Talis was bustling with activity, with several various players talking about the tournament that took place not too long ago. Well, they call it a tournament, even though all that took place were three exhibition matches, at best. Regardless, it helped to garner attention as an official tag-team tournament took place a couple of days after we left.

Rinekai and Wulfrock were working together perfectly, syncing up their attacks with each other in perfect harmony. The final match was between them and an opposing team, which were a Haxorus and Goodra, known as Team Dragonheart. It was down to the wire, but Rin and John both ended up using up a combo move by mixing the Z-Moves Splintered Stormshards and Inferno Overdrive together. The moves ended up striking hard against their opponents, and after a massive explosion that shook the entire arena, both the Haxorus and Goodra were on the ground, defeated.

Yamatochi the Hydreigon, who was referee during the tournament, inspected both members of Team Dragonheart, before he then announced "Team Dragonheart is unable to battle. The victors of the final match of this tournament are Team Delta!"

"And we have our winners, ladies and gentlemen!" Eccho the Loudred announced. "Once again, Team Delta managed to claim victory in this arena! Let's give a big round of applause to our reigning champions!"

The audience gave a big round of cheers and applause for the match, which was clearly bolstered by Wulfrock's wild personality in battle. He gave a howl of victory to the crowd, waving to them with a big smile on his face. Rin, meanwhile, was far more reserved, twirling the stick she carried in her paw before sticking it back into her tail, and giving a bow to the crowd.

The pair then approached the Goodra and Haxorus, who were able to get back up and recover. The Haxorus ended up saying "You guys are the real deal. I didn't think you were that tough."

"Well, you never know until you see it for yourself, right?" John asked with a grin. Holding out a paw, he then said "Good match!"

The Haxorus nodded his head and shook John's paw in earnest. The Haxorus soon chuckled, admitting "After losing to BlazeTiger a couple of days ago, I was curious if the mad dog had lost his bite. I guess I was proven wrong."

"Hey, it was just a test of strength," Rin said sternly. "Team Inferno are pretty tough. They don't go down easy."

"That's good to hear," the Goodra said with a smile. "Let them know that we're rooting for them, alright?"

Rin and John were surprised to hear that statement, but they both decided to accept their support, and more importantly, were able to just smile and just go through the remainder of the tournament without any further comments. They got their prize of numerous TMs and further funding for the guild, as well as got the chance to meet with several fans for autographs and interviews. However, most of the interview questions were less about their match, but more about the whereabouts of Team Inferno, how we have their support, and how they are willing to wish in enlisting with the Solace Guild themselves in order to assist us in any way they can.

Eventually, John and Rin went into the guild and they both sighed as they made their way further through the hallways and into the records room. The building itself seemed to have gathered a plethora of requests and fan letters that were all brought into the room itself, stacked up in a rather large pile.

Rin started to sort through the letters while John was leaning against the wall, before he soon fell down to the floor and groaned a little. "I don't think we've had this much attention before, eh, Rin?"

Rin sighed. "I don't think this is a matter of us getting attention, but rather Team Inferno apparently needing some support. You heard me say in interviews that we were giving our support to them, right?"

"Yeah, and Mike has his hands full as it is." John took a deep breath, and he ended up thinking back on what happened the following morning after the tournament. "Finally, Mike made good with his promise."

Rin stopped sorting letters, and looked over at John with a little bit of worry. "I still think it would be alright if we went with them. Those boys are still young and inexperienced."

"They are both over 20 years old, Rin," John stated. "They can take care of themselves. We need them to grow and mature without our supervision for once."

Rin smiled at that comment. "Experience with your daughter, I take it?"

John chuckled at the thought, before he sincerely added "Yes, actually. I mean, Lucile is aware that I spend a lot of time in this game helping you guys with issues, and every night, I would spend time with her."

"Isn't that a little selfish of you?" Rin asked with sincerity. "Leaving your daughter alone every day, only to spend every night playing with her? She seems to want to be there for you."

John's smile faded a little as he began to feel a little bit ashamed of himself. "Now that you mention it, yeah. I guess you're right." He soon got up onto his feet, before mentioning to Rin "I guess I could always tell Mike I could take a small vacation, and spend some time with my family."

Rin smiled as she patted John's arm. "I'll be there for you when you make that announcement, alright?"

John nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Rin."

The pair soon left the records room with the work they were assigned, since they were having to work overtime after all of the other teams had their leaders sent up to Volt's office. Volt apparently wanted to start off on fulfilling his promises, and he was requesting each of the teams in the guild their respective assignments.

But then, as they were trying to get through the crowd, the pair were approached by a sudden pair of players in cloaks. The Cinderace of the pair waved to Rin and John, asking "Excuse me? Uh, this is the Solace Guild, right? Home of Team Inferno?"

Rin sighed a little before she gave a glare towards the Cinderace. "Yes. This place housed Team Inferno."

The Cinderace was pumped when he heard that news. "Yes! Josh and Adam are here! I am so excited! But also nervous! An excited-nervous combo…" The Cinderace was practically shaking from the news. "Ooh… It's been years. Do you think Josh could recognize me?"

"I have no doubt, given your personality," the Cinderace's partner said, complete with a cloak over his head.

"Wait, hold on…" John then looked over at the pair. "Years?" He and Rin looked at each other briefly in disbelief, before they both looked back at the pair of strangers. "Uh...who are you guys?"

"And moreover, you both know Josh and Adam personally?" Rin followed.

The Cinderace nodded his head while he had this big smile on his face. "Yeah! I was once Josh's teammate, once upon a time!"

