Sid took the lead down the mysterious tunnel, dragging her claws along the walls and keeping an ear out for any disturbances beyond the walls. She kept one arm protectively around Rusty who hung close to her hip. JoJo carried up the rear of the pack, dragging her prized collection of elementium behind her.

JoJo, who donned the form of a Heracross for ease, soon dragged her feet as the monotonous journey through the tunnel eroded her mind to boredom. "Ugh, why are we even investigating this stupid tunnel? It's probably nothing."

Sid waggled her claw. "In my experience, mysterious tunnels sealed off under mysterious circumstances are never truly nothing."

JoJo rolled her eyes. "You Foresters and your pseudo-supernatural nonsense really know how to turn a mundane occurrence into the next big revelation of the occult."

"Afraid of the occult?" Sid teased.

JoJo scoffed. "As if. I'm just a bit more practical when it comes to the day-to-day life. Plus, I'm about burnt out with the occult given the crap I've been through. We Ditto don't exactly like the company of other Pokémon, if only because we shapeshifters tend not to be trusted or viewed as some malformed god."

"Not a fan of religion?"

"I don't practice. I'll fake it to make quick cash, but I have no interest in the stuff. You?"

"Eh, not really, either. I grew up on the streets. Didn't have time to think of higher beings or purposes."

JoJo smirked. "Well, I'm glad to see I'm not the only godless heathen among your supernatural posse."

Sid chuckled. "We've accepted far worse into the Foresters. Have you met Pandora?"

"Why do you think I'm here in the first place?" JoJo rubbed her chin. "I have to admit, though, the reason I came to Virdis is because I was interested in its history."

"That so?"

"Definitely. There's so much about it that just…puzzles me. The untouched land in the center of the region, the negative space in the Great Kingdom's history and information, and what came before it. I've seen some strange things in my short time here, and I've yet to see it all."

"Do tell," Sid said as she knocked on the walls.

"Well, between all this stuff with Last Autumn and the Great Kingdom, there's some things that just deserve more attention than the rest of the world is willing to admit. I mean, when you look into the absurd parts of history, you begin to ask questions you never fully considered. Sometimes it becomes a part of your obsession. I have to wonder how much of Virdis' history truly died before the Great Invasion two hundred years ago, and maybe more than that."

Sid stopped, then looked over her shoulder with a puzzled expression. "JoJo."

The faux Heracross raised her brow. "Yeah?"

"Is there another reason you came to Virdis?"

JoJo turned away and rubbed the back of her head. "You mean, besides get-rich-quick schemes? Tough call there. I mean, I've always wanted to raid the ruins for lost treasures, but…" JoJo sighed. "Eh, I don't want to bore you with my sad life. Better than being mistaken for a soul-stealing Mew abomination."

Sid frowned at JoJo's gloomy expression. However, just as she opened her mouth to say something, the tunnel shook from a surprise tremor above. They hugged the walls and pressed themselves down in case of a cave in. Fortunately, the tunnel remained stable.

JoJo glared at the ceiling. "The hell was that?"

"Well, I doubt that was Valentine. He's more of a technical fighter. So, that could mean…" Sid frowned, then heaved a sigh. "Oh, I really hope Ragger hasn't gotten into any trouble."

Ragger didn't hesitate for a second to attack Casimir. He recognized the Hitmonchan's strength, but he wouldn't allow himself to be stunned into inaction when there was much more on the line. As of now, it was fight or flight, and this dragon doesn't know how to fly.

Casimir met Ragger's initiative with his own, slamming his fist into Ragger's. A collision of Thunder Punch and Mach Paunch rippled through the air, blowing pressurized winds back at the two as they glared each other down. The blowback separated them, but they immediately kicked off the ground and went in with an exchange of punches.

For the most part, as they threw one punch after the other, they were evenly matched. For every punch Ragger threw, Casimir deflected and returned in a split second, only for Ragger to follow in example with well-timed blocks. They both estimated they weren't fighting at their absolute best, rather they were sizing each other up before it was time to pull out the big guns.

Casimir dodged one of Ragger's fist, then swung his fist at an arc, delivering a critical uppercut to the chin. Ragger toppled backwards, head whipped back from the blow, but he caught the ground with his hands. He spun himself and thwacked his tail across Casimir's face.

Casimir endured and grabbed Ragger's tail with both hands. He spun on his heels, swinging the Hakamo-o around, then threw him into the far wall of the hall. Ragger angled his flight and stopped on the wall by the soles of his feet before bouncing off.

"Dragon Claw!" Ragger's arm ignited in draconian energy, shaping into razor sharp claws.

Casimir kept his guard up as the claws came down. With minute shuffling to his feet, he sidestepped the downward strike by a hair. Ragger swung his other claws from the side, aiming for Casimir's middle.

Got him now, Ragger thought triumphantly.

The claws reached Casimir, but seemingly phased through the Hitmonchan's body. Ragger blinked his eyes in disbelief as Casimir, in a split second, jumped back from the Dragon Claws with the same minute adjustments as the last dodge, only it seemed instantaneous this time, like teleportation.

Before Ragger could think of a third attack, a shock blasted off his cheek and knocked him backwards. He nearly tripped over his heels, but parted his legs to catch his balance. He leaned forward, touching the ground with one hand, and caressed his cheek in the other hand.

"Where did that come from?" Ragger grumbled.

He glared at Casimir as he patiently bounced on his toes, arms raised in a defensive stance. His movements seemed flighty and light, like he suddenly gained the Light Metal ability. His stoic, unbreakable focus intensified in his stone cold eyes.

Ragger straightened up and wiped the scuff marks from his cheek. I know this guy's super fast in combat. I remember that speedy punch he nearly decked me with the first time. This is a completely different stance. That one seemed like a charged punch. This one…this one's a fighting stance. No, maybe something else.

Ragger dug his claws into the ground, bent into a runner's position, and threw himself forward like a catapult. His arms ignited with Dragon Claw before swinging at Casimir.

Casimir's form flickered with snap movements, completely dodging Ragger's attack, followed by a phantom blow to Ragger's face again. Ragger endured and slashed again. Dodge, then punch. Ragger swung again. Dodge, then punch. Again, dodge, then punch.

Ragger just about went berserk with his attacks, hoping one would connect with Casimir, but the surprisingly nimble boxer effortlessly evaded his attacks and delivered invisible punches all over his body. Ragger may have had raw strength at his side, but Casimir may have had the advantage in technique.

