While the viewers around the world were waiting for the big deciding match between Josh and Volt, there were several matters that were in need of discussion. Several players who likely weren't preoccupied with the tournament were either in the middle of some quests or settling some things back in the real world. That much, while it is true for a good number of players, many have only been given the chance to take on another assignment. One that not only had Infernick's interest, but the interest of many players.

The capture/defeat of Zeraora.

The Inteleon player, Snipeard, was one of those players, having heard rumors regarding Zeraora resting among the eastern territories. As he navigated through the mountains on the way to his destination, Mount Sanda, he ultimately knew what was to happen next. He would fight Zeraora. He would have his revenge. The death of his brother would not be in vain. That was the mentality he had as he journeyed down the Milotic River.

As Norman stared at the water, he began to think back to the fond memories of exploring the game with Gabe. The Inteleon thought long and hard over how Rose mentioned that she was willing to do anything to make up for what happened. She even went as far as claiming that Team Inferno did their best, regardless of circumstances.

Best efforts or not, however, didn't matter to Norman, as he continued to mourn over the loss of his brother. And as he continued his pursuit of Zeraora, he ended up having luck on his side as he found that Team Inferno were rumored to have been spotted travelling south of Volcanica. However, he didn't really want me or Josh to look after Rose, since he swore he wanted nothing more than to find that lighting cat and finish him off. He already ruled us out as failures, unable to save anybody, and figured that he wanted to get Rose away from us as soon as humanly possible.

However, Rose put a stop to that. She fought against him, both in-game and IRL, arguing with him. He even remembered the day after she left and took some time to be with her parents. While Rose was sitting at the counter behind the desk, Norman was able to walk into the building, and he ended up approaching her with a sorry look on his face. As Rose took a glance up at him, she just as quickly lowered her gaze the mere moment that she saw him. "What do you want?" Rose asked him glumly.

"I just wanted to apologize," Norman said. "What happened back there, in Hotel Soprano, I…" He rubbed at the back of his head and inhaled sharply as he tried to figure out what the next words should be coming out of his mouth. "I know I must've seemed rather harsh, and I'm sorry. It's just that I've been rather intense since Gabe died."

Rose sighed at the mention of Gabe, and slumped her head down on the front desk. Contemplating to herself, Rose was doing her best to try and hold back her emotions, as she thought long and hard over what Josh had said to her long ago, before they set out on that mission that ended in disaster. The one where a possibility to save trapped players was snuffed away the mere moment they tried to make a lick of progress.

Norman recognized how Rose was feeling rather moody, and he soon leaned forward, resting both of his arms on the counter. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"I saw him," Rose uttered sadly. "I saw that Zeraora who took Gabe's life away. And the worst part was that he was too powerful for us to defeat. Not even an elite team of fighters who on our side were a match for him."

Norman was able to realize that Rose was that close to facing a truly dangerous foe, and she became mere moments from losing players she deemed to be important to her. He glanced away from her out of pity, and tried to find the right words to cheer her up. As he took a long moment to think long and hard about how Rose faced a failure that shook her so badly, he ended up eventually telling her "Maybe Team Inferno aren't all they're cracked up to be."

Rose sighed, taking a look back at Norman. "You don't know them, Norman," Rose argued. "They're very much trapped in that game, much like Gabe was. And you know what? They're at least trying to make a difference. They put their lives on the line for the sake of others, and yet…" She lowered her head, as she trembled out of fear and anger for herself. "All I could do at that instant was sit and do nothing. I almost lost my new team. I don't know if I can really consider myself as a valid teammate if I can't pull my own weight…"

"Well, then just forget about them, and try and focus on working with others who aren't running any risks," Norman reasoned. "After all, you and I aren't at all trapped there. We still have as many chances as we want to find Zeraora and defeat him! He's the biggest threat to this game's players, and I can guarantee that once he's gone, we're back to enjoying the game like the old days, right?"

"You don't understand," Rose retorts. "I'm saying that I can't carry my own weight! I'm no fighter, Norman! I never was! And it's because of that I failed to defeat Zeraora when I had the chance!" Her eyes started watering as she soon started sobbing and turning away from Norman. "I'm sorry, Norman. You're going to have to find someone else to finish the job. I'm not worth anything in combat." She then got up from her seat, and walked towards the exit. With a few tears coming down her face, she ended up brushing past her mother near the exit of the clinic and rushing back to her car.

All that Rose's mother got out of the situation was that her daughter was clearly upset over something, and as she looked towards Norman, she could only make a guess it had to do with him and Gabe. Norman sighed and nodded his head as he began to walk away from the clinic, and giving her a polite wave. Just as Norman was about to leave, Rose's mother said "She's still upset over Gabe. After all, the three of you were inseparable long ago. She just needs time to adjust."

Norman lowered his head and felt a lingering sense of guilt creep over him. "Yeah. I guess that's right…"

"Well, don't you want to go and cheer her up?" Rose's mother insisted. "She looks lost and conflicted. Maybe you could help her feel better?"

Norman sighed and gently passed at the offer. "I don't want to trouble her," he said. "I understand how she feels. She needs time to mull things over." Feeling rather torn about mentioning those words, he soon walked away in complete silence.