This sudden news shocked both Rin and John, prompting the Braixen to drop the letters she was carrying. The Cinderace was a little confused by this behavior, and asked "Uh…are you two alright?"

Meanwhile, Volt was discussing the COA for each of the leaders of the teams within the guild. Each one were specialized in different fields and attributes, which would be of great importance for exploration. As Volt looked over them, he stated "I know that Team Inferno were given the task of finding the source of why they're trapped in this game, but that is the reason why I need you all to support them. Indirectly, of course. Which is why I have done everything in my power to make sure that we all divide and search every nook and cranny of this game until either we locate and apprehend Zeraora, or we are able to locate the source of Team Inferno's current situation. Your assignment for each of your teams is to investigate different regions for the purpose of searching for the source. We don't know what it looks like physically, but we know for a fact that this is our main target. So, I'm assigning you your duties, and I'm expecting you all play your part." He held out several folders, giving the assignments one by one to each team.

Username: Sambaqua Species: Quaquaval Team: Riptide

Username: Geolift Species: Archeops Team: Aviator

Username: Evergreen Species: Tsareena Team: Arbor

Username: Lunaris Species: Florges Team: Lunar

Username: SandWyrm Species: Garchomp Team: Quake

"Luis, I'll have your team investigate the northern oceans," Volt ordered, giving a folder to the Quaquaval.

"Yes, sir," Luis replied, bowing his head with a stoic expression. He took his folder and slicked his hair (or feathers, you could say) back while giving a cheeky grin towards Evelyn, the Tsareena, which she couldn't help but scoff at.

Volt continued. "Marcus, you are to investigate with your team on the northern part of the continent among the towns of Nohr, Hongshui, and Kamiga. Check each town and guarantee your results if you discover anything in or around them."

The Archeops was the one who picked up these orders, who smiled and nodded his head. "We'll do our best, sir!"

Volt then looked at the Evelyn the Tsareena and Juniper the Florges equally. "Juniper, Evelyn, I want you both to investigate the forest regions on the north and south respectively. Your teams should do just fine, if I'm being honest."

Both Evelyn and Juniper smiled and gave their salutes. "Aye aye, sir!" they both said together. They then looked at each other before smiling at each other and holding hands. Luis looked away with a groan and placed his hand (wing?) over his face over how Evelyn seems to be teasing him with implications of something going on between the two ladies. The Garchomp in the room couldn't help but snicker at the display.

"Klaus," Volt barked out, grabbing the Garchomp's attention. "Your team is to investigate the western desert and canyons. And I'm expecting you to search both high and low for anything unusual, capiche?"

The Garchomp nodded, grabbing his folder without saying a single word.

"And finally…" Volt sighed, staring at the Meowstic in the room. "Lucian…"

"You want me to investigate the southeast, with the towns of Viribus and Volcanica," Lucian interrupted, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "You didn't need to tell me, sir. I know what you want me to do."

Volt grumbled under his breath. "Just take the folder and assemble your team…"

Once Lucian took the last folder off of the desk, Volt looked at all of them with a sense of superiority. "You will all depart once you assemble your teams. Take extra caution out there, because this game is known to be full of surprises. I'm expecting all of you to do your best out there and to follow your orders to a tee. Do I make myself clear?"

All of the team leaders shouted out "Sir, yes, sir!"

Volt smiled for a bit, before he then declared "Alright! You are all dismissed."

All six of the team leaders ended up leaving the main office one at a time, ready to carry out their orders. Amidst the group, Luis mentions to Evelyn "You are such a real pain in the neck, you know."

"Oh, hush! You just don't know how to look past your reflection in the mirror," Evelyn stated.

Klaus let out a big laugh as he patted Luis on the back. "I hope you know how to put out that flame, because you just got burned!"

"No I have not! Shut up!" Luis argued back, inciting even more laughter among the crowd.

The only ones left in the office as the conversation continued in the hallway were Lucian and Volt. The Electric-type took notice of him, and asked "What is it?"

"I have a sneaking suspicion that the future is going to be taking a drastic turn in a while, my friend," Lucian said with a serious tone. "My advice to you is to know exactly who you should trust when the chips are down."

"I'll have you know that I trust every single team in this guild with my life," Volt reasoned.

"Yes, but let's not forget, both Luis and Klaus were a part of this guild before you became leader," Lucian said. "Everyone else only joined because of the Zero Isles affair."

"And your point being? Do you have something explicit to tell me, or are you just going to be cryptic as usual?" Volt asked.

Lucian stared at Volt for a good while in relative silence, not even changing his facial expression. But before long, he adjusted his glasses and said "There's going to be a storm coming, Volt. You have to prepare for it. That is all." He then started walking out of the office, before mentioning "You chose the far more difficult path for yourself. But sometimes, it's the road with the bigger challenges that give the greater rewards." He took one more look at Volt, smiling at him, before he then closed the door behind him.

Volt was alone once more in his office, sighing to himself as he thought about Lucian's words. After taking a seat, he stared at the ceiling, and his thoughts were brought to the future vision which he was thankfully able to avoid. The mental image of seeing Josh and Adam dead and buried was such a cold shock for him that he needed a breather before he could get to where he is now. And now, here he is, about to place all our lives at risk for the benefit of a good future.

His train of thought was soon interrupted when he heard a knocking at the door. Calming himself, he sat up on the chair, and said "It's open. Come on in."

