This could have been the longest chapter I have EVER written. Emphasis on "could have".
I accidentally deleted it. Since it wasn't in my Google Docs yet, I lost 8,400 words and it pissed me off. It looks like the final chapter of Labyrinth retains its title. Instead of an 11,000-word chapter, you get a 6,000-word chapter. It's not my best work, but it was the best I could do given the circumstances. I hope you can forgive me for this, I just couldn't bring myself to write the same thing over and over again.
It's appropriate that I was in this mood when I was writing it, because this chapter is an emotional roller coaster. You'll just have to read it to see why I say so.
Enjoy the final chapter of Attack Of The Anglars!
LUCAS'S POV
For a while, the trip back was triumphant. After Willow was finally taken off all of the machines a day later, she was walking around the Great Fox,and she was dancing with me a day after that. Really, she had gotten off far better than I had back on Fichina.
In spite of all of this, and the knowledge that we had just won the war, the mood on the ship, at least from me, was not as happy as it should have been. Reason being, I was still feeling guilty for what had happened on Venom with Jack.
I hadn't meant to kill the man. I really hadn't. I mean, I had, but not in a conscious way. It really was just like the Imperius Curse from the Harry Potter books. It would have been, if not absolutely impossible, very difficult to resist. And I did try.
I also played video games off and on with Cole, Ian, and Konstantin, but there was always a certain level of awkwardness between us. There was no changing the fact that I'd killed one of our friends and allies, without whom it is very possible we would not have won the war. Still, though, I could tell that they cared about me and were very concerned with where I had ended up.
I was an emotional wreck at times, but Willow was always there to comfort me.
All in all, however, it was a relief when we finally got back to Corneria.
When the ship finally arrived back on Corneria on March 20, we landed on a runway. It would have simple to just go into the government building, but the runway was crowded on both sides by people who were admiring us. As a result, the situation was akin to models on a catwalk. Falco had to help pave a way through for us, and it took a while to get into the government building that we were supposed to go to today.
I wasn't sure what was waiting for us there. I knew that we were likely to get some congratulations, given that we had just accomplished a major feat in defeating the Anglar forces, but I didn't know exactly what.
In front of us when we walked in were General Pepper and the hologram of James McCloud, looking as cyan as always.
"Good afternoon, Star Enfield. I would like to reward all of you for your efforts.
Reward? What might that reward be, I wonder?
"Each of you will receive your own apartment and a salary of five million dollars a year. For saving the Lylat System, we are eternally grateful to you. The apartments are quite luxurious" General Pepper said. "I will now let James McCloud take over, because he also has some things to say".
"Yes" James said. "Let's start with you, Konstantin Nikolai Brockenbough. You are hereby fully pardoned for the crime you did not commit, betraying the Grey Clouds Flight Academy to the Anglar forces. Intelligence suggests that it was Wolf O'Donnell. We'll have to catch him...".
"There'll be no need for that" Konstantin said. "I killed him back on Venom. He was attacking me, but I got him real good".
"Oh" James said. "You won't be tried for that, he was a traitor anyway. We just started with you, Konstantin, because there was the most to sort out with you".
Konstantin certainly did look very happy to be pardoned. He no longer needed to worry about having the Cornerians breathing down his neck the whole time.
James read his notes. "Ian Keller, there is nothing in particular with you...except that you have been offered a position at one of the country's top science labs. I know that you're into science, and you may decline if you do not wish to take this position".
"Let me read into it" Ian said.
Immediately, a brochure appeared in a holographic form, listing the title of Ian's job and everything it entailed.
"I accept the position" he said, after reading it over for a minute.
"Very well, then" James replied. "Cole McCallen...you have been offered a seat on the Corneria City Board Of Governors. Will you accept it?"
"Can you do the same thing you did with Ian, and have the brochure appear up there?" Cole asked.
"Of course. Here you go" he said, clicking on the remote that summoned the brochure.
"I'll do it" Cole said. "I'm still only sixteen, so I'd probably be the youngest, but I'm willing to take it".
"I almost forgot...Konstantin, you're offered the position of military commander. There will be two months of training, and you will be sworn in after you turn twenty, which is the minimum age. Do you accept or decline the position?"
Knowing how much Konstantin was into military strategy, it came as a surprise to absolutely nobody that he accepted the offer.
"Willow Foster...you're allowed to be Secretary Of State. Does this appeal to you?"
"Yes, it does. Except...I'm not sure I'm qualified".
