Previously on Poké Rangers: Knights of Order:

With the Knights of Order trapped in a nightmare by Sharnalax, Gurkinn managed to evacuate them back to the Knights' Base. Calling Clemont for help, he gained the added bonus of Diantha, Champion of Kalos. Thanks to the Poké Flute and Diantha's Gardevoir, Gurkinn was able to free the Knights from their dreams. Kitted up with special upgrades by Clemont, the Knights battled Sharnalax again, destroying her first with the Elemental Blasters and then with the Megazord of Justice...

Chapter 10: Showdown at the Chateau

A new day had dawned over the Kalos Region, and Tristan, Rafi, Marianne, Quinn and Electra were on the road once again, heading towards Cyllage City. At their feet, Torchic and Lucky were playing catch with Pikachu, Roselia and Floette, while Grovyle and Leafeon stayed by Quinn's side. In the skies above, a small flock of Vivillion fluttered down towards the flower fields, and Duckletts paddled around in the river.

Just then, Tristan looked up and saw a large stone mansion built over the river. "Whoa, what is that place?"

Marianne smiled as she saw it too. "That is the Battle Chateau."

"Let's go in!" Electra cried, her eyes lighting up. "I haven't been inside for weeks!"

"You've been here before?" Rafi asked.

"Yeah," Electra replied. "It's a great place to hang out. All sorts of trainers come here to battle each other and earn new ranks."

"Ranks?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, every time you win a certain amount of battles, you gain a new rank," Marianne explained. "Every trainer that comes starts as a Baron or Baroness, and as they battle and defeat new trainers, their ranks go up to Viscount/Viscountess, then Earl/Countess, Marquis/Marchioness, and Duke/Duchess."

"And if you manage to battle enough trainers that visit the Chateau," Electra finished, "you could be able to reach the ultimate title of Grand Duke or Grand Duchess."

"Sounds kind of tough on the Pokémon," Quinn muttered. "Is all that battling really necessary?"

"What?" Tristan scoffed. "That's the kind of talk that those Team Plasma nutters went about in Unova."

Quinn looked like he was about to argue, but Rafi interrupted him. "Well, come on. Let's check the place out!"

"Minccino!" cried Lucky.

"Yeah, why not?" Tristan agreed. "It could be fun!"

With that, the Knights set off towards the Chateau. As they ran, they didn't notice a Spydove flying overhead...

Yvestros watched on the screen as the Spydove moved its attention from the Knights to the Battle Chateau. "According to the two female Knights, a number of strong trainers come to this Battle Chateau. What are the chances of finding someone worthy for our plan?"

"We just need to know who the strongest trainer is and which Pokémon they use," Mothitelle replied. "Remember the type of Pokémon the original Dragon Knight used?"

"I do," Yvestros replied. "In the meantime, we need a diversion to prevent the Knights of Order from discovering our true plans."

Sabelteur raised his hand. "How about another monster, my Lord? One that can attack from the river, perhaps?"

"Good idea," Yvestros replied. "Then while the Knights are busy dealing with the monster, Sharphound shall sneak into the Chateau and gain the info we need. Everyone, get to it!"

The Knights passed through the doors of the Chateau and entered a pristine room. Paintings of old lords and ancient swords hung from the marble walls and the parquet floors were so clean that they could see their own reflections.

"Whoa!" Tristan breathed. "This is amazing!"

"Torchic!" said Torchic.

A maid entered the room and bowed to them. "Welcome to the Battle Chateau," she said. "And such a pleasure to see you again, Marchioness Marianne and Marchioness Electra."

"You're both Marchionesses?" Rafi gasped.

"My secret's out," Marianne chuckled. "But yes, I have done a number of battles here. I had just received the mantle of Marchioness before I met you."

"And I got mine before you," Electra said with a smile.

"Are the rest of you coming to have a battle?" the maid asked the others.

"Not me," Quinn replied. "Battling is not really my strong suit."

"I am," Tristan said.

"And so am I," Rafi added.

At this, an older man in a black suit and monocle came into the room, bowing low. "Greetings, young trainers. I am Duke Turner, the host of the Battle Chateau. I understand that you two would like to have your debut match, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," Tristan replied. "My name is Tristan."

"And I'm Rafi," said the Flying Knight.

"And such a delight seeing you two here again, Marchioness Marianne." Duke Turner took Marianne's hand and shook it. "And Marchioness Electra." He did the same to Electra.

"Good to see you again, sir," Marianne said politely.

"Please follow me into the waiting room." Duke Turner opened the door he had come through and led the Knights through it.

They walked through a passageway that had many adornments from the old times and soon they entered a room where a few dozen trainers stood, chatting to each other and comparing Pokémon.

"Are they all here to battle too?" Rafi asked.

"Yes, a lot of them have already gained their titles and some are waiting to debut like you and Master Tristan," Duke Turner replied.

"Excuse me!"

