Chapter 44: Fragmentary Future
The crowd cheered as both Team Inferno and Team Delta made their full appearances once again to the crowd. I looked at the crowd itself, surprised to see that they were still happy to see that everything was still entertaining to the likes of them. In fact, I loved the idea that we were still being given support, given that there were plenty of other players that wanted what was best for us. Especially since we gave our honest and best efforts in the stadium.
Looking over at Josh and Rose, I could see that they were all rather happy to have the support as much as I was. In a way, I couldn't help but feel a breath of relief as we all now have gained some recognition, and helped to convince them we are not going to give up anytime soon. Hell, I'm not going to give up, if my victory against John was anything to prove. I guess my own victory was like a way to build up my confidence, because before, I always had these insecurities and doubts plaguing my mind. But now, I felt like I was reborn.
It was a shame, then, that we lost in the second and third rounds. But if anything, I'm just happy that Rose and Josh both realized what's truly important out of all of this. Standing to our right, we had Team Delta. And judging from their expressions, I could tell there were mixed feelings. I'm only guessing that while they won the tournament, they seemed to have varying degrees of thoughts about their most recent win.
Wulfrock seemed anxious. He did what he could to try and alleviate the feeling by smiling and waving to the crowd. But I could clearly tell that his eyes were uneasy. He even gave a few wayward glances back to us, where just for a brief moment, his smile would fade as he looked at us with uncertainty, before he would then smile again after a bit and once more wave to the crowd.
Rin seemed particularly miffed, though her smiles felt completely forced, and we all knew that. Wulfrock was an expert at wooing the crowd. Rin, however, seemed like she didn't have much faith in herself, after having obtained her victory over Rose. I saw her glance to us briefly, almost like she was subtly trying to tell us she was sorry that she cost us our victory. She then looked towards Volt, and began to worry about him.
In fact, we all were. Out of all of us trying to smile and show our devotion, Volt was the only one who showed his own honesty in this moment out of his entire team. He didn't smile. He didn't wave. He was staring at the ground solemnly as he looked to be lost in deep thought. In fact, I could clearly tell that as he looked at us, he gave a particular look towards Josh. Josh took notice and glanced his way, only for Volt to then avert his gaze and cross his arms in a huff. However, Josh and I could clearly see that he was far more subdued than he was previously. Almost like he needed a moment to process his feelings.
"Today most certainly was quite the event, ladies and gentlemen," Eccho announced to the crowd. "But now, here we stand to witness the award ceremony for both teams. It has been a crazy few hours of waiting, but here we are. Team Delta triumphed against Team Inferno 2 to 1. A polarizing moment, to be sure."
"Yes, and that's mainly because of Team Inferno apparently gathering up their own fan club," Yamatochi replied. "These newcomers to the arena were quite the spectacle. Though they may have lost the battle, they are indeed winners in spirit. That's how I'm seeing it, Eccho."
"And here he is, ladies and gentlemen!" Eccho announced. "Infernick is here to give his rewards to the competitors. And apparently, he's giving all of them rewards, regardless of whether they won or not. Isn't that neat?"
The audience applauded as Nick walked forward into the arena alongside Moonstripe the Kecleon, Phyllis the Alcremie, Ren the Persian, Rex the Machamp, Dune the Cofagrigus, and Evelyn the Tsareena. Quite the extravagant entourage to have, but nevertheless, Nick walked up with all six of them, each holding a box of some sort. No doubt we were all curious about this.
Once Nick and the others were in the center, Nick cleared his throat. He raised his voice, and announced "To respectfully show my appreciation towards both Team Delta and Team Inferno, I have conferred with several of the residents of Talis to deliver some gifts that could be of benefit for each fighter. This tournament setup, if it shall be followed, may likely not go through with this tradition. But I have spent the past few hours of today to make it so that these citizens show their respect in the only way I could offer it. I am offering my services in full with these rewards out of the mutual respect for each of these competitors, regardless if they won or not. To me, there are no winners or losers. All I see before me are true, honest, and respectable people, whom I would give my very life for if that may be. May these gifts I'm offering be of benefit and future use for all of them."
The crowd applauded over Nick's generosity. Up in the audience, Team Calibur were showing their support, all the while Lucian simply gave a slight giggle. Nolan turned to the Meowstic, and asked him "What's so funny?"
"The future isn't written, but the path I intended for you guys to go on is finally coming to fruition," Lucian mused. "Volt won, but at the same time, it was a hollow victory. Heh, and here I was thinking that we were heading for a bad future…"
"A bad future?" Chris asked skeptically. "What kind of freaky horoscope nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm just saying, I was hoping for Volt to win in the exact manner that he did," Lucian said with a smile. "It was the only way to benefit you guys, after all."
Chris grumbled in anger, glaring at the Meowstic intensely. "I hate you…"
"Just let it go, Chris," Cross mentioned. "At the very least, we're getting something out of it."
"Yeah. A one-way ticket to servitude," Chris muttered as he looked back at the arena. "Volt is still in power here."
Cross sighed. Realizing what Chris said might be true, he looked over at the arena with a hint of unease. Volt doesn't look happy that he won, he thought. What is he thinking?
Soon, the awards were about to be handed out. Moonstripe ended up walking to me, and Nick announced "For displaying a fight unlike anything I had ever hoped for, I hereby gift a small token of gratitude towards BlazeTiger. May his fire burn bright inside of him." Once Moonstripe opened the box in front of me, I was greeted by the sight of a small red gem. I picked it up, and on closer inspection, I found that it was another Z-Crystal.
A Z-Crystal that bared the face of an Incineroar on it. Incinium Z!
"I never got to thank you for that supply run last week," Moonstripe said to me with a smile. "I hope this will make up for it."
I returned the smile as I clutched the Incinium Z in my hand. "Thank you! I'll cherish it, always!"
"As for his competitor," Nick continued. "For Wulfrock, he was able to give us one of the most impressive battles of his career. For that, we respectfully gift to him something befitting of a 10-time champion." It was there that Evelyn ended up walking up to him, holding beautiful bouquet of flowers. The bouquet itself seemed to contain a few items as well, which included a bag of Blast Seeds, some Iron Thorns, 5 bottles of Protein, and what looked to be a Detect Band as the sash holding it all together.
Wulfrock smiled as he held the bouquet. "Thank you."
"Anytime," Evelyn said with a smile. "I'm a big fan of yours, so I hope you like it!"
"This is great, Evelyn," Wulfrock commented. "Thank you so much."
