Glittering golden streamers flittered in the air. The chorus, which Culus had heard practicing while he was working, was singing the carols to perfection. The sweet aroma of aged pumpkins wafted into his nose, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in hours. There was a merry tinkling of bells in the air, synchronized perfectly to the chorus and the idle conversation the various guests of the ballroom were having.

If he had a choice, Culus would be down there, stuffing his face. He'd consider it a nice payment for the long hours of work he'd put into making it work; there had been a particular smudge of dirt of Darkrai's face that took nearly half an hour of hard work to scrub off. Unfortunately, he didn't have that choice.

As they passed through the halls, one of his 'chaperones', a Fraxure, looked forlornly at the festivities. "Man, why were we the ones picked to guard this guy?! You'd think they'd bring that loudmouth Heffie to do this, but instead, we have to escort and watch over the murderer for a night!"

The other guard, an Excadrill, merely frowned. "It is a bit irritating, yes, but it is a testament to our strength that we were given the important duty of looking after them. This Shinx, though he may not look it, is perhaps the most dangerous entity in the castle. There will be many Luneira festivals past this year, but only once will there be a criminal within our secure walls."

"Yeah, but still, we're not getting promotions or anything out of this!" The Fraxure complained. "Important duty or not, this is Luneira! I want to be home with my family, not looking over a deranged and deluded maniac!"

"Calm yourself," the Excadrill warned. The Fraxure opened his mouth, ready to scoff. Before he did, however, they turned the corner and arrived at a small, secluded chamber. "After all," the Excadrill continued. "We've arrived, and it would hardly do well to be rude to Chief Aegeron and Head Scientist Parasel."

With that, the Excadrill opened the door. Inside was the Aggron chief whose office Culus had discovered and explored, and the Metagross scientist that the chief had talked to. The chief looked coldly at Culus, before walking up to him. Soon, the chief was looming over both Culus and the guards.

"So this is the first time we've properly met… I was there when the King reached into your mind and summoned your memories as testimony. From them, I'd have thought that you'd be smarter, stronger, more defiant. But in reality, you're pathetic."

Culus said nothing. Now wasn't the time he could think, much less entertain insults.

The chief turned to Parasel. "Tell me what his surface thoughts are. I want to know what he's thinking."

Parasel's eyes flashed. "He is trying to remain calm and composed, sir," the Metagross stated. "He's attempting to keep his mind as a sanctuary." Culus frowned slightly; not exactly how he would describe it, but Parasel wasn't wrong. Right now, it was crucial that he remain collected; it would be awful for him to let his emotions get the better of him.

"Sanctuary?" The chief laughed. "He has no sanctuary; these are the last painless moments of his life that he'll remember!" The chief walked forward and kicked Culus in the side. Pain blossomed in Culus' side, yet he remained steadfast and stoic. "'Sanctuary'? Undeath will make your calm and 'sanctuary' a joke!"

Parasel grimaced. "Be that as it may, he's showing a remarkable sense of composure, even though he is aware of what Undeath entails. Chief, I suggest adding more guards and-"

"Oh, lighten up, Parasel. Kite's a doormat that fell to a single squad; knocking him out and giving him a guard's more than enough!"

"Still, sir, I-"

The chief slung an arm around Parasel. "Parasel, you need to get hammered. If we're lucky, this whole debacle will be a distant memory three months from now." The chief casually passed a small bottle, filled with clear liquid, to the Excadrill. "Spade, Tusk, there's some powerful sedative in there. Give him a drop or two and he'll be down the whole night. Take the opportunity to have some fun with him, if you want; nothing criminal, of course, but a few extra bruises wouldn't hurt in the long run, wouldn't it."

The Excadrill caught the bottle deftly. "Yes, Chief Aegeron, sir!"

"Glad to see the enthusiasm! Now, get to work!" And with that, Aegeron led Parasel out, leaving Culus alone in the small chamber with the Exacdrill and the Fraxure.

Culus wanted to breathe a sigh of relief; one of the early threats to the escape, the mind-reading abilities of a psychic before he had any advantage, was just taken care of. Parasel had been cautious, but Aegeron had gotten him out of the way, so his plans were safe.

