Chapter 4:The Shells Of Legends

With the threat taken care of, the two veterans were left to pick up the pieces. Lucas held his twins in his arms while Furnace held Kiba over his shoulder and Stoney under his arm. Majella dangled around Furnace's neck, still unconscious from her battle with Lucas.

Stoney remained the only one that was still conscious, but he remained silent. The carnage he witnessed was nothing like they had seen in comic books and stories from the adults. There was blood, brutality, cold atmosphere and fear. All traits were demonstrated when he watched this Typhlosion tear that hitmonlee apart, breaking him and forcing him to scream and flail with desperation.

His eyes looked like cold steel, those thin skinned boney knuckles on his paws. He shuddered at the thought of being struck by such a force that broke a fighting type's leg by merely deflecting a kick. Yet Lucas had seemingly looked at him as if he were seeing a beloved family member.

"So these are the two tater tots that keep you busy? Are they anything like you?" Furnace asked, his voice low and his mind wandering about.

"Well you could say…they carry bits and pieces of me in them. Luke was eager to go on his first mission." Lucas explained as though he were an embarrassed teenager, "Path definitely is more like her mother. A little shy, but her heart is always in the right place."

"Hmm… Annie is still in charge, I take it?" Furnace continued to offer small talk in the form of questions.

"You could say that. She's grown into her own. Even acts like I'm her child some days." Lucas answered again and looked down, "It's wonderful to see you again. How long has it been?"

"Nine years, two months and twenty two days…"Furnace responded quietly with a sense of remorse or guilt.

"Guess someone had to keep count since that day…"Lucas held back the urge to point out the sense of regret in his voice," Will you be staying long?"

"I'm not sure. I need to get this scum bag shaken down for info. They spoke of the kanto guardians." Furnace explained and shifted his neck a bit, "The talk as if the guardians are into something shady. I certainly hope this isn't the case..."

"You're speaking too morbid, my friend. Why don't you visit us for the day? Unwind yourself from all the hunting you did." Lucas insisted as they entered the village.

"I don't know. I'd hate to be a bother and disrupt the peace in your house." Furnace sighed but he knew where this was going.

"It's no trouble at all! You'll be welcomed here, and we can catch up more!" Lucas insisted and Furnace sensed the eagerness in his voice.

Furnace wanted to say more, but then they finally entered the sunlight was bright and gave Furnace a headache, but there was beauty in the way the light shaped Viridia. Lucas sighed and smiled to see his beautiful home shining as it always did. He felt the twins stirring from their forced slumber before adjusting them. Letting them rest against his chest before they slowly awoke. Luke was first to awaken with a small jolt and a frantic look around to his surroundings.

"Dad…? Where are we?" Luke asked while rubbing his head and left eye.

"We're home, son. The mission was a success. The pokemon from the quarry are safe." Lucas comforted.

"And what about the two crooks that were attacking us?" Path asked with a yawn as she gradually stirred awake.

"They have been dealt with. The Marshadow is here on my back. She is going to be interrogated once we get you all home." Furnace was firm and forward with a response.

The riolus froze and slowly took note of the newcomer in their group. Stoney lowered his head in fright as they registered the burly middle aged Typhlosion. His thin skinned knuckles and his scarred left eye jumped out at them the same way their father's scars did. His stare definitely confirmed it, that very same resting stare that many veterans of the war carried.

"Who are you?" Luke worked up the bravery to ask.

"Luke, that is Furnace The Brawler. THE Furnace from all those stories I told you." Lucas answered for his mentor, "He is my master. The one that taught your old dog everything he knows."

"The…BRAWLER?! Wow! I heard so much about you! Earth shaker! Mountain crumbler! Fists that can't be stopped!" Luke swung his fists to imitate Furnace's punches.

Furnace simply rolled his eyes, thinking little of his old exploits and adventures. Clearly they remained as a source of inspiration for the next generation. He then spotted Irons, another old comrade from the war days. He slowly looked down to the small aron and gave a murmur and a grunt.

