What is so special about the date that I had originally planned to post this chapter? The 19th is the one year anniversary of this story! I have officially been at this for almost one year. *fires off fireworks as confetti rains down* I didn't feel like waiting a week and a half to post this, so you are getting it early!

Over his year I have accumulated:

Total words: 140,500

Average words per day: 400

Total chapters: 25

Total view: 3,344

Total reviews: 104 (Riolu 16 might have put in more before I get this posted)

Total favorites: 18

Total followers: 19

So, many thanks to all who have supported me throughout this year, and I look forward to another successful year. Now, on to the story!

Lucario: ahh… home sweet home…

Nova: it's about time… how many chapters have it been since I asked to come here?

Osean: I don't remember. It's been a while though hasn't it?

Lucario: hey, you're taking away from my nostalgia right now.

Osean: heh heh, oops. Sorry.

Lucario: don't be sorry, just be quiet.

Act II: Vengeance

Chapter 25: Untouched

General Ford was in the intelligence center with the other specialists trying to locate the other Alpha base they had been tipped off about. They were currently going over aerial reconnaissance photos of the fjords that ran along the southeastern coastline, attempting to make out anything that looked like the terrorist cell's base. There were two types of photo for every patch of land photographed, optical and thermal. These two options were easily switchable by a simple command on every computer. They had been at this for hours with nothing to gain from their efforts; however, they were not giving up. Alpha had long proved to be a thorn in their region and they were set on eradicating every trace of the horrid group. It wasn't going to be easy because of the suspected military equipment they possessed. It might be one hundred year old tech, but it wasn't that far behind what was in use today. The old STRV 106s could still prove to be deadly in large numbers, which they undoubtedly had. Alpha had stored away large parts of their military tech before they lost control of the government one hundred years ago. They had old jets, ships, and tanks just waiting to be used again in a large attack, and given the late increase in Alpha activity, such an attack was becoming more and more of a possibility. That was something everyone in the room wanted to prevent, so if they could knock off another Alpha base, it would go a long way.

"General Ford, you might want to have a look at this!" one of the analyst called out.

"What is it?" Ford asked as he approached the soldier's computer screen.

"I think I might have found something," he started before pointing at several white dots on this screen, "Thermal picked up these little heat signatures all over this mountain, but when I switch over to optical…" The soldier hit a button on his screen that caused the black, grey, and white image to suddenly become full of color. "There is nothing there. Even with maximum zoon and resolution I cannot make anything out, just trees and rocks."

"So what do you make of it?" Ford asked, wanting the soldier to continue his explanation.

"I think they might be exhaust vents for a naval base hidden under the mountain. Part of the fjord that runs alongside this mountain has wide channels that lead into the side of the mountain, possibly manmade canals for large ships."

"So you think this is the Alpha base?"

"Yes sir, this mountain is easily large enough to hold an underground port facility and is in a fairly deserted part of the coast. Hiding there would not be too difficult," the analyst finished.

"Very well, we will have ground recon try and confirm this. Good work soldier," General Ford said, patting the man on the back before speaking to everyone in the room, "Alright we have a lead; however, I still want all of you to keep searching in case this location turns up empty."

The room chorused with a series of acknowledgements as Ford left the intelligence center to make the arrangements for the ground reconnaissance mission, and he knew exactly who he wanted to lead it.

Lucario and Nova were thoroughly soaked by the time they found shelter from the raging torrents of rain. While Lucario had tried to protect them from sheets of water, he couldn't create a full aura dome for extended periods of time while walking, so he had to settle for a partial dome above them. The auric umbrella helped, but didn't cover the two of them completely. Though Nova wasn't complaining, well, not too much at least, some cover was undoubtedly better than no cover.

"Couldn't you have made the shield a little bit bigger?" Nova asked as her teeth shivered against each other, her body quaking from the cold.

"Not while moving, the wind would have torn it to shreds if I couldn't anchor it down," Lucario replied before getting down on all four paws and shaking himself dry. Water that was resting on his fur was sent flying in every direction around him. Nova shied back and tried to shield herself from the shower of water droplets that was sent her way.

"Hey!" Nova shouted, "Watch where you are shaking!"

"Oops… my apologies," Lucario said as he stopped shaking, bowing slightly toward Nova as he stood back up.

