Cross was panting as he looked at the bamboo fountain in Josh's private study. For a while, he was continually having these strange dreams that haunted him every night. Ever since that day when Josh declared to fight Team Delta, he felt his heart race, and waking up every day caused him to be in a cold sweat. Naturally, he took to finding Josh for some help, feeling almost uncomfortable, wondering what could be going on with him.
Their conversation was interrupted partway, however, when Cross felt dizzy, and he gripped the fountain in an attempt to steady himself. Josh was able to take notice, asking him "Hey! Are you alright?"
Cross panted, looking at the fountain, mumbling to himself "Wh-what…? Why am I here?"
"Cross!" Josh stated, gripping the Gallade's shoulder, snapping him out of it. "What's wrong?"
Cross looked back at Josh, his eyes shaking as he was somewhat scared and confused. Upon seeing Josh's concerned expression, he sighed, placing his hand to his head. "It's nothing," Cross said. "I'm fine."
"That looked like a faint dizzy spell there," Josh assumed, helping to guide Cross over to a table. "Just…sit down, and I'll make us some tea."
Cross did as he was told, and sat down at the table, giving a slight groan upon hearing Josh was making tea again. As Josh got the kettle out and filled it with water, Cross asked "Do you have any tea outside of the rose petal blend?"
Josh looked back at Cross, and asked "I do. What would you like?"
"What kinds do you have?"
Josh looked over at the selection of tea he's got behind the shoji screen, and he began to list the tea he's got. "I've got rose, mint, chamomile, ginseng, lemongrass, hibiscus, honey and ginger, green, black, chai, linden, green with lemon, green with jasmine, and winter fruit." He then looked back at Cross, seeing just how stunned he was at the various tea flavors Josh had on standby. Josh couldn't help but smile at Cross's puzzled expression, before looking back at the tea selection. "Which will it be?"
Cross sighed, before saying "How about green with lemon?"
Josh chuckled at the mention, before looking back at Cross and saying "Are you seriously that basic?"
"Hey, I'm not as refined with tea like you are," Cross admitted, giving a cheeky grin back in return.
Josh shrugged, before he then began to make the tea for his friend. By that time, the kettle finished boiling, and he soon made the tea exactly to Cross's specifications. After pouring himself and Cross a couple of cups, he then asked "Why did you want to seek me out again?"
Cross took one of the cups from Josh without any complaints. "Didn't I tell you?" he asked. "It's because of those strange dreams I've been having."
Josh sat down opposite of Cross, willing to listen. "How often had these dreams been affecting you?"
"Only recently, as far as I know," Cross answered. Josh nodded in understanding, before he then started to take a sip of his tea in front of Cross. And suddenly, Cross admitted to him "I saw the black mirror, by the way."
Josh tensed upon hearing the mention of that, where he soon spits the drink from his mouth, catching Cross by surprise. Josh quickly set his drink down, slamming his paws onto the table as he gave a very panicked expression that Cross had never seen Josh don before. "You saw it!?" he asked in a panic. "Why didn't you say so earlier!?"
"You never asked!" Cross exclaimed. "We were being grilled by Volt at the time, remember!?"
Josh sighed, not really in a mood to argue, and he sat back down, crossing his arms as if thinking deeply about this new information. "Tell me, was this back at Mount Ebott?"
Cross nodded. "It was just after you were knocked unconscious. My team gave it their all against Zeraora, but both Chris and Nolan were defeated. He tried to get to you and Rose, but I rushed over there and stopped him. It was there that I saw the black mirror."
"I see." Curious, Josh then asked "Care to tell me what it was like?"
Cross seemed rather nervous, but he knew he wanted to let Josh know what happened. "Well, I was in a white void. There was nothing but a black monolith. My reflection was present, and he tormented me. He told me he was a mere reflection of myself, and that he wanted to help. And then…the area was engulfed in flames, and my reflection, though looking back, I think it might've been MCP or something, he said he wanted to take control."
Josh nodded in understanding. He then recalled something that's been bothering him, and said "To think, an AI wanted to control my body. Interesting…"
"But then…" Cross soon caught Josh's attention as he continued. "All of a sudden, the flames stopped hurting. They turned white, and the void grew dark. Whatever it was, MCP was shocked about it."
"White flames?" Josh asked, now intrigued by what Cross is saying.
"The next thing I knew, the black mirror broke apart, and I instantly was brought back to reality," Cross admitted, before giving a slight scoff at that statement. "Heh, 'reality.' In a virtual world. How bizarre…"
"Hey, focus!" Josh said, insisting for Cross to continue. "Are you saying that after that, you've been having these…dreams?"
"They sure as hell didn't happen before Mount Ebott, that's for sure," Cross said. "I'm just nervous if that battle might've left me traumatized, and that I'm suffering from some form of PTSD." The Gallade then placed a hand over his head, and said "That's why I've come to speak with you. I was hoping that you would probably tell me if you've had something similar happen to you. Any nightmares?"
"A few," Josh admitted. "Though I don't recall any white flames. Are you sure you're detailing these events correctly?"
"Josh, you know I wouldn't lie to you," Cross said, giving the Lucario a grin. Lowering his hand, he then said "I trust my memory with every fiber of my being. I'm not making any of this up."
"Hmm…" Josh pondered this for a moment, thinking carefully about what this was all about. His expression was that of concern and curiosity. "I want to test something, Cross."
"Huh? A test?" Cross asked.
Josh nodded, before digging into his bag. "I was holding on to this until the next time we were both on our own. Ever since Mount Ebott, I felt that something was off."
Josh soon pulled out a rather small orb, which gave a faint blue glow in his paw. He set it down on the table, and once he did, the orb stopped glowing, and it soon began to fade into a misty gray. Cross looked at it curiously, and asked "What's this?"