With one last failed attempt from Ragger, Casimir delivered a multi-hitting invisible barrage of punches that sent Ragger skidding across the floor. Ragger rolled with the momentum and landed on his feet. He huffed, then spat on the ground as he straightened up.

Casimir, as he bounced on his toes, said, "By now, you're already seeing the distance in our skills. Any chance of defeating me is futile. Try and try all you wish, but I will knock you down. I've dealt with the most stubborn of Freaks in my day. You won't be any different."

Ragger forced an angry grin. "There's a striking difference between you and me. You were raised as a slave to fight other slaves. I was a brat who survived without a home. I've beaten down scum for less."

"Men who are driven to desperation surpass those driven by greed. Don't be a full to think they're comparable."

Ragger snickered through clenched teeth. "Maybe in any other circumstance, I'd take your word for it. Too bad for you, the bastard who kept me alive is an absolute monster to that hellhole you speak of."

"You had a master?" Casimir asked.

"The best of the best." Ragger raised his fists. "So, don't underestimate me. Piss me off enough, and I'll show you what I can do when driven to desperation."

Casimir sneered. "Enlighten me, boy." Casimir ceased bouncing and propelled himself forward. "First Stance: Phantom Boxing!"

Ragger activated Drain Punch and threw his fist at Casimir. Once again, Casimir made a snap dodge and delivered an unseen punch across Ragger's face. It staggered the dragon, but he held up and did his best to keep his eyes trained on the boxer's movements.

A counter stance. He can react to my attacks and make last minute corrections to his position with a burst of controlled speed before punching back. Ragger grinned. So then, what's your weakness, Cazzy?

Casimir bounced around on his toes, throwing a few punches at the air, then threw himself at Ragger again. Right as he prepared to punch, Ragger suddenly clanged his scales together, releasing a blinding electric flash into Casimir's face. His eyes contracted, but Casimir willed his body to keep from instinctively covering his eyes. He thrusted a fist through the blinding light and landed a solid hit on Ragger.

However, Casimir felt that his fist landed in Ragger's open hand. Ragger grabbed Casimir's wrist before he could pull back. "Iron Head!" Ragger dragged Casimir in, then slammed his forehead into his, staggering the boxer backwards. Ragger kept a tight hold on his wrist and reeled him back in. "Drain Punch!"

He rammed an uppercut into Casimir's jaw and threw him backwards. Casimir bounced off his back and tumbled across the ground before landing on his stomach. Ragger raised his fists and laughed while stolen energy coursed through his body, doing away with his injuries.

Casimir picked himself up and massaged his jaw. "You learn quickly," he commented. "Guess you're more than a bruiser."

Ragger laughed proudly. "Still high and mighty, bastard?"

"Don't be mistaken." Casimir spat on the ground, then reared his fist back. "You have yet to impress me."

Ragger glared as a feeling of déjà vu came over him. That stance! That's the one from the first encounter!

"Third Form: Crash Punch!"

Casimir's entire body vibrated into a blur. He took a deep breath, then propelled forward instantaneously. An explosion of dust kicked up behind him. Just like the first time, Casimir stopped on his leading foot and whipped his fist straight at Ragger's face, this time with no intention of whiffing the punch.

It landed its mark and blasted Ragger into the wall like a cannonball. The building rumbled with cracks spidering out through the wall. Casimir's arm shook, though not from vibrations. He pulled it back and cradled it in the other arm. His breaths were light, but winded. A shiver of exhaustion shot through his body.

He glared at the dust cloud cascading off the wall, then huffed. "Really quick learner."

The dust cleared. Ragger sat snugly in the crater-sized hole with his arms crossed over his face. The punch obliterated his sleeves and left a sizable dent in his scales, but Ragger prevented his face from meeting a similar fate. To top it off, he had his usual, playful grin stretched over his maw.

"Saw it that time, bastard," Ragger said in a low, taunting tone.

Casimir bared his teeth. He tried to scowl and show his irritation, but he was fighting off the corners of his lips from curving upward. "This kid…"

Ragger pulled himself from the wall, dropped to his hands and feet with his muscles tensed, then blitzed across the hall with his Dragon Claws active. Casimir raised his fists, which glowed red, then threw a straight punch into the Dragon Claws.

"Power-Up Punch!" Casimir announced.

The air rippled around their attacks before they separated. Ragger dragged his claws down and immediately sprung back, ramming his arm across Casimir's midsection and lifting him off the ground. Ragger howled a war cry before throwing Casimir into the floor, breaking the weathered tile.

Ragger prepared a Thunder Punch, but Casimir swung back with Mach Punch, decking Ragger across the face and knocking him off. Ragger caught the ground and picked himself up just as Casimir stood up.

The bounty hunter wiped the blood from his lip, then huffed. "That the best you got?"

Ragger smirked. "Someone's being arrogant."

"You ain't any better." Casimir looked at his scarred fists, then scoffed through clenched teeth. "I'm doing this for your own good, kid. You're better off forgetting about your sister. She's already done the same."

Ragger dropped the playful demeanor and returned with a cold stare. "Go to hell."

Casimir shook his head. "Stubborn kid." He raised his fists and activated Power-Up Punch.

"Halt!"

Ragger and Casimir looked away from each other as prison guards suddenly flooded the room, armed with spears and swords. At the front of the pack was a Metang, eyes aglow with psychic energy that the two intruders could feel pulsating through the air.

Metang glared down at them. "You are both under arrest for trespassing and destruction of kingdom property. You will be thoroughly tried for your transgressions."

Ragger groaned. "For the love of—you've got to be shitting me. I thought I took care of all the guards."

"You only fought a handful of guards," Casimir said.

"Shut up!"

Metang clenched his claws. Ragger and Casimir felt the psychic field crushing around their bodies. "Hands up or I will be forced to apprehend you more directly."

Casimir wiped his lip, casting an irritable glare at the psychic automaton. "Don't see a lot of your kind around these parts."

"Get lost, creep!" Ragger yelled. "Unless you have anything to tell me about the Dukes or my sister, you can shove your nose up your ass and get lost!"

Metang's eyes widened. "The Dukes? You're here for the Dukes?"

Ragger blinked, then shot Casimir a deadpanned glare. "Is it just me or did that sound ominous?"

"Under orders of the warden…" Ragger and Casimir's eyes widened as Metang suddenly lifted them into the air. The automaton's eyes glowed brighter, a glare to match his faceless scowl. "We are to erase any trace of the Dukes, both the physical and the indirect."

"Erase the—what?!" Ragger gasped. "Okay, I didn't even give a shit about those guys, but what's this about?!"