And then, a week later, he received an announcement that was brought to all players in the game. The mention of Team Inferno going against Team Delta. The thoughts of how Rose must've felt that day still lingered within him, and he even logged into the game to see just how these events were going to play off. He heard Nick's speech, and he left to gather supplies, which he felt he needed to find and eliminate Zeraora. Alone, if he had to.

But one thing still clung to his mind: Rose. He was scared that she probably was still feeling conflicted over what happened, and so, he ended up buying a portable monitor of the ceremony which he chose to watch the second match in. Once he made his way to Milotic River and set up camp, he was able to watch the entirety of Rose's battle with Rinekai on full display. In a sense of relief, he was at least rather glad to see that Rose held up as long as she did, despite how she still ended up losing. The new strategies she developed, alongside a sudden and newfound confidence she felt during battle gave him hope.

The moment that Rose fainted and was comforted by her team, Norman ended up giving a rather close look as he saw how Rose still ended up weeping after her loss, and saw how I carried her with a rather melancholy look on my face. However, his attention was brought towards Josh, who still stared up at the sky, not even looking at her as I ended up carrying her away. At this moment, he sighed in disappointment, and quietly whispered "Don't send a mutt to do a man's job."

He couldn't even watch the rest of the footage as he lowered the portable screen and placed it into his bag, expecting it to soon shut down and vanish once the livestream came to a close. Clenching his fists, the Inteleon turned his attention southward as he stared off at the mountains that were dead ahead of him. "It'll take a few days just to reach Mount Sanda. Just you wait, you monster. I swear, I will make you pay." He then jumped into the river and began to follow the currents downstream as he made his journey. Soon, Rose. Soon, we'll have things resolved for the both of us.

Chapter 41: Operation Gekigami

As Ace and Canis (Dad) watched the livestream as Josh wiped his tears and followed Rose and me out of the arena with a smile on his face, Ace couldn't help but feel a little bit stung over this loss. "Jeez, that sucks," Ace muttered. "And she was so determined to win as well."

"Yet despite her best efforts, she still lost because her opponent was more experienced," Canis acknowledged. "I have to commend her for her attempt, though. She was very brave in that instant."

Ace snickered as he then gave a grin towards his partner. "Not as brave as Adam was in that first round, though," he enthusiastically stated. "I mean, did you see that battle? He was all 'RAAAAAAR' and Wulfrock was all 'AWOOOOO' and Adam was on FIRE, Dave! LITERALLY!"

Canis smiled as he gave Ace a nod. "Yes, Ace. I know," he said. "I saw it all happen. It's honestly incredible Adam was able to pull off a win like that." He then turned his attention back towards the screen, and uttered "Now all that Josh has to do is defeat D-Volt, and victory is his."

Ace looked over at the livestream with concern, and asked Canis "Are you sure Josh has what it takes to win? I mean, this isn't going to be easy."

"If I know Josh, then I can guarantee he's not going down without a fight," Canis said. "He's always had this burning passion for action. He's a brave kid." He then chuckled a bit before he then mentioned "I guess I can't call him a kid anymore, can I? He's 21, so that makes him an adult now."

Ace then looked at his partner, noting how the Lucario was feeling a little bit sad. So, he patted his back gently, and gave him a smile. "Hey, it'll be okay," Ace mentioned. "After all, like you said, Josh is a tough guy! I'm sure he could find a way to break himself and Adam out, easy!"

Canis smiled back at the Cinderace, pleased to know that Ace was so optimistic in this situation. Just then, however, he felt a sudden presence entering into their camp, and turned towards the exit of their cave. Ace was quick to place the livestream monitor away as both he and Canis were able to then stand up and see a familiar webbed hand stick out to calm them both down. Canis and Ace both relaxed a little as their confidant, Ryutori, made his appearance as he walked inside of the cave.

"So, your team was…interesting," Canis brought up.

"Yes, I know they are a bit much, but like I mentioned the other night, I trust them all with my life," Ryutori mentioned. "My real question is whether or not you were both able to complete the mission I assigned you."

Canis and Ace took a glance towards each other, both finding no idea how to respond. Soon enough, Canis spoke up as he looked towards the Greninja, and said "Look, we searched all over the mountain last night, but still, nothing of note."

"Yeah, and Dave is a skilled tracker," Ace added. "He even attempted to sense the aura of every creature in the mountain, but nothing really looked like anything of note."

Ryutori nodded and crossed his arms, thinking to himself. "So…he's somehow blended in with his surroundings, is that it?" he muttered. "Now why would that be?"

Ace shrugged as he gazed at Ryutori with a look of disappointment. "We're sorry, Ryutori. We searched everywhere, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."

Ryutori nodded in understanding and leaned against the cave wall. As his attention was drawn towards Team Alpha, he asked them "In any case, how much of the mountain have you explored?"

The Night Before…

Canis and Ace were walking through the forest outside of Esther as the moon shone brightly in the night sky. They were both looking far and wide to find a base camp that could possibly be of benefit to them while they try and investigate Mount Sanda the following morning. Ace yawned as they traveled, before asking Canis "How much longer until we set up camp?"

"When I know for certain we're not being followed," Canis admitted. "I don't want anybody to know about what happened back in Esther. We're technically escaped convicts, remember?"

"Thanks for the reminder…" Ace grumbled as he looked around the forest. "Though, if you ask me, I don't see how we're being followed if the whole area is supposed to be empty and devoid of players."

