Several days had passed since Jack and Nova left Axiom. Their journey north was progressing at a steady pace. It was slowly getting ever so slightly colder, but it was nothing the duo couldn't handle. Nova's fur kept her warm enough while Jack barely felt the cold at all, mostly because of his robes which somehow seemed to radiate warmth when it was cold out. The sun was setting at this point, its rays shining over the mountains to their left and painting everything in blazing reds and oranges.
Nova had fished out her nearly completed wooden carving, which had taken the unmistakable form of a Lucario. The only parts that remained to be carved were the lower legs. She formed a knife of solid aura as she started carving away at the remaining wood.
Watching her carve, Jack was pondered how amazing it must be to create something that beautiful from a simple block of wood. To watch it slowly take shape in your hands, or paws in Nova's case. All of a sudden, he had an irrepressible urge to try it himself.
Driven by his newfound desire to create, Jack climbed a nearby tree and began looking for a suitable-looking branch. Finding a limb that seemed to fit the bill, being several inches in diameter, he summoned an auric blade and sawed off a piece about a foot long.
With a roughly cylindrical block of wood in hand, Jack shrank his rough auric saw into a small knife and… couldn't figure out what to do next. He knew the general idea was to cut off little pieces of wood until it looked like something, but beyond that he had no idea where to begin. He hadn't even thought of what he wanted to make.
Jack sighed, it looked like he'd have to get some advice from someone who actually knew what she was doing. Hooking his legs underneath the branch he was sitting on, Jack fell backwards so he was hanging upside down from said branch.
"I don't suppose you could show me how to do this, could you?" he asked with a straight face.
Nova looked up at Jack and a small, almost nostalgic smile worked its way onto her muzzle. Standing up, Nova started to climb up the tree as well until she was on the same branch as Jack.
"I suppose I can, though I have to say having the ability to make illusions is quite helpful," Nova replied with a smile.
Jack nodded in acknowledgment. "Yeah, I can imagine so."
"Well, I don't know exactly how to teach someone how to carve, but I can try," Nova responded, her friendly smile still present as she too swung out under the branch on her legs, her mane falling below her head. "I started off with basic shapes like circles, squares, and stars."
"Hmm," Jack muttered, staring at the block of wood in his hand as though hoping to conjure a shape into existence. "Alright then. I wasn't going to do any too complicated anyway, I just thought it looked interesting and I wanted to try it out."
"Ah, I see. It helps keep my mind busy. One tip I would say is to make each slice as steady and smooth as you can. Don't try and force the knife through the wood too hard," Nova stated as she carved off another piece of wood.
"Hmm," Jack murmured again, his attention still fixated on the block of wood. He had the beginnings of an idea of what he wanted to carve, but he was still working on the details.
"I'm sure you will get the hang of it if you practice long enough," Nova replied with a sly smile as the two of the hung upside down from the tree.
Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that was meant to be a pun..."
"Well, you already are out on a limb," Nova continued, her sly smile growing ever so slightly.
Jack facepalmed and shook his head. "That's kinda the point."
"I thought the point was on the tip of my spear."
"That joke's been done to death at this point," Jack shot back. "And no that wasn't another point pun."
"Fine," Nova said, faking a pout as she continued to work on her small carving.
"So," Jack commented. "Do you hang out like this often?"
"I haven't lately, but I used to do it quite often. Especially when surprising people," Nova responded.
"Makes sense," Jack replied with a nod before returning his focus to the block of wood in his hand.
There were a few moments of silence, but then Jack glanced back over at Nova. There was a question he'd wanted to ask her for a while now, but he wasn't sure if she'd want to answer it. Then again, it was something that would probably be useful to know if he ended up squaring off against that Lucario again.
"Hey Nova," he said. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Sure, I guess so," Nova stated, catching the more serious tone in his voice.
Jack flipped back upright so he was sitting on the branch instead of hanging from it.
"I was just wondering, and I never actually asked before," he continued. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but… why did Lucario join Alpha in the first place? From what you've told me about him, I can't imagine him allowing them to blackmail him or something like that."
Nova listened to Jack's question before letting her legs straighten out, allowing her to fall to the ground. She did a graceful flip and landed on her hind paws.
"To be honest… I am not entirely sure, but I do have a speculation…" Nova replied in a somber tone.
