"What?" Jack asked, not quite believing his ears.

"Perhaps we can help you get your friends back," Nova replied, repeating what Lucario had said. "You have done more than I could ever thank you for, so this seems like a good way to show our thanks."

"But…" Jack protested after a moment, "Aren't you still needed here? Alpha isn't defeated quite yet, and then there's whatever your friend Matthew was talking about… And I have no idea how long it'll take to find my friends. Maybe it's already too late, I have no way of knowing. Can you really afford to drop everything just to help me out?"

"For a friend like you, I certainly can," Nova responded in a calm, friendly voice. "Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for helping me."

"Azorian tradition says that I am in your debt for your role in saving me, so I am obliged to assist you," Lucario added on in a formal tone.

Jack was silent for a moment, then he looked down at the ground. "I'm touched, really I am. I really appreciate the offer. Even so, I can't help but feel like it's a bad idea for you two to leave the region at a time like this…"

Lucario was silent for a few seconds as he thought about what Jack had said. "I am confident in the Saldaran military to take care of things from here on out."

Jack sighed. "Well, I guess there is that. If both of you are determined to come, then… to be honest, I would be glad for the help."

"Then it is settled, we will go with you once we turn over everything over to General Ford," Nova said happily.

"Alright, fine," Jack conceded. "But in that case, when are we planning on hopping through a rift in space-time to Fort Aaron anyway? Because right now, I think the best course of action would be to hunt down some lunch."

At the mention of food, both Lucario and Nova realized how hungry they were, having not eaten anything in quite a while.

"Finding some food does sound like a good idea…" Lucario muttered as he started walking to a nearby berry bush.

"Agreed," Nova said as she also started looking for some nearby food.

"You know," Jack deadpanned, "I'm surprised I didn't think of this earlier, but… couldn't we just pop down to the ocean and catch a few fish?"

"That is actually a really nice idea. I haven't had fish in a long time…" Nova replied, suddenly craving fish.

"She isn't going to accept anything less than fish now," Lucario said with a small laugh. "If we fail to deliver on that, she will hunt us down."

"And eat me instead no doubt," Jack shot back with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'm sure that between the three of us we'll be able to find something."

"Well then, let us depart," Lucario continued as a long purple blade grew out of his right wrist spike. He slashed through the air and, with a thunderous crack, a portal of swirling purple energy appeared.

"Race you there!" Jack exclaimed with an impish grin, before disappearing with a crackle of electricity.

Jack popped back into existence on a sandy stretch of coastline that extended for as far as the eye could see in either direction. He spotted Lucario's portal out of the corner of his eye, and immediately started feigning boredom as if he'd been waiting for hours. After all, what good was getting there first if he couldn't heckle them about it?

"I could make a snarky comment," Jack said with a smug grin as Nova and Lucario stepped out of the portal, "But it'd just be way too easy."

"Right…" Nova replied, rolling her eyes as she made her way over to where the ocean met the sands of the beach. She smiled when she felt the cool water wash over her hind paws. "New race to see who can catch the first fish?"

Jack shrugged. "I get the feeling it's not a fair match, but sure."

Jack walked down into the water and closed his eyes, casting his mind out into the water in search of fish. He could feel Nova doing the same, although Lucario seemed to be hanging back for the time being. Obviously the hybrid Aura Pokémon knew his mate well enough that he wasn't even going to bother trying to win the fish race.

"In that case," Jack thought to himself, "I guess I'll just have to play dirty. But how…?"

Jack was snapped out of his thoughts by Nova's voice. "Got one!"

Jack turned to Nova in utter disbelief. The blue-furred Zoroark was holding out a ball of water held together by aura. Jack couldn't see inside very well, but it obviously contained Nova's fish.

"Are you kidding me, already?" Jack exclaimed. "I haven't even seen any yet. I think they're avoiding me…"

"If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself," Nova said before tossing the water filled aura sphere towards Jack. As soon as he caught it, it exploded and showered him in seawater, much to Nova's amusement. Even Lucario smirked at the image of Jack, thoroughly surprised and soaking wet.

Jack stood still for a moment, a look of incomprehension on his face. Then he noticed something. There really was a fish swimming around Nova's legs, although she seemed to have let it go in favour of soaking Jack instead. A mischievous grin split Jack's face from ear to ear, and his eyes glowed golden. The game was on.

"So, you want to play that game do you?" he asked.

Without any further warning, Jack flicked his finger and a jet of water shot out of the sea a few feet from Nova and hit her right in the face. Nova recoiled slightly from the slap of water across her snout. She glared at Jack before a smirk made its way across her muzzle.

"You are going to regret doing that," Nova replied as she playfully glared at Jack.

"Actually," Jack shot back with a smirk, "I really don't think I am."

"Ah, but you have forgotten something, something important," Nova continued. "For I have a mate."

At the mention of Lucario, he threw the handful of marble sized aura spheres that he had charged. They landed in a scattered pattern around Jack before exploding and showering Jack in in more of the salty water.

"Nice try," Jack replied. "But I have a few tricks up my sleeves too."

Jack raised his arms, and four snake-like jets of water shot from the sea around him. Two spiraled towards Nova, the other two curved around to attack Lucario from either side. Nova formed two small aura spheres and threw them into the jets of water heading towards her. When they exploded, the water imploded in on itself and fell back to the ocean. Meanwhile, Lucario stood motionless with both of his blades extended. At the last possible second before the jets of water hit him, he slashed the blade upwards creating two portals. The two jets of water raced into the portals and out of two portals that had appeared on either side of Jack, though slightly offset.

