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Luke awoke to the sound of a door closing, and when he opened his eyes, he did not find the room he expected to see upon awakening. He was not at his room at the inn, but in one with expensive wallpapering, lying in a plush bed with a highly decorative - and extremely comfortable blanket lain over him.

He looked around to get his bearings, seeing movement in the corner of his eye and turning his attention in that direction. He had thought to find Volcan, but it wasn't him. His eyes found the warm, azure gaze of Lady Cinnia looking back at him as she brought a tray into the room, bearing a cup of steaming tea and some light snacks on a silvery plate into the room.

"Well, you're awake," she said, setting the tray she carried down on the table next to the bed. "It's good to see you got your rest, after I heard what you did at the river." She flashed him a smile - _that_smile, that melted the hearts of any man that saw it. "How do you feel?" She asked.

"...Like I suddenly gained a thousand pounds." He answered weakly, groaning as he slid his arms beneath him and pushed himself up onto his elbows.

"Slowly, now. You have been out for quite a while," she warned, leaning behind him to prop up his pillows so that he had something to lean against "It took some time before I was able to convince Volcan to get some rest himself before he would leave your side."

It struck Luke as odd at that moment that Volcan wasn't in the room with him. He noted that he was on a single bed, and that certainly explained why the Blaziken wouldn't be lying beside him, for the lack of room. As though reading his thoughts, Cinnia spoke up again. "He's downstairs. All of my guest rooms were filled by the rest of your friends, so I had only the couch left for him. He said that was fine."

The Lucario allowed himself a small chuckle after he took one of the snacks on the tray and munched on it. "I would have thought the size of the bed wouldn't have mattered if it meant he was at my side." He commented in jest as he took another snack from the tray. "Is it possible to see him at all?"

"Of course," she replied as she turned to leave, dragging her long body toward the door. "I'll send him up when I get back downstairs."

It occurred to Luke at that moment the oddness of where he was. "Wait." He called to Lady Cinnia, bringing her attention back to him. "You mentioned _your_guest rooms... why aren't we all staying back at the inn?" He asked quizzically.

A frown creased her brow and she slid herself back over to him. "Unfortunately, the inn was hit during the meteor bombardment," she explained, "The innkeeper is fine - he was with the other evacuees, but the building was crushed. A crew is searching for any of your belongings left inside, and will be returning them to you within the day. I invited everyone to come stay here in my home to recover from the battle."

Again, Luke felt that urge to speak up and tell her she had already done enough for him and his allies, though when his mouth opened to speak, the words died in his throat and he slowly closed his mouth and sighed softly before he lowered his head gratuitously to the Primarina. "Thank you..."

"Of course," she said, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "Hadleigh owes you a debt of gratitude, Luke, and I suspect so too does a certain Guardian."

His ears perked up at the mention of a guardian, the memories of the incident came back to him like a crashing wave. He sat bolt upright, nearly throwing the tray off his lap in the process "Is he alright?" He blurted out the question,

He regretted the sudden action in an instant, an immediate wooziness causing his eyes to cross and head to spin, followed by his body feeling like he had spontaneously ignited. When he fell back on the pillows, the pain started to fade, but not without leaving a slowly receding ache as a reminder of how stupid he had been to move so sharply.

"Oooww..." He groaned.

"As exhausted as you are," Cinnia returned, shaking her head at him but still smiling. "But the wounds from the battle are healing quickly and he regains his strength now. The townsfolk cleared out a warehouse to give him shelter, and Neilla's team watches over him, while Minato and Team Storm search the city for stragglers. Jora and her clan are also helping us identify the fighters from the Oppression."

The Lucario allowed himself a smile upon hearing Jora was actively helping the others to further protect Hadleigh, glad to see she was making good use of the second chance he bestowed upon her. He then nodded back to Lady Cinnia as he spoke. "I guess all's well that ends well for this city." He commented.

She nodded in agreement, offering him the cup of tea she had brought him to wash down the snacks and quench his thirst. After he downed the entire cup, she returned it to the tray. "I suspect you may have to lay over here for a time for everyone to recover. Though nearly everyone was only mildly injured, Tristan and Hageshi were not so fortunate and may need more recovery time."

"I understand." Luke returned with a nod. "To be honest, even after the mission was over, I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave right away or not... This city is beautiful and I really wanted to see the sights before we returned back to Azure."

Cinnia let out a light chuckle at that. "I'm afraid there is not _as_much to see after the attack. But the people are dedicated, and we will rebuild in time," she assured him.

"Hopefully in time for a little something I plan to share with Volcan later down the road." Luke replied with a wink to the Primarina.

"Indeed," she returned, smiling again at him as she turned and slid herself towards the door. "There is bell on the side table - ring if you need anything," she informed him. "I'll be down the hall - after I get your lover up here, of course."

Opening the door and pulling herself out, she closed it behind her, leaving Luke once more in silence and in the soft, comfortable bed. The Lucario sighed and let himself lay back against the pillows once more, staring up at the ceiling and letting himself become lost in his own thoughts. A wide smile stated to creep along his face as he thought about the future after this whole ordeal was over, and how he wanted to bring his beloved here for their honeymoon after they were properly wedded.

'It'll all come in time....Just hold out for a while longer.' He reminded himself as he shifted beneath his covers to get a little more comfortable.

A few moments later, he heard the door open again, and looked up to see Volcan stepping into the room. A smile formed on the Blaziken's face as he saw his lover awake, crossing the room to his bed and kneeling beside it, reaching out his hand to grip Luke's paw.

"Thank Xerneas you're okay," he said softly, holding Luke's paw tightly in his hand.

"Hi," Luke whispered back happily as Volcan knelt next to him, gripping his hand just as tightly in his paw. "I was hoping to find you here with me when I awoke." He added with a smirk.

"Well, somebody had to keep things orderly around here with you sleeping," he returned, and then gestured to the bed. "Besides... too small for both of us."

"That never stopped you before." Luke commented, raising an eyebrow at Volcan while still retaining his smirk.