"Do you want to tell me?" Jack asked, hopping down from the tree as well. "Or is it… private?"
"No, it's not, and I don't mind telling you," Nova started. "It is bit of a story as to what happened, so I hope you don't mind."
Jack shook his head. "Not at all, go right ahead."
"Well, the two of us were helping the the Saldaran military track down and destroy Alpha bases. After an attack on a city, Lucario managed to narrow down the location of another base to the mountains in the northeast sector of the region. The two of us along with a small group of soldiers infiltrated the base and sabotaged it. However, when we were getting out, Lucario was captured… The next time I saw him, he was with the Gallade hybrid, Damocles I believe he called himself… Anyways, he had a strange metal contraption on his head. I believe that is the source of why he is helping them. Even then he managed to briefly overpower it and tell me to run…"
"I remember seeing a metal… 'thing' on his head too," Jack said. "You think they're using it to control him somehow? That might explain why his aura felt so strange."
"I noticed that his aura was different too. And yes, I do believe that is how they are controlling him," Nova replied, nodding her head in agreement.
Jack furrowed his brow. "In that case… what do you think would happen if we got the device off his head somehow? He might just go back to normal, or..."
"Or…" Nova repeated, somewhat worriedly.
"The way I see it," Jack continued, folding his arms, "It all depends on exactly what that device is doing to him. Forcing it off might return him to normal, but it might just as easily damage his mind. Maybe even irreparably."
Even as the words left Jack's mouth, he knew he should've kept them to himself. The look of horror that spread across Nova's face made him feel like a monster; he'd just brought her whole world crashing down around her. It was obvious Nova couldn't bear the thought of damaging her mate's mind.
"Then again," he hastily corrected himself, "it's not like we have no way of knowing. Some Alpha scientist probably invented that device, and if we can get to him we should be able to get him to tell us how to get it off safely. Or maybe we could just smash it to bits and it wouldn't do anything to him, who knows?"
Nova nodded her head slowly, still somewhat scared of what could happen if the two of them were not careful.
Jack sighed. "Look, whatever else happens I promise you this much. We will get Lucario back to normal, I'll make sure of it. No matter how long it takes or what I have to do."
Nova smiled. It was a kind of sad smile, but it was an improvement. "Thanks, Jack."
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but then he sensed the presence of another aura signature less than a mile north of them. A spark ran down Jack's spine as he recognized who it was.
"You feel that, right?" Nova asked, her ears perking up as she turned her head towards the aura signature.
"Yeah," Jack replied, his eyes also intently pointed north. "Unless I'm mistaken, which I very rarely am, we have a hybrid incoming. I think it's that weird Gallade we fought at the fort."
"I agree," Nova said, her expression turning more steeled as she closed her eyes and concentrated. "He isn't moving very fast…"
Jack smirked. "Ambush?"
Nova opened her eyes and once again nodded her head. "He cannot sense me. I will go forward and get around him while you wait here for him," she suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Jack replied. "Just so you know though, I have no intention of letting you have all the fun. If things go south, I'll be there in the blink of an eye."
"Alright," Nova stated before running up to one of the trees and expertly climbing it before moving noiselessly through the branches.
To Jack's credit he waited a good minute at least. When he finally sensed that Nova had taken up her position, he waited another several seconds to make sure she hadn't been spotted. He didn't sense anyone else other than Nova and the hybrid, but he was hesitant to assume that meant there wasn't anyone. Eventually though when Nova didn't engage the enemy, Jack took it as an invitation to create a diversion.
In the blink of an eye he teleported a few meters in front of the hybrid, his arms crackling with voltage in anticipation of a fight. However the sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks, and sent a stab of doubt into his mind.
The hybrid, Damocles if Jack remembered correctly, had a red-stained cloth wrapped around his left shoulder, and the rest of him was covered in dirt and grime. His overall appearance seemed ragged, like he hadn't rested or stopped in several days, and his steps were uneven. As much as Jack wanted to feed the hybrid a lightning-flavoured knuckle sandwich, he couldn't quite bring himself to attack. He noted Nova's position, hidden amongst the trees as she continued to silently observe the hybrid, and decided to let the situation play out as it would.