"You'll go through some training. You will be fit for the job".
"I'll do it, then".
"All right!" James said. "That just leaves Lucas Enfield. Lucas...".
He paused ominously, and I wondered if he was telling me that I was going to be put on trial for killing Jack Novsky. That was definitely not something I was proud of, but I didn't know if it warranted that level of punishment. Not when I was in such emotional turmoil already.
"Lucas Enfield, you have been offered the position of Vice President of Corneria, under General Pepper. You may accept or decline, but the previous VP, Peppy Hare, is retiring, so we need an opening. We think that you would make a good fit".
I flinched. I couldn't believe it! I was being offered the second-highest position on the planet, literally. I could decline it, but who else would do it? And who could turn down such an offer?
"I'm taking it" I said.
"All right! That about wraps it up for you guys, at least for now. I would like to thank you once again for saving the Lylat System, and I would quickly like to swear in Lucas Enfield before each of you leave for your respective apartments".
He took me over to a laptop, and I gave the oath of office. Then, it was official.
I was the Vice President of Corneria. If something happened to General Pepper, I was going to be the President of Corneria. That was one of the greatest feelings I had ever had, the feeling of having boundless potential for the future.
After the ceremony was over, all of us having been assigned to our various positions, each of us were driven individually to our separate apartments.
Falco and Dr. Howler were going to live with me, as Dr. Howler had been assigned to be my personal physician. She seemed to be okay with that, and I was as well. I really did trust that woman, if you could call a Bengal tiger a woman.
There was another reason as well.
"We're engaged" Falco said.
That had come out of the blue. Granted, there had been rumors that the two of them had been hooking up. However, I'd always figured them to be nothing more than that. Just rumors.
"So you are together" I said, trying not to laugh.
"Yes. The wedding is set for June 16, four days after your birthday. I've sent out invitations to all of the members of Star Enfield, so barring any illnesses, we are likely to have the whole team be there".
"That's pretty awesome" I said.
"Yeah" Falco said.
Eventually, we arrived at my new apartment building. The apartment was on the sixth floor, and after a quick elevator ride to get there, I saw just how marvelous it was.
The apartment had an alcove that dug into the next floor as well. In this alcove, there was a fireplace, with walls painted orange, purple, and green. It looked pretty awesome to me, with the table being a great place to hold meetings.
According to Falco and Dr. Howler, all of my bags from the Great Fox were already here, so all I had to do was carry them up to my bedroom, two flights up on the left. As I looked around the room, I knew that this place could become home to me in a way that the Grey Clouds Flight Academy, or even my house in my former hometown of Swanville, Maine never had been.
The engaged couple would be sleeping in a room on the other side. As they were engaged, they had decided to start living together.
I went up to my room to unpack before dinner.
We ate dinner in the kitchen on the side of the apartment opposite my bedroom. Pizza had been ordered, although Dr. Howler advised me not to eat it too frequently, because I didn't want to end up with high cholesterol.
"Are you glad to be Vice President now, Lucas?" Falco asked me.
"It's quite an achievement" I said. "I never in a million years thought that I would ever get to this point. Thank you two for helping to make it possible".
"Yeah...we're always saving you, aren't we?" Falco said.
"Falco!" Dr. Howler said, but not in an angry way. More of a playful way.
"Never mind" he said.
Even with Falco's jab at how he and Dr. Howler had saved my life multiple times, I was enjoying dinner. The pizza was world-class, and what made it even better was the knowledge that we had won the war. The Lylat System was safe, at least for now.
But there was one thing that worried me.
My shoulder, around the area where Andrew had injected me, was beginning to become sore. In fact, there seemed to be a searing pain in my very blood. Not a pleasant feeling in the least. In addition, I had developed a track mark there, much like intravenous drug users often get. Surely I wouldn't get track marks after justone injection?
Even so, it was not something I wanted to think about. Right now, I wanted to enjoy the moment. I was Vice President of Corneria. And, should something happen to General Pepper, I would become President. In the deepest recesses of my mind, the dark places that very few people access very often, I kind of wanted that to happen.
I decided not to focus on the pain and enjoy the rest of my dinner.
KONSTANTIN'S POV
My apartment was not as posh as Lucas's was, but I was more than okay with it. Growing up with a lot of family members in a middle-class apartment in Houston, I could live with this. Besides, I was at such an emotional high that nothing was likely to bring me down.
