June 2, 2030: The Day After the Tournament's Arrangement…

Mike heard a knock on his door as he took his morning coffee. As he held a mug in his hand, he ended up walking towards the door of his apartment, grumbling to himself. He was already in a foul mood after what he inevitably agreed to do just the other night. He even got his arm broken in the game, and it took him a hot minute to realize he could properly move it once he logged back off and went to bed. He was clearly not a morning person, as evident by the obvious cranky demeanor and five-o-clock shadow.

Once Mike made his way to the door, he opened it, groggily asking "What do you want?" However, there to greet him was a rather…peculiar face. The young man standing before him was somewhere in his mid-twenties. He wore a violet overcoat with a white dress shirt underneath. He had on a pair of beige khakis, and he wore a pair of black leather loafers. The man in question had green eyes, wore a pair of octagonal glasses, and had long, slick blonde hair that was neatly combed behind him. This strange man also has a peculiar scent, akin to cedarwood. He also seemed to be carrying a book with him, which turned out to be Stephen King's "The Green Mile."

Mike almost did a double-take at this strange gentleman, before politely asking "Um…do I know you?"

"I would certainly hope so," the man said plainly as he closed the book. Giving Mike a smile, he then stated "After all, you did request my services."

Mike almost immediately recognized the voice, but still couldn't believe it was the same person. "Lucian?"

Lucian gave a slight chuckle, before saying "You're so used to seeing me as a 2-foot cat that it's difficult to believe it's actually me? Sir, I must say, that is truly uncouth of you!"

Mike took a whiff of Lucian's scent, and quickly asked "What the hell is that aroma?"

"Cedarwood, mixed with sage," Lucian remarked. "I usually burn incense to increase my mental capacity when doing my job outside of the game."

"Uh huh…" Mike then looked over Lucian's shoulder curiously, before asking "Does your sister know you've come to see me?"

Lucian shook his head with a smile. "Nope."

Mike sighed, rubbing at his forehead before asking "What do you want?"

"I just thought I'd drop on by for a few days and help you with your problem," Lucian insisted. "After all, once you agreed to cancel teleportation services in PMDO, I took it as an opportunity to finally come on over and meet with you in person."

"In perso- Lucian! I thought we both agreed that we should just talk things over professionally! You know, either in-game, or with me visiting you!" Mike then groaned as he then began asking "You didn't come empty handed, did you?"

Lucian giddily then pulled out a VR headset from his overcoat, much to Mike's own annoyance. "I can assure you, it's for business purposes only," Lucian stated.

"For what?" Mike asked curiously.

"For training Adam, obviously," Lucian answered bluntly. "I can't exactly do that unless I'm there to meet with him in-game."

This is going to be a long day… Mike took a sip of his mug, before he quietly muttered out "I guess one cup of coffee isn't going to be enough."

"So…may I come in?" Lucian asked kindly.

Mike relented, and allowed Lucian to step inside. Once the apartment door was closed, Mike soon heard his phone ring in his pocket. Looking at the name and photo, he immediately recognized it as John's number. Mike groaned, turning off his phone, before placing it back into his pocket.

Lucian saw that behavior, before asking "You're not going to answer that?"

"Do I look like I want to talk to my team?" Mike complained.

Lucian gave a nervous laugh, before he then admitted "Fair enough…"

Mike soon finished his mug of coffee before he made his way into the kitchen to pour himself another cup. As he looked at Lucian, he asked him "Do you want something to drink? Coffee, perhaps?"

"No thanks," Lucian said plainly. "I just ate breakfast and had a cup of expresso before arriving here. Any more caffeine, and I'll be buzzed for hours."

Mike shrugged before he then poured himself another cup of coffee. Once he filled up his mug, he then walked into the living room where Lucian was sitting. "So, care to explain to me why you decided to come here all of a sudden?" Mike asked irritably.

Lucian nodded before he suddenly pulled out a series of papers from within his overcoat. "I've just been drawing a detailed chart of all of the futures you and I ended up witnessing together, and I have managed to come upon a most interesting epiphany."

"An epiphany? Like what?"

"Well, if you must know, because you agreed to Josh's demands last night, the fickle finger of fate ended up changing its trajectory," Lucian explained as he began to start reading over the papers. "I have managed to look at multiple outcomes all throughout the night at my hotel – by the way, don't try hotel Wi-Fi, it's hard to get good online services – but the most peculiar thing happened." He then smiled giddily to himself as he looked over at Mike. "Because of your recent actions, the future is now going on a trajectory course towards the right path! That bleak future where Josh and Adam die because of your negligence is fading, as I can see that you are going down the right path!"

"Uh huh…" Mike took a sip of his coffee before he then asked "That's a good thing, right? Is that future properly erased?"

"Well…no. Not really. I only said it was fading. That bleak future is still there." Lucian then handed a sheet of paper to Mike, and as Mike looked it over carefully, he saw that it was quite a detailed document, complete with what appeared to be various predictions that Lucian was counting in his head. The font itself was quite small, but as Mike looked closely over the document, he could see a detailed pattern to this. He saw how the events were playing out, and he could clearly tell that there were some things he found to be…jarring. But the last passage took him by surprise.