A split second before the two returned jets of water hit him, Jack telekinetically shot himself up into the air as if a giant hand had given him a flick. While in midair Jack flipped head over heels once before plummeting back down. Then, just as his feet hit the water, Jack released a blast of aura into it. The water was pushed back away from Jack, leaving him standing on dry ground for a split second before it rushed back in. The disturbance raised a giant wave that towered over Nova and Lucario as it crashed down towards them.

The two Pokémon both reacted simultaneously, raising an aura shield around themselves as the wave raced towards them. When it hit, both of them felt their hind paws dig in against the wet sand underneath the water as the wave of water impacted their shields. Nova smirked she gave the tidal wave a push, sending some of it back where it came from.

Jack saw Nova's counterattack coming, but he feigned surprise as it washed over him up to his neck. There was something in the surge of water that he wanted. When the wave receded he was grinning widely. In his right hand was a fish about the size of his forearm, which he was holding by the tail. It was the one Nova had let go barely two minutes ago.

"Why thank you," Jack commented, mischievous glee dripping from his voice. "I've been trying to catch this guy for several minutes now. I guess this means I won our little wager, isn't that right?"

Nova's expression was priceless. She stood for a few seconds, staring in stunned silence at the fish in Jack's grasp, before letting out a short laugh.

"So it would appear that you have indeed won," Nova replied.

"Very smart, actually," Lucario commented, realizing Jack had more or less played Nova.

Jack whistled in amazement, glancing over at Lucario. "A compliment, from you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing those don't come easily."

"No, they do not," Lucario replied, letting out a small laugh as he took slowly shook his head. "Anyways, we should probably get back and check on… Damocles."

"And cook up all of our one fish?" Jack pointed out. "Tell you what. As the master fishers here how about you two catch us a full meal's worth, and I go check on Damocles?"

"Fair enough," Lucario responded, glad for a reason not to see the hybrid.

"In that case," Jack said, "I will take my leave. Happy hunting. Oh, and here. You can have this one Nova, my treat."

Jack flung the fish he'd caught high into the air, and it landed right in Nova's arms. Then, with one final smirk, Jack disappeared in a crackle of energy.

Nova caught the fish in her paws as it flopped about, desperately trying to get back into the water. She held onto it tightly as she shook her head once again at Jack's antics.

Jack reappeared at his campsite and peered inside the makeshift shelter, where he found Damocles still sleeping soundly. Despite the fact that the hybrid needed as much sleep as he could get after yesterday, missing two meals in a row wouldn't exactly be good for him either.

"Hey," Jack said, "Rise and shine Damocles, it's almost time for lunch."

The hybrid Gallade rolled over, but didn't wake up. Jack sighed and muttered something about doing it the hard way then. With only token hesitation, Jack sent a tiny spark of electricity into Damocles' foot.

The hybrid was jolted from his sleep, sitting up and looking around for what had shocked him only for his eyes to land on Jack.

"Morning…" Damocles muttered as he crawled out of the shelter that Jack had made.

"Looks like you had a good rest," Jack replied. "You feeling any better?"

"That I am," Damocles responded as he started stretching out. His body was still sore but overall he was in much better shape.

Jack nodded. "That's good. Nova and Lucario are catching some fish for lunch, then I think we're going to head back to Fort Aaron."

"I see…" Damocles said in a quiet voice as he finished stretching out and turned towards Jack. the hybrid's stomach rumbled, and he suddenly realized just how hungry he was.

"Yeah," Jack commented wryly. "I kinda figured that'd happen, considering you missed breakfast. Then again, so did the others."

"Well, thank you for coming and getting me," Damocles replied, nodding his head in appreciation.

"No problem," Jack replied. "It's the least I can do."

"I guess we better get going then," Damocles stated before looking around and trying to remember which way it was to Lucario's den.

Jack was silent for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should even ask. He didn't want to press the issue too hard. Then again, he also couldn't just let it drop; for Damocles' sake.

"Damocles…" Jack asked hesitantly, "Have you thought at all about what I said yesterday?"

"You will have to forgive me if I haven't. There hasn't been a lot of time for me to think about it. However… perhaps with everything that is happening, it will be good for me to look into it," Damocles responded.

Jack nodded again. "That's all I can really ask. Thanks for, you know, actually listening. Honestly I wasn't sure if you would. I'm still not sure if Lucario did, or will."

"He is a hundred times the Pokémon I will ever be. If I am considering it, I can only assume your words will eventually make it through to him. It might take some time though, reading through the information that Alpha had on him… let's just say his dislike of humans is well founded," Damocles theorized.

"Yeah," Jack replied solemnly. "I can only imagine what he went through."

"If you want my advice on the matter, have your Pokémon approach him with the subject," Damocles suggested as he looked over at Jack.

Jack's expression darkened as a wave of painful memories momentarily flooded his mind. "Yeah, I already thought of that. There's only one problem..."

"I know…." Damocles said, berating himself for bringing up Jack's missing Pokémon. "I am sure you will get them back."

Jack took a deep breath, forced his doubts to the back of his mind, and managed to crack a smile. "Yeah, of course I will. Thanks. Anyway, Nova and Lucario are going to start eating without us if we don't get back there."

"Yeah, we should get back," Damocles agreed.

"Fortunately," Jack continued with a smirk, "I know a shortcut."

Jack reached out with one hand and lightly tapped Damocles on the shoulder. A split second later, the two of them were standing outside Lucario's den. Nova and Lucario were there waiting for them, and it looked as though they had caught a few more large fish; which were gutted, cleaned, cut into strips, and ready to be eaten.

