Chapter 43: Mutt

"It would appear that neither side is letting down in this match, ladies and gentlemen," Eccho announced to the audience. "We are witnessing a grudge match that feels to be years in the making."

"And judging from their relentless fighting spirits, D-Volt and LucarioTrainerJ are not going to throw in the towel any time soon," Yamatochi replied. "I must say, we have now reached a boiling point for both fighters. Can they turn up the heat, or will they falter to the flames of combat?"

Josh was radiating that bright blue aura around his body as he and Volt constantly tried to exchange blows during the second phase of the match. Even his eyes glowed blue as the true fighting spirit of Josh had awakened. And much to Volt's surprise, Josh's strength was clearly something else entirely.

Volt grunted as he tried landing consecutive Thunder attacks from a distance. Josh would then in turn block or counterattack with either Bone Rush or Aura Sphere. Josh even took the opportunity to leap into the air and rapidly start tossing Bone Rush attacks towards Volts direction. Volt had to use Brick Break to try and deflect each of the bone staffs as they were directed towards him. Little did I know at the time that Volt was ultimately being pressured by Josh throughout the whole battle, not the other way around.

As Josh landed on the ground, he charged towards Volt while using Double Team, intent to swarm him relatively quickly with numbers alone as Josh was left with no other options than to close the gap between the two of them. As Josh and his copies ended up swarming Volt, the Electabuzz roared in defiance to Josh's strategy and used Rising Voltage to surround himself with electricity from below. He was successfully able to knock away every clone in the vicinity, but Josh was able to use that time to charge forward with Reversal as his right fist glowed a bright orange.

"Damn it!" Volt yelled as he ended up countering with Dynamic Punch. Once the two attacks made contact, the ground beneath them quaked, leaving visible cracks below them. However, Volt grinned as he then gripped Josh's paw when the Lucario least expected it. "You think you're so tough! How about I show you who's in charge here?" He then sparked with electricity, and managed to strike a solid Thunder attack at point blank against Josh.

Josh screamed as the electricity ended up hurting badly. He kneeled to one knee, and in an act of desperation, he countered with a point-blank Aura Sphere shoved into Volt's chest. The moment the attack struck, a large explosion occurred as Josh and Volt were both knocked back into opposite ends of the arena.

The crowd was cheering loudly as the battle was occurring, rooting loudly for Josh and Volt equally as they both seemed to be considered equals in this battle. Rose and I could feel the shock wave of the explosion from all the way at our access tunnels, feeling just how much the battle had escalated in such a short amount of time. When we looked over at Josh, we couldn't help but feel scared, because we know for a fact that Josh is throwing himself into further harm as he was constantly placing his own life into peril. "How much more is Josh going to take?" I questioned. "Neither side is going to stop. But…"

"Josh hasn't even used that Fightium Z yet," Rose pointed out. "This is just what his strength is?" She then looked to me, asking me "Have you seen Josh go all out before?"

"Once," I answered. "Three years ago. Although back then…it was a different time…"

Three Years Earlier…

It was shortly after we arrived back from the Zero Isles when we were approached by Volt and his team. As he inspected us, he couldn't help but nod in approval as he looked at the both of us carefully. After much deliberation, he then said "You've evolved, so that's definitely an improvement, Team Ignis."

"Inferno," Josh interrupted.

Volt gave a quizzical look to Josh, before asking "Excuse me?"

Josh looked over at me with a smile, and allowed me to finish. "We, uh… We changed our team name to Team Inferno. I hope that's perfectly okay, sir…"

"Fine. Whatever. Team Inferno is what you want to call yourselves, so who am I to judge?" Volt then crossed his arms as he stared at the two of us. "But evolving and changing your team name doesn't mean anything unless you have the strength to back it up." He then whistled for his teammates, Rinekai and Wulfrock, to step forward, before requesting to us "How about a double battle to determine your fighting power?"

"Wait, now?" Josh asked with surprise. "But…isn't surviving alone on the Zero Isles for a month enough to prove our strength?"

"And who's to say that the both of you have grown considering that one of you could've been doing all of the heavy lifting for all I know?" Volt questioned back. "To put you both to the test, a simple sparring match should suffice."

I was uncomfortable about all of this. We only just returned to Talis after our training with Nick, and already, we were being forced into combat? Josh and I looked at each other with worry, unable to figure out if we could actually prove to Volt we were strong. After all, Volt was part of a far more experienced team, for starters. And second, Volt had a good point. Josh mostly did the heavy lifting ever since…well…some unpleasant things ended up happening. I did what I could to try and train with Nick, while Josh was in charge of gathering supplies and partaking in active patrol.

I kind of felt like I was only going to weigh us down once we took up the battlefield, both Rin and Wulfrock standing in front of us as they were ready to test our strength. I could feel my heart race in my chest as I looked at them, but Josh was soon able to pat my elbow and mention "Hey, we've been through worse, haven't we? We can take them."

"Yeah… Yeah, I think you're right," I said as I took a few deep breaths to reassure myself.

Volt and Nick stood on the side of the battlefield to observe our progress, though Nick was the one who shouted "Don't be too rough on them, Rin and Wulfrock! I've just recently put them through the wringer. Don't be too rough on them."

"Don't worry," Rin proclaimed. "We'll be fine. Right, Wulfrock?"

"Oh yeah," Wulfrock said as he stretched his arms. "No problemo, Nicko!"

Volt grumbled and muttered to himself "Just…don't. Especially around me."

Wulfrock couldn't help but chuckle as he and Rin soon took up battle positions against us. Soon enough, Nick yelled "Ready?" As he raised his arm, we all took up our positions to move forward and fight back, and before long, Nick ended up lowering his arm and shouting "Go!"

I don't want to go into too much detail with this battle, but needless to say, it didn't take long until both Rin and Wulfrock ended up eventually getting the upper hand against us. I was almost taken out completely because I thought that Wulfrock was too tough to deal with at the time, and I wasn't sure about how I could possibly approach Rin given my stance in regards to women. I had no idea what to do at the time.

