18th Winter Moon, 907—Afternoon

An outcry of confusion poured out from the crowd of startled villagers. Though concerns of the wrecked tavern and the flames were a pressing matter currently being attended to by the local Water-Types, the shock and awe of the wandering hobo's true identity was the topic of discussion.

Roscoe ignored their gawking and focused his attention on the Zangoose laying in the snow, staring at her with a glare that could freeze over lava. His cold stare hid the pain he was in. After pushing his way out of the collapsing building, hot splintery wood jabbed through his clothes and left him with some irritable wounds. Half his disguise was barely holding up, and the only source of cover for his face was nothing but ash. He saw no need to cover his face anymore. It was too late, and Roscoe was too annoyed to care.

Among the crowd, Roscoe spotted Keith Tibia pushing himself to the front to get a better look at the scene. To say the Mankey was surprised would be a disservice to the bafflement plastered across his face. What else would a soup stall owner be thinking other than 'Oh my Arceus, I've been feeding the king for the last week'.

Charlie stood at the foot of the crowd after getting to cover. He was more confused than shocked. The poor guy probably didn't understand what was going on, or the full ramifications of Roscoe's presence in the village. He was young, so Roscoe couldn't blame his ignorance of the crowd's disbelief.

Regina finally scrambled off the ground, still in shock of the hobo's true face. "This…This is outrageous. King Penworth? Here? In this dinky village? Living as a street rat?" She dragged her hands across her face, staring at the ground with wide, perplexed eyes. "I must be dreaming. I'm actually buried under that tavern and suffering from hallucinations via smoke inhalation. There's no way this is real."

Roscoe inched his leg forward, causing Regina to jump a whole foot back on reflex. "Madame, care to explain what was going on inside the tavern earlier? You were engaged in combat with a couple of Foresters, correct?"

Regina bared her teeth. "W-Well, perhaps so, but what does that matter? The Foresters are rotten scum, anyway."

"My sentiments exactly, but this does not change the fact you committed arson."

"W-What?" Regina darted her eyes around. "That's preposterous. There was a Lampent among their party, you know. She could've done that. I was merely defending myself against those ruffians—"

"Lies!" Regina's hairs stood on end as Charlie bounced about, gathering everyone's attention. "That mean lady breathed fire at me. She had those nice people tied up for money!"

"Hush, you brat!" Regina snarled.

Roscoe narrowed his eyes. "Does that mean you are a bounty hunter?"

Regina flinched from his tone, then pouted. "Oh, what does that matter? Sure, I captured two Foresters and planned to sell them off for money. Is that illegal or something?"

Roscoe crossed his arms. "Under normal circumstances, I would not bat an eye over it. However, given you had to destroy someone's business just to reclaim your property, something tells me you were reckless in your pursuits. You are a rookie. I can tell."

Regina bared her teeth. "So, what's the problem?!"

"You still burned down the tavern. You started the fire, and you escalated the fighting. As much as I would love for the Foresters to be taken prisoner for all the trouble they have caused my subjects and me, the actions you took are unjustifiable. As king of the Verde Kingdom, I am placing you under arrest."

Regina gasped. "What?! You can't do that!"

"My word is final. You will have no say," Roscoe said.

Regina grinded her teeth together. She could see how the crowd was turning their ire onto her, now outed as the village arson. She had no idea what Katsu was going to say or do when he got back from hunting, but he wasn't going to like any of this. Of all the bad luck to be stuck with, it was dealing with a destructive rescue team, getting outwitted by a child, and now facing the king of all people. What insanity had she brought upon herself?

Fortunately, Regina had one out from the public shaming. Her secret talent: complaining.

Regina huffed through her nostrils, then pointed accusingly at Roscoe. "And who are you to give the final word, you manipulative monarch?"

"Huh?" Roscoe grumbled.

"You heard me! Perhaps you could explain to these people why their king is rolling around in the dirt and conversing like he's some regular old fool? What is this, some poor man's attempt to integrate with the people and get to understand the lower class through experience? Or is this your attempt at mockery on the lives you've stolen from under their feet?"

Roscoe's brow furrowed. "Madame, you have the right to remain silent for a reason—"

"And I say nay to your law, because I have the right to complain to His Majesty when he decides to trade his crown for a dirty mop upon his mighty chin," Regina said. "I dare ask, what is the meaning behind leaving your marble pedestal and joining us in the dust surrounding your towering column?"

"Watch it, madame," Roscoe warned. "I am trying to deescalate the situation with a degree of civility."

Regina responded with a dry laugh. "Really? And yet you show up in this hideous costume as a form of business? Is this the expectation of royalty nowadays?" Regina threw her head back and chortled with taunting glee. "Someone of such high standards reducing himself to that of the commonfolk is pitiful! What abhorrent actions we bear witness to, to see the proud King Penworth sully himself to that of a rat."

Roscoe kept a cool exterior in his expression, but clenched hard into his arm hidden under his burnt cloak.

Regina focused back on Roscoe with a deriding sneer. "This is the standard a noblewoman such as myself has to compare? I expect such animalistic qualities from that of the Subterra Kingdom, the animals that they truly are. Perhaps the king is a fraud. Not a creature of high refinement, but a lowly beast dressed in a suit."

A chatter started among the crowd, some sharing confusion over the situation, but most directed their ire on Regina still for her backhanded comments towards them. In any other situation, this would've been disadvantageous to the fussy Zangoose, but it's exactly what she needed.