"I guess it's not that big of a deal," Nova said as a grin worked its way onto her face, "Besides, two can play that game."

Nova promptly got on all four of her paws before wildly shaking her body. Her mane flailed about above her back as water was sent everywhere. By the time she stopped shaking, water had been thoroughly sprayed about the small cave the two canines were occupying.

"Okay… I guess a deserved that," Lucario said as she shook his arms, getting the water that had been sprayed onto him off.

"Yes, yes you did," Nova said as she stood up, smiling at her little revenge, "So now what?"

"We wait out the storm. No point in going out right now," Lucario replied as he sat down against the grey wall of the cave.

"How long will the storm last?" Nova asked as she sat down a few feet from Lucario.

Lucario closed his eyes for a bit before responding, "A few hours unfortunately…"

"I'm so cold…" Nova said as she brought her knees up to her chest and looped her arms around them, "Wet fur and cold weather is a terrible combination…"

"No kidding," Lucario agreed as he rubbed his paws up and down his arms, using friction to heat himself up before he got a better idea.

"Here, scoot over next to me. We can stay warmer if we share body heat," Lucario said as he shifted over closer to Nova.

Nova simply nodded her head in reply and mimicked Lucario as she moved across the rocky ground. Eventually she found herself pressed against Lucario's snow white fur. She was shivering as he felt his arm wrap around her back and draw her in tight against him.

"Better?" Lucario asked with concern audible in his voice.

"Much better," Nova answered, pressing her head against his shoulder as they began to share body heat, "Thanks."

"Quod si te," Lucario said, cracking a faint smile, earning him a confused look from the black fox, "Anything for you."

Nova softly smiled in response as she looked into Lucario's bright eyes. His eyes were something that always stood out to her. The flame that burned in each of them was quite beautiful and border-lined entrancing. There was something about them that always made her feel at peace and relaxed. She let out a content growl as she lay against Lucario for the second time that day. It was certainly a position she could get used to, she had always enjoyed the softness of Lucario's fur ever since he carried her back to that abandoned cabin when they first met. Letting her mind go continuing to wonder, Nova eventually fell into a tranquil sleep in Lucario embrace.

Black Blade, Invincible, Two Steps from Hell

(Song Start)

Dr. Hamilton was busy training with the hybrids in a large battle room. So far the blue-grey Charizard and purple Serperior were proving to be quite useful. The Charizard's strength was proving to be unmatchable by any other Pokémon that was currently at the base. Quite a few had to be sent to the medical wing with broken bones because of the damage Charizard had inflicted. Serperior was proving to be interesting as well, normally super effective poison attacks were doing substantially less damage to the black snake. The scientists figured this had to do with the natural resistance to poison that the Pokémon it was crossed with had. While Charizard may have been the king of strength, Serperior was undoubtedly the queen of speed. Only the smallest, fastest Pokémon on the base could keep up with the brutally swift snake.

The other two hybrids were proving to be interesting as well; the two new weapons were currently dueling against each other. Each had its own advantage against the other as they fought around the large training room. Hamilton was currently watching the Gallade whose normally green arms and torso had been replaced by a deep gold, and its red chest spikes colored a dark black. These two changes were nothing compared to the one other major change that come over it when it was hybridized. On his left hip there was a sheath for a golden long sword, a short Aegislash to be precise. He was able to work in perfect harmony with the ghostly blade; his warrior skills were enhanced beyond what he thought was possible. He was a true knight for his time. The Gallade had just absorbed a hit with the golden shield that was attached to his left arm before countering and swinging his sword at his opponent. However, he did not manage to land a hit as the Greninja once again disappeared right before his eyes.

The Greninja didn't appear to have any physical changes at first glance, but that observation quickly became obsolete as it would vanish into thin air. The Greninja wasn't teleporting or using any illusionary mind tricks; she was simply changing the coloration of her skin to blend in perfectly with her surroundings. She had quickly taken advantage of her new open world stealth abilities to become a master of covert strikes. Totally undetectable to the naked eye, she could make quick, lightning attacks before disappearing into nothingness. She was just about to land a Night Slash on her opponents back when a buzzer sounded throughout the room, signaling that the match was over. She reluctantly ceased her attack and dropped her camouflage. Gallade quickly sheathed his sword before turning toward her and bowing before walking off to be further examined.

