Tryouts
The next day... Luke awoke early as usual, stretching and heading for the kitchen to prepare breakfast for his family and his guest. However, upon taking a quick walk around the house he noticed Volcan was nowhere to be found. "...Volcan?" Luke called as he wandered the house. As he stepped out into the kitchen and glanced over at the door, he noticed it had been left slightly ajar. Peering through, he saw outside, and glanced down the ramp to see Volcan, up bright and early, jogging around a copse of trees, taking a few running leaps and displaying remarkable acrobatics that seemed to surprise even himself, because after performing a triple front flip and landing, the Blaziken was looking at his legs as if they were not even his own. Luke slowly walked through the door and toward Volcan after he was finished with his acrobatics. "You're up bright and early today." The Blaziken jumped slightly before turning to look at Luke, calming the moment he saw him. "Yeah... couldn't sleep," he said, before dropping to the ground, supporting himself on his hands and doing push-ups. "Wanted to... give... myself... a real... test run..." He said between each time he elevated himself. After about twenty, he pushed himself back up to his feet. "I already guessed most of this body's power is in its legs, but it can jump so incredibly high I'm able to do acrobatics I never could as my old self." He rolled his shoulder. "Yanno... despite the situation, this isn't all bad; I like this body, even if I can't fly anymore." Luke nodded. "Blaziken are well known for their acrobatic combat prowess...I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled off an air combo with many strikes before landing..." "If I was going for an airborne opponent, I probably could," the Blaziken admitted, confidently, before he dropped down onto his rear, curling back one leg and resting his arm over it, grimacing as he slipped into thought. "So... remember that conversation you and I were having, about those deities of Space and Time... Palkia and Dialga wasn't it?" "That's right..." Luke returned, also sitting next to Volcan cross legged. "Back on my world there are similar gods; people contacted them by prayer, and though they'd hear them they'd never directly respond," he said, and glanced at Luke. "How is it here; is there any way we could contact them? Maybe... I could ask one of them why I'm here or how it happened?" Luke thought for a moment. "....Perhaps...but we'd have to travel quite a ways away from here...Palkia and Dialga reside atop a mountain peak known as the Spear Pillar..." "Is it visible from here?" Volcan asked, glancing around. "No....to get there would take quite a long time...just under two weeks on foot." Luke returned. Volcan chuckled. "I've made longer trips than that," he said. "I guess that's where I need to go, then." He stood up. "One of those guys has to know how I got here and why I am at all... I have to try and contact one of them." Luke looked up to Volcan as he stood up. "...You DO realize you're going to need a LOT of supplies and fighting experience before you can venture out to the Spear Pillar..." "I didn't mean today, buddy," he said. "I don't even know where the place is; I'll not only need supplies, I'll need a guide. Plus, I'd have to take Serena with me; we both need answers." "Well a guide won't be much a problem. My team and I will escort you and Serena." Luke returned. "As for supplies, there are plenty of berries and medical supplies my wife can gather for us." Volcan looked at Luke, a look of uncertainty on his face. "Ever since I got here, your entire life has been turned on its head; I'd have thought you'd want me gone after all this," he remarked. "You sure you'd want to come with me? You've got a family to think about..." Luke closed his eyes for a moment. "Volcan...you need to understand something about Rescue Teams." He began. "It's our sworn duty to assist and protect innocent Pokémon no matter what...My wife understands the risks involved in my line of work..." He stated. "I don't want you gone...I want to help you return home....and my team and I will do what we can to help you with that...." The Blaziken almost wanted to hug Luke for his kind words, but he settled for a smile, not wanting to overstep and boundaries, and nodded gently to him. "That means a lot, Luke... you're a true friend. I'm glad you were the first one I met when I arrived and not someone nastier." Luke nodded. "I won't lie...our time together has been enjoyable....albeit eventful..." He admitted, glancing away a bit. Volcan chuckled. "If you ever get to come back to MY world, you'll see things are no less eventful there," he said. "I tell ya about the time one of my own best friends tried to kill me?" His head tilted and eyes shifted slightly. "Actually now that I think about it that's happened twice now..." He muttered. Luke's ears perked. "Wait hold up...one of your friends tried to KILL you??" He asked in astonishment. Volcan was about to reply when his stomach growled. After a brief silence, the Blaziken laughed. "Maybe a story better told another time," he said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Right now, I could use some breakfast." Luke nodded. "I was about to make some breakfast earlier." He returned. "C'mon, I'll make us something filling." "Sounds good to me." ~~~~~ Serena woke up on a strange bed, shaking her unusually shaped head as she gained her bearings, looking at her sleek, blue body that was nothing like her old self. She stood up and stretched much like a cat, wincing as she felt her tail hit something and checked to make sure she hadn't knocked over a lamp or something else breakable, but all she'd hit was just the wall. She hopped down from the bed, instinctively trying to land on her hind-legs only to drop to all fours, suppressing a whimper as she hit her sprained ankle. "Now I remember," she said, frowning, and looked around for her host. Katsumoto was nowhere to be found within the shack, however the sound of a tree falling and a loud grunt could be heard from outside. Curiously, she trotted -carefully- out of the shack, pushing her way through the door and glancing around outside as she sought him out. Upon glancing to her left, she could see the Samurott on his back, grasping a HUGE tree against his body and performing sittups, never once stopping for a break as he used the tree he cut down as a weight to train with. He then tossed the tree up in the air and caught it in his paws, taking a moment to balance it as it wobbled a bit before he started to do some squats while lifting the tree over his head. Serena, noticing that he was exercising, decided not to disturb him, and wandered over to the lake instead to get a drink, dipping her head in the water and shutting her eyes as she gulped some of the lake water down, letting the cool, soothing liquid flow down her throat. Katsu continued his workout for a few minutes longer before hurling the tree into the air as hard as he could, then he quickly hopped to his feet and waited for the tree to fall again, in which he drew his blades and sliced rapidly at the tree as it fell, turning it into small disks of wood that scattered all over the place until he had sliced the last of the tree. He then sighed and slowly resheathed his blades before arching his back and cracking his neck. It was then he noticed Serena over by the lake, shaking her head to get the water off of her mouth before she slowly and carefully stepped into the water until it was up to her back, and began to gently paddle around with her paws before testing her tail. To him, it seemed like she was trying to get a feel for her body, which, if it was true she was from another world, made sense. Katsu watched her silently from afar, not wanting to disturb her from testing out her body, but keeping ready in case she struggled and needed help. Eventually, when she noticed Katsu had finished his exercise, she returned to the shore and stepped out of the water, shaking herself dry before she approached him. "Good morning," she bade him. "Good morning..." He returned, lowering his head respectfully as she approached him. "Did you sleep well...?" She nodded. "Yes, although... my awakening started off kind of roughly; I had forgotten where I was for a moment," she blushed. "But I'm okay now." She lifted her paw that she had sprained the day before. "And after that swim, this doesn't seem to hurt so much now." He nodded, gently taking her paw into his. "That's good...I'm glad to see you're on the mend Serena..." He returned with a small smile, though once again he had that blush on his cheeks as he spoke to her. She was also blushing, uncertain of why she felt this way near him, and, for the sake of changing the subject, she turned her gaze in the direction of Luke's house. "I suppose I should check in with Volcan today; when he stopped by last night he mentioned he was thinking of a way that might help us find our way home. I wonder if he came up with anything." Katsu nodded softly. "Would you like me to escort you...?" He asked, slowly averting his eyes and blushing a little more. She nodded. "Yes... I fear I still don't know my way around and... well," she giggled. "The way we came here before didn't exactly leave me time to learn the lay of the land." "I understand..." He returned. "Come...We'll take our time so that you may at least grasp the scope of the path to Luke's home and