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The following day, back at Port Azure

It had been a trying day for Katsumoto and the rest of Team Valiant. Since Luke's disappearance, and the team eagerly awaiting his return, the role of team leader, and while he was efficient, he was forever difficult to get along with. He lacked Luke's compassion or ability to motivational ability, and the Greninja was far blunter and more derisive with his criticism on how everyone perform their tasks.

It had escalated to the point that Hank had very nearly lost his temper on the Greninja. Fortunately, though, they had already succeeded in their mission and Hank was able to keep control of himself long enough to walk away -but not before muttering his disdain for Kage's methods. Katsu did not judge Kage too harshly for how he led -when it came to being on a team, he would follow directions to the letter, but Kage had been brought up as something as a loner and on occasion that side of him was still quite present.

Upon returning to town, the team dispersed. Katsu decided he needed to take a long, relaxing stroll through the town, before he would head home and prepare a filling feast for himself. He wandered through the market vendors near the docks, taking note of what food items would catch his eye for his dinner later that night. But before he could begin making any purchases, a silhouette at the docks caught his eye.

His eyes adjusted to the twilight sun reflecting off the water, and through the haze he made out the form of a familiar Vaporeon seated on the wooden pier, staring out to sea with earfins lowered in sadness. He might not have thought anything of it had he not seen the lowered fins -as sure sign of sadness, and felt something pulling at him, prompting him to go to her. Eventually he followed his instincts, starting toward the docks and making his way over.

He felt warmth spreading through him as he drew closer, knowing who this Vaporeon was -it was Serena, from Team Phalanx. Volcan's team medic and aquatic scout. Ever since she had first arrived in Azure, not so long ago, Katsumoto had always felt strange in her presence -not in a bad way, but the sight of her carried an allure he was not accustomed to feeling, a longing to be near her. He resisted it most of the time, not wanting to upset her as he had found out quickly how timid she was. But it seemed this time, she needed someone...

When he was close enough to be heard, he cleared his throat, and spoke as softly as he could with his strong voice. "M-Ms. Serena?"

Even in his lowered tone, he still saw her tense. She started to turn around, but paused halfway, not moving a muscle before she spoke. "Wh-Who is it?" She asked shakily without looking at him.

"It is I, Katsumoto." The Samurott returned softly. "I saw you from the shore. Are you alright?"

"I'm..." She started to answer, but trailed off, as though hesitant to speak. She shivered slightly, and as she lowered her head, Katsu saw a tear fall from her cheek, landing on the wooden pier for him to see. "No... no, I fear I'm not."

He didn't know why, but the sight of that tear brought a twisted felt his heart twist in his chest when he saw the tear fall onto the pier. He took that moment to step closer, hearing no protest from the Vaporeon as he moved to her side, and sat down next to her. "Is it...because you're worried for Luke and Volcan?" He asked softly, lowering his head to her level.

"Yes," she replied, honestly. "It's been nearly a week now... every day I hope to see them coming back here to Azure," she raised her head again, staring back out to sea. "Every day, every ship that comes in, I hope they are on it or some messenger to tell us their whereabouts so that we might find them." She sank onto her belly. "But it never comes... I miss him so." She whimpered, tears leaking from her eyes. "I feel so helpless. I wasn't there to help him when he lost his memories, when he was in so much turmoil... and now I don't even know where he is."

Even though she hadn't said his name, Katsu knew she meant Volcan. But he also knew how she felt -about not being able to help him, when someone he cared for was in the Blaziken's company -or so he hoped. He dearly hoped that by whatever power Mewtwo had used to send them away had not separated them. With no way of knowing if he was alright, Katsu was haunted by the desire for answers to the whereabouts of his leader. Doubtlessly, Serena shared a bond with Volcan as deep as the one Katsu shared with Luke -a strong friendship born from comradery.

The large Samurott let out a heavy sigh, lifting one of his paws and lightly placing it atop Serena's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Serena." Katsu said softly, his gaze kept forward as he looked out toward the horizon. "I fear for Luke's safety everyday. Ever since I joined Team Valiant, I swore an oath to Luke -that no matter the consequence, I would shield him from any harm that would come his way." He lowered his gaze and furrowed his brow slightly. "...Hard to keep such an oath when I do not even know where he is."

She nodded in understanding, reaching up with a paw to wipe her eyes. "Volcan," she began. "I did not tell him before. After seeing how he collapsed at Arc Island when he saw his home burned to the ground, I feared telling him would only hurt him more." She sniffed. "My mother died on the island during the attack -she was hit by one of the Draco Meteors that bombarded the town, while trying to help the elders get to safety."

She lay her head in her paws. "She perished saving someone else... just as Linda perished saving her son. I failed them both -my mother and Minato." Tears were flowing freely from her eyes now as she continued. "My friends are all that I have left, but I feel like such a failure to them... I could not save Minato's wife, and now Volcan may be hurt and I don't know where he is."

Katsu clenched his eyes shut as he listened to Serena unload her emotions to him, hearing her so upset was starting to have the same effect on him, though he did his best to keep his own emotions in check for her sake. Slowly he slid his paw from her shoulder, wrapping it around both shoulders and lightly pulling her into a one-armed embrace. "You have my sincerest condolences, Serena." Katsu whispered to her. "I understand your sorrow, but we must remain strong and have as much faith as we can for the two of them." He said, opening his eyes to look down at the Vaporeon. "They will return home. I am sure of it."

She nodded weakly, looking up at him. Her usual shyness was lost in her need for comfort as she sat there with him for a moment. Eventually, she stood up, prompting him to lift his leg from her so she could move freely. Serena wiped her eyes with her paw before she sighed. "I... I think I'll returned to my room now... but thank you for listening," she said gratefully, though was too nervous to look directly at him.

"You're welcome." He returned, blushing slightly as he stepped back to let her leave the pier. "I-If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to tell me. I will help you any way I can." He offered her, idly stroking through his whiskers with paw.

"Th-Thank you again," she returned, before turning around and beginning to make her way back into town, looking back at him once with a deep blush on her face.

Katsu watched in silence as the Vaporeon left, waiting until she was out of sight before he let out a deep, long sigh of his own. Like herself, he found himself wondering if Luke would return to Azure soon, or at least find some way to send word to them that he and Volcan were alive and well... even knowing that would bring them all some much-needed comfort.

His gaze shifted as a flicker of movement caught him, turning to see a winged figure in the darkening sky above. The flying Pokémon was of fair size -made larger by their wingspan, but it had a spiky shape to its wings and tail, with yellow the predominant colour but a layer of black visible on the back of them. The bird fell into a dive, allowing him to make out more distinct features as they flew out of the glare of the setting sun. He could see a long, thin pointed beak, a crown of spiked feathers and orange talons, raking forward as the bird prepared to land.

He had never seen it, but the descriptions of it were uncanny. 'What in Arceus' name?' He thought, aghast.

The bird Pokemon flying towards Azure was Zapdos, the legendary bird of lightning. As he stood, mind reeling with questions as to why such a being would be here, he witnessed them descending towards the boats anchored at the piers -particularly one he knew to be the boat owned by Team Phalanx. It appeared this had been the target of the Zapdos all along as he landed the back of the boat, and then hopped onto the deck to duck into the cabin without stopping to look at anything else.

With Katsumoto's confusion and curiosity finally got the better of him -both to the presence of the bird, and to his unexpected interest in the boat that belonged to Team Phalanx. He broke into a brisk trot as he made his way along the pier, approaching the boat and continuing along the wharf until he was adjacent to the bow, and called out.

"Excuse me! Can I help you with something, O mystical bird of lighting?"

A moment later, the Zapdos poked his head over the side, his sharp eyes finding the Samurott quickly, giving him an incredulous look. "Does everyone around here talk like that?" He asked, before he hopped over the railing and landed on the pier. "Anyway, yes," he replied, gesturing at the vessel with an outstretched wing. "Would you be able to tell me where the owner of this boat is?"

