replied Volcan. "But it wasn't you. He was helping me in the fight against that Gallade I keep dreaming about." They stopped walking as his explanation continued, the Blaziken finding a tree to lean against, crossing his arms as he recounted the rest of the vision. "And just like that, as I went to help you I remembered his name; Minato."

"...I can't say that's a name I'm familiar with." Luke returned honestly. "Was he a friend of yours?"

"I think he's the same one from that photo we found on the boat, which means he is another member of my team," replied Volcan, letting out a sigh. "Unfortunately that's all I can recall... I don't remember what else happened after he intervened on that battle."

"Well at least it's a little bit of progress in helping to identify who you are." Luke offered optimistically.

"Maybe," he said, before letting out a long sigh, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "But now that I remember him, I once again just find myself wishing he were actually here to give me some answers; clearly, he's part of my past. But I don't know where he is, and besides that flashback and his name I know nothing else about him..."

"We'll find him." Luke said firmly, stepping forward and placing his paw upon Volcan's shoulder comfortingly. "This Minato fellow, anyone else who's connected to your past... I swear to you, we'll find them and regain what you've lost."

Volcan turned to Luke, putting on the best smile he could muster in gratitude to him. "I know..." he said. "I guess I'm just a little over anxious."

"I know the feeling." Luke returned, taking his paw away from Volcan's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go to that restaurant; you'll feel better after we eat."