"Maybe not," he said, shrugging. "But I knew you were in good hands - or, flippers, as it were." He leaned a little closer. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "Any changes?"

He shook his head slowly. "Aside from feeling really heavy, I don't feel any changes," Luke returned, his gaze shifting to the ceiling for a moment. "I'm still coming to terms with the fact I was able to pull that crazy stunt off...I thought for sure I was a goner a couple times..."

"Don't tell me that," Volcan said almost in a whine. "If I were capable of sweating, I'd probably have been leaking bullets while I thought about you exposing yourself to such... evil." The sarcasm was gone from his tone, shaking his head. "I couldn't bear that."

Luke looked back to Volcan, sensing the distress he felt and began lifting his paws to touch the Blaziken's cheeks.

"C'mere..." He whispered as he pulled Volcan closer, his forehead lightly bumping the Blaziken's as he held him there. "What could have happened doesn't matter now...The point is that it's done. I freed Lugia while retaining my sentience, and destroyed the Shadow Energy so that it would never come back." He said in a whisper, locking gazes with Volcan. "So long as I have you here, I'll _never_fall into darkness like that..."

"I certainly hope that's true," he said, leaning closer and wrapping Luke in an embrace. "I've almost lost you once already..."

"I know," The Lucario whispered back as his arms slid firmly around Volcan's back, holding him as tight as his weakened body would allow before he would pull back and smile lovingly at his beloved. "On a separate note...I'm very proud of you, by the way." He stated.

"For what?" He asked, curiously.

"For mastering Focus Blast, doi." He said as he bopped Volcan's forehead with his paw. "It's taken you a long time, but you've finally made that move your own."

"Oh... oh yeah, I guess I did," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I had almost forgotten until you brought it up."

Luke laughed lightly. "Lost in the heat of the moment. I understand." He said with a nod. "Point is, now you have something to counter physically strong foes. Though remember it's not very accurate, so you'll either need to be very precise in your aim, or slam it at point blank range into your opponent." He explained.

"Or aim into a crowd," the Blaziken offered, reminding Luke of its rather devastating crowd control application.

"That too." Luke agreed, then began to chuckle. "Jeez, here I am giving you a lecture on something when I _should_just be relaxing with the most wonderful Blaziken I've had the privilege of crossing paths with..."

The Blaziken chuckled with him, laying a hand against Luke's cheek. "And how I'd love to," he said. "But when we get home we'll have all the time we want, right? I'd rather let you rest for_that_."