(Song End)

Dr. Hamilton was about to go down and help the other scientists when an aide approached him and handed him a summons notice. He swiftly read the small piece of paper before departing for the room specified on the note. It only took him a few minutes to reach the room, its lights turned off for the most part, allowing him to only see faint outlines of those sitting at the long conference table in front of him.

Sorcerer's Secret, The Best of Brand X Music, Brand X Music

(Song Start)

"Welcome doctor," a disguised voice said, "We would like to congratulate you on your success with the hybridization project."

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you," Hamilton replied.

"We were greatly saddened to learn of your facility's destruction, but we have a new task for you," a second voice stated, "You are to begin Project Nightshade. The details of this project are in the folder sitting in front of you. If you chose to accept this project, take the folder and start at once. If not, we will find another task for you to work on."

"I will do anything for Alpha," Hamilton said as he picked up the folder, "I accept your offer."

"Good, we look forward to your progress Dr. Hamilton."

"If you don't mind me asking, how was my facility destroyed?" Hamilton asked halfheartedly. There was a brief pause before one of his superiors broke the silence.

"We believe it was destroyed by a Saldaran airstrike. Reports state that strike craft took off with full loads of ordinance and returned empty. As for how they located the base, we do not know."

"I see… thank you," Hamilton started, "I will get started on Nightshade right away."

"Very well doctor, you are dismissed."

With that Hamilton turned and exited the dark room. He made his way to his private quarters with the project folder tightly under his arms. After making a few turns, he entered his room and locked the door behind him. Setting the folder down on his desk, Hamilton sat down, opened the folder, and started reading through his new assignment. It took him roughly thirty minutes to read through the small project briefing. There wasn't much to the project, but its first step would prove to be the hardest. Everything else would be very simple once it was complete. He looked back down at the papers and reread the mission orders.

First task: recapture subject H-01.

(Song End)

Nova slowly woke after her second nap of the day. She tried to move around some but found herself unable to do so. Her eyes gently fluttered open as she calmly turned her head to see what was keeping her in place. When she looked to her right, she saw Lucario's arm hooked around her body. She turned her head to the other side and saw Lucario sleeping with his head laid back against the cave's wall. Nova faintly smiled at the sight of the white wolf sleeping next to her. He looked so calm and peaceful when he was asleep. She gently rested her head on his shoulder again as she tried to remember the dream she had just had. It was the third time the same person had been in her dreams since she evolved. It was a kind, female Lucario. She had told Nova her name, but she couldn't remember what it was. Only that it started with an L. She and Nova had just talked all three times. Nova couldn't remember what exactly they talked about, only that it had something to do with Lucario. The one other thing that she managed to remember about the mysterious Lucario was that her body was not solid, but a translucent blue energy. Part of her wanted to tell Lucario about it, but another part was telling her that it wasn't necessary. The more she wanted to tell Lucario, the more the mysterious Lucario's voice said it was unneeded. She eventually decided not to tell Lucario, trusting in the enigmatic voice. The voice itself was very faint and motherly. Nova just felt as if he could trust it, so she did.

Nova continued to lie there for a while. She didn't mind the lack of things to do, it was nice to be able to just sit back and relax for once. It hadn't been since the cruise that they got to rest like this. They had been almost constantly traveling from the moment they arrived back in Saldara. Her mind started to wander after that, going back and thinking about all that she had been through since she met Lucario. Eventually she started thinking about Lucario and Luke's conversation last night. The memory brought a smile to her face as she recalled Lucario's words, "I would do anything for her."

She knew that he loved her, those words and the words he said to her in private that night were all the proof she needed. However, she didn't know if he knew that he loved her. As much as she wanted to believe that he knew, she just couldn't find any evidence to support that Lucario knew. He made it rather clear the previous night that he didn't know that Luke was talking about love. She knew what he was talking about, and she was the happier than she could remember when she heard those words come out of Lucario's mouth. Part of her couldn't believe that she had fallen for the stingy, self-centered Pokémon. But as time passed on, she saw him change. Change into someone who would defend and care for her. Someone who she began to look up to, he became someone she began to care for as he opened up to her. With a smile still adorning her canine face, she gently pressed her head against Lucario's shoulder. However, she soon got an idea, an idea on how to get back at Lucario for his little stunts earlier today.