The Excadrill opened the cap of the sedative immediately, and a cloying scent filled the room. The Fraxure gagged slightly, his eyes drooping slightly. The Excadrill's eyes went a little blank. Culus immediately felt a small wave of exhaustion pass over him, too, but it didn't feel like he was nearly as tired as they were.

Still, Culus had to fake exhaustion, pretending to be even more affected by the sedative than they were. As tired as they were, they didn't seem to notice his acting.

"Tusk," the Excadrill yawned. "Force his mouth open; I need to pour this in."

"Uh… sure..." The Fraxure, Tusk, said, stretching to wake himself up a little. "Man… that really packs a punch, doesn't it, Spade? Parasel's a goddamn genius when it comes to this science stuff, huh…"

Spade nodded slowly as Tusk walked up to Culus and roughly forced his mouth open. Culus offered token resistance to the deed, making it so that it seemed he was trying to resist but was too affected by the sedative for him to give a good fight. His acting was successful, and Tusk didn't say anything as Spade staggered up to him and poured a few drops from the bottle of sedative into his system.

The world twisted and turned and Culus fell to the ground in a heap, falling asleep.

But not for long.

Culus woke up a few seconds later when Tusk tiredly kicked his side to see if he was awake. He didn't react at all, doing his absolute best to make sure that the two guards continued to think he was out like a light.

"I… I think he's down, Spade," Tusk said, yawning a little. "Chief Aegeron said that only a few drops were enough, right?"

"Better safe than sorry," Spade replied slowly, the sedative's vapor still clearly affecting him. "He's down, though, and that's good."

"Yeah… ugh, I need to piss."

It was a few seconds before Spade responded. "... what?"

"I always have to take a leak when I feel sleepy." Tusk started walking away. "Just… keep an eye on him until I get back."

Spad dully nodded. Slightly opening his eyes, barely enough so that he could see and still look asleep, Culus saw Spade stagger in place, practically drunken in his drowsiness. The sedative that they used on him affected them more than it did him, thanks to his precautions.

Slowly, Culus tensed, and Spade didn't react. He tensed more, preparing his legs to spring into action. Spade didn't react, the drowsiness too strong for him to pay attention to him. Tusk had already left for the bathroom, and clearly wasn't coming back quickly.

Now it was time.

Culus sprang into motion, getting up in a smooth motion and charging straight at Spade with a Quick Attack. Spade jolted into a half-awareness and reflexively brought his bladed claws up to shield any incoming attacks that Culus might send his way. The slavery band tingled, ready to set Culus' nerves aflame if he left so much as a scratch on Spade.

But scratching, or even hurting Spade, wasn't part of the plan.

Culus jumped into the air, and, using the Excadrill's bladed claws, sliced open his own foreleg. What he had sewed into his leg earlier was then released.

Sleep Powder.

The Sleep Powder quickly settled onto Spade, and with the sedative already putting him in a drowsy state, Spade fell asleep instantly. With a large thump, he fell to the ground, out cold.

The door opened. "So, Spade," Tusk yawned. "What did I… miss…" Tusk slowly stopped, seeing the sleeping Spade on the ground. "Spade? H-How?!"

That was all he managed to get out; Culus, who had gone into hiding the second the door opened, jumped on Tusk. The Fraxure wrestled with him, trying to get him off, but Culus sliced his other foreleg on the guard's tusks, releasing another cloud of Sleep Powder. In seconds, Tusk's body fell to the ground as well.

Culus jumped to the ground, feeling a little tired. But then his precautions snapped back into place, and he felt another revitalizing jolt of energy. Quickly, he shoved Tusk back inside the chamber before anyone could see the sleeping guard and closed the door behind him.

The first part was done, and Culus' precautions had worked perfectly.

When he learned they planned to knock him out, he figured they had to go one of two paths. Either they would cause him to "faint" in the traditional manner, through damage and pain, or they would use a sedative or sedative move on him, such as Hypnosis, Sleep Powder, Grass Whistle, etc.