"For once, we're in agreement," Casimir said. "Why would the warden want the Dukes erased? Much less anyone snooping around about them?"

Metang glared at him. "I'm not inclined to answer that, nor am I to let you speak. You are in line for immediate termination."

Ragger snarled. "Frickin' bastard!"

"Resistance is futile. You will be terminated immediately." Metang closed his hands together and charged up a Hyper Beam. "You will not be missed."

Ragger flailed inside the psychic hold. "When I get down from here, I'm going to tear your organs out! Do you even have organs? What even are you?!"

Casimir looked between Ragger and Metang, skepticism written over his face. What in the hell is going on? I know the Dukes escaped prison, but what sparked this reaction? Dammit, Shale better be safe, but I'm not dealing with this crap.

"Hey, kid," Casimir said.

Ragger glared at him. "What?"

"I'm not done with you yet, but it appears circumstances have changed."

Ragger smirked. "Oh, what? You're suggesting a team-up?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Casimir, with some effort, lifted his arm inside the psychic field. His fist vibrated as air circulated around it. "But now you get to see what I had to deal with every day of my life. One against everyone. This is no longer my fleeting attempt to save you. You want to find your sister? You'll have to survive a death match."

Metang increased his Psychic on Casimir, trying to force his arm down. "There will be no other executions, but your own."

"You're mistaken," Casimir said, fighting back with the Psychic. "It's a misleading name, I admit, if only to hype up a crowd. But trust me, it might as well end in death. I am Crimson Sea Casimir, and I destroyed the barriers that held me down in hell for years. Allow me to give you a demonstration of the power I've developed in my time there.

"Fourth Stance: Tornado Punch."

"Pyro Ball!"

Valentine dove out of the record office before the entire inside went up in flames. He covered himself under his sleeves from the flames spilling out, then jumped out of Shale's flying dropkick through the wall of flames. She sprung off the wall and came down with an axe kick that Valentine deftly sidestepped.

Valentine kept his arms behind his back and smiled at Shale. "May I help you with something, miss?"

Shale sprung onto her feet and looked down at Valentine with a chipper, albeit wicked grin. "Miss? Pretty sure I'm younger than you, half-pint."

"All deserve equal respect in my eyes, miss, including a good ol' punch across the face."

Shale snickered. "How kind. At least you'll be fun to play with. Bounce!" She sprang high into the air, touching the ceiling with her feet, then catapulted down. She outstretched her feet and thrusted them toward Valentine.

Valentine simply skipped to the side and avoided Shale's landing, which smashing a decent-sized hole through the floor. Before he could ready an attack, however, Shale was already off, putting distance between them. Valentine looked down at where Shale landed and noted the heat coming off the tiles. A pile was heated to the point of melting.

Valentine grinned. "Fun, indeed."

Shale plucked a pebble from her coat and tossed it onto her foot. She kicked it in the air a few times, building up flames into a compressed fire ball, then cracked her foot across it. It soared like a raging comet, almost instantly cutting the distance between her and Valentine.

Valentine raised his fist. "Power-Up Punch." His fist glowed red. With a straight, simple punch, he struck the fireball and dispersed the flames around his body. Fire wrapped around his fist, to which he blew out like a birthday candle. "Your move, miss."

Shale's grin stretched. "I don't know why Caz wanted me to deal with you, but I'm certainly enjoying myself."

Valentine backed away, keeping his hands tucked behind his waist. "Must we really do this? If there's a bounty on my head, surely, we could come to more reasonable negotiations than a violent confrontation. Besides, I have a prior engagement to attend to."

Shale laughed, matching his pace with advancing steps. "Sorry, panda boy, but I have a bet to win. It's the best distraction I could ask for. It's always rules and regulations with people these days. Never really taking time to laugh at a joke or two."

Valentine closed his eyes and sighed with a soft smile. "You as well? The world definitely feels dull somedays, but who am I to be the depressing one in the wheels of society by telling bad jokes? If the world wants to see me as the mad one, then so be it."

Shale rolled her eyes. "You're a strange one. So, what's with the name? Mad World?"

Valentine chuckled quietly. "You asked for a distraction, did you not? Well, miss, I'm sure you know I'm one of the Forester's elites."

"Doesn't make much difference to me, but yes."

Valentine cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. "Then I'll make you work for that bounty with every ounce of skill you have. So, if you have what it takes, come at me with everything you've got. And don't worry about any guard interfering. If you can't handle what I have, they won't last half as long."

Shale grinned. "Ooh, cryptic. Alright, let's play! Bounce!" She kicked off the floor and propelled toward the polka dot panda at lightning speeds. "High Jump Kick and Double Edge!" With her forward moment, she lunged her feet forward as an orange outline of aura wrapped around her, stemming from the heat radiating off her foot.

Valentine made no attempt to dodge, merely staring down his approaching attacker with a relaxed, if not smug, grin. His spiral eyes lit up in a rainbow glow, followed by a similar glow outlining his body. He pulled his arms out and, with a simple motion, swung it.

Though things appeared normal for Valentine, Shale's eyes widened as Valentine swayed to the left in a blurry, fading trail, like staring through a curtain of colored smoke. Her kick passed through the trail, hitting no solid surface, and sent her tumbling to the floor. She rolled with the landing to reduce the recoil, then spun around as she slid to a stop.

She vigorously rubbed her eyes. "What the hell was that?" She looked up, then gawked at the hallway.

Standing in the dead center of the hallway, Valentine performed an uncoordinated dance, spinning on the tip of his foot like a drunken ballerina. Though the image was amusing, what tripped Shale up was the hallway itself. No longer a stationary corridor of browns and blacks, but a mixed, spiraling vortex fading in behind the Spinda, the center of it.

It was like staring into the world's most boring kaleidoscope. She could've sworn she saw the record office door in eight different positions of the spinning hallway. Ceiling, floor, walls, even under her own feet for a moment. Mixing and changing into an ununiform, nebulous pudding. Spinning, shifting, melting, waving. It didn't stick to just one for more than a couple seconds. Nothing stayed as it should.

It was just her and Valentine in this disorienting world.

Shale's legs trembled with the moving floor. She covered her mouth, then dropped to her knees. She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the vomit begging to spew out. It still felt like the room was moving, even if she couldn't see it.

What the hell is this vertigo? No, this isn't even vertigo! Is this what getting high is like? What am I staring at?

"Welcome to…Mad World." Shale looked up at Valentine, then immediately closed her eyes to be spared the sickening spinning. "Don't bother closing your eyes. Your brain won't be able to tell the difference."