Volcan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "Lead on."

~~~~~

Later that evening...

Volcan was clutching his abdominal muscles, looking somewhat nauseous as they stepped out of the restaurant and letting out a groan as he rubbed his stomach. "I don't think I'll be having that again anytime soon," stated the Blaziken, walking at Luke's side.

"Personally it wasn't THAT bad." Luke returned. "There were some rolls I didn't really care for, but I was fond of the others. Perhaps I'll make some for myself in the future."

"I'll just stick to other stuff," returned Volcan.

"Still want to go check on your boat, then?" Luke asked. "Or, should we just head home?"

Volcan shook his head. "We're not far away; might as well go through with it."

"This way," Luke instructed, taking the lead once more.

They made their way through town to the boat builder's shop at the far end of the pier. The building, easily three stories tall, rested upon a short ledge overlooking the bay, with the lower half of it built into the cliffside leading down to a private dock belonging to the shop, while the access door was actually on the top floor, just above ground level. As the two walked along the cliff they could actually see the tip of Volcan's boat sticking out from the work area above the water, with a few working Pokémon in sight.

As they approached the front door, it opened, and an Electabuzz in a pair of protective overalls and gloves stepped out, noticing the two approaching. "Oy! The shop's closed for the day; whaddya doin' here?" He asked.

"We just came to look at my boat," Volcan replied. "The one you guys are fixing in there; it belongs to me."

"Well I feel bad fer it after what ya did to it," the Electabuzz scoffed. "Anyway, repairs are unda'way; patching that hole in the hull would be easy if that's all thar was but the frame was damaged in the crash too, and yer engine is overheated. All of that will take a while yet to repair."

"Do you have an estimate as to how long it will take?" Luke asked the Electabuzz.

"Depends on when the parts get 'ere, which will take a few days at least," he replied. "As for the engine rebuild, hull patch and frame work, all in all at least six days, eight maximum."

"I see." Luke returned, looking up to Volcan to gauge his reaction.

The Blaziken had put his hand over his eyes and leaned against the wall, groaning in exasperation. "Nothing else for it; can't rush this kind of thing," he muttered.

"By the way," the Electabuzz continued. "Long as ye're 'ere, I was hoping you could shed some light on somethin'." He guided them into the boathouse, over to a railing where they could see down to the working area where a Magmar and Throh were working on steaming a few planks and bending them to proportion of the boat they were repairing. But that wasn't what they were there to see; the Electabuzz was pointing at the rear starboard corner of the rail. "What exactly did that? Because that is not from any crash."

The area he was pointing to was broken away from the boat, almost the entire rail and wall it was attached to having been taken from the vessel, with visible marks in the frame; the break from the wood was too smooth in some places, not to mention the placement made it impossible to have been inflicted by smashing into another boat or a rock. In fact... the gouges in the wood looked like teeth marks.

Luke narrowed his eyes as he got a better look at the damaged area of the boat. "That looks like a bite mark." Luke answered. "It would have to be from something pretty strong and pretty large to do such damage to a vessel of this size."

"I've never sailed personally; I only build boats," stated Electabuzz. "So I don't know what could've caused that. But whatever did it, it was out to get ye, lad."

Volcan swallowed nervously as he saw that bite; he didn't remember what had caused it, but he was clearly perturbed by the sight nonetheless. Luke glanced up to Volcan for a moment, seeing the perturbed look in his gaze, then back to the boat once more, narrowing his eyes.

"...Whatever's out to get him, they'll have to go through me first." He said in a determined tone.

"Yeah... good luck with that," the Electabuzz stated. "Now, off ye go; it's late and I'm headin' to bed. Come back in about a week and we'll see if I have an update for ye."

Luke nodded. "Thank you, sir. I apologize for the inconvenience." He said, then looked to Volcan and patted his arm. "Let's head home..."

"Y-Yeah," Volcan replied nervously, following Luke out of the boathouse. He flinched slightly when the door shut behind him, feeling oddly jumpy all of a sudden, but kept pace with Luke as they headed for his house...

Luke sighed a bit when Volcan became jumpy once more, though this time he didn't say anything. Given the circumstances, Luke couldn't blame Volcan for being nervous. That last bit of news the Electabuzz gave them WAS rather disturbing and somewhat nerve wracking. When they did arrive back at Luke's home, he knelt down and undid the latch of his home before pulling it up, gesturing for Volcan to enter.

The Blaziken slowly and carefully descended into the home, finding the lights and turning them on before he headed over to the couch and sat down, going over what they had just learned, his eyes staring off into space as he thought back. "So something other than that Gallade was after me," he said. "Something big..." He shook his head. "How in the name of Palkia did I ever get away?"

"I wish I could tell you." Luke returned, sitting down next to Volcan. "But the fact of the matter is you got away, and you're alive and well." Luke stated, still trying to remain optimistic. "And if whatever damaged your ship does come after you, I can promise you that I'll stand by your side and fend off your pursuer."

Volcan turned to him, and nodded in understanding. "I know you will," he said. "But..." He scowled, his gaze falling to the floor already. "I can't help feeling I'm pulling you into something you have no reason to be part of... just if only I could remember what that something was!" He slammed his fists on his knees, frustrated.

"Volcan, calm down. Getting frustrated won't help to solve anything." Luke reasoned with him, stepping over to sit down at his side and placing his paw over Volcan's arm. "And you can drop that nonsense about being pulled into something with you. Volcan, I voluntarily took you in and gave you my word I'd help you in any way I can...If that means I have to fight on your behalf, then I'll do so without any hesitation."

"And what does the rest of your team say to that; putting their lives on the line for someone who can't even remember who he is?" He asked, matter-of-factly.

Luke looked away for a moment. "I won't force them to get involved if they don't want to...but knowing them as well as I do, I'm sure they'd do the same for you as well." Luke stated, turning his head back to look up at Volcan. "One way or another, I will help you... You're my friend now, and if friends need help, they support one another until their problems are solved..." He then placed a paw over his scarf gently. "It's part of the vow I made to myself a long time ago..."

Volcan continued staring at the floor for a while before he eventually allowed himself to look at Luke again, seeing the determination in his eyes and knowing from that look that he was not going to change his mind not matter what the Blaziken were to say, as much as he did not want to endanger him any further.

"I don't know whether to say you're selfless or stubborn..." He stated with feigned annoyance until his beak shifted to a smile. "But I still find myself very glad I met you."

Luke chuckled. "Then say it's both." He offered with a smile back at Volcan.

"I suppose I'll have to then," he replied, sharing in the light-hearted laughter.

Luke laughed along with Volcan, tilting his head back a little as he did so before he calmed down a little. He was still wearing that confident smile even after they finished laughing. "And I'm glad I met you as well, Volcan... even if the meeting was somewhat hap hazardous."

"To say the least," the Blaziken commented, barely stifling a yawn and humming a little. "You know, I think we've earned our rest tonight, after all we did today."

"I agree." Luke returned. "Just do me a favour. If you have another nightmare again, just remember to talk to me first before you head out late at night." He said with a wry smile.

"I'll try to," he said. "I'll try not to make you worry about me again..."

Luke nodded. "Glad to hear that." He said as he stood up and stretched a bit. "Well...guess it's goodnight for now."

Volcan nodded. "Go ahead... I'm going to stay out here and unwind for a bit."

"Okay," returned Luke. "Good night, Volcan."

"Good night, Luke."

~~~~~

The early morning sun rose on the horizon, painting the sky and the sea with its bright red glow as it ascended to shine upon the world. Giving light to the early morning risers of Azure; shopkeepers going to open their stores, fishermen boarding their boats to get their daily catches, and of course the post office opening up and sending out fliers to retrieve and deliver the mail; a typical start to the day for the little port town, but it was not going to remain like that.

A lone Poliwhirl was wandering up the docks, carrying several fishing rods over his shoulder and humming a little tune to himself as he dance-walked towards the pier, eyes on a wharf where a mid-sized fishing boat sat waiting, when he heard a rumbling sound coming from the water; he turned his gaze out to sea, and saw a small wave advancing towards the shore. At first, he thought nothing of it, until a spike broke the surface of the sea, indicating something was under that water...

He stood, frozen and watching, unable to look away as the wave crept closer, eventually slamming into the very boat he had been walking towards and capsizing it. Finally, the surface of the water was broken as the cause of the wave emerged from the depths, crawling its way up the shallows and dripping water as it raised its massive head above the docks for all to look in horror upon its splendor. The huge Gyarados surveyed the docks with its large violet eyes, a single look enough to send people fleeing, until he saw the Poliwhirl that stood frozen below him. Slowly, he lowered himself down, casting the poor frog-like Pokemon in a shadow as he poised over him, and then, he spoke.