"It's called a Spirit Globe," Josh mentioned. "An item that can gauge the color of your aura. The only reason I have it is to get some color-coded scarves custom-ordered to match my team's color schemes. However, after evolving, I could sense aura with relative ease, so I didn't have any use for it as it sat on a shelf collecting dust."
"Wow…" Cross said with awe. "So…you get a custom-colored scarf depending on your aura?"
"Correct," Josh answered. He then dug into the bag again and pulled out a pair of scarves, which were red and blue in color. "In case you're curious, these were the aura colors of me and Adam respectively. My aura is blue, while Adam's is red. And, now that Rose is a part of our team, I should get a custom scarf made for her as well as a gift. Her aura is green."
Cross looked at the scarves curiously, before he looked at Josh with a bit of confusion. "And, the point of showing me the scarves is supposed to mean…?"
"The point isn't the scarves," Josh reiterated, placing the scarves back into his bag. "The point is that when we first met, your aura was yellow in color. But the moment we returned here…your aura seemed different…"
"Different?" Cross asked, slightly puzzled. "Tell me, what do the auras signify again?"
"In my case, blue usually means a desire to protect others and support their friends and family," Josh explained. "Adam's red aura indicates he is goal-driven and shows a passion as a warrior. Of course, he doesn't believe that himself. But who knows? Maybe he's a better fighter than he realizes."
"Okay…" Cross pretended like he knew what Josh was talking about, and asked "So, a yellow aura. Is that a good thing?"
"It usually means friendly and playful," Josh answered.
"Oh! That fits me to a tee, doesn't it?" Cross stated.
"That's what I thought as well," Josh said, looking at Cross with a sudden glare. "But the moment we woke up in the medical wing, I took a look at your aura, and it certainly didn't look yellow. But who knows? Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me."
"Hold on. You think I no longer have a yellow aura?" Cross asked.
"I just want to be sure," Josh said, waving a paw towards the Spirit Globe. "Just pick this up, and it will glow in your hand. The color of your aura should be on there once you hold it."
"And…why are you doing this?"
"Cross, please. I just want to be sure of something…"
Cross sighed, accepting Josh's offer. He went and picked up the Spirit Globe, holding it in his hands to wait for when it would glow. As he did, the orb soon began to start burning brightly with a white light. Cross was just amazed by how pretty it looked. "This is incredible," he said. "Josh, are you seeing…?" He stopped, as he saw that Josh's eyes were not in amazement, but rather wide with shock. Concerned, Cross asked "What's wrong?"
"I knew it…" Josh muttered, before looking at Cross with a strange sense of unease. "I don't know why, but that white flame you mentioned? I think it's attached itself to your aura and changed it to white."
Confused, Cross just gave Josh a gentle smile, asking "Are you sure you're not going crazy, thinking that my aura was yellow when it was actually white?"
"I am not making this up, Cross!" Josh exclaimed. "Before we left for Mount Ebott, your aura was yellow in color. I swear!"
"Alright, so…what does white mean?" Cross asked, taking a gaze back at the orb in his hands.
Josh looked back at the orb as well, before saying "Essentially, a white aura means purity." He soon tilted his head, confused, and said "Funny thing is, I've seen this aura before. Zeraora had something similar."
Cross instantly was surprised to hear that. "You're serious?"
Josh nodded, before silently thinking things over to himself. "Very strange…"
Cross set the orb down slowly, and placed it on the table, where its glow stopped completely. In awkward silence, Cross began to start thinking about his dreams again, and was wondering something. What if those dreams I've been having are just me seeing Zeraora's perspective on things in the past? Maybe a white aura signifies that I'm more in sync with him? Still, what does this all mean?
As Cross thought these things over, he lifted up his own cup of tea, and took a sip. However, he soon grimaced from the taste. This does not taste like lemon. "Josh, I thought you said this was green tea with lemon?"
Josh lowered his head in shame and embarrassment. "I used Sitrus Berries as a substitute. We don't have lemons in this game, but I remembered that lemons are citrus fruits. So, Sitrus, citrus. They sounded similar, so I wanted to hope they tasted the same." He then gave an apologetic look to Cross. "I take it that you don't like it?"
Cross lowered the cup, trying hard not to sound rude, but his facial expression betrayed his intentions to look sincere. Way to go, Cross. You tried to be sincere, and you screwed it up with a simple look of disgust. Stop making that face, me! Cross soon cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and got up from his seat. "Thanks, Josh. I appreciate it." He then made his way towards the door, and said "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
"Uh…yeah. Goodnight," Josh said. Sure enough, Cross left the study room, leaving Josh all by himself. The Lucario sighed, before he then picked up his Spirit Globe, which glowed blue in his paw. As he held it, he thought back to the white glow it gave when Cross held it before. He pondered on this thought for a bit, inspecting the Spirit Globe for any chinks (even though he knew it was impossible to damage it), and recalling what Cross detailed to him. To Josh, this was quite the interesting development. It puzzled him, and he knew that it would be solved in due time. "Interesting…"
Without another word, Josh put the Spirit Globe back into his bag, and he soon took another sip of his tea. He smiled, thinking to himself about what he just discovered. "Sitrus Berries. What was I thinking?"
Chapter 31: Lost, But Not Forgotten
The next couple of days were not too eventful, apart from our training, which there was a ton of. Josh, Rose and I took our training seriously as Team Calibur kept up the pace. Josh and I ended up being the standout examples, with Rose just barely catching up to us. However, despite her best efforts, she stumbled when taking evasion training from Chris, and ended up getting hit by one of his attacks. Josh and I were quick to take notice, seeing Rose sitting up, trying to regain her composure.
Chris walked up to her and helped her back on her feet. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine," Rose said, panting from all of the hard training she had to go through.
"You've been taking this training too seriously," Chris mentioned to her. "Maybe you should take a breather."
"And fall behind Josh and Adam again? No. I don't want to be a burden to them."
"But Rose, you're overworking yourself," Chris said. "You can't expect to be equal to Josh and Adam in less than five days. You need to pace yourself."