"Looks like a meal fit for a king," Jack remarked, licking his lips. "Then again, maybe I'm just hungry."

"I believe we all are," Damocles said as he looked at the food, his body still rather weak.

"Well, it is ready for eating at this point for most of us," Nova replied, "One of us here likes to ruin it by cooking it."

"Oi," Jack protested in mock-indignation, "I resent that remark."

"I resent your resentment," Nova countered, sticking out her tongue at Jack. "And no, you cannot resent my resentment of your resentment."

Jack grinned impishly. "You said it, not me. Anyway, enough banter. I'm starving!"

"Agreed," Lucario said before taking a bit of the freshly caught fish. Nova did so as well, taking a large and enthusiastic bite out of the aquatic animal. Damocles was taking smaller, slower bites, just being happy for having something to eat.

Jack grabbed one of the fish in one hand and conjured a small flame in the other. He cooked his meal with a look of extreme nonchalance, knowing full well that all three Pokémon were staring at him.

The three of them continued eating while Jack cooked his meal. Nova quickly finished her first piece and was about to start on a second by the time Jack was finished cooking his.

"Actually," Jack asked at one point, when his fish was almost done, "Aren't you used to cooked food Damocles?"

"I guess you could say that I am. Though the cooked food Alpha offered us wasn't the best. It was enough to make sure we had energy to fight and keep going about our business. I could summarize it in one word though, bland," Damocles replied in a quiet voice. "Whenever we were out on missions, we would often rather hunt for our own food."

"So I'm still the only one here who prefers my food cooked. Good to know I'm unique," Jack deadpanned.

"Prefers cooked food, yet was raised by Lucarios," Nova pointed out with a small smile.

Jack shrugged. "My parents always made sure my food was prepared correctly. Maybe, oh I don't know, because they knew human stomachs couldn't handle raw meat very well?"

"Fair enough," Nova replied, shrugging as well before continuing to eat another piece of fish.

Jack just rolled his eyes and, deciding it was probably safe, extinguished his cooking flame and took a bite out of the fish.

"Mmf," he exclaimed in pleasure as he tasted the meat, although he made sure to swallow before speaking. "That's delicious. A few herbs and it really would be a meal fit for a king!"

"Fresh food is quite nice. Nothing against the jerky that Luke provided us, but that stuff was tough," Nova said as she took another large bite.

Jack didn't reply as he was too busy tearing into his fish. He was evidently quite hungry, and it didn't take him long to finish off the meager meal. After the group finished eating, the four of them prepared to leave once again. While they were still a bit sore from the previous day's battle, it was not a major hinderance. It didn't take them long as there was not much to gather. Jack was the only one with any supplies at this point.

"So," Jack commented, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Shall we get going?"

"I believe we are all ready," Nova said before turning towards Lucario.

He nodded his head before the spike on his right arm glowed and elongated into a sharp blade. Taking in a deep breath, Lucario closed his eyes and focused. A few moments later, the blade started glowing purple as he slashed at the air in front of him, creating a tear in space. The portal appeared with a thunderous crack before Lucario opened his eyes again.

"After you," Lucario stated, gesturing towards everyone else.

Jack shrugged. "Alright then. See you on the other side."

With that, Jack darted forward and quickly jumped through the portal. Once he was through, he saw that they were just outside a forest. A quick mental scan of the area revealed that it was, in fact, only a few miles from Fort Aaron. It wasn't long before Damocles came through the glowing portal as well, then Nova, then Lucario.

"So… any plan from here?" Lucario asked, deciding that Nova and Jack had more experience with the current situation than he did.

"Well," Jack replied, brushing some invisible dirt off his knees, "I would imagine we just walk in the front door. I'm pretty sure they'll recognise us, wouldn't you say?"

"Except for the fact that Ford isn't supposed to be helping us and vice versa," Nova said, remembering their previous discussion with General Ford. "That is why I proposed we sneak in under my illusion. It would probably be best if Damocles waited here though… I don't think sneaking him into the base would send the right message…"

"Then again," Jack countered, "I think it would just be simpler to tell the guards more or less what happened. You and I found Damocles, the three of us walked into Alpha's main base, and we walked out with Lucario who then sucked it into a singularity. I'm pretty sure the two of us made more than enough of an impression last time, so the guards will at least take us seriously. And maybe not shoot us on sight."

"Except there is no guarantee that the same guards will be there," Lucario pointed out. "From what I can sense from here, the base is mostly empty right now."

"A blue Zoroark and a human in blue robes defend the base from two hybrids," Jack deadpanned, "And you think the story hasn't spread like wildfire among the ranks by now?"

"Fine…" Lucario conceded. "I agree that Damocles should wait here though."

Jack thought about it for a moment. "Yeah… actually, you're probably right about that one. Any problem with that plan Damocles?"

"I have no objections," Damocles responded.

"Okay then," Jack continued. "Let's go with that."

"Very well then," Lucario started before turning towards the Saldaran base. "Nova, could you please create an illusion around me at least, make me appear as a normal Lucario till we are with Ford. I think my current appearance might cause some… panic."

"I can do that once we get closer," Nova said, nodding her head before looking at Jack. "Well, let's get going."

Jack nodded back. "Right."

So the three of them started making their way towards the fort, with Jack in the lead. It took them a while to reach the gate of the military base, but it was a nice day out and none of them minded the walk. Before they reached the gates, Nova did as Lucario asked and created an illusion around Lucario, giving him the appearance of a normal Lucario except for his eyes which remained purple. There was a group of about six soldiers at the gate when they arrived. They eyed the trio cautiously before one them took a few steps forward.

