Volcan leads the mission to the enigmatic Siphon Prison, home to the most dangerous criminals ever captured by Guild rescue teams, and stops in Bluegrove to enlist the help of Team Kama.

Luke returns to Hadleigh alongside Torolf, and meets the most famous Gold-ranked Captains who now make up the new Guild Council. Among them is none other than Romulus of Team Phobia...

PREVIEW:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The hum of the airship’s motors was the only sound to be heard as the vessel passed slowly over the forest below, its two propellers whirring and whistling as they sliced through the air, pushing the ship forward. At the helm stood Lashanne, hands on the ship’s wheel and steering them along course, keeping the northbound road directly below them. Occasionally they veered off-course to avoid taller trees or accommodate for sharp bends but never strayed too far from sight of it. The road was the only landmark in the ocean of trees below them.

Even having only lived in Azure a short time, Volcan knew these woodlands were vast and untamed land. Dangerous to trek through alone, but they were all that sat between the middle and northern reaches of the East Continent. They were a stark contrast to Hadleigh, surrounded by open planes, or Arc Island which was surrounded by sea and lesser islands. Here there were only trees, and he wondered what mysteries they could be hiding.

Lashanne and Toby reviewed their navigational instruments, charts and compasses alike. When they reached a consensus on their location, Toby spoke up. “We should be almost there,” he explained “There should be a fork in the road ahead, and if we go right it’ll bring us straight over Bluegrove.”

“Think Sickle will be surprised to see us?” Volcan asked.

“I imagine with the attention we'll get, he'll know before we find him,” remarked Serena. “I recall there were many stunned reactions from the people of Azure when they saw this ship the first time.” She looked at Hank for emphasis.

“Oh no kidding. Everyone thought there was another invasion goin' on or something.” Hank replied with a chuckle. “Took us a fair bit to calm everyone down before we could all head on over to meet ya after you touched down.”

Volcan looked up from his map reading, giving a smug grin. “Can't say Luke and I don't know how make an entrance, eh?” He asked.

Hank snickered. “I’ll admit, it was more dramatic than anything I could pull off.” He added.

“The trees are thinning ahead,” said Lashanne, adjusting the ship's course. “Looks like a big clearing coming up.” She inhaled deeply. “Something smells really good, too.”


Just as Lashanne had claimed, the trees below parted suddenly and revealed a long, open space beyond the canopies, alive with colour from their current altitude. Yet for a moment they wondered if they had even cleared the forest as it seemed there were many tree stumps filling the clearing. On closer inspection though, they discovered that these stumps were enormous, and extensively altered - chimneys, doors and windows could be seen cut into their frames, and they lined either side of the main road snaking its way through the town, from one side to the other. It took seeing more conventional structures further to the back of the town and a marketplace brimming with activity to convince some of the team aboard the airship that they had indeed found civilization again.

A sea of blue stretched out before them, with flowers of sky, azure and sapphire colours growing in abundance across the community below, some even growing on vines strewn across the stump houses. What seemed like thousands of Combee swarmed over the flowers, drawing nectar and pollinating the abundant grove. A creek trickled its way through the town, beginning in the shadows of the trees on the northeast side of the clearing, and on a few occasions, they saw Pokémon drawing water from the creek, sweeping buckets against the current to fill them. Lastly, they saw a break in the flower fields and houses, where there stood an acre of hives where the Combee seemed to originate from. Among them, Beedrill flew about in synchronized flight patterns, seemingly guarding the site as the Combee brought their harvested nectar back to the hives.

“Well, I certainly see how this town gets its name,” remarked Toby as he stared at the town over the railing.

“Yuuuup.” Hank said as he held his arms behind his head and took in the view. “Looking at it from up here though? Sure beats the first time I absorbed its natural beauty.” He commented with a blissful sigh. “Wonder if ol leafybutt’s gonna be happy to see me again on such short notice.”

“Only one way to find out,” said Volcan. “Lashanne?”

“As I thought, no real way for me to land here,” she replied. “For the moment I'll just have to find somewhere I can hover without anyone being bothered. You may as well go down and find your buddy, see if he can give us a suggestion. I'll make another circle in the meantime.”

“Can do,” said Volcan, looking to Hank. “Ready for the express elevator?”

“Of course I am!” The Zoroark exclaimed, grinning.