At the shout, Duke Turner looked round as a young man in hiking gear walked up to him. "I've just been challenged to a battle by one of the Duchesses. Can we ask that you be our judge for the battle?"

"But of course, Duke Fergus," Duke Turner replied with a smile. "Please get into your appropriate outfits and we can begin."

As the hiker went off, Duke Turner turned to address the crowd. "Attention all, we are about to have a battle between our two most respected Dukes, Duke Fergus and Duchess Etna."

Quinn's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, Duchess who?"

"But until the match begins, we have two new trainers eager to join the ranks, Tristan and Rafi. So if anyone would like to come to give them their debut match, please come forward! That is all."

As Duke Turner went off after Fergus, two young trainers came up to the Knights. One was a young boy about Rafi's age in a blue jacket and brown shorts, the other was a Bug Catcher in a brown outfit.

"So you two are new here, huh?" the young boy asked Tristan. "Well then, how about you and your little Torchic have a battle with me? By the way, my name's Mickey."

"Sure," Tristan replied.

"And I'm Benny," said the Bug Catcher. "Would you like to take me on, Rafi?"

"Yeah, I most definitely would," Rafi replied.

"Minccino!" said Lucky.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the maid announced. "If you would please step out onto the balcony for the first match."

The Knights followed the other trainers out onto the balcony of the Chateau. Tristan saw that the balcony overlooked an arena built above the river. Just then, two people stepped out onto the arena. The first one out was Fergus who now wore a red cloak over his hiking gear. Behind him came a young slim woman with bright red hair streaked with pink, wearing her cloak over an orange kimono with red fire patterns.

"I don't believe it!" Quinn gasped in amazement. "It is her!"

"Grovyle!" cried Grovyle.

"This battle between Duke Fergus and Duchess Etna is about to begin," Duke Turner announced. "As per the rules, each Duke can only use one Pokémon with no substitutes. Should a Duke's Pokémon successfully knock out the other, they shall be declared the winners." The two opponents stood on opposite sides of the arena. "Begin!"

"Drapion, I choose you!" Fergus called, throwing his Poké Ball out.

"Delphox, let's light 'em up!" Etna shouted, doing the same.

In a flash of light, the two Pokémon emerged. Drapion reared up to its full height, snapping its pincers together, while Delphox raised its paws ready for battle.

Tristan and Rafi each scanned the Pokémon with their PokéDex. "Drapion is part Dark Type and Delphox is part Psychic," Tristan noted. "This battle might be over quick."

"I don't think so," Quinn replied. "If I know Etna, she always finds a way around weaknesses."

"How do you know her anyway?" Electra asked.

"I'll tell you when the match is over," Quinn replied.

"Drapion, Night Slash!" Fergus commanded.

Drapion's front claws began to glow and it scuttled towards Delphox.

Etna didn't look worried at all. "Dodge the attack, Delphox!"

At the last second, Delphox jumped aside, soaring over Drapion's head.

"Now, use Shadow Ball!"

Delphox summoned a black orb in her paws then hurled it out, striking Drapion in the back.

"Don't give up, Drapion!" Fergus yelled. "Hit her with Pin Missile!"

Drapion raised its tail and fired dozens of glowing needles towards Delphox.

"Block it with Will-O-Wisp!" Etna commanded.

Pulling out a burning branch, Delphox created six fire balls and threw them out. The fire balls met the Pin Missiles halfway and burnt them to a crisp then they flew on and hit Drapion, its body flashing red as it was Burned.

"Whoa!" Rafi gasped. "That was cool!"

"I've never seen anyone use Will-O-Wisp as a defensive move!" Marianne agreed.

Quinn nodded. "Good old Etna..."

"Grovyle," agreed Grovyle.

"Venoshock!" Fergus called.

Rearing up, Drapion spat out a sickly purple liquid that hit Delphox, making her stumble. Then Drapion flashed red again and fell back.

"Let's finish this off, Delphox!" Etna cried. "Mystical Fire!"

Sweeping her branch round, Delphox blew out a powerful stream of fire and blasted Drapion hard. When the flames subsided, Drapion collapsed to the ground, knocked out.

"Drapion is unable to battle!" Duke Turner announced. "The winner of the match is Duchess Etna!"

"Good work, Delphox," Etna beamed, patting her Pokémon's shoulder. "Another great win."

"Delphox," said Delphox.

Fergus recalled his Drapion then approached Etna. "My congratulations to you," he smiled, shaking her hand. "And such a noble battle indeed."

"Thanks, you too," Etna replied.

"Etna!" Quinn called, running down the stairs with his Pokémon. "Well done out there!"

Etna turned around and her eyes widened. "Quinn? Quinn Westwood, is that you?"

"Yes, it is, Etna!" Quinn replied. "It's been so long."

"I haven't seen you since your graduation at Almia." Etna ran over and grabbed Quinn in a hug. "It's so great to see you again!"

