Special Episode 4 - Interlude

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"I can find out. Things are no longer like they were nine years ago. We can locate him."

"Are you sure, dad?"

"I give you my word. Both as an explorer and as your father. Besides, we both know how tough Lance is. He's okay. I just know it."

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Nick promised Brian to help find his brother, and it had only been a day, two at most, since Brian mentioned what happened with Lance. Of course, maybe things were okay, and all Lance did was shift teams.

However, a part of him wondered if there was something else to it. Nick attributed this to instinct, a hunch that Brian didn't know the entire story. And as a father, he felt it was in his right to find out, to get to the bottom of that.

To do so, he entered the team base, his team base, the one he created in Bright Dawn. After greeting some onlookers, Nick walked towards the receptionist.

A Mawile waited, talking to an Igglybuff, and after signing something on her notebook, let the tiny Pokémon walk away. Nick flashed a smile—this was likely another team being registered.

After all these years… it almost takes me back. So many adventures. Nick continued to smile, now right next to Mawile, flashing his smile at her. "Good morning, I would like to make a phone call."

Mawile looked at him and slowly nodded, pointing at the wired phone next to her, and eyed the badge on the Lucario's black scarf. "Of course, sir. Mister Nicholas, right?"

"That I am," he replied, dialing a number on the phone. "It's intercontinental, but don't worry, I'll pay for it."

"As you wish."

Nick continued to dial the number, putting the phone around one of his ears, and waiting for the receiver to pick up. C'mon, Liz… I know you're a busy lady, but for once, pick up!

Seconds passed, but the one he wanted to call answered. "Hello?"

It was a feminine voice. Nick knew very well who it was, his tail twitching somewhat. "Liz, it's me, Nick."

"Nick?!" Liz practically shouted, then began to laugh. "It is you! How long has it been…?"

"Long enough." Nick sighed. "Listen, I would love nothing more than to catch up with you, but I called because—"

"You need my help. Of course you do." Liz replied, monotone. "Hm… well, I am busy, but I always have some time for an old friend. Tell me, what is bothering you now?"

"Brian. He asked me to—well, I said I was gonna find Lance. Things got out of hand and they separated. I'm sure Lance's fine, but just in case he isn't…"

"You want me to gather information on him? I am at the Air Continent, Nick. I am unsure if I will be of any help."

Nick frowned, shaking his head, despite Liz not being there physically. "Brian told me about this Marowak, I believe his name is Scar. Can you try to find any intel on him?"

"A Marowak." Liz grimaced. "Ground or ghost?"

"Ghost, I believe."

"Fair enough. A ghost Marowak, named Scar… alright, Nick. I will see what I can find."

"Thank you, Liz."

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Nick breathed in; until now, he wasn't sure if something really did happen with his son, but the possibility still loomed, and asking for help made it a little easier to deal with, regardless of results.

"And… while we're here, I wanted to ask how you're doing. Is Onyx well?"

"More than well," she replied. "Our jobs are keeping us busy, but we are planning a getaway relatively soon. Though… I suppose we should delay it, since I am helping you right now."

"Is that so?" A whine. "...Well, I can try finding out on my own, but—"

"Do not start it." Liz said, shutting him up. "We are friends, and helping you is no issue at all."

"Hm… if you say so." Nick sighed in relief. "As for me, things are going just fine. I've also heard from Shiron that he's talking about adopting."

"Adopting? Those two lugs?" Liz couldn't help but chuckle. "Now that is something I wish to see. But they make each other happy, and of course, I feel the exact same way."

"Yeah." Nick stopped talking to see Mawile, who was trying to listen to their conversation, covering her head with the notebook. This is what I get for relying on a public phone from the guild.

"Nick? Are you still there?"

"Hm? Right, yeah, I am," he cleared his throat. "Back to business. I'm not sure what's the deal with this Marowak. Apparently, he helped them deal with Morgan a while ago."

"Perhaps… this Marowak used this as a way to make Lance trust him?"

"I'm not sure, but it could be it." Nick bit a lip. "Something to keep in mind, then. I do wish Lance could have talked to me about this… I would've helped right away."

"It is important for him to grow as a person on his own, Nick." Liz added, sounding as stern as usual. "However… I do think your assistance could be useful. But what is the point of looking back at the past? All we can do is move forward."

Nick took that in consideration, closing his eyes. "Always."