Rose didn't argue with that logic, and sighed in bitter defeat. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry."
Cross, upon hearing all of this, clapped his hands to grab our attention. "Alright. We're all taking a break. You have 30 minutes, guys. Use them well."
Once the break was announced, Josh and I immediately went towards Rose. Josh was quick to place a paw on her back, giving a sincere smile. "You're doing great so far, Rose. No need to stress yourself out."
"Easy for you to say," Rose muttered. "How do you even manage to remain calm after hearing you'll be fighting Team Delta?"
Josh chuckled a bit before he then made his way towards the direction of the mess hall. "Here's my secret: I try not to think about it at all."
"You're kidding…" Rose sighed as she and I followed Josh inside, her head held low. "You know, I often wonder what it is you're thinking, especially considering you claimed to have snapped against Volt to lead us to this position."
Josh winced upon the reminder of what led us to this position, rubbing the back of his head out of shame. "Well, that's merely because I didn't like the way he's been treating us as a duo. He felt obligated to keeping us out of danger because of our…special conditions. The moment he saw us evolved into these forms, I was half-expecting him to take us more seriously." Lowering his paw, he looked back towards Rose with an expression of pity. "Sad to say, he still viewed us as children, even though we're technically old enough to handle ourselves as fighters."
Rose was silently listening, taking in every word that Josh said into account. Her face read that she felt confused about something, however, and didn't know what to make of all of it. I was the first to break the silence, asking her "Is something bothering you, Rose?"
"Well…I just don't understand," Rose pondered. The mere moment that we all entered into the mess hall, she was quick to ask us "If Volt is so adamant on looking out for your safety, why did he allow you to be on your own when we first met?"
"Oh, easy," Josh answered. "I ended up giving a very compelling argument in regards to the mission. The hacker that gave those fake passes was a dead giveaway, and it aroused suspicion."
"Meaning…?"
"What he means is that if the rumors were true, we would've gotten a chance out of this game world," I answered. "In fact, Josh's exact words to compel Volt to let us on our own were 'I believe this could be what we're looking for. Let us handle this on our own, and I promise you, if these are what I believe they are, we can rescue the trapped players without issue.'"
"In other words, I convinced Volt that this would be the best-case scenario for us if the rumors about these passes were true," Josh said. He then sat down at a table, before commenting "Although, I had my suspicions that it wouldn't be the case. It just felt too good to be true."
Rose and I sat down opposite of him, and Josh stared at the both of us while he clasped his paws together, setting them up so that only his eyes were visible. "How suspicious were you?"
"I was fairly suspicious," Josh answered. "It only confirmed my theory. No wild Pokémon could ever be recruited. It's simply impossible."
Shame fell upon my face for believing the idea that the passes were truly authentic. I bought into Josh's argument, believing that he and I were homeward bound once those passes were ours. I was so close to reaching home, I thought. But alas, here I am. Bound to the virtual plains longer than ever.
Josh took notice of my expression, giving me a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it, Adam. I'll admit, I was hoping that it would've been what we were looking for to return home as well."
I sighed. "I know…"
Rose smiled over how we're opening up about this story, and she felt relieved knowing that she didn't end up taking the passes she bought in the first place. It was a shame, yes, that she was unable to find the solution to save Gabe with the supposed solution she thought of getting. But in the end, if it weren't for us stepping in to save her, she wouldn't have taken this situation as seriously as we did.
Rose was then quick to face Josh again, and asked "So, if you don't take kindly to Volt, why do you still stay with him?"
Josh sighed, lowering his paws to lay them by his sides. "Well, if you must know, it's because I take pity on him."
"Pity?" Rose asked. "Over what?"
"You mean his brother, right?" I asked, thinking that might be the case.
Josh nodded silently in response.
Rose was now absorbed into the story, and leaned closely to listen clearly. "I want to know how you found out about his brother," Rose suggested. "What happened?"
Josh smiled, and he looked at me. "What do you say, Adam? Should we tell her?"
"Wait…you're serious?" I asked out of surprise. I looked back and forth between Josh and Rose, their smiles positively beaming on their faces from what I could tell. I crossed my arms, before admitting "I guess it couldn't hurt."
"Good," Josh said. He then turned to face Rose, before clearing his throat to begin the story. "You see, it all started around two months after Adam and I finished our training on Zero Isles. Volt and Wulfrock were assigned to protect us as we were given an assignment to locate a missing player with the guildmaster of Legends Guild, Kaido, acting as our backup."
Three Years Ago…
Josh and I were climbing up the mountains of the Rugged Range, just to the west of Oina, the central town of the game. By this point, Volt was made in charge of the Solace Guild after Nick decided it was appropriate to allow him to look after our safety. Josh and I were more than accepting about Volt's leadership, especially since the two of them were old friends that fought together back in the real world.
But of course, ever since Nick left Volt in charge, things took a more militaristic approach in the guild.
There were seven teams in the guild itself, each of which specializing with a particular function. There was Team Riptide, which primarily focused on water dungeon exploration. Team Aviator, which focused on aerial movement and long-distance recon. Team Arbor, who are experts at forest excursions. Team Lunar, who are more adept at night missions. Team ESP, who are considered capable psychics, and run the teleportation services. Team Quake, who are more useful with underground missions. And finally, at the top of the pantheon, was Team Delta, which were considered to be tough as nails and superior with refined combat capabilities.
And by the time Josh and I returned from the Zero Isles, we were added in as Team Number 8. It was Nick's idea to name the group Team Inferno as we were on our way back from training, because Josh wasn't exactly giving any favors with his dumb team names. He liked the name Inferno, because it was a symbolic gesture on what we strive to accomplish. Either our flames will serve as a beacon of hope, or an abyss of despair.