Luke leaned his head slightly against Volcan's hand, turning his head a bit and kissing the Blaziken's palm as he stared into his eyes. Without another word, the Lucario gently leaned forward and took Volcan's cheeks in his paws, kissing his beaklips firmly and sighing in bliss. Volcan eagerly accepted the kiss, holding Luke tighter in his arms as he held it, pulling back reluctantly after a moment.

~~~~~

The stay in Hadleigh brought the group a much needed, if at times boring reprieve while the teams waited for Tristan to recover from the beating he had taken - suffering the loss of many of his metal plates from the meteor that had stricken him, which he had to shed off and let grow back. Worse still was Hageshi, having suffered multiple rib fractures from Asya - some of which might have been fatal had she struck him any harder. Daily visits from Serena would eventually heal him enough that could travel, but it still took time.

Shortly after Luke was rested enough to walk again, he sought out Jora, wanting to see how she was faring with her second chance, and he was pleased to see for himself that she had not wasted it. Her clan was doing its part to help clean up the debris in the city, working in groups to move objects to a disposal pile and even lighting fires to keep the citizens warm while they worked.

Jora herself helped distribute food and supplies at a hastily-assembled ration counter, doing her part for a community she had once been part of helping to destroy. He wished he could've had time to talk to her, but her volunteer work was keeping her busy.

Three days following the night of the siege, another Rescue Team, coming from Lindenburg, arrived with relief supplies. Though they had missed the battle they had come prepared for the aftermath, distributing food, blankets and tents to the people who had lost their homes and to the renegades who had been taken captive - not having put up much of a fight after realizing their lives were expendable when Asya had bombarded the city and them with it...

On the fifth day, the group was finally well enough to travel, and it was time to go home.

At the Overlook park, Lashanne's airship hovered low as Luke and Volcan and their teammates said their goodbyes. Neilla, her team, Ernoul and his, and even Lady Cinnia and her children had come to see them off.

"We would never have made it through this ordeal without your help," said Neilla to Luke and Volcan. "Safe to say every Pokémon in this city - maybe this whole region, owes you big time."

Luke smiled warmly back to the Lopunny. "We're just glad we were able to help defend this city anyway we could. The people of Hadleigh don't owe us anything." He replied with a dismissive wave of his paw. "So long as everyone's safe by the end of the day, that's all that matters to us."

Neilla smiled at him. "Well even if you won't accept thanks or a reward, maybe this will suffice," she said looking over to Lady Cinnia.

The Primarina passed Neilla a pair of envelopes, which she then passed one to Luke and another to Volcan. "What's this?" Volcan asked, studying the envelope curiously, as did his teammates. The envelopes carried a seal pressed into hot wax, but Volcan's amnesia had stolen his own knowledge of the seal's significance.

Not so for Luke though, who recognized the seal immediately as being the mark of an official Guild signet ring! "Holy...That's from the Guild High Council!" He would exclaim.

"No way! For real??" Hank piped up, peeking over Luke's shoulder to look at the envelope. "Dude, don't just stand there! Open it up!!"

"U-uh, yea. Right." Luke stammered, getting over his initial shock just as Hank told him to open the letter.

He gingerly tore the envelope apart and pulled out the letter inside, unfolding it and reading its contents.

Volcan, curious to know why the Guild Council would write them anything, refrained from opening his until Luke had finished unveiling the paper within, reading it aloud.

"'This missive is to Team Valiant of Port Azure. We of the Guild Hall of Lindenburg have heard of your most recent exploits in preserving the safety and security of Pokémon of the Eastern Continent, including your actions in the defense of our sister city, Hadleigh which we have voted to recognize as an official mission. With commendations from Team Warmachine Captain Torolf, Team Phobia Captain Romulus, and many witness accounts, we of the guild hall have seen fit to reward you by-'"

He trailed off briefly, eyes widening. Hank had to prompt him to go on before he finished reading the letter, his words slow and toneless as though he was coming out of shock.

"... 'By granting Team Valiant the highest honours in recognition of their courage and selflessness. Henceforth they shall be recognized as Gold Rank, and entitled to all benefits that are included. See the included regulation script for details. You have our sincerest congratulations, Signed, Lindenburg Guild Councillor Saul'."

He had not even finished reading the letter before Hank was whooping with glee. "WHOOO!!! FUCK yea!! We're fuckin GOLDEN booooiii!!!"

Eagle Eye and Doug were just as stunned as Luke was after he finished reading the letter, though the Talonflame was quick to join Hank in his celebratory exclamations. "Hot DAYUM!! This- I-...There aren't even any words to describe how _awesome_this is!! We're at the top, baby!!"

The Lucario slowly lowered the letter to his side, nearly dropping it as the shock began to slam full tilt into him. His mouth hung open a bit, though no words were uttered, and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates when the realization had finally hit him that Team Valiant was now among the elite.

Volcan stared in stunned amazement until he felt Tristan seize his shoulders and shake him briskly. "Volc, what're you waiting for?! Open ours!" Tristan urged the Blaziken.

"Alright, alright!" Volcan returned, squirming out of Tristan's grasp.

Tearing open the top of the envelope, Volcan lifted out a sheet of paper that was also a missive from the same guild hall. The first half of the letter was more or less the same as the letter Luke had read, but the second half was where it differed.

"'Though the defense of Hadleigh was not a Guild-sanctioned mission, we have chosen to recognize it as one, and thus we feel it is only right to elevate Team Phalanx to the respected Silver Rank within the guilds, in honour of their selflessness, courage, and determination even in the face of an enemy to all free Pokemon...'."

He looked at Minato. "What rank were we before, back on Arc?" He asked.

"If I remember correctly, we had just been promoted to Bronze rank not long before Arc was hit." The Lucario replied. "Still...our first mission together as a Bronze ranked team and already we're promoted to Silver? That's... well that's unheard of!"

"I am quite familiar with Guild regulations," Lady Cinnia spoke up suddenly. "What all of you have done here was, by guild standards, far beyond what any lower-ranking team should ever be forced to face. If the guilds had officially sanctioned the defense of Hadleigh they would have summoned available Gold-rank teams to answer the call. You rose above and beyond your stations, with nothing to lose or gain from taking this mission, and yet here you stand, heroes of Hadleigh."

"But..." Volcan began, turning his gaze to Neilla. "What about Team Plainsrunner and Storm? They were with us all the way too; heck, you could say they were on it first."

"Don't worry - we got our promotions too," Neilla assured him. "My team has also been bumped up to Silver Rank. Drogo's team was _un_ranked, so they've been jumped right up to Bronze, and probably won't take long to hit Silver with a mission like this on their record."