Nova slowly and carefully wiggled her way out of Lucario's grasp, letting his fall down some. Remembering how she had startled him this morning, she got on her knees and positioned her face mere inches away from the slumbering aura Pokémon's head. Closing her eyes, she started crafting an illusion around her, making her disappear. Next she began concentrating on Lucario mind, creating a telepathic link with him.

"Hey, Lucario," Nova began softly, "wake up. Come on now, stop being lazy."

Lucario started to stir as Nova continued her mental bombardment of Lucario's subconscious. This was the sign Nova had been waiting for as she put more force into her telepathic messages.

"Come on, WAKE UP!"

With that Lucario's eyes snapped open with her last mental shout. He quickly noticed that Nova was not at his side. Thinking that she was in trouble as he had heard her voice calling out to him, Lucario started to panic. But before he could react, Nova's face suddenly appeared right in front of him.

"Boo," she said casually before disappearing and falling into a laughing fit. Lucario gave a startled yelp as he tried to back away from where Nova's head had appeared, but only slammed his head against the cave wall.

"Ow…" Lucario muttered as he massaged his aura sensors. His steel reinforced skull absorbed most of the impact but his aura sensors were not protected by his tough skeleton. After he recovered from hitting his head, Lucario began searching for the mischievous blue and black fox. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her perfectly fine. Smirking, he formed a decently sized Aura Sphere and tossed it at where Nova was on the ground. Moments later, there was a muffled explosion and a small smoke cloud. When the smoke cleared, Nova was sitting on the ground with a smile on her face.

"It was worth it," she said, "Totally worth it to see that expression on your face."

"Yeah, well I am glad you enjoyed it," Lucario said as he stood up and walked over to where Nova was sitting before extending a paw to help her up.

"Always a gentleman," Nova said with a grin as she grasped Lucario's paw before he gracefully pulled her up.

"For you at least," Lucario replied, "Now, shall we continue?"

"Sounds good to me," Nova answered, nodding her head as she held onto Lucario's paw.

Captain Johnson made his way out of the briefing room along with the other officers. Snow and Grant were at his side as they made their way down the narrow halls of the naval vessel. The briefing had been tedious and quite lackluster. All it covered was regimental assignments, which was good to know, but he failed to see why there had to be a big meeting for it. A manila envelope could have told him just as much, all he needed to know his unit was the 12th Company, nicknamed the Fightin' Spads.

"That was worse than usual…" Snow said as they navigated the corridors to where their company was located.

"No kidding… I seriously cannot come up with one rational reason for the meeting," Grant agreed.

"We already knew most of the other officers. Heck, we had been in the same division for two years on capital defense," Snow said.

"Yeah, well apparently that didn't get passed up the chain of command," Johnson joked, earning a small laugh from the three marines.

"Not like they could have cared anyway," Grant said, shaking his head some.

"Yeah, well let's go meet the men," Johnson concluded, the others nodding their heads in response.

Meanwhile in the 12th company barracks, the marines were relaxing and playing with some of the things provided for their entertainment, such as ping pong and foosball. Others were simply watching TV, reading, or sleeping. Whatever they were doing, most of them were having a good time. The 3rd Fleet would weigh anchor soon and the marines wouldn't set foot on ground until they reached Usea and began UIWG. Many of them were eager to get the games started. War games as large as this one only came around every five years, and they were lucky enough to be one of the three Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU, pronounced Myuu, around 2,200 total soldiers, the Ground Combat Element of a MEU is around 1,100 soldiers) that got chosen to participate. They were all fresh out of boot camp, hint the reason officers were being assigned from the experienced capital division.

"Hey Mike, guess what?" one of the soldier asked as he sat down on a couch next to his comrade.

"What?"

"I heard that the CO is a priest."

"What? No way," the marine said, sitting up some, "you're kidding right?"

"Nope, not at all, so are we dead or what?"

"We are so dead."

"Hey!" another marine sitting across from them shouted, "Don't be disrespecting the CO. Besides, I know a chaplain that could take both of you on."

"Yeah right, he would probably pray for God to have us bow down before him," the marine joked as he elbowed his buddy.