Shale pushed herself up and shook off the trembling in her legs. With her eyes cover, she peeked behind her fingers to focus solely on Valentine's face. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Valentine grinned. "They called me mad just because I…think differently than others. People called me insane, like I was stuck in my own little world. Well, you know something? I think we're all a little mad, so I give everyone a taste of what madness feels like. Unstable, unsteady, and random."

Shale tried to step forward, but her leg trembled. It felt like the floor sank under her foot, like stepping on deflated ground or a slumbering Snorlax's stomach. She teetered to the side, catching herself on the wall.

"You can't discern fact from fiction anymore." Valentine pointed at his eyes. "Hypnosis normally puts Pokémon to sleep, but it can easily be altered for implanting suggestions. Some use it for mind control, folks like me combine it to alter its potency. My Teeter Dance, for instance."

Shale squinted through her glare. "So, none of this is real. You're messing with my head, huh?"

Valentine shrugged. "Or I just brought the madness out. Who's to say? Like I said, we're all a little mad here. Can you handle it?"

Shale glared at the distorted space around her, unable to make sense of anything before her eyes. However, rather than voice her frustration, she did what she did best. When faced with a horrible situation that seemed hopeless, even soul crushing, she did what she always did when times were tough. When the world wanted to push her down.

She laughed.

Valentine raised his brow, smiling in amusement, as Shale broke out into a fit of laughter. She leaned back on the distorted walls, indifferent to the strange wobbly feeling of the hallway, and just laughed. She doubled over, clutching her chest, and belted coughs of laughter.

"You…I like you," Shale managed to squeeze out between laughs. "You're no different than me. The world called you mad, so you played a joke on them. The world kicked me down, so I laughed at them. Oh sweet Mew, I haven't laughed this hard in weeks."

Valentine chuckled. "You're certainly taking this well."

Shale grinned. "You have no idea." Without a second delay, she kicked off the ground, flying across the distorted floor. "Let's make the most of this screwed-up world of yours, pal!"

Valentine sidestepped a sweeping kick for his face, then raised his arms as Shale spun off her hands and kicked him. Valentine flew into and bounced off the wall. Shale bounced back with a firm dropkick, slamming the Spinda through the wall. The distorted space dispersed the size of the hole, making it appear grand and larger than it should.

"Power-Up Punch!" Valentine grabbed Shale's leg and decked her across the face.

Shale rolled with the punch, minimizing the impact, and spun herself by the ankle. She landed on her hands and swung her leg, throwing Valentine with it. He tumbled with the floor, creating waves and bubbles of distorted stone, then rushed Shale against with Power-Up Punch.

"Bounce!" Shale sprang high into the air. She misjudged the height of the ceiling and slammed into it, but managed to find a groove to hang from. She dangled like a light fixture and grinned down at Valentine. "You wouldn't be using that move so much if your ability was Contrary. I'm willing to bet you have Own Tempo."

Valentine glared, but couldn't help smiling. "You're sharp."

"I didn't get this far in the mercenary game being naïve." Shale swung off the ceiling and divebombed Valentine, who jumped out of the way in time. She stumbled with the ground, still unable to register flat surfaces, but kept right up. "Shale the Merry doesn't let anything hold her back."

Valentine laughed. "Now I'm starting to like you. A shame we're enemies."

"Not my fault you have a nice stack of bits for your capture." Shale snickered. "Plus, I really want to tick off that old lady I met. This bet's as good as mine."

"Not sure what you mean, but…" Valentine dropped down onto his hands. "Whatever suits you. Want to see me get real mad?"

Shale grinned. "Only if you let me show off some of my moves. This little abstract painting you've set up for us makes the perfect arena for a dance-off."

"Oh, I bet it does. Well then, shall we dance, milady?"

"Don't weep when I stomp on your toes, madman~."

"Fourth Stance: Tornado Punch!"

Casimir whipped his arm and, with a sharp turn of his wrist, fired a tight whirlwind from his fist, drilling into the stunned Metang. The force was explosive, smashing down on the automaton's head and throwing him off balance. It completely flipped Metang upside-down like a coin and threw him into his fellow guard. They collapsed over each other.

The Psychic faded, dropping Ragger and Casimir back onto the ground. Ragger shivered and rolled his shoulders. "Well, that was uncomfortable."

Casimir wound his fist back, turning his entire upper half with it. "Now for the amped version."

Metang pushed himself up and pointed at the two intruders. "Seize them!" The guards picked themselves up and raced toward them with their weapons drawn.

Casimir glared them down, then spun his body. Air flowed with his fist, following along as he spun himself in place. With a firm stomp to the ground and seconds of numerous spins, Casimir shot an uppercut into the air. From it, a vortex came to life around him and expanded across the area. Hurricane winds blew through the hall, smashing into every unanchored body outside the eye of the storm.

Ragger smartly dug his claws down before the winds whipped up. The guards weren't as lucky. Those without wings or natural levitation were at the mercy of the storm. Gravity became their enemy, turning on them in an instant. No longer confined to the ground with the winds as their judges. They cried out for help as they flew through the air like paper.

Ragger raised one arm to cover his eyes. He peered around his arm to glare at Casimir, who was almost camouflaged behind the dense winds. Well, he wasn't kidding about crawling out of hell, though I'm starting to think he was kicked out of hell.

Metang fought with the winds and narrowed his sights on Casimir. "Do you wish for execution of the most gruesome caliber?! Gyro Ball!" He locked his arms into a stationary position, then became one with the winds as his body rotated within a silvery aura. Through his levitation, he guided himself through the winds like a spinning top. He followed along the winds, gradually closing in on the epicenter.

Casimir rolled his shoulder, then sighed tiredly. "Sixth Stance: Drift State."

Metang broke through the tornado and came down on Casimir. Casimir merely sidestepped and let Metang crash into the floor. Casimir's movements were airy, like his physical being partially became one with the wind. As the winds let up, Ragger looked down at Casimir's feet and noted how they drifted a few inches off the ground before landing.

Metang rose, then sprung his arms forward, wrapped in cosmic light. "Meteor Mash!"

Casimir punched the ground and floated over Metang's attack, then struck him square in the face as he flew down. Metang staggered, covering his ailing head, then gasped from a sharp uppercut to the underside. It sent him flipping through the air, again like a coin.

Ragger seized his chance and rushed Casimir while he was distracted. "Thunder Punch!"

Casimir noticed a second too soon and jumped back from Ragger's punch, feeling the sparks surge across his face. He stopped on his foot and threw a counter punch square into Ragger's maw.