Nick then signaled for Phyllis to step forth with a decorative box in her hands. "Although BlossumBelle lost her battle, we figured it would be appropriate for her team to have this as a way of showing we care for them."
Once Rose looked at the package curiously, she asked the Alcremie "What is it?"
"A little gift from the bakery, sweetie!" Phyllis said with a smile. "Nick wanted us to bake you all a cake to share once the tournament was over. There's enough for your team, as well as any friends you wish to share it with."
Rose was practically speechless at this, and as soon as she opened the cake package, what the three of us saw was a decorative marble cake with the three of us added on there in vivid detail. We all appeared to have been drawn on there with different colored frosting, with the three of us assuming battle poses, ready to launch an attack. There was even a message written above the frosting variations of us, which read "May your flames burn ever brighter!"
"Wow! This is incredible!" I muttered out of pure joy.
"Such refined detail," Josh admired. With a chuckle, he gave a wink towards Phyllis, and said "I expected nothing less from the best baker in town."
"Aww, shucks! You're making me blush!" Evelyn stated as she handed the cake over to Rose. "I hope you all enjoy it!"
"Thank you!" Rose said with surprising joy in her voice. "I'm sure we will!"
"Rinekai," Nick continued, "a proud and refined fighter. May this be a token of gratitude that can help burn your spirits brighter than ever before!" The one to pass this gift was Dune the Cofagrigus. The box he held contained an Electirizer.
Rin pondered this gift, but the moment she looked closely, she could tell there was a message that was left on a sheet of paper next to the item. Once she picked up the note and read it, she said "'May this be of use to you in case Volt needs a pick me up. After all, he's the only one among you that needs this to evolve. With hope, Nick.' I…I don't know…"
"It was at Nick's insistence," Dune brought up. "And besides, it's best that you look after him after this is over. He told me that if you didn't, you're going to regret it." He then looked over at Wulfrock, and muttered "Same goes to you, too. Nick wants you to look over D-Volt. Don't you fail him."
Rin just took the gift without saying another word. As she did, she and Wulfrock exchanged glances to each other as they realized that maybe Nick was on to something. After all, they found out that Nick was aware of Volt's true feelings. And perhaps, this was for the best. Rin looked back at Dune, and ultimately nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."
Nick then signaled for Rex the Machamp to walk forward and approach Josh. "In all of my years of combat expertise, never have I seen something like what LucarioTrainerJ displayed for us today," Nick stated with a smile. "He shows promise, which is why I am encouraging him to try and pick up the pace, and fight with all of his heart. And for that, I have arranged for this gift for him and Team Inferno for the near future. May he use it well."
Josh stood tall as he looked at the Machamp in front of him. Rex quickly opened up the box he had, where he then revealed to Josh something…interesting. As Josh inspected the box's contents, he seemed rather questioning. Inside of the box were three scarfs, all colored red, blue, and green, with flame patterns etched into them. As Josh looked at them, he asked "What's with the scarfs?"
"They were a custom order by Infernick," Rex answered. "He wanted them to be your official team scarfs. In fact, he specifically designed them based on your auras."
"Our auras?" Rose asked curiously.
"Yes. They were specifically made for the purpose of boosting your stats when equipped," Rex added. "Of course, that's not the only thing he wanted to give to you."
"There's more?" Josh asked with intrigue. As he looked at the scarfs, he ended up feeling the fabric over each of them, on how soft and freshly made they felt to the touch. But what really surprised him was that he felt something beneath them. Curious, he lifted out the scarfs one by one from inside of the box. And the moment he did so, his eyes went wide, as he saw what those scarfs kept hidden. Rose and I were wondering what he was looking at, so we leaned a little closer, and much to our amazement, we saw what else was in there. It was a spherical orange stone, complete with what looked like hints of red and blue in a swirling flame pattern of sorts. Josh pulled the stone out, stunned beyond words. "I don't believe it…"
"Lucarionite…" I muttered out.
"A Mega Stone, like what Cross has," Rose added in sheer awe.
Josh took a glance over at Nick, and he saw that the Charizard was giving him a big smile, followed by a nod. Josh felt practically overjoyed, and he gave a bow over to Nick in kind. "Thank you!"
Nick chuckled at Josh's bow, before he then went on to continue his announcements. "Finally, for winning in his endeavors during the tournament, I have once final gift to give to Team Delta. I have gone on many dangerous missions, and I simply wanted to express my kindness and generosity to my old allies for thinking so much for me. Therefore, this final gift will be something they can all appreciate together."
At that moment, Ren the Persian ended up walking towards Volt, carrying a small box with his mouth. Volt took the box from Ren, who openly said "I do hope you use this wisely. There's no telling what could happen if you spend it all."
Volt wondered about the wording, but as soon as he looked at what was inside of the box, he was rewarded with a bunch of Deluxe Ribbons, and a small letter. Rin and Wulfrock were so flabbergasted by just how many of those ribbons there were, and as Volt opened up the letter, Wulfrock asked "What does it say?"
Volt took a careful look, and began reading. "It reads 'I know we have been unable to share many moments since I left, but I just hope you can use these to great effect. They won't do much, but at the very least, you'll catch a fancy price if you sell them. The equivalent for all of these is…'" Volt had to double-check the line as he read it closely, before he then stared blankly at the Deluxe Ribbons in shock. As he lowered the letter, he told his team "This is the equivalent of 450,000 Poké…"
"WHAT!?" Rin and Wulfrock exclaimed as they both looked into the box of ribbons.
Volt was stunned, looking over at Nick curiously. The Charizard simply took a glance at the letter that Volt was holding, and just like that, Volt ended up reading the rest of the message that was in there. "'I only hope that with this reward, you will help fund for more prominent and efficient missions in the near future. There's lots to explore, and little time to do it in. Don't spend it all in one place. – Nick'"
"Wow," I muttered once Volt finished reading. "That's great, Volt!"
"Yes… Yes, it is…" Volt lowered the letter, looking at Nick again, before asking "Is this really necessary?"
"I have dozens more that I've been saving up," Nick said with a smile. "How else do you think I've been making money? I've taken on so many different missions, my wings are getting sore."
"Right, under Glacier's orders," Volt stated. "How could I forget?"
Rose looked over at Josh, asking "Who's Glacier?"
"The leader of Gelassenheit, far to the north," Josh whispered to her. "Often called the Town of Serenity."
"More like the Town of Ice, if you ask me," I brought up. "I've heard that it's freezing up there, since it's supposed to be full of snow and ice all the time."