Ever vigilant to prove his worth, once J goes and unleashes his full strength, Volt knocks him out in a single punch. Team Delta secured the win, but despite having acknowledged that J was indeed strong, he refused to let the Lucario and his brother leave. To make matters worse, he ends up using me and Sabrina to take both Cross and Adam away as we teleport them all to their new "living quarters." Doubt still remained in Volt, sadly, and the future itself doesn't look too bright for the trapped players, despite evidence to the contrary. Volt apparently was just too stubborn to let them go, because he thought that no matter what, he could never let go of the past and what happened to his dear brother.

Mike placed the paper down on the table, before asking "Is there any that lead to a good outcome?"

"Sad to say, as long as doubt still remains, there is going to be that bad future," Lucian answered. "Now…the real question is why you are still clinging to the past. How come?"

Mike sighed deeply, before confessing "I don't know… I guess I just couldn't process my grief, that's all. I wanted to play the part of a hero, save my brother, and we would be home free. But Nick was right. He always was. He has the makings of a true leader. I'm just leftover scraps of a bygone era."

Lucian nodded, before he took off his glasses. Mike soon leaned forward, resting his head into his hands before continuing. "I guess…the reason I became leader under Nick's orders was to experience what it would be like to let these kids grow and mature. I've put up with them. I've seen them at their best. I've seen them at their worst. Every day I saw them, I was suddenly reminded of how much they were oblivious to how screwed they seemed to be at the time. And I… I wanted to help when I can, but the constant dangers, and Josh's recklessness in the face of it…" Volt then lowered his hands, still remaining slouched over. "He reminded me of me, when I was his age. And when I ended up ridiculing him…I was ridiculing myself. I was angry because I was seeing him make the same mistakes I was making when I was under Nick's orders in Afghanistan. And I wanted to save him from that."

"Hmm…" Lucian leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, thinking deeply on what Mike said. "You really care for them, do you?"

"Yes!" Mike admitted as he looked at Lucian in desperation. "I want to keep them away from danger! To protect them from the darkness of the world! But I…" He then whimpered a little as he then gritted his teeth in frustration. "That damn nightmarish future kept on haunting my waking dreams! The way it all happened…I knew that if I tried holding them back, to keep them out of the dark, cruel world, they were going to die, and I would lose faith in my team…" Volt took a breath and sighed deeply, as he then tried to contain his emotions. Calmly, he admitted "I just wish we had more time…"

"We don't have a choice in that matter, Volt," Lucian admitted. "In truth, there's nothing else we can do, except do what we can to guarantee that the bleak future doesn't happen."

"And how will I know when that future is averted!?" Mike yelled in frustration. "When will it happen!?"

"Just be patient, and we'll hopefully find a way to avert this crisis," Lucian reassured. "Time takes it all, whether you want it to or not."

Chapter 45: Spread Your Wings

Lucian was looking through all of the fragments of the future in his head, his paws holding the small fragment that contained the future where Volt's own choice to keep us here would doom us all. Over the past few days, he's been trying to help Volt whenever he could, giving him reassurance and pointers on what are some potential things to avoid to guarantee a positive future.

Lucian guided Volt, by allowing him to log in and overhear that raison d'être debate Josh gave us. Lucian allowed Volt to stay logged in to meet with his friends, and learn the truth of the matter from them regarding the deadline. Volt had to buy the fact he was ticked off, and sure enough, he was. And when he began to show doubts still, he was able to be convinced to carry this out not on his or Josh's terms, but on Nick's terms.

Lucian even told Volt to partake in that dinner we had at Chateau Damascus, and really see how much Josh doesn't really need him anymore. And as Volt kept on hearing how much Josh and I have grown more and more chipper around other people our age, his own demeanor would soon come into effect. The only sour point was when Chris brought up his brother's death, but Lucian reassured him early on that if it did get brought up, it would be par for the course.

The next events, oddly enough, were left to Volt's discretion, since Lucian didn't have any direct involvement as he was merely a spectator in the audience. It was Volt that convinced Wulfrock to leave and get some ice cream to calm his nerves, building up his confidence and giving Adam the chance to shine. It was Volt who ended up allowing Rin time to be by herself to cheer up Rose, and in turn, boost her morale. And it was Volt who made the decision to overhear how Josh felt insecure about himself the whole time, even willing to let Volt take the win, if not for the fact that Volt boosting my and Rose's morale indirectly ended up leaving a significant impact.

The only odd thing that Lucian didn't really account for was the instant where Josh began to move of his own accord through his instinctual need to survive. None of his visions ever managed to show him this moment, since they all ended when Volt knocked Josh out in one punch after their super attacks collided. This, apparently, was the spark that Volt needed to change his stance on Josh. Josh was no longer going to be a rash and unpredictable mutt. This time, according to Volt, he saw Josh as his equal, and more importantly, the voice of reason he needed to finally move on from the past, and look instead into what needs to be done in the moment.

The real moment of truth was when Lucian left Volt alone to give Josh his orders. As Volt chose to allow Josh and the rest of us to leave and begin our biggest journey to date, Lucian couldn't help but smile as he looked at the bleak future in his paw start to fade out completely before shattering into nothing.

Lucian chuckled, as tears started to flow from his eyes. He removed his glasses, wiping the tears from his face as a smile beamed across his face. "Hope is a good thing," he said. "Maybe even the best of things." Lucian then looked up at the future fragment where Josh and I were back home in the real world, and saw how it began to show a small glow that ended up causing it to finally start to shimmer. "You did it, Volt. I'm proud of you. Now the rest, we leave to them."

"To Team Inferno!" Cross yelled as he held a glass of Pecha Berry Juice in the air.