Grovyle bounded over and nodded at Delphox. "Grovyle, grove?"

"Delphox, phox," Delphox replied with a wry smile.

Grovyle then turned to Leafeon and Roselia. "Grovyle, grovyle."

Delphox looked at each Pokemon and nodded at them.

"Looks like you've still got your friends with you, too," Etna smiled.

"And made some new ones," Quinn replied, as the other Knights came over. "Everyone, this is Etna Langstrom, one of the best Fire Trainers I've ever come to know in my travels."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Etna smiled once Quinn had introduced them. She turned to Tristan and Rafi. "So, you two want to join the Battle Chateau? It won't be easy, but I know you can do it."

"Thanks," Tristan replied. "Which reminds me, I need to talk to Duke Turner about my match."

"Me too," Rafi said. "After watching that match, I can't wait to get started!"

Outside the Chateau, Sharphound appeared in a cloud of smoke, accompanied by a gang of KrokoViles. Next to appear was Sabelteur's latest monster, a Barbaracle with the head, tail and sturdy arms of a Swampert.

"Alright, Swampacle, you understand the plan?" Sharphound asked. "You head into the water and wait for my signal. Then you attack the Chateau and keep everyone from leaving the main hall. I will send the KrokoViles out to bar the way, but your job is to keep the Knights of Order distracted."

"Yes, General," Swampacle said. With that, he ran to the river and jumped in, swimming towards the arena.

Once he'd gone, Sharphound took out a small black gem and placed it on his chest. In an instant, his appearance had changed into a young man in a black suit, white gloves and a silver helmet. "Now then, time to mingle with the humans."

As he stepped in, a maid approached him. "Welcome to the Battle Chateau. Can I help you?"

"Yes, miss," Sharphound replied. "Can you tell me about the Dukes and Duchesses in this place?"

The maid looked puzzled. "What for, sir?"

"I feel that it's important to know what sort of opponents to face when I become Duke myself."

"Have you been here before?" asked the maid curiously. "I don't recall ever seeing you at the Chateau before."

Sharphound started to panic, so he acted fast. "Well, what about that fellow over there?" he asked, pointing behind her.

As the maid turned to look, Sharphound delivered a karate chop on her shoulder, knocking her out. "I hate getting asked awkward questions." Waving his hand, he beckoned the KrokoViles into the Chateau. "I shall search the place for the answers I need. You spread out through the Chateau, don't let anyone try to leave the great hall."

With eager snarls, the KrokoViles slunk away into the passages. Sharphound followed a little behind.

"Begin!" Duke Turner announced.

"Orville, let's go!" Rafi cried, throwing out his Ball.

"Go get him, Beedrill!" Benny cried, tossing out his Ball.

As the Pokémon emerged, they hovered in the air, regarding each other carefully.

Rafi made the first move. "Orville, Wing Attack!"

Orville streaked through the air, wings ready to strike.

"Dodge it and then use Twineedle!" Benny shouted.

Beedrill swooped to one side, avoiding Orville's attack, then it fell around and struck Orville with its stinger arms, knocking Orville to the ground.

"Hang in there, Orville," Rafi called, urging his Pokémon up. "We can still beat him."

On the sidelines, Tristan and the others stood and watched the battle, ready to cheer Rafi on. Etna stood next to them. "Your friend seems very sure of himself."

"You should have seen him at Santalune City," Marianne replied.

Buoyed by his trainer's encouragement, Orville stood up and took to the air.

"Beedrill, go for Fury Attack!" Benny shouted.

Beedrill flew towards Orville, stingers at the ready.

"Drive him back with Gust," Rafi ordered.

Orville flapped his wings hard, creating a gust of wind that blew Beedrill back.

"Now Quick Attack!"

Before Beedrill could recover, Orville flew straight as an arrow at the Bug, slamming into its chest.

"He's certainly trained his Pokemon well," Etna noted.

"Beedrill, hit him with Poison Jab!" Benny yelled.

Beedrill flew up, its stinger glowing purple, and it punched out, stabbing Orville hard and making him falter in the air.

"Fury Attack once again!"

Beedrill charged in and struck Orville with all its might, sending him plunging to the ground again.

"Orville!" Rafi gasped.

"This doesn't look good," Marianne breathed.

"He's not out of it yet," Quinn said. "There's still a chance."

"Come on, Orville, don't give in!" Rafi shouted. "I know you can win this fight! I believe in you!"

Hearing Rafi shouting, Orville slowly struggled to stand.

"Yeah, Orville, you can do it!" Tristan shouted.

Orville finally rose to his feet and spread his wings out wide. "Pidgeeyyyyy!"

Suddenly, Orville's body began to glow bright blue. Rafi gasped in amazement. "What...?"

As everyone watched in silence, Orville's body grew a little bigger. Then the light faded, revealing a sturdy and eager Pidgeotto. "Pidgeotto!"