It didn't stop Josh, however, as despite taking quite a beating, he still kept on standing up, refusing to yield. Rin lit up her twig while Wulfrock then stopped her from attacking by placing his paw in front of her. As he looked over at Josh, he then asked "Shouldn't we stop?"

Josh gasped and panted as he slowly raised his fists. With a smile, he wiped at his lips, before saying "I can do this all day."

"Your brother is already down, Josh!" Wulfrock tried to reason. "I don't want to hurt you too badly."

"I'm only going to go down when I am unconscious and unable to fight," Josh argued, before he then began to radiate a bright blue aura. "And I still have plenty of fight left in me. Adam might be down, but I'm willing to set an example for him!" He then fired an Aura Sphere towards Wulfrock, knocking him out of the battlefield with that strike.

Rin then quickly fired a Flamethrower attack towards Josh, which he ended up bracing for impact from. I couldn't help but nearly freak out as I got up and looked at Josh engulfed in flames like that. I heard him grunting in pain as he fully braced for the attack, before he began to start charging forward through all of the intense heat. Rin didn't even have time to process this as Josh was soon able to land a Force Palm on the Braixen, knocking her out of the battlefield as well.

Volt looked at Josh impressively, but was quick to then judge him by shouting "You're reckless! A little bit more restraint should be in order, wouldn't you agree?" However, while he was expecting Josh to make a response, instead, Josh just stood there, not even paying any mind or attention to him. Volt was starting to get irritated, before shouting "Hey! Mutt! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Then, the next thing we knew, Josh growled so suddenly, before clutching at his head. I was starting to get a little anxious, and as soon as I got up, I asked Josh "Are you alright? Josh! What's wrong?" I reached out to him, wanting to see if he was okay. However, the next thing that happened was that he started running away. Worried, I shouted "JOSH!" However, despite my incessant worrying for him, he simply just ignored me and started running away towards the northern plateau of the Solace Guild, before he then slid down the mountain.

"HEY!" Volt yelled after Josh as he started running north. "Get your ass back here!"

"Something's wrong," Nick pointed out. He then started taking off to the sky, before turning his attention towards me and shouting "Let's go!"

I did as Nick said and we ended up chasing after Josh as we traveled north through the town. Josh didn't seem to have the easiest time trying to move past the crowd since there were so many players in the town, but judging from the direction he was running towards, it would appear he was trying to reach the northern exit. As Nick pursued him, he activated his badge, before commanding "Don't let J escape! He's a Lucario. Powerful. Currently running north. Whatever you do, we cannot lose sight of him!"

As Josh was running north, he was able to leap above the crowd by making it up onto the roofs of the buildings and running along them. Meanwhile, I was left to scurry through the streets as I ended up bumping into various players as I was trying to reach my brother. "Sorry! Coming through! Clear a path!"

From the looks of things, Josh simply looked like he was bound to escape, as neither Nick or I were even relatively close to catching up to him as he was reaching the exits. Nick groaned as he once again yelled into his badge "Dammit! Isn't there anyone out there who can assist!?"

As if on cue, a familiar voice calmly told Nick "We'll handle it from here, Nick. Team ESP is on the scene."

And much to everyone's surprise, as if appearing out of nowhere, Lucian teleported himself to the northern gates, holding the book "Fairy Tale" in his paws as Josh was running to him. Lucian glared over at Josh, before stating "Like hell I'm letting you get away with this." And as he and Josh made eye contact, Lucian's eyes glowed faintly, and all at once, Josh was held in place, growling defiantly as he was suddenly unable to move. With a serious look, he then yelled out "Sabrina! Now!"

And teleporting directly behind Josh, Sabrina emerged, before she then used Psychic to hold Josh down, before he then fell flat onto the ground, unable to move. As Sabrina held out one of her marionettes, she then walked towards Josh, before stating to the Lucario "I'm afraid you'll have to answer to me, now. Make one false move, and you know what will happen? I could make it so that your soul is bound to one of my dolls, where you will remain unless you act obediently, and behave yourself. Now return to the Solace Guild. I don't want to repeat myself."

Josh growled as he realized then and there that he was quickly outmatched by the two psychics. Realizing he had no other option, he calmed down, took a breath, and stood back up onto his feet without saying a word. Just in time for both me and Nick to arrive at the scene.

I ran up to my brother, yelling "Josh! Hey!" I ran up in front of him, asking "What has gotten into you?" However, this was then when I was greeted by the most peculiar sight. Josh's eyes glowed a bright violet. He didn't say a single word. And as I looked at him, he seemed to be giving me some sort of strange look in return. He felt conflicted, but as he looked at me, he then gave out a sudden bow, before turning around and walking straight back towards the Solace Guild.

Clearly, this ended up confusing me, and as I looked at the two psychics, I asked them "What is going on with Josh?"

"I'd suggest we stay with him until he feels better," Sabrina reasoned with me as she started walking towards Josh. "We don't want him running out on us like a bad dog now, do we?"

"Huh?" I was truly very confused by this, and I ultimately looked towards Nick, who waved a hand as if mentioning to me that I should just shut up and be with Josh. Walking away from Nick and Lucian, I was able to catch up to Josh, who seemed to be rather transfixed with me once I reached him. Curiously, I ended up asking him "Josh, are you alright? What just happened?"

"He's far stronger than you are, that's what," Sabrina answered for him. "How else would you explain his actions?"

"But he…" I had no clue what seemed to be happening to him, so I ended up sighing as we walked back to the guild in silence.

All the while, Nick looked at Lucian, before asking him "What do you suppose is going on with him? Josh never acted like that during training."

"I'd say it's a response to the Black Mirror," Lucian guessed. He then looked at Nick, before asking "Do you remember when we found you long ago?"

"Black Mirror?" Nick questioned. "What are you saying?"

Lucian smiled, before he closed his book and adjusted his glasses. "He's already met with him. And we have him on a tight leash. For now, at least. Who knows when the next instance will occur."