I had been offered, and accepted, a position of Commander in the military. This was beyond my wildest dreams. I'd still need to do some physical training, but I wasn't actually likely to be directly in battle too often. I could be more focused on the strategic aspects of combat. Which, really, was something that I was looking forward to. As far as I could remember I had always been into military strategy.
The future wasn't going to be perfect. But, judging by where I had been nearly two months ago, I supposed it could be a lot worse.
And I'd gotten my revenge. I had finally made that bastard Wolf O'Donnell pay for what he had done. He'd paid the ultimate price, and now I no longer had to worry about him mucking up all of our plans. It was great not having that hanging over me anymore. I could be motivated by something more constructive now.
Yes, I'd been prepared to go to college with the expectation of becoming a combat strategist. Now, however, things were even better. I could almost pretend that everything was wonderful now, but the fact remained that I missed my family dearly. They hadn't sold me. So...who had?
I didn't need that answer right now.
As I was lying in bed that night, waiting for sleep to claim me, I was thinking more about the future. Lucas had Willow, and Falco and Dr. Howler were getting married in June (I'd already read the invitation, and was planning on going). I had never had a girlfriend of my own. I suppose that my weight had turned them off, but I'd been working on it.
Maybe with the military training coming up, I could get myself into shape. I wasn't going to be perfect, but I could, with work, get better. And, really, that was what I was focused on.
A perfect world was probably impossible. But a better world was definitely possible.
And, as I went to sleep, my last thought was: Maybe not all Xenos are that bad.
IAN'S POV
The next morning, I was going to breakfast with Willow. She'd called me up last night, telling me that there was something she wanted to tell me face-to-face. Clearly, she must have already okayed this with Lucas, who evidently trusted her enough not to cheat on him with me.
Not that I was interested in Willow. At this point in my life, I wasn't that focused on gaining a romantic relationship at all. I was more focused on what was coming up for me soon, which was that I was going to be in a science position.
I'd always dreamed of being a scientist, which is ironic considering that I had very severe OCD even as a kid. It had gotten so bad that, at the GCFA, I'd worn a gas mask and gone by the alias of "Seventy-Four". Now, I'd unmasked myself, revealed my true identity, and grown in self-confidence as a result.
It really did seem like, if this universe really was a simulation, or some divine play that was being played out on a cosmic stage for God to watch, I was meant to be the shy character who gained confidence as a result of exposing himself to the outside world.
I didn't have all the answers yet. I didn't know why, or even if, my parents had sold me to the school. I might never know. But that didn't mean that I was going to stop looking for answers.
That's not how science works.
(A/N: If you want a happy ending, this might be a good time to stop reading. Just saying)
Willow met me in the lobby of my apartment building, and together we took the sky train to the restaurant she had in mind.
Yes, I said sky train. Corneria has a network of six lines- Fire Brick, Neon Carrot, Gold Tips, Shamrock, Turquoise Blue, and Blue Diamond, named according to their hex colors that were painted onto the cars. The trains run on invisible tracks high above the streets of Corneria, making it an efficient way to travel, since they don't have to compete with traffic below.
"This is pretty sweet, huh?" I said to her.
She nodded. At the time, I figured that she didn't want to have too intimate a conversation with me, given that she was dating Lucas.
We got off the train and walked the last few blocks to a restaurant called Star Fox House Of Pancakes. It had been created after the Star Fox team had defeated Andross in the First Lylat War, and there were rumors that Fox was occasionally a patron here.
That begged the question: Where was Fox now? Now that the war was over, and we had won, surely he had to find some other cause to champion? I didn't know, and I didn't really care right now. I had faith that Fox would show up when the time was right.
We took our seats and both got hot chocolate to drink. Willow ordered strawberry French toast, while I ordered chocolate chip pancakes. As the waitress left with our menus, Willow leaned in and told me something shocking.
"I'm breaking up with Lucas".
"Why?" I asked.
It had completely come out of the blue. One moment, she'd seemed perfectly normal, looking forward to eating some strawberry French toast and sipping hot chocolate like a boss, and the next she was telling me that she was breaking up with her boyfriend.
"I just don't see how things can ever be the same between us, Ian" she said. "With everything going on, Lucas being the new Vice President, I'll never be able to see things the same way again. I don't think it's right to give him false expectations of getting back together afterwards. It's true that we don't know what power will do to him, but I'm just not seeing this working".
"I understand" I said.