Katsu thought back to when Volcan had first come to Azure -how only days later, a powerful Gyarados had come looking for him, threatening to level the town if the Blaziken were not surrendered to him. As far as Katsu knew, everyone else who had survived Arc Island's attack had been rescued from the Fortress and taken to safety by Team Warmachine and Team Phobia, some of whom had come to Azure including one of the island's rescue teams. He didn't know of anyone else besides other associates of Calhoun that might be looking for Volcan, let alone a legendary Pokemon like Zapdos. Regardless, Katsu's expression grew more stern and he took a small step back from the Zapdos.

"I'm afraid I cannot..." Katsu returned. "Unless thou gives me a reason as to why you're looking for this vessel's owner, I cannot disclose that information to you, Legendary bird or not."

"I happen to know the owner quite well," the bird replied, a scowl forming on his face. "I've been looking for him for weeks, and if you have any idea where he is, you'd best tell me."

The tone this Zapdos was taking on Katsu only served to fuel his suspicions further. He held his ground and tightened his paws at his sides. "I cannot disclose that information." He firmly stated once more. "Not until you tell me your reasons for seeking him out."

"He's my little brother," the Zapdos stated firmly. "If that's reason enough for you, then out with it! Where's Volcan?!" He stomped heavily with his talon, thunder booming overhead despite the clearness of the skies.

Momentary shock left Katsu too stunned at the deteriorating situation, unable to stop from blurting out his surprised question. "Your brother??" He exclaimed in surprise before his leer returned. "That is impossible! Legendary Pokémon have little to no interaction with those of the mortal caste!" He stated, reaching for his Seamitars in the sleeves of his kimono, rising on his hind left as he brandished them and pointed the tip of one toward the Zapdos. "I find your story suspect. You would do well to calm yourself or I will have to detain you!"

The Zapdos' eyes glowed, his eyes narrowing to the point they seemed to become only lines of white light. "That, was your last mistake," he said, lightning arcing off his body to shoot into the sky above as he opened his wings wide.

Unknown to the two, the lightning bolts were drawing attention, including from Serena who -baffled by the sound of a storm on a day that was virtually cloudless, turned her gaze back towards the docks, and saw where they were coming from. Fearing the worst, she turned and began to run back, reaching the pier in time to see the clash taking place further down the docks near her team's boat.

She arrived in time to see Katsumoto, whom she had left just moments ago, being thrown violently into a stack of crates after being struck by an arcing bolt of electricity. The Samurott convulsed violently as electricity coursed through his body, causing his limbs to fail to respond to his commands as paralysis set in. She turned to look in horror at his attacker, mouth falling agape as she saw who it was.

"It can't be..." She breathed, and then shook herself out of her stupor as she saw the Zapdos advancing, preparing to attack Katsu again. Letting her instinct drive her, she broke into a run, dashing down the pier as fast as her legs could take her and screaming the name of the Zapdos as loudly as she could. "Lighris!"

The Zapdos had been about to fire another bolt, only to freeze as Serena's shrill voice fillied the air, stopping him in his tracks. "Wait, I know that voice," he said, lowering his wings as he saw the blue form racing into view. "S-Serena?!" He exclaimed.

"Lighris, what're you doing?!" She demanded, seeing the injured Katsu lying amidst the crates and moving immediately to him.

"I'm out looking for you, and Volcan!" Lighris returned. "This guy seemed to know something, but he wouldn't say anything! Who the heck is he anyway?"

Serena, not offering the Zapdos an answer, placed her paws upon Katsu's chest and tried to look at his face. "Katsumoto? Are you alright?"

The Samurott grunted, raising his head with some effort and peeking one eye open to look back at Serena. "I-I am alright. Some minor paralysis, but I will live," Katsu replied weakly to her, managing a small smile to her despite his injuries.

Serena turned to Lighris, glaring at him. "Must you always be so impulsive?!" She demanded, shifting from her usual shyness to the protective medic as she tended to do when someone was hurt. "It is no wonder you never joined a Rescue Team yourself!"

"Hey, he brought it on himself!" Lighris protested.

"Why do I not believe you?" She asked derisively.

At that moment, a Zoroark and Talonflame -Hank and Eagle Eye- appeared at the dock, moving hastily as they saw the scene on the pier and, at the sight of Katsu and Serena, they doubled their pace, running across the pier until the Zoroark fell to Katsu's side. "Yo Kat! The fuck happened to you man?" Hank asked, concerned.

Eagle Eye looked at Katsu, and then snapped his attention over to the Zapdos, leering at him dangerously and hopped in front of Katsu protectively. "Yo, spikes for brains! Did you do this to my pal?" He squawked, flapping his wings angrily at Lighris. "If you did, I'm gonna send you back to where you came from six ways from Sunday!"

Lighris, not being the type to back down from a challenge, lowered himself just slightly and glared straight at Eagle Eye. "I just mopped the floor with a Samurott six times your size and now you want to throw down with me?" He asked. "I'll fry you in two seconds flat."

"Yeah? If you could even hit me, slowpoke! I'll fly so many circles around you, you'll-!"

But Serena, already frustrated with the situation, would have none of it. Leaving Katus's side, she leapt in front of Eagle Eye, putting herself between him and Lighris. "Enough!" She said sharply. "There's been a misunderstanding -don't make it worse."

"Tell the tiny bird, not me," Lighris retorted spitefully.

Serena turned back to Eagle Eye, swallowing as she saw Hank walking up to join him, the glare the Zoroark was giving the Zapdos a clear sign that he was ready to join Eagle Eye the moment he or Lighris made any move. Hurriedly, she rose up on her hind legs, waving her paws to get their attention. "Please! Everyone, it's alright! Lighris is from Arc Island, like Volcan and I," she said.

"You're saying this spiky turkey is a friend of yours?" Hank asked, never taking his eyes off of Lighris.

"We... know each other, yes, but mostly through Volcan." She explained. "You see... he's Volcan's older brother."

Hank sank back slightly, arching a brow. "Oh, well that just makes it-" He was starting to give a sarcastic remark, until the exact meaning behind what Serena had just said dawned on him. His expression was the same as that of Eagle Eye -blank, as they struggled to process what she had just said.

When they finally had come to terms with it, they blurted out in unison to her. "His BROTHER?!"

"S-So he _was..._telling the truth." Katsu said in a strained voice, still holding onto that leer of his as he looked at the Zapdos. "Regardless of the matter... your approach can most definitely use some work."

"Bite me," the Zapdos retorted. "I won't let anything stop me from finding my kid brother, and for all I knew you could've been one of those freaks that hit our island. Why else would his boat be sitting here with him nowhere to be found?" He gestured at the boat. "So, let's start again. Where... is he?"

Serena let out a sigh. "We don't know," she said, lowly. "He's... missing."

"Are you serious?!" Lighris demanded, throwing open his wings again and causing Serena to step back in alarm, nearly backing into Eagle eye. "All that fuss and he's not even here?! I've been looking for him for weeks! I..." The Zapdos trailed off, his eyes drifting out of focus. He shook his head, trying to speak again as he teetered on his feet, wings sagging.

"I..." He started to hobble side-to-side, as if dizzy. "I don't feel so good..." He said before he fell onto his stomach, letting out a groan.

Eagle Eye and Hank were speechless at what just happened, the latter of the two daring to venture closer to the Zapdos and gently poke his forehead with his claw. When Lighris barely responded, he started to chuckle as he pulled his claw away. "Wow, just like that he's out like a Snorlax after a huge meal." He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I'm still comin to terms with the fact this guy's related to Chicken Legs." The Talonflame stated openly, then stiffened a bit as a thought went through his mind. "Wait... does that mean he's like, part Legendary or something?" He further inquired. "How does that even work? Did he inherit some electrical attack from his Zapdos parent -is that why he can use Thunderpunch?"

"Wait, something's wrong," Serena said, ending the growing chain of questions as she padded up to Lighris, laying a paw against his neck and patting him down with the other, feeling through his feathers until she reached a diagnosis. "He's thin, and his body is cold. I think he's malnourished."