"So…" Nick then looked at where Josh was walking, and added "You're saying there's a dark side to using his full power?"

"Hmmm… Not really. As long as we have them under close watch, they won't be getting away from us," Lucian argued. "What we need to do is try and find the source of this, wouldn't you agree?"

"The source?" Nick asked in a panic. "But… You know I can't risk that! Especially given my current situation! I want to help these boys, not force them to face MCP!"

"A brave man helps. A coward just gives presents." With those words being brought to Nick, Lucian returned to his book, before he mentioned "Think about what needs to be done in order for those boys to be living long, happy lives, Nick. If you truly want to help, you're going to need to face your own fears." And just like that, Lucian teleported away, leaving Nick there to ponder exactly what it was that Lucian was referring to.

Nick gritted his teeth as he looked past the norther gate, staring off at the horizon as he knows what lies out there if he chooses to help us. With a hint of pain in his heart, Nick realized that he needed to come up with some sort of reason to carry on and protect us.

This, of course, led to Josh snapping out of his strange trance after a few hours. Thankfully, Sabrina mentioned that it was a one-time thing, and that Josh didn't need to worry about it affecting him again if he chooses to go all out. Yet despite that, Josh realized that perhaps it was high time to learn a little restraint, only going all out if he knows for a fact it's in desperation.

The next time he attempted going all out, it was years later, long after Nick left the guild to do his own thing. Josh had to go all out on Zeraora when he attacked us in Talis, otherwise we would've died. And oddly enough, even though we both agreed that he now knows the truth about what's happening nowadays, he still refused to release his full strength unless it was a necessity. I believe I heard he was going at Zeraora with everything during the battle on Mt. Ebott, but I was barely focusing on my own survival at the time that I didn't seem to notice. Nevertheless, I didn't know what it was that Josh was going through to hold himself back like he was. All I knew was that Josh simply didn't want to release his full strength, afraid of what would happen if he did so.

To him, it was a last resort. An act of desperation.

I finished my description of what happened years ago to Rose, and she looked at Josh with worry as he was slowly getting back up. "Then…does that mean he's going to be…?"

"No, I don't think so," I interrupted as I looked at Josh carefully. "Judging from Josh's expression here, he seems…confident. In those past instances, I could clearly tell he was afraid, but tried to fight back when he could. Here, though… It's like he's not expressing any fear in the slightest."

Josh and Volt both got back up on their feet as they were both panting from exhaustion. Volt chuckled, before he then taunted Josh with "Is that seriously the best you could do?"

Josh grinned, taking up a fighting stance once more, before saying "I can do this all day. Now…do you surrender?"

"Not in your dreams," Volt grunted irritably. "I know you have yet to defeat me! So why don't you shut up and give me the real deal."

Josh looked on at Volt quietly, staring at him in a surprising amount of sincerity. As Josh lowered his head, he then pointed out "I always believed that a hero is determined by their strength and honor to protect others in the face of danger. It was never about how powerful they were. Over the past three years, I've done nothing but train my body and mind. Especially in this past week, ever since Cross's arrival, I've recontextualized a few things about how a hero should act. If a hero is meant to save many lives, even at the cost of his own, then I can't help but find that investing. You always play the card that we are too young or inexperienced to face the world at large. But that's not true at all, is it? You were only trying to protect us. And to that, I want to say I'm sorry."

Volt gritted his teeth, before he then sparked with electricity around his body. "We are in the middle of a match."

"Well, it would appear the boot is on the other foot now, isn't it?" Josh quipped. "I once thought the same exact thing a few minutes ago. But…after a few intense blows from you, I realized something. The reason you were so hard on us was because you regretted that day long ago. I just want to tell you that even though you wanted to save Damon that day, even you must realize that charging head first into danger is not heroism. You wanted to show that to me. And for that, I now know what true heroism really is."

Josh then lowered his arms down, and with a serious look, he added "I can see it in your aura. Those splotches of blackness that indicate underlying grief and guilt. But past all of that, I can see how your own aura is a dull red. That passion and drive to achieve your own goals is muted, because you bottle it up with your own anger. You've pent up that anger for years because of what happened, Volt. So if you want to be a hero, I'm imploring you to do what you think is right."

"Like HELL you think you know what is right, Mutt!" Volt yelled. "The world out there is dangerous and cruel! And if you think I'm going to allow you to leave without realizing that, you are mistaken!" He then fired a Thunder attack towards Josh, who just narrowly managed to leap out of the way. Volt began to start shedding tears from his eyes, before he then yelled out "How do you know what the right path for me is!? You're just a mutt! A worthless, insignificant, disobedient…"

All at once, Volt began to start sobbing as he then gripped at his scarf. "I…I will be a hero… Nick made me a leader for a reason… And no mutt is going to tell me what to do!" Suddenly, the yellow glow of the Electrium Z that he carried with him on his scarf caused his body to glow a bright yellow, as he began to start building up electricity around his body. Holding out his hands, he gathered up the electricity into a large ball that he was more than willing to strike at Josh with.

Josh sighed, as his body glowed brightly with his aura, and he held up his paws in the air. All at once, his aura began to create an Aura Sphere that managed to grow larger and larger in size above him. The intense energy that Josh was pouring into this attack was truly something else. As he glared at Volt with glowing blue eyes, he warned him "I think what you're doing is a bad idea."

"Yeah? Well everything that you've done since I've become leader was a bad idea!" Volt ranted as he shed tears. "Throwing your life in danger! Disobeying my orders! Forcing me to fight in this frivolous tournament! What you've done is not heroism as you described it to me, Mutt! That's recklessness! You can't save anybody if you can't save yourself!"

Josh sighed, before he then mentioned "I remember when Lucian spoke to me, shortly before we left to Zero Isles. He mentioned if I was to be a hero in the eyes of many, I had to understand what it means to be a hero. And now…" Suddenly, with more gusto, he yelled to Volt "I can't be the hero because I was never meant to be one! The real hero in this is you! You saved our lives, and taught me how to be brave! You took us in! You sheltered us! You trained us! I only made it this far because you were my hero!"