"Very good. You understand it." Liz said. "And… well, I will see if I can contact Z to help you as well. With so many of us working together, I am sure we can reach him."

"That's what I hope…"

Nick put down the phone, grimacing. It was decided long ago, but he knew better now. He had to do everything in his power to help his sons.

It's what you'd want, right, Audrey? Me taking care of them, because you couldn't. Nick frowned, clutching his fist. I try my best, and sometimes it's not enough. But I'll keep on trying, now and forever.

He turned back to Mawile, waving her goodbye, and left the building.

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And once he was out, the first thing on his sights was his Swampert friend, Shiron, waiting for him with crossed arms, the wind blowing on his scarf.

"Hey."

"Hey," Nick answered back, waving as he approached his friend and teammate. "Just got out of the phone with Liz, she's gonna help us too."

"Oh, huh? Figured that was gonna be your plan." Shiron rubbed the back of his head. "That's good, honestly. We can always count on our friends, right?"

"Right. And you? What'd you find?"

"After talking with Meggie for a bit, I checked with the police, because she told me they first found the Marowak—"err, not exactly the Marowak, she found a Lopunny, and said Lopunny led them to him."

Nick raised a brow, letting his friend continue uninterrupted.

"They met at the guild, and made an alliance. Meg also told me she heard Scar mention the God he worshiped, and… I'll be honest, I don't recognize the name."

"Well, hit me with it. I might know." Nick rolled his eyes. "...No promises, though."

Shiron nodded. "This creature named Necrozma. That's who he worshiped. Which is fine and all, I don't judge anyone's religion. She also told me where he lives, and… you won't like it."

To that, the Lucario's brow only got further raised. It brought a lot of questions, and a lot of mental flashbacks to places he wasn't welcomed. There were quite a few, some better than others, some because of criminal activity.

"Go on."

This time, Shiron sighed, shaking his head from left to right. "It's Cydonia."

Nick stared at him, only muttering one thing. "Fuck."

Shiron had a similar reaction, smiling sheepishly and fiddling with his fingers. "Yeeeeah. Cydonia. Crazy of a coincidence, right?"

"Too much of a coincidence, to be honest." Nick groaned. "I don't want to come back there, and we don't know for sure that Lance is with him, they could be traveling for all we know."

"Also true." Shiron looked away, distant. "And after what happened with Terry—"

"We don't talk about that, we hurt our friend. Liz might be taking care of him now, but it still happened."

Shiron glared, suddenly looking more serious. "You know I don't like you blaming yourself for that."

"And I know you're gonna do the same thing. So…"

"So we change the subject." Shiron said. "Good?"

"Good."

Nick paused. "Anyway… we're not banned from Cydonia, but I think it'll be hard for us to go anyway."

"Probably." Shiron agreed, rubbing his chin. "First, we should eliminate other options. Meaning we oughta know more about this Scar guy."

He blinked. "...That can't be his real name, can it?"

Nick shrugged. "Hey, it's not like Onyx, is it?"

"Heh. Guess not." Shiron snorted. "Alright, so Liz is gonna try to search about Scar. What's your plan?"

"I wanna know more about what he does in Cydonia. Call it aura shit, but I have the feeling something's up."

"Agreed." Shiron didn't need aura sense for that. "So let's move on to the next step."

"We should be ready to travel, as soon as we get the info we need. And you should tell Magnus—"

"That we're leaving soon? Knew it." Shiron groaned. "Don't like spending so much time away… but that just makes reunions more special."

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This time it was Shiron that used a public phone booth, a little close to the guild's entrance. He dialed the number for his own house, and waited for someone to answer.

Nick watched it from far away, chuckling slightly.

Eventually, someone picked up. "Hello?"

"H-Heya, Cupcake." Shiron said.

"Hm? Oh hey, hi Shiron!" Magnus replied, and the Swampert managed to hear laughter. "Whoa, if you took the time to call, things must be going well, right?"

"Y-Yes." Shiron gulped. So many years and his husband still made him a flustered mess. "...But I do wanna say I'm gonna take a while to come back, Nick and I got roped into some stuff."

Magnus let him speak… before replying. "Not the fun type of ropes?"

"N-No!" Shiron shouted, face turning red. From afar, he heard Nick laughing. "We're investigating s-someone. And trying to find his kid. Y'know, the usual stuff."

"Ah. That's alright. And by a while, you mean…?"