"TO TEAM INFERNO!" the rest of us all shouted as we all raised our glasses and clanked them together.

Once we made our toast, we all sat down and got to enjoy a good marble cake that was made Phyllis. Apart from that, Josh, Cross, and I all ended up ordering a few entrées for ourselves as we all decided to have dinner together while waiting for Rose, Chris, and Nolan to come and join us. All at once, Cross's enthusiasm managed to brush aside any and all lingering doubts and troubles we seemed to have. Of course, apart from that, before the toast was made, Josh insisted we all tried on our new scarfs. Josh wore the green one, I wore the blue one, and Rose wore the red one. The flame patterns on the scarfs themselves looked really cool, I'll admit. And the insignia of our team was even shown to be on the scruff of the scarfs as well.

"Now, remind me again why you chose to wear scarfs that don't match your flames?" Chris asked us out of nowhere.

I chuckled a bit, before I then admitted "Well, you see, when Josh found out what they actually did, they all just boost our stats regardless of which colored ones we wore. So, he chose the ones that felt the most complimentary."

"Ah, that makes sense," Nolan said with a nod. "Though, I must admit, it's a shame those flames aren't being represented here."

"I don't mind," Rose said with a smile. "I think these scarfs are actually pretty neat. Right, Josh?"

Josh silently just stared at his drink for a second, before he then took a small swig out of it. After he finished his beverage, he then turned to Rose and asked "I'm sorry, what was that you just said?"

Rose gave a disappointed look towards Josh, which ultimately caused Josh to immediately feel tense. Cross laughed to alleviate the tension, before he then brought up "Well, whatever. I think the three of you look rather dapper with those scarfs, so I'm not complaining."

"You really think so?" I asked as I felt the scarf I had around my neck.

"Of course! You guys were given a nice little present from Nick, so it all works out, right?" Cross then took a look at Josh with intrigue, before asking "Speaking of gifts, where is the Lucarionite you had with you?"

Josh took a moment to then dig into his bag before he then presented the Mega Stone in front of everyone. Once he set it down on the table, Josh smiled, before we all took the time to really look at it and be practically in awe over it as well. Josh chuckled a little before saying "I mean, it's great, don't get me wrong. But why Nick would want to give me this is beyond me."

"Clearly, he cares for you," Nolan argued. "He's only just looking out for your well-being, Herr Josh."

"I guess that makes sense," Josh pondered as he eyed the stone on the table. "Maybe that would also explain Adam's gift as well."

My gift from Nick, the Incinium Z, was honestly a very nice reward, especially after all of the hard work and effort I put into my battle. I already had it pinned onto my scarf, replacing the Firium Z that Rose gave me earlier. In fact, I actually sold it in order to make enough money for the feast we were all sharing together in Casa del Suicune (don't tell Rose I said that).

I smiled as I took a sip of the apple juice I had in my glass, before I then looked over at Cross, asking him "So, what now? Where do we go from here?"

"I thought the answer was obvious since I arrived here," Josh stated as he picked up his Lucarionite and stuffed it back into his bag. "Volt said our next mission is to hunt down Zeraora, so that's what we're going to do."

"Well, what ended up changing his mind?" Chris asked with peaked curiosity. "I thought he hated your guts, Josh?"

"Hehe… Yeah… So did I," Josh admitted with a sense of unease as he took another sip of his beverage.

"My guess is that he developed a change of heart, ja?" Nolan pondered. "He was probably just blown away by how amazing the three of you performed today."

"Hey, we still lost, you know," Josh remarked.

"Yeah, but you lost in the most interesting way imaginable!" Nolan argued. "Ich hab so was noch nie gesehen!"

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with Nolan on this one," Cross said as he gave Josh a serious look. "Since when have you actually harbored that kind of power before?"

I don't think that Josh had any idea what to say to that. He took a moment of reflection, wondering what exactly happened back there in the arena. Unfortunately, he seemed to be drawing a blank as he sighed and crossed his arms in disappointment. "I'm afraid I don't know, Cross. Sorry."

"No, don't be all upset about it, Josh!" Cross said encouragingly. "If I was being honest, I'd say you were primarily acting out of pure defense to protect yourself and others. Strong enough to even make Zeraora terrified of you, I'm guessing."

Josh gave a laugh at that, before asking "Since when have I ever exerted that kind of power?" All of a sudden, the whole table fell silent, as we all ended up staring at Josh with these puzzled looks. Josh took a moment looking at all of us, before nervously asking them "Wait, you're seriously asking me if I did?"

"We're not asking if you did, Josh," Rose said as she looked at Josh sincerely. "We know you did, right guys?"

Everyone ultimately ended up agreeing to her on that one. Well…almost everyone, since Chris technically didn't see what happened. Chris seemed almost as confused as Josh was in that instant, where he then asked Cross "When did this happen?"

Cross smiled and told Chris "We'll talk about it later. For now, we simply celebrate tonight, and we give our best effort in pursuing Zeraora tomorrow!" Cross then raised his glass again for another toast, and he shouted "To the hunt!"

Well, not to really miss out, we all raised our glasses again, and cheered with "To the hunt!" However, as I took a swig at my glass, I noticed that Josh had something on his mind that seemed to be bothering him. Once I lowered my glass onto the table, I asked him "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Josh took a moment to wonder what I was asking about, but soon, he caught on rather quickly. He averted his gaze, trying his best to smile, before saying "It's nothing."