"This is a restricted area, I am going to have to ask that you turn around and leave," the soldier said.

"Actually," Jack said, raising his hands above his head in the universal gesture of surrender. "We're here to request an audience with General Ford."

The soldier raised an eyebrow at the group in front of him waiting a few seconds before answering. "That is not how it works… You cannot just walk up here and ask to speak with the general, I am sorry."

"Actually, we have met with General Ford several times before," Nova stated, taking a few steps forward. By now, two other soldiers had walked over and were examining the them. One of them looked a Nova for a bit before recognizing her.

"Wait… You're that Zoroark that was here a few weeks ago. The one that also was helping Ford before the war started," he said.

"That would be me," Nova replied with a smile. "Could you at least tell General Ford that Nova and Jack are here to see him?"

"Of course," the soldier replied, leaving the other soldier who had first stopped them in the dark. A few minutes later, the trio was allowed into the base with a few soldiers escorting them to General Ford's office. Looking around, Jack noticed that the damage to the base had been repaired.

"Well, the superhuman returns," General Ford said as they entered his office, looking over the three of them before dismissing the guards that escorted them. His eyes landing on Lucario as he inspected him, immediately noticing his purple eyes

."Yes," Jack replied. "And we're here to report that we destroyed Alpha's main base, took down all of their hybrids except one, and freed a certain mutual acquaintance from their control."

General Ford raised an eyebrow at the list of supposed accomplishments as he stood up from behind his desk and walked around in front of it. "I am going to guess that said mutual acquaintance is Lucario, who I am also guessing is right in front of me."

"You would be correct, general," Lucario responded, looking into Ford's eyes. "I cannot even begin to apologize for all the harm I caused…" He then closed his eyes and bowed his head down. "I hope that you can forgive me for all that happened. They used some kind of mind control device on me."

"You know, I caught a lot of flak when you showed up helping them. A lot of people were calling for my removal for letting an 'Alpha spy' into our ranks. Thankfully, more people had faith in my ability to defend my country. Though that certainly explains a lot… And as for the rest of it," Ford said as he turned towards Jack. "You have any proof of your claims? Not that I don't believe you… but…"

"Well…" Jack replied, reaching behind his shoulder and pulling a roll of canvas out of his bag. "I don't have any on me, but I do have this."

Jack deftly unrolled the map, holding either side of it so Ford could see.

"In case you're wondering," Jack continued, "Those burn marks are all of Alpha's hidden bases. The one with the little star around it is their main base, or the giant hole that used to be their main base. That should be fairly easy to verify, right?"

Ford looked at the map in awe, not quite believing what he was seeing. "These… these are all accurate?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. Remember I told you we took down all but one of Alpha's hybrids? Well, we got these coordinates from the last one. Considering the location of the main base was accurate, I'm confident that all the others are as well."

"You're telling me one of Alpha's own hybrids betrayed them?" Ford asked skeptically.

Jack nodded again, filling his expression and tone with all the certainty he could muster. "Yes, what's more, he personally served as a distraction while Nova and I infiltrated Alpha's main base to rescue Lucario. We trusted him with our lives, and he risked his in return. He's completely turned his back on Alpha, and he's even agreed to turn himself in for his crimes."

"Well… when can I expect to see him?" Ford inquired as he looked over the map.

"I can go get him now if you want," Jack replied, more than a little relieved.

"Hmmm, tempting, but I will pass," Ford said as he started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "You know, it actually makes some sense. We had been intercepting a large amount of radio traffic over the past week. Heavily encrypted stuff, but we got a few bits that pointed at a major attack. With that knowledge, we pulled our lines back and left dummy units and radio transmitters on some remote controlled vehicles to move them around. However, yesterday, most of the radio chatter disappeared. When they attack came this morning, there were no hybrids and we crushed them and have been counter attacking all day."

Jack nodded. "Yup, that's pretty much what we hoped would happen. Have they been any trouble at all without their hybrids to support them?"

"Only trouble we have had was making sure our units don't outrun our supply lines," Ford said with a short laugh.

"I would also like to point one thing out to you," Lucario started before pointing to the dot that was inside the Azorian Reserve. "This is not an actual Alpha base, but some local Pokémon said that they had seen some humans with futuristic technology in that area."

"Very well, we will check it out as well," Ford replied as he took out a pen and wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Well, it certainly seems like you have done our region a great service, all of you."

"This region is as much my home as it is yours," Lucario countered.

"That is very true," Ford agreed, nodding his head slowly before turning towards Jack. "So what are your plans now? I would assume that you are heading back to Sinnoh?"

"Yeah," Jack replied, motioning with his head towards the metal box slung over his shoulder along with his bag. "I got what I came here for, mostly, so there's no reason for me to stick around. Besides, I really want to look into getting that paperwork done as soon as possible."

Ford let out a short laugh. "Very well. Though, since you are heading back to Sinnoh, might I press for one last request?"

Jack raised one eyebrow. "I thought you said we weren't allowed to help each other; on record at least."

"Well, technically that is still correct. However, since there aren't many ways out of the region right now, I would be forced to send you out on whatever manner I can," Ford said with a smirk.

Jack nodded, starting to catch on. "I see. In that case, what exactly would you have me do?"

"We have a ship leaving for Sinnoh tonight from Haven," Ford started, pointing at the port city on Saldara's east coast. It is carrying the payment for the supplies we bought from them. A hundred pounds of perfectly cut diamonds and three ancient statues from Sinnoh, one of each of the Creation Trio. We believe that Alpha is going to try and attack the ship. Since you are going to Sinnoh, figured you could go with it to make sure it gets there."