"AAGH!" Ragger cried, blood spilling out from his nose. He dragged his hind claws down and kept himself balance, then covered his nose. He forced a smirk. "Doesn't…even hurt."

Casimir opened his mouth to retort, but instead jumped away from a surprise Meteor Mash. Casimir covered his face from the flying tile, then braced for a second Meteor Mash from Metang. He stood his ground and held up against the automaton's attack.

"We are under direct orders to eliminate anyone connected with the Dukes," Metang growled. His eyes glowed red, perfectly matching his ire.

Casimir gritted his teeth. "Mate, I'm just here for the Foresters. I didn't even think the Dukes would still be hanging around here. I'm after their bounty."

"Doesn't matter," Metang said, pushing his Meteor Mash harder against Casimir's guard. "We can't have anyone get close to them, not while that bastard Althalos is still out there—"

"Hey, tin man!" A crush blow smashed into the top of Metang's head as Ragger came down with a dual Drain Punch. "Take a number! That dirtbag's my opponent, not yours!"

"W-Why you little—" Metang growled, reaching his free hand up to grab the drunk dragon.

"Third Stance: Crash Punch." Metang took his eyes off Casimir for only a second. A big mistake. A blinding punch smashed into his face, breaking his sharp nose, and blasted him into the far wall. It came crashing down on top of the automaton, burying him under heaps of brick. "You wouldn't last in the Centum Death Ring—"

"Ambush!" Casimir barely raised his arms as Ragger, who jumped off Metang before he was turned into live ammo, slammed his clasped fists down on Casimir. Ragger swung his lower half and socked the boxer in the chin with a kick that sent him reeling.

"Gah!" Casimir gasped. He backed away, but kept a firm stance.

"Dragon Claw!" Once Ragger landed, he instantly lunged and thrusted his claws into Casimir's front, dealing a successful hit.

Casimir stood his ground, biting his tongue amidst the pain, and grabbed Ragger's arm from the draconian energy. It took heaps of willpower to keep the growing expression in his lips from twitching their corners upward. "You don't fight fair, do you?"

Ragger smirked. "Do you?"

"Heh. Touché."

Ragger flexed his claws, channeling electricity down the length of his arms. "Now that the distractions are asleep, let's return to me kicking your ass!" Electricity erupted from Ragger's arms and took the shape of giant claws. "Thunder Storm Claw!" He dug the claws down, then blitzed across the room with a trail of burning tile tailing behind.

Casimir took a deep breath, then raised his fists. "Second Stance: Rush Down!" His fists glowed red with Power-Up Punch, then he sprinted at Ragger in a low stance.

Ragger grinned as Casimir closed in, then whipped his claws from the floor. Molten shards of tile ripped out with his claws, which drove straight into the boxer. Casimir threw his fists out and stopped the Storm Thunder Claws in place. Electricity spilled out, scorching the ground behind him.

"Take this!" Casimir arced his fist under the claws and socked Ragger in the stomach, nearly causing the dragon to spew the alcohol resting inside. No sooner than when Casimir threw the punch, a second one cracked across Ragger's face. Like the wheels of a wagon, his shoulders rotated in time to the speed of punches. One after the other, barely half a second between impact, Casimir bashed into Ragger with an unending stream of punches, steadily increasing in power with every hit.

Ragger raised his arms over his head. His scales provided the defense to withstand the hits, though he could feel the shock passing through his body and twisting up his organs in knots. It was a constant stream, never speeding up or slowing down. The optimal speed to weather down a stubborn wall, which was Ragger in this circumstance. He kept his hind claws anchored down, otherwise he would've been thrown halfway across the prison.

That Crash Punch he took had a lot of power, but there was no doubt in Ragger's mind that Casimir could've hit much, much harder. Perhaps he could punch Ragger through the walls until he burst from the other side of the prison. Regardless of the calm demeanor of his opponent, Ragger knew for certain he was fighting a monster.

Ragger sucked up what little doubts he had and glared defiantly at Casimir with a winning smile. "Is this…the best you can do?!"

Casimir scowled. "You're becoming a real pain in the—" He doubled over into a quick coughing fit. The speed of punches lessened for a moment. They kept hitting hard, but Ragger didn't feel like his insides were on the verge of being turned into smoothies anymore.

Ragger noticed how flushed Casimir was starting to look. It was subtle, but he was breathing harder, too. It wasn't the kind of breathing one did after running a marathon for twelve hours straight, but it was something.

Come to think of it, I've been noticing that he breathes hard after one of his attacks. With the way he fights, he must be exerting a lot of pressure, yet he's still fighting at top performance. Ragger glared. Unless he's pushing too hard.

Ragger knew a lot about fighting. At normal performance, he could probably fight for hours before he became too winded to move. In a fight like this, effort wore down on the body, straining his muscles to keep up. It was all about how much work was being put into the body, whether at his own speed or beyond that.

But for Casimir to look this exhausted already, did that mean he was pushing himself too hard to defeat Ragger?

No. Ragger's eyes widened in realization. He's not pushing too hard. He's trying to end the fight as quickly as possible. Powerful, crippling blows. But his endurance! He doesn't have good endurance! He's practically pushing his body until it sets fire! Quick bursts of power and a tremendous toll on the body.

Ragger stamped his feet down, bracing himself against Casimir's punches with his bare chest. He pulled his arms back, reignited his Storm Thunder Claws, and slammed them into Casimir's chest. They separated in the impact, putting a meter of distance between them, then Ragger lunged at the staggered Hitmonchan.

Casimir tried to counterattack, but fell forward onto his knee and gasped for air. Ragger plunged his electrified claws into the stunned bounty hunter and, while digging into his skin, lit him up like a stormy night sky. Casimir threw his head back and screamed. Lightning exploded from all over, reaching as high as the ceiling.

"And one more for the road!" Ragger slugged his fist across Casimir's face and punted him across the hall.

Casimir slammed into the wall, crackling with lingering electricity, and toppled to his knees. He supported himself on his hands, gasping for air. Sweat flooded from his skin, which was flushed red from overheating. His eyes were bloodshot and twitching wildly. Half his vest was singed from his body with loose fabric hanging off his shoulders.

Ragger wasn't in better shape. His sleeves were demolished, as were his scales, which he ripped off since any defensive properties they had were diminished. The front of his winter uniform was torn open, turning what was once a jacket into a tattered vest. Sweat dripped from his face. He panted in slow, heavy breaths and clutched at the aching in his chest. Pressing on his ribs worsened the pain.