"And that's the truth of it!" Drogo piped up, proudly. "But don't forget, it's Ernoul's team, not mine. I'm just the muscle now."

Val gave the Raichu a derisive slap on the back. "Don't sell yourself so short, Drogo - it doesn't sound like you. You did great too."

"Yea, I mean, It's not often you get the chance to say that you helped bring down an out of control legendary!" Doug piped up shifting closer to the Raichu. Or at least far as his current housing - a large clay pot filled with soil that would help him return home to Azure, would allow him to. "That alone deserves a lot_of praise, and I mean a _LOT!"

"He's right pip-squeak." Hank added. "The way I see it, yer team's well on its way to making a mark on the world. Don't treat it like it's no big deal."

"Well, yeah I guess, but..." Drogo started to say, and then shook his head. "I messed up big time - more than once, too. All because I was pushing for fame and not for the rightness of the cause. I don't want to let this win go to my head or I'll be right back where I started."

"That's probably the most mature thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth," Breenelle remarked bluntly.

"Bree," Neilla said in a warning tone.

"What? It was a compliment!"

Azrael rolled his eyes at his wife, but there was a light smile on his face, which remained as he bumped his flank against hers, earning a frown from the Umbreon, but Breenelle soon sighed and nodded to Drogo. "Yeah... you did do good, Drogo. And, you learned. That's what matters."

Drogo blushed lightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks, Bree... given how I messed up, that means a lot coming from you."

Upon getting over his shock and overhearing the banter between Drogo and his comrades, Luke began to smile as he heard his teammates openly complimenting Drogo for both his efforts and how quickly he was maturing. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Hank piped up again.

"Well look at that. The little tyke's growin up so fast, it almost feels like yesterday when-!!" He grunted as Luke slapped his paw over the Zoroark's mouth, preventing him from finishing his sentence.

"Don't bother finishing that." Luke warned him quietly. "Let him have this moment."

Neilla turned back to them again, still wearing the warm expression she'd had since their arrival. "Well... let's not keep you guys any longer than we need to. I imagine you all want to get home."

Luke nodded softly. "Azure does need us to protect her borders." He admitted. "Though with that said, I'm hoping to return here when the city's rebuilt, and when we're not on official guild business." He added with a smile.

Neilla nodded in agreement, and looked down at Luke's paw as he offered it to her. She lifted her gaze then, frowning at him. "You think after all we've been through, a pawshake would suffice?" She said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward. "C'mere you," she said as she hugged the Lucario, much to Luke's surprise. She looked past Luke towards Volcan, holding out her paw to him. "You too, big guy."

Volcan smiled and shrugged, moving to join the two as Luke got over his shock, feeling Volcan's arms encompass both him and the Lopunny, sharing in the embrace with their newest, dearest friend Neilla.

She hummed contently as she hugged the two as tightly as she might have held her own brother, pulling back from them after a moment and shifting her gaze between them. "You two are both one of a kind," she said. "I really hope you can come back to Hadleigh someday."

Volcan smiled at her, putting his arm around Luke and pulling him closer. "We hope so too," he agreed.

"More like we _plan_to," the Lucario corrected, gently nudging Volcan with his elbow before wrapping his arm around the Blaziken's hip in return. "Once this crisis simmers down."

"I have only one thing left to offer," Lady Cinnia spoke up again, beckoning her daughter forward. The young female Brionne named Dina - as they had learned while staying at Cinnia's home- scooted forward with a camera held between her flippers. "First a group picture. I think this moment deserves such a thing."

"That's a great idea!" Sarth chimed.

"Hell yea! I'm up for it!" Hank added with a light chuckle.

Minato cast a wary glance up toward Tristan after the idea of a group photo was brought up. "...Try not to squeeze the air out of us with your little group hugs, okay?" He asked. "You tend to get a bit overzealous like that."

"You ever gonna let that go?" Tristan returned with a chuckle, giving Minato a slap on the back. "I was barely squeezing you two that time."

The teams began to form into rows for the picture, putting the tallest at the back and shortest up front to make sure everybody would be seen when the photo was taken. Val, standing behind Serena where she sat beside Aerendyl, took that opportunity to voice a question to her that had been nagging at him since she had arrived.

"Hey uh... Serena?" He asked.

She looked back at him. "Yes, Val?"

"When next we meet up you think we could... well..."

"You still want that race. I'm sure we could arrange something," she assured him.

"Well there is that, yeah. But... I was also wondering, you think maybe we could... get dinner or something?" He asked, blushing lightly.

Serena was also blushing, startled that the Floatzel was asking her on a date. But, the blush quickly faded, biting her lip as she struggled to find the words to answer, knowing he wouldn't like what she had to say.

"I'm... flattered, Val, but I have to decline that invitation. There's... someone else I'm seeing right now," she said.

Volcan and Minato both jerked as though someone had pinched them, looking in Serena's direction with stunned expressions, as her admission to being in a relationship caught them completely off guard. She saw their glances, but did not respond immediately, gauging Val's reaction.

The Floatzel let out a disappointed sigh. "The _one_time in my life I was too slow," he said with a smirk. "Well... it was worth a try. I hope this new guy treats you well, Serena, and I hope I can meet him sometime."

"Only the future will tell," she replied, smiling at him and nodding. "Thank you, Val."

Minato quickly leaned close to Volcan to whisper at him. "...You never told me Serena was actually _dating_someone..."

"I didn't know," He returned with a shrug. "I mean, I saw Katsu eyeball her once or twice but-" He trailed off, his expression flattening. "...No way."

They were snapped out of their conversation when Cinnia called out to them. "Everyone ready?" She asked.

As everyone started to shout 'yes', a thought occurred to Volcan. "Hold it!" He called. "We're missing two for this." He turned his gaze up to the airship before anyone could question what he meant. "Hey! Lashanne, Lighris!"

A moment later, the Delphox and Zapdos appeared at the rail, looking down at Volcan to see what he had to say. "Why don't you two come down here - we're taking a picture to commemorate the mission!"

"Why do you want us?" Lashanne asked.

"Yeah - we're not on your teams." Lighris added.

"As far as I'm concerned you both deserve credit as much as anyone else here!" Volcan called back. "Now come on!"

The two looked at each other, neither able to offer a sufficient argument to refuse. With a shrug, they both hopped over the side of the ship, Lashanne levitating herself down while Lighris fell into a glide and circled several times until he landed softly by his brother.

"We're not going to have to pose out here all day for a painting, are we?" Lashanne asked. "I'm hoping the artist can just... sketch us and remember the rest."

"Paint-what?" Neilla asked. "Haven't you ever heard of a camera before?"

"I... no, actually I haven't," Lashanne admitted, scratching her head. "What's that?"