That look doesn't mean it's nothing, I thought as I looked at Josh closely. That's the look he gives when something is distracting him. He's trying to pass it off like it was nothing, but I know deep down there's some sort of lingering thoughts. He's not…thinking about the incident again, is he? Or maybe…is he thinking about Chris? I mean, I know he's scared about what would happen if Chris found out, and Cross even told me not to say a word to guarantee Josh's safety. Or…what if it's not either of those things, and he's thinking about what would happen if we fail? Or if we could get ourselves killed out there? O-or what if he's becoming paranoid about how he's starting to doubt how powerful he is, much like how I was long ago? Or what if he-?

"Yo! Nice party you have here!" And by the time that voice distracted me from my thoughts, we all turned to see that walking towards our table were Rinekai and Wulfrock.

"Rin. John. What do you want?" Josh asked curiously.

Rin and John ultimately looked at each other briefly before they both soon turned their attention towards us with looks of concern on their faces. "We heard that Volt wanted you to hunt down Zeraora," Rin said softly.

"Good for you, I guess," John said with a sheepish smile on his face. "It's just that…there's more pressing matters that need to be addressed…"

"I agree," Josh said with a nod. Rin and John both looked at Josh anxiously, before Josh then asked "This is about how we have three months to find a means to get out of this game, isn't it?"

The two of them both nodded silently to Josh's question. Josh sighed, mentioning "Just as I thought…"

"Look, we want to do whatever we can to help you guys," Rin stated suddenly. "To make it up to you after today."

"So, we thought we should tell you why you only have three months…" Wulfrock took a deep breath, calming his nerves for the inevitable bombshell he was planning on saying to us. "You see, the reason why you have three months to escape is because-"

"Of MCP, right?" Josh interrupted.

Rin and John were both shocked to see how Josh found out about that information. Cross was the first to speak up, and he mentioned "MCP was the program responsible for creating this game, infecting us with this Black Mirror virus that is poisoning our virtual bodies. Making them more real."

"Well, uh… Yes, but…" John was just befuddled by how much we seemed to know about already.

"How did you know about that?" Rin questioned us. "That information was supposed to go to honorary officials like Nick, Volt, Glacier…"

"And now us," I interrupted with a serious expression. I then dug into Josh's bag and pulled out a scarf, handing it over to John for him and Rin to investigate. "We found this scarf on the dead body of Gekido. His real name was Gareth Blake, a programmer for OrigiNerve's very own Neural Link interface. He was the one who told us about MCP."

"What?" Rin asked in surprise. "This was the guy you disobeyed Volt to rescue last week?"

"Yes, and unfortunately, he had an antivirus that was going to help save us all, which Zeraora is the key to," Cross brought up. "His last known destination is at Mt Sanda outside of Esther, so we're planning on going there to capture him."

"And what? What are you planning on doing with him?" John questioned.

"To find out how to stop MCP, that's what," Josh answered. He then stood up and walked over to Rin and John, patting their shoulders, sensing how stunned they were. "And we are not going to do this one alone. We need all of the help we can get."

"A-and that, we agree!" John stammered. "Which is why we want to go with you!"

Josh shook his head at the request, causing both John and Rin to be once again caught off guard over Josh's maturity in this scenario. "No. I need you both here to monitor the situation," Josh insisted. "And…I also want you two to keep an eye on Volt."

"But Volt… He won the battle, and we told him we would leave his side once he won!" John tried to give a smile towards Josh to convince him he's serious. "Come on, Josh! We raised you for three years, and we trust you! Have a heart?"

Josh took a brief moment to look at Rin and John, seeing how they were pleading for the chance to help us. Josh crossed his arms, as if he were actually giving this some serious thought. The rest of us were eagerly awaiting what his answer will be, so we simply waited until he gave his response.

Once Josh made his decision, he muttered out "The strongest of flames always begin with a small ember that lights the darkness. If left unattended, that flame will either die off because it was weak, or it will grow out of control and only bring disaster in its wake. I saw that ember today in Volt, shortly after our battle." He sighed, giving a sympathetic smile towards Rin and John, mentioning "The flame I saw in him was smothered in darkness for the longest time. But today, I finally got to see that spark inside of him. And with that spark, there was a small ember. One that seemed to only grow stronger because you two were there to control it."

Rin and John were both perplexed by Josh's wording, but at the same time, they understood exactly what he might be referring to. I mean, I knew for a fact what Josh was saying. Josh literally relit that flame of hope in Volt. I never thought I'd see the day.

Josh soon continued. "A flame left unchecked will either die young, or grow too quickly. Years ago, you brought two flames with you into Talis. You cared for them. Tended to them when they were weak. Kept them at bay when they seemed to grow too strong. You wanted to let these flames master their powers, to use them not for destruction, but to help be a guiding voice for those who need it. Our mission is to light the way for that flame. And whether or not those flames will die off, or spread to bring about more flames, is up for you to wait and see. But we have no intention of dying off. After today, we have tempered our flames, and have grown stronger as a result. And I'm not talking physically. I'm talking about bringing back the flames of hope we all lost at some point. Mine was relit because of Adam and Rose. Adam's and Rose's were because of you guys. And you guys, Rin and John…" Josh then rested his paws on Rin's and John's shoulders, telling them "I have just relit a flame that I'm counting on you to look after and tend to. You don't need to worry about us. The one you should be concerning yourselves with is your own teammate. For the first time, I think that flame of hope finally started to blossom forth inside of Volt, and I don't want to do anything to smother it because you chose to leave him here by himself. So cherish and look after that flame for us. Make sure he's kept under watch. And whatever you do, don't let his hope die off. He's saved us once upon a time. I want to do the same for him."