back." She nodded. "A sound plan," she agreed, though her eyes showed she was indeed troubled. The Vaporeon wondered if there really -was- a way for her and Volcan to return home. Although she knew she would adjust to this world eventually, the thought of never seeing her friends or kin again made her heart sting, and caused her to lag somewhat behind Katsumoto as they began walking, but she promptly caught up to him when she realized she wasn't walking fast enough. Katsu noticed her pained expression as she caught up, slowing down a bit so that she could catch up. "You seem troubled, Serena..." He said softly as she walked alongside him once more. "I'm just..." She paused, biting her lip. "Honestly, I'm confused, and a little afraid. This body, this world, this place... all of it is strange to me. I was only just adjusting to the surface world and living with their civilizations after spending my entire life, living at the bottom of the ocean, only to be sent somewhere completely new before I truly settled it." She shuddered. "It's just a little strenuous; too much seems to be happening too soon." Katsu nodded a little in response, slowly stopping and gently placing his paw along her back. "I see...I am sorry for your distress Serena...I wish there was a way I could help ease your troubles at least until we discover a way to help you return home...." She smiled at him. "I appreciate your concern." she said. "I'm glad we met you and your friends when we arrived..." She frowned. "Though I fear troubles of our world have followed us here, from what Volcan was telling us about those corrupted Pokémon. I am lucky I was not torn apart by them while I was unconscious." "We can only do what we must to defend ourselves and the innocent Pokémon of this world against this new threat..." He returned, then slowly stepped in front of her and placed both his paws on her shoulders. "Regardless of what we face, I will be at your side no matter what...I swear to you I will help you and Volcan return home even if it costs me my life." He said softly to her. She blinked at him, her expression a mix of surprise and disbelief at his sudden devotion to helping her. By the time they both realized how long they had been looking at each other, their distance seemed a little uncomfortable, and both pulled back. "Well... you are a golden hearted person, Katsu. I appreciate your concern for Volcan and I." Katsu nodded and averted his gaze a little. "It is my sworn duty as the Mighty Blade of Team Valiant to serve the innocent in whatever affairs they require assistance with." He returned. Somehow, Serena felt there was more to it than that, but did not continue the subject, and voted they carried on. After a short walk, they arrived outside of Luke's house, and saw the Lucario and Blaziken were sparring again, this time running through exercises where Volcan used his acrobatics and jumping abilities to evade enemy attacks. "Good dodge!" Luke commented after Volcan dodged his Sky Uppercut, then he quickly fired a rapid succession of Aura Spheres at Volcan once he landed, intrigued to see how he would react to the sudden barrage. Volcan had to clumsily avoid the first, only to backflip away from two of the others. However, the timing of his leap was slightly off, and the last two Aura Spheres hit home, one landing on his back, the other on his left shoulder, and he tumbled to the ground. "Ouch," he grunted. "Okay, messed up that one." Luke trotted over and quickly helped him back up to his feet. "You did well to evade most of them, though your timing was off when the last two attacks hit you." Luke said to him. "You'll get used to it with repeated exercises though." "Right. Although yanno, usually I'm only that quick in the air; getting used to it on the ground has been a bit of a switch," he said, chuckling. "I understand." Luke returned. "But you're adapting quite quickly I must say; not even my brothers were this quick to learn how to fight." "Let's just say it ain't my first rodeo," remarked Volcan. "I'm no stranger to fighting." "Well that past experience will definitely make things much easier for you." Luke said with a smile and a nod. "At this rate, you'll be able to properly fend for yourself in no time." "That's good to hear," he said. "Though I certainly could use a bigger test..." At that moment, the two noticed Serena and Katsu approaching, the two greeting them warmly as they arrived. "Good morning, Volcan and Luke," said Serena. "Hi, Serena," said Volcan, and then looked closely at her, noticing she was favoring a leg. "Hey, what happened to your foot?" "I sprained it while training," she replied. "It's better today,though; a swim in a cold lake seemed to be all it took." "Good to see you're recovering well." Luke bade to Serena, and then looked to Katsu. "I see you're taking good care of her." Katsu nodded. "Of course." He returned. "I was honoured to have her stay over at my place." Volcan grinned at Katsu. "I bet you were," he remarked, catching the Samurott off guard with his statement. He blushed at that implication. "I beg your pardon...?" The Blaziken only snickered, and didn't add to the subject further. Luke seemed to catch on to what Volcan was hinting at and couldn't' help but chuckle a bit as well. Katsu blushed even further and turned his head away. "I-I assure you nothing of the sort happened. I treated her injuries and helped her discover her abilities... that is all." "Right... anyway," said Volcan. "What do you suppose we should do today?" Luke shrugged. "Well I suppose a break is in order...perhaps a stroll around town might help us relax some." He offered. "Long as no more monsters come out of the sea," Volcan remarked. Luke laughed a little at that statement. "No promises." He said, before he walked ahead and beckoned the others to follow him toward town. ~~~~~ Their time in town was mostly uneventful; most Pokemon were busy with the reconstruction of the buildings destroyed by the Corrupted Gyrados before, the body of which had been taken away from the town and burned by a pair of Charizard that lived locally, purging any of its taint that may have lingered. Besides the reconstruction, the town seemed to be getting back to normal. However, on their way out, they came upon a small crowd gathered at the wall of the general store where Volcan, being the tallest, saw over their heads that they were looking at a poster on the wall of the store. "Can't make out what it says," he remarked. "Let's get a closer look." Luke offered, slowly inching his way into the crowd to see what all the commotion was about. Once they were able to get through the crowd to see the poster, they were able to read the contents of the poster: 'Challenge to Local Rescue Teams and Fighters!' Test your strength to prove who is the #1 fighting Pokémon Team or Individual in the region! Hosted by the famous Rescue Team Warmachine Prize is Fame, along with one of ten Mega Stones, and 20,000 Poke-Dollars! Teams of all sizes and types welcome! Luke rubbed his chin upon seeing what the poster displayed. "...A challenge to Rescue teams huh...?" He muttered softly. Katsu smirked, clearly enticed by the idea. "This sounds like something I could enjoy greatly..." "Sounds like a martial arts tournament back home," remarked Volcan. "Some people make careers out of this sort of thing." At the bottom, it said: 'Location: Mobile, aboard the Kyogre's Rest cruise ship, landing in Westport City' and also included dates to how long the ship would be there "That's not too far from here..." Luke stated as he read that last bit. "We could make that journey in a day's time." "Think of anyone else who might want to go?" Volcan asked "I can name a couple," Luke returned. "Most of the team will want to participate, as well as some others I know that I consider part time members." "I get the feeling that brother of yours you told me about -Rigel, wasn't it? I suspect he'll wanna check this out. Hell, he's probably already heading there." "Oh no doubt.." Luke said with a bit of a sigh. "His girlfriend might be joining him as well...I swear those two are quite a pair of war mongrels..." "Well, if he fights anything like you he'll probably beat me but... I think I'll get in on this too," said Volcan. "Could give me the experience I need. So how far away is Westport from here again?" "Like I said, it's about a day's walk from here. If we let everyone know quickly, we should make it by tomorrow morning." "Alrighty then; let's get started." ~~~~~ The group was setting out by the next morning, gearing up just for a short trip before heading on their way. In attendance from Team Valiant were Luke, Katsumoto, Hank, Eagle Eye, and Kage. Doug decided to opt out since he wasn't really a fighter for the team. Serena was coming along only to spectate, but Volcan seemed especially pumped up for this contest, ready to finally see what his new body could do. Whenever they stopped for a rest on the journey he'd spend some of the time practicing by himself, making sure he had whatever moves he'd learned mastered; so far, he had Fire Punch, Blaze Kick, the Sky Uppercut Luke had taught him, and the Flamethrower he'd discovered accidentally. Among those that weren't part of the team were Kage's pupil, Wade, and Luke's second eldest brother, Mikhail. Luke looked around at the group as they gathered around and nodded. "Seems we're all here..." Serena glanced around. "Hey... Luke, didn't you mention you had