"If that is the case, we need to get him some nutrition." Katsu stated as he tried to push himself up onto his feet, but the paralysis still coursed heavily through his body, making his limbs fail to respond to his commands. "Damnit...curse my weakness to electricity..." He growled irritably.

"Hank, can you run over to the market to find a Cheri berry for Katsu?" Serena asked the Zoroark.

"Can do, lady." Hank returned, saluting her casually. He spun away and began to stride along the pier toward the market, mane trailing behind him in the passing wind.

Serena then looked at Eagle Eye. "Is the clinic still open?"

"I think so, though they'll probably be closing down soon." The Talonflame answered. "Want me to zip ahead and book a room for our spiky friend here?"

"If they're willing to stay open, please," she replied. "Otherwise, see if they'd be willing to lend us an IV station and saline bag -we need to give Lighris nutrients."

"You got it." Eagle Eye returned before he was off like a rocket, speeding toward the clinic as fast as his wings could carry him.

Serena went back to Katsumoto, urging him to not move until Hank returned, and then went back to Lighris, giving him another pat down with her paws to confirm her diagnosis. His bones were pushing through the skin beneath his feathers, through which she could make out his anatomy. On closer inspection she also saw his eyes had dark circles under them -lack of sleep, and he was cold to the touch all along.

"Lighris, what have you been doing?" She asked quietly. "Haven't you even remembered to take care of yourself?"

A moment later, Hank came running back down the dock, leap-frogging over a post as he ran back toward Katsu, a berry clutched between the claws of his left paw, which he offered to Katsu as he knelt beside him "Snack time, pal," he said, holding it in front of the Samurott so he could see it.

Katsu quickly took the berry, ingesting it and letting its effects work after he swallowed it. He felt the berry's juices flowing down his throat, and began to regain feeling in his limbs once more, letting out a grunt as he lurched forward and stood on all fours, shaking himself and taking a few deep breaths. "My thanks, Hank." He said, looking at the Zoroark.

No sooner was Katsu on his feet, Eagle Eye arrived back on the scene. "Okay, I talked to one of the docs at the clinic. They got a room ready to receive spikes here," he said. "Mikkie said he'll keep the door open for us until we get there.

"Katsu, Hank, can you two carry him?" Serena asked.

"Aye." Katsu replied as he and Hank moved around the unconscious Zapdos. With help from Hank, they managed to get Lighris onto Katsumoto's back, and Hank walked in pace with him as they started toward the clinic as quickly as Katsu could manage without dropping the Zapdos off himself.

"Eagle Eye, would you mind finding Minato and Tristan? They should know Lighris is here," Serena asked him.

Eagle Eye took to the air again and began his search for Tristan and Minato, having an idea where they each would be and headed of to where he thought Tristan would be first.

The sight of the unconscious Zapdos on Katsumoto's back earned more than a few quizzical looks from the townsfolk, but recognizing him and Hank as members of Team Valiant, nobody tried to indulge their curiosity for fear of interfering in official business. They managed to cross the town with minimal delays, reaching the clinic and finding a Lucario wearing spectacles upon the bridge of his nose holding the door open for them as they approached.

"Quickly now! We've got a room all set for him!" He urged as he ushered them into the clinic, letting the door fall shut after Serena stepped through and following behind them, his doctor's coat trailing as he walked and directed them to the room for the Zapdos -the fourth one on the left past the receptionist counter.

"Thank you for this," Serena said gratefully to Mikhail as Hank and Mikhail gently moved Lighris onto the bed from Katsu's back. "I know you were almost closing for the day."

"It's fine, Miss Serena." The scholarly Lucario replied as he moved to examine the Zapdos, using a stethoscope to listen to his heartrate. "Pokémon lives matter more than operating hours in my books."

She nodded, staying at the bedside while everybody else got out of the way to let Mikhail work. After listening to his heartbeat for a few moments, he stepped back, reaching for an IV that had already been brought into the room and bringing it over, extending the needle-tipped tube to under Lighris' wing where he inserted it carefully into the limb, letting it begin to feed him nutrients.

"Ugh... always hated hospitals," Lighris groaned suddenly, shifting as he felt the prick of the needle. "The smell, the white, the..." he trailed off, losing his train of thought.

"You end up in them often enough, that I question how true that is," Serena remarked.

Hank snorted and covered his mouth as he held back laughter. "Dude... did you just get burned by the most passive Vaporeon around?" He asked rhetorically.

"Shaddup, fuzzball," grumbled Lighris.

Moments later, heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the room, and the group turned in time to see an Aggron poking his head inside, gaze immediately falling upon Lighris. "Well, as I live and breathe!" He boomed. "It really _is_Lighris!"

"Tristan, lower your voice," Serena scolded him in a harsh whisper. "We're in a clinic!"

"T-Tristan?" Lighris asked, starting to sit up but unable to make it more than a few inches. "That you, big guy?"

"In the stone flesh," replied the Aggron. "And got two others here too." He added, stepping aside as another Lucario, wearing a long black coat, and a Riolu entered the room.

"Hey Lighris!" Caulin exclaimed in a chipper tone, bounding up to stand upon a stool beside Lighris' bed and leaning against the bedside, looking excitedly at the Zapdos. "Seems almost every time I meet you again, you're in a hospital bed. Seriously, what fight did you get into this time?" He asked.

Lighris chuckled nervously. "Eh, no fight this time, kiddo. Just not taking good care of myself I suppose."

"When did you last eat?" Serena asked plainly.

"Uh..." Lighris tried to answer, but he remained blank-faced.

"You don't even remember?" Serena asked in shock.

"Dude! How in the hell have you survived this long without remembering to eat?" Hank blurted out. "Like...that's basic instinct 101. When you're hungry, you chow down on something."

"Only thing on my mind was finding my little brother," replied Lighris. "But if all of you are here," he regarded Minato, Tristan and Serena. "...Then he has to be too! Where is he -is he okay?" He had apparently already forgotten the exchange at the docks

There was a brief silence in the room, Serena sharing concerned looks with Tristan, Hank, and Mikhail as she hesitated to answer. She even looked back at Minato, but the Lucario did not even acknowledge her stare, just watching the Zapdos blankly and tonelessly.

When no one offered and answer to Lighris' question, Katsu cleared his throat, and looked at him squarely. "As of this moment, we are not sure." He answered honestly. "We were on a joint mission to siege the base of operations of those responsible for destroying your home, and near the tail end of the battle, Volcan, as well as my team captain, Luke, were caught within a corrupted Mewtwo's grasp. We at first assumed they had perished, but after double checking where they had vanished, we had confirmed they were not killed -our acting captain, Kage, could tell you more. But as for where they are now... we have yet to find them, or hear word from them.

Lighris stared at him, blank-faced in silence for a moment, before he scowled, rearing back his head and cursing repeatedly. "I finally find where my brother is... only to find he's missing?! Dammit!" He started to thrash his wings angrily, nearly pulling out the IV needle and forcing Caulin to retreat from him back to his father's side while Serena and Mikhail struggled to calm him. "Damn it all! Where's my fucking brother?!"

"Calm down!" Mikhail shouted to Lighris in an authoritative manner, firmly pressing his paws into his chest and keeping him down. "This outburst does not help you or him! You're in a bad enough state as it is without causing yourself more damage." He explained. "Take a deep breath and relax."

"Don't tell me to relax!" Lighris shouted at him. "I haven't seen him since the attack -my mother and I have been left wondering whether or not he's even alive! But now when I come close to finding him he slips right through my talons!" He then turned to the others, shooting them an angry glare. "Why aren't all of you out there looking for him?! If you won't then I'll have to do it myself!" He tried to get up again, held back only by Serena and Mikhail pushing him back, but he stubbornly continued, nearly managing to throw them off as he demanded they let him go, despite him being in no shape to fly.

Serena looked back at Hank. She knew Lighris well enough to know he was not going to settle down without some incentive, and he was the only one with the ability to do so. Hank sighed and rolled his eyes before nodding to Serena and stepping forward, pushing past Mikhail and waiting until Lighris was looking right at him.