Volcan shared an incredulous look with his brother, and then with Luke, surprised to learn that there were not cameras on the West Continent. With a unanimous shrug, Volcan told her they would explain later, and motioned them all into position, adjusting as needed until the entire group was captured in the photoshoot, and then three more to ensure every team would have their own copy to keep.

Dina laid out the pictures on her mother's tail as she let them develop, picking up the first one as it came into view and offering it to Luke. "It's not colour, unfortunately," she said as Luke accepted the photo from her. "It's hard to get colour cameras out here since nobody really asks for them."

"We still appreciate it nonetheless." Luke replied, looking down at the group photo and smiling happily. "This will make a very welcome addition to my photo album back home... thank you, lady Cinnia." He added with a cordial nod of his head to the Primarina.

"Of course," she bade. "I have one more gift to offer too," she added, looking at Eagle Eye in particular. "Come here a moment," she beckoned to him, much to his own surprise.

"Eh? Me?" Eagle Eye asked, tilting his head in confusion but hopping closer to Lady Cinnia regardless. "Uh...what's up?"

"I'm told you greatly enjoyed my song the night you first came to Hadleigh," she said. "Is that so?"

"Well...yea, I mean who wouldn't?" He answered quickly. "Yer voice almost made me faint from how beautiful it sounded."

"Well, I am always happy to offer a little parting gift to my new fans," she said, looking to Dina. "Ready?"

"Ready, momma!" Dina returned as she raised the camera to her eye.

Before Eagle Eye could even ask what was happening, Cinnia placed her flippers upon his wings, leaned forward and kissed him on top of the head. The camera flashed as she made contact, the Talonflame becoming as stiff as a statue as he processed what was happening.

He blinked a few times after the flash went off, still frozen in place for a few seconds longer before his beak curled into a _very_content grin. His cheeks turning a deeper shade of red than even his feathers, and he began to wobble back and forth before falling to his side, a sigh of pure bliss escaping his throat as the now lovestruck Talonflame lay there on the ground.

Hank began to laugh hysterically at the sight, slapping his knee a few times as he struggled to speak mid laugh. The contagious laugh soon spread to others of the group, except for Volcan who shook his head as he walked over to collected the comatose Talonflame.

"I hope I didn't break him," Cinnia remarked sheepishly as the Blaziken picked Eagle Eye up.

"Eh, one mention of the J-word and he'll be back to normal," said the Blaziken, draping the Talonflame over his shoulder as though he had hunted him.

Dina handed the picture to her mother as it finished developing. Holding it between her flippers, Cinnia held a pen in her mouth and wrote her signature on the back of the picture, offering it to Volcan when she was finished. "I hope he enjoys this little parting gift."

"I doubt he'll ever wash the top of his head again," he returned jokingly as he took the photograph with a nod, bringing a laugh from the singer as he returned to the others.

One by one, they made their way onto the ship. Hovering, levitating, flying, or even jumping, they lined the railing to wave goodbye to Teams Storm and Plainsrunner as the engines rumbled to life, the propellers spinning up and starting to carry the ship forward as Tristan brought the anchors back up.

The teams continued their waving until their new friends in the park were nothing more than specks in the distance, the wonderful city of art soon to follow as they made their way north-west towards the coast. Volcan and Luke were the last ones at the stern, staring longingly back at the city as they looked back on what had been their most exciting and memorable adventure yet.

"You know... this mission didn't just go really well," said Volcan. "This whole experience has been worth it - to face these challenges and come out ahead. We made some great new friends, we stopped Calhoun's army, and we destroyed the Oppression. We may not have beaten Calhoun or caught Asya but we've hurt them now, and we've shown the world they can_be defeated. And though there are Shadow Pokémon among them, even they aren't lost - they can be _saved."

Luke nodded in agreement, taking in one last long look at the City of Art, saddened to see it in its damaged condition compared to the unrivalled beauty the city had when they first arrived. He tore his gaze away reluctantly, looking up at Volcan "I like to think we've grown stronger as well... on a personal level." He added with a warm smile, but he soon noticed something about his lover.

In the time since Luke had met him he had never seen Volcan more full of life than he did at that moment. It made him briefly look back on how Volcan was when they first met - broken, and lost, and how he progressed, finding his true self again - a leader and a warrior, full of passion and strength. He almost could be a different person now, but Luke had always seen him for who he was, even when he himself did not.

"To have my team at my back... even if, for a time, I forgot I even had them at all," Volcan spoke, lifting his hands and looking at them. "It was like putting the pieces of a broken puzzle back together. For the first time since I landed in Azure, I felt powerful..." His hands clenched into fists. "_Invincible_even!"

He relaxed his hands, lowering them back to his side as he faced Luke. "Minato helped me realize I was carrying a guilt that was not mine to carry, and I did the same for him." He stepped closer to Luke. "Arc Island was _not_my fault. None of it was. I did the only thing that could be expected of me - I survived, and I went back. I saved Caulin, and then I saved what was left of my people."

He put his arms around Luke then, wanting to hold him. "Finding you, and realizing my love for you mended the tear in my heart. Finding my team, fighting alongside them again filled the void of my spirit." His grip on Luke tightened, the Lucario's ears standing straight and tall as he took in Volcan's words, hearing the strength and joy behind them.

"My heart, my spirit, my pride...It's_all_come back to me. I'm complete, Luke. I truly feel like I've healed, for the first time since that horrible night." He sank to his knees so that he could rest his head on Luke's shoulder and embrace him all the tighter. "I can truly give my whole being to you. I love you _so_much, Luke - maybe even more than I already did if that's even possible."

Volcan couldn't see it with his eyes shut and head resting beside Luke's, but the joy on Luke's face was as bright as the sun shining down upon them, filled with both relief and pride as he listened to the Blaziken announce how complete he felt. It made Luke hold onto him that much tighter as well, rubbing his cheek into Volcan's as they shared in the moment together.

"You're not the only one who feels complete, Volcan." He whispered happily before sneaking a quick peck to his cheek. "I love you so very much, Volcan... and I'm going to continue doing so even after my time here is up, because no one's ever filled me with so much happiness as you have."

Volcan held Luke so tightly after that it seemed as though the two might melt into one being, unable to pull apart from their embrace. They almost didn't notice the shadow cast over them, until they heard Serena let out a startled cry, snapping them back to reality. They looked up, and felt their hearts leap into their throats as they saw the being that had come up behind the ship and now held the sun at its back as it looked down at the two of them.

Lugia...