another brother coming with us?" She inquired. "Did he run ahead?" Luke sighed a little in annoyance. "He must have run off ahead of us..." "He's always been headstrong and impatient..." Mikhail said as he adjusted his glasses. "Dammit Rigel..." "Well, let's try and catch up to him," said Volcan. "Agreed." Luke returned, then looked ahead. "Everyone stay close, and move at a pace that's comfortable for you." He said before he took off, with the rest of the group following behind him. "Comfortable he says, and he's off like a shot!" Volcan remarked before sprinting after them. Serena jumped into the nearby river, choosing to travel by swimming instead. Both Wade and Katsumoto travelled using Aqua Jet, while Hank and Kage leapt along the trees above. Eagle Eye soared high above, acting as the eyes in the sky. Volcan eventually caught up to Luke and ran alongside him. "Dayum! This body's a natural sprinter!" He remarked. "Of course. I thought I made it clear that Blaziken were known for striking hard and fast. Granted they're not quite up in a Sceptile's league in the speed department, but they're still fast enough to deal a hard blow." Luke returned. "Hey, it's still a learning curb, alright?" Volcan said, poking him in jest. "I'm still getting used to travelling on foot at all." "I understand." Luke returned as they continued to travel. "....What's your world like anyway...?" "Well that's a hard question without something specific; what do you want to know?" Volcan asked. "Well...is it anything like our world?" Luke asked. "You mentioned you were used to flying...are there a lot like you in your old self?" Volcan grimaced. "Some... although my species is on the verge of extinction," he said. But shook his head. "Although if you mean avians in general, there are millions of them; humanoid birds who can fly and see great distances, some with special powers like mine, and all with lives of their own. Most prefer to live in places with lots of altitude or plenty of open space." "I see...I'm...sorry if I brought up some sour memories..." Luke returned, reffering to that quip about his species Volcan shrugged. "It's something that happened long before my time," he said. "But my species is still alive and prospering. And those of us alive have plenty of time; my uncle in Scotland is over 3,000 years old already." "3,000???" Luke echoed, looking at Volcan in shock. "How long do your species live exactly???" "I'm not sure," replied Volcan. "Most of us don't always get to see the end of our lifespan but it's been said we can live between five to eight thousand years." Luke shuddered at that notion. "I don't think I'd ever WANT to live that long..." Luke returned, flattening his ears a little "Yeah... there are downsides to it," said Volcan. "My Uncle could tell you all about that. Anyway, I shouldn't talk about such a depressing thing. What else do you want to know?" "What are your friends like?" Luke asked. "Aside from Serena, you never exactly went into much about them." "Well let's see..." Volcan began. "I'll start with Pavan; I've known him the longest. He's a Wind Phoenix, so while I control Fire, he manipulates the Air itself. He's a hyperactive sunovagun; hates standing still for more than a few seconds, always on the go, but he's dependable, and never boring to be around if nothing else." "Sounds a lot like Rigel." Luke said with a chuckle. "Always on the move and cocky as always...he probably gets it frwom Nido..." Luke returned. Volcan chuckled. "Yeah; watching paint dry wouldn't be boring with Pavan around. His only drawback is with his hyper activeness he has the patience of the wind; he can't stop for a moment and really really hates waiting. Worse than even me. He's damn quick too; found a way to manipulate his Wind powers to let him run or fly incredibly fast." "Again, much like Rigel...only he can use his Aura to create fire based attacks instead of wind..." Luke returned "Neat," said Volcan. "So, there's Pavan... next I suppose is my friend Tsume; she's an Earth Phoenix, and quite a spirited gal. Although she's born into a rich family, she's no princess; she thrives on thrills, loves to compete and really likes adventure. But she's gentle when she needs to be, good-natured and really loves the environment and plants, especially flowers." "A tomboy I see." Luke returned. "She'd get along with Wade's girlfriend pretty well...she's also an outgoing spirit who doesn't take any kind of bullshit." "Heh, sounds like a good match. She's a damn beautiful girl too but, she's spoken for so, I'm not laying a hand on her," he said, though not in a jealous manner. "Which brings me to my buddy Korban; he's the one I mentioned before that I originally met when he was sent by an enemy of mine to kill me." "That you did mention before...It's a shame you two met on such rough grounds, but from what you told me, you made him sound like he was one of your closest allies..." "He is, and almost like another brother to me," said Volcan. "Once I helped him get set on the right path, he helped us go after the very same man who hired him to kill me, who eleven years before had also kidnapped the father of my friend Vinge. I'll get to that later, but thanks to Korban, we defeated that bastard, reunited Vinge with his father, and ended one of the largest criminal factions in the world. Since then, he hooked up with Tsume, and is at our back in a lot of ventures; he was even part of the group that saved me from Kalo'Temir." Luke flattened his ears. "Right yes...that demon that nearly killed you...Sorry." Luke returned. Volcan waved it off. "No issue," he said. "Anyway, yeah; since then, Korban's been at my back, along with his partner Kieran who... honestly, I don't know what to say about him. He's a good guy and all but I confess I haven't taken much time to get to know him. Although, he's good with a blade and equally good with magic; a spellsword, to be exact, and a tough kitty." "So he's a Psychic type then?" Luke asked, confused about the term 'Magic.' "Sorry I'm not sure I understand the magic part..." "No, Kodaku would be the Psychic," said Volcan. "See, in my world, Psychic refers to abilities such as Telepathy, Telekinesis and the ability to read minds, but Magic is an otherworldly force, fueled by an energy called Mana which exists in all life, in the air, and in the cosmos. It's not like your Aura, which in our world we call 'Chi' as it comes from other sources and is a supernatural essence. Kieran can use this energy to do things such as make his sword sharper, create a shield around him, increase his speed and so on." "I see." Luke returned. "Fascinating. I hope I get to meet him someday..." Volcan nodded. "Next on the list is Vinge, who I mentioned before. The smartest damn bird I ever met in my life; guy has a ridiculously high IQ, and is a brilliant strategist. He's damn good in a fight because the longer the battle drags on the more easily he learns how to beat you, until eventually, when he starts reciting passages from Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War', you're going down, and in pain." Luke nodded. "Someone like Ray, Luna or even Tech might like him...they're incredibly smart themselves. Hell I bet even Mikhail would get along with someone like him. He's rather smart himself." "That's not all; Vinge is also an Ice Phoenix, a young and rare species, born as a hybrid of Wind and Aqua Phoenixes, resulting in the creation of another elemental," Volcan went on. "He's found a way to use his powers like a one-man army; me, Pavan or Tsume have to concentrate on a few projectiles at once but Vinge can conjure a thousand chunks of ice and hit you with... ALL of them at the same time; he has perfect focus." He smiled. "To top that off, he's an amazing friend; always at my side when I need him and great for a game of chess..." He chuckled. "Although he beats me every damn time." "Let's see him try and beat my brother in chess..." Luke returned in a bit of a challenging manner. "Alright... next one is Buniq," Volcan carried on. "She's Kieran's girlfriend as of recently but of everyone I know back home she's got quite the story. She was orphaned as an infant; has no idea who she really is or who her parents are, and was raised by the Inuit; she's a hell of a survivor and tracker, and is a gifted leader, but beyond that being around her just inspires strength; you feel safe with her, and feel ready to take on the world with her at your side. And you could certainly make your mark; as a Werecat she's got supernatural power, and all the proportionate strength of a mountain lion." "A werecat? I can't say I've ever seen one before..." Luke admitted. "What do they look like?" "Like a really humongous cat that can stand up on its hind legs," replied Volcan. "Anthro's like me are basically the halfway point between a human an animal, leaning more towards the former as we're sentient, intelligent, and share anatomical similarities. A werecat -or other Therianthropes- are sort of that as well, but much more feral and monstrous in appearance. Standing on her hind legs Buniq would be almost seven feet tall, but she can still drop down on all fours and run really damn fast." "That...sounds quite scary actually..." Luke admitted then looked ahead. "And I thought Luna was ridiculously fast..." "Pavan's still quicker but, let's just say if Buniq is chasing you, you better be able to move like hell," said Volcan. "Well thing is, the Zangoose