"Seriously, pal... Chill the hell out." He stated as his eyes shone a bright yellow, and the air around Lighris distorted heavily.

In Lighris' eyes, he saw Hank lift his claw up and watch it triple in size before the Zoroark brought it down on him, utterly crushing the Zapdos and knocking him out cold as a result. Lighris went cross-eyed, truly believing he had been struck and slipping out of consciousness, allowing Serena and Mikhail to examine him again.

Serena looked at Hank, sheepish but grateful. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Is he always like that?" Katsumoto asked.

Serena bit her lip. "He is impulsive -always has been, but he's never been so frantic before to my knowledge. Honestly, I have only ever seen him so worked up one time before, after a heated argument with his mother."

"Greeeaat, as if we need any more loose cannons hanging around this area." Hank groaned and rubbed his face with his claw. "I mean, I get he's really worried about his bro and all, but come on..."

Tristan looked at Minato. "Whaddya think?" He asked.

The entire time, Minato had remained completely silent, even during Lighris' outburst. He stared blankly at the now unconscious Zapdos, not even noticing his son tugging at his coat to get his attention. Without a word, he slowly turned his back to the others and slowly started to walk out of the hospital room, letting the door shut on its own after he left.

"...Well that was awkward," remarked Tristan.

"...He's still pretty broken up, eh?" Hank asked.

Caulin only looked on after his father as he left, the tears already starting to form in his eyes as he lowered his head sadly to the floor. Mikhail noticed him starting to break down and quickly knelt at his side, placing a paw along his shoulder and quietly reassuring him.

"I've never seen Minato like that," Serena commented, walking over to stand by Caulin as well, putting a paw around him as she sat at his side. "He didn't even say he was happy to see Lighris -I know they are not friends, but still..." She looked at Caulin, gently hugging him. "It'll be okay, Caulin," she said softly.

"N-No it won't be... " He sobbed, rubbing his eyes on his paw. "H-He's been like this ever since he left the hospital. H-He barely talks to me anymore, and he always looks so sad..."

"He's nursing a broken heart, Caulin," Serena reminded him, turning Caulin to face her fully. "Not even the strongest of Pokemon can recover quickly from such pain, for it is not simply a physical wound, but a wound to their spirit."

"Yer dad's a tough nut, tougher than even me," Tristan added. "He'll come around. You'll see."

Caulin sniffled a little more, letting himself lean against Serena as he continued to cry. "I-I hope so, Tristan." He whimpered softly. "I-I just...I just want my Dad back to his old self again..."

"So do we, Caulin," Serena returned softly, putting both of her forepaws around Caulin and kissing the top of his head as she held him, though her half-open eyes betrayed the inner sadness she herself felt, for those present to see.

Katsu was the first to notice, and again it made his heart twist in his chest to see her so distraught. Part of him wanted to walk over and embrace her against him, to comfort her as best he could, but another part of him hesitated, unsure if this was the appropriate time to do so in front of so many other Pokémon.

"I think we ought to all be leaving now," Serena spoke up after a moment. "Let's allow Lighris to rest and for everyone here to do their work." She looked at Mikhail. "I'll check back in on him tonight, if that's alright?"

"Of course." He returned with a nod. "I'll tell the night staff to expect you later."