Of course, the reason Volt suggested that we, Team Inferno, tag along with him was because he found that Josh was rather adept with tracking, and thought we could be of some use. After everything we went through on Zero Isles, I couldn't blame him. But to be on the safe side, he brought along Wulfrock to help monitor our activities. This was technically the third time we've met with Wulfrock, since he usually wasn't one to talk with us unless it was mission affiliated. (The first two times we've met were just after we were trapped, and upon our return from Zero Isles.)
We teleported to Oina to get the mission briefing from the Legends Guild, and there to greet us just along the entrance of the Rugged Range was Kaido himself. I was nervous, having never met with a Tyranitar player in person before. Josh felt tense, too, but he tried his best to give out a brave face for my sake. Volt walked over to Kaido to greet him, shook his hand, and said "It's an honor to work alongside you with this mission."
"The honor is mine," Kaido said. "Nick's told me all about your team, and how tough you guys are supposed to be."
"Flattering, but we don't even compare to Nick," Wulfrock said with slight embarrassment. He then held out his paw towards the Tyranitar and they both shook. "I'm Wulfrock, though my real name is John. Nick and I fought together long ago."
"And I'm the one in charge of this dog," Volt said while crossing his arms, looking as imposing as he could possibly manage (especially with the Tyranitar as present company). "Call me D-Volt. Or just Volt for short."
"Well, it's an honor to work alongside Team Delta, regardless," Kaido said. He then took notice of both me and Josh, and all at once, I could feel every one of my nerves tense up, and my heartrate accelerate just from his eyes alone. "And who are these two?"
Volt sighed. "Nick trained them in both survival and combat training for an entire month, though they haven't had any practical application as of yet. I'm only bringing them along just to see if they're worth their mettle."
Kaido smiled, looking at the both of us, and asked "And what should I call you two?"
Josh saluted anxiously, and I did the same motion. "I'm LucarioTrainerJ, sir!" he said with unease in his voice. "And this is my brother."
"BlazeTiger, sir!" I said with a stern sense of honor (and fear). "We are known as Team Inferno!"
"Inferno, eh?" Kaido said with intrigue. "I can definitely see that." He then walked towards the both of us, before gripping my hand firmly and giving it a shake. "It's an honor indeed to meet with Nick protégés, truly. Lead your team well, BlazeTiger. I'm expecting great things from you!"
All at once, my nerves were shot, and I could definitely tell Josh was starting to sulk upon the mistake that Kaido made. "Uh, actually, sir… I'm the leader of this team…" Josh mentioned.
Kaido was thrown for a loop, looked at Josh, and was genuinely surprised. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize. I thought that, you know, being the younger brother and all, BlazeTiger would surely guide you towards-"
"I'm the older brother, sir," Josh corrected.
Kaido took a moment to inspect Josh, before looking at me for a moment after that. He smiled, and gave a rather hearty laugh, which caused both me and Josh to be relatively confused by his behavior. As he calmed down, he gave us a big grin, saying "No need to be so tense, boys! I honestly was just thrown for a loop, that's all!"
"If we're done with introductions, shall we get a move on?" Volt suggested sternly.
Kaido smiled, turning back in the direction of Volt and said "Oh, right! I suppose that's fair!"
Needless to say, Josh and I were not expecting a Tyranitar player to be so…upbeat and cheerful. It really weirded the both of us out.
As the five of us were scaling up the mountain range, Kaido asked Volt "I take it you got the mission briefing from the guild?"
"Just the basics," Volt answered. "What's the species?"
"Grimmsnarl. He goes by the name Onitaro. His real name is Vincent Brooks. He's a pretty skilled fighter as well, though his disappearance is one of significant intrigue."
"Is that so? Why?"
"Well, it's mainly because he has never once lost a single battle over the past two years of playing the game." Kaido then looked at Volt, before telling him "He's a member of Team Platinum. From the Legends Guild."
Volt looked back at Kaido with sudden surprise, shocked beyond belief over how something like this disappearance happened in the first place. Volt thought long and hard about this fervently, before asking "Does he have any teammates to vouch for his absence?"
"Only one of note," Kaido mentioned. "His girlfriend, Victoria Spencer. Her player username is WickenWitch."
"'Wicked Witch?' That's an odd name," John mentioned offhand.
"I said 'Wicken,' not 'Wicked.' Why not take a guess what her species is, if you'd like?"
"If I rumor to guess, she must be a Hatterene, right?" Josh asked, catching all of our attention. "They're often considered to be known as the Forest Witch, causing headaches to deter others, with each member of that species wielding a tentacle-like strand of hair as a means of clawing at their foes. A perfect counterpart to Grimmsnarls, which are considered to use their tentacle-like hair around their bodies to grapple opponents. Strong enough to even overwhelm a Machamp."
As Josh described this, everyone just looked at him in awkward silence. I mean, I knew Josh was a big Pokémon nerd, but I didn't expect him to actually start geeking out right then and there in front of a Tyranitar. Josh saw the attention he was getting, blushed, and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly with a sense of bashfulness.
"Mutt!" All of a sudden, Josh and I looked over at Volt, who was starting to get slightly irritated by Josh's descriptions. "The next time you try to open up your riveting commentary on something irrelevant to the mission, I'll see to it personally that you have that mouth of yours sewn shut."
Josh winced at the mention of his nickname from Volt, irritation present on his face. For the past two months since returning to the Solace Guild after training, Volt's descriptors of us were meant as a way to instigate control over our actions. Not that I minded, since I knew he was our superior officer, and questioning his line of thinking would only be a bad thing.
Josh, meanwhile…
"I would appreciate it if you'd stop calling me that, Volt," Josh said while trying to contain his temper.
"Why lie to myself when clearly you need to learn your place?" Volt stated in irritation.
"I thought I did the moment I signed up to be a part of the guild, sir," Josh retorts.
"You didn't sign up. I brought you in! Learn the difference already!"
"You know, just because I look like a canine doesn't justify you having to say that to my face like that!"
"Then why are you complaining? You're a human being, yet you get irritated by this nickname I'm giving you?"