Jack grinned wryly. "Anyone who attacks that ship is going to have a bad time."

"Heh, good to hear," Ford laughed. "I will fill out the paperwork to get you onto the ship."

"I should point out that Lucario and I are going with him," Nova said.

"Like I said," Jack continued, his grin gaining a mischievous slant. "If anyone attacks that ship..."

"Very well," Ford continued, "Would seem that Razgriz story wasn't all lies after all."

"Pardon?" Lucario asked, slightly confused by Ford's statement.

"Most people were calling you the Demon of Razgriz for the past three months. I don't know if you're famil-"

"I know the story…" Lucario interrupted, "A demon who rains death upon the land before a period of slumber, then returns a great hero."

"Ah right… I remember what Nova told me about that…" Ford said as he recalled how the story was supposedly from another dimension.

"Still… you are right, it is strangely fitting…" Lucario responded. "Even before I was captured by Alpha, I called myself a demon. A demon that the demons of this world would come to fear."

"An interesting saying," Ford stated as he looked over Lucario. "So what happened to your white fur?"

"Hidden under an illusion for now, I did not want to panic your men," Lucario replied.

"I see… well at this point, I don't see much more to say at this point unless there is anything any of you want to discuss," Ford stated as he walked back around his desk.

Jack tapped his foot on the ground nervously. "Well, there is still the issue of Damocles. He's the hybrid who helped us."

"That… is unexpected…" Ford responded. "I will take your word on his change of heart though. Have him approach the base slowly by the end of tonight."

Jack nodded. "I will. Thank you sir."

"Very well then, I will arrange transport for you to Haven," Ford continued.

"That won't be necessary," Lucario said. "I can get us there in an instant."

"Alright then, I will be sure that you have permission to be onboard the SRS Silverlake tonight," Ford stated. "You are welcome to wait here or in Haven until then."

"Thank you," Lucario said, once again bowing his head. "I think we will wait in Haven."

"Okay, I will be sure to send our forces there a message. You will find a few familiar faces there," Ford replied with a grin.

"Familiar faces?" Nova inquired, one of her ears tiling to the side.

"Both Eric and Tyler are assigned to the escort as well," Ford explained. "They have both fully recovered from their wounds and have been fighting for the past month."

"That is good to hear," Nova replied, a happy smile on her muzzle.

"I don't know who they are," Jack remarked with an innocent grin, "But I'm sure I'll find out."

Both Lucario and Nova groaned at Jack's response.

"You don't say…" Nova said in Pokéspeech.

Jack shrugged. "What? I'm merely stating the facts as I see them."

"The painfully obvious facts…" Lucario added on.

"But those are the best ones," Jack protested, grinning mischievously.

"Some of cannot understand Pokémon," Ford pointed out, left out of the current conversation.

"Sorry, you didn't miss much," Nova said with a sheepish grin. "Anyways, we should probably get going."

"Agreed," Jack replied.

"Alright then, I will send a message to the commander of the naval base we have at Haven. I would suggest you get a message to Damocles sooner than later," Ford stated as he started punching in some numbers on the phone on his desk.

Jack nodded. "Right. I'll go tell him now."

With that, Jack blinked out of existence. He reappeared back where they'd left Damocles, just outside a small forest a few miles from Fort Aaron. Upon landing, Jack immediately glanced around in search of the hybrid. He was currently sitting with his eyes closed against a tree. Upon hearing Jack teleport nearby, he opened his eyes and glanced over at him.

"So, how did it go?" Damocles asked.

"Pretty well," Jack said deadpanned, wiping his brow. "They only tried to kill us a few times."

"Right…" Damocles replied skeptically, thinking that the human might have been exaggerating somewhat.

Jack gave him a sideways glance. "You're no fun. Anyway, all joking aside they were pretty hospitable. Ford saw us almost immediately, and we gave him all the important details of our little adventure."

"And what about me?" Damocles inquired as he stood up and stretched out some. "I imagine that part wasn't the easiest."

Jack shrugged. "Well, that remains to be seen. I told him you'd turned over a new leaf, and I explained how you risked your life to help us infiltrate the base. He said he'd take my word for it, and he agreed to talk with you. I'll be honest, it went better than I expected."

"And how exactly am I supposed to turn myself over?" Damocles pressed on. While he had no certainty that Jack had discussed these details with Ford, he figured that they probably had.

"He just wants you to walk up to the front door," Jack replied. "Nice and slow obviously, so you don't startle the guards. He said he's expecting you there by tonight."

"Seems simple enough…" Damocles muttered. "Very well, it shall be done."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Hey Damocles… if you don't mind me asking, is there any particular reason why you talk like that? It seems kind of… I really don't want to use the word 'archaic'…"

"An interesting, yet unexpected question…" Damocles said as he thought of a proper answer. "I suppose it is just how I was raised. My parents were rather… odd according to most people's standards. Some say it is just how Gallades speak."

Jack blinked. "That... actually makes sense," he said with a straight face.

"It what manner?" Damocles inquired, glancing over at Jack.

"An… old friend of mine, a Gallade, always used to talk like you now that I think of it," Jack replied. "Just… not quite as noticeably. Him and his father both."

"I see. I am sure that if they were friends of yours, then they were both great people," Damocles responded in a respectful tone, catching onto Jack's grim tone.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. I haven't seen them in a long time though. Maybe I'll run into them again some time, who knows. Anyway, I've got to get back. Nova and Lucario are waiting for me."

"Very well," Damocles said, nodding his head, "Farewell to you, Jack Storm."

"Farewell," Jack replied, nodding as well. "And good luck."