This struck a chord in Volt as he struggled to come to grips with what Josh was saying. His arms shook, his eyes all watery as he thought back to the past. He recalled taking us out on missions with him. He even remembered sharing meals with us, especially over at Chateau Damascus the night before. He recalled when Josh and I took our training seriously, and showed our kindness and compassion towards others when they were in need of assistance.

Volt then recalled older memories of when he fought alongside the Detla Squadron in Afghanistan. All of them sharing stories with each other over at their base as they all described their pasts. He remembered when Rin lost her brother in combat, and he was there to comfort her when she was feeling down. He even remembered when his own brother, Damon would liven up the night with songs he would sing to everyone.

It was a couple of days after Damon's arrival that he was quick to sing something that took everyone by surprise. They all sat there, listening in to Damon's wonderful singing voice as Mike and his companions took great joy with when he was able to impress them with his irreverent charm. The song he was singing to them was, oddly enough, a Pokémon song, from when he and Mike were young children.

I close my eyes and I can see the day we met,

Just one moment and I knew:

You're my best friend, do anything for you.

We've gone so far and done so much

And I feel like we've always been together.

Right by my side through thick and thin,

You're a part of my life I'll always remember.

This was then followed by Mike, Rin, and John all joining in for the chorus of the song, as they all sang in harmony together.

The time has come,

It's for the best, I know it.

Who could have guessed that you and I –

Somehow, someday, we have to say goodbye.

Nick ended up overhearing the song, and he was able to then ask all of his troops "What are you singing?"

The simple joys of singing a song together ended then and there for an instant, as Damon was quick to bring up "I thought a way to remember who we lost was appropriate, sir."

"Well, next time, sing something that everyone might already know about," Nick pointed out. "Like 'Hallelujah' or 'Goodnight Saigon.' What's the name of that song, anyways?"

"Just a little something that Mike and I have listened to when we were kids, sir," Damon answered. "It's called 'The Time Has Come.'"

Nick sighed, before turning his attention towards the exit of their barracks and walking out. "Well, as long as it's something to remember you by, that's fine by me."

"Hey, Commander!" John teased. "That's no way to talk to a guest of ours, especially since he's trying to help us out."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, Lieutenant," Nick stated. "However, war isn't a pretty sight. You should know that by now. Liven up your spirits all you want. It's not going to change anything."

"Hey, as long as I'm remembered, that's fine by me," Damon said with a smile, before he and Mike ended up casually laughing at each other for amuzement.

Nick groaned as he then left the barracks, closing the door behind him. Rin smiled and nodded her head, telling Damon "Thanks, Damon."

"For what?" Damon asked curiously.

"For being such a kind soul," she admitted. "You seem to want to be there for us. You're a good guy."

"Aww, shucks, Rin! That's too kind," Damon said with a blush on his cheeks. "After you lost your brother, I knew that you had to have felt devastated. So, I just thought I'd drop on by per Mike's request to help liven things up."

Mike blushed greatly as he tried to avert his gaze from Rin. John realized what was going on, so he started laughing and saying "Mike, if you wanted to confess something, why don't you go and say it?"

"Shut up," Mike said out of embarrassment as he tossed a pillow towards John, causing the latter to laugh harder.

John tossed the pillow back towards Mike, as Damon patted his shoulder. "Listen, I'll tell you what," Damon insisted. "If you ever need advice, I'm your man. Just say the word, I'll be there in a flash, Mike!"

"You mean it?" Mike asked curiously.

"Of course!" Damon stated with a big smile on his face. "Who else is going to look after my little brother in this mess of a world, right?" Damon gave a hearty laugh as he and John both ended up giving nothing more than joyful laughter over Mike's embarrassment.

Mike even gave a glance to Rin, noticing how she was giving a gentle smile to him out of thanks. Mike smiled back at her, before looking back towards his brother, beginning to really appreciate his company. In a way, Damon was always lifting everyone's spirits. He was able to be a hero outside of battle, helping to make Rin and everyone else feel at ease. Mike couldn't help but really appreciate that about him. He was like a hero that Mike yearned to be at some point, helping others when they needed it. Mike wished that if there was anybody he could be, he wanted to be as kind and noble as Damon.

Tears flowed down Volt's face as he recalled that memory. Wanting to show he's strong, able to fight back against something powerful, he yelled at Josh "This is the end, Mutt! Don't you ever look down on me!"

Josh smiled, before muttering "As you wish."

Volt then fired the massive cluster of electricity towards Josh's direction, all the while Josh released his giant supercharged Aura Sphere attack at Volt. Once the two attacks collided in the middle of the arena, they both struggled to try and overpower each other. This ultimately led to the giant blue ball of aura to absorb the volts of electricity once both attacks hit the center of the stadium, before suddenly glowing a bright blue light, and releasing a powerful explosion.

The blast was so intense that the entire stadium shook. Everyone up in the audience ended up bracing themselves as the blast ultimately sent powerful shock waves that nearly blew them all out of their seats. Rin and Wulfrock ended up having to shield themselves using the latter's Stone Edge to mitigate the blast and hiding behind the giant rock pillar for protection. I ultimately stood in front of Rose and held her tight in order to shield her from the blast as she screamed in my arms. Nick even anticipated that this blast was going to be big and flew as high as he could to avoid most of the shock wave, but even then, he was struggling to maintain his balance in the air as he hovered above the stadium while the explosion went off.

Soon enough, the blast eventually settled, leaving a massive dust storm in its wake that encapsulated the whole battlefield. Once everyone was settled down from the blast, they all began to murmur to themselves as they all looked over the dust-covered arena, shocked to say the least from the impact of it all. Thankfully, it appeared that nobody in the audience suffered from any sort of damage as the blast was relatively contained within the battlefield itself.