"Have any boats carrying an injured Blaziken landed here recently?" He asked.

"B-B-B-Boat? B-B-B-B-Blaziken?" The Poliwhirl repeated, stuttering madly in his terror. "Um, I uh well..." The Gyarados growled, and in a panic, the Poliwhirl gave him a full answer. "Yes! EIght days ago; a boat crashed on the beach here! I was here; it had a Blaziken on board!"

"Where is he?" The huge water beast demanded.

"I don't know; he's staying somewhere outside of town! He always shows up with the leader of a local Rescue Team!"

The Gyarados raised his head up, and went back to scanning the town with his eyes, narrowing them in thought as he weighed his options. "A Rescue Team, is it?" He asked, before that massive mouth curled into a wicked grin. "Well then, I'll send them a little invitation they can't possibly refuse." As he said this, an orange energy sphere began to form in his mouth, and now everyone who saw it forming was in panic as they knew what was coming...

~~~~~

Luke's entire house shook _violently_when the first explosion sounded; even in his underground home, he felt it so vividly it rattled him to his very core, shaking items all around his room though nothing breakable fell over. In that instant, Luke was wide awake and had jolted upright in his bed, feeling the shock and immediately giving him the sensation something was wrong. Quickly he threw the covers off the bed and barged out his door, giving Volcan's door a hard beating.

He was about to call out to him when Volcan opened the door and was charging out when the Blaziken literally walked face-first into his dropping paw. "Ow!" He squawked.

Sorry!" Luke returned. "Did you hear...?"

"Yeah I heard it; would have to be deaf not to hear that!" He exclaimed. "Come on; let's move!"

"Right!" Luke said, quickly heading back to his dresser and gathering his earpiece and his scarf; there was no time to lose. He joined Volcan in the kitchen before they both made a beeline straight for the door, practically throwing it open as they leapt out, one at time, onto the grass, and sprinted in the direction of town just as a second explosion split the air.

Luke put his paw to his earpiece, pressing the transmit button. "Team Valiant, assemble in the town! We've got a crisis!" He hollered.

Volcan held his arms behind him as he ran as fast as he possibly could, every stride practically a leap as he made a beeline right for town, followed closely by Luke; something in him seemed to be spurring him on, telling him to not be too late no matter what it took, and to protect Azure with his life. The lattermost he paid little mind to, but this feeling of desperation, for a town he was not even from... it struck him as odd. But he paid it no mind and carried on.

Luke paid no mind to Volcan's haste, as protecting his home and the Pokémon that resided in it was the foremost thought on his mind. Even as they reached the streets, where panicked townsfolk were running in the opposite direction of Luke and Volcan, the swift Lucario merely weaved around each passerby in a fluid motion, never once breaking his stride as he rushed to the source of all this calamity.

Volcan, being larger than Luke, had no choice but to leap clear over them, pulling up his legs as he made a powerful long jump to clear the crowd and land at Luke's side, resuming the run.

"Whatever spooked them, it's big!" He exclaimed.

"No question about that." Luke returned back. "Just how big this threat is, is what concerns me!" He added.

"Me too!" Volcan agreed.

Mere seconds after stepping into town, however, a roof above them suddenly exploded, showering them with debris and cold water... water, from a roof, when it hadn't rained in days? "...Well that narrows things down." Luke remarked, ignoring getting sprayed on. "I hope it's not what I think it is."

"Definitely a water-type; it must be at the docks!" Volcan exclaimed.

"Then let's go!" He exclaimed, then tapped his earpiece. "Head to the docks! Whatever threat we find there, you are to engage at will!" Luke said into his earpiece before continuing on their way.

Unfortunately, it seemed Luke's worst fear had come to pass; they rounded the corner of a warehouse, and it was there that they saw it; the gigantic, serpentine form of a Gyarados , rising up from the water and blasting highly pressurized streams of water from its mouth, sweeping across the town and levelling structures with its power, letting out a triumphant roar after each sweeping attack it made.

"...Sometimes I hate my gut feeling." Luke muttered, looking to Volcan. "I hate to say this, but you better hang back for this one. You're especially at risk against a creature like that."

"I know it's a Water-type, but you're forgetting something," Volcan stated, holding up his fist and letting a discharge of electricity show. "I'm the only one here who can use an Electric attack. You need me."

Luke let out a grunt, forgetting Volcan knew Thunderpunch. "RIght... damn I forgot about that." Luke said.

Suddenly, the Gyarados was showered with a rapid stream of Ember attacks from its left, followed by a Talonflame swooping by at breakneck speeds. "The cavalry has arrived!" He hollered with glee as he circled around.

"Alright!" Volcan exclaimed gleefully when he saw Eagle Eye pass over.

The Gyarados was preparing to pursue Eagle Eye until he heard Volcan's voice, he suddenly turned in his and Luke's direction, making the Blaziken feel very stupid all of a sudden as he realized he had just drawn attention to them. But the Gyarados didn't attack immediately; it simply stared, over Luke and right to Volcan, narrowing its eyes for a moment before they widened again as if in realization,.

"I found you," the Gyarados growled.

Luke, never taking his eyes off of the Gyarados, spoke softly to the Blaziken standing behind him "Apparently he knows you."

"Lucky me," Volcan said, meekly.