I keep mentioning, Luna...He's...literally like a lightning bolt when he moves. He's even faster than I am." Luke explained. "Wait, wait... Luna?" Volcan asked. "That's a... guy... named Luna?" "Yes, don't even get me started..." Luke returned. "It was his late mother's choice...he was teased a LOT by his brother and his friends for it." "Well I can see why; back where I come from, Luna is a girl's name too," said Volcan. "Moving on... after Buniq would be Kodaku, who I mentioned before; our resident psionic. She's a naga -another species you don't see often, really long body -drop dead gorgeous too. But beyond that, she's got a mother's heart; treats just about everybody like family, and whenever one of us loses our way she always sets us back on the right path again." "Sounds like my wife." Luke returned. "She always has that maternal nature within her...in fact she's the reason Ben lives with us. She found him, treated him, and offered him our home. Since then he's been like a third son to us, and he and Jin get along exceptionally well." "Well that's good to know," said Volcan. "If they ever meet I bet they'll get along great. I mean, Kodaku and your wife." "I'm sure they would. They already sound like they have a lot in common." Volcan chuckled. "Seems so. Alright, let's see... next is Brent. He's kinda the... underdog of my group; the one you don't expect much from but still manages to keep surprising you." The phoenix explained. "Short, weak, cowardly, but brilliant and a heck of an engineer; created his own combat suit to help us fight, losing his cowardice while inside of the armour. He designs all kind of gizmo's that always prove useful. He's also the drummer for my band and... I guess kind of the manager so, guy of many talents." "He designs his own gizmos?" Luke asked. "And a suit of armour to help him fight...how smart is this Brent?" "I don't know his exact IQ but where Vinge is the strategist, Brent is the invetor," said Volcan. "The guy has even developed a new self-renewing power source; has even talked about starting his own energy company with it." "Hmm...he could learn a few things from Rick Wave in that regard...He's in the energy business himself." Luke returned. "Nice," said Volcan. "Next one is... Tristan." Volcan rolled his eyes. "Ah, Tristan... strongest son of a bitch I ever met but, about as smart as a potato." "So he's the all brawn, no brain type....?" Luke asked, narrowing his eyes a bit. "Absolutely NO brain," said Volcan. "We were on a mission once; came up to this locked door. Korban tried to hack it to avoid setting off the alarm; Tristan decided it was faster just to knock it down. Blew our cover completely." Even Luke face pawed upon just thinking about it, groaning audibly. "I've seen enough of those kinds of Pokémon... it's hard to believe they exist in other dimensions too..." "And you'd think a dragon would be smarter," said Volcan. "But not Tristan; don't get me wrong, in a fight he's the best to have at your back. Guy can take a rocket right to the face and just get back up pissed off instead of really hurt, but give him a crossword puzzle he'll take hours to do it and have every answer wrong." "The way you describe him, it makes Ben sound like a genius compared to your friend..." "It would not surprise me," said Volcan. "Still, Tristan has his good parts; he's really, really good with kids. They love him and he loves them -maybe because he's not much brighter than a child but hey, he's very popular with them." "Well there's THAT going for him at least....I wonder how he would handle Jin though...He's pretty hyperactive for an Ekans..." Luke commented. "Oh I think he'd love Jin," said Volcan. "Like I said, Tristan's good with all kids. Someone like Jin, he'd be like a super-sized teddy bear. Emphasis on super-sized; the guy is almost 7 feet tall." "I see. Well I'll take your word for it." Luke returned. "Anyone else in particular you'd like to add to your list of allies?" "Well among my team there's only one guy left," said Volcan. "Kyle O'Hare; the only human member of our team, and our resident pilot." Luke's body visibly tensed upon hearing the word human. His eyes lighting up a bit in anger. "...I see..." This did not go unnoticed by Volcan. "Something wrong?" "It's nothing..." Luke returned rather abruptly, trying to calm himself down. "Well, if you say so," said Volcan. "Anyway, as I mentioned, Kyle's our pilot; he flies us wherever we need to go and acts as our long range support; damn good with a rifle. The guy's in a lot of conflict with himself over a somewhat troubled past, but I trust him. He's earned it in the two years he's been helping us." Luke only nodded a little in acknowledgement, though his eyes still showed clear signs of both distress and anger. Volcan could see that anger; he recognized it well. For a moment, an image of Vinge appeared over Luke, showing those same eyes; he had seen his friend with that look once before. Volcan dropped the subject. "Well that covers everyone on my team," he said. "Of course there's still my brother but I think I already mentioned him." "Yes you did..." Luke returned, slowly calming down. "Quite the list of allies you have..." Volcan nodded. "There are others, but they're more like part-time members, like Rikyuu, Ayane, and Obsidian." Luke could sense some affection in Volcan's voice as he mentioned the third name. "A bit of an attraction to the third individual...?" Luke asked with a bit of a smirk. Volcan perked up at that, and blushed brightly. "Er no! I mean, well, she's really pretty and all but she couldn't be interested in a guy like me. I mean I'm a -WHOA!" He suddenly dropped out of sight as he stepped off of the road and over a ditch, tumbling down the short hill towards the river. "SHIIIIIIIIIT!" He called as he plummeted. Serena popped out of the water at that second, putting up her paws and stopping him from going into the river. Volcan grunted as he turned himself back over, glancing at her. "Thanks." "You should be more careful," she said, giggling before she ducked back into the water. "Yeah..." Volcan pushed himself back up to his feet. The group were chuckling a little from Volcan's comical act. "You alright down there ya klutz?" Hank called from a tree branch above. Volcan glared up at Hank. "I'm fine," he said, before making a mighty leap back up the hill and landing back on the road. "Just... wandered off a bit it seems." "Yea, way to lose yer footing with grace bud." Hank said with a snicker. "Keep it up and you'll get a foot to the face," Volcan warned. "Doubt you'd be able to hit me." Hank returned, flashing a grin at Volcan. As if to prove him wrong, Volcan kicked a rock up towards him, only to see that the rock actually passe THROUGH Hank, making the Zoroark shimmer a bit before fading into nothingness. "Told ya!" His voice echoed as he faded. "What the hell???" Volcan asked. "A projection?" "No, an Illusion." Luke explained. "Hank's species are the only one to possess the Illusion ability, which allows him to project images of anything his mind can conjure." "Right... I forgot about that; as if I didn't deal with that enough with Hakam and Kumori," Volcan muttered. "Alright... let's keep going." Luke nodded and led the way once more, with the rest of the group in tow. "So Volcan...are you nervous at all?" Luke asked as they continued you on their way "About what?" Volcan asked. "The competition." Volcan chuckled. "Not hardly," he said. "It won't be my first competition to be part of, and I'm getting the hang of this body. I've got more to worry about than that." "Like how your comrades are faring without you...?" Luke asked. That question made Volcan tense, his gaze never leaving the road ahead, but the question clearly finding a sensitive spot within him. His answer to the question was delayed, but honest. "Yes... like that," he said. "It's not like the group is leaderless... Vinge and Buniq probably have that covered... but..." He frowned. "They don't know what's happened to me... I'm worried what they might do to find out." Luke sighed. "I'm sorry for bringing that up...but I'm sure they won't do anything rash..." "They have before," said Volcan. "When I was taken by Kalo'Temir, and they learned of it, despite knowing the risks of entering his realm, they did, and went to hell and back to find me... I don't want them to do that again. We barely got out of the Realm of Destruction alive, but here, if they enter this world, they'll take on new forms and be stuck here like Serena and I are..." He scowled. "That's why I have to find Palkia and Dialga; if they can tell me why I'm here, even send me home, it's worth the risk. This tournament will give me the fighting experience I need, and then... I'll be heading right for Spear Pillar." Luke nodded. "And we'll be right behind you..." Luke returned with a smile. Volcan nodded back to him. "I'm glad I met you first when I came here..." he said, though he expression soured into a frown. "But..." "You're wondering that if you return, you might not see me again, correct...?" Volcan nodded again. "Yes... the longer I stay here... the harder it'll be to leave," he said, sadly. "I understand..." Luke returned. "It'll be hard on me as well to see you leave... but... somehow I get the feeling we'll meet again someday after you return home..." "Perhaps," said Volcan. "But for now... let's make sure this time together is memorable, eh?" "Indeed." Luke returned. "We're