"Oh really?" Johnson asked as he stood behind the unsuspecting marine with Snow and Grant at his flanks.

"Yeah, really," the marine replied as he turned to face the voice behind him. The soldier sitting across from his just smirked as the blood drained from the marine's face.

"Sir!" The marine shouted as he jumped up to his feet and went to a strict attention (not saluting, but still respecting) in front of his commanding officers.

"CO on deck!" Snow yelled out, gaining the attention of the marines in the room as they immediately stopped what they were doing and looked toward the three officers.

"My name is Captain Johnson; I am your new commanding officer," Johnson started in a loud voice, "It is to my understanding that most of you are fresh boots. In little under a month we will be participating in the largest war games of the free world. Most countries send the best of their best to these games and ours is no exception. However, Osea also sends in one MEU of fresh marines along with two elite, experienced MEUs. You will be competing with not only the best from our country, but also the best from around the world. I will not allow us to bring shame and humiliation to our country and the Marine Corps during this exercise, so help me God. I will expect you all to act as a well-oiled machine and work together. If I say jump, you ask how far. I say fire; you give them the whole nine yards. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Every soldier shouted out after Johnson finished.

"Good, then we will get along just fine," Johnson said before pausing for a brief moment, "And I am sure some of you have heard, I am indeed a chaplain. Mass is ten hundred hours every Sunday on the messdeck and confessions are Tuesdays in my quarters should you chose to participate. That is all."

Lucario and Nova had traveled till the sun was just barely over the horizon before they reached their destination. It didn't appear to be much from the outside, just a hole in the side of a heavily sloped part of the mountain that was hidden behind some bushes. The bushes had thrown Lucario off some when they first arrived as they had grown during his absence. He used Metal Blade to cut an opening through to the medium sized doorway.

"That's it?" Nova asked as she looked at the dark hole.

"Yeah," Lucario responded, his voice heavy with the memories that were flooding his mind.

"Are you going to be okay?" Nova asked, hearing the sadness in his voice.

Hurt, Illusions, Thomas Bergersen

(Song Start)

Lucario didn't respond; he was just gazed down into the cave with a nostalgic look on his face. Nova let out a low sigh before she moved closer to the white wolf and embraced him in a gently hug. She just stood there for a few seconds, lightly swaying in the wind. She could feel small amounts of water running down her fur as she continued to cradle the Aura Pokémon.

"Thank you," Lucario muttered softly, his voice shaking some.

"Quod si te," Nova said with a warm smile, recalling what Lucario had said earlier. She took a step back and looked down at the white wolf. His face was stained with the trails of tears. She could hardly believe that this broken Pokémon was a determined warrior most of the time. Lucario faintly smiled and nodded in response, a few more tears leaking out of his eyes.

"So are you going to be okay?" Nova asked again.

"Yeah, it is just that I can still sense them… Their aura still lives here," Lucario said as he looked down into the cave.

"I see…" Nova said as she looked behind her toward the open ocean. The sun's reflection stretched across the top of the gentle waves as is slowly sand beneath the horizon. "So your parents' aura has rubbed off that much?"

"Yes, they built this cave with the help from some other Pokémon. That and they lived here for the better part of a hundred years," Lucario said as he too turned to look at the setting sun before both of them sat down on the gently sloping mountain.

"We don't have to stay here if you don't want to," Nova said.

"No, while it hurts some, it also feels good to sense them again. It reminds me that while they are physically gone, I still have my memories of them."

"You're lucky then… I don't have any memories of my mother, and I try not to remember those of my father," Nova said as she looked down at the ground some.

"I'm sorry… your father was wrong to do what he did to you," Lucario said as he put a paw on Nova's shoulder.

"It is fine, it just means I will have to cherish the memories to make with you," Nova replied with a faint smile.

Lucario nodded in response as the two Pokémon sat in silence. They watched as the sun slowly sank beneath the ocean before Lucario stood up and offered his paw to Nova.

"Come on, let's get inside," Lucario said as he pulled Nova up to her feet and turned to go through the five by three foot oval shaped hole.

(Song End)

Nova followed behind him as they descended for a few feet before the slope started increasing again. Lucario stopped at the bottom of the pathway and placed his paw on the side of the wall. There was a brief glow around the edge of his paw before the cave erupted into a faint purple light as several small, auric flames burst to life throughout the cave.