"It's about time…" Damocles muttered, obviously not the least bit surprised at Jack's sudden appearance.
Jack furrowed his brow. "You seem awfully confident for someone who looks like they just crawled out from under a rockslide…"
Damocles didn't respond at once, instead staring down at Jack for a few seconds. "My confidence is well founded, boy, as you have yet to attack me."
"I'm not sure I even have to," Jack replied, still struggling with himself as to what to do.
"You are most likely correct…" Damocles sighed, shaking his head as he tried to remain standing tall for the sake of his pride. "Let me make it clear that I have no intention of fighting you, even if I could."
With that Jack came to an executive decision. Sparks stopped arcing off his arms and he folded them across his chest. He couldn't attack someone in Damocles' condition, especially if they weren't even being hostile. That and, as Jack looked closer at Damocles, he noticed that the hybrid's aura lacked both the malice and apathy that he'd noticed when they fought last time. In its place the white and gold Gallade's aura was full of guilt, and yet he also seemed almost… at peace. Jack was thoroughly confused at this point, but he wasn't going to let it show until he got some answers.
"You look like a stiff breeze might blow you over," Jack asked, feigning indifference. "What happened to you, if I might ask?"
Damocles took in a deep breath of air as he closed his eyes. "I took the advice of someone I once swore to kill…"
One of Jack's eyebrows shot up quizzically. "Just so you know, I'm not overly fond of cryptic comments…"
Damocles let out a short, painful laugh at Jack's words. "Well, I would say that is quite the misfortune for you. Although, I suppose this is neither the time nor place for them… As to answer your question, I stole some very valuable information from Alpha."
Jack's eyebrows sank back down again. "Did you now… And why would you do something like that?"
"I suppose that it was because I was tired of being their slave, being seen solely as a weapon for them to use," Damocles started. "Perhaps it was also because that I was… well, let's just say I no longer have an appetite for killing at their orders…"
Jack tapped his foot on the ground thoughtfully, as if hesitant to trust Damocles. In actuality, he could easily see the truth in the hybrid's eyes. They were full of conviction and satisfaction, the eyes of someone who knew they were finally on the right path. Still, they hid immense sadness and guilt for past transgressions and a desire, almost desperation, to somehow wipe the slate clean.
"He needs Christ," Jack thought, somewhat surprised at himself for even considering it. "He needs to know that he can be forgiven."
"And why should I trust you? How do I know you're not just the bait in some elaborate trap?" he asked pointedly, figuring he'd better keep up the facade of suspicion for a while longer..
"You don't," Damocles answered before he once again closed his eyes. "Still, I have spent the better part of a week trying to find you. I figured you would come up this way as it is the easiest way to Alpha's main base. A location I have memorized along with every other secret base they have in the region."
"Awfully tantalizing," Jack commented. "But too easy to fake. If you want me to take your word, you'll have to give me something… more."
"And I thought you said you weren't fond of cryptic comments," Damocles said with a painful chuckle.
Jack shrugged. "I'm not fond of having to decipher them. I have no qualms with using them myself. At any rate, what I want is information the Lucario you were with. You were his quote-unquote 'partner.' You obviously know how to control him, so do you know how to free him?"
"Not a question I thought you would ask…" Damocles muttered before he started looking around at his surroundings. "I would not think you to care for such a topic, boy. However, I certainly know someone that would. And if you are asking, I assume that she is nearby."
Jack shrugged again. "If she was I wouldn't tell you. I don't trust you, remember?"
"It was more of an observation than a question," Damocles responded. "Anyways… yes, I do know how to free him. However, it would be near impossible for you to disengage the device that is controlling via the proper methods as it is biometrically locked."
"If the device were to be removed or destroyed without being deactivated first, what would happen?" Jack asked.
"To the best of my knowledge, your friend would be free. The device simply suppresses his free will. Without it doing so, there is no reason to believe there would be any damage to his mindscape," Damocles replied, his voice somewhat strained.
Jack nodded. "Okay, that's a relief. I just have one more question, which I hope you can answer. Some time within a last few weeks, a helicopter carrying a team of Alpha commandos entered Saldara from Sinnoh. It had on board a metal box about the size of a backpack, which served as a portable Pokémon storage system. Do you know where it is now?"
