There was a tense silence as Roscoe stared firmly at the wanted poster handed to him. Matthias and the Alolan Golem knight waited patiently for him to respond. While Matthias maintained stone cold professionalism, the island native teetered skittishly on his feels with his claws inches from his chattering teeth.

Roscoe took a deep breath, set the poster down, and rubbed his eyes with two fingers. "Can someone explain to me what I am looking at?"

Matthias saluted. "Sir, that is the alleged Forester who kidnapped your daughter. We received news from our allies in the Wick Kingdom about rumors breaking out. Apparently there was an altercation between this Forester and one unnamed bandit. Some information about their part in the kidnapping circulated through the town and reached within our territory. They're naming her the culprit."

Roscoe glared. "And who is she?"

"Harlow, Your Majesty."

"And can you explain to me why this horribly-drawn thief is my daughter's kidnapper?"

"Because she's insane!" the Golem finally spoke up. "I heard from the grapevine that she took multiple gunshots on purpose just to win! Some are saying she coaxed the sheriff of Grimebrook to rob a nobleman in broad daylight! She has super persuasive powers! She can make you do anything she wants and make it sound convincing! She's a demon! A spirit! A—" Matthias chopped the Golem's neck, knocking him unconscious.

Roscoe blinked dumbfoundedly. "I…see."

Matthias cleared his throat. "Yes, well…barring any hyperbole from Jakke here, this Harlow has amassed quite a reputation despite having no background on her. She's obviously one of their new rookies."

Roscoe glared. "I wonder if Theobald knew about this."

"It's hard to say. I did find the name popping up in his book. It's the main character, in fact. He might know the thief."

"Have you interrogated him on it?"

"He's a tough one. He's definitely not a commoner. He knows the tricks and trade of interrogation. Anything excluding straight torture is wasted on him."

Roscoe closed his eyes. "Though this matter is serious, it would be best to avoid such lengths. Do we know anything on Theobald's history? Any background information?"

Roscoe shook his head. "Nothing above the standard. He claims to be a humble scholar, but there's reason to assume it's fake. Luna is looking into his background right now. She believes he's a part of a cult based off the branding on his back. Either that, or a secret society."

Roscoe's glare tightened. "I see…"

Jakke regained consciousness and stood up. "Okay, okay, I'm calm. Please don't hit me again."

"In any case, with the Wick Kingdom on high alert about this, we should send a message to Echo Bell Kingdom to keep an eye out for any Foresters, as well as the Senbo Kingdom. We have an idea of who we are looking for now."

Jakke took the wanted poster and squinted at the horrible sketch. "Is it just me or does this look like a Buneary?"

Roscoe rolled his eyes. "How ironic for my prim and proper daughter to be taken by a filthy degenerate of the law who bears a resemblance."

"I mean, is it possible this is actually…"

Roscoe glared, sending shivers up the Alolan Golem's back. "Do you honestly believe my daughter of all Pokémon would put herself in grave danger like that? I know her better than anyone. She cannot stand the outdoors and abhors violence. And she is certainly not insane. Do not come to me with such inane conspiracies."

Jakke shrieked and bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty!"

Roscoe flared his nostrils and leaned back in his chair. "Continue with the interrogation on Theobald and make sure that thief is captured as soon as possible. I do not care what it takes, I will get my daughter back!" He slammed his fist down. "Even if I have to do it myself!"


"AH-CHOO!" Melissa lowered her training sword and wiped her nose.

"You good?" Lillia asked.

"Yeah, I am fine." She shook her head, then picked her sword back up. "So, what are we doing today again?"

"Beats me," Ragger admitted, walking up beside her. "Jet wouldn't spill the beans when I asked. He seemed pretty grumpy when he got back, so that's probably the reason."

Wyatt tapped his chin. "Oh yeah, weren't the Nature Spirits hauling some Wigglytuff with them when they returned? What happened to her?"

Kenny signed, "I don't know. We don't normally keep prisoners. Maybe they locked her in a bathroom?"

Avel rolled his eyes. "What an appropriate place for a Freak."

"It's none of our business," Lucient pointed out. "The Nature Spirits want to keep whatever they're working on secret and we must respect those wishes."

Ragger playfully ribbed Lucient and said, "Ah, even you must be curious about what they're doing behind our backs. Might be something extra juicy."

Lucient rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses up. "As tantalizing as it sounds, I rather not be put on cleaning duty."

Melissa shivered at the memory of cleaning the base after breaking her house arrest. She remembered cleaning out so many private bathrooms and wiping down the platforms for days. "Trust me, you do not want to."