They stood perfectly still as the guardian studied them, settling its gaze upon Luke specifically. As they watched, they saw a gratuitous smile stretching across Lugia's face; following this Luke felt an energy course through him, a sensation in his mind as though it was being invaded by some foreign energy but he sensed only benign intent from this entity.

Two words, so silent they might have been a whisper if not for him feeling it resonating not in his ears, but within his entire being.

'Thank you.'

Luke flinched as he heard the telepathic words in his mind, staring in mild surprise as he registered the fact the great guardian of the seas was not only speaking to him, but expressing gratitude. Slowly the Lucario's expression softened and he ended up nodding and smiling back to Lugia.

"You're most welcome, Lugia," he replied.

With that, Lugia drifted to the rear of the airship, letting it get some distance before, with a wave of its wings, Lugia summoned a favourable wind that helped speed the airship along on its journey. As they drifted further from the guardian, it turned away from them and dove toward the river below, plunging below the depths, where they saw the massive silhouette through the rippling surface following the river downstream, back to its ocean home...

Lashanne spoke up unexpectedly after coming out of her shocked state, a chuckle escaping her muzzle. "You know... _That_moment, probably could've used one of those cameras."

Everyone began to chuckle at that. Slowly, it grew into a bellowing laughter from all across the deck as the two teams - friends all, shared in their triumph as they journeyed home...

_ ~~~~~ _

Azure...

It seemed like such a long time since Luke had looked upon his hometown. Even after being away from it several times in that past year alone -from attending a tournament to travelling to the west islands, to being sent away to the other side of the world for over a month. Yet, after such a long, gruelling mission, his home looked especially welcome to him as the airship made its approach.

The townsfolk below looked up to see the boat-like vessel passing over, staring in awe as they always did whenever they saw the remarkable contraption return from a flight. From the lighthouse, a Riolu was sprinting towards their landing site to meet them, and a Greninja watched from the rooftops as they made their landing, waiting until the ship's modified keel had touched down before he too began his approach.

Volcan and Luke were the first ones off the ship, landing softly on the ground and staring out towards town bearing warm smiles, Luke's paw held in Volcan's hand as they walked.

"Good to be home," said the Blaziken.

"No place like it." The Lucario concurred, taking in a large breath through his nose and getting a whiff of the salty air he was so accustomed to before letting out a long sigh. "Good to see it hasn't changed since our departure."

"Yea ain't that the truth!" Hank called as he too dropped from the airship into a crouch next to the two, hopping a bit after he landed and sighing in content as he gazed upon his home. "Sure, the view from above looked epic as hell, but nuthin beats lookin at yer hometown from ground level and really appreciating it for what it's worth."

"For sure," agreed Volcan.

Then came the high-pitched voice of Caulin as the Riolu, running as fast as his feet could carry him came running onto the scene. "Uncle Volcan!!" He cried as he made a mighty leap toward the Blaziken, tackling into him full tilt and hugging him as tight as his little arms could.

"Well someone's sure happy to see you." Luke commented with a chuckle as he watched the Riolu nuzzle Volcan over and over happily.

"Welcome home, Uncle!" Caulin exclaimed after pulling back to look at him with a gleeful smile.

"Good to see you, sport," Volcan returned, smiling back at Caulin and rubbing the top of his head. To the Riolu, something seemed different about Volcan, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was like a gloom had been lifted from him, and his eyes were full of life they hadn't carried before.

Seeing this side of Volcan only made the Riolu's smile fade slightly, tilting his head curiously as he spoke "You look so happy now. Even more so than when ya left for that Hadleigh place." He openly commented. "Did something happen while you were away?"

"Let's just say, we had a small heart to heart after I arrived." Minato spoke up as he dropped down from the ship, standing tall next to his comrade and clapping his paw atop his shoulder.

"Hey Dad!!" Caulin exclaimed as he leapt from Volcan's arms straight into Minato's, who caught him and staggered back a bit with a chuckle as they embraced one another.

One by one, the two teams disembarked from the ship, returning to ground level. Tristan, carrying down the large urn that Doug was housed within, tipped it enough to start letting the soil out so Doug could come out as well and burrow into the familiar soil of his hometown again. Once he was comfortably back in the ground, he looked back up to Tristan warily for a moment.

"Can you at least _try_to make a softer landing when you're carrying me in that thing?" He asked in a bit of a shaky tone. "I swear, that thing vibrated so much I thought I was gonna get the shakes permanently."

"Eh, you'll get over it," Tristan returned dismissively, setting the clay urn aside and going to rejoin his team.

It wasn't long before Katsu and Kage arrived at the scene to greet their allies, the large Samurott quick to pull his Team Captain into a hearty embrace that nearly squeezed the breath out of him, laughing heartily as he did so.

"Salutations, my dear friend!" He exclaimed.

"Ooff. H-Hey," Luke wheezed, tapping frantically on Katsu's arm to get him to let go. Once he was able to properly breathe again, he properly returned the greeting with a firm fist bump with the burly tank of his team. "I hope you didn't miss us too much while we were away."

"Alas, the days here have been quite dull during your trip away." Katsu admitted. "In hindsight, perhaps I should have joined you."

"I'm kinda surprised you didn't, big guy! You missed out on one HELL of a party!" Eagle Eye squawked, perching atop the Samurott's shellmet. "And don't even get me _started_on how Chicken Legs and his team completely ANNIHILATED the enemy before they could even get past the first leg of the battle! They were like, a four man army or something!"

Volcan let out a sheepish chuckle at that. "Well, maybe not _that_far," he said.

Even Kage noticed the changes in Volcan as Caulin had. The Blaziken had never been 'depressed' by any means -at least not that he had seen, but there always seemed to be something nagging at him before, but now the Blaziken spoke and moved as though he had been relieved of a burden he had been carrying for a long time.

Deciding to quell his curiosity, the elder Greninja stepped forward toward Volcan, wearing that usual cold demeanour he was so infamous for. "...What happened during your stay?" He inquired, though not in an overbearing way as he did when they first met.

Volcan never lost his pleasant smile even as Kage addressed him, casting a glance towards his teammates. "I found what I was missing," he answer, "and I've been made whole again."

Cryptic though the answer was, Kage understood the meaning behind it. He took a moment to take in the rest of Team Phalanx, and then nodded to Volcan silently before he turned his attention to the next one to descend from Lashanne's ship.

He saw the look in his eyes when their gazes locked, and immediately Kage knew everything he needed to know - Luke had sent Kage a letter in advance, warning him of his son's transgressions, but the look in Hageshi's eyes was all he needed to know the truth of them. He stepped forward abruptly toward the younger Greninja and gave him the sharpest, most intimidating glare anyone had seen from him - which was saying a lot, considering it was Kage.