"You're that fellas kid ain't you?" Furnace asked Stoney.

Stoney nearly turned pale at his bellowing voice, but managed to give a nod. Path took notice of Stony's new found fear, as though he had seen unfathomable horrors.

"Stoney…? Are you ok?" Path tried to ask, only to get drowned out by a shout.

"Hey, Irons! Is this your kid?! I found him for you!" Furnace yelled to get the aggron's attention.

Her question was ultimately ignored as Furnace marched over. The aggron finally looked and watched Furnace approach him after years of not even receiving letters from him. He grumbled and noticed his son in Furnace's arm, he shook his head.

"Furnace… Yes, that is my son. I take it you ran into each other during his first mission?" Irons questioned with a deep bellow.

"Pretty much. He held his own in a losing battle with a hitmonlee. But I stepped in and finished the job." Furnace answered with a bit of gusto.

Irons looked to Stoney with a raised eye, he gave a grunt and a nod. Furnace then decided to hand the aron over to his father who then held him more like a child.

"You should be proud. Fighting types are the ultimate pain in the ass for your breed." Furnace's remark threatens to strike a nerve.

"I am aware…! You just try to behave yourself while you're among the village." Irons offered a stern warning.

"Yeah, sure. You got a basement? This one had some ugly plans for your home involving Moltrese."This notion made Iron's head tilt as Furnace gestured to the marshadow,"I need a place to squeeze her for more information."

"Hmmm. I have a basement if you insist on using it as your interrogation room…"Irons reluctantly offered his basement.

He was suddenly given the Majella as she was hoisted over the aggron's shoulder like a towel.

"Good… I'll be over by this evening to get started. For now, I got another kid to take home and an old friend who definitely wants to reconcile," Furnace readjusted Kiba into his arm a bit more snugly like, "Hopefully we can do the same, old friend. Everyone's got a family these days it seems."

Irons closed his eyes and gave a grunt filled sigh as Furnace walked away. Stoney shook himself out of his state of fear, replacing it with surprise. Seeing his father suddenly wear a mix of emotions not very common for him. A mix of remorse, guilt, and pain from old memories. He was yet another warrior of the great war after all.

"Yeah… Come, Stoney. We're going home… We will go out for ice cream later." Irons turned and walked away with Stoney.

Stoney would now have more questions than he did before, and so much more to think about when it came to being a rescuer.

"Alright! Where does the pussy cat belong?" Furnace would announce when returning to the group.

"He's Kion's son. We're neighbors. It's not a long walk from here." Lucas was quick to answer with a tail wag.

This gave the twins a sense of bewilderment and even a bit of embarrassment. Their dad seems to almost act like a child around the Typhlosion, as if they were more than simple master and student. The lucario that seems so stoic and stern, yet self controlled and understanding. This new side of him almost felt a bit creepy even. This awkwardness lasted them the whole walk back to their home where Furnace returned Kiba to his parents.

They offered a simple bow of gratitude before Furnace finally moved on to the next house. While Lucas was free to usher his children inside where they began to feel headaches coming on. This was accompanied by some blurry vision that was starting to freak them both out. They barely noticed their mother coming from the kitchen and taking notice of their strange behavior.

"They're gonna need some ice packs, hun. We ended up in a predicament with two aggressors." Lucas rushed in and held their paws to keep them from losing their balance, "They have concussions. But they fought bravely and rescued the quarry workers."

"Oh my Arceus!"Annie grew worried from what she heard.

She still remained calm and rushed to the kitchen to fetch the ice packs.

"Upstairs, both of you. You'll need to lay down and rest for now." Lucas explained and picked them both up once more.

"Is that…what all this is…?"Luke grew tired and was seeing his father's face in double vision.

"Come on children. Some rest will help. I'll bring some dinner up for the both of you later." Lucas promised and Annie returned with the ice packs.