Regina smirked behind her hand. "Then again, I suppose that explains the poor state of this village."

Her comment momentarily ceased the crowd's ire in favor of genuine curiosity. Roscoe clenched harder into his arm, refraining from a scowl brimming beneath his face.

"W…What do you mean?" a Boldore shouted over the crowd.

Regina barked a laugh, then gestured to Roscoe with a mocking grin. "Look upon your king, you wretched rats. Look upon the parasite that brought about your filth-infested fates. Kids scavenging off the streets for food, infighting from the drunks and ill-tempered, the scrounging for bits to survive the week on a loaf of bread. Let's not forget the many family members forced to take up jobs within kingdom walls to support all of you, only to be ridiculed by the rich and opulent who have the resources to smother their faces in gold. I mean, it's only natural for us to flaunt our superiority, but does that mean your king is any deserving of praise? Is he not just a nobleman with a fancy crown and title?"

If Roscoe had sharper claws, blood would've been drawn from his arm. All he could do was maintain the cool exterior and not sink to the Zangoose's game.

"Things…have been rough for a long time," a Carkol spoke up timidly.

"Taxes we could've been using to repair the damages around here," an Orbeetle brought up. "Instead, whatever we give to the head of our village, the king bleeds us dry with little left to cover."

"The taxes we have to pay personally are bad enough, but to see they aren't even being used to help our village?" a Galvantula joined in with fury in his many eyes. "Downright criminal! Where's all that money going to, You Majesty?!"

Fury riled up within the crowd, this time directed at their undisguised king who continued to pretend he was mute and deaf. He never once took his eyes off the smug Zangoose, who reveled in the humiliation with laughter.

"What did any of you idiots expect from your fool of a king?" Regina asked. "This man doesn't care about you. All he wants is power. Your previous queen must've been a fool herself to allow a disgrace of a man like this to marry into the royal family. What noble house did you succeed from again, Your Majesty? Sir Whatever of the utensil empire? Or perhaps you're really a farmer playing pretend? That's why you feel at home rolling around in the dirt dressed like a roadkill with a fungus infection. Again, this is the standard vaunted by my peers? Rubbish, I say! Absolute rubbish!"

Roscoe clenched his teeth tightly. "Shut. Up."

Regina grinned. "Ooh, I finally got a rise out of you. Are my points too mordant for thy ego, Your Majesty? Or has your incompetence finally caught up?"

"I order you to—" Roscoe tried to say, but Regina went in hard with her next comment.

"After all, you are the same fool who couldn't even rescue his kidnapped daughter: Princess Penworth!"

Silence fell over the village. All concern for the flaming wreckage fell on deaf ears. A pressure emanated through the still streets, with tension so thick that rubber looked fragile by comparison. No one, not even those with ire in their hearts, spoke up or smiled after Regina's last blow.

None except the smug Zangoose herself.

"Did I touch a nerve there, Your Majesty? What are you going to do? Throw me in the dungeon?" Regina asked, chuckling openly without a care. "I'm starting to wonder if your kingship is nothing but Virdis' greatest scam. Is your crown pyrite, is your nobility the satire of the mocking clown, or did you craft an illegal love potion to win Queen Odolina's heart?"

Regina could only laugh and laugh in Roscoe's silence. The Lopunny made no attempt to retort, not a single jeer, insult, or quip to silence her. It was the only useful skill she picked up from her family. When backed into a corner, rip apart your opposition's character. If her luck was right, she will buy herself enough time for a hasty escape before anyone remembered her involvement in the arson.

Although, she had to admit a part of her enjoyed tearing into Roscoe. An act of jealousy with the absence of her status, yet it felt so good to rant to someone other than a drunken hallucination.

"Well, Your Majesty," Regina continued with a mock bow. "Need I go on, or are you so efficiently destroyed that I must resort to physical confrontation to soften your bruised ego?"

Again, silence filled the void. Regina frowned at Roscoe's posture. He stared at the ground with his large ears drooping over his face, masking his expression. He was still with a hunched, thoughtful posture. Regina's first thought was that Roscoe was concentrating to hold in his rage in an attempt to avoid making a scene. However, a second thought told her something else entirely, but she couldn't place the words.

"Hey. You going to stand there like the world's ugliest statue, or are you going to say something?" Regina asked.

After minutes of deafening silence from the Lopunny, Roscoe released a breath he had been holding in. He shrugged his shoulders, causing his cloak to undo itself and fall to the ground. Flakes of snow bounced up as his cloak landed.

Aside from Roscoe's ragged street clothes, he carried with him the two rapier Regina spotted earlier. Thin, needle-like swords based off the shape of their scabbards and a basket-weaved guard to the hilts. Regina noticed something else on his wrists, though. A pair of bracers, most likely attached during Regina's roast as she never saw them on his wrists earlier. Both bracers had a notch in the back with something wedged inside them. The left bracer had a small, multi-colored marble. The right bracer had a cream-colored marble with a twist of pink and brown in the center.

"Are you finished?" Roscoe finally said, gripping the hilts of both his swords. His ears parted from his face, and he glared at the confused Zangoose. "It is customary to give criminals a chance for last words before execution."

Regina bared her teeth. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Execution, or life in imprisonment. The choice is yours, really, depending on how you want to go about doing this." Roscoe pulled his rapiers out, then held them at his sides as he approached Regina with slow steps.

Regina cautiously took a step back as he approached. She felt a bead of sweat dripping through her fur. "Y-You think you're funny? I haven't killed anyone. This seems a little extreme for arson, don't you think?"

