"She's...gone..."

The words barely escaped Cory's mouth as he broke down in tears.  Kasai had left...run away into the distance.

Doug whined and gently nudged Cory, licking him gently. Orchid padded over and laid down, resting her head next to him.

"Was that your friend?" Choco asked curiously. "I'm really sorry..."

"Thank you for saving us." Barry said quietly. "We...we owe you. And...yes...we are sorry about your friend."

Cory just slowly shook his head.  "...but wait, if Lightning isn't here...where is he?"

"I think Fosc took him to the Forbidden Hills."

"To Nuclear's lair..." Flash growled under her breath.  "OF COURSE NOW HE'S THERE!"

The group gave an exaggerated sigh, causing Choco to tilt her head.  "What do you mean?"

"It's a long story..." Sasha said quietly.

"But don't y'all have a home you should be gettin' back to?" Streak pointed out.

"Yes, we do, but we're not sure which way the neko village is." Barry said.

"I can show you!  I know Hadari like the back of my hand." Katie said eagerly.

"Alright then."

"But we need to search for Lightning!" Zakk pointed out.  Doug barked in agreement.

"Well, I'll accompany them to the village, and you guys can start heading off without me, and I'll catch up later if I have to." Katie suggested.

"Sounds fair to me..." Cory muttered. 

"You sure you can handle it alone, Katie?" Streak asked.  "It's a loooong way back."

"We'll be fine! I'll see ya guys later." Katie barked, already starting to head back to her village. Barry and Choco both followed.

"Well, that's that." Flash muttered.

"What are we gonna tell Breeze? What are we gonna tell Kasai's family?" Cory asked, starting to panic. Doug gently nudged him.

"It's going to be okay." Sasha said gently.  "Let's just get back to our own camp to rest, then we'll start heading to Nuclear's lair."

The group eventually left, except for Cory, who stayed behind for a few more moments.

"Kasai...where could you be?"