almost there." ~~~~~ The group finally arrived at Westport City. The sign-up for the tournament was easy to find; there was a lineup leading to it stretching the length of a block, but it was going quickly, and each step of the way, the line had posters or standing boards that displayed the rules of the tournament and conditions for entering. "Jeez, quite a lot of Pokémon competing today..." Hank muttered as he looked around at all the others in the lineup. "Kinda unsettling..." "Who is this Team Warmachine anyway; they famous?" Volcan asked. "To be honest, I'm not sure." Luke admitted. "I've never really heard of them before until today." A Grovyle in front of them turned when he heard Luke say that, eyeing him with bafflement. "What? You haven't heard of Team Warmachine?" He asked. "Where do you live, a hole in the ground?" Volcan grunted at that, and held back a laugh. "Actually yes." Luke returned calmly. "...Oh..." The grovyle cleared his throat. "Sorry... anyway, they're from all over the place, really; they're one of the top-ranked Rescue Teams in the whole region, and are known celebrities themselves. Their whole team consists of some really tough customers, not the least of which their boss, a big Swampert called Torolf." "I see...well it's no wonder I haven't heard of them..." Luke returned. "I head a Rescue Team stationed in a small town a fair distance away from here. Not many big name celebrities stop by." "Ah, that makes sense then," he said. "Sorry for assuming; no hard feelings?" He offered a hand. "None taken." Luke returned, grasping his hand and shaking it firmly. "Slammin'. My name's Sickle by the way; you?" "I'm Luke. Leader of Rescue Team Valiant." Luke returned. "Ah, I think I've heard about you guys before... only a mention but, you've made a name for yourselves," he said. "Well we don't exactly work for the fame...more for the public safety." Luke returned. "Good on ya," said Sickle. "Warmachine is in it for both; they do a good job but I think this tournament being held on a yacht makes it clear some of the praise has gone to their heads." "You got that right!" Eagle Eye said from behind Luke, making him sigh and rub his forehead. "Still, the guys are not all show," said Sickle. "I've seen them in action, not the least of which a tag team that call themselves the Garde-Twins; a Gallade and a Gardevoir. These guys were sent to deal with this punk Rhyperior near my hometown; they beat him so freaking fast I think my head spun." "Sounds a bit excessive." Luke returned. "I hope they didn't kill him." "No, they didn't kill him, but he went down fast, even when my toughest comrade here couldn't take him," he gestured to a Blastoise standing in front of them. The said Blastoise glared back. "Are you going to tell everyone about that?" He asked Sickle. "Hey, it's why we formed this team, isn't it?" Sickle asked the Blastoise. "Now we're ready to test our mettle." The Blastoise grunted and looked at Luke. "So, you guys decided who's going to be your opener?" He asked. Before Luke could give an answer, Katsu stepped up. "Perhaps I'll go first..." The rather large, muscular Samurott stated, giving off a rather intimidating, yet calm precense. The Blastoise looked him over. "A good choice," he said. "If you can't get through the qualifying round, you and your whole team are history." "What's it take to qualify?" Volcan asked. "You have to pass a test first, one that a member of Warmachine assigns to you," he explained. "The member in question is decided at random but each one has their own tests they'll give you; pass it, your team qualifies. Fail, you're off the boat, and left behind when it sets sail." "Then I will make sure I do not fail...for my team's sake as well as my own." Katsu returned. "Then for your sake I hope you're an all-arounder," said Blastoise. "Each team is tested one at a time and a new member tests each one. You better hope it's not Torolf who does so." "Why, what is his test?" Volcan asked. "You gotta beat him in a wrestling match," said the Blastoise. "And nobody outmuscles Torolf." Katsu smirked. "Oh really....? Then he clearly has not faced the Mighty Blade of Team Valiant...." "Hold on, Katsu," said Volcan. "Just how big is this Torolf guy? And how strong?" "He's famous for when he took on a rogue Whailord," replied the Blastoise. "He knocked the big guy out with a single punch to the head and then dragged him out of the water onto the beach, left him there until the guy nearly dried up." Katsu narrowed his eyes. "....How cruel..." "You can say that again..." Hank added in. "Torolf does not screw around," said the Blastoise. "I'm not saying that Whailord didn't deserve it, considering the guy sank a cruise ship just for the fun of it, but to nearly let him die on a beach, I'd save that kind of punishment for a murderer, not just some big bully." "I agree...he went too far with that act." Luke agreed. "It would seem they really DO let their fame get to their heads..." "Right... but that makes them all the more dangerous, and is why everyone here wants a piece of them," said Sickle. "Blaster and I, along with our third, Howler, are here to test ourselves but take my word; the rest are here because they want to take Warmachine's fame themselves, since it'll bring them more contracts and, in turn, more money." "Well like I stated before, We don't really fight for fame or money...the public safety is foremost on our minds..." Luke stated. "Indeed..." Wade added in. "I personally have no use for money aside from the bare necessities..." "Then what're you guys here for if not fame or to prove your strength?" Blaster asked. "For the challenge..." Katsu returned. "And some experience," Volcan added. "Well, you'd be the only ones then," said Blaster, smiling. "I look forward to taking you guys on, but don't think I'm going to hold back on ya." He grinned. "We won't expect any less." Luke grinned back at him. "Best of luck to you." Blaster and Sickle both nodded. "You as well," the Grovyle said. "So, how you guys doing it; you all going onto the Team Rounds or the Elimination Rounds?" "Well the part-timers will most likely go into the emilination rounds. The main members of my team will compete in the team rounds." Luke said. "Does that include me?" Volcan asked. "Well that's your choice to make." Luke returned. "Would you like to compete as a team or individually?" "Considering I'm still on a learning curve, might be better if I go team," he said. "Would kinda be embarassing if I lost in the first round." Luke nodded. "Fair enough. Would be nice to fight alongside you and see how far you'ce come." Volcan agreed. "If it's alright with all of you, I'd rather spectate," said Serena. "Fighting is not really something I like to do." "That's alright, Serena," said Volcan. "Heh... imagine if we were still at home with you lugging around that big shield, eh?" The Vaporeon giggled. "Yes; that'd be advantageous." "You have a shield??" Eagle Eye poked hsi head up and looked down at Serena. "How the hell would you even CARRY it??" "Well, in my true form... I had hands," she replied, looking at her paws. "But now... I'd probably just have it on my back." "Oh... Ooooh. RIght....not from here. Got it." Eagle Eye returned. "Right," returned Volcan. Sickle and Blaster looked blank. "Trust me; you guys wouldn't get it," Volcan assured them. "Let's just say my friend and I are not from around here and leave it at that." "Maybe best," agreed Blaster. The group finally reached the booths where the sign up was being done; Wade was the only one in the group who signed on for the singular Elimination battles, while Luke, Volcan, Katsu, Kage, Eagle Eye and Hank signed up as a team for the Team Battles. As soon as their names were filled in to the, the The Kyogre's Rest, as it was called, was -huge-. It utterly dwarfed the entire town Luke lived near, at least twice over, and though he saw hundreds of Pokemon boarding, it did not look like the ship would be at maximum capacity -especially not when those who failed to pass the qualifying rounds were sent back off again. Nonetheless though, it looked very luxurious, moreso as they climbed the gangplank, stepping onto newly varnished floor planks. "Fuckin eh..." Hank muttered when he saw the sheer size of the ship. "....Can we live on that thing fer like...ever?" "No!" the entire team said sternly back at him in unison. "Well jeez fine....funkillers..." "I'm with you Hank; that's one beauty of a yacht," said Volcan. "And I can't even live near the ocean so that's saying something." "I wonder how long it takes to build something like that?" Serena asked. "SEE? SOMEONE here actually agrees with me!" Hank protested but his teammates ignored him. "...Well fuck you all too." He grumbled, flipping them the bird. Once they were aboard, they were met by the ship Security, who directed them to the left, while spectators were sent the other way. They crossed the ship's deck until they came to the bow, to a massive, wide-open area where a fighting ring had been set up. Already, there was a brawl about to start; a big Beartic was stepping into the ring, clapping his paws together in anticipation The group spotted Blaster, Sickle and an Arcanine they hadn't seen before seated together at the edge of the ring where the other competitors were, and so made their way over. Blaster looked at them as they approached. "You guys arrived just in time," he said. "Why? Is Torolf gonna give his