"With all the sins weighing down on me, your death is hardly a consequence."

"You're…actually serious?" It was so startling of a mood shift that Regina had to laugh, albeit with a nervous twinge. "Words like that can only imply one thing. Who else have you killed, Your Majesty? And for what reason?"

Roscoe's glare furrowed deeper. "I have wasted enough time babbling with you."

Regina backed away until her back touched the building across from the ruined tavern. Her nervous grin twitched and worsened with each advancing step from Roscoe. "What do you suppose this will change? It doesn't excuse the fact that you're a terrible king. I can't speak for every royal family for some of their crimes, but at least they stick to their status."

Roscoe clenched his teeth angrily. "Noble blood. The most sickening kind."

"Eh?"

Roscoe stopped, then crossed his blades together. "You want to hear a confession? Fine. I admit to every horrible deed I have committed against my subjects outside the walls of the capital. The taxes, the disasters, everything. All my doing." His brow furrowed. "And I will keep doing it until I say so."

The villagers gasped. Such a brazen admission was unexpected to their frost-tipped ears. Not even Regina was expecting a bold statement like that.

"That said," Roscoe continued, "you were half-correct on one thing. I did not come here to learn from these people, but for my own reasons. However…" He glanced at the crowd, spotting the scared Clobbopuss he'd been unwillingly mentoring since his time in the village. "I will not walk away until I rectify a few wrongs."

Regina creased her brow. "Are you serious? What's that supposed to change?"

"Absolutely nothing. My reasons are none of your concern. What I do is for everyone's sake, whether they are bright enough to understand it or not. One will denounce my noble actions as just an excuse, but they will remain the ignorant fools after I finally get back what I lost."

Regina squinted. "Again, what?"

Roscoe sighed. "I am done talking. It is either imprisonment, or decapitation." Roscoe bent his knees and reared his blades back. "Make your choice."

Regina snarled defensively. "I do not bend to the will of an arrogant king with delusions of grandeur. I, Regina von Elmnou, answer to no one but I! You wretched fools should worship me, not some false monarch who waxes poetics for his ego—"

"Quick Attack."

Regina barely had a second to intercept the speeding blade flying at her face. She slipped her battle claws back on and countered the blow aiming for her face. She caught the blade in between the claws, grinding it to a halt. Regina pressed against the building behind her for balance while fighting against sword pushing toward her.

Roscoe glared down at the struggling Zangoose as he pushed harder into his sword. "Your ego eclipses the ten kings of Virdis combined."

Regina snarled again. "You disgrace of a nobleman…" She twisted her gauntlet and deflected the blade into the wall. "I'll show you an ego!"

Regina threw herself forward, to which Roscoe jumped back as her battle claws came inches from slicing his neck. Roscoe skipped across the ground, maintaining distance, then rocketed forward with another Quick Attack. Regina rolled out of the way and narrowly avoided a swift piercing strike that penetrated the building. She dragged her claws through the ground, then flew into a feral pounce.

"Bounce." Roscoe bent his knees, then sprang high into the air.

"GAH!" With her target gone, Regina faceplanted into the snow and tumbled onto her back.

Roscoe curled into a ball as he careened back toward Regina. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull from the speeds Roscoe was coming down at. Regina quickly flipped off her hands and dodged the crushing dive kick onto the ground. Roscoe's legs punched a hole through the ground, depressing it into a crumbling crater.

"Are you seriously trying to kill me?!" Regina yelled. "You jerk! Crush Claw!" Energy traveled through the metallic blades in her battle claws, sparking and glowing with a blue aura. She leapt forward and swiped both her claws down.

Roscoe cartwheeled out of her range and jumped away as her claws slammed down and shattered the ground open.

"Quick Attack." Roscoe sped forward again and delivered a sharp kick to Regina's neck.

"AGH!" Regina gasped. Roscoe tensed his muscles and kicked Regina into a building. Regina smashed into the wall and bounced off, only to be slammed into them again with another Quick Attack. Roscoe dug his shoulder against Regina's chest, smashing into her sternum. "AAAAHHHH!"

Roscoe scoffed, then reared his rapier back. "Quick Attack." A white glow enveloped the blade as well as his body.

Regina bared her teeth furiously, then grabbed Roscoe's other arm. "Flamethrower!"

Roscoe's eyes widened for a split second, then he jumped to the side just as Regina exhaled a stream of flame from her mouth. The brief second of breathing room allowed Regina to jump away from the kingly Lopunny for a minor reprieve.

Regina touched her chest and winced at the aching in her ribs. She wasn't a doctor, but she could at least guarantee herself that the ribcage wasn't smashed open like prison cell bars. Add onto her injuries accumulated from the previous fight, however, and she had very little for another fight.

"Even so, I refuse to lose to a foolish excuse of a monarch," Regina told herself aloud. She straightened up, then swayed her arms as she performed a dance. "Swords Dance." Light shimmered around her body, and an aura applied itself around her claws. "Night Slash!" She dashed forward, extending the length of her battle claws in a menacing purple aura.

Roscoe hardened her glare, then rushed forward, too. "Quick Attack!" His rapiers enveloped in white aura just as Roscoe's speed increased. In a flash, he raced through the street and slashed Regina.

Regina countered with Night Slash, locking the two in a brief stalemate as the auras of their attacks crackled off each other. Even with Regina's boost, she couldn't gain an inch over Roscoe, who fought back with equal strength. It was a constant push and pull of their interlocked weapons.