"I believe I overheard something about a team returning from Sinnoh with a recovered prototype. Don't know much of anything about it. As for a location, I imagine it would be in the research and development lab. Section four, sublevel three," Damocles answered. "Now I do hope that is the last of your questions. If it is not too much to ask, could you get your friend down here. I have read that aura users like her can heal wounds and I would rather not die from this bullet wound."
Jack felt a stab of guilt. He'd been so focused on getting answers that he hadn't thought about how severe Damocles' injury might be. Looking at it now, he realized that the hybrid had lost an awful lot of blood. Depending on how long it was since it was opened, the wound was probably infected too. He didn't know if Nova knew how to treat a wound like this, or even if she would considering that, based on what he could sense in her aura, she still harboured a certain amount of animosity towards the hybrid; for which, all things considered, he couldn't blame her
"If it's healing you want," Jack replied, struggling to keep his expression from betraying his true thoughts, "I can do it myself just fine. Somehow I doubt my friend would want to get too close to you anyway, and personally I'd rather not give away that big an advantage. I'm sure you understand."
"Very well, I suppose it matters not," Damocles muttered as he carefully sat down on the grass.
Jack walked over to the injured hybrid and held out his hand at Damocles' shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he then placed his palm directly on the wound.
"Brace yourself," Jack told him. "This is going to feel really, really strange."
"Compared to what I have felt, I doubt it," Damocles countered, though his tone of voice wasn't overly harsh.
Jack closed his eyes and focused on the wound, sending tendrils of aura into Damocles. The bullet had gone clean through the hybrid's shoulder, fortunately missing the bone and major muscles. Those would've been much harder to repair, but as things stood Jack knew he could do it. Even the infection wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, and Jack managed to purge it with minimal effort.
Then came the hard part, actually healing the wound and restoring as much lost blood as possible. Sinking his auric tendrils right into Damocles, Jack began pouring energy into the cells around the wound allowing them to multiply at a dramatically increased rate. It had taken him weeks of poring over biology textbooks before he could replicate the Healing Wish technique he'd once used to save Jason's life, but now he knew exactly where to apply his aura for the greatest effect. Even so, it would still take an enormous amount of aura to heal a wound this large.
As the hole slowly filled itself up with new cells, Jack began to stimulate nearby bone marrow allowing it to produce more red blood cells. To replace the other fifty-five percent of the blood he'd lost, the plasma, Damocles would just have to drink plenty of water. In total the process took less than two minutes, and that was only because Jack took extra time to be methodical and thorough. He even got rid of the scar afterwards so that, when he removed his hand and undid the makeshift bandages, there was no sign that Damocles' shoulder had ever been injured.
The whole ordeal took more out of Jack than he cared to admit, but he wasn't quite done yet. Damocles' body was still covered in smaller cuts, scrapes, and bruises which he imagined probably hurt like the dickens. More than a little compassion crept into Jack's expression as he moved around behind the hybrid and knelt down.
"Just hang on a little moment longer," Jack said, putting both his hands on Damocles' back. "There's just a few more things I want to patch up."
Damocles silently nodded and leaned forwards ever so slightly as to give Jack a better angle. Jack couldn't help but tear up a little as the wounds on Damocles' back reminded him of washing Lucy's fur right after he won her from Paul. As he started siphoning his aura into Damocles' many smaller wounds, Jack sighed.
"Just so you know," Jack told him quietly, "I believe you, and I've decided to trust you."
"And I suppose this should be the moment I should thank you," Damocles responded.
"Pretty much," Jack replied, still focusing on his work. "Although depending on how useful the information you gave us turns out to be, I might be the one who has to thank you."
"Pheh, my entire life has been a lie. Don't thank me for attempting to right my many wrongs," Damocles countered with a certain amount of harshness in his voice, though Jack didn't think it was directed at him.
After a moment of silence Jack stopped the flow of aura and fell backwards into a sitting position, pulling his legs up in front of him. He was thoroughly exhausted, having siphoned off a significant amount of his aura. Not a dangerous amount, but enough to make him really, really tired. He couldn't stop his shoulders from sagging, or his hands from shaking.
"Alright, all done," he said, fatigue apparent in his voice as he wiped a film of sweat from his brow.