Volcan looped his arm around Hank's waist, getting a firm hold on him and looking back at his friends. “Back soon!” He called before jumping over the rail, taking the Zoroark with him, dropping twenty feet to the ground, taking the impact for both himself and Hank to spare the Zoroark the jolt.

Hank grunted as they hit the ground, and rubbed his stomach as Volcan put him back on his feet. “Well, clearly that’s your favourite mode of descent.” He said with a chuckle, then burped and covered his mouth. “Can’t say my stomach agrees though…”

“You said you were ready,” replied Volcan, patting Hank on the back.

“I overestimated my resistance to vertigo.” Hank huffed, but straightened his posture, feeling his queasiness pass.

“So, which way to Sickle's house?”

“Right this way.” Hank returned, taking the lead for Volcan as they headed into town.

A few people gave them passing glances as they weaved their way through the town, having seen them dropping from the airship now starting to circle. Responding to their unspoken questions, Volcan spoke up, his voice high and as calm as he could muster, introducing himself and Hank – including their respective teams.

At the mention of Sickle's name, the audience seemed to relax, and parted way for them as they continued through the street, leaving the more crowded areas of town to the collection of tree-stump houses. Hank led the way to a small house halfway to the town exit, single story and with a single window, door and a small chimney. It was largely unremarkable, decorated mostly by the vines and flowers that seemed to drape over most of them. A sign above the mailbox was etched with Sickle's name and had the crossed scythes of Team Kama below it.

“Well, doesn't seem he minds everyone knowing where to find him,” remarked Volcan.

“Hey, makes it easy for those that need his help for stuff.” Hank said with a shrug, then he would walk over to the door and give it a few firm knocks.

As he waited, Hank spread his arms out and grin, looking back at Volcan and winking at him before turning his gaze forward and waiting for the door to open. But when it opened, it was not the Grovyle who stepped out. While the figure who met them was indeed reptilian, it was a Charmeleon who stood in the doorway. It took a moment for Volcan to recognize him, having not seen him in quite a while.

“Hot damn. What're you guys doing here?” Kaen asked, surprised.

Hank's arms dropped, and Volcan saw the disappointment clear as day on his face before he answered the Charmeleon's question. “Eh, we just arrived a few minutes ago.” He said as he looked past Kaen. “The man of the house around today? We got sumthin we gotta ask him.”

“Not at the moment, no. Probably at Kima's place,” replied Kaen. “He's there most days now. Guild business is at a dead stop lately.”

“There is a reason for that,” said Volcan, grimly. “Kaen, do you mind rounding up Howler and Blaster? We have a lot to discuss, and I'd rather say it just once. We'll meet back here once we've collected Sickle.”

Kaen shrugged. “Sure. But is there something wrong?”

“To put it bluntly, yes.”

Kaen grimaced. “Okay… sure, I'll go find ‘em.”

“Thanks. Where does this Kima person live?”

Kaen leaned out the door and pointed back to the main road. “Follow it out of town until you get to the fork, then go right. Can't miss it - it's the biggest house in the area.”

Volcan nodded. “Thanks Kaen,” he said. “We'll be back soon.”

With that, he and Hank left the house, with Kaen following them out after closing the door but heading off in another direction.

“So, who's this Kima person - a friend of Sickle's?” Volcan asked.

“Eh, I’d go as far to say she’s more of a motherly figure.” Hank replied. “She's the one who raised him for most of his childhood.”

“Oh, so she’s the proprietor of the orphanage he grew up in,” said Volcan, looking up and rubbing under his beak. “I remember Luke mentioning that. So, she basically is his mother, then.”

“Yea, pretty much.” Hank conformed with a nod. “The guy is really good with kids, too. Maybe because he understands what it's like being them, with no family or nuthin'.”