Ragger sighed and leaned on his training sword. "I suppose cleaning duty puts a damper on things."

"Ah, there you all are." The scouts turned and were greeted by Tank, hauling a bundle of wood over his shoulder. "Still waiting for Jet?"

Lucient nodded. "Yeah. He said we're doing some advance training today, just hasn't mentioned what."

Tank sighed and shook his head. "I hear ya. I had to go through this stuff when I was in your place. Granted, I never went through secondary training, but Jason was a hard teacher back when the Foresters were less…known."

Melissa raised her brow. "So, you do not do field work?"

The Smeargle shook his head. "Nah. I'm more comfortable in the forge, crafting weapons." He glanced over at Leon sitting off to the side and staring into space. "I heard you did some metal work, Leon!"

Leon glanced over his shoulder, huffed, and turned away. "A little."

"You should become my apprentice. I could teach you a thing or two."

"I don't forge anymore."

Tank frowned. "That so? How come?"

"Reasons." With that, the Aron continued staring out into the trees.

Tank sighed and scratched his nape. "Whatever you say."

"Did you come here to reminisce or…" Ragger started to ask.

"Hm? Oh, right." Tank set the wood down and adjusted his bulky glove. "Anyway, Jet told me to tell you he'll be a while. He's being held up at a meeting." He grinned at Melissa. "Your name came up quite a bit. You've caused quite a stir among the higher ups."

Melissa slumped forward. "Oh…yay?"

Lillia smirked. "Seriously? What did she do?"

"Might have something to do with her last mission, but I'm just guessing." Tank winked. "Whatever you did down in Grimebrook must've got them talking. Not sure if I should be scared or impressed."

Melissa laughed awkwardly and gently rubbed the back of her head. "Yes, well…I could not have possibly caused that much trouble."

Tank snickered with a playful wag of his tail. "Whatever you say." He picked his wood bundle up and set it on his shoulder. "If you guys ever need weapon repairs, or if you're in the mood to get creative, stop by my forge. If you can imagine it, I can build it." He heaved a heavy sigh. "Just don't come to me with any crazy contraptions. I put up with enough of Pandora's crazy schemes as is. I don't need two nutjobs coming to me to build an airship."

Melissa chuckled a little. "Ah yes, I understand your pain. She certainly has a…wild imagination."

"That's putting it nicely." He gave a short wave and headed off. "Good luck with your training."

"Thank you!" Melissa called back, waving both hands.

Lillia giggled. "Well, since we're here waiting for Jet, I'll go see if Lambert can spare us some snacks." She set her sword down and headed for the mess hall. "Any requests?"

"Rum!" Ragger exclaimed.

"Anything nonalcoholic?" she clarified.

Melissa smiled bashfully. "Um…crème puffs?"

"Ah yes, should've figured."


The leaders and Nature Spirits gathered in the meeting room with a few wanted posters spread out on the table. Two featured Amos and Marsaili while the third had the particular sketch of a lunatic rabbit conceived by a traumatized child's interpretation of a Gengar.

Jason glared specifically at that poster. "So, does anyone have anything to contribute to this…recent development?"

"Aside from that being a flattering sketch of Melissa?" Valentine joked.

Jason huffed. "I neglected to mention this, though you were already on your way by the time I found out. Melissa assumed a pseudonym to hide her identity and throw off suspicion. As you can see, it worked…a little too well."

Jet picked up Amos' poster. "We have reason to believe the rumors started through Amos and spiraled out of control once it reached the Wick Kingdom's guard. From there, personal interpretation took over."

"I'll say!" Valentine exclaimed. "They really captured the look of pure, confused rage on her face. The abstract detail of the lines and face shape really accentuate—"

"We're not here to talk about some man's abysmal art career," Percival interrupted after taking a sip of his coffee. "As it stands, Melissa has become a target of interest after that stunt she pulled in Grimebrook."

"And the rumors are only going to get worse if anything Marsaili said is printed," Zephora added. "She came to her own daft conclusion that Melissa is her own kidnapper. The mysterious kidnapper has a name and a face now, a confused rabbit named Harlow."

"Are you sure Marsaili's accusations reached the public?" Blitz asked.

"If not through her, then through Amos. She may have already contacted her gang to tell them about her theory, or they could've come to the same conclusion themselves."

"All because of some poor word choices Melissa made," Percival pointed out. "When dealing with crazies, they'll latch onto anything you say and twist it into their own narrative. Regardless of how the rumors spread, Freaks know who they're looking for now."