She nodded to him, shaking paws with Mikhail before the group vacated the premises. Caulin left with Serena, who offered to let him stay with her as they walked out of the clinic. Mikhail closed the doors behind them as they left, and went to finish what remained of his shift before he would head home for the night...

~~~~~

An active day in the city of Princeport began much earlier than other towns Volcan and Luke had visited in their recent adventures. The city lacked a proper district for stores -with most under that category being run from the lower floors of houses. Thus, most production entrepreneurs opened stalls through the wider of the city streets. With the sun barely creeping over the horizon, already the merchants were putting their stalls together, with those who would be their first customers waiting patiently to get the earliest deals on goods.

A Tauros-drawn wagon bumped its way through the slums district, the driver taking a shortcut to the main square. On his left, he passed a collective of domed hovels, foundations half-buried beneath the dry, crusty earth beneath them. Windows faced the street to allow light and air inside, while shabby, wood-tiled angular roofs covered the tops. The wagon drew close to one of the houses, its front wheel going over a bump, leaving the ground for a split second before landing again, and casting crusted earth and dust through the window beside it, showering the pair sleeping on the mattress inside.

Volcan sat up abruptly, blowing a raspberry and shaking his head. "What the f..." He trailed off before looking out the window. "Stay to one side of the street, asshole!"

Luke sat up, eyes stinging as he tried to rub the sand out of them. He opened them to find only one eye truly stung -the other had not been touched by the sand, but that did not stop him from scowling in annoyance. "Not exactly the most comfortable wake up call I've had." He mumbled.

"How does my mom put up with living in this dump?" Volcan asked, grumbling as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wiped the last of the sand from his face with his forearm.

"The same way I had to put up with living under trees when I was a Riolu." Luke stated with a shrug. "You just learn to adapt to your environment."

"I get that but still," Volcan said as he started to get up. "She deserves way better than this lousy-"

THUD!

Luke jumped at the audible sound of Volcan's head hitting the rafters of the low , angular ceiling, looking over as the Blaziken fell back upon his rump, eyes crossed and vision swimming. "Shack..." He mumbled.

Luke covered his mouth and snickered heavily at his lover's mishap. "S-Sorry. I shouldn't be laughing." He said.

Volcan huffed, and then let out a sigh as he rubbed top of his head. "Least you can stand up in here," he said, glad that Luke could at least be comfortable. "If just barely."

Luke smiled, leaning over and lightly pecking Volcan's head. "We won't have to put up with this for much longer, love." He assured the Blaziken. "Soon enough, we'll be back in our own home."

Volcan smiled and nodded. "On that note, I suppose we ought to go turn in Redfang's tooth, eh?" He reminded

Luke nodded back, rubbing his stomach. "We should, but first, let's get some breakfast. I'm a bit famished."

"Right. If there's one thing I remember about my mom though, it's that she's a good cook. I imagine we're in for a treat today." He leaned forward, and crawled over to the door before rising to his feet and crab-walking out of the bedroom. "I'll go see if she needs help."

Luke followed him out, having only to duck and fold his ears back to avoid bumping his head on the doorway, "If she's as good a cook as you say she is, I can't wait to sample what she has in store for us."

As they stepped out, they saw into the kitchen to find Volcan's mother -who the previous day, had introduced herself to Luke as Degra, already at work in the kitchen. A large bowl full of batter rested on the counter, with a plate of sliced fruits sitting next to it. Beside the platter, a pitcher of orange juice, which she was bringing to the table along with the fruits when she saw them coming in, giving them a welcoming smile.

"Good morning, boys," she said. "I hope you slept alright -I know the beds here aren't that good."

Volcan was about to say something but seemed to think better of it and simply answered with. "We slept fine," he replied, and then put his arm around Luke, pulling the Lucario tight to himself and feigning a smile. "I always do with this handsome fella around," he added, giving Luke a peck on the top of his head.

"Oh, flatterer." Luke replied with a slight blush, returning Volcan's peck with one of his own to his chest. "I could say the same about you."

Degra continued to smile as she watched the two interact. "I'm glad you found someone, Volcan," she said. "Though I admit I never had you pegged as one who preferred the same gender." She looked at Luke sheepishly. "No offense, hun."

"None taken, miss." Luke assured her. "To be honest, I didn't think I would be either." He added, his gaze returning to Volcan's and bringing a warm smile to his face. "Just... one night, we finally clicked, and here we are now."

"And it was the best night of my life," Volcan returned to Luke. "At least so far," he added with a wink. Luke could not help but blush slightly.

"Well both of you have a seat -breakfast will be ready in a moment," Degra directed them before heading back to her work in the kitchen.

As they sat down, they got to see the female Blaziken seemingly right in her element. She was an excellent multi-tasker, adding pancakes to the hot pan on the wood-burning stove, one ladleful at a time, while simultaneously getting a bread knife from a drawer and a cube of butter from the pantry next to the stove, all with one hand.

Once the pancakes were sizzling, she took the knife to a loaf of bread on the counter, neatly slicing six pieces before tossing them onto a plate and going back to the pancakes, just in time to flip them. After doing so, she breathed a Flamethrower into the stove to rekindle the logs, never losing temperature.

Luke was utterly floored by how quick and efficient Degra was at preparing their meal, his jaw hanging slack as he gawked at her culinary skill. Needless to say, it surpassed even his own, and he felt quite humbled to watch the skillful cook. "And I thought I was a good cook." He stated softly.

"You are," Volcan assured him. "Mom's just been doing this a lot longer -she did run her own restaurant back home, after all."

Luke's ears flicked, looking at Volcan in surprise. "She ran a restaurant?"

"I did," Degra called as she skillfully flipped the pancakes onto a plate, adding more batter to the still hot pan as she explained. "A little breakfast diner is all it really was, but I made a good living at it." As the pancakes cooked, she buttered the six slices of bread she had previously cut. "Minato brought his family there at least once a week -Caulin could never get enough of my banana bread."

"It was that good, huh?" Volcan asked.

"I sometimes had to hide the loaves from you to keep you from scarfing them down in one sitting," Degra replied, casting a wry look at her son.

Volcan flushed. "Oh..."

"I would have made some today but unfortunately it's hard to find bananas out here," Degra went on. "Even if you do, the prices are a little out of my reach. But hopefully this will suffice." She added the last cluster of pancakes to the plate, bringing both it and the bread over to the table and setting them down before the two, and went back to the kitchen to get napkins as she let them serve themselves. As an afterthought she also left a bottle on honey on the table for them.

"Thank you." Luke bade Degra politely as he filled his plate and drizzling a little honey on the pancake before he cut a morsel and tasted it. Immediately his ears perked right up, and he felt his heart melt as the flavour and texture of the morsel he ate sank into his tastebuds. "Oh WOW!" He stated as he cut a larger morsel and tucked into it. "Everything's just...perfect! It's fluffy, yet firm. There's enough butter to make it noticeable, but not overwhelming..." He went on. "You weren't kidding, love. Your mother can cook!"

"It's the one thing I think I didn't forget," Volcan commented in a half-jest as he chowed down on a slice of bread. "I'm guessing you made this too?"

"Baked yesterday," replied Degra as she served herself as well, starting with a slice of kiwi. "So, Volcan... it's really true, that you lost your memory?" She eyed him with concern as she waited for his answer.

Volcan swallowed his mouthful of bread, sighing. "Unfortunately, yes," he said. "A lot has come back to me though but there are a few things still unclear. I don't remember much about our home, or who else I knew besides my team."

"You were rather shy for most of your life, so you didn't make a lot of friends. But those you did, you were always very close to," Degra said. "Especially Minato and Linda. Had you been old enough you may have even been their best man when they got married."

"Why, how much older than me is Minato?" Volcan asked.

"About six years," replied Degra. "But you were fast friends. Whenever he and Linda had to go away for a while, I would babysit Caulin for them. But he always seemed to prefer being around you -especially since you always read him to sleep at night. Minato took a liking to you as well when he saw your combat prowess, and when you evolved into a Blaziken when you were about eighteen -surprisingly young, actually- you two started taking Rescue Team jobs."

"And... how old am I?" Volcan asked.

"You're twenty-four. Your birthday was about two weeks ago, in fact," Degra replied.

"Oh wow, really?" Luke asked softly. "That makes you two years younger than me." He pointed out, reaching over and touching Volcan's shoulder. "Well, might be late but, a belated happy birthday from me love," he said with a chuckle.

Volcan shared the laugh. "Thanks Luke," he returned.

"But, you remember your brother, don't you?" Degra went on.

"Not... much," replied Volcan. "I do remember seeing someone else in my memories -usually those when we're at the dinner table and such but I still can't visualize him."

"That would probably be Lighris, yes," replied Degra.

"Speaking of, where is he?" Volcan asked. "He made it off the island too, right?"

"He did," Degra returned. "He and I escaped together. We fled to Bronze Island, hoping you'd come looking for us there. But then we had to be relocated to Princeport, so I left you a message with the guild on Bronze Island. I assumed you would check in there and report to the council about what happened."

"...Guild? What's a guild?" Volcan asked, tilting his head.