The Gyarados reared back; knowing an attack was imminent, Luke urged Volcan to find cover, but before it could attack, a dark figure leapt off of the roof of a nearby building, landing on the Gyarados' face and clinging to its fins for support. The Gyarados crossed his eyes, trying to bring the interloper into focus, finding a Zoroark clinging to him. The Zoroark pulled back enough for him to see his eyes, receiving a malicious grin from the fox-like Pokémon.

"Howdy, partner," he said, before he suddenly leapt off of the sea creature's face.

It was Hank, garbed in his tribal-ish clothing; he had now joined the battle, and as he fell away from the town's invader, he unleashed a Night Daze attack by swinging both arms in an outward motion, sending a visible shockwave, dark as the night, blasting forth and sending the Gyarados reeling. It roared in fury, trying to shake away the darkness permeating its vision, as Hank touched back down to ground level, joining Luke and Volcan just beyond the dock.

"Looks like I'm just in time," he said.

"Uncanny timing as always, Hank." Luke returned with a nod.

"So, we got a plan to deal with this thing?" Volcan asked.

"As far as I can tell, we'll just have to keep hitting it until it either submits, flees, or we subdue it." Luke stated.

Right as he said that, Eagle Eye made another swoop, this time launching a Fire Blast right at the Gyarados before he barrel-rolled out of his way, avoiding a collision. The Gyarados, now angry, then turned and glared after the Talonflame

"Annoying little pest!" The Gyarados growled, before he then swung his massive head as the wind around him seemed to distort, forming into a Twister and racing after the Talonflame.

"Ya think THAT'LL catch me? Please! I'm the best damn flier in the world!" Eagle Eye hollered as he swooped around and tried to fly away, but he underestimated the pull of the Twister; even if it missed him, it created a tailwind that slowed him down.

Seeing his chance, the Gyarados fired a Hydro Pump, letting loose a powerful pressurized stream from his enormous mouth. Unable to fly fast enough forward, Eagle Eye folded his wings and dove, passing under the Hydro Pump in the nick of time and managing to escape the tailwind of the twister that had now moved further away. He circled around, heading back towards the Gyarados and shooting another Fire Blast at him.

The Gyarados retreated into the water as the star-shaped flame attack approached, ducking down below the surface to evaporate the attack before it could reach him, while hiding itself beneath the waves where even its massive form was harder to see. Eagle Eye raced over the water, looking for the Gyarados ; the water was still quite dark this time of the day, making it hard for even his eyes to spot him. He made the mistake of flying too low, and was nearly chomped by the great serpent as it exploded out of the water again. If not for the Flame Charge he triggered out of sheer instinct, he would have been swallowed whole.

The Gyarados began to chase after Eagle Eye, but did not swim ten feet before his head was thrown back as something struck him from below, stopping him. The figure in question arced through the air before landing on the docks on all fours; a Samurott, garbed in a kimono and shaking himself before turning and shooting the Gyarados a stern leer, one that could quell an entire squabble between lesser Pokémon.

"Foul beast...I will send you back into the depths where you belong!" Katsumoto exclaimed, rearing up on his hind legs and drawing his Seamitars in a blink of an eye.

"I will drag you down with me, then!" The Gyarados roared before it lunged forwards Katsu, fearing not his blades as it opened its massive mouth bite him straight in half with those massive teeth.

Katsu didn't move from his spot...or rather, he didn't need to. Another figure appeared above the Gyarados, giving it pause as it saw the glint of metal coming from above. The figure had drawn a ninjato and lunged down to the serpent before stabbing at him in the head. The blade stuck into the three-pointed crest of its forehead, but it was too small a blade to truly hurt him; he shook off his attacker, sending the Greninja flying through the air to land on the docks at Katsu's side.

The Greninja, none other than Kage, landed gracefully and held his sword at the ready. "I'm only going to say this once," He stated in a low, threatening tone. "...Get the HELL out of my town."

"I suppose you think that little knife can hurt me?" The Gyarados asked, more angered than anything else; it was true, Kage's sword had not pierced very deeply into its head, about to advance when he saw all of the Pokemon gathering before him; the Talonflame still circled above, the Zoroark stood on the shores along with Luke and Volcan -his target, and of course the two Water-types now situated on the docks nearest to him. His eyes scanned over them all; even he could see the battle was not in his favor, but he had come for a reason and had no intention of leaving.

He reared up, and addressed the Pokémon gathered before him. "Hear me now, Rescue Team of this pitiful backwater," he called, before lifting his tail out of the water and pointing with it towards Volcan. "Turn the Blaziken over to me, and I will leave in peace; my quarrel is with him, not any of you."

Volcan froze, staring up at the Gyarados. "He... came all this way, just for me?" Volcan asked. "Why?"

"I'm not sure." Luke returned, then he flinched, thinking back to the large bite mark on the back of the boat Volcan arrived on. "Wait....that bite mark from before..."

"You don't think...?"

"I do." Luke returned grimly. "He's the one that attacked you."

"And he followed me all the way here?" Volcan asked. "But why; what value am I to him?"

"Do not keep me waiting!" The Gyarados bellowed. "Surrender the Blaziken, or be obliterated!"