Cross groaned as he struggled to sit up after the initial shock wave of the blast. As he looked over at his team, he was stunned to see that Lucian, Sabrina, and Nolan all used protection moves to shield themselves. Nolan in particular even stood out in front of Cross and Chris in order to shield them from the worst of the blast. Cross and Chris both struggled to get back up into their seats, as they both saw how Nolan was panting from the sudden shock of what he had to do to protect his team.

"Das war knapp…" Nolan muttered. He then turned to his team, and asked "Hey, geht es dir gut?"

"Yeah, we're fine…" Chris groaned as he got up and shook his head. "Just shaken up, that's all…"

"Remind me never to tango with Josh at some point," Cross half joked with a nervous laugh. "God only knows what would happen if I angered him."

"Speaking of Josh, is he alright?" Chris asked with worry. "He was right in the middle of that blast!"

Once Lucian and Sabrina lowered their barriers, Lucian was quick to point out "I can still see some futures regarding Josh, so that means he survived, thankfully." Lucian then picked up his glasses which had fallen off of his head, and started to clean them with his scarf. "Sabrina, did you see if Josh won or lost the battle?"

"Seriously?" Sabrina scolded at her brother. "You expect me to be the keen observer here after that explosion? Why?"

Once Lucian put on his glasses, he then asked her "Can you just see if either side had won or lost? How difficult is that to ask?"

"Lucian, it's not my job to announce the battle," Sabrina pointed out with a glare. "If you want an official announcement, ask Nick, or the two commentators up in their station! Not me!"

Lucian sighed, before mumbling "Just thought I could ask. That's all."

Rin and Wulfrock soon got up from the shock of the blast as they both peered outside of the giant rock pillar that shielded them. As for me and Rose, I took the full brunt of the blast and was almost knocked unconscious. Thankfully, Rose managed to use Aromatherapy to help me back up.

I groaned as I sat up and rubbed at my head. Looking at Rose, I asked "Are you hurt?"

Rose shook her head, thankfully calming my nerves. However, once she looked towards the battlefield, she asked "What about Josh?"

This immediately made me start feeling scared as I looked at the battlefield, noticing the dust clouds slowly start to fade away. Nick lowered himself down onto the battlefield as well, anxiously looking over at both sides as he wasn't sure what was going on.

"What is going on?" Eccho asked to the audience. "That last attack was powerful…"

"I don't know, Eccho," Yamatochi answered. "However, judging from that massive explosion, it would appear that both fighters would've reached their limits at this point, right?"

As the dust was able to settle, finally revealing what happened with both Josh and Volt. They were both still standing, battered and bruised, panting out of exhaustion as they both stared at each other intensely. For a few quiet seconds, nobody moved. Nobody said a thing. Silence overtook the stadium. We were all practically speechless.

As Josh looked over at Volt, he gave a cheeky grin, before he then winced from pain and fell to his knees. Volt was no different, as he too groaned and staggered forward, barely managing to catch himself on his hands and knees as he gasped for breath from that last attack.

Then, Josh chuckled softly, grabbing Volt's attention once more, before he said "You are perhaps the most stubborn man I've ever met, Volt…" With a little bit of strained effort, Josh soon stood back up at his feet, his eyes still glowing blue as he radiated a powerful aura. "But like I said…I will only lose if I am unconscious and unable to battle… In other words, you have to break my spirit…"

Volt gripped at the ground, shaking as he began to start getting irritated again. "Your spirit…? Don't make me laugh, Mutt… I thought your spirit broke long before we met…" Volt then staggered back up to his feet, glaring at Josh as he mentioned "Back then, you gave this look that you longed to die. And that you were willing to end it all if it meant playing this game one final time." Volt then placed a hand over his head as he began to start breaking down into laughter. "And now you're telling me that your spirit hasn't broken in the slightest? Hehehehehe…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lowering his hand, he then looked over at Josh with a glare, and acknowledged "No, Mutt… You can't keep fighting and expect one of these days to die in the field of battle. You're allowing yourself to become a martyr to a noble cause. Is that what you want?"

Josh stood there silently, before he turned his gaze down my direction. Without hesitation, Josh admitted to Volt "No. I'm no martyr. If I die, Adam dies. If he goes, I go. The Zero Isles was the moment that made me realize that if I didn't pull my own weight and raise Adam's spirit, we were destined for failure. But today, I saw that fighting spirit ignite in him. He has overcome his own trauma."

I was practically stunned by what Josh was saying in that instant. However, he then acknowledged "I saw how Rose yearned to grow strong so she could protect her friends. But today, I saw that even that wasn't enough. Not without understanding your limits." I turned to look at Rose, and I was surprised to see that she was just as stunned as I was over Josh's words.

Josh smiled and nodded his head at our direction, before he then looked at the audience. "Cross and his team… They all are paragons who wish to help anybody they can, no matter who they were. Cross saw me for the person I was, and ultimately reminded me of who I am. I'm no soldier, Volt. That much is obvious."

"Then what are you?" Volt yelled insistently.

Josh lowered his head, and he stated "In this world, I am a Lucario. But even that isn't really who I am." He then clutched at his chest, and mentioned "In this world, we are all separate from who we really are. All that we can really distinguish among ourselves is to figure out what truly makes us…human."

Josh turned to look at Volt, and he mentioned "It is what makes me human that helps carry me forward. My team. My friends. Our experiences. Our passions. Our hopes. Our dreams. We are all human in a way. We just choose to discard that in this virtual world because we couldn't bear the burden of what humankind is like in the real world."

Volt stared at Josh with befuddlement, before asking him "You think a half-assed speech is going to change my stance with you, Mutt? Don't think that sympathy is going to change my point of view on you in the long run!"

"I'm not asking for your sympathy," Josh stated intensely. "I'm asking for you to acknowledge me as something other than what I am not!" He then started walking forward, quickly picking up acceleration with each step as he was charging towards Volt, intent to drive his point home. "I don't want to be a soldier! I don't want to be a mutt! And I most definitely don't want to be remembered as a Lucario my whole life! My spirit is my driving force because it is something that cannot be broken! The spirit of a human being!"