"Alright!" Rafi cheered. "Orville has evolved!"

"Way to go, Orville!" Electra shouted encouragingly. "Now finish this battle!"

Benny smiled eagerly. "We'll see how tough this guy has become. Beedrill, Pursuit!"

Beedrill's body flashed white and it flew rapidly towards Orville.

"Dodge it quickly, Orville!" Rafi yelled.

Flapping his strong wings, Orville flew over Beedrill's head. Then he turned and flew towards it.

"Watch out, Beedrill!" Benny called. "Hit him with Twineedle!"

Beedrill turned in midair and flew straight at Orville, stingers raised.

"They're going to crash!" Tristan gasped.

"I can't look!" Electra cried, covering her face with both hands.

Then at the last second, Orville suddenly disappeared. As Beedrill stopped to look around, Orville appeared behind it and slammed into it, pushing him down. As they hit the ground, a cloud of dust flew up, hiding them from view.

"What happened?" Marianne asked baffled.

"Orville must have learned Aerial Ace," Etna replied. "But who has won?"

After a tense few seconds, Orville flew out of the dust cloud, battered but pleased with himself. Then the dust finally cleared, revealing a knocked out Beedrill.

"Beedrill is unable to battle!" Duke Turner announced. "The winner of this match is Rafi, who now claims the title of Baron!"

"Yes!" Rafi cheered as Orville landed in front of him. "You did it, Orville! And congratulations on evolving!"

"Pidgeo," Orville replied.

"Well done," Benny smiled, walking up to Rafi. "I certainly didn't expect such a turnaround like that, but you've definitely earned that title."

"Thank you," Rafi beamed.

"That was incredible!" Tristan cried, running over to him. "I'm so proud of you!"

Then the maid came over to them, carrying a white cloak. "Congratulations on winning the match," she said. "Please take this as a sign of your new rank."

Rafi accepted the cloak with a smile.

"And now for our next match," Duke Turner announced. "Combatants, step into the arena."

"Good luck, Tristan," Rafi said, patting his friend's arm as he went.

Mickey came out onto the arena. "You ready for this?"

"You bet I am." Tristan turned to his first Pokémon. "Alright, Torchic, do your best out there!"

"Torchic," said Torchic, running out into the arena.

Mickey took out a Poké Ball and threw it out. "Then I shall choose Snover!"

As a female Snover appeared, Torchic scratched the ground with one foot, ready for battle.

"Let the match begin!" Duke Turner announced.

Sharphound was starting to get impatient. He had searched through all the rooms of the Chateau, but he had found no hints to the whereabouts of the info Yvestros needed.

Then he opened a door which led into an office. "Hmm, maybe this will have what I need..."

Stepping inside, he approached the desk and pulled open a drawer. Inside were a few labeled sheets of paper which he pulled out with a smile. "Finally. Time to signal Swampacle."

He opened a window and looked out, seeing the arena below. Then he drew in a breath and launched a single fireball into the air...

"Torchic, Ember!" Tristan yelled.

Opening his beak, Torchic launched little fireballs at Snover, hitting her hard.

"This battle's gonna be quick," Marianne said. "Snover's type makes it a bad choice against a Fire Type."

"I don't know," Etna murmured. "There must be a reason Mickey chose that Pokemon."

"Alright, Snover, time for our special move!" Mickey announced. "Water Pulse!"

"What?" Tristan gasped.

Snover summoned a glowing blue ball in her hands and hurled it out.

"Torchic, dodge it fast!" Tristan yelled.

Quickly, Torchic scrambled to one side, just before the Water Pulse soared through the spot he had been standing on and crashed into the river.

"So that's Mickey's ploy," Rafi realized. "He's taught Snover to use Water Pulse so it can counteract a Fire Pokémon's attacks."

"With that attack, Tristan's going to have quite a tough battle," Etna agreed.

As Quinn nodded his head, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Looking round, he saw a smoky trail coming out of one of the Chateau's windows. "Huh? What is that?"

Tristan gritted his teeth. "Torchic, go for Peck!"

Torchic charged forward, beck pointed ahead as he ran at Snover.

Suddenly, the whole arena shook wildly, throwing Torchic and Snover off their feet. Tristan stumbled backwards, almost teetering on the arena's edge. Mickey looked around in confusion. "What was that?"

His answer came moments later, as a Swampert-Barbaracle monster burst out of the river and landed in the center of the arena. The people screamed in terror at the sight of the monster, and the maid fainted to the floor.

"What is that thing?" Etna gasped.

"Oh no," Electra breathed.

"Oh my goodness!" Duke Turner cried out. "What a horrible creature!"

"Snover!" yelped Snover, running behind her owner's legs.

"What's with the freaky looking fish?" Mickey gasped.

Tristan quickly took action. "Who are you? And why are you attacking this place?"

"I am Swampacle," the monster replied. "My orders are to destroy the Chateau!"