"That's because you don't know anything regarding how Lucario operate," Canis mentioned as he stopped in his tracks. Pointing a finger towards he eyes, he continued with "Ever since I evolved, I've been able to track down and locate practically any living creature within the next half-mile. And I'm telling you that even without expanding my senses, I can sense some presences close by."

Ace soon became slightly more alert, before stating "Why didn't you say so earlier?" As he then started looking around every direction, he then asked "How many? Where are they?"

"There's two, as far as I can tell," Canis mentioned cautiously. "Although, they're keeping their distance from us for safety reasons…" As he then walked towards Ace's direction, he readied an Aura Sphere before yelling out "Who goes there? Show yourselves!"

Just then, the duo was suddenly ambushed by a pair of green vines reaching out and grabbing at their legs. Canis was quick to avoid the attack, but Ace wasn't so lucky as the vines soon gabbed him and lifted him up into the air. As Ace screamed as he dangled upside-down, Canis looked to the source of where the Vine Whip seemed to originate from, and fired an Aura Sphere towards the attacker.

However, that was when he saw a burst of flame suddenly leap forward from the bushes and release a punch onto the Aura Sphere attack, knocking it back towards Canis's direction. Canis was very quick to utilize Detect, and narrowly dodged the oncoming attack as it whizzed past his head before exploding behind him. Canis kept his eye on the flame in front of him, and slowly, the figure ended up signaling for his partner to emerge from the bushes as well.

The one who used Vine Whip to hold up Ace ended up revealing himself, and with the illumination of the night sky finally breaking through the trees and into the forest itself, Canis was then made aware over the figures that were in front of him. The flame was actually just the top of the head of an Infernape player. And the Vine Whip originated from the serpentine figure of a Serperior player.

Username: Wukong Species: Infernape Team: Nagi

Username: SolSnek Species: Serperior Team: Nagi

Canis was close to fight back as he entered a battle stance, but the Infernape soon held up both hands in the air, before softly speaking "We've come to help you. We're friends of Ryutori."

"Really?" Canis questioned. "Then why sneak up on us?"

"Because this is important," the Serperior answered. "Ryutori is our companion, and our team leader. If he isn't there to guide us, then we're practically down one advantageous position with our team."

Canis cautiously kept his guard up, and asked "How do I know I can trust you? You're not just going to turn us both in while our backs are turned, are you?"

"Now why would we want to do that, especially since it was Ryutori who wanted us to escort you to Mount Sanda safely?" Wukong asked with a smile. He soon lowered his hands, and held one out for the Lucario. "How do you American's show respect again? By shaking hands, right? Since you've earned our respect, I think it's well deserved."

Canis soon lowered his guard somewhat, taking a glance at the hand that was held out in front of him. He felt miffed regarding the situation, but he knew for a fact that Ryutori hadn't done anything but be helpful to him and Ace up to this point. If these two were to be trusted, then that would mean a great deal for him. Canis looked over at the two players, before mentioning "Let go of my partner, and you both may be pardoned. I sense no ill intent from either of you, so let's cut to the chase and find that Zeraora already."

"Wow," SolSnek said in amazement. "You go straight to the point. Looks like we have a deal." The Serperior then released his grip on Ace, and the Cinderace ended up falling onto his head and wincing a little from the pain.

Canis soon looked at Wukong after taking a glance at Ace on the ground, and placed his paws together before giving a bow. Wukong and SolSnek were easily won over by Canis's etiquette, and as the Lucario finished his bow, he uttered (in Japanese to them) "I prefer being fair to your culture. Thank you for being considerate, Saru-sama."

Wukong laughed at the mention of that nickname, before he then said (in English) "Please, call me Kai."

SolSnek soon lowered his head in a bow, and greeted with "And my name is Toru. Nice to meet you."

The four of them soon traveled further through the forest until they eventually came across the Milotic River, finding an easy bridge for the four of them to cross that was placed there for wayward travelers. Both Toru and Kai were able to guide them across with relative ease, the pair speaking in Japanese to each other and laughing as they seemed to be having a relatively fun time.

All the while, Ace just looked at Canis all befuddled, before randomly asking "Since when have you learned to speak Japanese?"

"One thing you must know is that I've been to a few places," Canis answered with a smile. "One time, I even took a trip to Japan for a week. I'm not exactly the most fluent with the language. Just enough to go by."

"Uh huh." Ace then looked on ahead at the two Japanese players, and asked "Are we really going to trust two complete strangers out of the blue, David? They don't seem to be too trusting in my book."

"I'll agree that they have no right for us to trust them completely," Canis whispered. "That's why I've sent them in front of us to guide us to Mount Sanda. That way, we won't get ambushed."

"Ah, I see," Ace muttered with a nod. "Planning a sneak attack while their backs are turned just in case this is a trap. I like the way you're thinking."

Canis nodded and looked on ahead as both he and Ace have finally managed to reach the base of Mount Sanda. As the Serperior and Infernape walked on ahead to the entrance, it was there that they ended up meeting with another player. Canis and Ace could hear the clanking of scales as this third player ended up approaching them. Once he was brought forward, he glinted at both Canis and Ace silently, each step he took caused the scales on the dragon's body to clang softly. Once he stopped in his tracks to look at Ace and Canis, he stood menacingly as the imposing Kommo-o that he was.