Josh was about to strike at Volt with a Reversal attack, but Volt dodged it and smacked Josh below the jaw with Brick Break, sending him flying backwards. Rose and I gasped as Josh was knocked back by the attack, worried that Josh was done for, and that he had wasted all of his remaining strength. Josh ultimately fell onto the ground, knocked down from the blow that Volt brought onto him.

The whole crowd was silent as no cheers were made. Not even the announcers gave any commentary to lighten the mood. We all just looked on as Josh collapsed onto the ground, his eyes still wide open and glowing a bright blue as he lay there, not even saying a single word or moving a muscle.

Volt panted as he lowered his fist from his uppercut, staring at Josh on the ground, seeing how he was still awake. He stared at him for a few seconds, before he took a deep breath, and muttered "If I can still beat you, you have no right to argue back with me. It's over."

Volt then looked over at Rin and Wulfrock, seeing their stunned faces as he knew for a fact that it was over for him. Go ahead and leave me. You guys know it's already too late for me anyways. I'm not convinced that they're going to leave my command. But at the very least, he has spirit, that mutt.

Volt then turned to look at me and Rose, the both of us looking at him with absolute shock. Don't look at me like that. You guys brought this upon yourselves. But I'll admit, you all have a good drive to keep going. Don't lose those flames, and they could soon become what you're striving to be.

Volt then stared up at the sky, as he began to think back to the past once more. Damon… If you're watching me, I'm sorry I couldn't live up to your beliefs. I tried. I really did. But I guess my best just wasn't good enough for everyone. Lucian was wrong. There's no hope left for these kids. Not in a million years, let alone three months. I can't do anything to help them… I couldn't even help you, Damon. I don't know if I-

Suddenly, without warning, an Aura Sphere was shot at Volt that took him out of his train of thought. The attack ended up catching everyone by surprise as Volt was knocked back by the blast. Rose and I gasped as we looked over to where Josh was, and much to everyone's surprise, the unthinkable happened.

Josh stood back up on his feet, an intense glare towards Volt, as he held his paw out to show where the Aura Sphere came from. Suddenly, the whole crowd was so surprised to see Josh still active that they all began to cheer as loud as they could. Volt staggered back up from the attack, and as soon as he saw Josh standing there, staring at him while slouched over with those glowing blue eyes and intense aura, Volt was suddenly shocked to see what was in front of him. "No… That's impossible…" Volt muttered as he stared at Josh in shock.

"THAT LUCARIO IS INSANE!" Eccho screamed at the top of his lungs. "HE IS STILL FIGHTING AFTER SUCH HEAVY INJURIES!"

"I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS!" Yamatochi shouted.

"SAME HERE!" Eccho replied.

"Holy crap!" Chris exclaimed while witnessing this up in the audience. "Is he really…?"

"I don't believe it!" Nolan shouted. "Herr Josh is a mad lad!"

Cross was so stunned by this display he just sat there with an anxious smile on his face. He was both shocked beyond belief and overjoyed to see Josh keep fighting despite the odds. "Haha! I don't know what to say!"

Lucian looked at Josh and, for the first time that even he thought of possible, he had his eyes wide with surprise. "Well…this is interesting…"

"What is?" Sabrina asked her brother.

"I have seen millions of outcomes where Josh would win, but never something like this," Lucian described. "In all my years of predicting the future, I have never seen this intense display!"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Sabrina asked curiously.

"I don't know…" Lucian said with sudden worry. "Most futures ended when Volt knocked Josh to the ground like that and he won. I don't know what's happening. Josh shouldn't even be active at this point."

"Are you sure?" Sabrina asked with sudden intrigue. "Is this the Black Mirror?"

"No… It's his fighting spirit come forth," Lucian added. "He's acting purely on his own instinct at this point."

Back with Rin and Wulfrock, they ultimately stared at Josh with sudden shock. "Holy crap!" Wulfrock stated. "Rin, what is happening?"

"I don't know…" Rin muttered. "Is he under the Black Mirror again?"

"If he was, his eyes would've glowed purple and he'd run away from us," Wulfrock said. He then pointed at Josh, pointing out "Look at his eyes! They're glowing blue! That's no Black Mirror!"

"Then what do you suppose that is?" Rin asked.

"I don't know, Rin," Wulfrock answered with uncertainty. "This sure as hell isn't that Blaze that Adam unleashed earlier today. This is something different."

As Rose and I stared at Josh, it was as if we were witnessing something like a miracle. He was radiating that blue aura around his body, just standing there menacingly against Volt in the field. Josh… Is this what you meant when you mentioned your human spirit? Do you truly believe in yourself that much?

Rose was smiling wide as she then shouted "Keep it up, Josh! Go get him!"

I couldn't help but join her as I waved to Josh, and shouted "Light that flame, Josh! Keep it burning!"

Volt was listening in on our cheers, ultimately beyond words as he stared at Josh with a newfound sense of fear. "What the hell is this?" he muttered to himself. "Why won't you just lie down in defeat!?" Volt then fired a Rising Voltage attack towards Josh, only for Josh to then use Double Team and split up into dozens of Lucario as he then proceeded to fire a series of Aura Spheres. Many of them ended up hitting the bolts of lightning that were heading towards him, while a few ended up reaching Volt again. Gritting his teeth, Volt growled out "For the love of GOD!" He then used Brick Break to smack away the Aura Spheres into differing directions. However, upon knocking the last one away, Josh appeared right in front of him, giving him a menacing and silent glare.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Volt yelled as he then tried landing a Dynamic Punch on Josh. Instead, Josh leapt out of the way with a backflip, before suddenly, Volt felt like he had felt several powerful jabs strike at him at lightning speed, staggering him. WHAT!? WHEN DID HE EVEN STRIKE ME!? Not wanting to be beat, Volt then fired off a Thunder attack, which Josh effortlessly ended up dodging by leaping in several directions based on where Volt was aiming.