Josh scoffed at me, adding "What do you have to worry about? You can literally set yourself on fire and be perfectly fine."
"Snow isn't really something I'm a fan of, Josh," I muttered before looking once more at Volt.
The Electabuzz simply just looked away from us, sulking. He crossed his arms and sighed as he seemed to be once more lost in thought. Josh and Rose looked at him as well, and we all couldn't help but worry about him. As Josh stared at Volt, he seemed to be the one who was showing the most concern. Josh couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity towards him. Poor Volt, I thought. Not even a cash prize made him smile. He must be pretty gloomy after what happened.
Nick then spread out his wings, before he then addressed to the audience "Let us all pray that these two teams can find solace in today's events. The road out there may be long and hard for them, but nevertheless, we shall all stand by their sides as one. Do not look at today as a day where two teams battled. Let us instead remember today as a message to everyone around here, that we will stand by their sides, and remember the good deeds and heroics they all are going to apply for the future. And above all else, remember this: Faber est suae quisque fortunae. It means 'Every man is the artisan of his own fortune.' If you want to stay for the post-tournament ceremony, you may do so. We will host it in about an hour, so feel free to celebrate and enjoy the parties and merriments. And to all of those who are at home or catching this on a livestream, spread the word. Give these players your support. And moreover, share your passion that will forever be a guiding light. Spread your wings, and let us all give them our support!"
And just like that, the audience applauded loudly over Nick's speech, and Nick gave a bow to them in kind. All of us were feeling quite good to be so humbled like this. All of us…except for Volt. As Josh took a glance towards him, he couldn't help but see that Volt was doing everything he can to hide his emotions again. This made Josh's smile fade a little, as he realized that Volt likely needed some comfort after today.
When the three of us reunited with Team Calibur outside of the stadium, the sun was already beginning to set in the horizon. Cross ultimately was overjoyed to see us all as he quickly ended up laughing and smiling and hugging us at every single opportunity. This came mostly as a shock to us all, as we were sort of expecting him to feel bad for us failing to win. But I will admit, seeing Cross be so positive is enough to put a smile on my face.
"I knew you guys were going to be great!" Cross stated as he hugged each of us one by one. "The training really paid off! You guys were on FIRE! Well…Adam literally was, but you know!"
"Well, it was nothing," I said out of embarrassment with a slight blush on my cheeks. "I only did what I had to, right?"
"Are you kidding? You were literally the highlight!" Chris said. "Back there, against Wulfrock, you were amazing! I never had any idea you were so strong, Adam!"
"Ja! You practically gave me goosebumps!" Nolan said haughtily. "Never before had a battle of bruisers been so intense!"
Jokingly, I asked Nolan "And how exactly do you feel goosebumps when you're a literal sword and shield?"
Nolan simply laughed at my quip, before saying "Du bist sehr witzig, Herr Adam. Sehr witzig."
Josh chuckled as well before he then gave me a playful fist bump on my arm. "You shouldn't be selling yourself short, Adam. Your victory was the morale boost we all needed."
"It was?" I asked skeptically.
"Yeah. It convinced the both of us that we needed to up our game if we were to catch up with you," Rose admitted. "Heh, I can still hear your roars to the crowd after the match was over."
I chuckled a little as I sheepishly tried to hide my embarrassment. "Well…uh, you're welcome."
"Yeah, but Josh, you were perhaps the biggest surprise," Cross admitted as he looked at my brother. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone fight while they were out cold before. What happened there?"
Josh had to think about that one, since it would appear this was something he was not completely aware about. After thinking about it for a minute, he ended up saying "I don't know. I don't think I've ever done anything like that before in my life."
"Did you even check the replays?" Chris asked curiously.
"Multiple times after I lost," Josh said. "The thought that I could actually be so strong while unconscious is unlike anything I have ever seen."
"Well, look on the bright side," Nolan said enthusiastically. "At the very least, we all gave our best efforts."
"It's a shame that we lost, though," Rose said as she looked at Team Calibur. "You guys helped us out immensely, but I guess our best wasn't good enough."
Josh gently patted Rose's back, and as she looked at him, Josh gave an encouraging smile to brighten her mood. This seemed to have worked, as Rose started to smile once again as she looked at him. But then, she gasped and said "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" She then rummaged at the box that contained the cake, which she was able to carry carefully by a sash she had holstered over her shoulder. She picked up the package, and told Team Calibur "We should probably eat this while it's still fresh, right?"
Just the thought of the cake made my stomach growl. "Now that you mention it, I could definitely go for a bite to eat after today," I stated while rubbing at my belly.
"Well, in that case, I say we should hold a party," Cross stated. He then raised an arm in the air and shouted "Let's go and get some food at Chateau Damascus!"
"Oh no," I said with a glare. "We are not going to be wasting our allowance money over something so expensive."
"But we had a good time yesterday," Nolan insisted. "We definitely should celebrate!"
"Uh, last I checked, it was Nick that catered us," I argued. "And he was hosting a party of 10 at the table!"
"I don't see the problem," Chris shrugged.
"That's because you haven't seen the bill!" I shouted. "If anything, we should go to someplace less pricey, since we're not exactly filled with cash at the moment."
"Like what?" Rose asked curiously.
"Only one place seems to be within our price range," I said with a grin. "I vote we make dinner reservations at Hotel Casa del Suicune!"
"Adam, please," Cross said as he looked at me. "Today is a special occasion. And I vote we go to Chateau Damascus."
"No, we're going to Casa del Suicune!" I argued.
"Chateau Damascus!" Cross insisted.
"Casa del Suicune!" I argued back.
The both of us simply kept on going back and forth with this argument for a few seconds, glaring at each other over which area we should host a celebratory party. Without any leeway into where we should go, we both turned to the direction of where Josh was at, shouting "Josh!" However, when we looked at where Josh was at originally, he appeared to have simply vanished, much to our immediate surprise.
I was almost uneasy about Josh leaving the five of us so suddenly, so I asked Rose "Where's Josh?"
"He said he had someplace to be, so he's going to meet up with us later," Rose answered.
I groaned as I realized that I probably wasn't going to win this argument against Cross without Josh's input, and lowered my head in shame. "I don't believe this…" I grumbled.
"Look, as much as I liked the food at Chateau Damascus, I think it should be appropriate we go to Casa del Suicune because, let's face it, we're not exactly loaded with Poké like Adam said," Rose argued towards Cross. "Plus, we get to have ourselves a cake after dinner."