Sid sighed and slumped back in her chair. "I take full responsibility for this. If I had kept a better eye on her, none of this would've happened."

Jason shook his head. "There is no fault. This was nothing more than unfortunate circumstances at play. In an effort to cover up one issue, Melissa unintentionally wrote her own backstory."

Valentine tapped his chin thoughtfully. "So, would it be wrong of me to write up her backstory and anonymously send it off to a journalist? We could have some fun with this and give her own mythology."

Eadwulf gently rubbed his temples. "Valentine, please take this seriously. Melissa's life might be in actual danger here."

"Indeed." Jason picked up Melissa's wanted poster. "Freaks from all around will know who to aim for. With a high bounty on 'Harlow', any Arceus-forsaken scumbag will want a cut of coin. Melissa barely got out alive against a gunman. How long do you think she'll last against Virdis' worst?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Zephora said. "The rookie's doing just fine as is. I'm sure she'll be a more competent fighter after secondary training, maybe even an apprenticeship with one of us."

"She still needs to find her style," Percival retorted. "Even her fellow rookies have something to call their own. All Melissa has is dumb luck and an unknown Inherited Will. We still don't know the true extent of it."

Sid crossed her arms and leaned on them. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, for the sake of keeping our numbers up, Melissa needs to be taken off field work."

Sid's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

"I second that," Jet agreed. "Melissa is too inexperienced. She'll have a giant target painted over her head."

"Hold on, shouldn't we get her say on the matter?" Sid pointed out. "She's the one who's putting herself through this shit. I think she has the right to say something."

Valentine grinned. "Sid's right. We can't have a story without Melissa." He paused for a second. "Well, technically we could, but where's the fun in that?"

Jason narrowed his eyes. "I see both points, but we have to consider the state of the region, too. I don't think I need to remind anyone the kind of revolt that will occur if Melissa is outed as a princess who threw away her birthright. King Penworth would be usurped from the throne, and not in the way I would be satisfied with. It would leave everything in disarray with other kingdoms invading to pick up the pieces. Best case scenario, the ally kingdoms work out a deal and split the land. Worst case scenario, the warring between New Chariot and Umbra Clock finds its way over here."

"This is all assuming Melissa can't take care of herself, of course," Zephora brought up. "Haven't you been secretly training her or something?"

Jason raised his brow. "You just got back. When did you hear about that?"

"What, you thought your secret student would keep her mouth shut about it? She was gossiping about it with Marie and Pandora when I swung by their hut."

Jason facepalmed. "Of course she was…"

Eadwulf narrowed his eyes. "So, you have been teaching her how to use Inherited Will?"

Jason sighed and leaned back. "The barebones. It's not enough to win on her own. The only reason she held her own against Jet was due to the controlled setting. Mostly controlled, at least. She can still be overwhelmed by physically superior opponents. It's obvious she can mimic techniques, but we don't know the extent of it. Just how far can she go with mimicking a person?"

"That boils down to my personal take on the matter. If we do take her off field missions, when would we put her back in? I can't imagine she'll be happy doing chores around the base, or spending her whole day cooped up in Shade's hut performing experiments. She seriously wants to make a difference for Virdis. That girl has passion. You'd have to be blind not to see it. Uh, no offense, Blitz."

"None taken."

Jason glared softly. "I see your point." He sighed. "Okay, all those in favor of taking Melissa off of fieldwork?" Percival, Jet, and Zephora raised their hands. "You too?" he acknowledged the Maractus.

Zephora shrugged. "Hey, just because I have faith in her doesn't mean I don't see how this could go horribly wrong."

Jason sighed. "Alright then. All opposed?" Eadwulf, Valentine, and Sid raised their hands. Sid gently lifted Rusty's handle until Jason stopped her. "Rusty has no power in this decision."

Sid pouted and dropped Rusty's handle. "He has opinions, too…" she muttered.

Blitz gently tapped his claws on the table before feeling everyone's stare on him. "Hm? Sorry, I'm abstaining. I can't bring myself to upset anyone on the matter."

"Then that just leaves Jason," Percival pointed out.

Jason's ears drooped. "Hurray."

Eadwulf raised his hand again. "Look, consider this. She needs the field experience to understand what we're trying to do. We're trying to help folks being oppressed by the less than adequate side of nobility and monarchy. On top of that, with all the weird stuff going around the region, who knows how long we have until we have to come clean to the team?"