Nick was eying the battle with renewed interest, stunned beyond belief over Josh's newfound power and unwavering confidence in battle, despite having taken heavy damage. That's not the Black Mirror virus… If it were, Josh would've been more aggressive. He's acting purely on defense. He then looked closely at Josh's eyes, noticing how they were glowing a bright blue because of his aura, seeing that Josh hasn't kept his eyes off of Volt the entire time. He's not even flinching or anything. Josh is suddenly focused on nothing more than surviving this battle. But why, though? Why is he…?

Volt was starting to grow frustrated that none of his attacks were hitting, so he charged towards Josh, yelling at the top of his lungs as he readied a series of Brick Break attacks. However, as he kept on trying to punch at Josh, all that Josh did was dodge every single blow being sent his way. "Why aren't you fighting back?" Volt yelled out. "Answer me! Fight me you dog!"

Josh was backed up towards a wall, where he then leapt up and flipped over Volt, before using Reversal on his foot as he landed a swift kick towards the back of Volt's head. Volt felt so much pain that he was kicked onto the wall, causing him to gasp as he felt every breath of air leave his lungs.

Josh just stood there, waiting for Volt to make a move, not saying a single word. Volt groaned as he then yelled out "Fine! Have it your way, then! Toy with me, why don't ya!" He tried to land another Brick Break on Josh, but Josh swiftly dodged and readied another Reversal to strike at Volt. Volt panicked and quickly dodged the attack, letting Josh instead hit the wall, causing the structure to leave a rather large series of cracks where he struck it.

Jesus… This mutt isn't messing around! Volt soon got up to behind Josh, ready to strike at him with a Dynamic Punch. But there's no way he can see this one! However, before Volt could even reach Josh, the Lucario ended up creating a bone staff, striking into Volt's gut from behind. Volt struggled for breath, but didn't have time to react as Josh twirled around and proceeded to smack Volt repeatedly with Bone Rush.

As Nick was witnessing Volt getting pummeled, he once again eyed how Josh was reacting in this instance. He didn't even look at Volt with that last attack. He's relying on his aura to help him. But… He then looked at Josh a little bit more closely, and all of a sudden, it hit him. Wait a minute! Josh is…

Volt screamed as Josh's Bone Rush ended up launching Volt into the air with a strong upward swing. Josh then leapt up and landed a solid kick over Volt's head, sending him straight back towards the ground. Volt didn't even have time to process what happened as he struggled to get up. However, as he looked at Josh in the air, the Lucario ended up throwing a series of bone staffs towards his direction. Volt took a sharp breath as he narrowly managed to dodge out of the way, as the dozen or so bone staffs were sticking out on the ground as he tried his best to avoid getting hit.

As this whole display was unfolding, the crowd was going crazy as Josh landed on his feet, his eyes still focusing on Volt. Volt growled in frustration, and he staggered back up to his feet. Irritated, he realizes he has finally seen Josh's true power. So… This is your strength. Why did you have to keep it to yourself, then? If you were really this strong, why didn't you show such strength earlier in this battle!? Or better yet, WHY ON EARTH DID YOU HOLD BACK AGAINST A DANGEROUS MONSTER!?

Volt angrily charged forward, ready to strike at Josh yet again with another Dynamic Punch. However, the moment he was but a few feet away from Josh, that was when a sudden burst of flame ended up obstructing his path. Volt skidded to a stop, and that was when Nick flew into the battle, and stood in between both fighters with his arms outstretched. "That's enough, Mike," he boldly declared. "This battle is over."

"What!?" Volt exasperated. "You heard the mutt, didn't you? He said this battle isn't over unless he was unconscious…"

"…And unable to battle," Nick pointed out. "Yes, I know. Though while he is still fully capable of battle, I cannot say the same for him being conscious."

All at once, Volt was in complete disbelief, as he lowered his arms and stared at the Charizard. "Huh? W-what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that Josh kept his own hidden strength locked way into his unconscious state," Nick pointed out, standing aside to let Volt get a good look at Josh. "Apparently, he only activates it as an act of self-defense in the eyes of a particularly tough foe."

"Hey, hold on, Nick," Volt stated in confusion. "If he's unconscious, how come his eyes are still open?"

"Apparently, you managed to knock the young man unconscious with that good Brick Break to the head," Nick said. "Unlike you, players stuck in this game don't have notifications to show they had been knocked out. If you kept this up, there would be no denying that either you would be taken out in record time, or worse, if you managed to strike a solid blow on him, there's a chance he could end up either dead or comatose."

Volt was just baffled by all of this unfolding, his mind unable to process what was being shown in front of his eyes. His mind appeared to break by the sudden shock of Josh not only being stronger than him, but the fact that Josh didn't even know it made him practically feel a part of his brain just snap. His eye was twitching as he stared at Josh in complete disbelief, incomprehensible sounds coming from his mouth as he was unable to really grasp at the situation. He was broken.

Nick sighed at Volt's reaction, before mentioning "I know this may seem strange to say to the audience, but I guess I have no other options." He then looked up at the crowd, before announcing to them "The fighter, LucarioTrainerJ, has apparently lost consciousness, much to my surprise. Therefore, the winner, and today's victors of the whole tournament belongs to-" Nick then raised Volt's arm as he announced the winners. "-D-Volt and Team Delta!"

The crowd was truly baffled by what was happening, so Nick decided to continue. "The result of J being knocked unconscious was a direct result of D-Volt landing a finishing blow with Brick Break. However, J's own aura helped to keep his body active, even though he wasn't in direct control. I know it may sound strange, and trust me, it is. But believe me when I say this, Josh didn't go out without a fight. That was what I was looking for in this tournament, and nothing more. Therefore, if you would be so kind, don't think of this as an unfair victory against J. Instead, think of it as a promising future for the young player, and his fighting spirit. He fights for what he believes in, so therefore, I suggest we all do the same as an example to his strength. May the futures of Team Delta and Team Inferno be bright ones."