Tristan glanced down at his Morpher, but with Mickey and Duke Turner on the arena with him and a lot of people watching on the balcony, he knew that it was too risky to change. "Guess I'll just have to improvise," he said to himself then aloud he yelled, "Torchic, hit him with Ember!"

"Snover, help out with Razor Leaf!" Mickey shouted.

Torchic launched more fireballs out his beak while Snover launched some leaves from her hands. Both attacks hit Swampacle, but they didn't seem to affect him.

"We've got to do something!" Rafi cried.

"How?" Electra asked in low tones. "We can't morph with all these people around."

"We have to try at least," Quinn replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" Etna interrupted.

"Enough of this!" Swampacle snapped. "Hammer Arm!"

Pushing past the Pokémon, he raised his massive arms and struck Tristan and Mickey, sending them off the edge of the arena and crashing into the river.

"TRISTAN!" Rafi screamed.

"Mincci!" Lucky cried.

Laughing wickedly, Swampacle dived back into the water. Torchic and Snover ran up to the edge, calling out to their trainers. Duke Turner tried to run towards the stairs. Just before he reached them, Swampacle jumped out under the stairs, smashing them apart with his head and stranding Duke Turner, Torchic and Snover.

"Whoa," Electra gasped. "Such power!"

"I'm going after Tristan and Mickey!" Marianne cried, drawing out a Dive Ball and a Lure Ball. "Milotic, Sharpedo, let's go!"

With a flash of light, Milotic and Sharpedo appeared, landing in the river.

"While I'm gone, I need you guys to evacuate the Chateau," Marianne ordered, climbing onto the balcony. "Get everyone to safety."

"Okay, be careful," Quinn replied.

With a smile, Marianne jumped off the balcony and dived into the water. Popping her head out, she swam over to Sharpedo and grabbed onto its fin. "Okay, guys, let's go and save Tristan and Mickey!"

As the two Water Pokémon dived into the river, Electra turned to the others. "Let's get going."

"Why are you being so calm about this?" Etna cried. "Duke Turner is trapped out there, and Tristan, Mickey, and Marianne could be in danger!"

"There's nothing we can do for them now," Quinn shouted. "Come on, let's get everyone out of here."

Rafi turned to the crowd. "Everyone listen up! I know that things look bad, but right now, we need to stay calm. So if we can quietly head for the exits, we'll all be fine."

Quinn and Electra ran over to the main doors and swung them open, only to find a group of KrokoViles standing in the passage, snarling menacingly. Electra quickly slammed the doors again. "Okay, not going through that way."

Quinn went over to a side door, opened it, saw more KrokoViles inside and quickly closed it again. "Nor that way."

Rafi tried the last door but got the same results as the others. "Okay, correction, folks. Now we can panic."

Under the river's surface, Tristan struggled to right himself as he tumbled downstream from the Chateau. At last, he broke the surface with a loud gasp. "Mickey?" he called. "Mickey, where are you?"

"Over here!" Mickey gasped, splashing about in the river. "Help me! I can't swim!"

"I'm coming!" Tristan yelled, swimming towards him. Before he could get there, Mickey was suddenly pulled down into the water. "Mickey!"

Taking a breath, he dived under and saw Mickey being dragged down to the river bed. Paddling as hard as he could, he grabbed Mickey's arm and tried to pull him up. But something had a strong grip on Mickey. Looking down, Tristan saw one of Swampacle's hands clinging tightly onto Mickey's ankle.

With a final tug, Swampacle yanked Mickey and Tristan down to the river bottom. "Now you're in my domain," he laughed, standing on the bed. "And here you shall die!"

Tristan and Mickey tried to swim away, but they found that they were caught by two pairs of spindly Barbaracle arms erupting from the mud.

"Don't even try to escape," Swampacle snapped. "My extra arms are keeping you here until you drown!"

Already Tristan could feel his lungs starting to burst. Any minute now...

Suddenly, Milotic swam into view and swung its tail round, striking Swampacle hard. As he fell back, the arms lost their grip, allowing Tristan and Mickey to escape.

"Hey, get back here!" Swampacle yelled, swimming towards them.

Just before he could catch them, Sharpedo swept in and latched onto his arm with its sharp teeth. As Swampacle cried out in pain, Milotic came in again and bashed into his side, sending him spiraling down the river.

Tristan's eyes widened as he saw Marianne clinging onto Sharpedo's fin. She quickly pointed to Milotic as it swam up to them. Understanding the message, Tristan and Mickey swam over to Milotic and clung onto its neck as it and Sharpedo swam to the surface.

As the two Pokémon emerged, Tristan and Mickey let out loud gasps and coughs, filling their lungs with air.

"Thanks for the timely rescue, Marianne," Tristan panted.

"No problem," Marianne replied. "Now let's head back to the Chateau. Swampacle won't be put off for long."