"I'd rather be given a name more befitting of something I'm known for, you know! Like my birth name, for starters!"
"You will earn it when I give respect for you in the first place, Mutt!"
"STOP CALLING ME A MUTT YOU DAMN TESLA COIL!"
"You think that's a threat to me? Work on your insults, Mutt!"
Josh, irritably, fired an Aura Sphere towards Volt's direction, only for the Electabuzz to then hold his hand out and block it, the blast hardly phasing him in the slightest. Upon a closer look, I saw that he used Light Screen to block off the attack and mitigate the damage significantly, as evidenced by a yellow screen protecting him before fading. Josh was stunned silent by Volt's reflexes, with the latter giving a cocky grin towards Josh for his gall.
"I'll let you off easy because you've got guts," Volt stated. "However, the next time this happens, and you end up striking at me, we're returning towards the Solace Guild and leaving the investigation to Kaido here."
Josh turned his head away from Volt in irritation and shut his trap.
Kaido, clearly, was shocked to see how much Josh was irritated by Volt's tone. As he looked at the Electabuzz in question, he commented "That's a bit cold, don't you think?"
"Never leave your dog running around without a leash," Volt replied, before continuing up the mountain.
Josh huffed as he walked on in silence, following behind both Volt and Kaido. Naturally, I'd expect Josh to have relaxed a little as we kept climbing, but his anger persisted, and as we walked onwards, Josh groaned in anger and started questioning "Why does he think I'm a dog, anyways? No. Worse than that. He called me a mutt. A mutt! Who the hell does he think he is, anyways?"
"Josh, maybe you should calm down," I said sheepishly, gripping Josh's shoulders as I leaned close to him to whisper in his ear. "I get that you don't like that nickname, but perhaps we shouldn't be questioning Volt's orders. Who knows what'll happen when he blows his lid, you know?"
Josh sighed, looking back at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Adam. Really. I just get so flustered when he calls me that, and I can't explain why."
"No, I get it," I said. As I let go of Josh, we walked together side by side where I said to him "Maybe he's harboring some sort of grudge against dogs or something, or maybe he's trying to prove he's a leader after Nick left."
"Yeah, but I just don't get it…" Josh looked at me, and asked "What do you supposed Nick was thinking when he assigned Volt to look after us, anyways?"
"I don't know…" I soon started to think deeply about this for a bit, mumbling to myself "Maybe he's angry that he could never be as refined as Nick or something?" I brushed that thought aside, saying "No, that's not it. It's got to be something else."
As I was thinking about this for a bit, Josh quickly gripped my arm and dragged me down to dodge an Ice Beam attack that was fired at us. As we were on the ground, I nearly panicked as the both of us were suddenly set upon by a wild Alolan Ninetales which stood in our path. It saw us on the ground, where it then used Quick Attcak to charge directly at us. Josh and I leapt out of the way, but I soon found myself in a tough position as I almost stumbled off of the cliff to my left. I flailed my arms, trying desperately to hold my balance, but my vertigo started to get a hold of me as my sense of balance was starting to waver.
"Adam!" Josh yelled, rushing over towards me, managing to grab my hand tightly with both paws, trying hard to pull me up.
"PULL ME UP! PULL ME UP! PULL ME UP!" I yelled in desperation.
"I'm trying!" Josh said, giving it his all to try and pull me away from the cliff. However, that was when the Alolan Ninetales fired an Ice Beam towards Josh's legs, freezing him in place. "Crap! Not now!" The ice slowly trailed up Josh's body, before suddenly, his entire body was frozen solid, stuck gripping my arm but not pulling me up at all from the ledge.
"JOSH!" I yelled in a panic, horrified that my brother was frozen solid and unable to move while stuck as a solid ice statue. However, my attention was soon brought towards the sight of the Ninetales, which slowly was walking towards me with a glint in its eyes, before it decided to attempt firing another Ice Beam my direction.
Thankfully, somebody caught wind of the noise going on, and a Stone Edge attack was used to strike against the Ninetales, knocking it back. This was then followed by the sudden rush of Wulfrock rushing in and leaping into the air. His body soon started to glow a vivid red for a bit before he landed a significant strike against the Ninetales from above, causing it to disintegrate into pixels. He then got up to his feet and let out a loud howl of victory, before raising a paw into the air in triumph. "Yeah! How do you like that!? That's what it means to be messing with the Solace Guild's finest!"
"Uh, Wulfrock…? A little help here?" I begged, grabbing his attention and signaling him towards the predicament Josh and I were in.
"Oh, crap! Here! Let me help you!" He then rushed over and grabbed my other arm, helping me up to the top of the cliff. I sighed with relief, and Wulfrock asked "Are you okay?"
"I think so," I said, before looking to see that Josh was still frozen solid, tightly gripping my arm. "But Josh, he…"
"Don't worry, Adam," Wulfrock said, patting my shoulder. "At times like these, you will need to use the best medicine possible to cure the 'Frozen' status." He then pulled out an Aspear Berry from his bag, holding it out for me to look at it.
"And…how do you suppose Josh is going to eat that?" I asked curiously. "We've never dealt with a 'Frozen' status before."
"Oh, it's really quite simple," Wulfrock said with a smile. He held the berry in his paw tightly, before he then smacked it on the top of Josh's frozen head rather hard, and a resounding CLANK noise was heard. He did this a few times, smacking the Aspear Berry repeatedly on Josh, CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK it went, until the berry cracked, and the juices therein poured over Josh's frozen body. While it worked and thawed Josh out, I was just caught off guard over the method in which Wulfrock made this work.
"Jesus, what is that, a rock?" I asked almost jokingly.
"Aspear Berries are naturally rather tough on the outside. So…yeah. Almost as hard as rocks." As Wulfrock described this, the berry in his paw disintegrated, and Josh was able to escape from his frozen stance, gasping for air as he fell to his knees and let go of my arm. Wulfrock smiled, saying "See? All better!"