They were placed and held to their heads while Lucas escorted the twins to their room. Luke took a different look at the photos of his father in his younger days. The Typhlosion in them seemed a lot more happy then than he seemed to be now. It seemed his father now wore the biggest smile among the three in the group. The greninja however remained a mystery and to this day he still chose not to speak of this team member.

They walked into their room and assisted with laying into their beds. The beds themselves felt strangely more cozy than normal, then the fatigue and weariness of a hard day of work was clearly in full effect.

"Hey dad…? Does this job get any easier?" Luke asked while pulling the sheets up and over himself.

Lucas gave a small sigh and slowly petted the riolu's head.

"Only if you get strong enough to take it. You got a lot more to learn son." Lucas answered with honesty and a small bit of hope, "Now both of you, get some rest. And…great job on your first mission."

The door closed quietly and Luke smiled, he felt the warm growth of pride in his chest. His boring mission turned into a rescue and battle feat. His head was still throbbing and the pain felt hot and warping. Yet he still felt proud of his first day while Path simply groaned and rubbed her head. Then he did the same, smiling too wide started to hurt his head even more. Eventually they were able to pass out and sleep to their heart's content.

While Lucas slowly walked down the steps to keep it nice and quiet for them. He then froze in his place when Annie was there at the bottom to meet him. Her face wore a look of disappointment and a bit of anger. He sighed, knowing where this argument could potentially come from.

"I know, I shouldn't have taken them out there…"Lucas simply said what he knew was a dangerous decision.

"This was their first day and already they got hurt by two dangerous fighting types." She spoke quietly but there were sharp tones of spite in her voice.

"I know… I did not expect the two crooks Furnace was chasing to run right into us." He tried to explain the details of the mission more, "I was to intercept them so I thought I'd drop the children off at the quarry to help the workers while I left to intercept them. I made a mistake and I'll admit that…"

"So on top of that, Synthesis forced you out of retirement for another job...!"She gave a huff and went to take a seat in their living room to try and calm down.

"I had hoped that they wouldn't drag you out of retirement again. Has our family not given enough already?" She questioned while tapping the arm of her chair, "First they always try to force you back on the field and now our kids are already fighting dangerous Pokemon…"

"I know, but it's their dream, Annie. They do not look like they're ready to surrender this dream of theirs yet." He walked over and tried to put a paw to her arm, "They'll need more training, but please have a little faith in them, hun."

"I do, but…I've seen what this job has done to you. What if something worse happens to them?" She wondered and her paw was held between both of his own.

"I won't let that happen. I'll be more careful from now on. I promise." Lucas made his vow in hopes of easing her worries.

She gave out a deep breath and put her free paw on one of his. Kissing his forehead she finally smiled and chose to trust his judgment on the matter. Before her aura sensors lifted and felt the approach of their latest visitor. She sighed and slowly stood up.

"Looks like Furnace has arrived. I hope he's at least sober." She said while putting on a friendly face.

There was a knock on the door and Lucas eagerly rushed to the door to open it. Furnace stood there at the doorway scratching himself and looking around.

"Uh…the litleo is back with his folks. Are you still good with me coming in?" Furnace peeked into the house curiously.

"Yes of course! Please come in!"Lucas insisted and allowed the old mentor to enter.

Furnace took a deep breath and inhaled the clean fragrant air of a normally lively household. From the wood floors to the pictures all over the walls. They range from baby pictures of when the twins first hatched to their first days in school. He even noticed the picture of Lucas and Annie's wedding, a day he sadly never attended. He then chuckled the moment he spotted the small shrine next to their fireplace that symbolized Arceus.

"All the hell one could ever see and your faith remains strong still…"He chuckled and gave the shrine a small pat on the mantle.

"My faith will remain unshaken even if death were to take me, Furnace." Lucas firmly answered, but this only made Furnace laugh more.

"Do me a favor… Don't tempt your god to make that a possibility." Furnace suddenly stopped laughing and gave Lucas a warning before noticing Annie staring him down, "Ah… Good to see you Annie. You look well. Really grew into your own."