"A while, while." Shiron answered. "I dunno the exact amount of time, but it'll be long. Just wanted to tell you that… unless you want me to go back? Nick's a grown adult, he can take care of this."

"Nah. You go. I'll treat you to some good food. Cake?"

Unknowingly, Shiron began to drool. "Cake. Thanks, Cupcake. H-Heh."

Magnus laughed in return. "Don't take too long. I might get jealous, alright? With how much time you spend with Nick."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"...He's not my type, anyway."

Shiron heard a distant "hey", but ignored it, only smiling in return. "I'll try my best to come back soon."

"That's the spirit, honey. I hope you can find him."

"And I'll be waiting for the cake!"

"Bye~"

"B-Bye…" Shiron put the phone back in its place, panting. His face was still very much red.

"So… you got the hubby's permission?"

"Indeed I do." Shiron rubbed the back of his head. "We're gonna get to the bottom of this."

Nick couldn't agree more, and offered a fist for Shiron to bump. "Thanks. It's great to have you as my friend."

"Gee, I wonder where that came from." Shiron chuckled, bumping fists with the Lucario. "...But we should get some rest, and start tomorrow. Hotel?"

"Hotel, or we can stay in the guild's dorms."

"True."

Nick nodded, turning to face the building. "I want to believe there's nothing wrong here, but—"

"Aura shit." Shiron tapped his friend on the back. "I know you long enough. Remember when you couldn't do it?"

"Like it was yesterday." Nick grimaced. "But times change, and so do we."

"We'll figure something out." Shiron shrugged, and began to walk, Nick following behind him. "We better. And like you mentioned a while ago, your kids are tough."

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That was a week ago, Nick remembered well. Since then, he eagerly awaited for the news he wanted and needed.

By this point, he hadn't left the city, but also didn't meet that much with Brian. It seemed the Zoroark was always busy with a project or two.

At least, that was what he told everyone. But Nick? He knew better. He knew that was Brian's way of coping with his problems, and Nick decided he had enough of that and made his way to the building they lived in. He was about to enter, when he heard footsteps, four—a quadruped, maybe—coming from behind him.

"Oh, hello La—wait a minute…"

It was an Arcanine, wearing a police badge around his fluff. He sniffed the air and tilted his head. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Hey." Nick blinked. An Arcanine… that knew his kid. Come to think of it, Brian mentioned it. "Apollo, right?"

"Apollo, yes." The rather large canine sat on all fours, chuckling slightly. "Sorry, I was going to check in on Lance, and you looked familiar. Wait, how do you know my name?"

"I'm his father." Nick stated, not bothering to laugh or chuckle or anything. It was just a matter of fact. "They told me all about you. A friend, right?"

Apollo's tail wagged. "Mhm! Their friend. We worked together on a few cases here and there, and I've heard from his teammates that Brian was shirking work, so I wanted to take a look… see if I could help him."

"The issue he's having is a little… rough. But if you can do anything, be my guest." Nick finally smiled. "We're trying to find his brother. This time, he hasn't been kidnapped, but—"

"I'm sorry, this time?!" Apollo barked. "He was kidnapped before?!"

"...Sadly, yes. This time he's just leaving the team, but my instincts tell me there's something else about it."

"Huh." Apollo's ears flopped down. "I wish I knew… didn't even consider that. Can I do anything?"

Hearing that, Nick started coming up with something that Apollo could be useful at. He hardly knew the guy, but it was obvious both of his kids trusted him with lots of things. Emotional support could very well be one of them.

"I'm leaving soon, to meet up with an old friend. Could you visit Brian, and… be there for him? Just to talk, be someone he needs."

Apollo didn't hesitate. "Yes. Of course I can. The kid's got a bright future ahead of him, and I'd love to help ease any worries he has."

Nick smiled. "Good to hear. I'm happy to know he's in your hands—paws."

During that moment, Nick flashed a goofy smile. One he hadn't done in a long, long time. It had been so long that doing so hurt.

"Ha. Very funny." Apollo chuckled as well, tail still swishing, and his ears flopped back up. "I forgot one thing… what's your name?"

A simple answer. "Nick."

"Well, a pleasure to help you, Nick." Apollo barked, stuffing his chest out proudly.

"If you'll excuse me… I'm going to check on the guild, I'm waiting for a call from one of my friends."

Nick nodded, and walked off.