With that, Sharpedo and Milotic turned and set off upstream...

"We're surrounded on all sides!" Rafi cried, looking between each of the doors. "How do we get past the KrokoViles?"

"Kroko-whats?" Etna asked puzzled. "How do you know what they're called?"

"Strange that they haven't attacked us yet," Electra noted, rubbing her chin. "It's almost as if they're keeping us here. But why?"

"Only one way to find out." Quinn walked over to the main doors. "Grovyle, Leafeon, get your Energy Balls ready."

Grovyle and Leafeon both summoned their Energy Balls. Then as Quinn threw the doors open, they launched their attacks, taking out the KrokoViles in one hit.

"Alright, everybody out," Rafi called. "Come on, let's go."

Quickly, the trainers ran out into the passages but Etna paused on the way. "What about you guys?"

"We're gonna wait for Tristan and Marianne," Quinn replied. "Just go with the others, they'll need someone to keep them safe. And who better to do that than a Duchess?"

Etna stared at them for a moment then nodded and ran outside.

Quinn then turned to his Pokémon. "Go after them, guys. We'll handle this."

"You too, Lucky," Rafi said.

With a nod, Lucky, Grovyle, Roselia, Leafeon, and Floette set off after the trainers.

"Alright," Electra said. "Now it's time to morph."

She, Rafi and Quinn raised their Morphers, pressing the button down. "Order's Light, Ignite!"

The elements of Electricity, Flying and Grass burst out of their Morphers and crashed into them, forming their armor.

"Now let's find out what's happening," Electra said.

"Before Swampacle attacked, I saw a trail of smoke coming from one of the windows," Quinn recalled. "I think Sharphound must be around here somewhere."

"If that's the case, we'd better find him fast," Rafi decided, leading the others out the main hall. "Come on!"

Meanwhile, Tristan, Mickey, and Marianne had reached the arena outside the Chateau. Milotic and Sharpedo swam over to the edge of the arena, letting their passengers climb up onto the walls.

"Torchic!" Torchic ran over and snuggled up to Tristan's leg.

"Snover!" Snover bounded up and grabbed Mickey in a tight hug.

"Thank Arceus you're alright," Duke Turner called, running over to them. "That monster has destroyed the stairs leading out of the arena, and I've been trapped here ever since."

"Don't worry, sir," Marianne said. "We'll find a way out."

Tristan thought for a moment. "I have an idea. Mickey, can your Snover use Ice Beam?"

"It can do Blizzard," Mickey replied. "Is that fine?"

"It's good enough," Tristan said. "Marianne?"

"Say no more," Marianne smiled. "Milotic, use Water Gun on the stairs."

Milotic turned and fired a stream of water at the stairs.

"Oh, I get it," Mickey said. "Snover, use Blizzard!"

Snover raised her arms and summoned a snowstorm at the Water Gun, freezing it into a ramp that led back to the Chateau.

"Excellent work, my lady!" Duke Turner cheered.

Tristan then spotted a large fin slicing through the water towards them. "Uh oh, looks like Swampacle's coming back for Round 2!"

"Mickey, get Snover and the Duke out of here," Marianne ordered. "We'll handle this guy!"

"Be careful," Mickey called as he, Snover and Duke Turner ran across the ice bridge and into the Chateau.

Tristan and Marianne recalled their Pokémon and stood ready, as moments later, Swampacle leapt out of the water.

"Fish out of water!" Marianne yelled as he landed before them.

"You've escaped me for the last time, Knights of Order!" the Poké-Mutant yelled. "Now I'm really steamed!"

"Guess that would make you a cooked fish, huh?" Tristan laughed. "Let's take you down!"

He and Marianne pressed their Morphers' buttons. "Order's Light, Ignite!"

The elements of Fire and Water shot out of their Morphers and slammed into them, creating their armor.

"Now tell us why you're attacking!" Tristan yelled. "Or we'll chop you up into fish sticks!"

"I cannot say," Swampacle replied. "Sharphound gave me orders to keep you distracted."

"Sharphound is here?" Marianne gasped.

Swampacle suddenly realized that he had said too much. "Uhhh, no?"

"We have to warn the others," Tristan cried, reaching for his Morpher.

"No! You will not warn them. Mud Shot!" Swampacle spat out two balls of mud that struck Tristan and Marianne in the chest, coating their armor.

"Blech!" Tristan gasped, wiping the mud off as best he could. "That Mud Shot's covered our Morphers!"

"We can't contact the others now," Marianne cried. "We'll just have to fight him ourselves!"

Jumping to their feet, Tristan and Marianne summoned their weapons and ran towards Swampacle...

Inside the Chateau, Sharphound was still looking through the pages he'd found. Each page had a list of trainers and a roster showing the Pokémon they'd used in battles. "No... no... not this one... Wait." He looked back at the sheet he'd turned and glanced at it for a long while. "Yes, this could be the one..."