"Of course, but…" Cross tried to argue back.
"In the real world, Cross," Rose stated intensely. "Chris, Nolan, and I have lives outside the game, you know. And food is a part of that life. So…" Rose then handed over the cake to me, before saying "Once Chris, Nolan and I have our fill, we'll meet you in the hotel. Simple as that."
Cross sighed deeply, before he too lowered his head in shame, groaning deeply that he wouldn't get to dine on fancy cuisine tonight. Nolan soon patted Cross's shoulder, before telling him "There there. If we make it to the hotel, our avatars will spawn in there once we log back in. Simple as that."
"…You're right," Cross admitted, before he then perked himself back up. "Very well! Team Calibur, we march on to Hotel Casa del Suicune! Log out, get something to eat, then log back in! We will feast upon our spoils of war upon your return!"
"We weren't in a war, Cross," I mumbled, but he simply ignored me.
Cross then raised his arm up high, and shouted "Go and give your hearts, Team Calibur! Viva la Vida!"
Chris and Nolan raised their arms up as well, and shouted back "Viva la Vida!" And all at once, Team Calibur all started running off towards the direction of the hotel, leaving both me and Rose by ourselves at the entrance of the stadium.
Rose gave a laugh at Cross's antics again, before asking me "Are you coming?"
"Oh! Uh, sure!" We both then walked over to the hotel together by ourselves. During the walk, I ended up asking Rose "So…where did Josh wander off to?"
"I'm not sure," Rose pondered. "He just said he was going to meet up with us later and left in a hurry."
"Well, wherever he is, I hope he hurries, otherwise there won't be any cake left," I said jokingly as I looked at the cake.
Rose smiled at me, before saying "I'm sure he's probably meeting up with either Lucian or Nick. Just give him time, Adam."
Volt sat quietly by himself in the waiting lobby of the stadium. He thought deeply about his position as the leader of the Solace Guild. About his connections with Rin and Wulfrock. About his recent victory against Josh, as hollow as it was. And perhaps, he was beginning to put into question what it truly meant to be a leader.
As he was watching the replay of his battle with Josh on the monitor, he watched closely on how Josh acted after he was knocked out. He saw how the Lucario simply rose back up, firing an Aura Sphere towards his direction in retaliation. Josh's eyes were glowing blue, but his whole body was essentially moving on auto-pilot.
This ultimately made Volt curious as he looked at Josh on the monitor, recognizing how Josh seemed to be acting not of his own accord, but rather out of an instinctual need to survive. But as he kept on replaying the video footage, he was still baffled as to why Josh had this power inside of him, but never knew to use it consciously. Thinking he's going nowhere with this research, he groaned, and turned off the monitor.
"There's a perfectly valid explanation, you know," Lucian said behind Volt. As Volt turned to him, he saw that the Meowstic was sitting on the table, reading the book "Firestarter" as he spoke. Lucian smiled, closing the book in his paws as he decided to be serious with Volt in this discussion. "The way I see it, Josh has untapped potential. He just needs to find a reason to let it out."
"That doesn't really help my case, here," Volt stated bluntly. Once he walked over to the Meowstic, he gave the small feline a slight glare. "Why did he hold himself back like that?"
"You know it as well as I do, Volt," Lucian said with a plain smile. "Josh simply didn't want to harm you."
"Even though Josh was ordered to unleash everything he's got?" Volt questioned. "After all of that training? He knows fully well that I am not the priority here!"
"Exactly," Lucian said. "Which is the very reason why he was holding back until he was out cold. This wasn't about growing stronger for his team's benefit, Volt. He's already seen how Adam and Rose fought. He knows how far they have come since they first started. This was all part of a test. You'll see."
Volt was rather skeptical on what Lucian was saying. "What do you mean 'test?'"
"I don't have to answer that one, Volt," Lucian stated. "You're the one who agreed to this, not me. Why don't you tell me what you think I'm talking about?"
Volt wanted to argue back, to show his dissatisfaction with the way the events of today's match ended up happening. But as he thought carefully about things, he remembered what he promised Josh a week before. About the deal they both made. I made a deal to see if Team Inferno had the strength to back up their claims for pursuing Zeraora. Josh certainly carried a ton of strength, as evidenced by his actions on the battlefield. It was really Adam and Rose I was not so sure about. But still…
He then thought back to when Josh was all bloody after the battle on Mt Ebott. As he looked at Josh, following the visions he was shown by Lucian, he began to feel afraid of what would happen if Josh and I didn't survive. Volt trembled as he thought back to that day.
"You are a leader of the Solace Guild," Lucian argued with him. "I'd say it was important that you act like one."
Volt got irritated by Lucian's sass, and he gripped Lucian at the scruff of fur by his neck and lifted him to his eye level. "Now you listen here, Four-Eyes! I am not one to play coy with the future. You will tell me what it is that you know, otherwise, I'll have to find someone else to run the teleportation business."
Lucian gave a smile, before he said to Volt "You do seem to drive a hard bargain. Very well. I will tell you what I know is in store for your future. No prophecy necessary."
Volt nodded and set Lucian back down. He gave a glance back to the rest of us at the time, witnessing how I was carrying Cross on my back while Josh was being levitated off of the ground by Rin. Rose looked to be scared half to death, while Nolan was simply staring at Volt with a few nervous glances back to his allies. Volt only looked at us for a moment, as he then drew his attention forward, noticing how Chris was petrified still thanks to Lucian's Mean Look. Volt took a moment to stare at how angry Chris was in that instant, almost hating Lucian because of what went wrong. Volt didn't really blame him at first. After all, we all barely managed to make it out of there alive.
After Lucian finished cleaning his glasses, he brought up "As much as I would rather NOT tell you what I know, you seem to be persistent, and would likely beat me to a pulp time and time again in case I end up too vague."
That's putting it mildly, Volt thought as he stared at Lucian intensely.
Lucian sighed before staring at Volt. Holding out his hand, the Meowstic said "Here's what you must do if you want the best outcome for your near future." Volt then grabbed Lucian's hand, and the Meowstic's eyes glowed briefly, before suddenly, the entire world around Volt broke apart as he was then floating through an empty sea of stars with Lucian. Volt gasped as he looked around him, finding that only he and Lucian were the only ones in that place, finding the rest of us suddenly disappeared from sight. Lucian smiled, saying "Everyone always has that reaction whenever I do this. Though, that's only a rare occurrence."