Entering the office were both Rin and John, and they both looked a little bit more anxious than he would've thought. Concerned for his team, he assured them "Look, if it's about Team Inferno and Team Calibur, I can assure you they will be fine. They can take care of themselves." At least, I hope they do.

"Uh…about that," John said in an uneasy tone of voice. "There's someone here who wishes to speak with you about Team Inferno in particular."

Volt was close to bringing up how he isn't in the mood for recruitments, but Rin interrupted by saying "Sir, please! I think they're worth considering."

Volt sighed, not wanting to argue with Rin and John. He waved his hand to signal for them to let their guests in, and soon enough, the pair of explorers that Rin and John met in the entrance were present in the office as well. Volt took note of the fact they both wore cloaks, with the Cinderace clearly keeping his hood down.

The Cinderace was nervous, rubbing at the back of his head anxiously before mentioning "Uh…so… You've been keeping an eye on ol' Josh and Adam, right?"

"That depends," Volt argued. "Now, who are you?"

The Cinderace bowed his head, before greeting with "BlitzAce. And this is my partner."

The cloaked figure placed a paw over his chest, saying "Canis. Though, when I first heard your name, I was surprised it was actually you, three years ago."

This gave Volt a moment of pause, as he felt like the voice was distinctly familiar. Moreover, he noticed that the paw was black and with a spike on the back of it. Volt tensed up, not quite sure what is happening, until he then asked "Who are you people? Be discreet with me, please."

The Cinderace looked to his partner, giving him a nod. Canis then took the effort of removing the hood of his cloak, revealing his appearance to be that of a Lucario. He then bluntly told Volt "I'm just a man who's trying to rescue his children."

Volt recognized the look of the Lucario's eyes. Unlike Josh, these eyes looked far more experienced, and moreover, determined. The Lucario in particular spoke with an air of authority, like he was probably older in age. Volt gasped as he recognized who he was talking to. Jolting up from his seat, he stammered "Y-you are…"

"My real name is David Benson," Canis introduced himself calmly. "Now, where are Josh and Adam? Where are my boys?"

Chapter 51: Eastward Bound

I got up at around 9 AM and got ready for the day. I took some time getting some breakfast while I looked at the messages that were left behind by my friends. I saw that Chris was writing to me as a voice of Josh, Adam, and Cross all at once, since neither of them seemed to be able to access their menus to send messages to their friends.

The most recent message from Chris seemed to read "Josh and Adam are waiting for you. They're making a breakfast for the group as well. Don't take too long."

I couldn't help but smile at the thought, and I hurried to finish up my breakfast. Once I did, I went over to the restroom and did what I could to get ready. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and even tidied up my appearance to look at least somewhat presentable.

But just as I had finished tidying myself up, I heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it!" I shouted to let my parents know I was heading for the door.

I ran down towards the front door, and I ended up opening it. On the other side was a young girl around my age, with green eyes, her dark hair in braids, and an overly cheerful personality to match her clothes, which were bright and colorful. "Hey, Rose!" she greeted.

I was rather happy to see her. "Chloe!" I said with joy as the two of us hugged each other.

Chloe and I were friends for a long time, ever since we were in 6th grade. She not only was the most cheerful and bubbly personality in our friend group, but she also happens to be the leader of the old team that I was a part of, Team Radiance. We went on a few adventures in PMDO after she suggested we all spend some time together in a game we could all have fun with. I didn't exactly see much of the appeal at first.

The only reason I wanted to keep playing the game was because of my friends insisting I try it out. That, and the fact that Gabe was part of a team in the game as well was more than enough reason for me to stick with the game, so that I could join up with his team.

That reality, sadly, never happened… I don't think I need to explain myself any further than that.

Still, I allowed Chloe to come inside, and she told me that apparently, after a bit of an argument, she relinquished her position of team leader to our friend, Serena. I was taken aback by that. "You're kidding…?"

"I wish I was," Chloe said with a playful smile. "But Serena managed to outvote me for team leader, and we were left with a bit more of a mundane routine. She finds us a mission, we get it done, end of story." Chloe soon sighed as she sat down on the sofa right next to me. "I honestly miss those old days…"

"Wait, outvoted?" I questioned. "Last I checked, I left the team not too long ago."

"I know, but I insisted we get ourselves a new teammate shortly after you left," Chloe said out of embarrassment. "I hope you don't mind…"

Obviously, I was taken aback by Chloe bringing this up. She missed having me around. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for just leaving them out of nowhere.

I placed my hand over hers and said "Hey, it's alright. I know you miss me, but I have other things to worry about now."

Chloe smiled at how I was comforting her. However, she then said "I know. Team Inferno." Chloe then perked herself up, saying "Oh, Serena and I ended up seeing your tournament! We thought you were incredible out there!"

I couldn't help but blush as she said this. "Yeah, but I still lost… I have a long way to go, apparently."

"Hey. Don't think about it too hard. You are a great fighter, Rose. Don't let your past hold you back, and look into the future!" Chloe ended up nudging me a little, before saying "Like finding someone special to be with."

I couldn't help but giggle at her suggestion. "Chloe, I'm not really looking for love, you know."

"But wasn't that the reason you left us behind before? Because you wanted to be with…" She paused, not wanting to bring up Gabe's name out of fear of upsetting me. She looked away awkwardly, mentioning "You know…"

"Chloe, I have to find my own path, and to that, I need to be there for my current team," I explained. "Josh and Adam are still trapped in that world. I want to be there to help them."

"Because you love one of them?"

The shock of that sudden statement made me feel flush with conflicting emotions that I possibly couldn't describe. I started to sweat as my face blushed a bright red. Sadly, Chloe took notice of my emotions and gasped. "Oh, my God! You love one of your teammates!"