Josh coughed a bit as he tried to catch his breath, but I was too overjoyed to see he was alright that I hugged him tightly. "YOU'RE OKAY! THANK GOODNESS!" Tears were streaming down my face as I hugged Josh tightly. "I was afraid you would've died!"
"Can't…breathe…" Josh struggled to say between breaths as I gripped him hard. He tapped my arm, and signaled for me to let go.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I said, letting go of Josh as he tried to catch his breath. "I thought you were a goner!"
"It's going to take more than freezing me in a block of ice to kill me, Adam," Josh said. He then smiled at me, and said "But nevertheless, thanks for your concern." He then looked towards Wulfrock and said "Thanks for saving us."
"We're a team. That's what we do." Wulfrock soon helped us both up to our feet, before he then heard his badge beeping. He laughed a bit, before he said "Speaking of teams, give me a minute…" He soon answered it, saying "This is Wulfrock. What is it?"
"Wulfrock, what the hell are you guys doing lagging behind like that?" Volt's voice said from the comm device.
"There was a bit of a snafu, but thankfully, it's been resolved," Wulfrock mentioned. "Team Inferno got caught in the crossfires and had a bit of a cold reception, pardon the pun." That las bit he said while leaning close to our direction.
"Well get your asses up here! You wouldn't want us to lose you too, capiche?"
"Capisco!" Wulfrock said. "We'll be right up there."
"Don't take too long, Wulfrock," Volt remarks.
"Yes, sir." He was about to turn off his communicator before Volt began to yammer again, saying "And don't use Italian if the present company doesn't understand it you m-" BEEP! Wulfrock sighed, before commenting "Volt sure is something else, isn't he?"
"Why do you listen to his crap?" Josh asked, dusting off his legs. "He's pretty stuck up. Maybe Nick chose wrong on who the leader should be."
"No, if Nick chose Volt, it's likely for a good reason," Wulfrock mentioned. "He wouldn't make any decision without proper reason."
Josh gave a cheeky grin in kind. "I'm just saying, I think you'd make the better leader, Wulfrock."
"Huh?" Wulfrock was taken aback by that comment, scratching at his cheek in an awkward bit of silence. He considered what Josh said, but eventually, as we were walking down the path to catch up to Volt and Kaido, he muttered to himself "Maybe that's why…"
Josh and I both heard him, where Josh asked "What? Something on your mind?"
Wulfrock looked at us, and mentioned "I don't think you know this, but did Nick ever mention anything about how Volt, Rin, and I used to fight alongside him?"
"Something like that," I answered. "All he really seemed to mention was how they formed a squad during Afghanistan. The Delta Squad, as it was called."
Wulfrock smiled, pleased to hear this news. "Well, in truth, it wasn't just the four of us. We had around eight people total in the unit. However, only the four of us survived."
This was news to us, and both Josh and I took pity. "I'm sorry to hear that," Josh mentioned.
"We were pulled out of there before we lost more of our unit," Wulfrock continued. "It was around the end of the war that we were forced to leave, with our unit unable to do much of anything to change the tides of the conflict." He sighed, looking up to the sky. "I've lost some good friends in that war. Among them were Rin's brother, Lucas, and Volt's brother, Damon."
"Isn't Rin a Japanese name?" Josh questioned. "I get she's a Jap-American, but I highly doubt her brother would be given such an English-sounding name."
"That's because they're adopted siblings," Wulfrock explained. "Lucas's parents were unable to have children of their own, so they ended up adopting him, followed shortly afterward by Rin."
"Wow," I mused. "So they were both orphans…"
"But despite being unrelated by blood, the two of them cared for one another like a proper brother and sister," Wulfrock continued. "Rin even gave Lucas the nickname of 'Kai,' which means 'sea.'"
"The sea?" Josh questioned.
"Because Rin's part Japanese, she believes Lucas to be like a brother that came from across the ocean," Wulfrock said with a slight chuckle. "In a way, she calls him 'Kai' as a way to show their connection despite not being related." He then saw how perplexed Josh and I were upon hearing this, and Wulfrock said "Her words, not mine."
"Okay… Well, what about Volt's brother? Damon, you said his name was?" I questioned.
"Yes. Damon 'Voltage' Kruger, was his name. I first met him when I fought in the war as well, finding out that he was a humanitarian that wanted to help impoverished areas in the country."
"So, he wasn't a soldier?" Josh asked.
"No, but he wanted to work tirelessly to help defend refugees who had no other place to go," Wulfrock explained. "Damon was also a big Pokémon fan, often bringing over some interesting topics of conversation with Volt, who was clearly not interested."
"Wait, so if Volt wasn't interested, why borrow his brother's nickname?" Josh asked. "What happened to him?"
Wulfrock stopped in his tracks, and gave a melancholic sigh. Josh and I stopped to see his expression show signs of loss and pity. As Josh and I waited for him to answer, Wulfrock took a moment to think of the right thing to say to us. After a few lingering seconds of silence, he came up with his response.
"He…was captured by the Taliban, just a few days before we were forced to leave the country," Wulfrock said. "He was helping some refugees before the area he was in got attacked. He…didn't make it."
All at once, my heart started to sink, and judging from Josh's expression, he felt the same way. Just then, Josh asked "You said he got captured. Not killed, right?"
I was wondering the same thing, but Wulfrock was very quick to brush our assumptions aside. "Unfortunately, word of Damon being captured didn't reach us until the day before we were forced to evacuate the country. By the time we were given the order to pull out, Volt was close to staging a mutiny, if not for Nick managing to reason with him. He didn't want to lose someone so dear to him, and threatened to usurp command to rescue him. Unfortunately, he was restrained, and was forced to leave the country under orders of the Commander in Chief himself." Wulfrock then crossed his arms, give us both a sad look, and mentioned "By the time that we returned to America, the three of us (that is, Rin, Volt and I) chose to abandon the military entirely, and seek out our new lives elsewhere."