“She raised him well,” said Volcan. “I look forward to meeting her.”

~~~~~

Hadleigh…

It had not been long since Luke had visited the beautiful city of art, but so much had happened during his visit here it brought many different feelings to him as he looked upon it from the river. On one paw, the city hadn’t lost any of its splendor, even with its citizens clearly still in the process of rebuilding their thriving community, and he was certainly looking forward to seeing his new friends in Team Plainsrunner and Team Storm again -momentarily wondering what their role in this new system would be. This was their city, but now rescue teams from all around were coming in, to lead the Rescue Teams from within a city that up until now had no guild hall within its borders.

On the other hand, the scars that had yet to fade upon its once inviting image still brought mild feelings of dread when he remembered what had happened before. The battles that had consumed the city streets, not the least of which battling with the possessed Lugia that had emerged from the depths of the ship Oppression. The cursed vessel was still there, sticking halfway out of the bay ahead of him, its iron hull still fresh with the damage that had sunk it -warping caused by heat, sections of the hull that had seemingly melted, and a blackened, burned deck. Luke could swear he could almost still smell the smoldering wood and metal, even though the fires had long since gone out. The ship was hideous when compared to the beauty of Hadleigh, and seeing it there brought a hint of disgust from within Luke. He hoped the populace found a way to remove it soon…

Luke’s ears twitched as he heard silent footsteps approaching him, turning his head and noticing Kage approaching the railing he was leaning against. He caught sight of the wreckage of the Oppression and narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the damage it had taken and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I can only imagine the catharsis Volcan must have felt when he incinerated that ship.” He commented off-handedly, then turned his gaze toward the city and his hardened expression softened slightly. “...A wreckage such as this only sullies the radiance this city emanates, even from afar. Despite the damage it has supposedly sustained, it is recovering well from the siege you fought off.” He added.

“Yea…” Was all Luke could reply with, keeping his gaze forward toward Hadleigh as the Peacemaker crept closer to its borders. He still had a lot on his mind now, what with his own personal doubt that he was up to the task of being part of the new Guild Council, and the fact that he was already missing not only his home, but the rest of his team, his family, and especially his betrothed.

Kage noticed Luke’s vacant expression and rolled his eyes softly. “Stop dwelling on the fact you’re so far away from home.” He stated irritably. “You agreed to this position, just as Volcan agreed to take part on his mission. It’s far too late for regrets now. All you can do is provide as much input as you can for the council and help influence it for the better.”

“I know, Kage. It’s just... this is all so much to take in still.” He replied softly. “Again, we’ve only just been promoted to Gold Rank, and within the span of a few months, Calhoun murders the old council and leaves us a ship without a rudder. Those guys were veterans, the best the guilds had to offer.” He went on.

“Then you’ll just have to prove you’re better than they were…” Kage replied plainly.

‘Easy for you to say…’ Luke thought to himself, rolling his eyes at Kage’s cynicism. While the Greninja did have a point, his direct and often tactless approach did irritate Luke a fair bit. Nevertheless, he shut away whatever retort he was thinking about and took in a deep breath to calm his nerves, knowing he had to be completely focused if he was to blend in with his new peers.

The ship slowly crept into port, the crew catching lines thrown by workers on the docks with which to tie up their boat, with the crew also pulling on said lines to bring the ship closer to the dock. In his subconscious, Luke could imagine Torolf being able to do such a task by himself. But then, he might’ve pulled the wharf away from the shore! A light chuckle escaped him, earning a glance from Kage, but he gave no reply.

Much to his own surprise, as Luke descended to the pier, he found a familiar face waiting at the end of the dock, speaking with two of the workers, pointing at a few of the ships currently in port... The light-brown furred form of a Lopunny stood facing away from him, and he wasn’t sure of who it was until he got closer. He saw the tie around her ears, pulled back to keep them out her face, and he recognized her voice as he stepped closer.

Smiling, he approached the Lopunny while her back was turned to him, waiting until she was finished talking with the workers before he would announce his presence. “Nice to be greeted by a familiar face.” He spoke.

The Lopunny turned sharply, obviously startled, but relaxed rather quickly as she found the Lucario looking back at her, a pang of familiarity crossing her features. “Luke?” She asked in surprise.

“Hey, Neilla.” Luke returned with a nod, offering his paw to her. “How’ve things been since I left?”

“Good, all things considered,” she answered, gladly shaking his paw and giving him a friendly smile. “I honestly didn’t expect to see you back here so soon, but it’s good to see someone who’s not whining about… something or other, for once today.”