"What!? No I don't!" I tried to argue back out of embarrassment. "You're crazy! Josh is just my teammate! Nothing more!" I held my hand up to my mouth by the moment I said that, only making my embarrassment more apparent. Oh no! Why did I say that out loud!?

Chloe couldn't help but be giddy at the idea that I had a crush on Josh. I hadn't even seen what he looked like in real life, but all of those days training with him and sharing conversations with him made me realize how lonely and isolated he tends to be. I felt sorry for him, alright? Do I feel sorry for him?

"Rose, I had no idea you were in love with the Lucario of all people!" Chloe said excitedly. "I thought you would fall for the Incineroar?"

"Adam is different…" I told her. "He doesn't seem as focused as Josh, and he also isn't the most relaxed at a given situation." I then glared at her, and shouted "Why am I saying this? They are my team! I respect their boundaries!"

"Yeah, of course you do," Chloe teased. "You are probably a furry in secret, aren't you?"

"Says the Lopunny in the room," I teased back. "You were always so adamant on wearing bunny ears at conventions, and you told me that you were a sucker for muscular furry characters."

Chloe's turn to blush profusely now. "Hey! Shut up!" She then reached for a pillow and gently smacked me with it. We both laughed over our playful banter together. It reminded me of the old days we spent together before PMDO even launched. I can't help but be happy to remember that Chloe and I are still friends.

Just then, I got a message on my phone, and I soon looked at it to see what it read. It was another message from Chris, and it read "Are you going to log in? Josh seems really eager to get a move on once you log in."

I couldn't help but sigh as I put my phone away, telling Chloe "Damn… Look, Chloe, I have to go. My team is traveling in the game and refuse to leave without me."

"Aww! How romantic!" Chloe said with a sweet voice.

I giggled a little, before telling her "It's not a romance. The relationship is strictly platonic. We are just friends. Nothing more."

"Okay, if you say so." Chloe then got up from the couch and quickly realized "Oh, I forgot to give you something! Hold on!"

I was curious what Chloe wanted to give me, but she soon opened up her bag and pulled out a small box covered in wrapping paper. I could take a guess what this was all about. Taking the present, I asked "What is it?"

"A little present from us to you," Chloe said, referring to both herself and Serena. "Consider it an early birthday gift."

I couldn't help but be touched by her kindness. "Thanks, Chloe!" I soon gave her a hug, and told her "I'll open this up when I finally turn 19, though. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Really? Why not open it up now and be done with it?" Chloe asked.

"Hey, my birthday is only two days away, so I want to save it for later," I explained. I gave Chloe one last hug, before telling her "Anyways, thanks for coming over."

"Anytime, Rose," Chloe said with a smile. "Just be sure to keep an eye on your team, alright? Both of them."

I knew she was probably referring to not just my current team, but the team I once shared with her. I smiled and nodded, and guided her back to the door. Once she was going down the entryway, I waved goodbye, and told her "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Alright! Now go and spend some time with your boyfriend already!" Chloe said in a teasing manner.

"Not my boyfriend!" I retort, before closing the door after a final wave goodbye.

Once I was back inside, I sighed, looking over the gift that Chloe gave me. I was planning on saving this for later, of course. After all, where's the fun in a birthday present without the buildup on what it could possibly be?

Once I went up to my room and set the gift down next to my bed, I heard my Mom yell from downstairs "Honey, we're going to be at the vet! Call us if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay, Mom! Take care!" I yelled back.

Once Mom and Dad were finally out of the house, I had practically the whole afternoon off to myself. I got a little giddy with excitement over what today was going to bring for us in the game, so I eagerly put on the headset, booted it up, and began to lay down flat on the bed. The time read 10:00 AM. Once I relaxed, I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I then said the phrase "Connect: Start!" And just like that, my vision turned pure white before calibrating my senses, and then it all turned to black.

When I opened my eyes, the comfort of my bedroom was replaced with the cool interior of a cave, along with what felt like a pile of leaves on my back that I made as a makeshift bed. I was once again in the environment of PMDO as a Roserade.

I soon got up and left the cave where I saw that the day was bright and sunny. Adam and Josh were sitting by a makeshift campfire while also serving up what appeared to be bread battered in milk, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon on a frying pan. Josh was the one that was cooking this up, and he appeared to be just about finished with it as well.

I walked up to my team and asked "So, what's cooking?"

"French toast," Josh answered. "I already gave everyone else some for breakfast this morning, and I was patient enough to wait until you were just about to log in." He then looked at me with a smile before saying "Thanks for texting Chris when you were coming, by the way."

"Oh, it was nothing," I said plainly. "I was busy talking with an old friend of mine, so that's why I was running a bit late." I soon sat down by the fire, before I then looked around curiously to find that Cross and the others were not present. "Where's Cross?"

"He and the others went to go gather some supplies for when we continue traveling," Adam answered. "They should be back any minute now."

Josh soon finished with the French toast on the frying pan before settling it on a makeshift plate made from a rock with a large leaf wrapped around it. "Done! Go ahead and help yourself."

I eagerly picked up the makeshift plate, before I then asked "Where did you get a frying pan?"

"I requested for some supplies before we left Talis," Josh answered. "Nolan was the one who helped to carry this stuff, since he insisted that he'd be the 'protector of our personal belongings' in his own words."

I giggled a little at Josh's mock German accent as he imitated Nolan. "Well, be sure to tell him 'danke shöen' for me, alright?"