"Whoa," Nova said in surprise, taking a quick step backwards, "What is that?"

"Auric torches, kind of like human lights that switch on and off. Though I remember them being blue…" Lucario stated as he started up the intricately carved stone steps.

"Maybe it is because your aura is purple now," Nova guessed.

"That sounds about right," Lucario said, entering the main chamber of the cave. It was a large circle with a domed roof and had another two paths leading to deeper parts of crafted cavern. There wasn't much adorning the old cave though most of it appeared to still be useable. An old, roughly made table sat in the corner with three aged, wooden chairs around it. There were also three large, oak chests along one of the walls. Finally, there were three old mats on the floor, one in front of each chest. The mats were long past useful as they had several large rips in them.

"Wow… This is amazing," Nova said as she looked around the cave. Her eyes eventually came to rest on the two paths that led farther off, "What is down there?"

"Food and water storage, which is empty, is down the right path and I am not sure what is down the other path. My parents told me not to go back there, so I didn't," Lucario replied as he took off the backpack and set it down on top of one of the chests.

"Want to go check it out?" Nova asked, curiosity brimming from her voice.

"In the morning," Lucario replied before sitting down against the smooth, stone wall, "I need more sleep. The battles yesterday really took away a lot of my energy."

"Alright, I suppose I could go for some more rest as well," Nova said as she sat down next to him.

"Still not wanting to sleep by yourself eh?" Lucario joked as he tilted his head and looked at Nova.

"Nope!" Nova said as she rested her head against Lucario's shoulder, "You know you would miss it."

Lucario let out a low sigh as he put his paw against the wall and sent out a weak auric pulse. All of the purple flames that lit the cave instantly went out, leaving the cavern in total darkness. Nova's last words rang through his head. The more he thought about them, the more he realized they were true. While he thought Nova's sleeping habit was amusing when she first started doing it, he had grown accustomed to it. Now he enjoyed the closeness between them.

"Good night, Lucario," Nova said quietly as she drifted off to sleep.

"Bonum nocte, Nova," Lucario said gently as he carefully slipped an arm around her. Nova quickly drifted off to sleep, but Lucario forced himself to stay up a little bit longer. It wasn't long before Nova's breathing became slow and rhythmic, signs that she had fallen to sleep.

"Te amo, Nova," Lucario quietly said as he lightly nuzzled the top of Nova's head before allowing himself to succumb to sleep as well.

Nova wasn't surprised at all when she looked around and found herself in a large, open meadow, the exact same meadow as her past dreams. The sky was a bright blue and the field was filled with a wide variety of colorful flowers. There was a gentle, warm breeze blowing across the field causing the tall grass to sway in its influence.

"Hello child," a soft voice came from behind her. Nova quickly spun around to see the translucent Lucario standing in front of her.

"Hi Lauren," Nova said as she walked toward auric being, "How are you doing?"

"I am doing fine. My days do not bring much action," Lauren replied as both Pokémon sat down on the soft grass, "I should be the one asking how you have been."

"Truthfully, I have been great," Nova responded cheerfully, "We just arrived at Lucario's old home."

"Ah yes, I recall you telling me that you were going there," Lauren said with a smile, "How is he doing?"

"He could be doing better," Nova said, her voice depressing ever so slightly, "He was quite sorrowful when we got there. I had to comfort him some."

"Really," Lauren asked curiously, "How so?"

"I just gave him a hug and let him cry against me," Nova answered, her voice dropping even further, "I feel bad for him. He has been through so much and none of it was his fault. He didn't deserve any of what has happened to him."

"I know, from what you told me previously, he has been through much," Lauren said before extending and resting one of her auric paws on Nova's shoulder, "But at least he has you, child."

"Yeah… you're right," Nova said, smiling some as she looked back up at Lauren's eyes, "I haven't told you this yet, but I am pretty sure that he loves me."

This bit of information seemed to catch the auric Pokémon off guard some as a shocked appearance came over her face.

"Are you certain, child?" Lauren asked, her voice full of curiosity.

Nova nodded before continuing, "He said he would do anything for me. He is much more open to me than anyone else. Also, he goes to great lengths to protect me and keep me cared for."