Needless to say, Josh's small speech was really touching, and it practically melted my heart. I smiled as I saw just how much Josh truly holds Volt under a large amount of respect. We've all come a long way, and both Rin and John knew this. Rin was almost on the verge of tears as she smiled upon listening to Josh's speech. John, too, felt like he was betraying the trust of his best friend to help us, and it made him feel a little bit awful.

Josh soon backed away from them, letting Team Delta know "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we don't need your help. You've done enough for us already. I just want to say…thank you. For everything."

Rin and John both couldn't bottle up their emotions, as they both soon walked up to us, and gave both me and Josh a big hug. They each took turns hugging at each of us. Rin was practically a sobbing mess as she knew she was going to miss us, even with that pained smile on her face. John gave as good of a smile as he could muster for us, though it was clear he was trembling over how he too was struggling to contain his emotions. While I hugged them, I could feel my own heart was beginning to break, as I knew that this was probably going to be the last time I might see them if something went wrong. But I knew for certain that I just couldn't hold back the tears, as I soon cried into my arm as tears fell from my face once our hugs were over.

"Please try and keep in touch, okay?" John asked with a smile.

"We're always here in case you need us," Rin replied as she gave us a nod.

Josh gave a friendly nod to them, giving a smile that was clearly doing everything it could to hid how sad this truly was for him as well. "We'll be back one day. I promise."

Rose then walked over to Rin and John, before she soon gave them both a letter. Rose struggled to contain her emotions as well, before she confessed "I just want to say thanks for allowing me to join Team Inferno. If you could, send this letter to Nick the next time you see him. And tell him…" Soon, tears started to come out of Rose's eyes as well, and she took a sharp breath to try and get out what she wanted to say as tears streamed down her face. "Tell him that I am glad he helped make Josh and Adam into who they are today! They are the best players I have ever met!"

Josh and I were taken aback by Rose's statement, seeing how much she really does care for us. It warmed our hearts, and it made us both glad that she was so grateful for not just us, but to Nick as well. Oh, Rose…

John took the letter from Rose, and gladly said "I'll be sure to deliver it to him."

Rose soon ran up to John and Rin, giving the both of them a big hug, which they were more than happy to return in kind. As Rose hugged them both, she smiled, sobbing as she muttered out "Thank you… For everything…"

Team Calibur were all starting to get pretty choked up over this goodbye as well. They each gave a big smile on their faces, before all three of them soon struck another one of their poses. This time, Cross stood up as he crossed his arms into his signature "X" formation, Chris stood to his right as he held one of his blade arms close to his chest, and Nolan stood to Cross's left as he held his shield out in front of him while in Attack Form. It was then I realized This isn't a pose. They're just giving their farewell the only way they can. Honestly, it's very sweet.

"Whether it be day or night…" Nolan began.

"Rain or shine…" Chris added.

"Light or dark…" Cross continued.

Soon all three of them bowed down, before they quietly said in unison "We shall always remember your generosity. Thank you."

Rin and John smiled as they gave their salutes to Team Calibur as a proper sendoff. Josh ultimately was amazed at their kindness to Rin and John, and this in turn made him smile, his own eyes getting all misty. With a nod to Team Calibur, he then turned to Rin and John, before giving the both of them a bow. "Thank you all for making these past few years bearable," he said. "We won't forget your kindness."

Nick made contact with somebody on his badge as he looked over the plateau of the Solace Guild training grounds, staring at the stadium as it was lighting up for a big show while the night sky loomed overhead. It didn't take long until the voice on the other end responded with "Did it work out?"

"I certainly think so," Nick responded. "We had a lot riding on this, you know. Anything to guarantee their safety and all of that."

The person on the other side of the transceiver gave an audible sigh as he then mentioned to Nick "Remember, you promised that Zeraora is to be eliminated, no matter what. Frankly, it would've been a lot easier if we just had custody over them to begin with."

Nick got ticked off by that remark, and coldly hissed out "Now you listen here. If you even dare to bring any harm to them, I promise you that I will not take it sitting lightly. Stay away from them, keep your distance, and maybe we can avoid any kind of…accidents."

The voice at the other end began to give a sinister chuckle, before threatening "You really think you're the strongest one here, Nick? Don't forget, it's thanks to us that they're still alive, right? The only reason we couldn't bring them out of town in the first place is because of them, after all. Those psychics seem to know too much as it is."

"Which is exactly why they're wise enough to make sure that scumbags such as yourself are out of the picture," Nick said angrily. "Make any sudden moves on my pupils, and you will regret it, Logan. Do I make myself clear?"

Silence fell for a brief moment. But soon, Nick got his response from Logan, who only said "As you wish…"

Nick soon shut off the transmitter on his badge, sighing deeply as he placed it back into his bag. He took a slight glance behind him, only to then see Sabrina standing there, playing with a marionette that she is levitating in the air by using Psychic. Nick huffed out a small flame from his mouth, telling her "Sorry if you heard any of that."

"Oh, don't worry," Sabrina mentioned. "It's not like I'm psychic or anything and I can't predict what's going to happen."