Josh and I looked at each other for a bit, the both of us feeling really bad for hearing this story. Josh then looked ahead of the trail, and said "I had no idea…"
"My guess from Nick's decision to make Volt the leader of the Solace Guild is to give him a chance to see what it was like to be the one monitoring his troops, much like he did," Wulfrock assumed. "Nick himself was in a similar position years ago, so he was wanting to put Volt to the test to gauge his leadership abilities."
"But why Volt, and not, say, you? Or Rin?" I asked.
Wulfrock sighed, shrugging his shoulders in a gesture that even he's not sure. "You guess is as good as mine, Adam. Not even I can predict some of Nick's decisions at points."
By that point, Josh and I ended up thinking of Volt differently. We were no longer scared or angry with him for the way he was acting. Rather, we felt he was in command because he needed to see a part of himself he never once felt before. Or maybe, just maybe, Nick wanted to have Volt redeem himself for his behavior during the war.
But like Wulfrock told us, our guesses were as good as his.
It didn't take long for the three of us to catch up to Volt and Kaido, who were patiently waiting for us along the bend of the path. Volt sat there, his arms crossed, and his expression as grumpy as ever. We all regrouped, and Volt stated "You're all lucky I'm the patient sort, and I didn't have to use a Rollcall Orb to summon you here."
"Sorry for the holdup, Volt," Wulfrock mentioned. "I promise, it won't happen again."
"Very well," Volt said, before looking straight at us. "Luckily for you two, Wulfrock was there to keep you safe. Now, make sure you don't get lost again."
"We were lost, but not forgotten, right?" Josh asked with a kind demeanor.
Volt sighed, standing back up on his feet, and saying "Right. Lost, but not forgotten…whatever that means."
I knew exactly what Josh meant as we continued on our mission. Josh and I knew how much Volt cared for his brother, and it made the both of us realize he didn't want to forget him for as long as he lived. To him, Volt viewed the world was against him, and forgot about how much humanitarians were trying to help others around them, while he, a former soldier, fought hard to make sure he deterred opposing forces.
I could only guess that was the reason why Volt and his team went to partake in PMDO to begin with. Because to him, he viewed Nick to not just be a voice of reason, but a wise and just leader. Someone who could possibly make sure that players didn't end up lost in this game. And in a way, while Josh and I were lost in this virtual world, we thankfully were never forgotten by those who truly wanted the both of us to survive.
We were both lost, but we were never going to be forgotten by our friends and family.
Just when things were starting to feel more at ease, Volt requested "You, Mutt! Up front! I need you to track down our target."
Josh sighed, not liking his nickname, but unlike before, he chose to let it slide after hearing about what happened. "As you wish, sir," he said. Josh stepped out front, and used his ability to sense aura right there. The appendages on the back of his head rose up, and he began to sense his environment. He looked around, before asking Kaido "What color of aura does Onitaro have?"
"Excuse me?" Kaido questioned.
"I'm asking what his aura pattern is, so that way, it'll be easier to locate," Josh mentioned. "I don't see any tracks, but if I can find his aura, we'd be all good."
Kaido had to think about this for a bit. "I do recall Kenji giving me a Spirit Globe as a gift before. I don't know what to make of it, so I guess I gave it to WickenWitch for safekeeping. She always went on about how Onitaro had such a radiant aura about him, so I can only assume he used it at some point."
"Fair enough," Josh said, opening his eyes and looking at Kaido. "Do you recall any aura patterns he had? Were they brought up at some point?"
"I think Victoria mentioned he had…I think, a red color?" Kaido guessed. "As far as I could guess."
"Red. Like Adam. Got it." However, before he could continue, he gasped, his body trembling by a scary presence.
"Josh?" I asked, rather worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"This aura… What is this presence…?" Josh then looked up to the top of the mountain, only to gasp as a giant boulder came tumbling down. "LOOK OUT!" Josh yelled as he ran forward, rushing towards Volt's direction and knocking him aside. As he did, the giant boulder crashed down, just barely missing the both of them.
"JOSH!" I screamed, running towards the boulder in a hurry. "Josh! Are you alright?"
As the dust of the impact settled, I heard some coughing from the other side of the boulder. Josh and Volt were alright. They barely managed to escape certain death, much to my relief.
Josh responded to me by saying "We're okay! It just took us by surprise, that's all!"
Quickly, I decided to move the boulder aside to give Josh and Volt some room to maneuver around, and I guess Kaido did too because he helped with the heavy lifting. Volt and Josh moved aside from the giant boulder, before Kaido then shoved it along the side of the path, and having it stumble off of the cliff. "That was a close one, wasn't it, Volt?" Kaido asked to check on Volt's condition.
As Volt was lifted away from the impact site, he turned to look at Josh, almost in utter disbelief. "You just…saved me…"
Josh smiled, saying "We're a team. It's what we do."
This would've made for a good moment, for Volt to realize that Josh and I were worth more to the group than he would've let on. Josh even quoted Wulfrock as a way of respecting Team Delta for their efforts. This moment would serve as a nice paradigm shift in Josh and Volt's relationship from that point forward.
If not for the moment where that look of surprise on Volt's face turned to seething anger, and he punched Josh in the face. All at once, all tension from this scene was immediately cut off.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?" Volt argued.
Josh tried to wipe blood from his face, all the while he was back into hating Volt again. "I WAS SAVING YOUR LIFE, YOU BASTARD! YOU SHOULD BE THANKING ME!"
"I'M NOT AT RISK OF DYING HERE, MUTT! I'M NOT THE PRIORITY!"
"STOP CALLING ME A MUTT, YOU BATTERY!"
"YOUR INSULTS ARE STILL AWFUL! THAT WON'T WORK ON ME, MUTT!"
You can probably guess the argument went on for a good while, and I just sighed over the behavior that Josh was exuding. To my surprise, Wulfrock mimicked my actions exactly, as we both couldn't help but find our respective team leaders having such a hissy fit. The feelings between me and Wulfrock were mutual, as we both smiled at each other awkwardly over the display unfolding between us.