Luke was about to put another serving in his mouth when Volcan asked that question, making him pause and lower his fork down. "Wait, seriously?" Luke asked. "The Guilds are the ones responsible for Rescue Teams in the first place. They manage all the teams present in the towns or cities they operate under." Luke explained. "Every Rescue Team has to be registered in the Guilds before they can be officially labelled as one. Once they are, the guilds then receive and distribute job postings via the Pelipper Postal Service, pending their approval. The missions we've been on were all guild-sanctioned -other than the odd-jobs we took when we started."

"Oh, so that's how that works," Volcan remarked, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess I remembered even less than I thought."

"Well to be fair, you did hit your head pretty hard when you landed on Azure's shores." Luke commented.

Volcan let out a sigh. "Yeah," he said, before looking at Degra again. "So, what's Lighris like?" He asked before taking another mouthful of pancake.

"He's hard working and tenacious -always keeps going until he's ready to collapse," Degra explained. "Unfortunately, it's offset by his short temper and, if he gets too involved in something he tends to forget to take care of himself." She sighed and shook her head. "Just like his father."

"And, Lighris -and my father- are both really Zapdos?" Volcan asked. "Tristan told me about it but, it just sounds so hard to believe."

"It is true, yes," Degra confirmed. "Your father was the legendary Zapdos, and your elder brother was born of the same species. Many have mistaken him for the very same one, but he's always having to explain to them how he is a Zapdos, not the Zapdos." She chuckled. "It was quite a headache for him growing up."

"Sooo," Luke said as he looked between the two Blaziken. "Would that make Volcan... Part Legendary or something? If his father is one himself?" He asked.

Degra chuckled. "That'd be like saying Caulin should be part Fairy because his mother was a Gardevoir," she remarked. "No, Volcan isn't part 'Legendary' -though I believe it is partially the reason he's so proficient at Thunderpunch."

"It would make sense." Luke agreed with a nod. "Last I remember, Blaziken couldn't learn Thunderpunch through training or fighting experience."

"Typically no -they can't learn it naturally, but they can be tutored in it," Degra explained, taking a sip of orange juice. "Volcan was taught several moves he couldn't learn through normal means, including Thunderpunch and Dual Chop -the latter which I taught him."

"Does that mean you were my teacher, when I learned to fight?" Volcan asked.

"For a while, yes," explained Degra. "I taught you a few basics -Double Kick, Blaze Kick and Flamethrower -Dual Chop was an afterthought, but Minato helped you master them, and your sensei -another Blaziken named Trav, taught you your fighting style, which he called the Art of Eight Limbs."

Luke tilted his head slightly. "Art of Eight Limbs?" He asked softly. "...Where have I heard that before?" He muttered, rubbing his chin a little as he tried to remember where he had heard the term before.

"So... what, it turns me into a spider or something?" Volcan asked, getting a creepy mental image of himself mixed with a Galvantula -or, maybe an Ariados. Either way, he promptly pushed that image to a dark corner of his mind... and set it ablaze for good measure.

Degra laughed. "No, nothing like that. Truthfully, I don't know the meaning behind the name but the fighting style is meant to hone every part of your body to be used for combat, and to take advantage of your height -which is why Blaziken are so good at it, because we're so tall. Not to say I ever learned it myself -I've limited myself to techniques that are purely defensive. Combat was never that appealing to me."

Volcan hummed in thought, letting those words sink in before moving onto his next question. "So, to bring back an earlier topic," he began. "My father... what happened to him?"

Degra paused, merely inches from placing another morsel into her beak as Volcan asked his question. Realizing it was a touchy subject, he was about to say something, but she went on to answer, and the words died in his throat. "He left, not long after you were born," she explained in a somber tone. "When he and I first got together, I don't think he ever intended it to be permanent, but when Lighris was born, I think it changed his mind. He was never away for long after that.

"But, three years later, when you were born... something in him changed. He became distant, and one night I found him by the lighthouse, lost in thought. He looked at me, and he said that he had made a mistake." She lowered her gaze. "And then he left. The last I saw of him, he was flying to the east. He never came back... I at first thought perhaps he was having some sort of crisis in his life, and that one day he'd return, but to this very day I haven't seen him again."

"He just...left after Volcan was born?" Luke asked softly, his ears flattening a little as the image of Volcan's father leaving Degra played out in his mind. It made his brow furrow slightly as he looked on at Degra. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Miss Degra." He said softly to her.

She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, but it's fine," she replied. "Was just a little hard to revisit after so long. But any tears I had to shed over it, I cried long ago." She took in a deep breath. "I still raised our sons, and both Volcan and Lighris have grown into fine Pokémon. I couldn't be prouder of them than I am."

At that, Volcan slowly got up from the table, walking around to his mother's side and hugging her warmly. She leaned into his soft feathered chest, putting an arm around him and humming contently as her son embraced her. "I love you, son," she said softly.

"I love you too, mom," Volcan returned, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek, before he returned to his seat to finish his breakfast, though took a moment to reach out to hold Luke's paw as he slipped off into thought, thinking back on everything Degra had told him about his past.

When breakfast was finished, Degra found herself running behind schedule and needing to get ready for her part-time job in town. Volcan and Luke volunteered to do the cleanup so that she could get on her way. She thanked them both, telling them she'd be back that evening and hurried out the door while they tidied up the kitchen.

Of course, the cleanup was a little different than their home in Azure, as the house did not have running water or gas heated appliances, and so they had to resort to a more archaic method of washing the dishes. They fetched water from a well outside, boiling it on the stove before dumping the contents of the kettle into the sink, adding a lard-based soap to the water and then adding a second bucket of lukewarm water so that Luke could safely put his paws in it to clean the dishes.

As Luke washed the dishes from their breakfast, Volcan snuffed out the fire in the stove and proceeded to scoop out the ashes, putting them into a canvas sack. Once he was done, he waited until Luke finished washing the last of the dishes before rinsing off his hands in the dishwater, draining the sink afterwards. They dried the dishes and put them away, ending the cleanup.

With that done, Volcan suggested they go turn in the bounty for Redfang while they went out to explore the city, prompting Luke to retrieve the Mightyena's namesake tooth from their room. Locking up the house with a spare key Degra had left them and headed out to see the new city.

Princeport was clearly a very old town. The buildings all around them, consisting entirely of stone and brick, were weathered and built in archaic fashions that seemed to be built with a focus on longevity -a design choice that they had seen at Ceras outpost, though this city was certainly better maintained than the outpost. They had been standing for hundreds of years, of that Luke and Volcan were certain, and it was easy to pick out the newly added structures as they did not bear the scars of erosion on them. Unfortunately, this seemed mostly confined to the area around Degra's home, which seemed to be the impoverished side of town.

For a moment, Volcan wondered if Princeport had been established in one of the ancient cities like the one where they had met Lashanne, and the new populace repurposed the city to their needs rather than rebuild from the ground up...

The streets outside Degra's home were unpaved, but once leaving the 'slum' they found beautiful cobblestone tiles covering the street. The tiles looked fairly new, with a few old but still good-conditioned ones visible, indicating that the city took good care of its streets. Travelling down the main road through town brought them past dozens of market stalls, mostly selling fish, fruits and exotic stones along with other curiosities. There was even a stall with a Mega Stone on display -which upon inquiry the merchant claimed was an Ampharosite. Not of use to them.

"Quite a bustling place, isn't it?" Volcan asked Luke as they followed the street, dodging the crowds of shoppers that filled it to capacity.

"Very. It almost puts Azure to shame." Luke replied as he looked all around his surroundings. "Definitely livelier in terms of how crowded these streets are at such an early hour."

Volcan nodded in agreement, before he checked a street sign to get their bearings. "I think my mother said the sheriff's office was by the harbour, on the south half of the city," he said. "According to this, we're heading the right way."

"Good. The sooner we turn this in, the sooner we can start looking for a way home." He stated, his pace quickening a little as they continued down the street. A thought then crossed his mind that made him slow down a little and look back to Volcan. "Though...before we do, I'd like to check up on Lashanne and see how she's doing, if that's ok."

Volcan shrugged. "I don't see why not," he returned. "She's probably out by her airship, trying to salvage what she can. Seji sure did a number on that thing."

"Hopefully she can find a way to get it fixed." Luke lamented, remembered the tragic destruction of Lashanne's beloved vessel the day before. "I imagine that ship meant a lot to her."

They continued on to the docks, getting directions from a passing sailor to the sheriff's office. Once there, they met a Hawlucha -who claimed to be the deputy, and the Sheriff was out on other matters. He was authorized to give them the bounty, however, upon verifying Redfang's dislodged tooth as authentic and not the result of painting a tooth to fake evidence. They left moments later with a tin box filled with Poks, tucked safely under Volcan's arm.

With their reward in tow, they headed for the gates, stepping out beyond the city limits and making their way over toward the crash site of Lashanne's airship in the valley beyond the town wall. The position of the sun cast the valley beyond in shadow from the towering crags to the east and the high rising ridge below which the airship sat. Luke honestly welcomed the shade as it was already quite hot out from the blazing sun as it shone upon the town. But once noon came, the entire valley would be bathed in its searing light until nightfall.