Nick smiled as he then turned to look at her. "So, Team Inferno and Team Calibur…"

"Left eastbound toward Esther, about to hunt down Zeraora under Volt's orders," Sabrina finished as she put away her little doll. "And what about you? Where are you planning on going?"

Nick gave a cheeky grin, before mentioning "Well, first things first, I need to search for some sort of group that had close ties to Gekido. I've heard that they were quite talented, and I was hoping that I'd find them sooner or later. I'd very much like to meet them…"

"Why? Because of what you owe Josh and Adam?" Sabrina guessed. "Is it really as a way of forgiving them for their failure on Mt Ebott?"

Nick turned his attention eastward, staring at the east gate, seeing six distinct players ready to head out. Giving a smile at us from so far away, he said "More than that. I owe those boys my life. I owe Cross for standing up to Zeraora to protect Josh and Adam. And moreover…I want to give them a reason to see a bright future."

Sabrina couldn't help but smile as Nick brought mention to us. "That reminds me… Wulfrock told me to give this to you." She then dug into her bag and pulled out a letter, handing it over to Nick. As Nick looked it over, Sabrina then mentioned "A farewell gift from Team Inferno."

"Team Inferno sent this?" Nick asked out of surprise. However, as soon as he looked over at where Sabrina was, she was gone, having teleported away. Nick chuckled, before he then tore open the envelope to see the letter inside.

Dear Infernick,

I know we haven't really spent much time together, but I thought it would be nice if I could give you a letter, now that you're here. I've spent the entire morning coming up with this message, wanting to express just how much I and deeply honored by your presence. Not because you're the best player, according to my friends. But rather, it's because of you that I finally got to meet with Josh and Adam.

Back then, before I joined Team Inferno, I was afraid that I was going to mess up, or I might end up losing every battle I take part in. I can't even begin to imagine what it must've been like training Josh and Adam for an entire month on the Zero Isles. And yes, Josh offered to detail the whole thing to me while we were training. To all of us, really. He just had a few things to get off of his chest, and I have to say, once he finally told us everything about how he and Adam survived with you by their side, I was honestly pretty hooked. It reminds me that there's still good people out there to protect the innocent and helpless.

You helped to mold Josh and Adam into the fighters they are today, and I have to thank you for that. I felt like I could actually help them, given that they so openly showed their secret to me on the first day that we met. But now, given that you plan on exposing this secret to the world, I don't even know what to say, other than thanks. You really are a paragon that has his heart worn on his sleeve. You value human life, and the fact you wanted to spread your kindness to the rest of the world was more than enough for me to understand why Josh and Adam look up to you so much.

Hopefully, by the end of today, we'll have shown how far all three of us have grown since we began our training. If I'm being honest, I'm actually pretty nervous to go up there in front of so many people. What if I let them all down? What if I let my team down? What if my own training was all for nothing? Please understand, I am not saying I don't want to be a burden. Rather, I want to say that if there was any player I yearn to be, it would be someone like you. Not because you're strong. But because your kindness and generosity are your best qualities. And it is because of those qualities that Josh and Adam are here today. Thank you so much for everything.

Best Wishes,

BlossumBelle: The Green Flame

Nick held the letter close to his chest after reading it, obviously touched over Rose's kind words. As he stared off once again at the east gate, seeing the small figures of Team Inferno and Team Calibur leaving town, he couldn't help but smile, and a single tear fell down his cheek.

"Spread your wings, young ones," Nick said softly. "Go out there and make me proud."

Volt was about to leave the stadium altogether when he soon ended up bumping into his confidant, Lucian, who was simply standing by with a smile on his face. Volt was clearly conflicted over what he not only chose to do, but also from how he didn't even say goodbye. Lucian took note of this, before he uttered "The good news is that the bleak future we saw is gone forever," Lucian admitted. Upon adjusting his glasses, he then asked Volt "Aren't you happy that you made Josh and Adam's future possible?"

Volt sighed with his head held low. "I didn't even get to show how I truly felt to Josh," Volt said as he sulked. "I only yelled and berated him, like I usually did. And yet, he seemed to be smiling at me, which ticked me off…"

"Well, I'm only guessing here, but I think after your little chat, he looked into your aura and thought you were taking a step down the right path," Lucian reasoned. "I mean, after all, he is a Lucario."

"No… He's not," Volt muttered. Volt soon turned his gaze towards the eastern gate, and with a smile, he added "He's no mutt as much as I am a soldier. He's human, like anyone else. And I tried to strip him of that for so long…"

Lucian removed his glasses and gave a sympathetic smile towards Volt, patting at his arm. As Volt looked at Lucian, he saw how the Meowstic was more than willing to share his optimism to his commanding officer. "I think you did the right thing, helping them hold on to hope, sir," Lucian said. "Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things."

Volt gave a grin towards Lucian, telling him "Shawshank Redemption, right?"

Lucian chuckled over how Volt recognized the quote. He once more looked over towards Volt, only this time, he looked to be all misty-eyed. "I'm surprised you recognized that one…"

"Damon and I used to watch that movie all of the time," Volt said. "It is… It was his favorite film."

Lucian soon levitated off of the ground with Psychic and ended up staring at Volt directly as he patted at the Electabuzz's cheek. Volt looked to be close to breaking into tears again, and Lucian did what he could to comfort him. "Hey, don't dwell on the past, Volt. It's exactly that reason why that bleak future ended up happening to begin with."