Suddenly he heard loud roars coming from behind the door of the office. "What the...?" he asked. "What's happening out there?"

In answer, the door was thrown open as a KrokoVile was hurtled through it, crashing against the desk. Then Rafi, Quinn, and Electra stepped into the room, weapons raised.

"Hey you," Quinn said, not recognising Sharphound in his human form. "Why are you still here? Didn't you hear the monster attacking this place?"

"Uh, there was a monster attack?" Sharphound asked, feigning ignorance. "I'm sorry, but I was just sorting out these papers, for uh, important reasons."

"Wait a second," Electra cried. "I've been to this place many times and I don't recall seeing you around here before."

For a moment, Sharphound was silent. Then he leapt over the desk and charged at the Knights. Just before he could reach them, Electra raised her hammer and slammed it into his chest. As he fell back, the Rangers heard a shattering noise then Sharphound's disguise faded away, revealing his true form.

"Sharphound!" Rafi gasped. "What's going on here? Why the disguise?"

Sharphound didn't answer. He just opened his mouth and fired a stream of flame, driving the Knights out of the office. When the fire faded, Sharphound had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Electra yelled, running into the room. "And what was he after?"

Just then, a group of KrokoViles came into the passage, jaws agape. The Rangers raised their weapons, ready to fight back.

"Delphox, Psyshock!"

Suddenly, the KrokoViles were thrown forward onto their faces, knocked down by a wave of psychic energy. As the Poké-Mutants faded away, the Knights looked up and saw Etna standing at the other end, her Delphox by her side.

"Uh, thanks for the assistance," Quinn replied. "But we had this under control."

Etna nodded slowly. "I'm sure you did, Quinn."

The Knight jumped back in shock, their expressions hidden behind their helmets. "I-I'm not sure who you're talking about," Quinn stammered.

"Oh come on, don't try to hide it," Etna scoffed. "You guys were the only ones who were completely calm when that monster attacked, you knew the names of those creatures that were trying to keep us prisoner, and when I came back to look for you guys, you had disappeared and these strange people in fancy armor suddenly appear out of nowhere. Call me crazy, but I find that too bizarre to be a coincidence. So come on, it is you, isn't it?"

Electra swapped a look with Rafi and Quinn. "She's certainly a quick learner."

"Yes, you're right, it is us," Rafi admitted.

"I'm sorry that I lied to you," Quinn sighed. "We had orders not to reveal ourselves to anyone. So we couldn't risk changing in front of everybody."

Etna's expression softened and she folded her arms. "You always were full of surprises, Quinn. At least you cleared away all those- what did you call them? KrokoViles?"

"Yeah, part Krokorok, part Weavile," Rafi replied.

Just then, they heard a loud roar from outside. Quinn ran up to a window and looked outside. "Uh oh, Swampacle's back! And he's attacking Tristan and Marianne!"

"We've got to get out there!" Rafi cried.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Etna asked. "Let's go get him!"

"Hammer Arm!" Swampacle bellowed, raising his arms.

Tristan and Marianne jumped out of the way. Marianne raised her Water Blaster and fired a stream of water, driving Swampacle back. Tristan jumped in and punched him in the face.

"You're getting on my nerves! Water Gun!" Taking a breath, he shot out a huge torrent of water, driving Tristan back. Tristan fell to the ground, weakened by the super effective attack.

"Hang in there, Tristan!" Marianne yelled. "You have to find a way past that strong attack!"

Tristan staggered to his feet. "But how? That water's too tough to take on at full force." Then he suddenly remembered Etna's battle. "Wait, her Delphox was faced with a super-effective attack, but she avoided it easily... Maybe that's the answer." He drew out his sword and ran at Swampacle.

"Back for more, huh?" Swampacle laughed. "Okay, one more Water Gun shall take you out!" So saying he launched another water stream.

"Watch out!" Marianne yelled.

But just before the attack hit, Tristan crouched down and then launched himself into the air, soaring over the water and right at Swampacle. As the Poke-Mutant reached out to grab him with his extra hands, Tristan swung his sword round, cutting off the arms in one blow.

"AAAAARRRGHHH!" Swampacle screamed in pain.

At that moment, Rafi, Quinn, and Electra came running over the ice bridge. "Are you guys alright?" Quinn asked.

"We are now that you're here," Marianne replied. "What say we finish this guy off?"

"Good idea," Tristan replied. "Time to form the Justice Blaster!"

"Water Cannon!" Marianne held her weapon out.

"Feather Bow!" Rafi stuck his weapon underneath the Cannon.

"Leaf Dirks!" Quinn stuck his daggers on either side of the barrel.

"Thunder Hammer!" Electra stuck her weapon at the back.

"Fire Sword!" Tristan put his sword on top of the Blaster. The tip of the sword opened up, as did Electra's hammer and Quinn's daggers, forming extra barrels.