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A few more minutes walking around the city, and Nick managed to get to the building.

His heart thumped, though Nick wasn't sure why. All he could do was hope for good news, for once.

This time, once he got inside, Mawile was waving at him, pointing at the phone.

Ah. Liz works fast, I have to admit. She always did.

Nick walked to the reception, picking up the phone.

"She hasn't called yet, has she?"

"No, sir."

"Figures." Nick groaned, dialing it again. "She better answer fast this time…"

And that was exactly the case. It only took a single ring before Liz was on the other side of the call. "Hello, Nick."

"Hey. What can you tell me about this?"

Liz released a sigh. "Too many things to talk about over the phone. I think we should meet in person."

Nick raised a brow. "Say what? It's been a while since we did that. I don't mind it, but where, pray tell? I can't exactly travel to Air in a day."

"Not like you are as fast as Z is." Liz chuckled. "Hm. I have just the thing. Do you still have the entercards?"

"I… think they're back home, but I do. You're suggesting—"

"I will use one to transport to Thornwell, and we will meet there. Does that sound good?"

…I told Shiron to warn his husband he wasn't coming over soon. Gah. At least they'll be reunited for a while. Nick grumbled. "Yeah, sounds good. It's not that large of a walk from here to Thornwell, I can get there in… say, a week? Maybe less."

"So we shall meet there in a week." Liz added. "I have also contacted Z. He is on his way."

"The gang's almost back together." Nick whistled. Minus Terry…

Liz had a similar thought, but felt better not to worry about it. She was practical, of course. "I believe he has more information for us. It is related to the creature this Scar worships."

"Really? Who knew having a legend as your friend would be this great…"

Liz chuckled. "Then… until we meet again?"

Nick almost wanted to keep talking, reminiscing about old times, old adventures, but he knew better than to do that.

"Until we meet again."

Now all Nick needed to do was give Shiron the news, maybe say goodbye to Brian, and head home. Three—two things, probably. All things considered, they were good news. They should feel like good news.

…Nick felt it was harder than it should be, by all means.

Gah. Worrying about this won't get me anywhere, I should just go and do it already.

Nick grimaced, waving goodbye to Mawile once again, turning back, and leaving from where he came from.

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Another week passed, just enough for Nick and Shiron to make their way back home. They had gone through one particular road so long that it became natural to them. The trees surrounding them and the wind blowing on their backs was so nostalgic and familiar.

"Really takes you back, eh?" Shiron grinned, punching Nick's arm softly.

"It does. Also, ouch. Better watch your strength." Nick flailed around dramatically.

"Or maybe you're a twig."

"If that was the case, I wouldn't be in pain, would I? How's that four weakness treating you?"

Shiron puffed out his chest. "Considering Magnus, I'd rather call it a strength."

"Ah. 'Course you do."

Not long after, they passed through the sign indicating they were at their hometown's entrance.

"So, let's recap…" Shiron said. "I'll go talk with Magnus, obviously. And you're gonna…"

"Talk with Liz. Whatever she found out, she didn't want to tell me over the phone."

"So I've heard. Earth-shattering news?"

Nick shook his head. "...Maybe, maybe not. We'll have to see."

The two kept walking, even while talking. It was more efficient than standing around doing nothing. Of course, their arrival didn't go unnoticed. Some kids got out of their houses, looking at them in awe, or amazement. They were heroes, after all.

Shiron whistled, looking at the crowd slowly forming. "Y'know, I'm not sure I like this kinda attention. Too much for me."

"I'm fairly sure I heard Lance saying the same thing. All he wanted was to help others." Nick bit a lip. "Wherever he is, I know that's still his goal."

Shiron nodded, not finding words to reply with. Nick needed a moment or two, and Shiron… well, he had a husband to meet up with.

Also, I can shift all the attention to Nick. God knows I sometimes attract the wrong kind of attention. Shiron groaned, eyeing his friend. "I'm gonna go home—or the bakery actually. I'm really hungry. Anyway, can you handle this?"

"Don't worry about it. Go give him some of your attention, I'm sure he needs it." Nick winked at him, then looked at the crowd. It had gotten bigger in just a few seconds.

And Shiron already ran off, on all fours, to dodge the dreaded thing that was being famous.

Nick watched him run away with a light smile. He then turned his attention to the crowd nearby, or rather, to the sound of a Toxicroak, well, croaking, and hopping closer to him.