"Shit, that feels like a cracked rib," he grumbled. He was fortunate to have the hindsight to remove his bags before engaging in the fight because he desperately needed a drink for the pain.

Casimir pushed himself up, taking a second to steady his breathing, then stood back up. He wiped the sweat off his face, flicking the salty perspiration from his hand, then glared at Ragger.

"You figured it out, didn't you?" Casimir asked.

Ragger smirked. "I can't be surprised. You said anyone would do anything when they were desperate. You forced your body into overdrive and practically blitzed through the competition, demolishing everyone as quickly and brutally as possible. Of course, that came with the consequence of wrecking your endurance."

Casimir wiped his lip. "You're only half-right. My endurance isn't that good…when I take a breather. But you'd be surprised what desperation can do to endurance. I've learned to shut up the warning signals in my brain telling me to stop. As long as I don't stop, I can defeat anyone, even if my body needs to suffer for it."

Ragger smirked. "Then I'm just the opponent for you. I've proven I can handle your punches. I can certainly crush the bastards in New Chariot."

Casimir glared. "You really are a stubborn one, pushing me this far." He sighed. "Truth is, I shouldn't even have my freedom. That stubbornness nearly costed me my final match, until my opponent realized my situation. He put up a convincing fight. No, it wasn't just convincing. It was an honest brawl between two men until he took a dive. I knew he was faking. He could still keep fighting. But, without saying anything, he knew I suffered enough here and earned my freedom."

Ragger raised his brow. "The hell are you trying to say?"

"You remind me of the man who helped me win my freedom. He lost his winning streak for me." Casimir rolled his shoulders, then huffed. "No matter how many times I punched him down, he kept getting back up."

Ragger squinted, but not at Casimir, or anything in general. Something in the way Casimir described his opponent felt…familiar somehow.

"I've changed my mind, kid." Ragger shook from his thoughts and watched as Casimir pulled his arms back. "If you're serious about raiding New Chariot and saving your sister, then you'll have to prove it by knocking me off my feet. I'll match that man's stubbornness and exceed it. I'll surpass my limitations and go beyond what I can. If you can stay standing against this, then I'll help you break down the walls of the New Chariot Empire."

Ragger gasped. "You're serious?"

"Only if you knock me down."

Ragger blinked in awe for a moment, then flashed a smug grin. "Don't keel over too soon, then. I don't want any handouts."

Casimir finally let the smirk he was suppressing rise to the surface. "When was the last time I actually felt excited about a fight? No longer am I fighting for my freedom. Today, I fight to win. For glory.

"Seventh Stance: Crimson Sea!"

To the outsider observer, it was a normal fight. To Valentine and Shale, it was a dance inside the funhouse.

Valentine took leaping skips across the hall, dodging Shale's flying kicks as she rebounded from one warped wall with the other. Though the speed she bounced didn't match the absurdity witness by two of the Dukes, her launch and controlled flight was remarkable in the enclosed space.

"Rapid Spin!" Valentine spun himself in circles and bounced off the walls as well, only stationed at ground level. He picked up speed with each rebound, narrowly avoiding a crushing blow from Shale's devastating kicks. "Mad Dance!" As he spun, he activated Teeter Dance on top of Rapid Spin. The warped space coiled and mirrored his movement, spinning the room around into a cyclonic, dizzying funnel of vague shapes.

Shale couldn't tell up from down anymore as the spinning also messed with head. She balled herself up and performed a freefall until she hit solid ground. She sprang to her feet and skipped around the distorted surface with light footwork.

Her balance was at war with itself, but Shale worked with it. One activity she always found useful to quell her compulsive, scatterbrained nature was dancing, and she was remarkable at it. Keeping in time with rhythm and knowing how to flail her feet for the most stylish of moves. In this case, she worked with the distorted ground and moved with it, not against it. If she couldn't fight the chaos, she'll dance with the chaos.

She locked onto her target and dashed forward. "High Jump Kick!" She kicked off and soared towards the spinning panda. "Double Edge!" Once more, her body and foot wrapped in a heated orange aura, setting her sights on Valentine's head.

Predictably, Valentine ducked out of the way. Unlike last time, however, Shale flipped forward onto her hands and spun off her hand. She slammed her foot into Valentine's side and kicked him into a wall. The distorted surface rippled out after Valentine smashed through.

"GAH!" Valentine collapsed to the ground and clasped his aching side. "Oh, that sucks…"

Shale bounced around on her toes, giggling deviously. "Hey, I got ya good! Nice!"

Valentine pushed himself up against the wall and stood up. "I don't even want to know how many more pages of this I have to go through."

"Bounce!" Shale launched into a dropkick.

Valentine ducked down and narrowly avoided Shale's kick. He flipped off his hands, then started spinning. "Mad Whirlwind!" He went into Rapid Spin and darted toward Shale.

Shale bounced back to put some distance, then flicked out a stone. "Pyro Kick!" She ignited the stone and kicked it at Valentine.

A flurry of fists shot out from inside the Rapid Spin and demolished the Pyro Ball. The Mad Whirlwind, a combination of Rapid Spin and Thrash, turned Valentine into a tornado of violent fury capable of breaking down anything that got in his way.

Shale smirked. "Agility!" Energy surged through her system. "Double Edge!" She kicked off and faced the Mad Whirlwind.

Fists flew from the whirlwind and clashed with Shale's Double Edge. Shale winced as Valentine's overwhelming flurry surpassed her kick and landed powerful hits across her body. She blocked them the best she could, but Valentine's spinning made it difficult to predict their movement. On top of that, his spinning only worsened the distorted space, making her feel dizzier.

Valentine stopped spinning and slugged a rainbow-glowing fist into Shale's stomach. "Dizzy Punch!"

Shale gasped, saliva flying from her mouth, and skidded across the floor. She dug her fingers down and caught herself, but doubled over as the vertigo hit her harder. She was moments away from throwing up.

"Mad Whirlwind!" Valentine used Rapid Spin again and charged at the downed Cinderace.

Shale lifted her head, taking a moment to catch her breath, then whipped her leg. "Pyro Ball!" She skidded her foot across the ground, tearing up the distorted floor, and fired miniature Pyro Balls at Valentine.

Valentine's rapid-fire fists demolished through the weaker Pyro Balls, but couldn't stop the surprise High Jump Kick/Double Edge attack that slammed into his stomach. Shale launched the attack through a blind spot in the Pyro Balls, coupled by what was surely a dizzying field of vision for Valentine with his spinning.