Username: Godo-mo Species: Kommo-o Team: Nagi

All at once, Ace tensed up, and whispered to Canis "They never told us they were chums with a Kommo-o…"

"A fearsome opponent, no doubt?" Canis whispered back. "I've never actually encountered one of these guys before."

"Oh yeah," Ace said. "Kommo-o are one of the few Pokémon that are considered pseudo-legendary. They are tough. Really tough."

Canis nodded at that statement. "Good to know." He then walked forward carefully, before he then gave a bow as a friendly greeting. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I take it you were told of our arrival?"

The Kommo-o nodded and crossed his arms. "Ryutori has some nerve to bring you over here, Lucario," he stated. "I've heard that a Lucario can sense aura. Is this true?"

Canis nodded. "And your aura reads that you are mostly serious, and are often relied upon as a defensive shield for your team. You seem prideful, intuitive, and strong." He smiled, acknowledging the Kommo-o in front of him. "What do I call you?"

"Kyosuke Nara is my birth name," the Kommo-o answered bluntly as he stared at Canis. "I just so happen to be the oldest member of the team."

"How old?" Canis asked with a smile.

"27," Kyosuke answered. "And you?"

"55," Canis answered. "That makes me twice your age. How long have you spent in this game?"

"Four years," Kyosuke answered. "You?"

"Three, and not even that," Canis replied. "I'll have spent three years in this game the following August."

The two seemingly just glared at each other for a few seconds, unflinching as they both ended up trying to one-up each other through intimidation alone. Before long, though, as the pair ended up exchanging looks for nearly a minute, the tension soon broke as they both smiled and nodded to each other. Kyosuke ended up standing aside, and with an arm outstretched, he was more than willing to let Canis pass through with a bow.

Canis bowed back to him, before turning to Ace and yelling at him "Come on! We're wasting moonlight!"

Ace was once again baffled by the display, and walked forward with just as much confusion on his face as he did before with Canis's history. Ace quickly picked up the pace until he was right next to his partner, and asked him "What just happened?"

Canis, however, gave a shrug and said "I was wondering the same thing."

Ace sighed as he turned to look at the members of Team Nagi, who all were close by the entrance. He eyed the three of them, and without hesitation, asked them "And let me guess. You guys have a fifth member of your team waiting for us up the mountain?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Toru, the Serperior, answered. "Expect to see him as your eyes in the sky in case something happens."

"Which is probably why Toru and I are going with you to make sure you have plenty of backup while searching the place," Kai, the Infernape, said gleefully.

Ace slouched over at this realization that they were getting tagalongs. "Terrific…"

"Hey, more help means less hassle for us," Canis reassured as he patted Ace's shoulder. "Ryutori said he trusts his team with his life, didn't he? And he's done nothing but help us so far."

Ace wanted to believe that was the case. However, he realized that if they were to face against Zeraora, they needed as much help as they could get. Anxiously, he then requested "Can we have the Kommo-o tag along with us?"

"Denied," Toru answered as he shook his head. "Kyosuke stands guard to prevent anyone else from entering or leaving. And besides, Kai and I have been in plenty of scrapes in the past. We can handle this."

"Oh yeah," Kai nodded. "You can count on us, Usagi."

"What in the world did you just call me?" Ace questioned with worry.

"He means 'rabbit,' since he hasn't really heard what your name is yet," Toru reassured. "It's nothing offensive."

Ace sighed, and proclaimed to the trio that were currently present "You may call me Ace. Take it or leave it."

"Well, it's an honor to work alongside a fellow Fire-type, Ace-san," Kai said with a bow.

Ace groaned at the awkwardness of the situation. "Oh brother… This is going to be a loooong search."

The search team ended up scaling the mountain and searching every direction they possibly could. Ace wasn't comfortable with the idea of having other players joining up with them, but what little choice did he have at the time? To him, the night seemed to only get stranger and stranger as it went on.

Wukong and SolSnek ended up being pretty helpful with particular tasks when investigating the mountain. Wukong ended up being the first to strike against any wild Pokémon that would spring up at them. And in any instance where the group would get surrounded by a Monster House trap, SolSnek would coil up, and then warn about his attack where he then fired off a Brutal Swing to decimate any foe that stood in his way. Ace was able to investigate the floors to identify when a trap could be in wait for them, which he always tests by putting on a pair of Goggle Specs and outlining a path for everyone to follow. Meanwhile, Canis could scan the area for any particular trace of anything that seemed abnormal or powerful in comparison to the wild Pokémon in the area.

Most of the wild Pokémon that appeared on Mount Sanda were of the Electric-type variety. Although, there were also a few Pokémon that resided in mountainous regions that acted as threats in the area as well, such as Golem, Onix, and Salamence, among others. Thankfully, the wild encounters weren't too big of an issue, thanks in large part to the combined teamwork of the four of them as they explored every nook and cranny of the mountain.

Eventually, the crew soon found their way towards a giant barrier that appeared to have been made by electricity, carrying with it the markings of various Pokémon on the gate. Canis and Ace knew this all too well as the entrance that lead to the final battle of the challenge of Mount Sanda: Deoxys. To Wukong and SolSnek, however, since this was their first time this high up the mountain, they were in awe over how much the place seemed otherworldly.

"Look at that," Wukong uttered.

"Incredible," SolSnek said with a smile.