Luke then stepped in front of Volcan, an even more determined look than ever. "We're not handing him over." He said, as the rest of his team converged around Luke, including a Dugtrio, who had just popped up in front of the group. "You attacked our town without provocation; you are mistaken to say you have no quarrel with us after such a heinous act! Besides that, Volcan is one of us now. If you want him so badly, then you'll have to get past us first!"

"Assuming you even can!" Hank added in, flashing a cocky smirk as he did.

Clearly, the great sea dragon was not pleased by the answer, a deep growl reverberating from his throat as he bared his teeth at them, looking ready to lash out before his expression relaxed only slightly. "So be it," the Gyarados stated in a low voice as he started to move away from the shore, moving out into deeper waters but never taking his eyes off of them. "I gave you your choice, but I am not leaving while that Blaziken draws breath. So, if you are so inclined as to protect him, you can all perish with him, you and this entire town."

"...Suddenly I'm starting to lose confidence about what he's planning." Eagle Eye stated as the Gyarados moved away.

"Now," the Gyarados called as the waters around him began to churn for unknown reasons, frothing and tossing as though a hurricane were forming, and the sky began to darken overhead as the Gyarados glared towards them, his booming voice echoing over the waves as he made his final statement. "You will know the wrath of the sea!"

He threw back his head and roared deafeningly loud towards the sky, his voice so powerful that even from so far away, the group felt it, cringing as it made some of their ears hurt. Doug even retreated back underground, moaning with pain, and Katsu and Kage both instinctively backed up along the dock, their eyes fixed upon the Gyarados as thunder boomed overhead, and lightning flashed across the sky.

The water of the sea continued to churn, and more twisters formed around the Gyarados, bigger ones this time. He was putting all of his power into this final attack, intent on leaving nothing standing when he unleashed his wrath. They all recognized the attack; everyone who knew anything about Dragon-types knew this power. Although Gyarados was not actually considered a Dragon-type Pokemon, its close relationship to the species granted their kind the same power as them, and this next attack, known as Dragon Rage, turned the wrath of its caster in an attack so potent that nothing could withstand its power.

"Geez, that monster's going to level the entire town!" Volcan exclaimed, putting up his arm to shield his face from the wind.

"We can't reach him all the way out there!" Doug chimed in after popping back up from underground, his three heads speaking in sync. "The waves are too fierce for even Katsu and Kage to get to him!"

"Then what the hell do we do now?!" Hank demanded.

"...Something drastic," Luke stated as he stepped forward, beginning to tug at his scarf as he walked right to the edge of the water, the others standing behind him. "All of you, get to cover!" He called out to his team.

At the command, Kage and Katsu hurried off of the wharf, running back to the shoreline. Eagle Eye turned and flew out of sight to find a safe place to perch until whatever was to happen was over. Volcan, however, remained frozen, looking at Luke questioningly.

"Luke, what do you plan to do?" Volcan asked.

"As I said," the Lucario returned, tugging more at his scarf until he revealed what looked like a jewel hanging around his neck. "Something very drastic." It was a yellow stone, with a wavy black, blue and red pattern within its design, round and cut perfectly smooth.

"Wait... is that what I think it is?!" Volcan demanded, eyes widening in shock.

"Your eyes do not deceive you." Katsu stated, standing by Volcan and watching with him as Luke raised his paw to the stone.

Luke then touched the spherical stone gently and it began to glow. Within seconds, his whole body began to glow as well before suddenly being surrounded in a crystalline sphere, light beaming through the angled creases of the orb. Even from out there, Volcan could sense the power coming from that sphere, unable to tear his eyes away as he awaited what would emerge.

The crystalline sphere suddenly burst, shattering in all directions, but the shards evaporated instantly. In place of the sphere was revealed a much different Lucario. His dreadlocks had now become long tendrils with red tips at the ends. His long blue tail became a mass of beige fur, similar to his torso. His paws and feet also had red among their ends, and had an extra spike protruding out from them. His gaze became much sharper and more intimidating, and when he moved, the air seemed to shimmer around him as he stared out at the Gyarados.

"What you see before you, is Luke in his Mega Lucario state." Katsu added.

"...Mega Evolution," Volcan breathed, seeing it as for the first time in his life -which it just might have been. He knew what it was, but the awesome spectacle of it was a new experience to him, and just seeing it filled him with a sense of awe...

Although that awe quickly turned to the frightening reminder of what was happening out at sea. Gyarados had conjured not only mighty cyclones, but a humongous tsunami that was now making its way towards the town, determined to claim Azure for the sea with its might...

Luke then tensed up, a blue aura shimmer forming around his body before he suddenly roared out, the blue shimmer turning into a raging red aura flame around his body. Luke then cupped his paws in front of him, growling as a HUGE concentration of aura started forming in his paws, then he took a step back and held the surge behind him, still gathering more energy into his paws even as the tidal wave kept on coming. When it was almost on top of the group, Luke then thrust his paws forward.

"You will not destroy my home!" He roared, then from his paws came a massive blue beam of aura energy, one that shot through the wave with enough force to disperse it into two separate directions away from the docks, dispersing it utterly before it could cause any damage.