Despite the odd circumstances, the audience still applauded at Nick's speech, feeling slightly moved not only by Josh's passion and display of strength, but also by the way Nick managed to turn this bizarre scenario into something salvageable. With that, as the crowd cheered, Nick turned his attention back to Volt, patting him on the shoulder to attempt at cheering him up. "Strength isn't everything, Mike," he said softly. "It's how one utilizes that strength that is able to make a difference."

"I…I…I…I…" Volt was at a loss for words. He wanted to argue back, but his own mind was incapable of finding the right words to describe what he was feeling in this instance.

That was around the point where Rose and I ran into the battlefield, still quite puzzled over what just happened. I asked Nick "So…who won again?" This was met by Rose slapping at my hand to try and shut me up.

"I think that in the end, it doesn't matter who won," Nick answered as he looked at me. "After all, this was a frivolous tournament that had no real purpose other than trying to compensate for one's ego." In that last statement, he gave a look towards Volt, before turning back to me. "But at the very least, I now see how strong you boys really are. That was the whole reason I even agreed to do this tournament to begin with." Nick patted my shoulder, before wishing to me "Good luck on your adventures, wherever they may take you."

"Uh…thank you, Nick," I replied with a bit of uncertainty.

Nick smiled as he then turned his attention to Rose. "Take care of them for me, alright Rose? Those boys can get into a lot of trouble. I want you to help get them out of it."

"O-of course!" Rose stammered.

Nick nodded at her before he then turned to Josh. "Now then, let's wake him up." Nick then pulled into a small pouch of Reviver Seeds, and used one of them on Josh. The faint glow of the seed ended up reaching Josh, and after a couple of seconds, Josh groaned as he stumbled on his feet before collapsing.

I was able to catch Josh in my arms, easing him down to his knees as he started to wake up. As the both of us were lowered to our knees, the aura that was surrounding Josh faded, and as he blinked himself awake, he looked at everyone with a little bit of confusion. "Uh…what happened? Did we win?"

I chuckled as I gave my kindest expression to my brother, telling him "No, Josh. We didn't win. But at the very least, you didn't go down easy."

"Wait, I lost?" Josh then turned his attention towards Volt, seeing how baffled he was as he looked at him. "Uh, Volt? Are you alright?"

"I'm just…I…I think…" Volt couldn't even figure out what to say in this instance.

Confused by Volt's behavior, he asked Nick "Is he going to be alright?"

Nick laughed as he helped Josh back up to his feet. "Mike will be fine. He just needs some time to think things over, that's all." Nick then gladly decided to help walk with us back to our access tunnel, leaving Volt all by himself to ponder what just happened on his own.

Volt couldn't move. He couldn't think. He was just a broken man. Never before had he even felt remotely outclassed, and by an unconscious fighter, no less. Even he knew for a fact that Josh was far too strong for him to comprehend.

Rin and Wulfrock slowly approached Volt with caution, just in case he was going to snap. The Lycanroc ended up walking in front of Volt, asking "Mike? Hellooooo!" He even tried waving a paw in front of Volt's face to snap him out of it.

"Is he alright?" Rin asked.

"I don't know," Wulfrock answered. "He seems like he's a veg after what happened."

Rin soon approached Volt, lifting one of his hands up in her paws. Volt took a simple glance at her, and Rin worriedly asked him "What's wrong, Mike?"

Volt then fell to his knees, his eyes wide and trembling as he knew now what happened, and he realized what that meant. The mutt was stronger… I couldn't beat him at his full strength… And he still lost…

Volt looked over at his team with worry, before he made his confession. "I couldn't beat him. That Lucario was just toying with me this whole time. And I took him for granted." He sighed, lowering his head in shame. "Lucian mentioned to me that if I pushed Josh to his limits, I would see how strong he truly was. I just…" Tears started coming down from his eyes as he realized then and there how his team might be feeling towards him for winning. "I saw how strong he truly was, and he still lost… Why, though? He had so much strength, and yet he chose to go easy on me…" He forced his hand away from Rin's grasp, and he averted his gaze from them out of shame. "You both deserve a better leader. I can't go on like this. Josh is right. I'm not a hero. Just a reckless old fool who's stuck in the past…"

Volt whimpered as he couldn't bear to look at his team. However, it didn't take long for both Rin and Wulfrock to kneel down and place their paws on his shoulders. When Volt looked at them, he was stunned to see them both give sorrowful expressions towards him. Rin had a few tears coming from her eyes as she strained to give a smile to him. Wulfrock had his lip tremble as he tried to hold back his emotions.

"You're no fool, Mike," Rin said. "You are a brave man who showed everyone around you that you're willing to protect anyone if you step up to the challenge."

"Yeah," Wulfrock replied. "After all, it's because of you that Josh and Adam are alive to begin with. And you know what? You never once gave up on them."

"If that's not heroism, then I don't know what is," Rin said as a few tears fell from her face. "There's a difference between heroism and recklessness."

Wulfrock nodded as he too started crying. "Back then, you were reckless. But here, you were truly a hero to those boys. I couldn't have been any happier."

"John… Rin…" Volt felt so touched that he was unable to hold back his emotions, as he hugged them both, sobbing profusely as he trembled and broke down into crying. Rin and Wulfrock both hugged him back, and he couldn't help but feel them both show how much they truly cared for him.

Volt cried deeply for a good while, and as he looked past his team, he could've sworn he saw a faint ghostly figure in front of him. Volt nearly gasped as he recognized the ghostly figure, who took on the appearance of his long deceased older brother, Damon. He could've sworn that the ghost was able to gently walk up to him, and pat his head with a smile, as if indicating he was always looking out for him.

Volt smiled back, returning to hugging his teammates as tears flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks. The ghostly image of Damon faded away from Volt's sight, and whether or not that was actually a ghost or his own imagination didn't really matter to him. What truly mattered was that he realized that he now knows why Nick made him a leader.

Volt wasn't born a hero. But Josh truly made it sound like he was one during their battle. Mutt… No. Josh, I just want to say you've earned my respect. Thank you.