"Furnace. Staying out of trouble I assume?" She closed her eyes and managed to give a smile.

"Hah. Hardly. Father Purity is still pretty mad about the whole charity event I ruined last year."Furnace snickered and started looking around the house more.

"Do we…wanna know what it was you did?" Lucas dared to ask.

"Nah, knowing you, I'll have to sit through a lecture afterwards." Furnace answered and kept on looking around.

"Looking for something, Furnace?" Annie took notice, and already knew what he was seeking, "We have some tea if you're thirsty?"

"Nothing stronger?"Furnace asked, but immediately retracted the statement after a harder stare from Annie, "I'm only messing around. Some tea would probably do me some good. Forgot to eat or drink before hunting those two crooks down."

"I'll get some tea." Annie gave a semi friendly shrug.

She then left Lucas to watch over their guest while she got a breather from the moment. Furnace slowly sat down on the large couch and had to pull a pillow out from under him. He could tell Lucas had much to talk about with him, though he had very little. He could not let him see that however, his mind remained steeled to avoid having his aura read.

"So what are the names of these twin terrors?" Furnace asked while cringing at the old school clock in the corner.

"Luke and Path. Path was Annie's idea… In hopes that she would find her own path in life as her mother did." He explained and Furnace gave a small nod.

"And Luke was a simple reverse junior sort of name. Normally a Luke passes down the name Lucas to their next of kin." Furnace read the obvious background of Luke's name easily, "Bit of a struggle with the name, wasn't it?"

"You were always better with those weird kinds of names…"Lucas blushed with embarrassment and scratched his ears.

"Guess that's what I get for giving you that name when we found you…"Furnace admitted his fault in that regard before noticing something.

Another picture on a separate small table was sitting there clean as everything else in this family home. He gave a heavy sigh and picked it up, staring solemnly at the greninja that encapsulated that photo. His casual smile disappeared as his fingers brushed against the picture. Lucas felt the warmth of their moment vanish, a cold and broken atmosphere threaten to take control of the room. With a soft growl Furnace quickly placed the picture back on the table and looked out the window.

"You're very lucky, kid. Death took many pokemon in that goddamn war. And those who still live," Furnace kept on looking out the window, his one good eye sharpens from the memories. "They're not the same pokemon you knew since the day you got off that boat…"

"I know… But I haven't lost hope, and I'm certain that one day this world will heal." Lucas made Furnace groan at his high hopes for the future, "I know what's been happening over there. You need help, and what you're doing right now WILL kill you."

"Spare me the lecture… If I were to die, something tells me it won't be from the bottle." Furnace became a bit more stern, "I've tried boy… Any mission they were willing to offer I went in with the intention of dying, but each time I came out of it alive and successful."

Lucas almost felt sick at the idea of Furnace going into suicide missions and yearning for death.

"Your god seems to want something else out of me. Booz, fighting, somehow I just keep on living." Furnace put his feet up on the table, "It ain't fair… But that's just life, I suppose. Just the way your god intended."

"Arceus works in his…ways. We're not always meant to know until a day of reckoning comes, Furnace." The typhlosion groaned again and was ready to blow him off, "But that's not the point. I just want you to take good care of yourself. You're the closest thing I ever had to a parent and… I don't want to lose you."

Furnace tapped his paw fingers on the table, his eye still focused out the window.

"And I'm saying you don't need to worry… I lost not just a fiancé that day, boy. A son died along with her… A son I never got to meet…!"He gripped at the table, emotion was showing on his face, "As much as I want to die and be with them… I don't think death will be taking me any time soon… I still have a purpose at least… To guard the closest thing I have to a son in this world I never belonged to."

His words grew quiet but fierce as his lip trembled, only for him to shake his head to shrug off the moment. This left Lucas shaken on the inside, for the single moment he saw within his mentor. The aura full of twisted sorrow and memories that they both shared. A twinge of love still remained in his broken soul, his attachment to Lucas still remained strong. Perhaps this was what kept him alive all this time, Arceus certainly seems to be working here ever so subtly.