But the truth was, I couldn't understand. I'd never had a girlfriend before, and I didn't know if I ever would. I was still socially awkward even in the best of circumstances. Hearing that my friend had an imminent breakup to deal with...that was something else.
"It's not just that, though. I know it wasn't his fault what happened to Jack...but I'll never be able to look at him the same way again. What if the drug is still in his system, and with every beat of his heart, the blood pumps into the part of him that will suddenly become abusive or whatnot? I can't see things with rose-tinted glasses anymore. At a certain point, you just have to accept reality".
I nodded. Everything she was saying made perfect sense. I wasn't surprised at all that she was wary of him after everything that had happened on Venom. The way he had killed Jack really was disconcerting. Had I been in the same position as her, I probably would have done the exact same thing.
"When will you tell him?" I asked her.
"I'll invite him to dinner tonight, and tell him over that. Really, I don't want to sugarcoat it. We can't be friends, either. I need that boy out of my life, for good".
Personally, I thought blindsiding Lucas Enfield would be pretty cold of her, but I saw no good argument against it. After all, it was her relationship, not mine. Nothing that went on with them was my responsibility.
LUCAS'S POV
On the evening of March 21, Willow invited me to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. It sounded like it was going to be a very nice date between the two of us. She was my first love, and so far my last.
She met me at the door of my apartment. Since the restaurant was pretty close by, we didn't have to take a taxi there. Instead, we walked through the chilly evening air. Even so, there was the first hint of spring present, since it was the equinox. I also felt like this was the beginning of a new era, one where we weren't constantly looking over our shoulders for the next threat. I could really just relax and help govern for now.
Once we got to the restaurant, we were sat down. We also were given some bread, and it was a very romantic atmosphere with the candles that had been lit. In other words, it was a stereotypical Italian dinner.
"It's very nice, isn't it?" I said.
Willow didn't answer. She seemed very fixated on both her plate and the roll in her hand. I wondered if anything was wrong.
"Willow, is anything wrong?" I asked her, echoing my thoughts.
"No, Lucas...nothing's wrong. Nothing that you can help me with, anyway".
That rang a bell in my head. There was something going on...something that I strongly suspected that I was not asking for, but she was going to do anyway.
"Lucas, I'm breaking up with you" she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"I can't trust you anymore. Not after the whole fiasco about Jack's death, not after you being promoted to Vice President...there's just no way".
I was blindsided. Completely, utterly blindsided.
I had thought that we were going to be together forever. Well, maybe not forever, but I'd had hopes that it would last for longer than just three months. Even though we'd been in completely dangerous situations for a very large portion of that time, that didn't change the fact that much of it had been the best three months of my life. And why was that?
Because I'd had Willow Foster with me.
"I haven't changed. Not at all. I'm still Lucas Enfield, still the boy you fell in love with. I promise you, I'm not going to kill you, or abuse you, or anything like that".
"Sure, that's what they all say" Willow said. "I don't trust you at all, so that's why I'm throwing in the towel".
"You do realize that this made the rest of our dinner pretty awkward, right? Like, I'm supposed to have a nice Italian feast with my ex-girlfriend? I'd sooner eat with Wolf O'Donnell".
Even now, I'm not sure if I completely meant all of the things I said. It might have been just in the heat of the moment that I stated that I'd rather have lunch with a lupine who had nearly killed me.
"Then go!" she said. "It's not like this is a romantic meal!"
"You know what? I will, and you foot the bill. I'm not paying for a meal where you decided to hang me out to dry!"
With that, I slammed my napkin back on the table and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Willow still eating a roll.
Over the next few days, Falco and Dr. Howler could tell that something was wrong. I didn't tell them that I had broken up with Willow, because I didn't think they needed to know that. Besides, I would have felt like a pretty big wimp if I had done something like that.
Really, that's something Willow would have done! I thought savagely. So wimp, she's worried that I'm going to abuse her, or kill her! Well, I haven't changed one bit since I got injected with that drug.
And then I realized: That was exactly the problem.
I hadn't changed at all. She probably figured that it was my fault for having taken the drug, even though I was unconscious when it was administered. Forget the fact that I admired Jack as much as anyone else on the Star Enfield team. Forget the fact that it would've been pretty hard to hide the fact that I was a double agent, had I been a double agent.
Well, that's her problem, I thought even savagely.
It wasn't the last bad thing to happen, however.
By March 27, a Friday afternoon, my track mark had become more and more inflamed and pronounced. The searing pain came more and more frequently each day, and the pain was more intense each time.