"How so?" Jason asked.

Eadwulf frowned. "We've been keeping everyone in the dark about what's going on because we're just as scared. There's something weird going on around Virdis and we're hiding it to spare their feelings. Giles died for this. Eventually, we are going to need an extra hand from the whole team. That's why we do this. They are going to learn the truth someday."

"What's this have to do with Melissa?" Zephora asked.

"Melissa's involved in all of this just as much as the veteran Foresters. Would it be fair to pull Melissa out of the action just because she's gotten a little attention thrown her way?"

"This is much more than just a little attention," Jet countered. "We still don't know who Marsaili is working for or how strong her gang friends are. We can't worry ourselves with this and finding out what Marlo's crew has been shipping around for Althalos. There's too much at stake to put on the line."

Eadwulf closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "And I'm in complete agreement with you. One misstep and we can say goodbye to Melissa. Obviously this fake identity thing won't work out forever, unless we find some foolproof way to trick an entire region that Melissa and Harlow are two separate people."

"Let's hire a stunt double!" Valentine suggested.

"Let's not do that!" Zephora countered with equal enthusiasm. "We can't trust some rando to not spill the secret."

Sid sighed. "It's not like the girl can be in two places at once, anyway."

Jason shook his head. "Forget that. What are you getting at, Eadwulf?"

Eadwulf glared. "My point is, despite Melissa's secret being very precious to our operations now, I feel like we would be robbing her of a chance to prove her worth. How would any of you feel if your goals were held back because you weren't ready?" The Nature Spirits narrowed their eyes and looked away. "We've all had that point in our lives. That's what Melissa is feeling every day, trying to find her style. She still needs to figure out who she is first before she can take on the big bad bandits of the region. She needs to grow alongside us, to experience our side of the world."

A gentle silence hanged over their heads as they contemplated Eadwulf's thoughts. With a heavy sigh, Jet raised his hand. "I revoke my previous decision to hold Melissa back. I got to see what she can do under the right guidance. She needs it, desperately."

Zephora smirked and threw her hands up. "I've been swayed. Consider me revoked, too."

Percival tapped his fingers on the table, shaking his head. "I can see every variable in this decision and every wrong course it'll take. We're treading on eggshells here." He sighed, then downed a huge sip of coffee. He wiped his lip and added, "Then again, I work with you knuckleheads. Probability tends to keel over when you add crazy into the mix. I revoke my vote as well."

Jason nodded at them. "Are you all sure?" They nodded affirmatively. Jason took a deep breath and stood up. "Then it's obvious we need to make sure all Foresters, not just Melissa, are ready to face the coming months ahead." He glanced at Eadwulf. "You're right. We don't know how long we can keep everyone in the dark about this. They're bound to get involved eventually. Though I can't ask this to carry out the same tense missions I assign you all, we have strength in numbers for a reason."

Jet pushed himself out of his chair and stretched. "Then I guess I better work double time with the rookies today. I'm working on advanced stealth and detection today."

Jason nodded. "Make sure they're pushed to their limit."

"Of course, sir."

Jason walked around the table. "We'll dismiss for today. I need to escort Marie to our prisoner so they can have a nice chat."

"Leaving a tied-up prisoner alone in a room with Marie? Best way to get anyone talking!" Valentine exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Anyway, with nothing new in the cases, the rest of you can have the day to yourselves. You earned it."

Percival stretched his arms. "You're too kind. I wanted to try out a new coffee blend Lambert showed me." He snapped his fingers and teleported out of the hall.

Zephora pulled a deck of cards out and shook them. "Anyone up for a game of Old Maid?"

"I'm down," Valentine said.

Sid picked Rusty up. "Rusty and I will join."

"Hell no, Rusty cheats!" Zephora accused as they headed out along with Jet.

Jason was about to follow them out, but was stopped by Eadwulf and Blitz. "Something wrong?"

Blitz smiled. "Even though we have no personal ties to Inherited Will, we are willing to lend a hand with Melissa's private training."

Eadwulf nodded. "I can certainly teach her the most effectively way to break someone."

Jason closed his eyes, turned away, and smiled. "Heh, I'd appreciate that."

Eadwulf grinned. "You should smile more, bro. I miss it when you used to be chill." Eadwulf grabbed Blitz's shoulder and guided him out. "You're coming with me, mister. Let's grab a bite to eat and catch up."

"Oh? What's the occasion?" Blitz asked playfully.

"Ha! Just wanted to see what's new with you."

"You just want to know about the letters I've been getting from her."