"Of course," Josh said with a smile.

I soon took a bite of the French toast that Josh made earlier, and I could practically feel the sweetness of it melt on my tongue. It was really good, and I couldn't help but it as one of the best things I've ever tasted. "This is really good," I complimented.

"Is it?" Josh asked with intrigue. "Well…it's really nothing special. I just did what I normally do with breakfasts like that, and tried to make it with a…" He paused before looking at me with a blush on his cheeks. He sat there in awkward silence for a moment before he then cleared his throat and calmly said "I'm glad you like it."

Suddenly, I began to remember the conversation I had with Chloe, and how she assumed that I had a crush on Josh. And sure, Josh is socially awkward to a point, but he's genuinely sweet, and caring. And besides, he doesn't like me like that!

Does he?

Adam could tell this scene between us was getting awkward, where he then said "Well, I'd better go and see if Cross is back. I'll keep watch."

Adam got up and soon walked over to the trees where he ended up standing guard, looking over the forest while also keeping the campsite close. To me and Josh, however, all we could tell that Adam was there was the glow of the fire belt he had, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit awkward that he left the both of us here.

It was a long wait, and as I ate more of the French toast, we were both completely silent. Josh just sat there as I ate, no doubt thinking things over on what to do next. Like, maybe he was thinking about where we should be travelling toward, or how I was feeling, or maybe he was focusing on some sort of event that he experienced. I don't know.

But that just made me suddenly think about how Josh was acting earlier when around me, and I could tell that maybe he had feelings towards me. It just made me feel a little awkward, since I just chalked it up to him not knowing how to talk to a girl properly. At least, that's what I'm gathering with this.

But then I thought about how he found a way to constantly cheer me up whenever I felt down. How he comforted me after Gabe's passing. Or how he thanked me and Cross for that concert with Team Requiem. Or perhaps how he gave me a moment to pay my respects, or how he saw that I was struggling with my own independence and gave an encouraging speech.

I looked at Josh, and he seemed a little aloof as he stared up at the clouds. I mean, he's done a lot for me, but that's it. He's kind, honest, and willing to put others above himself. But…why is he so sure of helping others if he's awkward around me? He's never felt that way with other girls, as far as I knew. The flower lady in Talis was like a regular colleague. And Rin, no doubt, runs more of a mentor role.

Does he…? Does he seriously like me? Just as I was thinking that, Josh took a slight glance at me, before he inadvertently looked away in awkward silence, rubbing at the back of his head. This just made my mind race.

Wait… He's shy? Timid? No, he can't be. But what if he…? I soon put the pieces together, and realized he had a crush on me this whole time. My body was tensing up as I felt like this entire moment of awkward silence was only making things weird.

Then, Josh sighed before looking at me and saying "Rose, I was wondering if you…"

"Oh! Wow! Today feels rather humid if you ask me!"

Both Josh and I were shocked at the same time over how awkward that sentence truly was. Why did I say that? WHY DID I SAY THAT!? That was too awkward! He'll know something is up with me for sure, now!

Josh soon cleared his throat and looked away from me as he stared at the fire. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hear some music to pass the time."

"Oh…" I calmed down and internally sighed with relief. "You know any songs?"

"Eh… A few. I try to sing and play leaf whistle whenever I can to get better at them," Josh said.

I felt a little embarrassed over my awkward interaction from earlier, so I just decided to leave those feelings of insecurity locked away as I sat down to listen to him. "Would you like to sing one, at least?"

Josh was a little embarrassed, but he soon put on a brave face and nodded. "Alright. If you insist." He then cleared his throat, and he soon took a deep breath before I got to hear his singing voice. He softly sang out:

Emptiness, tears inside,

On the night before she died

Strong the fire that burns so bright inside of me

Through the years, through it all,

You touch my heart you touch my soul

Never gave up the fight but tonight you'll be free

All the tears in my own heart beating.

But I want you to know.

High the mountain we must climb

So far beyond the ocean's tide

We're torn apart but soon we'll all be home.

And our hearts forevermore entwined

We'll save the night we said goodbye,

No matter where you are, you're not alone.

I was amazed by how he sang that song. Curious, I asked him "What's that song called?"

Almost out of embarrassment, Josh replied with "It's called 'You're Not Alone.' I know, it sounds cheesy, but…"

I smiled as I then told him "I think it sounds great."

Josh was taken aback by my kind words. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I then went to finishing off my French toast, before cheekily saying "Though if you ask me, you sounded a little pitchy."

"What?" Josh blushed and placed his paw by his throat as he felt like I was perhaps the first person who has ever criticized his singing chops.

I laughed a little as he felt awkward, which soon resulted in him sharing a laugh as well. Admittedly, this was rather nice. I honestly thought his singing wasn't that bad. I was just messing with him for laughs.

After the laughter, we both just stared into each other's eyes for a good while. I was a little scared, seeing as I knew that Josh had a crush on me, though I didn't want to be rude to him and break his heart. He was a little bit awkward, so he had no idea how to talk to me in that way, yet.

But that moment of tension was cut short when Adam came barging in and shouting "Cross is back!" And sure enough, the Incineroar was accompanied by the members of Team Calibur close behind him.

Josh and I immediately recoiled and quickly backed away from each other before anyone saw what was up, the both of us in complete silence. Cross could tell that something was up, but chose to keep quiet about it. I knew that was the case, because he's been suspecting me and Josh alone together since we first met him. The others, though, I'm not so sure about. I mean, Adam is oblivious, for starters. But Chris and Nolan? I might need some time to make a consensus about their thoughts on the matter.