At first, I blamed this on my breakup with Willow, saying that the physical pain was just my body's way of dealing with the emotional pain. That happened sometimes, right? It wasn't that crazy of a hypothesis.
However, Dr. Howler, who still didn't know of my breakup and was probably getting suspicious that I didn't ask to go see Willow in her apartment anymore, insisted on taking me to a doctor to get it checked out.
I was instantly recognized as the vice president as soon as I entered the hospital waiting room. I wasn't sure if that gave me priority over the other patients, but I really hoped now. Just because I was in power now didn't mean that I didn't care what happened to the people out of power.
Eventually, we were called in by none other than Dr. Tuskland, the same doctor who had operated on me on Fichina.
"Hello, Mr. Enfield. It's been a while since I last saw you. Fully recovered from your laser wounds, I presume?"
"Yes, it's actually something else today" I said.
"Sure. Blood test on that track mark? That's what Tigre here called in to tell me, that you got something from the injection that Andrew gave you. We're going to do a blood test, and then I'll tell you the results. So just take a seat right there" she said, pointing to a nearby chair.
After I sat down, Dr. Tuskland inserted the tube in to take the blood. I wasn't worried about the pain, especially since I knew that it was getting me one step closer to finding out the truth about this track mark.
As she was taking my blood, the elephant made small talk with me, or at least tried to, because I wasn't feeling too talkative at the moment.
"Yes...so we all had to leave Fichina, because General Pepper said that it wasn't safe anymore. I'm glad you're okay, and I'm glad that the war is won. Oh, look at that...it looks like we have enough blood to do the test. You may go now".
Dr. Howler said that we had to wait in the waiting room until the results came back. It did take about an hour, but it did eventually happen.
"Lucas? Tigre? I think you should come in" Dr. Tuskland said. "The news is not good".
In general, I'm not a fan of bad news.
"The syringe Andrew used on you, Lucas, contained a very rare substance that is known to have effects similar to the Imperius Curse. That's only the secondary effect of it, though".
I remembered how Andrew, back on Venom, had told me that the control was only a side effect of the substance. At the time, I couldn't have cared less what the main function was due to being so over the moon in terms of euphoria.
Now, I desperately wanted to know.
"The main effect is that it will slowly poison your blood. Your heart will keep pumping it, and eventually it will kill you if we don't treat it".
I gulped and started sweating. I'd faced danger before. Being told that I had a potentially terminal illness was different, knowing that this was an enemy I could not see, couldn't do anything tangible to avoid that I knew of.
"How much time do I have?" I asked weakly.
Dr. Tuskland looked at me with an expression that said, I am so, so sorry.
"Maybe three or four months. I'm going to prescribe a couple of medications that are going to help. Side effects include nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and depression, so if you want to just give up...".
"What chances does it give Lucas, Dr. Tuskland?" Dr. Howler asked.
"Fifty-fifty" the elephant said.
"Then that's it" I said. "I'm not going to pull any punches against this thing. I'm Lucas Enfield. I've overcome greater odds. Let's bring on this fight".
Even with my bravado, I didn't completely succeed in hiding just how distraught I was feeling as we headed back to my apartment.
First a breakup. Then a devastating diagnosis.
KONSTANTIN'S POV
I had heard from Ian that Willow had broken up with Lucas. I decided, after talking with him over the phone, that I was going to go and visit him. We could play video games together, just like old times. I could cheer him up. At least, I would do my best to do so.
I took a taxi to get to Lucas's apartment and went up the elevator to the sixth floor.
Lucas was standing at the door when I arrived. He looked paler than usual, and he clearly wasn't in a good mood. I wondered if he'd even been eating or drinking, he looked pretty tired.
"Hey, Konstantin" he said. "Why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?"
"To cheer you up" I said. "Is that a crime?"
"I never said that. So...you want to play video games or something?"
"Yeah, that'd be great" I said.
We went over to the living room, where we booted up the Wii and put in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Lucas told me that Dr. Howler wouldn't let him have the Wii in his bedroom.
"And that's kind of okay" he said. "I trust her judgment".
"Good" I said.
I remembered a previous time that Dr. Howler had given me orders, and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Lucas asked me, as he selected the red costume of Fox McCloud, someone we knew and admired in real life very much.
"Remember that day I was finally back on the Great Fox? When you'd just rescued me?"
"Like it was just yesterday. What about it?"