big welcoming speech?" Hank asked in jest. "No; better than that. He's the one that Beartic is fighting," stated Blaster. "Team Frostmane were the unlucky ones to have him as their tester." "Ah...well this should be fun to watch." Hank returned as the rest of the team leaned over to watch the impending fight. "Trust me, it'll be over quickly," said Blaster, grimly. At that moment, the deck seemed to shake as across the fighting ring, opposite to where the Beartic stood, a -huge- Swampert stepped into the ring. The Pokemon was so big it was ridiculous; the members of Valiant had NEVER seen one so large. He was easily the size of a Tyranitar, and had the muscles to match, not to mention a very stern expression on his face as he regarded the Beartic. Volcan gawked. "THAT'S Torolf?!" He asked. "The one and only," replied Blaster. "H-h-he's HUGE!" Hank sputtered. "Indeed..." Kage added, crossing his arms and remaining calm. "How in the fuck can you remain so damn stonefaced?" Hank asked, to which he got no answer. The bell rang, the Beartic unleashed an ice beam at Torolf, who simply took it as he stormed up to the Ice pokemon, barely even reacting to it even though Swamperts having a ground sub-type should've made it hurt, yet he did not even flinch. The Beartic, in response, drew back his arm and attacked with a Slash of his claws, which Torolf blocked with his hand; some blood was drawn, but he seemed unfaced by it, while the Beartic gawked in horror. The huge Swampert grabbed him, and with only one arm, hurled the poor Beartic right towards the rail; over her went, falling several dozen feet before they heard him splash into the water below. The Swampert reared up on his hind legs and held up his arms, bellowing with a very powerful voice, "Such a weak entry has no place on my ship; Frostmane, get your sorry keesters out of here, for you do not belong!" "He just heartlessly threw that guy over the rail!" Volcan exclaimed as a group of Pigeot and Poliwrath went over the side to check on the Beartic, make certain he was not knocked unconscious by the fall. "He could've killed him!" Blaster looked over. "Told you; Torolf does not mess around. Just hope you don't go up against him or you're next to go over that rail." Kage narrowed his eyes as he silently studied Torolf, his tongue scarf flicking idly from side to side as he stared at the Swampert below. For a while, the qualifying rounds carried on; each time, a new member of Warmachine would test the entries; more than half of the registered teams were sent off of the ship, but still a good number of them remained; sixteen independent entries for the Elimination rounds, eight teams, including Volcan and Luke's. Sickle was the representative for his own team when their turn came; he was pit up against Warmachine's Haxorous, who tested Sickle by wearing a red scarf, and said Sickle had to take it from him before the dragon-type could knock him out of the fighting ring. Sickle showed impressive speed as he outmaneuvered the large dragon-type, eventually jumping onto his back and snatching the scarf away, ensuring his team would qualify. Now, it was team Valiant's turn. Volcan looked at Katsu. "So, still want to do this?" "It's too late for second thoughts, my friend..." Katsu returned, still keeping his sights on the arena below. "I promise you that I will emerge victorious..." "Long as you aren't up against that Torolf guy," muttered Volcan. Serena looked at Katsu. "Please be careful; whatever the test is, try not to get hurt." Katsu blushed a little and glanced at Serena. "...I'll try..." He said in a softer tone, looking into her eyes for a moment, then he sighed and turned away, heading for the arena below. Once there, team Warmmachine once again mixed their member. This time, it was a Charmeleon who came down from the stand, a satchel on his back, which he pulled off and set down in front of him, pulling it open and pulling out a... tennis ball? Katsu looked at the tennis ball inquisitively, then back at the Charmeleon, narrowing his eyes a little. "This is a test of reflexes," the Charmeleon said. "You either dodge or deflect 20 of these balls; if a single one hits your torso, face, or leg, you're out. And I warn you, I've got quite the arm." Katsu scoffed. "....That's it...?" He said, quickly drawing his right Seamitar and holding it at the ready. "A simple matter..." "You say that," said the Charmeleon, as he took out a second one, tossing it into his mouth before giving a big grin. "Try dis," he said through the ball as he picked out a third one. He threw the first with an overhand, launching quite the fast ball, but followed it up immediately with a spinning throw of the second one he held --- Katsu waited until the last possible moment before his eyes widened, then he quickly swung his blade twice and cleaved through each ball with surprising speed and reflex, and using only one of his blades as well. Katsu continued to stare at the charmeleon, waiting for him to toss the rest. "For your sake...you better throw everything you have at me...." He had barely noticed the third one coming, but this one was ablaze, and coming like a rocket. Katsu flinched for a moment, then quickly swung hsi blade up and sliced through that ball as well, feeling the heat through his long whiskers as the ball whizzed past him. "Whoa, that was a close one," Volcan said from his place up in the stands. "That red lizard's got a few tricks of his own." "It's still a simple matter for Katsumoto-san." Wade returned, watching the elder Samurott with keen interest. "Though to be fair, he and I could perform this task with our eyes closed..." "Oh yeah? How about that?" Volcan asked as the Charmeleon suddenly launched ten of the balls into the air, leapt up, and struck them with incredible speed, slapping each one down at Katsu; half of them bounced off of the ground and angled towards him, the rest came straight at him. Katsu was unfazed however, and sliced at each ball that came at him in the order they approached him, sometimes even cleaving two balls with one stroke of his blade. He cleaved through each of the balls, never once losing his focus nor moving from his spot. He quickly returned to his stance, waiting for the rest of the balls to come. The Charmeleon had pulled another fast one though; there had been an eleventh curled up in his tail, which he launched at him as he front-flipped back to the ground. This time though, Katsu pulled off a rather unorthodox, yet extraordinary trick. He coated his blade with water and held the tip of his blade out toward the ball. When it connected, the water around his blade cooled the flames off the ball and Katsu quickly tilted his blade up, spinning the ball on the point of his blade, drilling a hole through it and making it hollow before it stuck onto his blade. "I believe this is yours..." He said as he hurled the ball back at the Charmeleon. The surprisingly quick lizard caught the ball. "Hehe... pretty quick for a water boy," he said. "Alright then, speedy." He lifted the last seven out, holding four in his claws and three in his mouth, the latter which he spat towards Katsu, once more ablaze, before launching the other four one at a time in... the wrong directions? Katsu noticed the balls heading in the wrong direction, this time dodging the three flaming balls coming at him, keeping his eyes on the four that went the wrong way. Each one was bouncing off of a random object, seemingly none of them even coming close to hitting Katsu, until one bounced off of Blaster's shell, into a camera pole, and then came at Katsu from the side! "...Like something out of a movie," muttered Volcan. Katsu's ear twitched and he turned and quickly sliced at the ball coming at him, dousing it in water as he sliced through it. Immediately, the second one bounced off of another pole, hitting the ground in front of him before heading towards his leg. Katsu looked toward the ball and quickly sidestepped, letting it whiz past him as he leaned to the side. Ironically, the ball actually flew up towards Volcan as it missed him; the Blaziken ducked under the oncoming ball, letting go over his head and disppearing. "Hey!" He barked. Now were coming the last two; one from the left, one from the right, only a second apart from one another. Katsu glanced to hsi left and right quickly, then with a grunt he hopped up into the air, waiting for them to meet in the middle before letting out a roar and slicing through both of them before they could pass by each other, again splitting two balls wiith one swing. He landed with a thud and held his position before slowly leering up at the Charmeleon with that infamous glare all Samurott were know for. One that could silence an entire quarrel with just a glance. The Charmeleon still had one left; the same one Katsu had thrown back to him earlier. He looked at the ball in his claw absently before he shrugged. "Not even a point to it," he said before tossing it aside. "Team Valiant passes!" Katsu slowly straightened up and swung his sword to the side once before twirling it into a reverse grip, sliding it along his arm scabbard before sheathing it quickly, then slowly he lowered back onto all fours and strode past the Charmeleon. "....For the record...I passed your test using my left blade....I am usually right pawed..." he muttered before he headed back up to meet with the rest of his team. The Charmeleon's face went blank at his remark. "Well, that