Damocles was silent for a moment before he stood up and stretched out some. His previously sore and weak muscles having been given a new revival. He turned around and looked at the boy who had healed him. His face was a mix of emotions, but the most prominent was confusion.
"I am no aura expert, but I am well enough informed to know that you did more than was needed," Damocles said before pausing for a moment. "Why?"
Jack leaned back further, using his arms to support him as he stared up at the evening sky ablaze with the light of the setting sun.
"Why?" he thought to himself with a small chuckle.
"You were hurt, and I'm a healer," Jack said in barely more than a whisper. "Do I need a reason to do the right thing?"
Before he could utter another word, Jack's arms collapsed under him and he fell backwards onto the grass. He was unconscious before his head hit the ground.
"Like this, Sensei?" Jack asked, using his aura to heal the broken wing of a young falcon.
"Yes, that is excellent young Storm," said the elderly monk, Jack's instructor in the healing arts. "Your skills have improved remarkably. Truly impressive. Keep practicing like this, and you could well be a master healer one day."
Jack nodded gratefully. "Thank you Sensei."
"One more thing, young Storm," the monk added. "I know of your heritage, and I know full well the path your tread. If you will, allow an old man to impart to you some hard-learned wisdom."
"Of course, anything you say I will listen," Jack replied respectfully; the man before him was probably one of the wisest people he'd ever meet.
"Healing is a incredibly useful skill to have," the monk continued, "but it is by no means an all powerful art. It is easy to exhaust oneself when healing serious injuries, and an unconscious healer is no use to anyone. And one thing you must always remember, even a master healer cannot bring someone back from the dead. If you truly wish to protect someone in combat, do not count on being able to heal them after the fact. Instead, strive to ensure that they require no healing in the first place."
Jack nodded solemnly, understanding that this was a lesson the elderly monk had learned the hard way. "Yes Sensei, I will be sure to remember that."
The dream faded as Jack returned to consciousness, a blinding spear of light slipping through his eyelids as they opened.
"Ugh…" he groaned quietly at the unwanted illumination, rolling over onto his side. ""Five more… minutes…"
"Fine then, I guess you will miss dinner," he heard a familiar voice say, although he couldn't quite remember to whom it belonged.
Jack let out a quiet snort of disapproval. "Fine… I'm up, I'm up…"
He yawned widely enough to show all his teeth, and his eyelids fluttered open as he attempted to fully wake up. He saw a black and blue muzzle staring down at him and, for one blissful moment, his sleep-clouded mind thought it was his adoptive mother. Then he remembered where he was and what had happened. He felt a tear try to work its way out of his eye and he struggled to suppress it.
"So…" he asked with another enormous yawn. "What did I miss?"
"Truthfully, not much of anything," Nova responded as she leaned back and sat down on the grass, crossing her legs in front of her. "You were only out for a few minutes."
Jack looked around and his eyes settled on Damocles. "You're still around I see. Not going to heal and run then?"
"And where per se would I run to?" Damocles replied, almost sounding lost for a moment as he looked up to the barely visible stars.
Jack glanced back up at Nova and shrugged, sending her the telepathic equivalent of a tap on the shoulder.
"Yes?" Nova replied.
"Well, what do you think? Of Damocles I mean," Jack asked, his mental voice still somewhat faint from exhaustion.
"He seems genuine enough," Nova answered with a mental shrug.
"Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion I came to as well. Still, does that mean you trust him completely?" Jack responded.
"I trust him enough… not completely, but enough to say we get the information he has to offer," Nova replied.
Jack nodded mentally. "Alright then, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. In that case, let's see what he has to say."
Jack pulled his mind away from Nova's, then he propped himself up on his arms and sat up straight.
"Alright Damocles," he said aloud. "You said you have some information for us on Alpha's secret bases, so let's hear it."
"I see that the two of you have finished then," Damocles replied. "Very well, I assume you have a map of some kind?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I'll go get it."
With a rush of air and a crackle of electricity, Jack teleported back to their makeshift camp and rifled through his bag. It didn't take him long to find a roll of fire-resistant, heavy duty canvas. He'd had the foresight to 'borrow' it on his way out of General Ford's office. Map in hand, Jack then teleported back to where Nova and Damocles were waiting for him.
"Alright, here it is," he said, crossing his legs and unrolling the map across them.