"Where are we?" Volt asked as he looked around, seeing all of the stars that were surrounding them.
"I simply brought you into my mind," Lucian said plainly. "To see exactly what I see."
I'm in his head!? I just thought his abilities were simple smoke and mirrors! Volt was stunned to look at the stars that were surrounding them. However, as he took a closer look, he saw that one of these "stars" was brought before his eyes. Wait…this isn't a star… That's…
The object in front of him looked like a small glowing crystal, complete with what appeared to be an image that was depicting both Rinekai and Wulfrock, glaring intensely. As he gently held his hands below the crystal, seeing it hover over his palms, he asked "What are these?"
"Fragments of the future," Lucian explained. "They depict events that haven't happened yet, whether they will, can, should, or in some cases, are a distinct possibility. Every member of my father's bloodline could see these. However, I am the first in a long time that has such a proficient knowledge over these distinct paths. The closer they are to me, the more likely they will happen. The ones that are farther away are the ones that are the most difficult to accomplish. It is my job as a fortune teller to provide an accurate reading over somebody's future. I can concentrate it better whenever I have a conduit that can enhance my abilities. Like say, for instance, a crystal ball. Or an open fire. Or…I inhabit the vessel of something with refined psychic abilities."
Volt took a surprised look back at Lucian, and all of a sudden, everything began to start making sense. "You mean…you can see these futures because you chose to play as a Meowstic?"
"Yes," Lucian said as he adjusted his glasses. "Most of the time, I insist on using my gifts of foresight to help anyone I can. My sister, in comparison, isn't really as insistent, but we both do what we can to help whenever possible."
Volt scoffed at Lucian's remark. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think that explains why Josh and Cross are critically injured. That Scyther was more than willing to slice that head off of your shoulders because you failed them. I'm more than willing to believe that."
"That's where you're wrong," Lucian interrupted, causing Volt to shut up. As Lucian looked at the fragment in Volt's hands, he explained "I can see not just specific futures. But every future. Millions upon millions of possibilities, all within my grasp. Which is why…I always feel terrible when some of these futures fail to be met."
"Huh?" Volt turned towards Lucian curiously, and he saw that Lucian seemed to be rather anxious about something. This was the first time he has ever seen the Meowstic to be rather worried, so he asked him "What futures did you see?"
Lucian adjusted his glasses, before he then pointed towards the small crystal fragment in Volt's hands. "That future you hold in your hands is what will happen if you continue to be stubborn and refuse to keep to your promises."
"Promises?" Volt questioned. "What do you mean?"
"To the parents of Josh and Adam. To the bigwigs funding your efforts. To Nick. Everyone you have ever owed a promise to, if you fail to keep to them, you will see just what will happen." Lucian then had his eyes glow briefly, before the fragment in Volt's hands began to start glowing brightly, as he then felt like the world around them shifted.
Once Volt opened his eyes, he found himself in the sight of the memorial outside of Talis. There, kneeling beside a large tombstone, were Rin and Wulfrock, setting aside some flowers. Volt walked over to them, wanting to speak to them. "Hey! What's going on here?" he asked.
However, as soon as Volt was about to set a hand by Rin's side, he saw how it instead ended up phasing through her, causing him to gasp and back away in a panic. Lucian took note of this, stating "This is but a vision of something that has yet to happen. They can't see or hear us, Volt."
Volt simply just stood there in awe over how much power Lucian seemed to have. As he calmed himself, he saw both Rin and Wulfrock stand up, with Rin quietly sobbing into John's shoulder. Volt walked forward, as he noticed exactly what it was that they were mourning over, and it ended up scaring Volt into utter shock.
There, on the tombstone, were a list of player's names. And on that list, near the top, he saw a message that read Infernick. The Blue Flame that kept hope alive. Time of death: August 31, 2030.
In fact, all of the names listed were exactly the same time of death. Each name had the added fact of Time of death: August 31, 2030. A whole list of dozens of players all with the same exact time of death. Each player brought up only made Volt's heart race as he almost panicked at the sight of every player that he looked at. And there, right at the bottom, he could see three names.
X-Glaive. The Ivory Blade who inspired others.
BlazeTiger. A caring brother until the end.
And finally… LucarioTrainerJ. A soul who never gave up.
"No…" Volt fell to his knees as both Rin and Wulfrock walked past him, not even noticing his presence. Volt could feel tears start to form as he whimpered and tried to place his hand over the grave. His hand faded through, and he ended up bringing it back as he clutched it to his chest. "H-how did this happen…?"
"I believe you're about to find out," Lucian stated as he brought Volt's attention to Rin and Wulfrock.
There, standing in front of them, was a future version of Volt, his head hung low out of grief. Future Volt took a look over at Rin and Wulfrock, but was met back with intense glares from the both of them. As Volt and Lucian walked up to them to see what was happening, Future Volt sighed as he muttered "I'm sorry, guys…"
"Sorry? SORRY?" Wulfrock soon let go of Rin and looked legitimately ticked off at Future Volt. "Mike, why did you think holding them here was a good idea!? What did you think was going to happen after locking them all up after what happened!?"
Locked up? What the hell did I do? Volt looked at his future self with fear, seeing how he was not even looking at John directly.
Future Volt sighed, before admitting "I just wanted to keep them safe, that's all…"
"Well, you get what you wanted!" Wulfrock yelled angrily. "You locked away three innocent people, and you failed to realize how much the government wanted to shut this game down to stop MCP!"
"Look, I'll admit, I made some mistakes," Future Volt tried to argue. "I didn't think they were serious enough to follow through with those demands!"
"THREE MONTHS, MIKE! They said we had three months! And these are government officials we're talking about! These are not some random nobodies who make vague threats, these are real, dangerous, and powerful people! They know how dangerous MCP is! There's no telling what would've happened after they were locked away!"
"John, calm down," Rin said as she patted Wulfrock's arm. Once she looked over at Future Volt, she stated "What we're saying is that this was perhaps the biggest mistake you could've made, Mike."
"If that's so, why didn't you guys try to oppose me?" Future Volt questioned out of pity. "If you both knew what was going to happen, why didn't you say something?"
"We did," Rin said intensely. "Over and over again, we insisted that you back down, but you chose not to. And Nick even said that this was a bad idea, did he not? Since when have you ever questioned his leadership?"
"The moment he suggested that I send those boys to their deaths out there," Future Volt reasoned. Sighing deeply, he admitted "I didn't want to lose them. Not after…"
"Not after what, Mike? Not after what happened with Damon?" Wulfrock barked out. "Mike, you can't be so obtuse like this! Damon is gone! He's dead! He's never coming back!"