"I see," the motherly Lucario said, "Well, he chose wisely, but do you return these feeling, child?"

Nova smiled as she slowly nodded in reply, "When I first met him, he came off as a self-centered jerk. I didn't hate him, but I certainly didn't like him. But as time passed he began to soften up to me, and I started to like him more. From there it just slowly blossomed into love as he opened up to me more."

"You are very fortunate, child," Lauren said with a warm smile.

"I am… he took me in when even my own father rejected me… He didn't care that I lied to him about why my father abandoned me; he just stepped up to the role himself," Nova stated.

"I wish both of you the best of luck, child," Lauren said before looking up at the sky, "I must go for now."

"See you next time?" Nova asked.

"Of course, child," the auric Pokémon said with a smile, "Though I will still have to place a mental block on our conversations."

"Why do you have to do that?" Nova asked, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to recall all of the details of her dreams.

"In time, child, I will reveal all," Lauren said before she disappeared, leaving Nova alone in the meadow.

When Lucario awoke in the morning, Nova was still peacefully sleeping against him. He gently nuzzled her sleeping figure before carefully separating her and leaning her on the ground. He faintly smiled before he turned toward the unexplored tunnel, a small amount of light from the cave entrance illuminating his way. When he reached the entrance to the tunnel, he held his paw out in front of him some and focused his aura around it. His paw was soon engulfed in a small, auric flame as he made his way down the carved shaft. It wasn't long before the tunnel opened up into another small, dome shaped room.

Lucario took a few steps into the room when he heard a faint clicking sound, causing him to stop in his tracks and look around the room. He quickly sensed a concentration of aura building up right in front of him. Looking down at the ground, he saw an old piece of metal with several buttons and areas of glass on it. It was giving off a faint blue glow before it shot out a beam of light straight up from one of the glass screens, forcing Lucario to shield his eyes. When he dropped his arm, he froze at the sight in front him.

"That's impossible…" Lucario mutter as he looked at the sight before him. Standing a few feet to his front was a holographic Lucario, one he was all too familiar with. His steel eyes, battle worn scars, they were something he grew up looking at. There was not any doubt in his left in his mind… the holographic figure… was his father.

"Hello Marcus."

Osean: okay, now that we are here, I can give you the itinerary for the next few chapters. Next chapter you are-

Nova: ugh… can't we just have some time to relax! We have traveling for weeks.

Osean: I was going to say you are going to be having some time for rest and relaxation…

Nova: oh… heh heh, oops.

Osean: after that, we have heavy training.

Lucario: good, it has been a while since we have had some good sparing.

Nova: finally get to test out this new body.

Lucario: you're still going to lose.

Osean: and after that, an interesting surprise.

The reason I said that hundred year old military tech was not that out of date is because I believe that Pokémon slowed down the development of such weapons. Pokémon themselves can prove to be just as valuable as a new tank, so why bother putting money into a project that isn't going to yield much results? So basically their 100 years for them is going to be around 10-20 for us. So while it will still be somewhat out of date, it is still dangerous. If you have any questions about this, please ask and I will happily answer.

Also, Fightin' Spads comes from my uncle's squadron. He flies an F-16 in the Air Force and is currently deployed in Afghanistan. If you are the praying type, I would appreciate prayers for his safety and all those on his base.

Well, I must say I enjoyed writing his chapter. Though I am pretty sure I have enjoyed writing every chapter. Though things will be heating up again soon and I am looking forward to that. We have the UIWG, Project Nightshade, and the naval Alpha base all coming up, not in that order though. Hopefully you all will enjoy those parts.

Also, just to get this in the open and avoid confusion. Yes, Marcus is Lucario's old name. No, I will not be using it permanently. I have another name in mind that I will introduce later. Though if you figure out where I got Marcus from, I will be impressed (hint, think Azorian).

Once again, I don't have a story to recommend… sorry. So, I will once again suggest a TV show, this one is in English and actually serves a purpose to this story. So, I am more of recommending one episode than the entire series. The show is Greatest Tank Battles and the episode is The Battle of 73 Easting. The series is on Netflix and I will have a link on my profile to the episode on YouTube.

Well, that concludes this almost one year anniversary chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. God bless and see you next time.