was impressive; Katsu could even give Vinge a run for his money in reflexes," said Volcan. "He's trained long and hard his whole life." Wade returned. "He's arguably the greatest swordsman in the world...honing his reflexes and skills to their absolute peak..." Wade them smirked. "Hard to believe he's only in his late 20's...." "A real Musashi Miyamoto," said Volcan "...Who is that?" Wade asked, glancing to Volcan. "Uh... nevermind," said Volcan, knowing the subject would only confuse Wade if he tried to tell him about it. Katsu made his way back up to the rest of his team, letting out a small sigh as he rejoined the group. "You seemed a little out of breath..." Kage stated as he returned. "That test did push my concentration rather far...but other than that it was child's play..." "That red lizard was pretty ambitious, and tricky," remarked Serena. "But he was also quite fast; how did he do all that?" "He must have trained his reflexes and his speed as far as he could..." Katsu returned. "I'll give him credit for that...but in the end it still wasn't enough..." "I wonder what he will be like when we have to fight him," remarked Volcan. "But either way, thanks to Katsu, we're in." "True, but that only means the competition will only get harder..." Luke returned. "We'll have to really stay on our toes." Serena suddenly looked past Katsu, rearing up on her hind legs to peer over the railing. "Luke; there's another of your kind down on the arena. Is that your brother?" Luke turned over to the direction where she was pointing at, and sure enough he saw a Lucario he recognized all too well, standing with a female Blaziken. "So he did make it after all..." Volcan looked at the other Blaziken. "And another of my kind. Who's that?" He asked. "That's Trish, my brother Rigel's mate." Luke returned. "Ah..." Volcan smiled. "Good pick." He whispered, but Luke caught it. "Next up is today's one and only tag team to apply; Rigel and Trish!" The announcer called, catching their attention. "It's only appropriate that Warmachine's own tag team specialists should test them! Please welcome brother/sister combo of Gall and Sage!" As the names were spoken, a Gallade and Gardevoir walked onto the fighting ring, their steps in almost perfect sync with one another, but unexpectedly, a third stepped onto the ring as well, or rather slithered; this one was a Milotic, who was introduced later as Oceana. Rigel crossed his arms a little. "So what's this, a three on two match or somethin?" He asked. "Kinda seems a little unfair for a test." "Your objective will be to reach me through my attacks," said Oceana, flicking her tail. "Whoever reaches me with the quicker time passes; you and your mate pass, you're in the tournament. But if you cannot beat Gall and Sage's time, you are leaving." Trish cracked her neck a little and flexed her taloned fingers into fists. "And what makes you think we'll fail?" She returned in a cocky manner. "Because this is also a test of your teamwork," stated Oceana, eyeing Trish sternly. "If you cannot work in sync, you will never lay a paw on me." This time Rigel let out a laugh. "Lady, you obviously dunno who we are..." He said as he stood close to Trish. "Then allow Gall and Sage to demonstrate just what it will take." "Fair enough." Trish returned, looking to the two next to them. "Go ahead, set your time." The twins nodded, and glanced at one another briefly; no words were shared, just a meeting of eyes, before they faced Oceana. It then caught the attention of spectators that some of the deck was being cleared, particularly those close to the rail, were being moved behind where Oceana lay coiled up, preparing herself for the test. "Why are they ushering everyone over there?" Serena asked. Volcan narrowed his eyes. "Maybe she's like me... a crowd-control type, using widespread attacks." "Only one way to find out." Hank said as he leaned on the railing to watch the fight more closely. Gall stood at the front, with Sage behind him, her hands raised as Oceana made the first move. Water surged up fron the ocean around them, coming up in torrents and angling towards the Milotic as she cast Surf towards the twins. Sage cast Light Screen over herself and Gall as the water formed a tsunami; a powerful one at that, as it forced the water apart as they connected, sending it away from the two, and as soon as it subsided, Gall was heading straight for Oceana.
She reared up and exhaled a storm of snow and ice -Blizzard- at the Gallade as he charged, but once more, Sage cast a Light Screen around him that protected him from the blast. He leapt into the air, elbow-blade extending as he dropped at Oceana with a Fury Cutter attack only for her to lunge out of the way and then counter attack with Aqua Tail, which launched him back. He corrected himself in midair, but the strike had knocked the wind out of him. "Whoa! That sea snake's pretty quick," Volcan exclaimed, looking at Luke. "Is her species normally that fast?" "They can be...though their agility mostly comes from their movement in the water...Her speed on land is very impressive." Luke commented. Then, Sage cast something else towards her brother; a pulse of pink energy erupted all around her, bathing the deck in a soothing glow. The light even reached Team Valiant, ushering a comforting sensation over them, which left the inexperienced Volcan and Serena confused, but for Gall, it left him looking better than ever, and once more he rushed at Oceana, who was about to attack again, only for an unexpected light to come flying onto the ship from out of nowhere, striking the ground at her side and startling her. With that, Gall got close enough to land a held-back but effective kick on her side, which knocked her off balance. A bell was rung, signalling the end of the test. "Wait, I'm lost; where did that attack come from?" Volcan asked, scratching his head. "I was watching Sage after she healed her brother; she didn't do anything, just stood there." "I second that. The lady just...did absolutely nothing ta indicate she was attacking.." Hank returned. "Future Sight..." Wade muttered softly. "Sorry?" Serena asked, looking at Wade. "It's a Psychic type attack that allows the user to predict a future attack, then a short while later, that attack becomes a reality, striking from nowhere." Wade explained. "But when did she cast it?" Volcan asked. "It couldn't have been before the fight started, could it?" "It wasn't," Sickle's voice called, catching their attention. "That's the trick with this tag team; when you think you've forced them on the defensive, they're really setting you up. When Oceana hit them with that Surf earlier, Sage cast that Future Sight while hidden behind that rush of water, preventing Oceana from seeing her use it. For the moment they were biding their time until that attack came, startling Oceana and letting Gall land the blow they needed." "Wait, but if Oceana didn't see it, how did you?" Volcan asked. "I didn't," he admitted, jerking his thumb over to the Arcanine between him and Blaster. "Howler here did; he sensed her use it. Kind of a gift he has." "Time set?" Oceana called to the Charmeleon who had tested Katsu before. "31 seconds," he replied. Trish looked at the Gallade and Gardevoir team as they took their leave, then looked to her mate and shrugged her shoulders. "31 seconds huh...?" Rigel smirked even more and pounded his paws together. "Easy." "Think they can do it?" Volcan asked Luke. "31 seconds is a long time with attacks that wide-spread coming their way." "I have confidence in Rigel's abilities...I just hope his massive overconfidence doesn't slow him down." He returned while shaking his head. "Rigel's, maybe... but is he a good team player, even with his own girlfriend? Or is he the hot-headed, impulsive glory hound type?" Volcan inquired further. "Remember, this is a test of teamwork; Gall only landed that kick because his sister was backing him up, but can Trish do the same for Rigel or vice versa?" "They're like two peas in a pod...they were MADE for each other..." Luke returned. "Well... for his sake I hope so," said Volcan. Oceana, after being healed by Sage, prepared herself to face Rigel and Trish. "Remember my warning, and this is not an idle claim. If you cannot work in sync, you will never reach me," she reminded them. "Just shut yer trap and bring it already..." Rigel said as he hopped on the spot a bit before assuming a stance. Trish also assumed her stance as well, balancing on on leg while holding her hands up, ready to strike. "Your overconfidence is going to cost you greatly," she called as the wind around them began to stir, picking up violently, before she spun in place, and a whirling void of wind rushed towards the two of them, forming a powerful Twister. Rigel quickly leaned back and grabbed Trish's arm, then began to spin on the spot and hurl her around him like a ragdoll before he released her and threw her at the Twister. Trish had already corrected herself and stuck her leg out, slamming into the Twister with a powerful Blaze Kick, slowly pushing THROUGH the Twister before finally appearing behind it and aiming her foot at Oceana's face. Oceana was caught off guard by the bold move, but not too much to react. She swerved out of the path of Trish's kick, but was already expecting an attack from Rigel to follow up; she turned in his direction, ready to blast him with a blizzard. However, he hadn't moved from his spot when she launched