Josh handed the frying pan over to Nolan, before saying "Well, we'd better get moving soon. Daylight isn't going to be up there forever."

"Sure, but we have time before we reach Esther. Shouldn't we spend some time preparing ourselves for the fight with Zeraora once we reach him?" Chris suggested.

"He does have a point, Josh," Cross added. "It's probably for the best that we freshen up our techniques."

"Just to be on the safe side," Nolan agreed.

Josh smiled and stood up onto his feet. "Alright. I guess we have some time to kill. Why the hell not?"

"Um, may I have a suggestion?" Adam asked as he raised his hand. "I propose we see what our new gifts from the tournament gave us."

"It was a bunch of exhibition matches, Adam," I said with a smile. "I'd hardly call that a tournament."

"Still, we should at least see what they're like, right?" Adam asked with curiosity. "Like Josh's new Mega Stone, for example! Just imagine how much more power Josh could potentially have when he's Mega Evolved! We'd send Zeraora packing if we had two Mega Evolved Pokémon on our side, wouldn't you agree?"

Josh thought about this for a bit, pulling out the Lucarionite he received from Nick as a prize from the tournament we were in just a couple of days ago. He seemed a little intimidated by the gift, but nonetheless curious like the rest of us. He then stared at Cross, asking "You think I have what it takes?"

"I'd say so," Cross replied. "Especially after what you demonstrated? I'd say go for it!"

We were all encouraging for Josh to at least try out the Lucarionite. Soon enough, Josh conceded, and said "Alright. Let's give it a shot."

"Yes!" Cross stated with joy. "Let's prepare the battlefield! Chris, Nolan, let's clear the camp!"

All at once, Team Calibur all worked together to help clear up the campsite. All the while, Josh soon turned to me and asked "Rose, how would you like to act as the referee?"

I honestly couldn't care less, but I decided to go with it anyways. "Alright. That seems fair."

In Esther, there was a silent watcher of the town, keeping an eye out for everything that surrounded the area. Up at the highest point of the town was a single Greninja, overlooking everything that the townspeople were doing. As he stood there, he was then greeted by his teammate, a Staraptor, who ended up flying up to him with some info.

"Hatori," the Staraptor began. "Report."

"What did you discover?" the Greninja, Hatori, asked his teammate.

"As it turns out, Zeraora hid himself a little too well," the Staraptor continued. "We couldn't find anything on the usual routes of the mountain."

Hatori thought about not only Canis's investigation a couple of days ago, but he also recognized that they're not exactly going anywhere with their search. "Hmm… Are you sure that you couldn't find anything?"

"Positive," the Staraptor said. "Kai and Toru scanned every inch of the trail, but found nothing. Kyosuke also brought up that nothing went past him as he stood guard. With a guard shift happening, we're being told to pull out."

Hatori sighed as he realized that there was nothing else to do at the moment. "Very well. Get the others, Shun. We'll have a meal together before you log off."

"Hai!" Shun soon flew off and made his journey back towards Mount Sanda, once again leaving Hatori by himself.

Hatori kept an eye out on the mountain, not sure on exactly what he was expecting. That Zeraora has been hiding from us for over a week, now. The guard shifts noticed nothing, so what gives? Where is he hiding?

Cross yawned as he did some stretches and readied himself for combat. While he waited for the campsite to be cleared, he stared off at the other end and saw Josh pinning the Lucarionite on his scarf. Eager to start, he shouted "Are you ready?"

Josh took a deep breath, and shouted back "Yeah! Ready when you are!"

Cross grinned, and activated the Galladite on his own scarf, causing him to glow a bright blue light. He soon ended up having his appearance change amidst the glow, before it soon vanished after a few seconds. By the time the glow faded, Cross took the appearance of a Mega Gallade, ready for battle.

Josh gulped a little, turning to Adam as he said "I don't know, Adam. I honestly don't know how strong I could become if I do this. What if I accidentally hurt Cross too badly?"

"Josh, I can assure you that isn't going to happen," Adam said to his brother. "Besides, in case something happens, Rose will call off the match. Easy peasy."

Josh recognized that Adam had a point. He could always just stop when things got too rough. After all, he had no idea how powerful he could become, especially after everyone told him how tough he actually was. Sure, he was unconscious at the time, but the fact that he had that strength in him was something else.

Josh soon took a look at me, and I rooted "You'll be fine, Josh! Just relax, and let it happen!"

Josh soon stood resolutely in the field, giving a confident nod towards my direction. He soon relaxed, took a deep breath, and ended up tapping the Lucarionite on his scarf, activating it. His body glowed a bright blue, and sure enough, his appearance was being altered as well. The appendages on the back of his head grew longer, extra spike emerged on his paws, and his tail also grew rather fluffy as the cream-colored fur on his torso grew longer. After a few seconds, his body stopped glowing, and he opened his eyes, before looking over his mega form.

"How do you feel, Josh?" Adam asked him.

"Like I just got a sudden burst of adrenaline," Josh replied. He clenched his paws into fists, before he then let off a punch into the air, followed by a kick. Both times, everyone could feel ripples in the air because of the aura that was being built up in Josh's body.

The wind brought about by Josh's aura was honestly rather warm. It tingled around my own body and made me rather curious to see how Josh can control this power. Once Josh and Adam nodded to me, indicating they were ready, I raised an arm into the air and was ready to signal the bout. "Alright! Cross, are you ready?"

Cross took on his battle stance. "Ready!"