They crossed the valley to the crash site, and sure enough they found Lashanne amidst the wreckage, carrying out anything that had survived the crash. She looked up as they approached but didn't even greet them. They could tell by her scowling face that she wasn't in a good mood. Who could blame her? Her home and only mode of transportation was now lying in pieces all around her, leaving her to pick through the pieces and try to find whatever the crash hadn't destroyed.

Luke felt a bit of a pit forming in his stomach as he watched the Delphox working to salvage what she could from the wreckage of her ship, and that pit deepened when she didn't speak to them. Sheepishly, he waved his paw. "Hey..." He said softly to Lashanne. "I uh... know this might be a dumb question, but... how are things?"

She looked at him, that scowl remaining. "How do you think?" She asked. "I'm really wishing I did take that idol of Windfang, because even with all the treasure we found, it won't be enough to fix this." She held out her arms, gesturing to the ship. "Practically nothing is salvageable -the hull can be rebuilt but that'll still cost a fortune -you know how hard it is to find lumber out here? And the gas bag? Forget it."

"You can't... well, patch it up?" Volcan asked. "The hole didn't look too big."

"The hole that brought us down wasn't too big," Lashanne confirmed. "But that drop and all the debris flying everywhere tore the canvas and leather to shreds -no amount of patchwork is going to fix that amount of damage." She threw aside a plank of wood to uncover an old tome, brushing dirt off of it as she picked it up and set it aside with the rather small pile of belongings she had salvaged. "And I'm still missing some of my stuff too. I spent years collecting all of this!" She threw out her arms again, her frustration mounting. "Now it's ruined, all because of that damn Alakazam!" She kicked the dirt angrily, but stopped, and tried to calm herself.

Luke felt the pain of guilt within him only growing as Lashanne practically tore into them about her ship. He cast a glance at the ruined vessel, getting a better look at all the damage it had suffered. His altruistic nature started to surface, feeling that desire to want to help Lashanne for what she did to bring them this far in their journey. He felt he needed to make this right somehow...He just didn't know how to.

...That is, until he shifted his gaze back to Volcan, and the box of coins tucked under his arm. He felt his heart twist again, knowing what this would mean should he decide to go through with what he had in mind. He thought through his decision carefully, glancing between Lashanne and the box of coins, before he sighed and gently reached up and grasped the box in his paws.

Volcan looked at him in some alarm, seeing him reaching for the box. He held onto it firmly as he stared back at him. "Luke, wait. What're you doing?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"...I'm making things right." He said back as he tugged on the box, looking back at Volcan with that determined look of his. "We owe Lashanne that much for all she's done for us..."

"Well I don't deny she saved us from Zann on his rampage and got us out of the city but, if you give her the money how are we going to get home?" Volcan asked.

"I don't know..." Luke returned, lowering his head slightly. "We'll... we'll find another way, love. Right now, she needs this more than we do."

Volcan looked as though he wanted to argue, but Luke's words got to him and any argument he had was immediately forgotten. He let out a long groan, rolling his eyes before he surrendered the box to Luke. "Bollocks if you aren't right," he said before adding rhetorically as he slumped. "Why'd we have to be the good guys, damn it all?"

"It's what makes us who we are, Volcan." Luke said as he leaned up and nuzzled his beak softly. "And it's what I love most about you." He added, smiling briefly to him before he turned back to Lashanne and presented the box to her. "Here... This should at least cover a down payment for your repairs." He offered.

Lashanne turned to him, seeing the box he held out to her. She took it in one paw and opened it with the other, her eyes widening as she saw the coins inside. She turned to Luke in alarm, her mouth agape. "What's this?" She asked.

"The reward we claimed for taking down Redfang and his bandits." Luke answered back. "Volcan and I took him down a day before meeting you in the ruined city."

"I can't accept this!" She said in protest. "You guys risked your lives taking down that creep -this belongs to you!"

"You risked your life helping us," Volcan returned.

"If you mean fighting those thugs, I was protecting myself," Lashanne returned, shaking her head in denial.

"But you could've easily left us behind when Zann went on his rampage," Volcan returned. "Yet despite how much it exhausted you, you didn't. You saved us from him and you got us out of the city."

"But..." She tried to continue arguing, looking into the box of coins again. "This is your only way home..."

"It may very well be, but as it stands you need all the help you can get to repair your airship Lashanne." Luke replied." Even if it means we must stay here longer, as long as I did my part to repay you for all you've done, then I can rest easier knowing I made someone else's day better."

The Delphox stood there speechless, clearly not accustomed to being shown such kindness in her life. It left her with a feeling so alien, she was barely able to identify it. Gratitude, she realized... something she had not felt in many years. She spent so long contemplating it, she barely even noticed when the two said goodbye to her and began to make their way back to town. By the time she finally thought of words to say and looked up from the box, they had already walked out of earshot.

"...I can't believe it," she said in almost a whisper. "Nobody's ever done something like this for me before..."

That evening...

"You gave her your reward?" Degra asked in shock.

Volcan nodded to Degra. "Luke felt it was the right thing to do, and I trust his judgement," he said. "Lashanne helped us, and now that we're in Princeport we at least have the means to get home now. We just... have to find another way to make money to do so."

"A voyage to the east continent isn't going to be cheap, my son," Degra warned. "You're looking at a few hundred Poks at least, and that's just for passengers -never mind any effects you might bring."

"Does it look like we have much to carry?" Volcan asked rhetorically.

"We'll find a way to get back home somehow." Luke further assured Degra as he gently looped his arm around Volcan's, smiling at her softly. "We've managed to survive this long. Surely a few odd jobs here and there aren't going to kill us."

Degra leaned back in her seat, considering their words. "Well there aren't any rescue team jobs out here if that's what you were hoping for. Only one city on this continent is within the jurisdiction of the guilds, and that's Gladiator City. We're nowhere near there." She put a talon to her chin in thought. "But, now that I think about it... hang on a moment."

Rising from her seat Degra stepped out of the kitchen, making her way to a hallway closet opposite the door to the room where Luke and Volcan had stayed the night before. "I did manage to save something of yours from Arc, Volcan -perhaps it could be useful," she said as she reached up to an upper shelf, and carefully pulled something out.

She blew some dust from the item before she turned to face the two males again, revealing the item -an acoustic guitar, made of fine, varnished maple wood, with copper strings wound around shiny brass knobs at the head, stretching down the neck to the main body.

"Wait, that's... mine?" Volcan asked.

"It is," replied Degra as she brought the guitar over, placing it gently in her son's hands. "You used to play this for hours when you were young, and you still practiced fairly often between missions."

"You were a guitarist?" Luke asked as he looked at the instrument Degra brought forth. "I honestly never pegged you for a musician." He added with a chuckle before his smile faded. "Do you... think you still remember how to play it after all this time?"

"Well, I don't know," replied Volcan as he examined the instrument, running a talon on the end of one finger across the strings, eliciting a low note that reverberated through the hollow center of the guitar and filled the room.

Once he was comfortable and had made a few adjustments to the strings, his fingers began finding the right spots to make a catchy tune. He nodded his head to it as he went, adjusting his position in his seat to be more comfortable as he played. A minute later, he seemed satisfied, and looked at his mother who applauded his performance.

"Like you never stopped," she said. "That muscle memory of yours and your ear for music can't be fooled even by amnesia."

"That was really good, love," Luke stated with a nod. "You could make a killing with that kind of musical talent, just like I could with my cooking skills." He added with a small laugh.

At that, Volcan let out a hum, considering the possibility. "That's not a bad idea," remarked Volcan. "Maybe I can earn a few Poks performing on the street or at the local pub -there's always a need for entertainers."

"It's worth a try," Degra offered.

"In that case," Luke turned to Degra. "Are there any restaurants or kitchens in the area? Perhaps I could offer my skills in that department as well and bring in some income of my own."

"I work at the local bakery myself," replied Degra. "I don't think there are any positions open there. But there is the Sailor's Shack, down in the harbour. You might try there. It's a little different than a typical restaurant though, see. You're assigned your own spot in the kitchen and some tables to look after, and the meals you make are made to order for those at your tables. You get paid by commission, so if you can balance the work of a server and a cook, you could do pretty well."

"I think I can manage." Luke replied confidently. "Part of being in a Rescue Team is working with the public after all."

"Just be mindful of the sailors -some of them can get pretty rambunctious, especially if they've been out to sea for a while," warned Degra.

"I'm no stranger to rambunctious pokemon, but thank you for the advice nonetheless." Luke answered back with a nod, turning to look out the window. "Well... still some light left, and I'm rather bored," he said, and then looked at Volcan. "Do you think we could go do some sparring, love? Get some exercise before the day is out?"

Volcan nodded. "Sure. I was actually hoping to ask a favour, ever since we fought that Regirock in the city."

Degra piped up, looking between the two in surprise. "You fought a Regirock?" Degra asked, stunned. "How did you ever defeat one of the Titan Pokemon?"