"Good afternoon!"

Afternoon? Nick looked up, the sky clear, with very few clouds, and the sun was moving to the west. Whoa. Took longer than I thought.

"Have you heard the news about Cydonia, sir?" Toxicroak asked, raising a notebook and a pen. "We've heard someone dethroned your old friend, the Tyrantrum!"

"What? But my friend is—" Nick stopped himself. It wasn't Terry, obviously, so it had to be his brother. "...Tell me more about it."

"They said a Lucario did it. Percival, I think?" Toxicroak began taking notes, croaking. "It was a shock! Happened just a few days ago."

Percival? Nick grimaced. "You aren't implying I know who this Percival is, are you? Not all Lucario know each other."

"N-No, sir."

Despite what he said, the name sounded familiar, somewhat. But Nick didn't have enough time on his plate for this. "I'm sorry, but I need to go, alright? I scheduled a meeting with a friend. Another friend."

Toxicroak stepped back, cheeks puffing. "Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"Don't mention it." Nick would just need to get to the bottom of this later.

For now, he had to meet up with Liz.

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What better place to do that than their old HQ? That's what Nick had in mind as he climbed up the hill, with a smile on his face, and a twitching tail.

The air felt light and calm, nothing but a gentle breeze was present on that summer day. And this is where I'm thankful I didn't shed today. The ground would be full of fur.

Nick also took a moment to decide he had to visit his wife; if she wasn't busy with any patients. But after this matter was resolved. He continued to climb, but took a look down below every now and then.

"I see you are still as slow as ever." Said a familiar voice.

Nick turned his head up front, and chuckled at the sight.

Liz, a Roserade, grinned back at him, flicking her black cape. "Greetings. It is always a pleasure seeing you. I knew coming to the old base was the best idea."

"We think alike," he noted. "So… this place's pretty deserted."

He took a few more steps, and drooped his ears at what was left of their base. It had been demolished, once they built a better one. But still… the memories of that place were fresh in his head.

"It is." Liz had a frown on her face. "But that also makes it great for private talks. I assume that is what you want?"

Nick continued to laugh. "You're the one that said we should meet in person—or did you want to see me that badly?"

"I would rather let you be the judge of that," she grinned, walking closer to the rubble. "The good news is… I have found information."

"Just spill it already, will ya?"

"It appears as if Scar—hm, perhaps we should call him Asher, as that is his actual name. Scar is nothing but an alias." Liz eyed Nick, nodding. "Asher was a farmer, born in the Air Continent. He had a wife and a son. However…"

With how many sad backstories I've heard, I think I know the end to this one. Nick thought, but decided to let her finish.

"His land was full of natural resources. It got the attention of another farmer, one full of power and influence. As expected… he wanted what Asher had."

Hearing just that was enough for Nick to figure out the finer details. "Asher's family was killed because he refused to give the land."

"Bingo."

Nick crossed his arms, sighing. It was a common story to hear, but always a sad one.

I wonder if Scar told Lance this, to get him to empathize. But… my son knows better.

Nick shook his head. "Well, and what about Necrozma? Scar seems to worship him a great deal. But is it a normal kind of worship, or it like a cult—"

Thunder reverberated behind them, forcing Nick to look back as a flash of yellow lightning made its way up the hill.

"That, my friend, is what Zero is here to answer." Liz said.

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"Z!"

Nick backed away, letting all the electricity dissipate. It did so with a flick of an arm of whoever was inside it, revealing a Zeraora, holding on to a western hat in a paw.

"Howdy." Zero said, putting the hat on. "Always nice to see y'all."

"Hello, Zero." Liz waved with one of her arms. "You know why I called you here."

Nick ran ahead, hugging the feline tightly. "Hah! As much of a show-off as usual, Z!"

"And you're still a mutt!" Zero chuckled, before returning the hug, and pulling away. "Yeah, yeah. Wanted more info on this Necrozma guy, right?"

"Correct." Liz then looked at Nick. "Zero might not be a full-fledged legend, but—"

"I'm good enough," the not-legend replied. "Most of my contacts, like Terrakion, don't know much about it either. The guy's more of a "protect the lil fella" than a deity, if ya get what I mean. But he did agree to help me search for it."

"Don't beat around the bush, Z." Nick rolled his eyes, watching the Zeraora rush in a flash of electricity, appearing next to Liz.