We never did find Onitaro that day. I think the arguing between Josh and Volt saw to that, as we were escorted back to the Legends Guild to spend the rest of the day to recuperate after what happened. One thing was for sure that day, however, Josh and I couldn't exactly blame Volt over what happened. After all, once we learned his deal, we seemed to have a bit of newfound pity for him. Josh felt the same way that I did (after a few minutes to level his head from the argument he had with Volt that day), and we knew that we had to respect Volt's decisions at points.
After all, Volt was right. He wasn't at risk of dying. I guess that was Josh's instincts to protect others that caused him to worry. He was afraid that we would've been gone if we did anything reckless like that ever again.
Thankfully, we were never lost from the Solace Guild ever again. We were lost in the game, but this truly was one moment of our lives we would never soon forget.
Josh and I finished telling our story to Rose, and she was honestly quite surprised. She looked at Josh, and asked "And you still feel the way you did with Volt like you did that day?"
Josh nodded his head. "I often don't like to be around him, but I get where he's coming from. He's already lost people he cared about. He was only looking out for our safety."
Rose smiled as he said this. "I'm just glad to hear that you were there to help him, that's all."
Josh chuckled briefly, rubbing the back of his head to avoid feeling awkward about it. "Stop, you're embarrassing me."
She then looked at me, and asked "I guess since you don't vent out your frustrations as much, you've had no complaints about Volt's methods?"
Quite stoically, I said "I've never questioned the leadership of Volt in the slightest since that day. I always knew he was protecting us from the start."
"Tsk. And I take it you've become his personal pet, my feline-esk brother?" Josh joked, which he knew caused me to feel flustered.
In a half-joking fashion, I retort with "Well, not as much as you are, you damn mutt!"
Josh's teasing smile faded the moment I mentioned it, and he bluntly stated "You're lucky you're my brother, or else I would've smacked you for saying that."
Rose couldn't help but laugh at our usual banter with each other, and the both of us took notice. She smiled as she wiped tears from her eyes for laughing so hard, giving the both of us a cheerful expression. "You two truly are something else, you know that? Thanks for sharing your story, guys."
Josh and I smiled back at her, feeling quite pleased that she really enjoyed our tale. "Anytime, Rose," Josh said.
Just then, we took notice of Nolan at the door of the mess hall, yelling at us "Oi! The break's over! Let's go back to training!"
"We'll be on our way!" I yelled back, and just like that, Nolan made his way back outside.
We all smiled at each other, and Josh said "You know, despite holding him with respect, I would like to pummel that Electabuzz when given the opportunity. He means well, but damn, does he have issues."
"In any case, I think we'd better be ready for him," I suggested. I then turned to Rose, telling her "We'll win against them. I know we can." Well, at least I hope so, because I am NOT sure if we actually CAN win!
Rose smiled, saying "Thanks guys."
We all then left the mess hall together, with some more renewed confidence to prepare ourselves for the fight of our lives. While I didn't get a clue on what Josh was thinking, I could likely guess what it was, since I've been having this thought as well.
We'll show them just how strong Team Inferno can be!
Meanwhile, Nick was resting at the Moon Guild in Esther when he was bound to get a move on. His determined look was more than ready to shake the very ground as he was more than ready to once again pursue Zeraora. As he stared out the window, looking at Mount Sanda, he gave an intense glare. "Just you wait, Zeraora. You can't hide forever. We'll find you soon enough."
Suddenly, he heard a beeping from the badge he has in his bag. This distracted his thoughts of Zeraora, since the beeping almost gave him a jump from unexpected shock alone. Quickly, he reached into his bag, pulling out his badge, before fumbling with it in his claws. After a bit of fumbling, he soon gripped the badge tightly, and took a deep breath before answering. "This is Infernick. What is it?"
"Nick. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
All at once, Nick's pulse increased as he recognized the voice.
"I thought I'd give you a call, and ask if you've…disposed of that annoying Zeraora yet?"
Nick held firm. "No. I haven't yet. We're looking for him as we speak."
"Oh, isn't that a real shame, Nick. After all, you've risked everything to eliminate the pesky cat, and yet your results were nothing but failures. That's not like you, one of the most powerful players in the game, to start becoming so sloppy."
Nick felt slightly insulted for hearing of his own failures, before he then said "I'll get it done, I promise you that much. That Zeraora won't be a problem anymore."
"You'd better make it count. We're running out of time, and the moment that the cat is out of the metaphorical bag, we need to guarantee that all of these players are safe, don't we?"
"I understand," Nick muttered. "Though, just give me time. I promise you, that Zeraora will be eliminated."
"…We shall see. Just promise me one thing, alright?"
"Alright. What is it?"
"I want you to…help out your students, and make sure they're still alive by the time the three months are up."
Nick became rather tense upon hearing about this. "What are you telling me?"
"Obviously, with how situations currently are with Zeraora gone, we'll need someone who could help us track him down. Don't you think…your student, LucarioTrainerJ, is perfect for the job?"
Nick slammed his open hand on the windowsill in heated anger. "You leave my students out of this! You know I can't do that!"
"Hmm. Your funeral, pal. And it's also their funeral if nothing is done to stop Zeraora. Do I make myself clear?"
Nick gritted his teeth, clutching his badge tightly in his hand. "Crystal."
"Good. Don't disappoint us, Nick." BEEP!
Nick clutched his badge in his hand firm as the call ended. The Charizard sighed, lowering his arm in defeat over this precarious situation he found himself in. He knew what he had to do. However, he had no idea if he could go through with it.
He walked over to the sink and mirror in his room, and he started the water. Upon soaking his face with it, he turned the faucet off, and stared intensely at his own reflection. He looked at it long and hard, finding his own expression to be that of fear.
Fear of something far greater that neither he, nor anyone else would ever dare to face against.