"Josh, are you ready?"

Josh took a fighting stance as well. "Ready."

I then lowered my arm down, and shouted "Battle start!"

Josh and Cross both ran toward each other. Josh readied a Bone Rosh while Cross was about to counter with a Psycho Cut. They clashed, and the resulting shock wave of energy being dispersed was immense, shaking the battlefield. We were all rather surprised by this sudden burst of strength.

"Hngh… Not bad, Josh! You might actually force me to go all out!" Cross stated with a smile.

"Yeah?" Josh replied with a similar grin. "Well, let's see how you fare!"

Josh soon broke apart the deadlock before sweeping Cross's legs, tripping him up. But before Josh could smack Cross with a Bone Rush attack, Cross soon rolled back and stood back up onto his feet. Cross soon rushed forward, forcing Josh to defend himself with Double Team, causing Cross to miss completely.

The various clones of Josh soon readied a barrage of Aura Spheres as they surrounded Cross. Cross closed his eyes and used Calm Mind to ready himself for the worst, before he then changed tactics. Once Josh fired the barrage of Aura Spheres, Cross opened his eyes, using Leaf Blade to slice apart each of the Aura Spheres by creating a circular slice around him, causing a bunch of explosions around him as he endured the attack with the Calm Mind he set up earlier.

But once the dust settled, Cross was revealed to still be spinning in circles as he then fired back a series of Aura Spheres back at Josh, taking the Lucario off guard. One by one, each of the clones were defeated, until the real Josh got hit by a stray Aura Sphere, knocking him backward and onto the ground.

Cross stopped spinning, a little dizzy, but he soon shook his head to regain his composure. Josh groaned as he was getting back up, before he got back into his own fighting stance. Cross grinned, saying "I'm not going down as easily as you think, Josh. You last victory against me was a fluke. Now, you're on your own!"

"You think I don't know that?" Josh pointed out. "I was just wondering why you were holding back? I thought you said you were going to go all out?"

Cross took on a battle stance, saying "Better start picking up the pace then, Fido!"

Josh got a little ticked off at the nickname, and readied a Reversal attack on Cross. Cross smiled as he continually dodged every single attack that Josh tried to land on him. Josh's own strength was something else, sure, but there was no telling how much longer this battle would last, especially since Josh was the one at a disadvantage in this battle.

Soon enough, Josh tried to uppercut Cross, but unfortunately, as Cross backed away, it left Josh completely wide open. Josh didn't have time to react as Cross landed a Psycho Cut on Josh's torso, knocking him back down onto the ground. Josh rolled back as he was being slid backwards, and skidded to a stop on his knees. He began to start panting heavily as the battle waged on.

Cross soon ran forward to reach Josh with another Psycho Cut, but Josh anticipated this and ducked down just in time, before he then launched a Reversal attack that hit Cross in the stomach. Cross was starting to lose the air in his lungs as he was then flung back pretty far, landing practically on the edge of the battlefield.

"Alright!" Adam cheered from the sidelines with joy. "Way to go, Josh!"

Cross groaned and coughed as he staggered back up to his feet. Chuckling, he said "That was a good hit, Josh. I didn't even see it coming. Keep it up!"

Cross looks like the wind got knocked out of him, I thought. Josh is really giving it his all out there! Just as I thought that, however, as I took a glance back towards Josh, I saw that he was growling and gripping at his head.

This worried me, and I told everyone "Wait! Something's going on with Josh!"

Everyone paused what they were doing before they all looked at Josh's direction. Adam and I were the most worried, as Josh seemed to be struggling a bit as we could feel continued shock waves of his own aura spiking out at random. Cross, meanwhile, was asking Josh "Hey! Are you alright? Josh! Answer me!"

Soon, when Josh opened his eyes, they were pure blue and his own body radiated that blue aura surrounding him. He lowered his arms, stared off at Cross, and growled as his whole body was tensing up like a coil. He readied another Reversal attack, before he then started screaming at the top of his lungs before lunging towards Cross at a high speed, before smacking Cross across the face before he could even react. The direction he flew was towards where our campsite was, and we all were forced to stand out of the way as Cross crashed towards the fire pit.

"Cross!" Nolan screamed in terror.

Chris was shocked to see his teammate knocked aside, before he then turned to Josh and yelled out "What the hell!? You didn't have to go that hard!"

Josh, however, wasn't listening. He lowered his fist, turned to face the direction of where Cross was at, and growled like a feral jackal. He seemed to have lost control of himself.

Nervously, I asked Adam "Is this…the Black Mirror?"

"No…" I heard Adam mutter out nervously. "This is something else…" He then yelled to his brother "Josh! Can you hear me!? That's enough!"

Josh soon gripped his head in agony, wincing a little as he was struggling to maintain control over himself. He seemed to be in sort of pain, but I was not sure why that is. What is going on? What's happening to him?

Cross's Mega Evolution got canceled out as he was helped up by his team. Cross was alright, thankfully, but he seemed to be suffering a mild concussion. I was relieved that Cross was alright, and was curious if Josh was going to stop then and there.

I was wrong. Instead, Josh held his paws into the air, his vacant stare looking directly at Cross, and he began to manifest an Aura Sphere. He then concentrated as much power into the attack as possible, resulting in him creating a massive sphere like the one we saw back at Talis Stadium. Josh was about to fire it off, so I told Adam "We need to knock him out."

"Huh!?" Adam was just as shocked about this grim news as me. "B-but why?"

"We need to do SOMETHING!" I yelled at him. "Ready yourself with Bulk Up while I hold him off!"