"Anything to write with, or are you going to memorize the latitude and longitude as I have?" Damocles inquired.
Jack held out his right hand and a spark played across his fingers. "I've got it covered. Just give me the coordinates."
Damocles nodded before listing off all the coordinates for the five remaining bases that Alpha had in Saldara. Jack marked the locations with his finger, leaving small scorch marks on the surface of the map. There were two up in the northwest region of the Touros Mountains, one along the coast in the north, and two along the southern coast.
"And which of those is the headquarters for Alpha?" Nova questioned.
"This one here," Damocles replied, pointing at the slightly more southwest of the two in the mountains. "The closer of the two."
Jack drew a little star around the location. "In that case that's where we'll be heading first, or so I assume."
"That is where the hybrids operate from, correct?" Nova inquired.
"Correct," Damocles answered with a slight nod of the head.
"Are there any other places of particular significance we should know about?" Jack asked.
"None that I know of. My former masters were not to fond of giving us information that we did not need to know," Damocles responded, folding his arms across his chest.
Jack nodded. "Understandable. I just have one more question, will you be coming with us?"
"It is not something I have thought about…" Damocles said as he turned his gaze towards Jack.
Jack grunted with exertion as he pulled his legs up underneath him and rose shakily to his feet.
"Well," he stated, trying not to topple over, "It doesn't look like we're going anywhere for a while so you have some time to come to a decision."
"You said you wanted to right your wrongs," Nova started, a harsh edge in her voice as she glared at Damocles. "I guess we will see how true that is."
Nova turned around and went back to a nearby tree before leaping back into and disappearing in its branches. Jack took a tentative step and then, when he didn't fall down, began to make his way slowly back to camp as well. By the time he made it back his legs felt like jelly and he regretted not teleporting, but at least he now knew the extent of his exhaustion and roughly how long it would take him to recover.
"Better come up with an answer quick, Damocles," Jack muttered as he flopped onto the ground, too tired to climb into a tree. "With any luck we'll be setting out tomorrow."
"So," Jack asked no one in particular. "What are we going to have for lunch…?"
Nova dropped down out of a nearby tree and walked over to where Jack was lying on the ground with his arms crossed underneath his head as a pillow. They still had a good amount of the jerky that Luke had given them, but no doubt she'd want to save it till they got further north and it would become harder to scavenge for food.
"I saw some berry bushes a bit back, I am sure we could get something to eat from them," Nova said.
"No doubt," Jack mused. "Well, I guess I might as well stretch my legs a little."
"Yeah… I personally think you overdid it yesterday…" Nova replied evenly.
Jack shrugged. "If I'd only healed enough to keep him alive, the rest of his wounds would probably have taken weeks, maybe months to heal naturally. Not to mention they probably hurt like crazy. By tomorrow I'll be fully recovered, and the only pain I felt was right in the pride for fainting in front of you. I think the tradeoff is pretty good all things considered."
"That, and I was hoping to make a point," he thought to himself.
"I guess so…" Nova mumbled, obviously still holding a grudge against the hybrid.
"Good grief," Jack thought to himself with a sigh, "I guess it's time to lighten the mood."
Jack took a deep breath, then with one swift motion he catapulted himself into the air. He flipped backwards head over heel once and landed on his feet. He then started doing some stretches, loosening his joints which were stiff from lazing around for most of the day. He'd mostly recovered from the excessive amount of aura he'd lost yesterday, and he was eager to show it.
"That's better," he commented, cracking his neck.
"Heh, I would imagine so," Nova said with a small laugh at Jack's little performance.
Jack meshed his fingers together then stretched his arms above his head, letting out a toothy yawn. He was relieved to see his antics had improved the somewhat gloomy atmosphere.
"Alright then," Jack continued cheerfully. "Where are those bushes you were talking about?"
After gathering a few handfuls of ripe berries from various bushes in the general area, the two of them returned to their campsite. Sitting down, the two of them ate the berries they had gathered in relative silence. By now the sun was at the peak of its rule over the day, and its rays were filtering down through the foliage above them giving everything a mottled green tint.
"So," Jack asked after he'd finished off the last of his berries. "Where's Damocles at? I haven't seen him since yesterday."