"Y'all know we can gift the common folk with our power. Even us… lesser legends, I guess." Zero shrugged. "...So, from what we gathered, Necrozma is considered deity-level. By that, I mean, he's strong as shit."

Nick groaned. He had a hunch that was the case, but hearing the confirmation was a good thing.

Liz nodded. "And… where is he?"

Zero stopped for a moment, shuddering. "See, that's the thing… we found some books talking about what happened to the guy. He's sealed."

"Sealed…?" Nick tilted his head. "Wait, is it like the cracks?"

"Hell no, we dealt with all of them, remember?" Zero shrugged. "See, Terrakion didn't know jackshit about this, so we went to his sis. She was more knowledgeable."

He paused, and then continued. "Apparently, thousands of years ago… there was a massive fight with all the higher legends. We don't know the full details, but something made Necrozma turn his back on them, and attack all his pantheon. He struck down the moon and the sun themselves. Taking away their power."

Nick and Liz watched him explain it, the Lucario feeling an ever growing sense of dread, a shiver on his spine, that there was something worse involved in all of this.

"Fight kept going, on and on, and they managed to seal Necrozma, using the power of plates—well, not plates, shards that came from said plates, each containing a type. In this case, they went with bug, dark, and ghost. Took 'em a long time, but they sealed him away."

"I don't like the sound of this." Nick stated, snarling. "If this Scar worshiped such an evil creature…"

"We have faced so many of these lunatics that worship what they should not." Liz added, looking at Nick. "I think I know what you are thinking. This Scar… he wants to bring Necrozma back."

Zero looked at them both, sighing.

"Sounds about right."

"If that's the case… I need to find Lance. As soon as possible." Nick's fur stood on its end, and his ears perked up. "Thank you for this."

Liz wasn't done. She closed her eyes, thinking. "...Very well, Nick. I will continue to help you. Zero?"

The Zeraora just nodded. "That's what friends do!"

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"You're right." Nick pondered on what to do now. Many, many ideas were on his mind. But the biggest one out of all of them was what he decided to do. "I'm going to talk to Brian. I want to hear what he's going to do."

"And after hearing that, it will help us figure our next move, correct?" Liz asked, but she knew the answer.

"Sounds good enough for me." Zero gave them a thumbs up. "Now, if all y'all don't mind… I'm gonna grab something to eat."

And he zapped away into the city, leaving the other two behind. Nick scratched at the back of his head. "There he goes again."

"Hmph. We both know that is not what he plans on doing." Liz grumbled, pouting and puffing her cheeks.

"True." Nick chuckled at that. "I do need to talk with Brian. Can you wait for me at HQ?" The Lucario looked behind Liz, at the rubble. "The new one."

"I see no problems with it."

Nick started heading down the hill, with Liz behind. For now, at least. Until they went their separate ways.

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The walk was lonely, and Nick knew that at this time of the day, his wife was at work, so he was all alone, even once he got inside the house.

"Alright, this shouldn't take too long."

Nick started calling, and much to his shock, Brian answered right away.

"Dad?"

"Brian." Nick replied, leaning against a wall. "Ah, good to see you replied. I need to—"

"Dad, I know where Lance is." Brian said. Nick heard a soft whine coming from his son's words.

"You do…?"

"I mean, I'm almost sure. 99%. Wait… 80%. I think."

There was an awkward pause.

"Have you heard the news? I think… think Lance's the one that did those things at the kingdom. Scar's with him, everything's going to hell, and I—"

"Brian."

Nick sounded stern. He paused. "...I found out more things, bad things. What're you going to do?"

"I'm gonna go there." Brian said, his voice louder. "Told Meg and Dex, we're preparing to travel."

"Wait, Brian. Wait…" Nick paused, better to listen to him, and what Brian wanted. "...Tell me more."

Brian took a deep breath. "I wanna see for myself what's going on. And… well, I'm not gonna let you stop me."

"Hah. Stop you." Nick only laughed. "I trust you, Brian. I'm doing some investigations myself. Let's do it like this: You go, but you keep me updated, alright? Letters, calls, whatever you can. I'll be sure to pick them up."

He heard Brian purr in happiness, and the smile on Nick's face grew. "Love you, kiddo."

"L-Love you too, dad."

With that, they both hang up. Nick sat on the sofa and sighed, covering his head with both paws.

"Lance… whatever you're doing, I hope you didn't dig yourself into a grave."