Canis investigated the entrance, and looked over the four markings, with each one represented by a particular Pokémon. "Now, if we look at this carefully, these markers should tell us exactly where Zeraora should be hiding by this point," Canis instructed as he pointed at the markers. "Each one of these represents a particular Electric-type guardian that needs to be defeated in order to reach the peak of the mountain, where the meteorite that holds Deoxys resides. Of course, I don't know why Deoxys is the final challenge, given that it's not an Electric-type… But Ace reminded me how Deoxys could practically absorb electromagnetic waves, meaning it can absorb electric currents, so I guess that logic makes sense."

"Care to get to the point, Canis?" Wukong remarked impatiently. "Where do we find Zeraora?"

"I was just getting to that." Canis then drew everyone's attention towards the marking that resembled Zeraora. "This particular marking is one that should guide us to Zeraora's location. If we're lucky, he should be hiding in his domain. If not, we can always utilize Plan B."

"And what's Plan B?" SolSnek asked curiously.

Canis smiled at the question before he then suggested to them "We're splitting up. Each of us follows a different quadrant of this mountain road until we eventually find Zeraora." As he turned his attention towards SolSnek, he ordered "SolSnek, I want you to investigate the Raikou quadrant. Use any method possible in case he isn't there to stay active and return here with a report."

SolSnek nodded and replied with "Hai!"

Turing to Wukong, Canis commanded "For you, Wukong, go over to the Thunderus quadrant. Do whatever you can to gather intel and avoid combat if necessary."

"Hai!" Wukong shouted as he stood firm.

Canis then looked at Ace, and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm trusting you with Zapdos, okay? Try and do whatever you can to avoid that bird, and if nothing is found there, report back to me via our badges."

Ace nodded, giving a salute to his friend. "I'll do my best, David! Don't you worry!"

Canis smiled, and began to finally address to the team "As for me, I'll be investigating Zeraora's quadrant. In case the bastard isn't there, I'll have to use my abilities of sensing aura to help make the job easier. In case we don't find anything, I'll rendezvous with you all back here by this gate. And whatever happens, DON'T underestimate our foe. He's an elusive one. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. If you discover something odd, contact me. Alright?"

Everyone gave a nod to Canis at his orders, and soon enough, with their assignment at hand, Canis then barked "Let's move out!" And just like that, the four of them soon split up into separate directions. Wukong and SolSnek went down their respective paths, while Canis and Ace were about to make it down their own. Before Canis could enter into his path, however, he turned to Ace, and yelled out "Ace! Be careful!"

Ace turned to look at his partner as they both ran, and nodded. "Now why would I want to disappoint you?"

And without any further hesitation, and with their determination driving them forward to their goals, Canis and Ace split up and took different roads, ready to face against challenging foes they had previously endured long ago. This time, however, it was different.

This time, Canis thought to himself. This time, I'm going to make sure you won't get away.

Carefully, Ace looked around every turn along the path he was taking. He was well aware that any moment he reaches Zapdos's domain on the end of this path could lead to him in serious trouble. The first time he and Canis were trying to fight off against Zapdos, it wasn't a pleasant experience. The massive thunder bird ended up being far more trouble than they would've thought. What especially made it worse for them was that it was a thunderstorm during the battle, which technically meant rain. Ace shuddered at the thought of having to fight in rainy weather when it came to it.

As he explored the path, he even took a few glances up towards the sky to check if he was going to be in the clear of any possible storms in the near-future. Thankfully, he ended up finding that the whole mountain was relatively calm for the first time in ages, and that made it easy for him to gaze up into the night sky and see the stars and moon. As long as those were visible up there, he knew he was safe.

He had a few scuffles here and there with a few of the wild Pokémon in the area, but he was more than ready to face them since he has grown in terms of levels when compared to the last time he ventured up the mountain. He was far more confident in himself, even though he couldn't help but travel carefully in case something off happened.

Unfortunately for him, that moment ended up happening when he found himself face to face with a wild Thievul. The dastardly fox ended up striking at him while he was reminiscing about the last time he was up the mountain, and he ended up realizing the wild Pokémon struck at him with Thief, stealing away his Goggle Specs. Once Ace realized what happened, he looked at the Thievul, and gasped as it ended up smirking at him and running away with the glasses in its mouth.

Ace gritted his teeth at the fleeing thief, and yelled out "Hey! Give that back!" Ace tried to strike at it with a Pyro Ball attack, but the Thievul ended up narrowly dodging the attack before turning the corner. Ace grumbled as he then went in hot pursuit. "You're not getting away from me! Get back here!"

The moment that Ace turned the corner of the path as he chased the thieving Pokémon, he soon stepped into a large open area. However, the mere moment he stepped forward to chase the Thievul, that was when a huge swarm of wild Pokémon ended up spawning into the area and quickly surrounding him. Ace stopped dead in his tracks as he realized he accidentally stepped right into one thing: a Monster House.

"Uh oh…" Ace uttered as he started to tense up. All of the wild Pokémon had their attention drawn to him as he seemed to be the only one there that seemed to be a bother to them. A wild Golem let out a battle cry as the horde of Pokémon ended up charging towards him. "Hey… This isn't fair!" Ace said with worry. "I'm all alone here. I just need to find someone, that's all."