With that, Jack once again slipped into a crack in the fabric of reality and was gone. He reappeared with the usual crackle of electricity right outside Fort Aaron, and directly behind Nova and Lucario.

"I'm back," he said, stating the obvious. "Did I miss anything important?"

"Nope, not at all," Nova replied as she looked over at him. "Anything else you want to do while we are here?"

Jack scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Nothing comes to mind… Then again I'm not familiar with the area so I don't know what there would be to do."

"Well, we aren't too familiar with it either. Basically only stayed at or around Fort Aaron," Nova started, "I guess we should head off to Haven then."

"If there are no objections," Lucario said as he extended his right blade and it started glowing. In one swift motion, he cut a tear through space and a purple portal appeared in its wake. "After you."

Jack shrugged. "Don't mind if I do."

Jack hopped through the portal followed by Nova and, a few seconds later, Lucario. Jack took a moment to look around at the scenery. Most of Haven seemed to be taken up by docks, stacks of cargo crates and the large cranes used to carry them around, and a few equally blocky warehouses. There were quite a few ships currently in the harbour, most of which were having crates being either loaded on or unloaded from them.

"So this is Haven," Lucario stated as he looked over the city from the hillside they were currently standing on.

"Reminds me a little of Oreburgh City…" Jack commented, looking around curiously.

"Never heard of it," Lucario replied as he glanced over in Jack's direction.

"It's a mining town in Sinnoh," Jack told him. "It looks a lot like this, very square and blocky. Although in Oreburgh it was mostly warehouses."

"I see… well, let's go see if we cannot find the military base that Ford spoke of. I am guessing it is closer to the harbour," Lucario stated.

"You want me to keep up the illusion?" Nova inquired.

"For now, yes. I imagine my reputation right now is… not very good. It would be in our best interest to keep my true appearance hidden, especially around civilians," Lucario responded turning to look at Nova.

"In that case," Jack stated, "It's probably best if I do the talking while we're here. It'd kind of defeat the purpose of a disguise if you kept using your telepathy."

"I am fine with that, though I doubt me using telepathy would give me away," Lucario said. "Anyways, let's get moving."

With that said, the trio started off towards the port city. It didn't take them too long to reach the outskirts. Apparently Ford had already gotten everything taken care of as they were let through the military checkpoint without any issues. A squad of soldiers escorted them to the naval base that was part of Haven. The entrance to the base was heavily guarded at the current moment with two black, menacing-looking tanks sitting at the gate.

Jack stared at the tanks in extreme curiosity. Ford had mentioned something about ghosts during their first meeting, and said they were classified information; a secret weapon of some kind. Looking at these tanks, covered top to bottom with plates of some strange, reflective, black substance, Jack started wondering if this is what the general had been talking about.

"So," he asked Lucario and Nova telepathically. "Are these the ghost tanks Ford talked about?"

"I haven't heard of any such ghost tanks," Lucario replied, "They do bare great resemblance to some other tanks I saw, though the black coating is something new."

"I don't know anything about any ghost tanks either, though I do agree with Lucario," Nova added.

"Okay then," Jack said with a shrug.

Once they entered the base, they could see several ships along the dock. They were very angular and curved in appearance with no sharp corners. One of them had quite a few soldiers surrounding it as supplies were loaded onto the ship. The soldiers lead them into a building close to the docks. Once inside, they were directed to the commander's office. The name 'Commander Crerar' was written across the door.

"Welcome," Crerar said as the trio entered his office. "I must admit, I was pretty surprised at how fast you got here. Couldn't have been more than thirty minutes since I got off the phone with General Ford. Based on what he said, I owe you three a great deal."

Jack looked back at Lucario and Nova and shrugged. "I guess you could think of it that way. I for one had business with Alpha anyway. Ending the war was a nice bonus, but I won't claim my motives were anything as noble as that."

"War ain't over yet," Crerar replied, "Though based on today's offensive, it could be over very soon. Still, you have my thanks."

"You're very welcome," Jack said with a nod. "To get down to business though, we're here protect one of those ships; right?"

"Yes, the SRS Silverlake. It is the ship getting supplied right now. I am sure you saw it on the way in," Crerar responded. "Though your official reason for being on the ship is for deportation."

"Yes," Jack deadpanned. "Because I'm a dangerous illegal alien that needs to be evicted from the region."

"Dangerous or not, you did enter the region illegally," Crerar said, his voice suddenly harsher. "I am aware of your previous conversation with Ford on the matter. But our region has laws and they will be enforced."

Jack sighed mentally. He was thinking clearly enough at this point to appreciate exactly how idiotic sneaking into Saldara really was. All this time, no matter how much good he'd done, he was still effectively a wanted man; a criminal. He really was fortunate that General Ford had been so understanding. Now that he knew his Pokémon weren't even here, he was feeling a lot less confident that coming here was the right thing to do. Even so, he couldn't say he really regretted it. After all, he'd met Nova.

"Yes," Jack replied nodding solemnly, recognising that polite formality was the appropriate tone in this situation. "I understand that. If I may, I would like to offer my apologies for entering the region illegally. In my defense, I wasn't really thinking straight at the time."

"Understandable, and given the circumstances of all public transportation into the region being shut down, you didn't have much of a choice," Crerar replied, his voice softening again. "If you want, you can either wait on shore or on the corvette."

Once again, Jack glanced back at Nova and Lucario. "What do you guys want to do?" he asked them.

"I am fine with either option," Lucario replied, causing Crerar to shift his attention to him.