"By working together and attacking where it was most vulnerable." Luke answered with a bit of a smug grin. "Of course, it helped that Lashanne was there helping us as well, which made it easier to bring it down."

"Unfortunately, I wasn't much help," Volcan admitted. "The thing was tough -took all of my physical attacks like they were nothing. Not surprising, I mean, Rock-type Pokemon tend to be tough against physical attacks but still."

Degra grimaced. "Yes... unfortunately you always have struggled with Special Attacks. I tried to teach you Mirror Move once but you could never grasp it -every time you tried to copy an attack it either failed or backfired."

Volcan cringed. "Shit... doesn't leave me very confident. I was hoping maybe Luke could teach me Focus Blast."

"Love, I'd be more than happy to teach you that." Luke answered back. "Just because Special Attacks aren't your strength doesn't mean it's impossible to learn them. It'll just take more time for it to register is all."

"I'm sure you can learn it," agreed Degra. "And it'll be a useful addition to your arsenal -especially if you encounter more Rock or Steel-type adversaries."

"Well then, if we're all in agreement." Luke stated as he turned toward the front door. "Let's get started. The sooner we start, the more we can do before nightfall."

"Right with you, love," Volcan returned, setting his guitar aside and standing up from his chair. "Hey, while we're at it, we ought to send out that letter back to Azure like we were planning to do."

"Ah right!" Luke replied, bopping his head with his paw. "Thanks for reminding me. I completely forgot."

"Try not to stay out too late," Degra called.

"We won't!" Luke called back as he held the door open for Volcan to exit first, then shut the door after he exited himself and began to walk with the Blaziken to the post office. Luke couldn't help but chuckle as they walked. "Reminds me back when I was a Riolu, when my mother would tell my brothers and I to be careful whenever we'd go into the forest and play together." He commented, reminiscing in said moment.

Volcan snickered. "It's what a mother does, apparently even after her kids are all grown up," he remarked.

As they rounded a corner, they narrowly avoided running smack into another Pokemon, all three stopping dead in their tracks. But as Volcan and Luke went to apologize, they were surprised to find that the Pokémon in question was Lashanne.

After getting over the initial surprise of the encounter, the Delphox spoke. "Oh... there you are," she said.

Luke noticed immediately that something seemed off about Lashanne. Her usual sassiness was gone, along with the frustration she had been exerting that morning. She seemed... relaxed, yet somehow distracted and wary, as if she was venturing into some unknown territory. Even not knowing her for long, this felt highly out of character to the Lucario...

"You were looking for us?" Volcan asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'd heard you were staying in this area but I'm glad I didn't have to go door-to-door until I found you," she returned, chuckling nervously.

"Is everything alright, Lashanne?" Luke asked, concerned "Did... something else happen?"

"Oh no, nothing happened," she returned. "Just... came to say something I'm not very good at saying." She sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she found the words she wanted to say. "I wanted to thank you, both of you, for wanting to help me. It's... it's not something I'm used to, but you left before I could properly do it. I didn't want to leave a bad impression, by not thanking you... so, yeah. Here I am."

"Oh." The Lucario returned, lifting a paw to scratch the back of his head. "Well, it's no trouble really. You needed help and I wanted to help you." He explained simply. "It was just the right thing to do in my mind."

"Well it's just that... out here people don't do that -here in the west its every Pokémon for themselves most of the time," she said. "It was a bit alienating, so I completely froze up. But still, I wanted to make sure you guys knew I was grateful and wanted to return the favour."

"How's that?" Volcan asked.

"You guys are trying to get home to the east continent," she began. "My ship can get you there -at least once it's repaired. So, in return for helping me... I'll take you guys home personally."

"Wait what?" Luke asked, his jaw almost hanging slack and his ears twitching as he stared at her in disbelief. "You'd...be willing to take us back to Port Azure?"

Lashanne nodded. "Yes," she replied. "It's the least I can do, is take you guys home. It won't be a short trip, I can tell you that, but at least it won't cost you an arm and a leg."

"I..." Volcan started to say, hesitating slightly. "I'm... I think I speak for both of us when I say, thank you, Lashanne." He said, smiling. "We'd feel better actually knowing someone we trust will be taking us there."

She nodded and smiled to them. "Thanks. It's good to know not everyone thinks of me as nothing more than a tomb raider," she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Still, you'd best get comfortable. It'll take a while for the ship to be repaired, and then I need to scare up enough coin to stock it up. Like I said, it's going to be a _long_trip."

"I think we can help with that," Luke offered. "Volcan and I were just talking about looking for temporary work here in Princeport, to start earning some money."

"Anything we earn, we'll put toward the voyage," Volcan added.

Her smile broadened, and she nodded in approval. "Then it sounds like we have a plan," she said. "I guess I'll see you guys around town. Maybe we can meet up somewhere."

"As it happens, I'm looking to get some work playing music somewhere around town -anywhere you can recommend?" Volcan asked.

Lashanne tilted her head and hummed as she considered the question. "The Omanyte Tavern's usually got a lot of patrons -probably could get some good tips there if you don't mind the atmosphere."

"Right about now, I can't be worried about the comfort -just to take what I can get," returned Volcan. "Where is it?"

"It's right by the city gate -third building on the left as soon as you step through," replied Lashanne. "Look for the big omanyte shell above the door. Can't miss it. I'll probably see you there as it's likely where Toby and I will be staying until the ship's ready."

"Alright, well... Thank you once more Lashanne." Luke bade her as he stepped forward and offered her his paw. "Honestly, we couldn't have come this far without your help, and we're extremely grateful for it."

"And we've got a long way to go yet," she returned, her usual personality shining forward once again as she grasped Luke's paw and shook it strongly. She repeated the gesture with Volcan, shaking his talon before she gave them a two-fingered salute. "See you guys around!"

"Take care!" Luke called back as the Delphox departed. Luke then felt himself leaning back against Volcan and pressing his paw to his own chest. "...I can barely believe it. We actually might get home sooner than I thought, and once more it's because of Lashanne's help." He stated, his voice quaking a bit as he spoke.

"We're still in for a long stay here in Princeport," Volcan reminded. "But at least now when we write that letter, we can also tell our friends we have a way home." He gripped Luke's shoulders. "I imagine your mother will be especially glad to be the first to know -we should address the letter to her."

"I couldn't agree more." Luke returned. "Come on!" He urged happily as he gripped Volcan's hand firmly and started running through the streets if Princeport as quickly as he could to the post office, nearly barrelling into a few other Pokémon as they ran.

When they arrived at the post office, Luke practically barged through the door and almost ran right into the front desk of the office, spooking the clerk behind it. Without even taking a moment to breathe, Luke asked the clerk for a sheet of paper, a pen and an envelope, and when he did receive the requested items, he got straight to writing the letter to his mother, explaining in it that he and Volcan were alright and were currently resting at Princeport. He also added that they had procured a means to return home to Azure, and would do so in about a month's time at least.

With that done, the Lucario quickly folded the letter and slid it into the envelope, sealing it shut and writing down Luminara's address on the front before returning it to the clerk to be mailed out as soon as possible. Luke then turned back to Volcan and looped his arm around the Blaziken's. "Now...let's find us a wide open place for me to start teaching you Focus Blast." He said with a wide grin.

"About that," began Volcan as they walked out. "Have you determined what move you want to learn from me?"

Luke glanced back at Volcan curiously. "Wait what?" He asked, tilting his head at him. "I wasn't aware you wanted to teach me something in return." He added honestly, humming as he considered."

"Well it seems a fair trade, right?" Volcan asked. "So far for your short ranged I've seen Force Palm, Bone Rush, Bullet Punch, Close Combat and Metal Claw -you've got something for plenty of opponents. But what about taking a page from Rigel's book and learning a Fire-type move?"

"...Huh." Luke said as he imagined himself performing moves like Fire Punch or Blaze Kick. "Yea, why not? Knowing a fire type move couldn't hurt." He said with a nod.

"I also noticed your repertoire of kicks is a bit lacking," Volcan added. "Prefer to work with your paws, I take it?"

"Kind of, yes. I mean I trained myself to use both my arms and legs in combat, but... I guess I feel kicks leave me more vulnerable if I missed my mark." He admitted.

"As much as I hate to use him as an example, think back to that Dark Blaziken," Volcan began. "Remember how he fought, staying constantly mobile and only using his legs? He only used his hands for defense then, and we saw how that worked for him. A kick can leave you vulnerable if you execute it incorrectly, or if you miss, but your leg has more reach than your arm, so it can also be useful for keeping your opponent at bay or land a finishing strike."

Luke nodded softly back at Volcan. "Yea, you've got a point." He returned. "Very well. In exchange for me teaching you Focus Blast, I'll learn Blaze Kick from you." He stated with a smile.

"Agreed. Be ready, love -there's a reason only a few Pokémon in existence can use Blaze Kick," Volcan remarked confidently.

"Please. I've yet to meet a challenge I can't overcome." Luke replied with equal confidence.

"I look forward to putting that to the test. After all, my race pioneered the technique," Volcan replied.

"Mine pioneered Aura Sphere," Luke returned, pointing a paw at himself and quirking a brow at his lover. "Which I might also point out was the basis for the move I will be teaching you."

Volcan let out a laugh. "Touché!" He called as he got into position for their sparring...