Future Volt felt Wulfrock's biting words, and they cut deep into his emotional state, causing him to wince with every sentence uttered. Wulfrock then crossed his arms, before saying "We wanted to rebel against you. We really did. If Josh, Cross and Adam didn't get to leave, we were going to bring them out ourselves."
They were? Volt took a look over at Wulfrock and Rin, seeing just how devastated they both were. But what made it worse was noticing how Wulfrock placed a paw over his eyes in frustration. They didn't, did they? Did they actually succeed?
Future Volt then shouted "How the hell was I supposed to know somebody was going to break them out? I'm not an expert at this!"
Wait… Someone else broke them out? Who? Why? When? Volt looked back and forth at the conversation, and he ultimately was more puzzled by this than he once thought was possible.
Wulfrock groaned before saying "This lines up with several other players. All vanishing out of thin air and with no discernable explanation."
"Except for this…" Rin then pulled out something that she kept inside of her tail, handing it over to Future Volt. Volt immediately recognized what it was, and it took him by surprise. That's an Entercard! And if this person took them all away, then where did they go?
"When did you find this?" Future Volt asked out of shock.
"A day before the game got temporarily shut down," Rin admitted. "I've looked at those dungeons thoroughly every day since the three of them vanished, and that card was all I could find. Whoever it was, they snuck by undetected, and they ended up knowing how these things work. And unfortunately, they also didn't go without drawing blood…"
Future Volt looked at Rin with concern, but soon enough, he then turned the card over, and right on the corner was a small splotch of dried blood. Both Volt and his future self gasped at the realization that somehow, somebody looked into the underground catacombs beneath Talis, and used this Entercard to vanish completely. But obviously, it wasn't without a fight. As Future Volt looked back at Rin, he asked her "Who's blood is this?"
"Cross's," Rin answered. "We did an analysis after the game was shut down. Cross apparently was fighting back against whoever was trying to take them away."
"But not Josh or Adam?" Future Volt questioned. "Why is that?"
Rin sighed and shook her head. "I'm not sure… But whatever happened, it's not like we can do anything about it now. It's over…"
Volt just stared on in complete disbelief, horrified over the circumstances of what happened here. He took a glance over at his future self, seeing him wanting to speak up, before he then sighed, lowering his head in shame as tears came from his eyes. All that Future Volt could do was grip at the card in his hands, muttering out "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Wulfrock huffed as he averted his gaze from Future Volt. And Volt just stared at the look of anger that John was trying hard to hold back head on. Obviously, this was a vision, so John didn't know that Volt was literally right in front of his gaze, which only made Volt start to regret something that hadn't even happened yet. At least, not in this particular timeline. "Oh John… Rin…"
"Shut up, Mike…" Wulfrock warned. Volt instinctively tensed up, but saw that Wulfrock took a slight glance towards Future Volt. "You don't deserve my pity. It's thanks to you that Josh, Adam and Cross are gone. I thought that once Nick made you leader, you would move on from what happened in Afghanistan." He huffed again, before muttering "Apparently, he was wrong…"
"John, that's enough…" Rin reasoned.
"I…" Future Volt whimpered a little, before he tried to hold back his true feelings once more.
Wulfrock took notice of this, before asking "What, Mike? What else do you have to say?" Volt could tell that Wulfrock was close to snapping, he could tell. However, he never would've guessed what happened next.
Future Volt sighed, before he soon confessed, once again, to hopefully make up for his actions. "I'm sorry…"
All at once, John screamed as he then lunged at Future Volt before lashing out at him with repeated Crush Claw attacks. Future Volt was knocked to the ground, only for Wulfrock to then repeatedly slash at his face over and over again in a rage. Rin tried to do everything she could to hold Wulfrock back, but unfortunately, John just knocked her aside, before he continued his assault on Future Volt.
As Volt was watching his comrade repeatedly beat him down out of rage, he fell to his knees, clutching his head to try and block out the sights and sounds of what he was witnessing. He was horrified. The imagery was too intense for him. Pleadingly, he shut his eyes, demanding "Get me out of here! I don't want to see this!"
"This future is the most likely to happen if you choose to keep them all locked up in Talis, Volt," Lucian said calmly. He looked over at the carnage that was taking place, showing a look of pity. "I feel so sorry for you…"
"No! This can't be my future! There has to be another way!" Volt yelled out, as Wulfrock's screams echoed in his head. "Take me out of here!" Volt took a glance at Wulfrock still lashing out at his future self, and it was enough to scare him, before he then screamed out "FOR GOD'S SAKE, AS YOUR COMMANDER, I ORDER YOU TO TAKE ME OUT OF THIS PLACE!"
All at once, everything went silent, as the scenery around Volt changed once more to that strange fragments of the future that Lucian kept in his head. Volt trembled, his breathing becoming ragged, as he lowered his hands onto the nothingness below him. Volt tried desperately to catch his breath, but his arms shook trying to hold him up, sweat beading down his head, his face having gone pale while his eyes were wide with abject horror.
"That future is but one possibility that may happen," Lucian stated out of pity. "However, the only reason it's so detailed and clear to see is because it's one future that is bound to occur. Not because of a lack of trying. But rather…because you are too protective of them. They need to see the world and free themselves, Volt. It is the only way."
Volt looked over at Lucian, not sure if he should trust Lucian's word on this issue. He had just witnessed a terrible future. One that would happen if he failed to fulfill his promises. Failed to uphold his duties. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head down, tears beginning to form as he struggled to breathe. "Why? Why should I trust you, L?"
"Because I know exactly what could be the best outcome for everyone," Lucian said. He then looked up towards one of the crystal fragments, and moved it closer to them. The crystal itself looked rather dull and muted, the image not exactly very clear. However, judging from what the both of them can see on it, it showed a faint image of me and Josh reunited with our mother and father, crying deeply as we were more than overjoyed to return home.
"Why is it so faint?" Volt muttered as he looked at the fragment.
"Because Josh and Adam haven't made it possible to reach this outcome yet," Lucian answered. "This is an outcome that can guarantee their freedom. But unfortunately, there's still a ton of hardships that they must overcome if that were to be possible. I signed up as a part of this game for that very reason, in fact."
This ended up grabbing Volt's interest. As he wiped away his tears, he asked "Can we use this to save them?"