Regina, however, flashed a smirk before inhaling. "Flamethrower!"

Roscoe anticipated her to fire on him and jumped back, but Regina turned her attack toward the ground instead. Flames spewed over the ground like a fiery flood and evaporated the snow around her. A thick mist shot up from the ground and enveloped the street. The crowd collectively gasped as they, too, vanished inside the mist.

Roscoe bounced back to keep his distance, peering through the mist around him. "Where is she?" he mumbled.

"Mr. Fletcher!" Roscoe's eyes widened as Charlie's voice pierced through the thick mist. "Watch out! Her drinks make her stronger!"

"Drinks make her…" Roscoe mumbled, trying to decode the child's vague warning, until his mind thought back to the Flamethrower. "Oh…shit!"

A red hot glow showed itself through the mist. Roscoe dove for the ground as a wide stream of flame rushed over his head. It was darker in color to the previous Flamethrowers, and a distinct scent filled the air as well. Globs of liquid mixed with fire peeled off from the Flamethrower and rained on Roscoe, who rolled out of the way in time.

"She is using alcohol to increase her Flamethrower." Roscoe raised his rapiers. "No, it is not just alcohol. She is using a potion."

Roscoe heard an irritated scoff inside the mist. "That rotten brat. He just had to spill my tricks." Another Flamethrower shot out of the mist, to which Roscoe avoided again. "Whatever! It changes nothing!"

Roscoe kept hopping through the mist, avoiding Flamethrowers from all around. He quietly admitted to himself that, despite his opponent being a narcissistic (slightly unstable) ex-noblewoman, she moved with surprising speed and silence to navigate the mist undetected. Though, she didn't seem like the type to naturally know how to work with potions. She definitely wasn't self-taught.

He snapped out of his thoughts as another Flamethrower appeared, this time spewing across the ground. The flammable liquid mixed into the Flamethrower caused a carpet of flame to erupt across the ground.

"Bounce!" Roscoe took to the air before the flames could touch his feet.

"No flying for you!" Roscoe glanced to his right and saw Regina ascending one of the buildings.

Regina reached the roof, then sprang into the air. She tackled Roscoe out of his Bounce and crashed into the ground with him. Regina rolled off, then leaped above Roscoe. With her claws crackling with Crush Claw, she slammed them both down on Roscoe's chest.

The ground split open as her Crush Claw shoved Roscoe down and pressed into his ribs. Roscoe offered nothing more than a wince as her metal claws dug into his shoulders, too. Roscoe threw his rapiers into the air, then curled his fists.

"Close Combat!"

Regina had no time to anticipate the flurry of punches pounding into her, with strikes nailing her face and torso with brutal impact. By the time the seventeenth punch landed its mark, Regina pulled herself away from the onslaught and stumbled over herself, panting heavily.

Roscoe sprang back onto his feet, caught his swords, and rushed at Regina once more. "Quick Attack!" His speed increased, and he sailed towards the dazed Zangoose.

"AH!" Regina barely blocked his sword strike with her battle claws. However, because she hadn't got her balance together, the sword barreled through her guard and threw her across the steaming ground. She tumbled until she landed on her face.

"Bounce!" Roscoe took a mighty leap forward and landed a two-kick dive on Regina's back.

"AAAHHH!" Regina wailed.

Roscoe spun his sword and aimed the blade downward for her neck. Regina shrieked when she saw the blade hovering above her. Thinking fast, right as Roscoe stabbed down, she activated Facade and casted a yellow aura over herself. The sword struck her neck, but the protective layer of aura stopped it from breaching the skin. It hurt like crazy, and Regina may have passed out if she wasn't freaking out so much, but her neck and throat were spared for the moment.

With the blade stopped, Regina spun herself over and kicked Roscoe in the side, throwing him off. Regina rolled onto her knees and hunched over, gasping her fear-ridden lungs out. She touched the back of her neck, freezing at the sore spot the rapier struck.

Again, isn't this a little much? Regina asked herself. Whatever happened to settling disputes with exorbitant amounts of money? You know, like civilized, respectable members of society!

Roscoe rose from the ground and raised his swords. "I'll admit, you are persistent and crafty, but you are a terrible fighter. There is no reason or skill to half of what you do. Just flailing and swinging and praying whatever attack that does land to do something."

Regina raised her head and glared up at him. "Shut. Up. I'm ten times better than the rubes in this profession. I actually have class!"

"Then allow me to introduce you to some proper class." Roscoe bent his knees, then lunged toward. "Quick Attack and Agility!"

Regina raised her claws in anticipation, only for her vision to be flooded with a barrage of blades flying at her. As Roscoe flew toward her, he thrusted his blade in rapid succession, projecting the illusion of hundreds of swords jabbing the air and barreling toward the hapless Zangoose to turn her into a pin cushion.

"AH!" Regina came to her senses in time and jumped back as the blades came into striking distance. The speed they flew made them impossible to deflect in their entirety. Though some were staved off with proper timing, blades slipped by and landed grazing blows across her left cheek, sides, and leg. Tears ripped open in her clothes, and droplets of blood splashed against the ground. All in the span of a second.

Regina managed to roll into a dodge and avoid the rest of the onslaught, which looked like a cone of death from the outside. She rolled onto her feet and stumbled away, still in shock from the close shave.

Roscoe, undeterred, turned his sights on Regina again and resumed his attack with another lunging advance. "I am known as Roscoe the Rain Splitter! With my speed and precision, I can cut a space through the heaviest of downpours!" Regina raised her claws against and blocked the first dozen strikes bombarding her. "Those who stand before me with me torn to ribbons!"