"So Razgriz returns to us," the commander said, "Ford had said you would be with Jack. I heard about what you did before Alpha captured you. Your actions saved a lot of lives, both military and civilian. It is a shame what Alpha made you do during your captivity…"

"Thank you," Lucario replied after a few seconds of silence. "I did not think many would be so eager to forgive me for what I have done."

"Some of us remember what you did before you were forced to become a weapon. While you caused lots of pain, suffering, and death while Alpha forced their will on you, you have also brought us lots of hope and joy when you were free. I simply choose to see you for who you are, not who Alpha used you as," Crerar responded.

Lucario looked at Crerar in what could be described as a mix of shock and confusion. He simply nodded his head a few seconds later.

"Ford said that there would be a few people we knew here as well. Do you know where Eric and Tyler are?" Nova inquired.

"They are on the ship right now making sure the cargo is secure," Crerar replied. "Feel free to join them if you wish."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Jack said. "Any objections?"

"Not on my end," Nova answered as Lucario shook his head.

Jack nodded. "In that case let's get going. Personally, I'd like to take a closer look around the ship before we cast off."

"Very well, this shall be our farewell for now," Crarer started, extending a hand towards Jack.

Jack solemnly took the proffered hand and shook it. "Indeed, thank you again. We'll make sure the ship makes it to Sinnoh in one piece."

"We should be the ones thanking you. I for one would happily welcome you back here in the future," Crerar responded. "If you do plan to on walking around the ship, I do ask that you have someone else show you around. It's not a big ship, but there are still more than a few things on it that need to remain secret."

Jack nodded understandingly. "Fair enough. I'll try to restrain my curiosity."

"Farewell commander, thank you for your words," Lucario said as he bowed towards Crerar.

With that done the trio turned and left out of the building, then headed towards the ship that Crerar had indicated. Upon reaching the docks, the three of them were escorted by a pair of soldiers onto the ship. They were taken to the crew quarters which was under the ship's bridge. The two soldiers left them there with instructions not to leave the room. Looking around, they saw that the room had several rows of bunks; about fifty or so in total. This raised a very important question in Jack's mind.

"I guess we will wait here…" Nova said as she also looked around.

"Not much of a choice," Jack agreed with a shrug. "What I want to know is this. Are we going to be sleeping here, and if not then where?"

"I would imagine we will be in here. This ship doesn't seem big enough to have much more crew space," Lucario responded.

Jack nodded silently, although his expression spoke volumes about how little he thought of that plan. Used as he was to sleeping in wide open spaces, usually with only his Pokémon for company, these cramped crew quarters felt decidedly smothering. Maybe he could sleep on deck…

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of two men; the first had blond hair and blue eyes, while the second's eyes and hair were two different shades of brown.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," the brown-haired man commented. "Glad to have you back on our side and not trying to kill me."

"I am very sorry about that…" Lucario responded..

"Don't worry about it, though an explanation would be nice," the brown-haired man stated as he sat down on a nearby bed.

"In short, mind control," Lucario replied. "Nova and Jack here were able to free me from Alpha's grasp."

At this point, Jack had come to the realization that these two men were the old friends Nova and Lucario were so eager to see again. What were their names again… Eric and Tyler? They'd probably introduce themselves before too long, so Jack figured he'd just hold out until then.

"I see…" the brown-haired man started as he looked over at Jack and Nova. "So you are the famed super human from Sinnoh?"

"Yeah," Jack admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Apparently my reputation precedes me, even here."

"After what you pulled at Fort Aaron, a lot of us special forces guys did some quick studying up on you," the other man, the blond-haired one, said injecting himself into the conversation.

Jack did his best to hide the cheeky grin that spread across his face. "No kidding. Maybe I should've toned it down as little… but oh well, that was a lot of fun."

"You're probably the first person I have met that would call combat fun…" the brown-haired man sighed, shaking his head some before letting out a small laugh.

"Yeah… Fun isn't the first word that comes to mind," the blond one agreed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey," Jack replied, raising his hands defensively. "Don't get me wrong. Going up against a tank, or a handful of armed soldiers, isn't my definition of fun either. Fighting a powerful Pokémon whose abilities rival my own, that's fun. Mostly if I avoid dying, but still."

"Fair enough," the brown-haired man said, "I'm Warrant Officer Eric Powell and this is my executive officer, Tyler."

"Jack Storm," Jack introduced himself. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I've got to admit, I'm more than a little curious about how the two of you know Lucario here. I sense a bit of a story."

"We actually met back in Sinnoh," Eric started. "Well, I did at least. I was there getting my back fixed up after injuries I suffered in a helicopter crash. Turns out that Alpha figured that out and sent a pair of bounty hunters after me. Lucario here saved my life that night. Though the fire type Pokémon they were using set a good chunk of the Eterna forest on fire."

"I did not enjoy those burns…" Lucario telepathically mumbled as he recalled that fight.

"After that, I unknowingly traveled with him and Nova as they disguised themselves under Nova's illusions. We were on the same cruise ship heading back to Saldara when Alpha attacked it. He managed detach the magnetic explosives they had attached to the ship. He saved everyone who was on that ship. Once we reached Saldara, the two of them disappeared. Didn't see them for quite a while before Lucario surprised my squad as we were on patrol on the west coast. That was when he started working with us quite a bit. He warned us about an Alpha attack on Silverlake and helped us find and destroy an Alpha base."

Jack nodded sagaciously. "Apparently I was right, there was a story."

"That there was," Lucario said, nodding his head in agreement.

"So," Jack continued. "Any idea when we set sail? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm dying to get back to Sinnoh."

"From what I have gathered, as soon as the ship finishes resupplying. Should be within an hour at this point," Eric replied. "Have any other questions?"