"I can't show them their future outright, Volt," Lucian stated bluntly. "They have to make it happen. And everyone they know should also pitch in to make sure it's possible. It's a difficult road, but if they succeed, then this will be the brightest future imaginable."
Volt likely understood what this could mean, but he wasn't sure if it could be possible as we currently were. He saw how faint this fragment was. If it is possible to reach this future, it would mean I have to make a few big decisions. But…I'm not sure if this is going to be possible through a prophecy. I need details. I have to know how to make this future possible.
Volt nodded his head, and stood back up on his feet. After a deep breath, he then asked "Alright, what do you want me to do?"
Lucian looked at Volt curiously, before asking him "Are you asking for me to give you a prophecy?"
"No," Volt stated as he crossed his arms. "I don't want you sugarcoating anything to me. Tell me, how long do I have to make a contribution to this future?"
Lucian was hesitant at first to admit this, but realizing he didn't have much other option, he relented. "You have over a week. But that's only if you follow every word exactly to the letter."
Volt shook his head. "Not a prophecy. Show me all of the visions of what should be a possibility to guarantee their freedom. Give me visions of everything for the next week, if you have to."
Lucian sheepishly smiled, before saying "You're crazy, sir. I don't know if looking into millions of visions is going to be good for your health."
"I don't care," Volt insisted, much to Lucian's surprise. As Volt took a look at the future that Lucian was holding in his hands, he couldn't help but feel nervous. What if he screws up? What if none of the futures he plans on seeing don't go exactly as intended? He had so many questions, but understanding the risks involved, he told Lucian "It doesn't matter if you show me a million futures or a billion. I want to know the best outcome, and what to avoid if I want to save them in the future. Give me that opportunity. Please."
Lucian was practically stunned as he looked over at Volt. Seeing how he was willing to make that risk was more than enough to take Lucian completely by surprise. The Meowstic smiled wide, before saying "Alright. If you insist. But I must warn you, we may be here a while."
"Good," Volt said. "I can take it. I've been through worse."
Lucian chuckled at Volt's confidence, before plainly stating "We'll see."
Just like that, Volt looked at the various futures that Lucian was willing to show him. Fragment after fragment, he ended up seeing every possible outcome, every route, every detail, every word, every action. All of the actions that he will do over the next week will be what he intends on doing to guarantee our freedom.
It was difficult. There were several futures where he was so horrified that he knew for certain making a wrong choice could be the equivalent of killing us. With so many futures to browse through, Lucian helped guide Volt into what futures led where, and when these events are bound to occur. It was beginning to become so much for Volt to absorb into his brain that he ended up nearly passing out from exhaustion. Lucian even insisted that they should stop, but Volt demanded they kept going. To Volt, every future mattered. Every decision he was bound to make will lead to a proper outcome where we were going to be free.
Volt didn't know how long he was exploring through Lucian's mind. Hours? Days? Weeks? That's what it felt like, but given that Volt kept on going, he made sure to try and distinctly memorize every key moment he could until his brain exploded. Volt wasn't able to memorize every detail, but he knew he had enough information in his head that it was starting to make him get a headache.
Eventually, though, upon reaching this final outcome, at the end of the week that was bound to happen, Volt held up a hand to tell Lucian to stop. Lucian could tell that Volt was exhausted, rubbing at his eyes as he was struggling to contain all of the knowledge in his head. Smiling to himself, Lucian mentioned "Satisfied?"
"I feel like my brain is going to explode…" Volt stated.
"Well, that's what happens when you decide to view millions of futures at once," Lucian said with a shrug. "This is strictly why I'd much rather prefer prophecies. Way less headaches that way."
Volt stood back up on his feet as he clutched at his head. Looking at Lucian, he asked "Now, if I do this right, then we can reach a good future for them?"
"That's the idea," Lucian said. "Now remember, in case you need any help, I'm more than willing to offer my services."
"Just…take me out of this place," Volt insisted as he lowered his hand down. "And if anything, I don't think this is going to work."
"There's always room for doubt, but that's the main reason why I want to help you guys," Lucian said with a smile. He then gripped Volt's hand, before saying "Just remember, any slight variation can result in many different outcomes. You've got to follow this to a tee."
"I don't think I can…" Volt said sternly. "I'm only human after all."
"Eh, same here," Lucian said with a shrug. "But the best thing about life is that you don't have to remember every detail. Only the more important ones. If we all knew what was going to happen, life would be pretty boring."
Volt grinned at Lucian's comment. "I might just have to shut down teleportation services just so I could request your aid."
"I can take a few days off," Lucian said with a smile. "My only real concern is whether or not we can actually reach that good future."
Volt looked up, seeing the faint glow of the future where Josh and I were free. With a look of worry on his face, he added "I sure hope so."
It wasn't long until Lucian's eyes glowed again, and Volt soon found himself back over at Mt Ebott. He stared over behind Lucian, seeing that Chris was petrified. And as he then slowly turned around, he saw the rest of us. Jesus, how long were we in there? But more importantly, how will I know if this plan is going to work?
Once the memory had passed, Volt looked over at Lucian with a few doubts in his mind. "You still haven't answered one question, Lucian," he said.
"Alright. What is it?" Lucian asked curiously.
Taking a deep breath, Volt asked "If I agree to this, will I guarantee they'll be alright? Will that future where they're free finally become clear?"
Lucian adjusted his glasses before saying "You still have doubts? Even despite evidence to the contrary?"
Volt stifled a laugh at that statement, before admitting "I guess you've got me there. These past few days, you've done all you could to help me back home."
Lucian chuckled, before he then removed his glasses and looked at Volt with a smile. "Do you think it will be alright if I explained your absence to your team while Team Inferno were training? They seem to be rather concerned for you."
"Don't bother," Volt said as he looked away with a smile. "I'd rather we don't tell them what we've been doing these past few days. All of this mapping out the future, struggling to see which path led where. I think I'll leave that to a real professional."
Lucian smiled, and bowed his head towards Volt out of pure respect. "Then I leave this next part to you, old friend," he happily said. "Don't disappoint me."
Volt chuckled, before he then said "Why would I want to disappoint-?" However, as he turned back to Lucian's direction, he found that the Meowstic had already teleported away. The only thing that was apparently left behind was the "Firestarter" book. Volt sighed, muttering to himself "Figures."
Just then, a knock was heard on the door, before it suddenly opened. As Volt turned to look at the doorway, he ended up seeing that Josh was there, wanting to speak with him. Volt tensed up, before he then attempted to mask how nervous he was with a serious expression. "What do you want?"