Regina continuously hopped back on one foot, flailing her hands and deflected as many of the pointed strikes as possible. She barely managed to stay out of range from what she dubbed the death zone, where the most concentrated number of thrust attacks gathered in. The front of the rapid-firing attack had a dozen or so stabs protruding further out, almost like tongues tasting their prey for the best point to strike.

This is so uncool! Regina pushed her leg muscles harder and took one giant leap backwards, putting just enough distance for her to extend her arms out. "Embargo!" Dark chains manifested from her arms and shot around the torrent of blades.

Roscoe, so focused on his attack, didn't react in time before the chains struck. They melded into his fur, assuming the appearance of tattoos, and stretched around his arms. A dark current fired through his body, striking the swords, and compelling them to repel out of his grip.

Roscoe stopped his advance and watched the swords spin through the air before impaling the ground in front of him. He blinked in awe, then rolled up his sleeves to find the chain tattoos marked over him.

"The age of metal has made Pokémon reliant on weapons over their natural weaponry!" Roscoe looked up just before getting decked across the face with a Facade-empowered backhand. Regina smirked mockingly at him and continued beating into him with backhanded slaps. "Only the superior class is allowed the use of weapons!"

After the fourth strike, Roscoe collected his senses and dodged the fifth. He skipped backwards, then used Bounce to ascend onto the roof of a building for cover. Regina could've easily stabbed him with her weapons, but consciously chose not to. That much, he was certain. She was bold enough to pick a fight with a king, but it seemed the risk of regicide wasn't worth the long-term hassle.

She isn't completely idiotic, then, Roscoe thought. He looked over the markings on his arms again. If I had to take a guess, I have three to five minutes before this wears off. She'll opt to use Embargo again the second it does, especially after seeing my technique.

Roscoe sighed, then used Bounce again, leaping high above the street. He locked his eyes on Regina's position, then dove toward her.

Regina whipped out a jug from behind her waist and poured the liquid into her mouth. She swished the concoction in her mouth, pounded her chest, and raised her head up. Heat built up through the chest, and Regina opened her mouth wide to exhale a mighty blue Flamethrower toward the sky.

"Flames of Truth!"

The crowd startled backwards at the majestic blue flames. Keith approached Charlie's side, who was just as awestruck at the old Mankey. "What in heaven's name concocted this facsimile of Reshiram's might?"

Roscoe glared as the flames rapidly rose toward him. He brought his hands together and channeled aura through them, the purest form of it. It shaped into a mighty sphere, glowing with radiant intensity.

"Aura Sphere!" Roscoe fired the sphere, blasting a path through the rising flames. He spun himself around and kicked both his legs into the Aura Sphere, shooting it through the flames faster.

Regina cut her Flamethrower off with a gasp as the Aura Sphere rapidly descended on her. She tried to run away, but the Aura Sphere naturally locked onto her own aura and traced her escape. With nowhere to run, the sphere exploded into Regina's back and threw her across the road.

Roscoe landed, then immediately sprang forward with the rest of his momentum. "Quick Attack!" He shot down the road like a bullet and struck Regina with a sweeping punch to the stomach, scooping her off the ground and throwing her into a store's porch. She crashed through the railings and smashed into an outdoor table set.

Regina picked herself up, shaking as her stomach groaned. She felt like she was about to throw up, but held back on the urge. She lifted her gaze as Roscoe approached her. She sneered and said, "You were getting on my case for destruction of public property? You aren't any better."

"I am the king. It matters not what I do," Roscoe retorted coldly. He curled his fists. "Purging scum like you from my territory is the only recourse."

Regina pushed herself up against the wall and forced a smirk to her lips. "Y-Yeah? Hasn't worked out for you before. Remind me, where's the princess again—" Roscoe sped into her and delivered a hard punch to her stomach. Regina doubled over, clutching her gut, and vomited onto the porch.

Roscoe raised his leg and kicked straight down on her neck, smashing her face through the floorboards and her own bile. "I will not hear more talk from a failure of a noblewoman."

Regina's Facade kicked in again as she pushed her hands down and lifted herself against Roscoe's foot. She bared her teeth into a hideous snarl. "I. Am not. A failure!" She shoved back on Roscoe's leg and headbutted him in the chin.

"AGH!" Roscoe stumbled back and covered his mouth.

"My parents didn't have a right to call me a failure, and you certainly don't either!" Regina screamed, steam shooting through her clenched teeth. She reached into a small knapsack tied to her waist and picked a small purple pellet out. "I'll show all of you just who I really am! You'll have no choice but to respect me!" She placed the pellet between her teeth, then crushed it open.

Her eyes engulfed in a dark purple energy. The same energy flowed through her veins, glowing through her fur. Her muscles became more define as they tensed up. She snarled at the disoriented Lopunny and sharpened her battle claws together.

"A little something my bodyguard taught me. With the right knowledge on alchemy and toxicology, you can create a poison that amps up the effects of Toxic Boost. I'm so used to getting totally wasted, putting more poison in my system barely bothers me!"

She lunged at Roscoe and delivered a Facade-empowered tackled, amplified by her poisoning and Toxic Boost. She delivered a tackle so fierce that it sent Roscoe flying down the road like a ragdoll, almost nearly bowling him into the crowd. Regina dropped to all fours, dug her claws into the ground, and flung herself forward with a harrowing roar.