"Justice Blaster, active!" Tristan cried, holding up the weapon as the others ran behind him.

With an angry bellow, Swampacle turned to face the Knights.

"Fire!" Tristan yelled, pulling the trigger.

The energy blast shot out of the cannon and struck Swampacle right in the chest. With a painful cry, the Poké-Mutant was thrown off the arena and into the river where he exploded into a million pieces.

"And another one bites the dust," Tristan beamed.

"Way to go, guys!" Etna cheered from the sidelines.

"What's she doing here?" Marianne asked.

"She kinda figured out who we are," Quinn admitted. "And we owe her a big explanation."

Tristan and Marianne swapped nervous looks.

"Well, that was a useless monster," Mothitelle noted.

"He would have been more helpful if you'd gone down and made him bigger!" Sabelteur snapped.

"Even if we had, he still would have been destroyed," Sharphound snapped.

"That's enough!" Yvestros bellowed. "The monster's job wasn't to crush the Knights anyway. He at least kept them distracted long enough for Sharphound to do his job."

"Yes," Sharphound agreed. "And after much research, I have retrieved a list of the Chateau's Dukes and Duchesses that could serve our purposes well."

Yvestros took the paper and examined it carefully. "Such a number of strong trainers. Any of them will be most useful..."

Once the trainers had returned, they quickly realized how much of a mess the Chateau had become. But despite the damages, Tristan insisted on having his battle with Mickey, confident that he was ready to win.

Soon, the match was underway, Tristan using Torchic and Mickey with his Snover.

While the battle was going on, Quinn had taken Etna aside and contacted Gurkinn through his Morpher's communicator. After receiving a lecture from Gurkinn about letting their identities slip, Quinn had Gurkinn explain everything leading up to the Knights' recruitment.

"So this Yvestros is trying to reconquer Kalos, and you guys are the only ones who can stop him?" Etna asked.

"In an Apricorn shell, yes," Gurkinn replied. "And I've been monitoring the enemy's activities at my base."

"Which reminds me," Quinn said. "Why didn't Lucario sense the presence of Swampacle or Sharphound through the aura?"

"I'm not so sure myself," Gurkinn admitted. "He did sense something in the aura, but somehow it was more powerful than the Poké-Mutants. It was baffling, to say the least. But I'm glad you guys were able to sort it out anyway. Gurkinn out."

Quinn turned to Etna and bowed his head. "Again, I'm sorry for deceiving you."

"Hey, water under the bridge," Etna replied. "And considering everything that's been going on, I think I'd like to accompany you on your journey."

"Really?" Quinn asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I've been around the area already, and I could give Tristan and Rafi some tips for the Gyms they're about to face and help them out. Besides, you owe me for helping you out back there."

"I guess you're right," Quinn chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

With that over, they turned their attention back to the battle.

"Snover, hit him with Water Pulse!" Mickey yelled.

Tristan smiled to himself. "Torchic, get ready to move when I say so."

Torchic braced himself as Snover summoned her Water Pulse and then launched it at him.

"Now, jump over the Water Pulse and use Ember!" Tristan yelled.

At the last second, Torchic leapt forward, soaring over the Water attack. As he flew, he launched fireballs from his beak, striking Snover and dealing some hard damage.

"Oh no!" Mickey gasped.

"And finish it off with Peck!" Tristan shouted.

Torchic dived out of the air and stabbed his beak right into Snover. With a final cry, Snover fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Snover is unable to battle!" Duke Turner announced. "The winner of the match is Tristan, who now claims the title of Baron!"

"We did it!" Tristan cheered. "Good work, buddy!"

"Torchic, chic!" Torchic cheered, running back to his trainer.

Mickey went over to Snover and patted her head. "It's okay, Snover, you did well out there. Now get a good rest." He recalled her and then went over to Tristan. "Well done out there."

"Thanks," Tristan smiled. "I must say, I'm impressed that you taught Snover to use Water Pulse. That's quite something."

As they shook hands, the maid came over to Tristan, carrying a cloak. "Please take this. With this, you now bear the title of Baron Tristan!"

Tristan smiled and took the cloak, holding it up to his friends.

Meanwhile, at the Knights' Base, Gurkinn was re-scanning the images that Lucario had picked up earlier. He'd set them back to Aura Sense and was now examining them closely. Flicking some settings, he brought up the aura trails of Sharphound and Swampacle, which glowed an evil black. Then he changed the settings back, revealing two different auras that overwhelmed the rest. One was a crisp blue like snow and the other was flickering like a swarm of insects.

"Interesting," he muttered. "Perhaps there might be some hope yet."

While he was checking the image, he didn't notice a third aura passing over the Chateau, this one dragon-shaped and dark purple...

Ooh, intriguing! But that's another story for another time.

Etna Langstrom belongs to D.J. Scales.

Anyway, please let me know if you have any ideas for monster designs for later episodes.

See you then