The blast kept on travelling right for the Gyarados even after breaking the tidal wave, slamming into the serpent Pokémon with unfathomable force, despite it being a Flying type as well as a Water Type. The Gyarados took the hit, trying to brace against it only to be blown backward as the full force of the blast reached him, sending him careening into the water with a roar of agony as it collapsed back into the sea, sending small waves in all directions as it disappeared below the surface. The split in the water collided back together over the Gyarados , and swiftly the sea began to calm.

The blast soon receded and Luke began panting labouriously, lowering his paws and even falling to one knee, feeling considerably drained from such a display of power. His Mega Evolution expired prematurely from the expense, returning him to his normal state.

"Luke," Volcan called, rushing to his friend's side and kneeling down next to him, supporting the Lucario as he gathered his breath, while the Blaziken expressed his amazement. "I have no words to describe, how absolutely, utterly mind-blowing that was, what you just did..."

Luke opened one eye and looked on ahead to the water where the Gyarados once was. He then looked over to Volcan. "N... Nevermind me," he said in between gasps of air. "The... The town... the townsfolk..."

"Right... we need to go check on them," Volcan stated, nodding in understanding, but just before he could pass the message on to the others, the surface of the sea suddenly split once more, and the Gyarados, somehow still conscious though clearly injured, erupted from the sea, roaring in mad fury as it emerged.

There was a horrid wound from where he was hit by Luke; most of his scales had been blown off of his body, the skin was broken in several places and covering him in blood to mix with seawater, yet somehow he was still conscious. He had succumbed to his anger, though; his eyes were void of all sense of reason, twitching madly with his pupils retracted to the size of beads as he slipped into an outrage. With only a moment of hesitation, he began to charge, swimming as fast as he could straight for the shore, creating small waves with every swing of his tail.

"That's... not possible!" Volcan exclaimed. "He's still alive after that?!"

"He's been taken by his anger," Kage chimed in, appearing next to Volcan. "He will not stop until he destroys everything."

Luke was equally in shock as he saw the Gyarados speeding toward town. Unable to even stand up anymore from exerting too much power, all he could do was watch as the serpent sped toward them as fast as it could travel, a sense of hopelessness rushing over him as the others stared on, none of them knowing what to do now to stop this menace.

However, Katsu then charged forward, running to the end of the nearest wharf and standing in the Gyarados' way, tensing his body in preparation to grab its jaws when it approached.

"DUDE! Kats get the fuck away man! Ya can't stop that bastard on your own!!" Eagle Eye hollered to the samurott, beating his wings frantically.

"He won't," Volcan stated before he passed Luke to Kage, his brow furrowing with determination. "I'm going in there! The rest of you, look after Luke!" And before there could even be a response from the others, Volcan sprang away, charging down the pier and following Katsu as he intended to intercept the Gyarados , appearing at his side and standing firm despite the odds they faced against the monster coming at them. "You're not fighting this thing alone," he said firmly to the Samurott.

Katsu looked to Volcan for a moment. "...Do you have anything that can even cause any damage to one so large?"

"Just this," he said, holding up his hand and clenching it into a fist, where a discharge of electricity coursed around it, revealing his Thunderpunch to Katsu.

He looked at Volcan's electrified arm with some alarm, until he relaxed and actually smiled a bit. "You're certainly full of surprises, my friend," He commented, before he turned back to watch the approaching Gyarados; he was not far now.

"This is going to take both of us," said Volcan. "This Gyarados knows me; clearly I've fought him before and I wasn't able to beat him then, either, so we've got to come at him with all we've got."

"That's the idea..." Katsu stated. "When I seize him, I'll hold him long enough for you to deal the final blow."

Volcan nodded. "We better make it count; we're only getting one shot."

The Gyarados was only seconds from them now. Seeing his opportunity, Katsu made his move, charging forward and grabbing at the Gyarados' jaws in his paws, skidding back from the amount of force he was exposed to by the charging water monster as it bored through the wharf and pushed him back, forcing Volcan to jump away to avoid being sent into the sea. He grit his teeth, ignoring the pain in his paws when he felt the prick of Gyarados ' fangs; the muscles in his four limbs were so tense they had swelled to the point where they looked reach to explode from his flesh as he struggled not to be swallowed whole.

Despite the fact the Gyarados was over 10 times Katsu's size, the bulky Samurott had actually managed to halt his advance with nothing more than his sheer brute strength, but even he would not last forever. Volcan was hesitant, though, suddenly realizing what would happen to Katsu if he struck the Gyarados at that moment; he would be shocked too.

As if sensing the Blaziken's hesitation, he roared to Volcan, straining his body even further. "Worry not about me! Attack!"

Spurred on by Katsu's words, Volcan sprang up into the air, leaping above the Gyarados as high as he could. When gravity began to take effect again, he fell into a plunge, and dove right at the huge sea serpent from above with his fists drawn back, forcing his eyes to stay open despite the rush of wind around him as he used his arms to adjust his descent slightly until he was aligned with his opponent's arched back.