"Before we went to see you guys, Dr. Howler told me not to pull a Katniss Everdeen".
"What do you mean by that?" he asked me.
"She meant not to pull out the IV. I know it's a random thing, but it really makes me crack up".
"I think it's pretty funny as well" said Lucas.
We chuckled at that quite a bit as I selected King Dedede. In times of sorrow like this one, maybe it helped to laugh about the small things. Such as those little moments like the one I had just described.
We started up a match on Port Town Aero Dive, and we were having a pretty good time. Right now, however, all that mattered to me was that I was cheering Lucas up. And, when it came down to it, that wasn't nothing.
LUCAS'S POV
Even though Konstantin visiting me had helped keep some of my grief at bay, it wasn't the end of everything. It wasn't a good state of mind that I was in, not by a long shot.
I hadn't eaten or drank anything in two days, not since my diagnosis. I'd felt too nauseous to for the most part. It wasn't that I actively wanted to avoid food, it just made me feel sick. No doubt this had to do mainly with my breakup, the medication I was taking three times a day, and the fact that I might be dead a few months from now.
On the morning of Sunday, March 29, 201Y, I was sitting on the couch, weakly playing some Brawl. I was supposed to go over to breakfast with the others, but today, much like other days, I simply didn't have the appetite.
"Lucas, I am literally going to have to hook you up to an IV if you don't come and eat with us at some point" Dr. Howler said.
I knew that she had plenty of medical equipment on her, and she would deliver on that threat. Really, I had to go and eat with them. There was no way around it unless I wanted a drip in my arm.
And I didn't.
"I'm coming" I said.
I walked on over to the table, where Falco and Dr. Howler were sitting. I knew that they were definitely pleased to see me at the table, but I wasn't too hungry. As I looked at the toast and fruit that had been set out, I thought, Can I really eat this? Do I have to?
The next thing that happened drove the thought of food from just about everyone's mind. Reason being, the phone rang.
Falco went over to it. "I'm picking it up".
"Mmm-hmmm...uh, yeah, that's not good...he's back...I thought he was gone...are you kidding me? Just when we thought it was all over...and there are still other effects of this on Lucas, too...yeah, take care, Fox".
Eventually, Falco hung up and went back down to the table.
"What was it?" Dr. Howler asked.
Falco put on the most serious expression I had ever seen him wear. He sounded about a thousand years old when he said his next words.
"Fox just called. He's heard news coming in from Venom. And it's not good.
"Andross is back".
I'm ending the whole story on a cliffhanger. That's right. You can call me a jerk, but I wrote this weeks ago, so...yeah, there's that.
Would you believe me if I wrote all 6,000+ words on the same day in Calgary/Lake Louise? Because I did.
In any case, I would like to thank each of the people who submitted characters to these stories. Individually, as my usual style is.
Zaravan: For giving me Konstantin. He has written a one-shot called "Spite", which is about Konstantin while he is in the prison cell on Corneria. It was actually where I learned the word "Xenos" from. This was a real treat for me when I discovered it, so if you enjoyed this story, I hope that you will head on over there and leave a review. We have become pretty good friends as well, so there is that. In addition, I may have said this before, but Zaravan personally told me to have Konstantin rip Wolf's eyes out...so I obliged. Sometimes I do take ideas from fans.
Cosmicsafe74: For giving me Ian and Jack. I'm sorry that I had to kill Jack, but it was necessary in order to work with the plot that I had in mind. Without that, the ending of the story, as well as much of the third one, could not have progressed in the way that it did. We have become very good friends, and he continues to give me new ideas. So thank you so much, Cosmicsafe74.
Peytonhungergameshaymitch: For giving me Willow. The romance, and its deterioration, was a major plot point in this story. I think that, without it, this story could not have gone the way it did, and I have Peyton to thank for it. She has not been reading the story, it seems, but I hope that if and when she does come back, she will enjoy the way I have portrayed her character.
Singlewave: It's the same with him as with Peyton. He hasn't really kept up, but he is pretty busy with his own story. Still, though, I hope that he enjoys the way I wrote Cole in this story.
The third and final book of the trilogy will be titled Rise Of The Enemy, and it will be epic, I promise. I hope that you enjoy reading it, and would you believe that I'm already much of the way through writing it?
One last thing, which I'd like you to tell me in your review: Do you ship Falco x Dr. Howler? Well, they're getting married in the next one.
With that, SnowLucario is outta here!