Obviously, none of the wild Pokémon seemed to be paying attention to what he was saying. However, among the crowd, Ace was able to make out the Thievul that was trying to escape amidst the chaos. Quickly, Ace managed to then pull out a Silver Spike, and with all of the strength he could muster, he yelled out "Oh no you don't! I won't let you escape!" As he chucked the Silver Spike towards his target, he ended up managing to land a solid blow towards the Thievul, forcing it to yip out of shock from the sudden blow as the Goggle Specs it once held in its jaws fell onto the ground.

With a grin on his face, Ace managed to then start running into the room, narrowly avoiding the attacks of the wild Pokémon as they all tried to land a single blow on him. Ace either ended up leaping out of the way of the attacks, or landing a counterattack with a solid kick. All the while, he tried to make spatial awareness of the room he was in, careful not to spring any traps.

This didn't last long, however, as he ended up stepping on a trap as he was running. Hearing the audible click below his feet, he looked down, and almost panicked as he realized it was a Summon Trap. This ended up causing a few more Pokémon to spawn in (a Pawmot, a Shelgon, and a Manectric), each of them directly in his path as he ran.

Gritting his teeth, Ace yelled out "I don't have time for this! Out of my way!" He then leapt up into the air, and his leg glowed pure white as he then came crashing down with a fierce High Jump Kick. He managed to land a solid blow towards the wild Pawmot, causing it to shatter into pixels beneath his feet. He anticipated the Shelgon to strike at him with Take Down while the Matectric tried to use Wild Charge. Anticipating this, Ace quickly dodged, letting the two wild Pokémon to end up colliding into each other instead.

Ace soon managed to land where the Goggle Specs were, and he swiftly picked them up. Upon putting them back on as he was running, he was made well aware of where the rest of the traps were located. He smiled to himself, leaping over each of the traps as he continued to avoid every oncoming attack that tried to hit him. He was moving rather swiftly, merely toying with each of the wild Pokémon in the area as he continued to run towards the exit of the large chamber he was in.

As he approached the exit of the large area, he ended up yelling to the stampeding Pokémon behind him "I hate to break it to you guys, but I'm afraid we're going to have to part ways! It's been fun!" He then looked for anything that he could use to his advantage to slow down the wild Pokémon, and luck ended up on his side as he saw a large boulder that was directly above the exit tunnel. With a smile, he quickly began to ready a Pyro Ball attack, before he later kicked it high up towards the boulder, knocking it over the cliff. Once he reached the exit, he even turned around towards the wild Pokémon, and gave a friendly wave to them. "Bye!" And just as soon as he waved at them, the giant boulder ended up blocking the passage, and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well, that was more back-breaking work than usual," Ace remarked to himself. He then took it easy as he started walking further ahead, only this time, he was far more careful of his surroundings. Better not let any thieves try and jump me at a moment's notice, he thought as he navigated the passageway.

Eventually, the Cinderace ended up locating the final chamber of the path he was on, which lead up to a clearing where Zapdos was supposed to be. Thankfully, he was cautious enough to peek around the corner to check if there were any signs of the bird or potential storms, and much to his relief, there was no signs of any danger. He soon entered into the clearing, and saw a message that was on display in the center of the chamber that read "Conditions not yet ideal for Zapdos to appear. Please wait…"

"Huh. Lucky me," Ace stated as he then took off the Goggle Specs and placed them inside of his bag. He soon swapped them out for a pair of X-Ray Specs that he intended to use to locate any signs of Zeraora's presence in the area. As he looked around, he muttered "Now, if I were trying to hide from players, where would I be?"

It must've taken him several minutes of searching high and low to find what he was looking for. He checked every nook and cranny of the clearing. He left no stone unturned, and investigated every possible hiding spot. But alas, he wasn't able to find anything out of the ordinary.

Disappointed in himself, he removed the X-Ray Specs and placed them back into his bag. He then pulled out his badge, and he soon made contact with Canis on the other end. "I've found nothing on my path, Dave," he said. "Zeraora isn't here."

"Well, it was worth a shot," Canis answered on the other end. "In case we run into that final member of Team Nagi, let them know we need a simple readout of the other paths. If they find nothing at all, then that makes things complicated. Zeraora isn't even allowed to enter into the final chamber where Deoxys resides. If he's become self-aware, he should know for a fact that he needs the other markers to enter there."

"So…given that he was injured, he can't risk it," Ace assumed. "Not to mention he was on the run after an intense battle. If he's holed up around here, it's most definitely not down my path. How far have your searched?"

"So far, nothing of note," Canis said. "Just the typical fare with wild Pokémon around every corner. But if I could find Zeraora, I should know it."

"How are you sure?" Ace asked. "Does he have a particular aura pattern you can trace?"

"Yes," Canis answered. "I'll need to run a thorough search to be sure, but I can guarantee, I know what his aura is."

"Alright," Ace replied. "In that case, I'll meet with you later down the mountain. Over and out." Ace soon placed the badge away as he then suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings above him. Scared about what this could mean, he assumed that maybe Zapdos was close by, and quickly turned to the source of the flapping wings with a start. However, much to his relief, he soon found that the one that was flying up in the sky wasn't the thunder bird at all. Rather, it was something else. "That must be the last Team Nagi member," Ace guessed as he then waved his arms to signal him down. This ended up working, as the player ended up swooping down towards Ace from above, before managing to safely land in front of him.

Username: HawkStar Species: Staraptor Team: Nagi

The Staraptor ended up looking at Ace with a serious expression. Before long, he said "I have been investigating this mountain from above for any signs of activity. You may call me Shun."