"What can I say? I may not look it, but I favor a bit of gossip from time to time. I want to know how she's doing, too."

Jason waved them off, then headed in the opposite direction. He stuffed his hands inside his pockets and frowned poignantly at the floorboards. He moved his jaw around a bit just now realizing how heavy the corners of his mouth felt.

Do I really not smile as much as I used to?


"Uh, Jet? I have a question."

"Speak."

"Is it really a good idea for us to be wearing blindfolds in the trees?"

After returning to train his students, Jet watched with mild amusement as Melissa balanced across a branch while wearing a blindfold. She and her fellow teammates endured the same arduous practice as they attempted to navigate the treetops with limited sensory options.

Jet spun his scalchop in his hand. "Do you recall why you had such a tough time again Amos?"

"I was too busy not dying?"

"He had a sensory advantage over you. The enemy won't always care for a fair fight. Out here, tricks and dirty tactics are the way to go, but countering them is much more vital. That is why you all will be learning to sense the environment around you with your other senses. You need to be able to sense everything. Listen to the leaves rustle, feel the wind brushing against your skin, smell the change in the weather—"

"You can smell the weather?" Ragger questioned, doing his best impression of a drunkard as he hopped along a branch.

"Actually, yes," Lucient answered. "You can pick on the oxygen change in the air, as well as any debris kicked up by the rain."

"That is so cool!" Wyatt exclaimed as he held his foot out to find a branch to step on.

Avel clamped up nervously in Wyatt's lily pad. "Yes, yes, very fascinating—please watch your step, Wyatt, I have no idea where you're going and it's making me uncomfortable."

Lillia looked down in whatever direction Jet was and asked, "Are you sure we won't get hurt doing this?"

Jet waved it off. "You have nothing to worry about. We have safety nets as always. Just don't hit your head on any branches on the way down."

Kenny frowned and signed, "Oh, that's reassuring." Though, no one could obviously see this.

Jet gripped his scalchop and silently jumped up into the trees. "Now, let's get started with the real exercise."

"Did his voice just get closer?" Ragger asked.

Leon glared through his blindfold. "I have a bad feeling all of a sudden."

Melissa shrieked and raised her hands. "Wait, Jet, what are you—" Suddenly, a blast of water struck her in the face and slammed her in a tree.

Jet hopped around, barely disturbing the leaves. "Focus on the slightest change in the air. I'm sure Basil and the girls taught you this, Rookie, so try to take those lessons to heart."

Melissa fell onto a branch, soaked and dazed. "Got it…"

Wyatt shrieked. "Well, time to run!" He dashed in a random direction and missed the next branch. Fortunately, he caught it in time, though not to Avel's delight.

"Ah! I said be careful!" the Shellder chastised.

"Sorry, bro—" Jet shot the two with Hydro Pump and knocked them into a low branch.

"Unless you want to be soaked for the rest of the day, I suggest learning fast," Jet warned as he proceeded to hop around.

Lucient stood his ground and asked, "Shouldn't we be taking baby steps first? Maybe figure out what we're listening for first—" He got sprayed in the back and thrown into a tree trunk.

"In my experience, the threat of danger brings out the inner student in all of us."

Ragger, Kenny, Leon, and Lillia hightailed it through the trees, minding their steps, and avoided Jet's Hydro Pumps. The soaked rookies pulled themselves together and hid behind the trees.

Melissa pressed her back against the trunk and took a quick breather. "He is intense." She took a deep breath and concentrated. Focus on my surroundings. Try to remember that feeling when you were fighting Amos. You managed to avoid bullets, you can avoid a Hydro Pump. I will conquer this trial.

"Also, no internal pep talks in battle."

"Wait, what—" Melissa shrieked as Jet blindsided and shot her out of the trees, knocking her back on the training platform with a trail of water behind her. Melissa flopped onto her back and spat some water out. "I am beginning to think he likes torturing us…"

"Sounds to me like—"

"—you're having problems, Princess."

Melissa pulled her blindfold off and was greeted by a smug Meowth and Purrloin. Melissa yelped and shot onto her feet, nearly slipping on the water. "Gold, Jewel! Uh…hi!"

Gold grinned. "Princess, you must be more careful. You could've—"

"—lost this valuable little trinket of yours," Jewel finished, holding up Melissa's locket.

Melissa patted her chest, no longer feeling the locket underneath, and immediately swiped it from her hands. "Do not touch that!"

Jewel raised her hands innocently. "I was just picking it up for you."