“Oh dear...that bad, eh?” Luke asked. “Lemme guess... Drogo?” He added with a flat expression.

“No, actually, it’s mostly the citizens and visitors complaining right now,” she replied, gesturing at the two dockworkers she had been speaking to. “All of the ships coming into town for the summit of the New Guild Council have the docks pretty full up, and more than a few people are raising a stink about it. I direct them to Lindenburg and some of the outlying towns, but of course they’d have to walk the rest of the way here, and that’s the big com-”

She froze mid word, her eyes darting to something past Luke as she shifted weight in her legs as though she were about to enter a fight. Luke looked behind him, and saw Kage had once again crept up, soundlessly as always, and appeared for her to see.

“What’s he do-?!” She started to demand before pausing a second time, taking another moment to study the Greninja. “Wait… that’s not Hageshi,” she said, relaxing slightly. “Who’s he?”

“I see my son has left quite an impression on you.” Kage commented, keeping his arms crossed as he regarded Neilla calmly.

“Oh, this is Kage. my team’s espionage specialist.” Luke answered after Kage made his comment. “Kage, this is Neilla, Captain of Team Plainsrunner. Kage’s here with me to serve as my...well, advisor for lack of a better term.”

“Advisor? For wha-” For the third time, she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she seemed to piece the answer together for herself. “You’re attending the summit?” She asked.

Luke nodded. “Torolf himself came to Azure and asked me to represent the new Guild Council, seeing as I was now a Gold Ranked Team meant I qualified for the position.” He explained. “Frankly, I just hope I’m up for the task…”

Neilla smiled, reaching out a paw to clap his shoulder. “Well, for what it’s worth coming from me, I think they’ll benefit from having you there,” she said. “Some of these guys could use a little compassion in their midst. Besides that, not many of them can say they’ve actually made contact with Calhoun or his forces, something you have.”

“Yea, I guess you do have a point there.” Luke admitted, rubbing the back of his head slightly with his free paw. “Well, as much as I would love to spend all day catching up, I’m afraid I’m here on a business trip. I should head on over to the Guild Hall.”

She nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you around town then,” she said, stepping aside to let him pass. “If you need anything, you know how to find me.”

“Take care.” Luke replied, giving her a wave as he and Kage stepped past her to find the Guild Hall.

After waiting for Torolf for a time, the Swampert eventually joined them, apologizing for his tardiness, and showed them the way to where the new hall was being built, further up the hill to the very peak of the ridge upon which Hadleigh had been built, in what was known as the sculptor’s district. The Swampert led them to the very top of the ridge, making a right at the last fork in the road after they had passed through most of the city, and towards a tall structure that seemed more like a temple than a guild hall, and indeed out in front of the hall was a fountain with a statue depicting Groudon, water flowing out of its mouth the splash into the rippling waters around it.

The structure behind the statue was narrow, seemed to be built to fit onto the edge of the ridge, almost to the edge of a straight drop to the quarry below, and fit in so well with the white cliffs of Hadleigh that it was little wonder Luke had missed it on his last visit -it looked like it was part of the ridge itself! The angular roof stretched out above the entrance, supported by two white columns, and the between them was opened invitingly for arriving visitors. Banners bearing the emblem of the Rescue Team Guilds -an emblem depicting Cobalion standing before a rising sun on the horizon behind him, hung from the pillars, waving steadily in the wind.

“Before the new council repurposed this place -quite recently, as you can see, this place was a site of worship to Groudon, who many considered to be an earth god at the time of the city’s founding,” explained Torolf. “It’s actually older than the city itself, but you can tell by all the buildings we passed where the inspiration for their architecture came from.”

“Repurposing a place of worship into a Guild Meeting hall…” Kage stated as he looked at the structure from top to bottom. “Can’t say I expected to see that…Though I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Luke shot Kage a warning glance, silently cautioning him to watch his tongue lest he offend Torolf or anyone else that might have heard him. “Yea, I can definitely see the inspiration.” Luke replied to Torolf, looking at his direction. “Though I have to ask, were the townsfolk in agreement with turning a sacred structure such as this into a place of business?”

 “This structure hasn’t been in use for about a hundred years,” explained Torolf. “Most of the townsfolk have forgotten what it used to be for, until work started to repurpose it. There have been a few protests, I won’t deny. But Calhoun left us with little choice, leaving many of the halls in ruin.”

Luke nodded softly in return. “Well, no time like the present.” Luke replied. “Let’s head inside.”

“Brace yourself,” warned Torolf. “Some of the gold captains are not easy to get along with.”

“I’ll be ready for them.” Luke assured the Swampert as they headed into the newly claimed Guild Hall.