"Right," Ace said as he then places a paw to his chest. "My name is Ace. I'm with Team Alpha." He then pondered "Are you with Team Nagi perchance?"

"Hai," Shun said with a nod. "Although, I've only been a part of the team for a few months. Not unlike the others who have been around far longer and-"

"Yeah, yeah! I get it," Ace said as he tried to brush off his conversation. "Listen, did the Infernape and Serperior have any luck on their end?"

"Sadly, no," Shun answered disappointedly. "Their searches didn't give any results. Not even with the two best trackers of our team on duty."

"Damn," Ace cursed as he crossed his arms. He then looked towards the horizon at the eastern end of the mountain with worry. "I guess that just leaves Canis to find him. Hopefully, his search doesn't come up empty."

Canis, sadly, wasn't having that much luck as he kept on searching down the path that leads to Zeraora's chambers. As he traveled, he took his time, looking at everything carefully. However, his efforts of trying to find Zeraora weren't the easiest he had to contend with.

He paused in his tracks as he studied the ground carefully. Mud as a result of the rain, he thought. That storm helped to wash away his tracks as he traveled through the area while injured. No signs of fur, either. And to make matters worse, because he's been hiding away these past few days, there's no discernable scent trail. It's almost as if he simply vanished off of the face of the earth. That storm proved to be the perfect cover for him.

Soon enough, Canis made it towards the main chamber where Zeraora was supposed to have been in for his battle during the Thunder Trial. Investigating the area carefully, he saw the message that read "Critical Error… Please wait for assistance…" which stood in the center of the chamber. That makes sense, since he's become a rogue for so long. But if that's the case, why haven't there been any updates to fix this issue? Why not just build another Zeraora from the ground up? I know the developers simply can't overlook this. So why?

The more he thought about this, the more this mystery began to bug him. Canis sighed as he knew that dwelling on these thoughts wouldn't really change his current objective. Taking a deep breath, he knew what he had to do. If he's hiding, he won't be able to escape me. I know fully well that a Lucario is the perfect tracker. He won't hide for long. He then focused carefully, as the aura sensors on his head raised up, his eyes glowing a vivid blue as he began to scan the area.

All at once, Canis's vision became far more adept at locating everything around him, as he could then feel the aura of everything around the area. He detected the aura of Ace along his path, speaking with and likely partnering with Shun as they both decided to fly off of the mountain together. Canis also could detect the auras of several wild Pokémon in the mountain, eying their patterns carefully to see if he perhaps missed something as he navigated along.

Canis even recalled when he and Ace battled Zeraora in the past, long before he ever went rogue. He remembered how he had to try and dodge some of Zeraora's fast movements, which he needed to do with intense concentration on his foe. As he sensed Zeraora's aura, he clearly remembered what it looked like, and even the color of it was imprinted on his mind. Knowing what we went through the last time we were here, Zeraora had a strong violet aura. It should've been easy to detect, but for some reason, I'm not sensing it around here. And now that I'm in a spot where it's seemingly impossible to be attacked, there doesn't appear to be any violet auras of any sort. And yet…

Suddenly, Canis took notice of a peculiar sight. As he was sensing his surroundings carefully, he ended up suddenly noticing something that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. It was like the mountain itself seemed to be glowing, as a bright, white flame seemed to be coming directly from the core itself. Canis looked over at the white flame, stunned beyond belief at the sight of it, and struggled to find the right words to describe what he was seeing.

"What the hell is this?" Canis muttered in disbelief. "That wasn't there before…"

The Lucario soon treaded carefully as he eyed the white flame, investigating the mountain walls as he scoured the area. He approached an area with two dead trees, and placed a paw near where the wall was, feeling the intense energy that dwelled within the mountain. To Canis, it didn't seem like it was a hostile force. As he looked at it, for some odd reason, he felt rather…calm. Relaxed. Like he was in the presence of some divine power that seemed to be rather pure and soothing.

"This doesn't make sense," Canis muttered as he soon stopped sensing the energy, his vision returning to normal. As he stared blankly at the wall, he scanned it as he looked up. "No mountain is supposed to have such intense energy. Where is this coming from?"

Canis backed away from the wall slowly, looking at the mountain with a sudden sense of wonder. Never before in his life has he ever sensed something that felt so calming. The only question was why this calming presence was coming from deep within the mountain? How in the world could a mountain have a calming energy? Was it a bug in the game that is causing this? Or was this just an oversight that he hadn't noticed up until now?

He soon shook his head, and stared blankly at the wall. "No, it's impossible," he reasoned with himself. "This presence wasn't there before. If it was, I would've sensed it. Mountains are just large rocks sticking out of the earth. They shouldn't be giving off energy like this."

Suddenly, he was soon approached by the presence of Shun the Staraptor, who ended up landing right behind him as the Lucario kept staring at the mountain in disbelief. Shun was quick to mention "There's going to be some storm clouds coming in. Let's get off the mountain for now."

Canis took a moment to look at the mountain before he turned around to leave. With disappointment strewn on the Lucario's face, he mentioned "He's not here. I don't know how he did it, but somehow, he managed to mask his aura from me."

Shun nodded at Canis's words solemnly. "I understand. But as far as surveillance goes, Zeraora should still be in this mountain. This place only has one exit. If he wanted to leave, it would have to be through us first."