Roscoe lifted his head and saw Regina barreling him and the crowd. "Everyone, move!" Roscoe leapt into the air while the crowd quickly parted.

Regina blew through the villagers, grazing some by the shoulders and sending them to the ground. She dragged her claws down and caught herself, then glared at the flying Lopunny. She bolted to where he was landing, racing on all four limbs with the speed and ferocity of a hungry Pyroar.

Roscoe landed and braced himself before Regina threw her weight into him. Roscoe tried to stand his ground, but Regina's unstoppable force blasted him down the road without delay. He tried to catch the ground, but Regina kept barreling into him with clotheslines and punches.

"Who's weak now, Your Disgrace!" Regina yelled. She grabbed Roscoe by the face and slammed him into the ground. "How do you like that, huh?!"

"Bounce!"

Regina recoiled as Roscoe kicked both his legs into her stomach and bounced her into the air. Roscoe rolled onto his feet and sprang after her. He charged an Aura Sphere and fired it into Regina, blasting her higher into the air with the explosion.

"AAAHHH!" Regina cried. She tucked herself under her arms and crashed back onto the ground.

Roscoe dove toward her with a dive kick. Regina rolled back and narrowly avoided the ground-shattering kick. She kicked off the ground and swung her arm into Roscoe's midsection. Roscoe coughed blood as he skidded back on his feet, barely able to keep his stance.

"Night Slash!" Regina raised her battle claws and wrapped them in the dark energy. She rushed the stunned Lopunny and slashed across his chest, drawing a line of blood through his shirt.

Roscoe skidded back again and touched his bleeding chest. "Ugh."

Regina whipped another gourd out and chugged the contents. "Flames of Miasma!" She breathed fire again, this time with a noxious mix of black within the radiant oranges and reds.

Roscoe sidestepped the flames and covered his mouth as fumes permeated off. Regina tracked Rosoce's movements and sprayed the Flamethrower across the ground. Roscoe turned and ran as the flames followed him.

She has an unusual amount of equipment, Roscoe thought. He glared, then darted straight for Regina.

His sudden charge caused Regina to end the Flamethrower prematurely. "Hey! Stay back!" She formed Night Slash again and swung forward.

Roscoe dropped to his knees and slid under the Night Slash. He turned his lower half up and kicked Regina in the jaw, snapping her head back. "Close Combat!" Roscoe lunged forward while she was stunned and bombarded her punches and kicks.

Helpless to his onslaught, Regina tried her best to mitigate his attacks, though it was significantly difficult with a type disadvantage waged against her. Her gauntlets took the brunt of the attacks, causing her left one to shatter off her hand.

"GAH!" Regina found her window of escape as shards of her gauntlet flew into Roscoe's face, allowing her to jump back from his second-long delay. "You jerk! Do you know how much those cost?"

Roscoe checked his arms again and saw the chain markings fading. He nodded to himself, then raced for his disposed rapiers. Regina instantly caught on to what he was doing.

"HEY! Embargo!" She fired energy chains from her arms. "I told you, no more of that!"

Roscoe scooped the blades out of the ground, then presented himself to the oncoming chains. "Magic Coat!" The chains struck a layer of psychic energy around Roscoe's body, briefly stunned in place. With lightning-like speed, the chains ricocheted back on their caster.

Regina gasped. "Wait, wha—" The chains impaled through her body harmlessly and wrapped around her body. She pulled her sleeves down and saw the markings covering her fur. "But, if this is on me, that means—"

A rattling sounded over her person. Suddenly, her various gourds, knapsacks, and hidden pouches either detached themselves or expelled their contents from her person. Her remaining gauntlet unhooked from her arm and repelled onto the ground.

Regina stared at her discarded items in horror. Her Facade and Toxic Boost receded as she dove for her equipment. "No! I need those!" The second her hand reached for her knapsack, a magnetic-like force repelled it away from her reach, causing her fall face first onto the bare ground instead.

Roscoe spun his swords deftly in his hands as he approached the panicking Zangoose. "You are a little too reliant on equipment."

Regina lifted her head and snarled. "That's…That's not fair!" She punched the ground angrily. "Not fair, not fair, not fair—" Roscoe kicked her across the face, throwing her against a building.

"Never before have I lay my eyes upon a more pitiful creature," Roscoe said, glaring down at the spoiled Zangoose. "A failure does not even begin to describe your attitude. Though it is an uncouth term for me to utter in my position, one can only call you a terrible loser."

Regina picked herself up and growled. "I demand respect! I will not be pushed around by a false monarch like you!" She pointed at the villagers. "What do you think this will change, huh? You've already shown these people what you're like in person! What are you getting out of executing me in front of your subjects? You're a joke of a king if you think I'll stand and let you have your way!"

Roscoe hardened his glare. "Such fire in your eyes."

Regina activated Night Slash in her claws. "Give it to me! These claws may not rip through stone, but I'll use every ounce of my strength to—"

"Rain Splitter Style: Million Edge!"

It came without warning. Regina must've blinked after Roscoe announced his attack, because her vision suddenly swarmed with thousands upon thousands of blades flying at her face. Roscoe's arms thrusted forth with great speed, unleashing a myriad of stabbing attacks onto the hapless Zangoose. Their quantity, too great in number to count, completely overwhelmed her.