the Blizzard at him. Instead he reared his leg back a bit, then it started to spontaneously combust before he grinned and started moving forward, spinning rapidly to create a torrent of flames around him with his leg, easily passing through the blizzard with hardly any damage, since the fire around him kept most of the attack at bay. When he got close he was already winding up for an attack, launching himself up toward Oceana's jaw with another fire infused fist. Once more, she was caught off guard by the unconventional tactoc, but was still quick enough to evade, although this time felt the heat of the attack. "You're still working separately," she informed. "One person cannot beat me; that is why I was chosen to test you." Rigel only flashed a grin at her, then pointed downward as he soared into the air. When Oceana looked down she saw Trish below her, her left eye glowing vibrantly before she crouched low and spun on her hands, kicking at Oceana with a rising spin kick to send her into the air. She then angled herself so she smacked Oceana back down to the ground, then darted past her and landed in a crouch, rearing back and slamming her foot into the Milotic's back in such a flexible position. She reached up and gently stroked the Milotic's cheek. "That felt good huh...?" She said before flashing a grin and spinning a bit so she could slam her to the ground, pinning her under her leg. "...I take it back," Oceana groaned. The Charmeleon looked at the watch in his hands. "22 seconds," he called. "They pass." Volcan nodded. "That was actually pretty clever," he said. "Oceana thought that when Trish attacked first, Rigel would be coming in immediately after. Somehow they predicted that, but Trish was the primary attacker the whole time; Rigel was the distraction." "For once, Rigel thought with his head and not his ego..." Mikhail muttered, rubbing his chin and adjusting his glasses. "That was pretty clever indeed..." "The last of the tournament contestants has cleared the trial," Torolf called, rearing up on his hind legs so everyone could see him. "Everyone, welcome aboard the Kyogre's rest! Now that the tryouts have ended we shall be putting to sea within the hour. All contestants of the single division, line up on the port side by the rail, while all contestants of the Team division, pick one among you to stand at the starboard side; you shall be assigned a random letter that decides who your opponents will be tomorrow." Volcan looked at Luke. "Well you're team leader; I'd say you should be down there." Luke nodded. "You should take this time to explore the ship and find somewhere to spend the night. My team will accompany you if you want." "We'll probably be assigned cabins; I'll have to ask," said Volcan. "Which, in that case, better we all go together so we all know where to find one another." "I agree with Volcan," said Serena. "Until we know more about everything here I don't think any of us should wander apart." Luke nodded. "Then it'll be best for you two to stay with everyone here. I'll return in a moment." He returned as he headed off to be assigned a number for the next round tomorrow. The teams had all picked their members shortly. Luke found himself standing by Sickle as they waited, the Grovyle casting a glance at him. "I look forward to seeing you guys in action some more," he said to Luke. "You've got a good team assembled; should be quite a spectacle." He winked. "But when you come up against me, don't think I'll go easy on ya." Luke nodded. "I'll expect no less." He returned. "Just promise me you'll give it all you got...it'll make the competition more enjoyable for both of us..." "Oh you'll get it," he promised. "I know one of the mega stones being offered is a Sceptilite, so I've got my eyes on a prize. But just as much, I want to test my limits, to see if I'm worthy to take that stone for when I evolve. So, I'll be giving it everything I have, even if I have to fight Torolf himself." "Just be careful...from what you told me, he's not one who messes around..." He returned. "We saw that first hand when he threw that poor Beartic overboard," Sickle reminded, frowning. "All the glory has gone to his head; thinks he can do whatever he wants. I honestly hope at least someone humbles him; he needs it." "Leave that to me..." Luke returned. "If I'm lucky to face him, I'll make sure he understands being in a Rescue Team isn't ALL about the fame or the money..." "Then best of luck, 'cuz honestly I'll pay to see that," said Sickle. At that moment, the Charmeleon that had tested Katsu arrived, passing pieces of paper to the team representatives. He reached Luke, picking out another slip. "Which team?" He inquired. "Rescue Team Valiant." Luke returned. "Alrighty," he said, and passed Luke a paper that listed 'D' on it, with several numbers on the bottom. "Those are your cabin numbers; if you need directions I'll be showing the teams there shortly. I made sure all the teams would be accomodated in close proximity to one another." He then flashed a grin at Luke. "That Samurott on your team is one in a million; I really hope I get the chance to really have a go with him later. You've got quite a warrior there." "He's trained all his life since his childhood." Luke returned. "His swordsmanship, as well as his humility and honour, are second to none. If you're impressed now, wait until you see how he fights a living pokemon and not some tennis balls." "Eh," The Charmeleon looked over his shoulder before turning back to Luke. "To be honest, I think Torolf and Maggie just make those tests to show off; mine may be legit but really, if I were calling the shots I wouldn't have bothered with something so time consuming." Maggie... that was a name Luke hadn't heard yet. Luke tilted his head a little at that name, though still retained his composure. "Well it's nice to see SOMEONE on Team Warmachine isn't so concerned with fame and fortune..." He whispered back to him. "I like the attention, but all the flash is just nonsense," stated the Charmeleon. "And...Maggie....?" "Maggie, she's the real brains of our operation; you've seen for yourself, Torolf thinks only with his muscles. He may be our boss but she's the one who sets up the jobs and these events. A real flare for drama, that one." "I... See..." Luke returned. "Is she competing as well, or is she running from behind the scenes...?" "She's here, but she's not competing," replied the Charmeleon. Turning back to his team, he pointed towards Torolf. "See that Mismagius floating near the boss? That's her." "...A Ghost paired with a Water/Ground..." Luke whispered softly. "...Here I thought I've seen it all..." "She's not his squeeze, if that's what you're suggesting," the Charmeleon notified him. "She was actually the second member of Team Warmachine; his first partner, but never his mate. She's really not all that powerful; she's smart but really more of a trickster, which is why they made such a good combo back in the day. As their fame grew though, she came up with all these events to spread our 'glory' all over, which so far has worked; last time we had one of these contests we got a dozen contracts; that's about when I joined as well, after winning one of their events. Been about two contests since I joined, but it's just a spectacle. Still, after this we usually end up getting a slew of jobs, so her trick's working so far." Luke narrowed his eyes a bit. "It's still not right..." He returned, glancing to the Charmeleon. "All he's after is the money and the fame...there's a lot more to being in a Rescue Team, but clearly they don't see it..." "Don't get me wrong; these guys do some good stuff," assured the Charmeleon. "I mean, I got the chance to save some people in the aftermath of a nasty landslide; we worked together on that. But I do agree with you about it; it shouldn't be our main focus." He sighed. "I do like being popular, but I like being helpful too. Heck, the more I talk about it the more I wonder if maybe I'd have been better off just starting my own team." He shrugged. "But, leaving now wouldn't get me anywhere, and I'm just rambling at this point." He stepped over to Sickle, giving him his assigned letter as well. "I'll show you guys where the cabins are after I hand these out, a'ight?" And with that, he continued up the deck. Sickle turned to Luke. "And here I thought none of those guys cared about anything but glory; seems Kaen there sure does." "That's his name is it?" He returned. "Yes it would seem he does have the right mind...being famous to me has always been an added bonus I never cared about...he wants to be famous, but at least he understands it's not the MAIN focus..." He returned. "If he started his own team, he might actually make it on his own..." "Yeah. But far as I know, nobody ever leaves Warmachine," stated Sickle. "Don't know if it's because they don't want to or because there's something that draws them to the group, but nobody has ever left it." "There's always a first time for everything..." Luke returned. "I guess we'll see how it goes," said Sickle, looking at his letter. "Huh; my group's 'G'; guess you and I won't be fighting first round." He chuckled. "Maybe I'm lucky about that." "Perhaps." Luke returned. "Either way, we'll meet eventually in the arena...I look forward to then." He returned. "Best of luck to you Sickle." He bade him as he turned to head back to his team. "You too," he bade, before heading to rejoin his own as well.