"I miss her, boy... I would give anything to have swapped places with her...!"Furnace's heavy words made Lucas look away, the grief in Furnace's voice shook his heart from within.

Annie came rushing in, showing signs of her eavesdropping on the conversation. She put a paw to his shoulder now to comfort him before looking at Furnace. She could feel what Lucas felt from his master before clearing her throat. This shook them from the moment of mourning for the past. She attempted to bring optimism to the mood with hot tea and a more off the topic discussion.

"Why don't we move on to another discussion?" Annie suggested.

This appeared to work as they all sat outside minutes later by the well next to their house. Speaking of the times that followed since Lucas moved to the village. Furnace seemed to at least be smiling a bit this time, as he quietly listened to them.

"And then all it took was some work in the woods with a little bit of Iron's help to carve out the Arceus ring and we repaired that old church to its former glory." Lucas explained the story of the village church, "Synthesis was so elated he trusted me with the position. In fact I am to give a sermon tomorrow morning."

"I guess someone eventually had to kick these woodland folk in the hide to do something with themselves." Furnace finally responded after many minutes of silence, "Sounds like you've made something for yourself kid. Your own little legend around these parts, how about that?"

"Maybe… But they don't hold a candle to yours. Anyone would wish to battle Groudon the way you did." Lucas complimented Furnace right back.

"I prefer keeping that story to a minimum. Groudon still has a bit of a sensitive pride, kid." Furnace warned but then gave a small chuckle, "Damn… This place gets quiet the closer the night gets to us."

"There's a spot on the western end! It's by a waterfall and right after it has a water wheel that makes an amazing sound." Lucas offered the idea of a better view.

"Both of which make the water look like crystal rain that shimmers from the sunset!" Annie added with encouragement.

"No wonder you picked this place for retirement." Furnace sighed and leaned back.

"You could always settle down here if you wish? I know you'd find a home here among the villagers." Lucas offered a suggestion to the mentor, "Not many folks here know what you, me, and Irons know."

"Heh! What? Thinking I can train some new gen kids and send them off to die doing what we did?" Furnace tried to laugh off the idea. "We did what we had to do so we could avoid having to train new recruits. Kids these days shouldn't have to be into this kind of job."

"Our children are, according to Lucas. They still have all the intention of delving into this career," Annie pointed out.

"I plan to train them more in the future. But if they were to really have their hearts set on this path, perhaps they'd do some good for you in the future." Lucas gave the thought of his kids one day working for his mentor.

"Heh, I wouldn't go that far, boy. Chances are, they'd last only an hour working for me." Furnace denied the idea of watching over new recruits.

He then stood up and stretched out his back till it crackled like dead tree limbs. He then took notice of the setting sun and decided it was time to go to work.

"Tell You what, Lucas. I gotta handle some business with that marshadow, but I'll return sometime late." Furnace informed the couple of his mission, "Then maybe tomorrow I'll… Assess these recruits and see what we're working with here."

"You'd be willing to work with them?! Really?!"Lucas grew eager to hear Furnace take interest in his children's careers.

"Sure, I could stay for a few days if it'll make you feel better about our whole situation here." Furnace explained and began to leave, "Just don't be shocked if I don't always behave myself! I don't think peace is ready for me either."

"Alright…! Key us in a plant next to the stairs!" Lucas stood up and called out to Furnace.

"The guest room is the door to the left of the living room. Be sure you come in quietly." Annie felt the need to give him a bit more to Lucas's message.

Furnace smirked and waved to them as he walked away, but that was not enough for Lucas. This was too casual and too contained for almost ten years of not seeing one another. He rushed over and surprised his mentor with a sudden hug from behind. He sighed, and his face softened at the affection his young pupil offered. They stood there in silence as Annie grew sentimental and came to an understanding when it came to these old rescuers.

"Come back safe, Furnace…"

"I will, son… Now you best get back to it. Your kids are about to wake up soon." Furnace warned before slowly walking away to do what he does best.