"I'm not trying to," Volt admitted as he gave a smile towards Lucian. "I'd only upset Damon if I don't follow through with my promises, after all."

Lucian at first was amazed to see Volt seem so reserved and down to earth like he was in that moment. Volt then did the one thing that Lucian wasn't able to predict would happen next, and gave the Meowstic a hug. Lucian returned the favor by patting the back of Volt's head, a smile shining on his face. "I know you're going to be a good leader one day, Volt," he whispered. "And when you do, Josh will have everyone give you the best reminder of how far you've come since the beginning. I guarantee it."

Volt wasn't sure about that, since he hadn't really done anything proactive as a leader yet. Regardless, he held onto the hope that one day, he would finally be recognized for his bravery and his willingness to help. Here's hoping, Volt thought to himself.

Once they finished their hug, Lucian pretended to look at an invisible watch on his wrist, before muttering "Shoot. I completely missed my chance to send Team Inferno to their destination."

Volt chuckled, as he mentioned "It's fine. After all, nobody said that a good future was going to be easy, after all. If you take the straight and narrow, you'd reach your destination, but you would be missing out on the true beauty of what life gets you. Life is messy. Life is cruel. But at the same time, it is the most beautiful thing that deserves to be cherished and taken seriously." As he smiled at Lucian, he told him "I want them to take the road less traveled, and experience what life will give them."

Lucian stifled a laugh, placing his glasses back onto his head. "I'll have to write that down, because that was rather profound," he said.

Volt nodded his head, and the pair soon just looked at each other with smiles. "Thank you, Lucian. You have my permission to leave."

Lucian nodded, accepting Volt's order, before he then teleported away and left Volt by himself once again. Volt's smile soon faded as he stared off towards the east gate, and he couldn't help but feel a heavy weight in his chest as he stared at the empty street. Josh, Adam… You both have a dream to return home. That dream…make it come true! If anyone can, it's you!

Volt gave a nod towards the eastern part of town, and was about to leave, only to then notice the sights of Rinekai and Wulfrock walking towards him with pained expressions on their faces. Volt ended up walking towards them, and asking "You didn't go with them?"

Wulfrock averted his gaze as he rubbed at his arm, hating to admit to the truth, but realizing he had no other option. "Josh and the others rejected our offer."

"I thought so," Volt said bluntly. "After all, I believe he had a good reason."

"He did," Rin added. Nervously, she took a deep breath, and said "They know about MCP, and that they need to get to him to save themselves. But, Josh told us not to abandon you, so here we are."

Volt smiled as he gave a sigh of relief. "Well, that should do it." As Volt gave both of his teammates a look, he said "Look, guys, I'm so sorry about everything. I was too caught up with wanting to keep those boys safe that it badly affected my judgement. So, I want to do what I can to make up for it."

"Mike…" John muttered out of surprise over Volt's maturity.

"Starting today, I'm turning over a new leaf," Volt continued. "I'm going to be the leader that Nick wanted me to be, and make a valiant effort to find MCP on the sidelines while Team Inferno hunt down Zeraora. However, I can't do it alone." As Volt looked at both of his teammates, he asked of them "May I please count on you to help me? This place would awfully lonely without you, and as Josh mentioned in his speech earlier today, loneliness is perhaps the worst thing he would subject upon me. So please, can we all stay as a team?"

Rin and John were both stunned by Volt's words, seeing how sincere he truly was in this instance. They smiled as they both walked up to him and gave him a big hug, much to Volt's surprise. Volt couldn't argue with this, as he now realized that without even a single word, he knew that his team were going to be by his side, through and through. As he returned his smile, he hugged them back, before whispering to them "Thanks, guys."

"Hey, anytime buddy," John muttered.

"Just say the word, and we'll be there in a flash," Rin replied.

The trio soon finished up their hug, as the crowd inside of the stadium were giving off loud cheers. As they all looked at the stadium together, Volt chuckled, and asked his team "Say, would it be alright if we shared one more memory together before we get to serious business?"

"Ladies and gentlemen," Eccho said with his announcement. "It is our big pleasure to welcome you tonight with our final event of today."

"This isn't a battle, but hopefully, their singing will win you over in a heartbeat," Yamatochi replied with a smile. "Let's give a big Talis welcome to the one and only Team Requiem!"

The audience applauded as the four team members, Lullablue, Maestrolias, Drummarch, and Bodylan all had the spotlight brought on them. Accompanying them were their usual ensemble for backup in case they needed to play something else that had more of an orchestral vibe, or whatnot. And up there in the crowd, watching these players perform that night were Team Delta.

As Bodylan and his guitar partner (also a Toxtricity, except he was Low Key) began to strum and set up the melody, Lullablue took the mic and announced "We want to dedicate this number to the outstanding competitors who fought here today. Team Inferno. Team Delta. This one is for you." As soon as she finished speaking, she then went to work on singing the lyrics to the melody of the song:

Who do I turn to when things are broken?

Where do I go when I'm feeling alone?

Who's always there with arms wide open, it's you.

Yeah, it's you.

Where do I hide when it's dark and stormy?

Where do I run when it's all too much?

Who gives me hope when I wake each morning, it's you.

Yeah, it's you.

Drummarch then began to start banging at his drum while Masetrolias began to add in his signature violin-like melody to the song as it began to start picking up. The moment they picked up the chorus, Lullablue ultimately sang it like she owned the stage.