"...I see you're still attached to your old ways of fighting crime," he said in a low tone.

Hageshi merely scoffed back at Kage. "Deep down, you know my way is better," he retorted. "After all, you _used_to be an assassin yourself, 'Father'. One of the most feared in the world at that."

"That was before I joined Team Valiant," He retorted, his glare getting more intense. "After everything I've tried to teach you, you still don't get it; senselessly killing does not solve anything. In many cases, it only makes the problem worse."

"It makes the problem disappear,"Hageshi argued in an angrier tone this time. "You rule your opponents through fear, but what do you do with the ones that _aren't_afraid? Showing mercy to those that have no concept of the term only leaves you vulnerable to getting stabbed in the back!" He went on, his anger rising as he continued. "At least I have the backbone to actively kill when the situation calls for it-"

"_Enough!"_Kage practically exploded, causing even Hageshi to flinch from the sudden outburst as his father cut him off. With that, Kage sighed heavily and closed his eyes, shaking his head in disgust as he walked past his son. "You've disappointed me for the last time, Hageshi. Should you decide to return home, be prepared for some harsh disciplining."

"You actually going to lay a hand on me for a change?" Hageshi taunted the Greninja as he walked off. "Finally working up the will to strike your own son?"

Kage stopped short at that jab, glaring back at Hageshi dangerously. "...As far as I'm concerned, _boy,_the only son I have is Wade." He stated coldly back to Hageshi before continuing on his way.

Hageshi felt a small twinge in his heart after that, lifting his hand up to his chest and staring on in disbelief as his father vanished from sight. Collecting himself, Hageshi scoffed and turned from where his father had vanished, also fading from sight as an icy wind rushed over him, leaving no trace of his presence after it passed.

"...Well that could probably have gone better," Tristan remarked when the silence stretched into awkward territory.

"I don't think there _was_a better for that, Tristan," Serena returned.

Minato continued to stare off at the spot he last saw Kage vanish from, silently scorning him for even uttering such a thing to his own child. In his mind, no matter how far his son fell, Hageshi was still his son. To disown him in such a way was inexcusable, and he would no doubt have some words for the stoic Greninja the next time he saw him.

Luke stepped in then to break up the ice as the awkward silence started to return again, clearing his throat before speaking. "In any case, unless anyone has any suggestions, I think we should all return to our homes and have ourselves a well earned rest."

"Can't argue with that." Hank commented with a shrug. "I've been away from my man for _way_too long, and right now I can bet he needs some quality time with me." He gave his team a casual salute. "So until next mission, I bid you all adieu!" He said as he vanished into thin air with his Illusion ability.

"My team and I have one last order of business to attend to," Volcan said, turning to Luke. "I'll join you at home right after we're done."

Luke nodded with a smile. "I'll be sure to have something on the table for you when you get home~" He said as he kissed Volcan's cheek. "And by something, I mean your favourite."

"I look forward to it," he said, nodding to Luke. "See you in a bit, love."

"Take care." Luke replied as he gave Volcan a small wave of his paw before he turned and headed off toward the direction of their home.

As that exchange went on, Katsu had approached Serena and had lowered himself down to her level so as not to appear intimidating toward her. "I am relieved to see you return safe and sound, dear Serena."

She smiled and nodded. "As am I. It's good to see you again, Katsumoto," she said, lifting her paw to touch his cheek.

He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes and sighing in content before he opened them again to look at her. "Once you are free... Perhaps you'd care to join me at my abode? For some dinner, perhaps?" He asked in a hopeful manner.

"I would love to," she replied, surprising him at how quickly she agreed when he had expected her to be hesitant. "I'll see you then."

Katsu nodded and slowly stood tall again, not pausing to question Serena's newfound courage - rather admiring it. "Until then, Serena." He said before he stepped aside, letting Serena rejoin her teammates for the business they had remaining.

Volcan said goodbye to Lighris lastly before the Zapdos headed his own way, giving them the privacy they needed for their meeting. The four friends gathered together, a silence falling over them as Volcan waited until he had their full attention before he began his explanation. Only Caulin remained to listen in, and Lashanne overhead - for she had been invited to the conversation, but she was waiting on a cue before she'd be joining.

"Before this mission, I was questioning whether or not Team Phalanx would be able to continue," Volcan began. "After all that we lost, it seemed as though the very reason this team had formed was gone. We all lost our homes... some of us lost more," he cast a glance at Minato with that. "And I wouldn't have held it against any of you, my friends, if you decided this was no longer the life for you."

He paused for a moment there, taking in a breath as he continued. "But at the battle of Hadleigh, _we_turned the tide - _we_faced the same enemy who took our homes from us, and _we_stopped it from happening again. Hadleigh survives, the Oppression is gone, and Calhoun has surely suffered a loss to his forces. All because _we_were there - how much worse might it have been if we had decided to hang up our hats - metaphorically speaking - and retired as a Rescue Team?"

"It's clear to me now... Team Phalanx is _needed._Every Rescue Team in the world must be ready to stand against Calhoun because they're the only ones who can, and that includes us," he looked at his friends again, his expression softening. "But the choice is still yours. Was this to be our last mission - the four us together, or will we remain and hunt down Calhoun together?"

Minato stepped forward after Volcan was finished, that fire in his eyes ever present even outside of battle. "I think after the conversation we had at Hadleigh, you should know my answer to that question." He stated firmly. "I've spent too long wallowing in shame and pity for something that was beyond my control. I'm committed to Team Phalanx until the very end; I'm with you, without question."

"And you damn well know I'm not goin' anywhere," Tristan chimed in, clawed fists resting on his sides as he grinned. "This life is where I want to be, and where I damn well belong - and if it gets me a shot at those scum who took my home, even better!" He punched his fists together for emphasis. "I'm in it to the end of the line."

Serena was the last to reply, a look of uncertainty crossing her features as she considered the question. Out of everyone, she was the only one not to immediately agree, and Volcan momentarily feared she would announce her resignation.

But she didn't; though tears filled her eyes, her voice was strong. "When Arc was attacked... I lost my mother," she said. "As you may remember, she was my only family on Arc - I know of no others, anywhere in the world. Suffice it to say, my family perished that horrible night."