"Probably where we left him," Nova answered as she sent out a quick scan with her aura and confirmed her hypothesis.
Jack snorted softly. "What's he been doing all morning?"
"How should I know?" Nova said with a shrug. "I'm no psychic."
"Even if you were, so is he," Jack replied. "He's got so many barriers around his mind it looks like… a really impenetrable thing, I don't know."
"An impenetrable thing," Nova stated, rolling her eyes as she smirked at Jack. "Great description."
"Whatever," Jack continued quickly. "My point is that's why I didn't just read his mind to see if he was telling us the truth in the first place. I couldn't get in."
Nova simply nodded her head in understanding. "Well, I do believe that we are ready to get going again. How about we go pay him a visit?"
"Sounds good," Jack replied. "I want to know whether he's coming with us or not."
"As do I," Nova said, although from her tone it sounded more like she wanted to rigorously interrogate him.
The two of them quickly packed up their small camp and set off to where Damocles had spent the night. It didn't take them long to reach the location. When they entered the small clearing, Damocles appeared to be meditating. Nova stopped a few feet away from the hybrid and glared down at him.
"I suppose you are here for an answer," Damocles muttered as he opened his eyes and looked at the duo.
"You suppose correctly," Jack shot back with a grin, crossing his arms. "Well, what's it going to be. Are you coming with us?"
"I will assist you," Damocles said as he stood up.
Jack glanced at Nova. "In that case, I say we get going. Every second we wait is another second in which something could go horribly wrong."
"Such a cheerful outlook," Damocles stated in an unemotional tone.
Jack grin took on a rueful slant. "I try. But in all honesty our chances of actually pulling this off are nothing to be cheerful about. There's three of us, and few hundred of them. Along with the other hybrids, who I'd also like to hear more about some time by the way. What I'm trying to say is that we're definitely going to need some sort of plan going into this, or it's just not going to work."
"Very well," Damocles responded, again in an even tone as he picked up his sword and shield. "We still have some time before we arrive at the base. More than enough time for formulate this plan of yours."
Jack nodded. "I'd hoped as much."
"Well, let's get going then," Nova said harshly, her tone clearly directed at Damocles. She turned north and started walking, not waiting for either Jack or Damocles.
Jack looked over at Damocles and shrugged. "You heard the lady. We can talk while we walk."
Damocles simply nodded his head in agreement, not wanting to incur Nova's wrath. The two of them followed a safe distance behind Nova. A few minutes later Damocles, who was a few inches shorter than Jack, looked up at him.
"You said you had more questions," Damocles started, "I suggest you ask them now."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I wanted some info on whatever other hybrids there are. I've only seen you so far, and Nova's Lucario friend of course."
"Very well," Damocles said as he thought back to his former comrades. "There are three others, a Greninja, Charizard, and Serperior. The Greninja, or Nightshade, is the most dangerous of the three. She was hybridized with a Kecleon and can flawlessly blend in with her surroundings. However, she shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you or your fox friend to located with aura. Her dark typing prevented me from being able to fight her effectively. Then there is Falkor, a Charizard mixed with a machamp. He has blue skin and his raw strength is unmatched. If I were you, keep him at range, even then he is still very dangerous. While he isn't the brightest of fighters, he is by no means dull either." Damocles paused for a moment, seemingly trying to organise his thoughts. "The last one is… well she is quite weird even by my standards."
Jack snorted with barely restrained laughter.
Damocles glared at Jack before continuing, "She is a Serperior hybridized with a Seviper. Her speed is quite remarkable in all regards. I honestly cannot tell you much about her as she always kept to herself."
Jack nodded. "I see… So out of all three the only one I can see being a real problem is the Serperior. You really can't tell me anything more about her?"
"No, I cannot. As I said, she was a recluse," Damocles responded.
"Oh well then," Jack sighed. "You've already given us more information than I ever would've hoped for. Not to mention that I didn't have to pry it out of your head, which is nice."
"Yes… I suppose it is," Damocles muttered.
"You two mind keeping up?" Nova called out from ahead, still visible and audibly ticked at the recent addition to their group.
Jack performed a beautiful military salute. "Yes ma'am! Right away ma'am!"
Damocles shook his head and sighed before picking up his pace ever so slightly.
"This is going to be a long trip…"