"I, uh… I just came here to talk," Josh admitted nervously. He rubbed at the back of his head, admitting "I just wanted to say that I may have been rather difficult with you, and that may have caused some tension between us over the years. And I just wanted to say…" Josh gulped, before he then looked Volt straight in the eye, his face all tense as he then gave an apologetic bow. "I am sorry, Volt! Please forgive my impudence!"
Volt, deep down, thought that Josh groveling at him was rather charming. But he also was hiding away his true thoughts as he stared at the Lucario bowing down in front of him. You truly are a piece of work. But I'll admit, I kind of admired that about you. You are a strong man, Josh. You just don't know it yet.
Josh then raised himself up, but his head was still held low as he struggled to contain his emotions. As he tensed up, he then said "Well, a deal is a deal. You won. Fair and square. Your orders are what we're going to follow from now on, sir. So, please, if it is alright with you, I'll be more than willing to accept whatever you assign to us. Leave us here. Let us go. Whatever it may be, just know that I think you are worth giving respect towards!"
Volt could tell that Josh was trying whatever he could to hold back tears. Volt couldn't believe he got to finally see Josh at a vulnerable side, subservient to him and willing to follow his orders after all of these years. It was more than Volt could ever hope for.
Volt then looked at the book that was left on the table, recognizing the title "Firestarter" on the cover. However, as he took a closer look, he saw what looked like a small note that was left sticking out for him to notice. As Volt turned away from Josh, pretending to not care for Josh in the slightest, he took this as an opportunity to see the note in its entirety. Taking out the small slip of paper, he opened it, and inside was just a simple quote:
"Life is short and pain is long and we were all put on this earth to help each other." – Stephen King, Firestarter
Volt smiled at the quote, and closed the paper. He breathed deeply in, and stared up at the ceiling. He knew what he wanted to say in that instant. He was afraid of what will happen after he does say what was on his mind, but deep inside, he knew that this was the right call. Lucian, I hope this plan of ours works.
As Volt turned back towards Josh, seeing how tense he was as he looked at him, Volt stood tall and crossed his arms. With a little restraint in his voice, he fought the urge to back out, knowing what will happen if he did. Before long, though, he held his head up high, and said only one thing. "Three months…"
Josh was surprised to hear that come from Volt, and looked at him with slight confusion. "Excuse me?"
Volt gritted his teeth, struggling to get the words to come out. But soon, he pulled through. "Three months. That's how long you'll have to complete this mission I'm giving you."
"What mission?" Josh asked curiously.
Volt sighed, and lowered his arms. As he averted his gaze, struggling to admit to himself what to say, he once more reminded himself Josh and Adam are counting on you. Don't back out now.
After taking a deep breath, he admitted to Josh "I'm assigning you two major objectives. The first, and main objective, is to find a means to escape from this world alive. The second…" He struggled to let the words out, but he saw how Josh was looking at him, and he knew he shouldn't be holding back. Soon, he ended up saying "The secondary objective, I'm assigning you, Team Inferno, and Team Calibur something important."
"Important? W-what?" Josh stammered.
Volt sighed. "I…want you to find, and defeat Zeraora. And I want you to use any means necessary to either capture or destroy him."
Josh was taken aback by this news, and he was just stunned beyond belief. "Are you serious?"
Volt nodded silently, as much as it pains him to admit the truth of the matter.
Josh smiled, before he then stifled a laugh at Volt's bravery in this instance. He was close to the brink of tears, but he took a breath and said "I won't fail you, Mike. I promise."
Volt chuckled, before he then walked up to Josh, saying "Just Volt is fine. And usually, you salute if you wish to honor your superior officer."
Josh was then quick to make an embarrassing laugh as he then remarked "Why give a salute to someone who is technically ex-military? I thought it didn't matter to you?"
"Well, it matters to me now," Volt admitted. He then glared at Josh menacingly, before saying "The longer I look at you, the more I'm beginning to realize how much of a pain in the neck you've always been. As your commanding officer, I suggest you get a move on. The mission I'm assigning you will be requiring every capable hand I've got. But in your case, I want you to stay out of my sight until you manage to complete your mission."
"R-really?" Josh stammered nervously. "Uh…why so suddenly?"
"Because I don't ever want to see your face in Talis again, do you understand, Josh?" Volt retorted.
However, Josh, upon hearing Volt mention him by name again, he couldn't help but be stunned over Volt's words. "You just…referred to me as Josh just now…"
Volt was starting to get pretty hot-headed, before he then shouted out "I-I don't know what you're talking about! You're just as annoying as ever, Josh! Get out of my sight!"
"There you go again!" Josh pointed out with a smile on his face. "You just called me Josh again, even though you're mad!"
"Don't make me repeat myself!" Volt yelled bitterly. "You have your orders! Now get out of my sight, and out of this town! Don't make me see you again!"
Josh confidently smiled as he then said "As you wish!" He then made his way towards the door, ready to leave Volt by himself. Volt turned away as he leaned forward against the table, trying to steady himself. As Josh looked back at him, he could tell that the fiery passion Volt had smothered away was starting to burst forth. With a smile, he then said "Volt? Thank you."
"LEAVE!" Volt yelled at the top of his lungs as he pointed at the door.
Josh smiled as he then left without saying another word. Once Volt was once again alone in that room, he huffed a sigh of relief, glad that he finally got that done and over with. He slouched forward, trembling as he fought the urge to shed tears. He took a moment to sit down, and contemplate things. Deep inside, he knew that Josh and I deserved to be free. The most difficult part for him was that he raised us for so long, it was going to be difficult just to let us go. He couldn't just show his vulnerable side to Josh, because he needed to show how much he had authority over the town. But as he thought back at the good times we shared together, he began to truly realize he simply didn't if he had it in him to really let us go.
With a strained smile, he muttered "I guess I couldn't bear looking at you like a father… Please, make me proud."
Little did Volt know, that Josh overheard Volt's words from behind the door. He could sense that Volt was troubled. Feeling a little bit of pity for him, Josh almost felt compelled to waltz back in there and give Volt a hug. However, instead, he chose to give Volt some personal space, to really let his big decision sink in, before walking away.
Josh was indeed happy to be able to go out of Talis again. However, deep inside, he couldn't help but think that Volt needed some cheering up. He wished that he could say something. ANYTHING to make sure that Volt was alright.
Josh began to feel a little upset that he was going to leave Volt like this. Maybe I liked you more than I thought…