Though it stunned his Thrash, Valentine grabbed Shale's ankle and sped up his Rapid Spin. Shale sailed like a flag in a hurricane, but braced herself against the force. Valentine stopped on his foot and used the momentum to chuck Shale into the wall.

Shale rebounded with Bounce, crushing the wall with her landing, then threw her shoulder against Valentine in a full-body tackle. In response, he grabbed her arm and used Rapid Spin vertically. They spun across the ground before Valentine kicked Shale into the air with the improvised Circle Throw.

Shale hit the wall with her feet again and ricocheted back down on Valentine. "Focus Energy! Double Edge!" She came down spinning, wrapped in an intense orange glow, then slammed her foot down on Valentine's crossed guard with a devastating axe kick.

Valentine tensed his muscles as the shock passed through his body and obliterated the ground at his feet. He felt the stinging pain in his arms, worsened by the critical-enhancing Focus Energy. He clenched his teeth, then forced Shale off his guard.

"Thrash!" Valentine lunged and delivered a violent barrage of punches into her.

Shale braced herself, growling through the pain, then kicked both her legs into the panda's chest, throwing him into the opposing wall. "Double Edge!" She propelled forward and threw herself into Valentine, digging him deeper into the wall.

"Mad Assault!" Valentine bashed his skull into Shale's, then threw out another Thrash mixed with his Dizzy Punch.

Shale covered her face as a rainbow flood bombarded her vision. She felt the vertigo steadily worsening. The world around her was a barely recognizable smear at this point. She had to end this fight soon, otherwise she'll pass out from the sickening feeling in her head.

"Pyro Ball!" She kicked into the ground again and brought up flaming tile with her foot, bashing it into Valentine's chin. "High Jump Kick!" She launched high into the air, then shot down like a raining arrow.

Valentine patted the flaming debris off, then whipped his fist. "Power-Up Punch!"

The two Fighting-Type attacks clashed with a blinding flash. Both Valentine and Shale pushed with their respective limbs, attempting to overpower the other, until the elemental energy became too much. An explosion separated the two onto opposite sides of the hall, smashing holes into the walls.

Shale collapsed onto her face while Valentine limply fell to his knees, grasping his stinging arm. "Agh, that smarts…" he groaned.

Shale pressed her hands down and lifted herself up, feeling woozy. "Ugh, don't feel good." She rolled onto her back and panted deep breaths. "H-Hey…can we take a break? I'm beat."

Valentine fell against the wall, leaning his head back as he took a breather. "Y-Yeah…sure."

"Cool…" Shale closed her eyes, then sighed in relief. "I totally beat you, by the way."

Valentine smirked wearily. "Shut up."

Shale snickered before wincing and grabbing her chest. "Ow, ow. Hurts to laugh."

"You're strong. You gave me quite the workout."

"Heh. No wonder you're so strong. Anyone else would've been blowing chunks by now." Shale looked around and watched the distorted world revert to normal. Her vision was still fuzzy from the confusion status, but everything looked as it should. She only now saw how much damage they caused. "Yeesh, this place is even more of a dump than usual."

Valentine chuckled. "Yep."

"So, uh…I know we're basically enemies and all, but what were you doing in that record office before I, you know, torched it?"

"Kind of a long story."

"Does it have anything to do with the chumps we're hunting?"

Valentine lifted his head and glared at her curiously. "You mean the Dukes of Buzzard?"

"Yep, them!" Shale groaned. "I wanted to hunt for them because they would've instantly won the bet for us, but there was no way I was wasting time trekking everywhere for them. So, I had this bright idea to—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Valentine grunted as he shifted himself into a more comfortable position. "Back up. So, someone put a bounty out on the Dukes?"

Shale shrugged. "Yeah."

Valentine glared off to the side. "That's…concerning."

"What do you mean?"

He looked back at Shale suspiciously. "You're not working for anyone, right?"

Shale rolled onto her stomach and kicked her legs in the air. "Do I look like the kind of girl that gets mixed up in gangs?"

Valentine glared for a moment, then sighed. "Well, understand I can't fully trust you—"

"Perfectly reasonable," Shale agreed with a shrug.

"Without getting into specifics, it's like this…"

"Seventh Stance: Crimson Sea!"

Ragger's eyes widened in abject horror as Casimir charged at him full speed. Ragger wasn't one to get spooked easily. He could beat down any danger that came his way and stomp it into the dirt while chugging down a delicious bottle of gin. Even most of Casimir's attacks didn't little more than surprise him.

What Ragger was staring at, however, changed all that. He felt a crushing power exude from Casimir as he closed in. In the way that he sprinted, the bounty hunter's stance suggested something of great power building behind those scarred fists. Slow and deliberate was their movement as Casimir raised them into position at his sides, like they held the weight of the world between them.

That's when Ragger focused in on the aura surrounding Casimir. Or rather, what looked like an aura. In truth, though Ragger could see a blood red curtain of fog surrounding Casimir that grew in size and power, it didn't look like elemental aura of any kind. The pressure blowing into Ragger's face indicated something else entirely.

With each running step Casimir took, closing in on Ragger, the scaly dragon realized he wasn't staring at an aura at all. No, it was something much, much more ferocious in stature.

A red sea of fists.

Ragger had seen a lot from Casimir's destructive fighting style, but nothing of this scale. Casimir was shooting out punches so fast and strong that their afterimages didn't have time to fade before another overlapped it. It created a solid illusion of quantity that could rival the deceptive power of Double Team. It was like two tidal waves of red parting open on both sides of Casimir, aiming to crash down onto a single point.

And Ragger was standing on it.

All Ragger could do in that moment was cover his head and brace himself for the worst. He prayed that whatever alcohol remained floating through his system would dull the hellish pain that would be upon him in a second.

His prayers weren't answered.

Biting back the pain surging through his body, Ragger tensed every muscle he could as a downpour of fists pummeled down on him from virtually every direction he was facing. The speed and power beating down on his clouded his vision in an impenetrable veil of red where all he could see was his own demise flying at him.

In the center of this tidal wave was Casimir, gritting his teeth and burning up as he worked his arms to their limit. Even they succumbed to the speed of his punches, becoming barely registerable blurs overpowered by the red of his fists.

Not just a tidal wave, but like a giant Shellder on its side prepared to devour Ragger in a single bite. He couldn't see anything from the floor to the ceiling. It was just him and Casimir stuck in this unending barrage.