Regina screamed and covered her face as the blades struck her body, guarded by the last second activation of her Facade. The rapiers rattled against her aura protection like a squadron of Grass-Types spraying her down with Bullet Seed. It was a fruitless endeavor, however, for the Facade gradually cracked under the sheer number of strikes peppering in within seconds. Every inch of her body felt the weight of the swords thrusting against her Facade. The name 'Rain Splitter' suddenly became apparent to Regina and the threat it carried for her.

Her defenses eroded. Her Facade bore a massive web of cracks fighting to stay whole, but it turned to a losing battle. The pressure of each stab dug further through the aura, causing Regina to flinch whenever the metal struck flesh with the briefest of kisses.

With her concentration waning, the Facade shattered from Regina's person.

"Goodnight." Roscoe pulled his rapier back, then catapulted it forward with incredible speed.

"AAAAHHHH!" Regina screamed, seeing nothing but an arrow of light darting for her face. All she could do was stare it down, not even close her eyes. She was paralyzed with the approach of certain death.

The blade stopped. The light diminished instantly. A quietness followed.

Roscoe held a relaxed posture as he held his sword out toward the petrified Zangoose, who was not skewered through the head as she believed. The sword stopped on her forehead, barely breaking through the skin.

A trickle of blood poured out and ran down Regina's horrified expression. Mouth hung open, eyes glazed over, and a trembling stance only maintained by the sword pressing against her like a nail hanging a portrait.

Roscoe moved his sword away, causing Regina to collapse to her knees, and then onto her face. A puddle of drool escaped her open mouth as she stared blankly into nothingness, completely out cold from sheer terror.

Roscoe sheathed his swords, then let his aching arms droop by his sides. "Bowing before your king. As you should." He scoffed and turned away from the unconscious Zangoose.

He walked up to the villagers, all stunned by his performance. He ignored their murmurs and stares, instead focusing on Keith and Charlie, both still in awe from his battle. An awkwardness came over Roscoe as he approached them, running his fingers through the fur on his head and exhaling a breath he was holding by mistake.

He stopped before the two and looked down at them with a mix of stoicism and traces of shame. "My…apologies if my appearance disturbs you."

Keith finally let himself blink, shaking out of his trance. "I…I, uh…"

Charlie tilted his head. "Mr. Fletcher?"

Roscoe frowned at the Clobbopuss. "Charlie. You must be very confused."

"A little," he admitted. "Are you…really the king?"

Roscoe sighed, running his hand through his fur again. "Well, I—"

"Charlie!" They turned their attention to one of the alleyways, where Charlie's friends bolted from cover and tackled the Clobbopuss to the ground in a massive group hug. "You're okay!"

Charlie brushed the snow off his face and gasped. "Y-You guys! Where were you?"

Skwovet frowned apologetically after picking himself up. "We were looking for you so we could apologize, but then we saw the fire and that crazy lady fighting and…we hid," he admitted, tapping his fingers together shamefully.

Electrike continued, "But then we saw you in the crowd after you spoke up, so we waited until everything calmed down."

"We're so happy you're okay!" Gible cried.

"We're so, so sorry we made you run off like that!" Sandygast wept.

Electrike glared at Skwovet and kicked him in the side. "We're not the ones who should really be apologizing, though."

Skwovet sighed, then looked Charlie in the eyes while awkwardly rubbing his arm. "Charlie. I'm really sorry for pushing you around like I did, and for taunting your beliefs. It was wrong of me. You just wanted to do things the fair and honest way, and here I was pushing you to steal from Mr. Tibia when you didn't want to."

Keith's eyes widened. "Excuse me?!"

Skwovet ignored him and continued, "I just wanted what was best for our group, even if it meant crossing a few lines. I just…never expected what would happen when I did cross that line." He sighed, then took Charlie's hands in his. "I'm really, really sorry for making you cry like I did. It was wrong, and I hope you can forgive me."

Charlie blinked in awe at the whimpering squirrel. His eyes shimmered with tears as he pulled Skwovet into a hug. "It's alright. I was never angry with you. I wanted what was best for us, too."

His admission caused Skwovet's tears to pour out. He pressed his face into the crook of Charlie's neck and hugged him back, crying his eyes out. Their friends converged on the hug, wrapping their limbs around them and shedding tears of their own.

Keith's sour expression softened at the kids. Hesitantly, he turned away with a defeated sigh. "Darn brats…"

Roscoe crossed his arms. "Perhaps a softer touch is needed if peace is to be made."

Keith looked up at the king with weary eyes, then sighed. "I guess."

Roscoe nodded, then looked back at Charlie as he nuzzled his head against his friends, showering in their affection. Roscoe narrowed his eyes softly. You're a good kid, Charlie. A really good kid. A better person than me, too. I…wonder if you can do better than me.

"Um, Your Majesty?" Roscoe faced the crowd again, looking to the nervous Galvantula walking up to Keith's side. "Pardon my b-bluntness, but what of the Zangoose? And the damages to the buildings?"

Roscoe glared down at the electric spider, causing him to retreat back. The fact remained the villagers were, not too long ago, peeved with Roscoe and weren't shy of voicing their complaints with his manner of ruling. After seeing the severe thrashing he delivered upon Regina, it wasn't a surprise they returned to a nebbish disposition facing their ruler.

Roscoe huffed a sigh through his nostrils and turned away. "Worry of the property damage another time." He pointed at Regina's unconscious body. "Have her hauled to your local jail. I will have her transported to my dungeon later on to get a thorough interrogation on her actions. I am curious what brought her here to begin with."