Adam looked at his brother with worry. Never before had he seen this side of Josh, let alone something that seemed so…feral. He was terrified, but understanding what needed to be done, he told me "Get going." He then proceeded to stack up on Bulk Up as he told me "You keep him busy! Think you can do that?"

"I'll do my best!" But before I could go towards Josh, the Lucario ended up firing the massive Aura Sphere at Cross. Panicking, I yelled "NOLAN! SHIELD!"

Nolan realized what was happening, and he ended up using King's Shield to defend himself and his team from the blast. It was a big attack, and it made a resounding explosion that shook the area. Chris hid behind Nolan while keeping Cross safe, while Adam grabbed onto me as the blast nearly sent me flying.

Hatori could see the blast from all the way in Esther. He saw something like this from the battle between Josh and Volt on a live broadcast, but never before had he thought he'd see the day where something similar was several miles away.

He quickly thought something was up, and soon enough, he got contact from his teammates. Picking up his badge, he told his team "On second thought, forget the food. We have bigger fish to catch."

"What seems to be the issue?" Shun asked through the badge.

"We've got ourselves something dangerous several miles from town," Hatori answered. "It's not Zeraora. It appears to be something else. Once you investigated the situation, rendezvous over at the western side of town with the others. The location is southwest deep in the forest, Shun. You can't miss it."

"Got it. Once I get a sighting, I'll inform you," Shun answered.

Hatori soon put his badge away, and stared off at where the massive explosion took place. Smiling to himself, he muttered "Very interesting…"

We all thankfully survived the blast. What resulted was what appeared to be just absolute tatters of our once glorious campsite. The blast itself managed to clear away the entire clearing, leaving nothing but the ragged dirt beneath our feet.

Adam and I were on the ground, groaning as we managed to survive the blast fully intact. Meanwhile, Nolan was getting winded from protecting his team as he just fell over from exhaustion. Chris and Cross were fine, but only because they were behind Nolan the entire time.

But as I looked around the area to see the destruction, I stopped in my tracks as I saw that Josh was still Mega Evolved, and he still looked positively feral. He was trudging towards Cross, physically looking exhausted from the battle. Chris took notice of how Josh looked determined to end this, and was in a state of fear, unable to move his own body.

Adam and I realized that if we didn't do something, then Cross and the others would be in danger. As Adam and I looked at each other, we nodded in silence as we took up our roles we established earlier.

Josh readied a Reversal attack, growling and snarling as he was limping his was towards Chris, ready to finish him off. All the while, Chris was frantically trying to find a way to get out with his team intact, but couldn't do much of anything except freeze up. His own life flashed before his own eyes as he remembered something traumatic from his own past, before he then recoiled and waited for the inevitable.

That is, until I ran in front of Josh, holding my arms out and yelling to him "That's enough, Josh! Stand down!"

I tried putting on my best brave face, even though deep down, I was panicking. If Josh could hear me, then perhaps he could be reasoned with. That was thought at the time, but so far, nothing seemed to be reaching him.

"I know you, Josh," I said, choking at my own words. "This isn't you! You would never hurt your friends! So please, just stop!" Josh seemed to not care what I was saying, however, and raised his fist against me.

But then, I saw a single tear fall from Josh's face. He was still in pain, trying hard to resist what was going on with him, before I heard his voice, all raspy and weak. "I can't…control myself… Please…save me…"

I winced a little as Josh's fist was about to strike against me, but I didn't get smacked. Instead, Adam managed to grip Josh from behind, holding him in place. Josh was snarling as he was restrained and struggling to escape, but Adam's strength far surpassed Josh's for the time being. Adam then yelled out "SNAP OUT OF IT, JOSH!" and he suplexed his brother onto the ground, causing Josh to be knocked unconscious.

Adam let go of the Lucario, who then reverted back to his original form as he collapsed onto the ground. Worried, I ran up to Josh and Adam, shocked to see that Adam was panting, but was clearly startled.

But as I looked at Josh, all I saw was that he was unconscious, and you wouldn't even tell that just a minute ago, he was like a completely different person. "Josh…" I muttered, making my way towards the Lucario with tears in my eyes.

Adam sat up and we both cradled Josh's unconscious body. I wept from how terrified I was, and Adam gently hugged the both of us while struggling to contain his own tears. This was unlike anything that we have dealt with before, and we weren't sure whether or not it was going to get any better.

Directly overhead from the battle, Shun the Staraptor ended up witnessing what happened. He was quick to turn around back to Esther, where he would later regroup with his team. After around a couple of minutes of flying, Shun saw his entire team waiting for him by the entrance of town.

Hatori asked Shun "So, what happened?"

"It would appear that the explosion was a direct result of an intense battle," Shun answered. "Team Inferno seem to be the ones involved in it."

Hatori was intrigued by the discovery, and he ended up looking in the direction Shun came from. "In that case, why don't we all give them a warm welcome?"

"Are you sure? What about Zeraora?" Kai the Infernape asked curiously.

"Think of it this way," Hatori began as he looked at his team. "Team Inferno fought against Zeraora in the past. After Team Alpha fought him. Therefore, they're our next link in finding out if Zeraora can be captured, because if anyone can find that cat, it's J." He then turned to face the direction of the forest, telling his team "And believe me, we need as many allies as we can get. Let's go!"

And as swiftly as they ran, they journey into the forest with the intent of running into Team Inferno. Little did they realize that this was going to be the start of a rather dangerous adventure.

One which nobody would've ever expected…