You were there for me in my darkest days,

You came for me when I lost my way,

My guiding light, you always pulled me through,

I believe in you.

The audience ultimately gave a slight applause over the delivery of that chorus. Volt couldn't help but whimper a little, which both Rin and John took notice of. John was quick to ask "Are you okay?"

Volt took a deep breath, regaining some composure as he just stared on at the performance. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…a lot is on my mind, that's all."

Lullablue was quick to continue her singing after the applause died down:

When I stumble and fall, you take my hand.

When I don't have a clue, you know what to do.

When nothing makes sense, you help me to understand.

It's true.

It seems like forever, it's been you and me.

I know who you really are.

Sometimes I wonder where would I be without you?

Once again, the chorus picked up, but this time, Volt couldn't help but shed some tears as Lullablue sang it:

You were there for me in my darkest days,

You came for me when I lost my way,

My guiding light, you always pulled me through,

Yeah, you gave me strength when I was weak,

You were my voice when I could not speak,

One ray of hope that I could hold onto,

Yeah, I believe in you.

As Volt wiped the tears from his face, he muttered to his team "You know, I always thought I rescued those boys long ago."

"Of course, you did," Rin said kindly as she gently placed a paw on Volt's hand. "You were the one who helped save them, after all."

Volt smiled, gently holding on to Rin's hand, before he looked into her eyes, and said "No. It was them who saved me."

Rin blushed a little as both she and John took what Volt said into consideration. Without any further doubts about Volt, they both quickly realized that the battle he had with Josh helped to wake him up and smell the roses. John and Rin smiled at him, and all three gave a collective nod as they once again turned to look at Team Requiem's performance with some newfound confidence.

Hope truly is a dangerous thing, Volt thought as the guitar solo played out. How dare you give it to me, Mutt? Now, I wish that I actually could give you a proper farewell, because you managed to give life to this empty husk. Volt couldn't help but shed a few more tears as he stared up at the stars.

I promise you, I will not let you die in this world. I will save you. It's the least I can offer, especially since you were almost like the family I never knew I needed. Wherever your travels may take you, know that I will always be looking out for you from afar. Josh. Adam. Thank you for giving me hope once again.

Cross was eying the concert on a mobile device as he gave a glum expression. His pouty mood was easily noticed by everyone, as he mumbled "I wish we could've stayed for the concert…"

"You can always see them some other time, Herr Cross," Nolan reassured, patting at Cross's back. "Besides, you technically did perform alongside them, so what more could you ask for?"

Cross chuckled as the chorus Lullablue was singing picked up once again. As he smiled at Nolan, he said "You know what? You're right. It was an honor to perform on stage, so I guess that's something to be proud of."

Nolan chuckled as he patted Cross's back and they both started to pick up the pace with the others. Chris smiled as he saw Cross's enthusiasm shine through once more, before he then asked us "So, any reason why we are walking to our destination instead of just teleporting there?"

"It's to build character…" Josh said as he faced forward while we walked. "I want to be ready for when we confront Zeraora again, and teleporting to our destination is only going to make things worse for us…"

"Ah, I see," Chris understood as he nodded. "That makes sense, I guess. Whoever said that fast travel is the way to go, they don't know what they're missing. The journey is more important, after all."

"I'll say," Rose said with a smile. "But still, at the end of the day, we're going to be on our own. It's six on one, and we haven't had enough training to prepare ourselves."

"We'll grow stronger, Rose," I encouraged her. "Just you wait. Once we find Zeraora, we'll figure out how to defeat MCP shortly afterward, and we'll finally return home."

Rose nodded as she liked listening to my words of encouragement. "You've definitely grown a bit already, Adam," she said with a smile. "I'd say you are different when compared to earlier today."

I laughed out of embarrassment, rubbing at the back of my head as Rose said that. I'd say we both grew, I thought. Rose and I have clearly managed to become more confident with ourselves after today, so I'd say that's a net positive. Still…

I then took a glance back at Talis, which was slowly starting to become more distant as we kept on walking along the path. As I looked over at the town, I could feel my heart become heavy as I knew that we were going to be away from that town for a long, long time. Memories of the good times Josh and I shared in that town with Team Delta began to start flooding back into me as I looked back, and it was more than enough to start making me feel nostalgic once more.

I wondered if Josh felt the same way, as I started to pick up the pace to see if Josh had some memories he cherished with Team Delta. "Hey, Josh. Do you think we will see Team Delta again?"

Josh didn't seem to say anything at first as he just kept on walking forward without pause. However, he then lowered his head, and muttered out "Yeah… I sure hope so."

I was beginning to wonder what was distracting Josh, so I picked up the pace once again, and the moment that I was standing right next to him, I suddenly saw why. I wanted to speak, but I figured that it was probably going to ruin the moment for him. So instead, I gave a pitying smile to my brother, and turned my face to the same direction Josh was walking. "I know," I muttered to him. "Quite the night for rain, right?"

Josh was literally crying a river as he was walking, not wanting anyone else to see him like this. He was really going to miss Team Delta, that much was certain. As he whimpered a little, he nodded his head to my response. "Yes… It most certainly is a night for rain…"

I smiled, placing my arm over his shoulders as we walked. I leaned him closer to me, and I could feel him trembling as we walked, doing everything he could to hide his emotions from the others. I guess being a leader isn't exactly all it was cut out to be.

Goodbye, Talis, I thought. A new chapter in Team Inferno's story begins without you.

-End of Part III-