Canis was in quite the conundrum. Even with his adept tracking capabilities, he was stumped for the first time ever since he evolved. Without another word, he simply climbed onto Shun's back, and the Staraptor took off into the sky as they flew off the mountain. While they were flying, the only thing that Canis thought of was If Zeraora is still in that mountain, then where is he hiding?

As Canis and Ace gave their reports to Ryutori, the Greninja was more than able to hear every single word. He nodded in understanding, and looked at the both of them with a sorry expression. "I guess even the best trackers in the world are incapable of finding him," he said. "Sorry to hear that."

"Hey, it's alright," Ace said with smile. "There's always next time, right?"

"There won't be a next time, Ace," Canis spoke up. He grabbed Ace's attention with that statement, and quickly replied "Even my own aura sensing abilities weren't good enough to help us. Zeraora's covered his tracks way too good. If he's managed to outwit the likes of me, then he's truly something else." Canis sighed deeply, before acknowledging "I'm sorry, Ryutori. I'm afraid I've failed you."

"Hey, don't feel bad," Ryutori assured. "I mean, it was worth a shot. It's not every day where potentially the best hope imaginable to finding that menace can't track him down. I was practically riding on the hope you guys were the most capable of finding him, since you both have been there before."

"Yes," Canis said as he began to think deeply. "We have been there before…"

Ace and Ryutori both looked at Canis curiously as he was deep in thought. Ace was the first to bring this up, asking "Is something bothering you?"

"Yes, there is," Canis answered. Turning his attention to Ryutori, he asked "Do you happen to have any notes from the developers about a white flaming energy deep within the mountain?"

This caught the Greninja by complete surprise, suddenly beginning to have renewed interest. "A white flame? Not that I know of. Why?"

"It's just that I've noticed something rather peculiar when I was concentrating on sensing the aura of the mountain," Canis answered. "Deep within the mountain itself, it seems to have this white aura that felt rather soothing as it burned brightly."

"Hold on, how can that be?" Ace questioned. "Mountains are giant pillars of rock, right? How in the world is that possible?"

"And you're sure this wasn't there the first time you arrived at the mountain?" Ryutori asked.

"I'm positive!" Canis argued. "During our fight with Zeraora as a part of the Thunder Trial, I had to rely on my aura-sensing capabilities to even stand a chance against him. During that day, there was no energy being emitted from the mountain in the slightest."

Ryutori pondered this point meticulously, thinking quietly to himself as he paced back and forth inside of the cave. "So, the plot thickens…" He then looked over to Team Alpha, and with a smile, he added "I'll be sure to look into that. Thanks for your time, Team Alpha."

Canis gave a bow to Ryutori out of respect. "We'll be on our way, then. Thanks for your hospitality."

Ryutori then surprised both Ace and Canis by holding out his hand in a friendly gesture. "You've more than earned my respect, Canis. Here's hoping we get to see each other again in the future."

Canis rose back up from his bow, with a smile, looked at Ryutori. He could tell that the Greninja was being sincere, and without any further questions, he held out his paw and shook his hand.

Before long, the trio soon left the cave, where Ryutori soon asked them "So, where are you guys heading, anyways?"

Canis and Ace both looked at each other before they both soon came to the same conclusion. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Dave?" Ace asked eagerly.

"Yeah. I think it's about time we go and pay Talis a visit."

"Well, if you want to get to Talis, take the southern road to circle around Esther," Ryutori beamed. "There's going to be a guard shift coming up, and I'm afraid it's our old friends Cereza and Heath. So, if you want to leave, take the southern road so they won't find you." He then leaned forward and whispered "I promise, if she asks anything about why I'm here, it's to check on my team. Nothing more."

Ace and Canis both chuckled as they nodded their heads in understanding. Before long, the duo soon waved their farewells to Ryutori and were once again on their way. Ryutori waved back at them, before he then leapt into the trees and vanished without a trace. By the time he was gone, both Canis and Ace made their next destination known. They wanted to see us in Talis. That much was certain.

While they were walking down the road, Ace then nearly freaked out as he mentioned "I almost forgot! The tournament! Josh is supposed to be up next, isn't he?" He then fumbled into his bag to pull out the miniature monitor for the tournament, but was soon stopped when Canis waved a paw at him.

"I think he'll be fine," Canis reassured. "After all, this is Josh we're talking about."

"You're that confident he's going to win?" Ace asked curiously.

Canis chuckled as he then looked up towards the sky, gazing at the bright sunny day that was overhead. He had spent so long looking for me and Josh that he honestly didn't know if we were going to make it. However, knowing that we were not only alive, but an Ace Ranked team at that, his own confidence seemed to be greatly improved, now that he knows we're no longer in any sort of danger.

With a smile on his face, Canis answered Ace's question with "I have faith in him. Let's just call it a father's intuition."

"If you say so," Ace replied. He then tapped at Canis's shoulder, and began to start picking up the pace. "Race ya! Let's go!" And with a fit of laughter, Ace began to rush on ahead.

Canis sighed at how childish Ace could be at times, before he then picked up the pace as well, chasing after the Cinderace to the best of his abilities. In a sense, Ace felt almost like he was embodying how active and energetic Josh used to be when he was younger. Canis thought back to when Josh and I were young children, laughing and playing together out in the woods as we raced to the other side of the forest path.

Josh. Adam. Your father's coming. Just you wait.