A Machoke and Staraptor stepped out from the crowd and walked up to Regina's body. Machoke scooped her up in his arms, then turned to the Staraptor. "Make sure she doesn't have any weapons on her."

Staraptor rolled his eyes. "She got hit with her own Embargo. I doubt she has anything left to use." Regardless, he performed a courtesy search of her person for any hidden weapons that somehow evaded the Embargo's item-disabling properties.

Just as he started his search, however, an array of pellets shot down on the pair, clouding them in a thick plume of smoke. Machoke coughed on the air, and Staraptor covered his beak, fanning the smoke away from himself.

"What the?!" Roscoe gasped. "Someone else is here?"

"Wait!" The Golduck bartender ran up to the front of the crowd. "She had a partner while she was staying here! An Accelgor, I'm sure!"

Just then, something sped from the rooftops and darted into the smoke. The Machoke and Staraptor were thrown out of the smoke cloud. Staraptor landed safely, then beat his wings with Defog, instantly scattering the smoke away. When it cleared, nothing remained. No mysterious blur, and no Regina.

"They're gone!" Machoke gasped.

Roscoe growled, then pointed to the villagers. "All the men, spread out and look for them! Hurry!" The male villagers saluted their king and raced off in search of the missing Zangoose and her accomplice. "Keith, take the kids somewhere safe until we clear the village."

Keith nodded, then shoved the kids along. "Hurry, hurry! Let's go!"

Roscoe relaxed his shoulders and glared at where Regina vanished from. He remembered how she specifically targeted the Foresters, but she didn't seem like she was gunning for the old bounty for Melissa's return. A new bounty for the Foresters, perhaps?

The idea caused Roscoe's glare to harden. If that's the case…


Katsu's lungs were burning inside his body. He escaped the Forbidden Forest some time ago and made a mad dash back to the village to escape the area entirely with Regina. He only just got back, especially with a persistent Frogadier on his tail. Once he arrived in the village, he barely managed to give the Frogadier the slip before resuming his search for his lady.

He was completely caught off guard by the number of things he saw arriving down the road. A burned down tavern, his lady unconscious on the melted roads, and the King of the Verde Kingdom having just defeated her in what was supposedly a one-on-one duel. As if his day dealing with the Foresters wasn't hectic enough, now he had a pile of confusion to sort through.

Katsu was currently hiding behind a building with Regina in his arms. His smaller frame, coupled with his injuries, made it difficult to hold Regina, but he persisted for the sake of securing his lady from danger.

He took a courtesy look around the corner for any sign of his previous pursuer. No sense in reclaiming their lost bounties now that the entire village turned their sights on the pair. A failed bounty with no point in collecting. If only he gotten finished sooner. Perhaps he could've arrived earlier and absconded with his lady and their bounties. He only had himself to blame for Regina's situation.

"My apologies, Lady Elmnou," Katsu whispered. "As far as this feeble body will take me, I will save you from the clutches of prison. Please hold on for my sake."

After a few deep breaths, Katsu tapped into the last of his strength and raced away from the village as fast as he could. Faster than he ever thought possible. A major setback for the duo, he was certain, but a brief reprieve from the madness was what they needed to get back on their feet. There was always another day to succeed.

All they could do was keep moving forward.


Shingo, clinging under the roof of a building, peeked around the corner for any sign of Katsu. His chase against the Accelgor landed him Marshland Village, where the crafting assassin vanished within the alleyways. Adding onto the confusion, a witch hunt of sorts started up in the village with Pokémon searching about for some Zangoose, if he heard right. There seemed to be mention on an Accelgor, too. Either by coincidence, or the rumored duo of bounty hunters reached the end of their luck.

Shingo pulled back into hiding and crossed his arms while his feet remained fixed to the walls of his perch. "He will certainly be driven out of the village. No point in continuing the chase, then."

"Hey! Shingo!"

Shingo looked down and spotted a few faces poking out from the back of the building he clung to. He instantly recognized Marie and Lambert, along with the missing pair of Thales and Saga. Shingo jumped off his perch and landed in front of his fellow allies.

"The rescue mission was a success?" Shingo asked.

Marie shrugged. "Well, it wasn't a smooth ride by any definition, but we managed to get these two to safety."

"Thank you!" Thales and Saga wept, still clinging to each other.

Shingo nodded, then glared back at the superiors. "And what exactly transpired before I came here?"

Lambert sighed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Believe us, it's a story and a half. Though, what brought you all the way out here?"

Shingo pointed over his shoulder. "I chased our mysterious assassin from the forest. Seems he reconvened with his partner."

Marie glared. "If that's the case, then we've flushed out our active threats for the month. Guess that means we can tell Jason to lift the lockdown."

Lambert turned to Thales and Saga, giving them a firm glare. "As for you two, next time you leave something after training, just ask your mentor to escort you over or something. Or just leave it until the next day."

Thales and Saga saluted him timidly. "Aye, sir! We swear!" Lambert nodded his approval.

Marie sighed. "Alright, that's enough dillydally. Let's get these two back to base. I think we all deserve some time to relax." Everyone nodded in agreement and exited out of the alleyway.

Marie hung back for a moment and peeked around the corner to the main street. She glared upon spotting the familiar Lopunny directing the befuddled villagers in their confusion. Seconds before they escaped, Marie happened to spot that Lopunny emerging from the flames of the wrecked tavern with his disguise turned to ash. It didn't take long for her to place the face.

"Hmm…" Marie lingered on the road for a moment before sinking back behind cover and following after her allies. Basil will want to hear about this.