"Uh huh," Melissa responded unconvinced. She tied it back around her neck and hid it under her jacket. "Can I help you two with something?"

Gold laughed. "Help? We're here to watch the show."

"You will have to forgive me because I do not exactly trust you two," Melissa stated, backing away slowly from them.

Jewel snickered. "Aww, that hurts our feelings. We have hearts, too."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Uh huh." She turned toward the closest tree and jumped onto it.

Gold and Jewel glanced at each other, winked, and shouted, "Anyone want a free tip for the exercise?!"

Jet was in the midst of shooting Ragger when he noticed the twins down below. "What are you two doing here—"

"You're not going to hear much with him jumping around on the branches!" Gold yelled.

"Try scattering leaves everywhere and make it impossible for him to move around silently!" Jewel finished.

Lucient and Lillia instantly had the same idea and used their Psychics to pluck the leaves above them and scattered them across the entire area. Before Jet could reprimand the twins, leaves swirled around and almost threw him off his balance.

"I didn't say you could use your moves!" Jet yelled as he tried to aim through the leaves.

"And you never said anything about shooting us, so we're even!" Ragger laughed and carefully hopped away.

"Gold, Jewel!" Jet yelled as he tried repositioning himself, but the scattering leaves gave away his position and alerted the rookies to flee.

The twins snickered and high-fived each other. Melissa reached a branch, pulled herself on, and looked down at the twins skeptically before her giggles won out. She had to admit, it was kind of funny watching Jet get angry. She wondered if a part of him enjoyed the break from formality from time to time.

"Got you!" Ragger tackled Jet of the air and into a tree.

"Oh, you asked for it now!" Jet kicked Ragger off and chased him down. His tone wasn't quite the boiling rage Melissa was familiar with and more aggravated complacency.

"…Yeah, he is having fun."


"So, you locked her in Pandora's lab?" Marie asked as she and Jason took the elevator down.

"It was the safest place to keep her contained."

"What if she tries to escape?"

"She won't. Shade fed Marsaili a potion that will keep her moves dampened. Even if she did escape, I don't think she'll have much luck busting out of Pandora's lab without breaking something dangerous."

Marie smirked. "So, it's officially our new prison?"

"I don't want to make a habit out of this." Jason glanced at her. "How long do you think it'll take to get the info we need out of her?"

Marie shrugged. "Depends on her mental fortitude. Could take an hour, a day, weeks, etc."

"Make it as soon as you can."

"Ooh, I'll need some special motivation for that~," she purred, gently wrapping her arms around him. Jason shoved her off, much to her playful disappointment. "Ah, so no first date?"

"Focus on the task at hand," he pressed.

Marie sighed dramatically. "Fine!"

They reached the lab hatch. Jason undid the lock and opened it up. Marie stepped onto the ladder and started her way down when Jason said, "I'm going to leave you locked in here for a few hours, just to make sure she doesn't escape. You will be fine on your own, right?"

Marie looked up and smirked. "You wound me. I can do whatever I want so long as I don't harm or kill her, right?"

"Yes."

"Do I get a kiss as a reward~?"

"You get a lemonade and a set of throwing knives."

"I like that reward better. See you in a few hours!" Marie slid down the ladder as the hatch closed above her.

She touched down on solid ground and stretched her arms before looking over her shoulder. In the middle of the lab, illuminated under the eternally-sustaining lanterns, Marsaili sat in a wooden chair, bound tightly and looking a bit groggy. Her injuries from her fight with Jet had been treated, though she was still in her torn clothes.

The Wigglytuff lifted her head and scoffed at her visitor. "Oh joy, are you the interrogator I've been expecting?"

Marie took a grandiose bow. "Yes ma'am, though I have other skills if you're interested~," she added suggestively.

Marsaili glared. "I won't talk. I'm honor bound to my leader."

"I have a hard time believing that after you ditched your partner." Marie approached her. "But hey, I don't judge. I'm just here to ask a few questions."

Marsaili sneered. "Whatever torture you have planned for me, I can take it. Break my bones, gut my organs, sever my nerves—"

"Oh honey~," the Mawile interrupted with an ominous purr. Marsaili's eyes widened as Marie drew a dagger from behind her back. She licked the side of the blade with a dangerous red gleam in her left eye. "Who said pain was involved~?"

Marsaili's eyes shrank as Marie's shadow extended over her. "Wait, what are you…no, no, no, stay back! Don't come any clos—"

Thanks to the sophisticated design of Pandora's lab, not a scream was heard.