Arms crackling with electricity, he thrust both fists forward at just the right second, stopping himself dead against his opponent's hide -albeit rattling his entire skeleton from the force of the hit- and bending inward the scale he punched before the electricity he had charged went coursing through the body of the Gyarados. He tensed, his entire body going stiff as he was electrocuted. But Katsu was also caught in the charge; just when one thought his muscles could not tense any further, they became rock hard, his eyes clenching shut as he lost all feeling in his arms and was thrown back by the jolt, landing on the wharf and groaning with pain, but he remained conscious.

While the serpent was reeling backward, Kage then appeared again and took action, hopping over to the thrashing Gyarados and jumping high into the air; Volcan had leapt off of the sea dragon by now, soaring below Kage and looking up as the Greninja reached into a pouch on his hip and produced a handful of spherical items that he cast into the open mouth of the Gyarados. They exploded upon contact with his throat, and a greenish fog billowed out of his mouth.

The Gyarados careened forward again, falling onto the wharf and violently coughing up the smoke that had been thrown into his mouth, letting out a long groan of defeat as he began to feel his consciousness ebbing away along with his rage, eyes falling half-lidded.

Volcan and Kage landed on the pier only seconds apart; the Blaziken stared in confusion at the Gyarados, noticing the state he was in. He turned to Kage, eyeing him questioningly "What were those?" He inquired.

"Smoke pellets..." The Greninja blatantly answered, before adding with a low tone. "...Containing Anesthetic gas."

"...Remind me never to make you angry," Volcan commented, surprised that any Pokemon would be carrying around such a thing...

The Gyarados groaned again, eyes fluttering as he struggled to stay conscious, even going so far as trying to raise his head as if to make one last attack, but he never made it far; Volcan grabbed Katsu, who was now sitting up as he recovered from his earlier jolt, and pulled him out of the way just in time as the Gyarados' large head hit the pier again, his violet eyes glaring at them... or rather, Volcan, specifically.

"Even if you beat me... it matters little," he said, weakly. "Eventually, they will find you... and destroy everyone who tries to defend you. You know too much to be allowed to live."

"What're you talking about?!" Volcan demanded, taking an angry step forward. "How do you know me, and why did you follow me here? I want answers!"

The Gyarados stared at him questioningly for a moment. "You don't remember?" He asked. "You slipped away from me the night you..." He paused, and then elicited a light chuckle. "By Giratina, I could never have predicted this... I chased you all across the sea to stop you from revealing my master's secrets, and you don't even recall them yourself..." His eyes finally fell shut as he began to slide off of the pier. "Irony has dealt me a cruel hand today..."

"Wait!" Volcan called, stepping towards the Gyarados. "What do you mean when I fled; from where?!"

Kage seized his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks as the mighty water creature finally slipped away; he could not answer Volcan anymore, and the Blaziken could only watch with desperation as his jaw slid free of the pier, and the Gyarados sank back into the water, vanishing below the surface and laying on the ocean floor. It was not until then Kage let go of him, allowing him to step over to the edge, where Volcan could only stare helplessly into the water, fists tightening to the point that his talons nearly punctured his palm.

Katsu, now on his feet, looked to Volcan, seeing his distress. He stepped forward and rested his paw atop his shoulder. "Let it be for now..." He said to him. "There are other pressing matters to attend to."

"I know..." Volcan returned. His shoulder was extremely tense under Katsu's paw, the muscles of it so tight it was like he was clenching a rock. The Blaziken had felt close to finally getting some answers, only to to have it slip right through his fingers. He let out a sigh, turning his back to the water. "Let's go see if the townsfolk are okay."

"Agreed." Katsu returned, and then he began to turn around when he suddenly grunted and froze right on the spot, finding it very difficult to move his limbs. "Curses..." He growled.

Volcan looked back at him, seeing Katsu frozen in place. Then, it dawned on him. "Right... You were caught in that jolt too," he said.

"I expected to be..." He returned. "It is why I told you not to worry about me when you struck that serpent."

Volcan walked back over to Katsu, kneeling down next to him so that the Samurott could put his arm around him. "I was afraid of that, although I just as worried Gyarados would get you in his teeth," he said as he supported the Samurott's weight and assisted him back up the pier.

"I hold nothing against you." He returned. Kage then held out his hand in front of Katsu, revealing a Cheri Berry. Katsu took a moment before leaning his head down and ingesting the berry, feeling his paralysis getting cured within moments. "Ah...much obliged." He said to Kage.

Kage answered him only with a grunt before striding on ahead, leaving the two by themselves and heading back into the town, a confused Volcan staring after him.

"You thank him and he takes off; what the heck?" Volcan asked.

"He's always like that." Katsu assured him. "He may come off as cold and rather harsh, but in reality, there's no one in our team with a larger heart than him. He just has...different ways of displaying he cares."