Unlike the similar Rush Down stance as Casimir so affectionately called it, Ragger noticed a staggering difference in this technique. It was building up speed and power, and fast. The longer he allowed it to continue, the more the afterimages piled on. Like two giant drills gaining mass as they dug and dug through the stubborn earth, wearing down all opposition.

Casimir was clearly suffering from the effects of his technique, too. His body was flushed red with heat, sweat pouring from his body in a vain attempt to cool him down. Casimir persisted, despite his body screaming for rest. No, demanding for the torture to be done and over with.

Ragger had to wonder if Casimir was getting it worse, or he was. Protecting the head seemed like the smart choice, but at the cost of literally everything else. His arms stung with blistering pain without the scales to soften the blow, and a myriad of punches found their way to his sides and torso. Ragger nearly vomited from the bombardment centered on his chest and stomach. If he didn't die from the shock, he'll be bruised for weeks. Hopefully not months.

He tried to move out of the onslaught, but he found himself locked in the crimson torrent. Whenever he moved to the side, fists would meet his escape and force him back into the center. Whenever he retreated backwards, Casimir would advance forward with slow, but large steps. Ragger couldn't move back fast enough with the fists basically adding a hundred or so extra pounds on his shoulders.

It became monstrously clear to Ragger what the bounty hunter had to push himself towards for freedom. This was the danger that threatened to meet him on his rescue mission into New Chariot. One was bad enough, but was the rest of the empire like this? Would it be the royal army that was his downfall, or the desperate slaves who would kill to their lives back?

The darker side of violence that Ragger reviled. He may not be the kindest fellow when it comes to bashing heads and breaking guts, but Ragger stuck by a single belief. If you couldn't have fun fighting, what was the point in it at all?

When a man was forced to that point, it was no longer a contest of strength. It was beyond that. And the circumstances decided what would motivate both fighters to victory.

Casimir wanted freedom. What did Ragger want out of this fight? What did he want most of all if he were to break down the walls of New Chariot?

What else but his stubborn, single-minded goal since the beginning?

By now, Ragger could feel blood being from his arms as his tough skin became tender. Casimir was tearing through flesh little by little with each blow. A dragon could handle this kind of physical abuse. Ragger shivered at the thought of anyone else forced to endure this pain. Any longer, and Casimir would reach muscle, something Ragger wasn't too keen of having shred to bits.

Ragger peered through his guard and glared at Casimir, who was on the verge of collapse despite his stubborn persistence. It was an admirable trait he bared not mock. Anyone willing to push themselves this hard was a force to be admired. A force that Ragger would gladly destroy with his bare fists.

"You're…too heated to speak, right?" Ragger spoke up.

Casimir responded with a tired growl.

"I thought so. Listen up, then. Say what you will about me being way in over my head. Let me bash my final answer into that skull of yours and show you just how serious I am."

Ragger dropped his guard and rushed through Casimir's punches. Fists blindly pounded into his unprotected body and race, nearly knocking him down and burying him under the chaos, but he gritted his teeth, stamped his feet down, and pushed forward the single-minded determination of a dragon. He couldn't activate any of his moves, too withered to spark the energy, but who needed elemental energy when you still had two fists?

"Those bastards killed my parents and absconded with my sister! Even if it kills me, I'll do anything to save her! Even if she did forget about me after all these years, let me make this clear!"

Ragger, pushing back on the onslaught, threw his fist through the crimson storm as blood sprayed from his arms.

"I'll destroy the New Chariot Empire and save her!"

His fist breached the storm and cracked across Casimir's face, instantly shattering the bounty hunter's concentration. The flood of fists instantly dissipated into a red mist as Casimir, overheated and fatigued, toppled backwards.

Ragger scowled at the falling bounty hunter. "And don't you forget it."

Suddenly, Casimir stomped his foot down behind him, catching his fall. Before Ragger can retaliate, Casimir slugged his fist across Ragger's face. No moves, no enhancements. A simple, all-natural punch. He, too, was spent on energy.

Ragger was stunned by the counterattack, nearly falling over from the shock, but also caught himself and returned the attack with another to the face. Casimir endured and struck Ragger again, which he returned immediately after.

They took turns taking potshots at each other. Nothing but pure strength as they slugged the other's face. Blood sprayed through the air, coating their knuckles. Each hit met with a low growl of discomfort, both fighters struggling to stay on their feet. As time passed, their punches became as sluggish as their stances. Their lungs burned from their heavy breathing.

Ragger got the last punch off before he and Casimir let their arms go limp. Sweat mixed with blood poured down their face. Quick and heavy breaths sounded from their gaping mouths. Legs trembled under their weight. Covered in the tattered rags of their clothes. They couldn't speak without it burning the throat.

They lifted their heads, exchanging heated glares at each other. A silent agreement that they wouldn't fall until the other did.

They tensed their fists and, with an explosion of latent strength, slung their fists forward and plunged into each other's faces simultaneously. Their knuckles dug into the other's cheek, grinding into the flesh and pushing back on their weakened opponent. Neither gave in, even as their visions blurred from exhaustion.

This is it!

Ragger and Casimir gritted their teeth, then let loose a booming battle cry. They pulled back and swung their other fists with everything that had, slicing through the air like a bullwhip. Stances firm and with their weight behind their arms, they crashed their fists dead center into each other's faces.

Blood sprayed out as their fists pressed into the other's face. They stood frozen in that position for a moment, not even trembling, until they toppled backwards. No last minute recoveries or third winds. They both collapsed to the floor, beaten and tired.

Their chests rose up and down as they took in comfortable, relieving breaths of air, too numb to be bothered by their burning lungs. They stared up at the ceiling as their blood and sweat dripped onto the ruined floor.

"I…I can keep going," Ragger panted.

"Sh…Shut up," Casimir groaned.

"Fine. We'll…call it a draw."

"You're a freakin' nightmare, kid. A real nightmare."

"Heh. I'll take that as a compliment."

Casimir glared at the ceiling wearily. He hadn't felt this bad for over a year. He hated to admit it, but Ragger truly stuck to his guns and overcame the impossible. Casimir thought for certain he could break down any wall. Clearly the collapsed Hakamo-o nearby had a greater strength than just raw muscle.

"I still say…invading New Chariot is a stupid idea," he mumbled.

Ragger smirked. "Will you stop me?"

"Kid…I may just have to make sure you don't get killed. I have a bone to pick with the emperor, anyway."

"Heh. Whatever." Ragger let his head fall back, then sighed. "Everything hurts."

"Yeah."

"Hey."

"What?"

"I could go for a drink. Want some handmade whiskey?"

"…"

"…"

"…Sure."