She looked at Volcan in particular, the Blaziken stunned to hear this. "I didn't want to tell you before, knowing the burdens you were already carrying... but I cannot leave Team Phalanx even if I wanted to, because you all are the only family I have left. So I shall stay... to be with the ones I love."

Without hesitation, Volcan approached Serena, lowering himself onto one knee as his gaze met hers. Slowly, he picked her up and wrapped her in a gentle embrace, holding her tightly in his arms as she wrapped her paws around his neck.

"I'm so sorry, Serena..." he said to her.

Serena only sniffled in reply, eliciting a whimper and rubbing her face in Volcan's feathered shoulder as she took comfort in his warmth, relieved that she had finally let go of the one secret she had kept from her teammates to spare them further grief.

Minato was quick to join in the embrace, gently stroking down her back to help comfort her as best he could. Out of the whole team, Minato could relate to her loss the most, having lost something precious to him during that attack; though now that he knew her secret, it made him remember Lashanne's words to him before he decided to head over to Hadleigh himself, that he wasn't the only one suffering from the tragedy that took their home away from them.

When Serena had had the cry she needed, she pulled back from Volcan, sitting on the ground as he set her down. She looked over to see Caulin standing next to her, sharing a sympathetic look with the Riolu. Caulin, more than anyone, knew her pain - the pain of a child losing their mother, with no chance of ever getting them back. Slowly they wrapped each other in a tight hug, Caullin sniffling as his paws rested on Serena's soft skin, but both of them had already cried for their lost ones. Now, they wept for each other...

Volcan waited on them before he decided to bring up the next subject, letting Serena collect herself before he spoke again. "Strong as we are, our formation has yet to be completed. Any one of us here can use _some_ranged attack but I think we can all agree close-range combat has always been our forte. We need a distance fighter - a _dedicated_one. Thus, it's time that we expand our ranks, and I know just who to ask."

He looked up at the ship, letting Lashanne know that it was her cue. With only brief hesitance, Lashanne bound over the side of the ship and slowly levitated down to the ground, moving over to join them.

"So, Lashanne," began Volcan. "As it seems you won't be returning to the west for a while, I'd like to extend this offer to you first. You were of great help to us in Hadleigh _and_in bringing us back together," he looked to Minato, who nodded in agreement. "I know you're used to working by yourself, but I'm hoping you will at least think on the offer. Will you, Lashanne, join Team Phalanx?"

Lashanne looked at Volcan with deep consideration, studying the others in the group and gauging their reactions. Serena seemed indifferent to welcoming another - though that was likely the result of her moment of reminiscence. Tristan was giving an approving nod; though he had not seen much of Lashanne's own combat skill himself, he was familiar with the abilities of a Delphox, having met a few in his days as a Gladiator. Minato took the initiative to step forward, and offer her his paw as he spoke.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say you have what it takes to become our Javelin." He said with a wink as his smirk grew bigger. "One that can certainly throw a punch if she has to."

With that, the Delphox gave an exaggerated shrug. "Why the hell not? I suppose if I'm out of the treasure hunting game for a while I gotta do _something_with myself," she said, and grabbed Minato's paw to shake it. "I'm in."

"Welcome to Team Phalanx, Lashanne," Volcan bade, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

The Lucario shook her paw firmly once she agreed. "Glad to have you aboard." He replied. "With you helping us, we'll stand a much better chance at taking down those bastards."

"Minato," Serena piped up, reminding him that Caulin was right next to her.

"...Oh, whoops." He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as his son looked at him with his head tilted to the side in confusion. "You erm... didn't hear that from me."

"...Hear what?" Caulin asked inquisitively.

Serena whispered the answer to him. "A bad word."

"And_I'm_the one who doesn't think before speaking?" Tristan teased with a shrug and a chuckle.

"Tristan, don't even get me _started_on all the times you've said something we've all scorned you for." Minato warned the Aggron.

"Next time he brings one up, let's be sure we remind him," Volcan remarked, sharing a chuckle with Minato and Lashanne.

"Well, off to a good start," the Delphox stated. "I think I'm gonna like it here."

"Last order of business, our new lives here," began Volcan. "We need to build you guys some new homes, so you don't have to spend your days at that inn -no offense to the proprietor or anything."

"Now_that_, I can call a good idea," Tristan stated, pointing a finger at Volcan in approval. "Let me know when you need me to knock down a few trees and we can get started."

"We should wait until winter is done," Serena stated. "With the ground frozen it'd be impossible to lay foundations yet."

"Serena makes a good point. Gives us more time to pick a plot of land, do a bit of research on building and see what the town's policy is on expansion," Volcan added. "I'll ask Luke about that last one when I get home."

"I'll start gettin' materials then - nails, tools and such," added Tristan. "Sooner the better, I say."

"Same here. Though I've got the airship, having a permanent residence and, maybe a dry dock for it, might be worth the work," Lashanne agreed.

"If that's all settled then,,I feel it's about time to have a little celebratory dinner," Minato said, pulling Caulin to his side and patting his son's shoulder. He turned his gaze to Lashanne. "Would you like to join us? It'll be my treat tonight."

"Never say no to free food," Lashanne returned. "Can Toby come along?"

"Don't see why not." Minato replied with a shrug. "He's half the reason we made it to Hadleigh and back. He should share in the reward as well."

"And he's fun to make jokes with and talk to." Caulin piped up with a small giggle.

"What about you, Tristan?" Volcan asked. "You want to join me and Luke?"

Tristan shook his head. "Nah, I'm not gonna butt in on your guy's time," he replied. "Not Serena and Katsu's either."

"Come with us then," offered Lashanne. "I can pitch in for the meal for a fifth if need be." She directed to Minato, assuring him he wouldn't have to feed all five of them himself.

"If you'll have me, sure I'll tag along."

"Hey Tobes!" Lashanne called up to her ship. "Get your tail down here - we're going for dinner!"

"Yeah?! Be right down!" The Meowth eagerly called back, the sound of him scampering across the deck audible as he went for the rope ladder.

Minato turned to Volcan as they waited for Toby to join them. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He said to the Blaziken, a grin forming on his face. "Feel like going a few rounds tomorrow, for old time's sake?"

Volcan grinned back. "Definitely. But I hope you're ready - I've improved a lot since our last bout."

"I'd expect no less from you." Minato returned with a grin, bumping fists with the Blaziken just as Toby reached the bottom of the ladder. "Take care of yourself then, Volcan."

"You too, Minato."

As the group departed, Volcan and Serena also went their separate ways, heading away from the main body of town to meet those awaiting them. Volcan walked at a brisk pace towards his home, carrying himself with a confidence he had not felt in what seemed like a lifetime.

But that was fine with him. His life was everything he wanted now...