Jack shook his head. "None that won't probably be answered on their own before too long."

"Alright, well we have to get back to making sure our cargo is secure. You can join us if you want. I imagine there isn't much for you to do in this room," Eric offered.

"You don't say," Jack replied with a straight face. "But yes, that sounds like a good idea. It'll also help me get a better feel for the ship, which will help if we actually do end up having to defend it."

"Hopefully we won't need to, but Alpha has been crafty in some of their stealth operations," Tyler said as he exited the room.

The two soldiers walked down one of the corridors towards the aft end of the ship. Due to the ship's small size, it didn't take them long to the location where the diamonds and small statues were being kept. There were two other soldiers and several sailors helping secure them in place as they walked in.

"We almost ready?" Eric asked one of the other soldiers.

"Yes sir, getting the last of the straps fastened down now," he replied before seeing the others behind him. "So those are the folks you mentioned earlier?"

"Yep, the two Pokémon I have fought with before, though the kid is new," Eric responded, gesturing towards Jack.

Jack shrugged. "I'm just along for the ride here."

"Right... " Eric said with a short laugh.

"Nice to see the legend in person. Read about what you did back at Fort Aaron, so you have my thanks," the other soldier stated, nodding his head in Jack's direction.

"You're welcome," Jack replied, nodding back. "Although honestly, I think Nova here did most of the work on that one."

"I have already gotten used to people thanking me," Nova said, rubbing the back of her head. "You're the new face here, not me."

"Well you deserve it; you're awesome," Jack said off-handedly. "But you're right, I guess I did make quite an entrance."

"That's an understatement. The fact that you went head to head with Razgriz here speaks volumes by itself," one of the special forces operatives said, gesturing towards Lucario.

Jack glanced at Lucario as well, then shrugged again. "That's not to say I'd want to do it again. Ever."

"I wouldn't call that my best performance either," Lucario let out a short chuckle at Jack's words. His memories of their fight were somewhat hazy, but he did remember it.

"I know," Jack deadpanned. "Which is why I'd rather not go head to head against you again any time soon. I'd like to keep what little pride I have left."

"He also tends to cheat," Nova interjected with a mischievous grin.

Jack smirked a little. "So do I, but that just means we'd be on an even playing field. Still don't like my chances. I mean, seriously. I only beat you because I cheated like a scumbag, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."

Lucario, Nova, and the soldiers all let out a short laugh at Jack's expense. Jack didn't mind, and laughed right along with them. Honestly though, what with how much his powers evolved just during his time in Saldara, Jack really wasn't sure at this point whether he could actually defeat Lucario. Especially if they both really went all-out. Jack knew one thing for sure, finding out for sure would be all but impossible; the fabric of reality might not be able to handle it. Before Jack's train of thought could go any further though, another person walked into the room; it was the captain.

"Are we all set here?" The captain asked as he glanced over everyone present.

"Yes sir, Captain Yazek," Eric said as he turned towards him.

"Very well, then we will get underway. The sooner we are done with this mission, the better," Yazek continued before turning his attention to Jack, Nova, and Lucario. "Cannot remember the last time civilians got to ride on this ship. It might be a bit of a boring trip, but the boring ones are the easy ones."

"I can agree to that," Lucario stated as he thought back to all of his 'exciting' travels.

Jack opened his mouth to express his love of interesting things, but thought the better of it. "Yeah…" he agreed instead, wincing slightly, "You're probably right about that."

"Very well then, you all know your jobs should Alpha manage to find and attack us. Hopefully our ship's stealth characteristics will allow us safe passage back to Sinnoh," the captain finished before turning and leaving the room.

"There sure is a lot of stealth going on around here…" Jack commented. "I mean, does everything in Saldara have to be invisible?"

"Cannot hit what you cannot see. Being an island region, we have to make use of what resources we do have," Eric replied.

Jack shot a look at Nova and Lucario. "Hey, either of you have any problems hitting what you can't see?"

"Nope," they replied in unison, each with a small smirk on their muzzles.

"Well, unlike you all, most humans cannot see aura to track their enemies," Tyler countered with a small laugh.

Jack sighed. "Well, you've got a point there. I guess up against Alpha's outdated weapons, a few stealth units could do a lot of damage."

"Even against our state of the art sensors they win nine times out of ten in hypothetical matchups," Eric elaborated.

"Okay, okay," Jack said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I give up, I'll never besmirch the good name of Saldaran stealth tech again."

All of the soldiers let out a laugh at Jack's antics. That was when the ship started to move ever so slightly sideways as its thrusters moved it away from the dock. A few seconds later, the whine of the gas turbines kicking in could be heard as the ship started forwards, its two waterjets propelling the corvette through the water. It wasn't long till the ship was out of the harbor and making its way to Sinnoh. Once there, Jack would be back on the path to finding his friends.

Jack took a deep breath and set his jaw. "Hang tight everyone, I'm on my way."


Me: Yet another 8,000+ word super-chapter, and not a scrap of action to be found. I know some of you out there, you know who you are, aren't too thrilled about that. Once again though, I just couldn't justify splitting it up into two smaller chapters; better to get it all out at once. Don't worry though, if I know Osean then the next chapter will have more than enough action to satisfy your cravings. And after that, we'll finally be able to move on to the next arc of my story; with Nova and Lucario along for the ride. After all, Jack would get lonely without anyone to laugh at him. And before you ask, no; there's absolutely no possibly way to make the three of them anything less than completely and totally overpowered in every way, shape, and form. *puts on sunglasses* So deal with it. See you in next chapter everybody.