"Saying 'you're welcome' isn't going to kill him," Volcan muttered, but said nothing more about it before he let Katsu walk on his own as the berry took effect, and relieved him of his paralysis.

"Now...." Katsu then looked to the wrecked town ahead of them. "Back to the matter at hand. We need to ensure there were as little casualties as possible." He said. "I will check the rubble for any possible townsfolk buried within." He stated.

Hank came walking over with Luke leaning against him, an arm draped over his shoulder to support the Lucario's weight. "What about Luke here? Poor bastard's all tuckered out from using his biggest move."

"I'll take him home," offered Volcan. "Then I'll come back and give you guys a hand."

"A'ight then." Hank said as he handed Luke over to him; the Blaziken gently brought Luke over to him, picking him up and cradling him in his arms as he slept. "He's all yours. C'mon peeps, let's roll!" Hank said as he then darted for the town to assist in the recovery effort.

"I'll start digging tunnels for those trapped too deeply for Katsu to reach so they can escape." Doug offered before all three of his heads disappeared into the ground.

"Guess that leaves me to keep an eye on ol scalie here." Eagle Eye stated, looking back to the docks.

"Be careful," Volcan said to Eagle Eye. "You've seen how tough he is."

"Yea yea I know." He returned, flapping his wings and taking to the air once more, circling around the fallen Gyarados.

Leaving them to their work, Volcan carried Luke through the town, occasionally looking around to see if he could spot anyone in need of immediate assistance, but fortunately most of the damage seemed confined to the dock area; some buildings had been hit by stray shots, but mostly only had their rooftops ripped off, while the rest of the town, especially furthest from the docks, was largely untouched. This was a relief to all of them, he felt, knowing that Gyarados had not done as much harm as they feared. They had managed to stop him before any further destruction could be done.

A while later, they reached Luke's house; Volcan pulled open the door, and had to get a little creative as to how he brought Luke inside, tossing him over his shoulder and walking backward, slowly, down the steps into the house, before shutting the door behind him and carrying Luke into the living room, where he gently placed him onto the couch in an upright seating position.

Luke began to stir a little once he was on the sofa, his eyes slowly opening up a bit. "Where am I...?" He asked quietly.

"Just brought you home, bud," Volcan returned, leaning him back on the couch and helping him get comfortable. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted," Luke admitted honestly. "What about the town? I still need to..." He trailed off as he tried to stand up, but his body wouldn't obey his will.

"Hey, don't you even try," Volcan refused him with a scornful tone, putting a hand on Luke's chest to hold him down. "Don't worry; we beat the Gyarados," he explained in a softer tone. "The others are combing over the town now to look for anyone who needs help and I'm heading back to join them. Everything is going to be fine, okay?"

Luke let out a long sigh, closing his eyes and giving Volcan a light nod. "...Alright..." He said in a disheartened tone, still feeling he needed to be there to assist with the recovery effort.

"Don't worry; we'll take care of things," Volcan promised, giving him a reassuring smile. He stood up from the Lucario, running into the kitchen; Luke heard the faucet running briefly before Volcan came running back in with a glass of water in hand. "Thirsty?" He asked.

"A little, yes." Luke said, then he began to chuckle a little to himself. "...Ironic."

"What is?" Volcan asked.

"I said I'd take care of you until you got back on your feet, and yet here you are taking care of me." Luke commented.

Volcan found himself sharing in the chuckle as Luke pointed that out. "That is very ironic," he said, the two of them continuing to laugh until Volcan helped Luke drink the water, holding it up to his lips and gently tilting his head back to let some of it flow into his mouth, a little at a time, until half the glass was gone, where he then set it down. "Now, you get some rest; I'm heading back to Azure," he said, helping Luke turn over onto his side to lie down in a more restful position "And Luke?"

"Yes?" He asked.

"What you did today, with that Mega Evolution and that really powerful attack," he began, smiling at his friend. "There's only three words to describe it. Absolutely, fucking, amazing."

Luke smiled back, blushing slightly to the praise. "Let's not make a habit of it, though," he remarked. "Now, off you go... be careful."

"I will," promised Volcan.

When he was gone, Luke shut his eyes and let himself drift off as he rested. Volcan exited the house, shutting the door quietly behind him before he began to stride back to Azure to lend assistance. There was much he did not yet understand, but he knew the answers would come. Now he had a clue to his past, and new friends that were helping him every step of the way. Thanks to them... he did not feel alone, or like a stranger anymore. Azure had become his home, and Team Valiant, especially Luke, were his new family -at least until he found his real one again.

He looked forward to sharing more adventures with them.

End of Prologue Arc

Next Arc: Challenge the Warmachine

Team Valiant learns of a tournament hosted by one of the highest ranked Rescue Teams in the world. As Volcan awaits his chance to find more secrets to his past, he accompanies Luke and co. to Westport City to take part in the competition, aiming to test his strength, find any clues to the whereabouts of his former team, and become stronger to face the road ahead. In this extensive arc, Team Valiant, along with the young Dewott, Wade who competes alone, shall meet new friends, new rivals, and battle some of the strongest Pokémon in the world as they aim for the Championship.