And while it had seemed much more likely for them to attack him until he fell from pain or exhaustion (as they had done before), Parasel had been in charge of making him incapacitated. Parasel was much more cautious than any other Regilian he had seen so far. A knockout agent wasn't entirely out of the question.

Culus had to prepare himself for both circumstances, with the aid of the medicine Selene would unknowingly provide. Revival Herbs, while painful, bitter, and overall unpleasant, could push someone from an unconscious, 'fainted' state to wakefulness. Chesto Berries were universal anti-soporifics, so he could use them to counteract the sedatives.

Culus pushed back the fur on his skin. There, hidden under fur matted from sweat and the odd bit of unwashed blood, were many tiny needles, created with his unique power. Each was slathered in either Chesto Juice or Revival Herb Extract, substances that were taken from Selene's (normally locked, though making a lockpick with his power was child's play) supply cabinets. Before he was taken away, Culus had injected himself with the needles, knowing that they would prevent them from being knocked out for too long.

Right now, his blood was filled with anti-sedatives; no sleep-inducing agents would affect him for the next few hours, nor could he be knocked unconscious for long. The same wasn't true for his guards; they were as vulnerable to sleep as they always were.

A bit of blood dripped down to the ground from his forelegs, making him wince not only in pain but in embarrassment. Sneaking in Sleep Powder from Selene's cupboards was the only method he could think of for knocking out the guards. After temporarily immunizing himself to sleep, Culus had created a small knife and slit his forelegs open, before sewing pouches of Sleep Powder inside the wounds.

Culus had planned to slice open the secret stitches and pouch with his claws after getting the jump on his guards when they weren't looking, but since the guards had sharp edges he could cut it open with, he wouldn't look a gift Rapidash in the mouth. There was always a chance that he would be given Grass-type guards as well, so in the end, the Sleep Powder would always be a gamble; one that he was forced to take since he had no other knockout agents.

Then he spotted the sedative that they had tried to use on him, rolling around on the ground. It was nearly full. Suddenly, Culus had a wonderful idea.

Culus went to the bottle of sedative and opened it up, coughing as a small wave of drowsiness passed over him. Even with the amount of Chesto Berries in his system, it still managed to make him feel weak and tired. He poured a drop into each of the guard's mouth. Seconds later, they visibly fell into a deeper sleep.

This sedative was incredible. Had he not gone overboard with his precautions, Parasel's knockout drug would have put him under for weeks. He checked the label; its two main ingredients were Malamar Venom and Extract of Dream Mist. Two of the strongest hypnotic agents in the world (though, as with many other things, he wasn't sure exactly how he knew that). A drop would be enough to knock out most Pokemon for hours. He had a full bottle of the sedative, and people who wouldn't know to watch out for the sedative in their food and drink.

Oh, this would be perfect.


Honestly, the Twin Moon Ball wasn't too impressive; at least to Helios it wasn't. Catching his reflection in one of the golden streamers flittering by showed him his own grumpy face.

His frown soured further.

"You know, it would help if you smiled a bit more," Slate suggested. "If you're trying to make this whole experience miserable for yourself, then continue. If you want to enjoy yourself-"

"You're sounding like Aunt Hessie, Slate," Helios muttered irritably. "I want to enjoy this, but Selene and Eve aren't here, so…"

"Since when did you need them to have fun?"

"There aren't that many games or ways I can have fun at a ball, Slate. I've been talking with nobles all week long; Selene is a breath of fresh air, compared to trying to hold a chat with Arya." Helios had tried and had been given the most polite of smiles and very little else. She gave enigmatic and cryptic responses that made no sense, and Helios had stopped trying to hold the conversation three minutes in.

"What about Glacia?"

Helios raised his eyebrow. "She's been in that book of hers for the past two hours; I don't think she wants to talk." He had walked over to try to attempt some sort of new conversation, but Glacia had been too enraptured by her book to even look away from it for even half a second.

That and the awkwardness from the library had carried over every other time Helios had passed her in the castle's walls. In all honesty, all the political marriages and relationships made him feel tired; nobody could just have a friend in the castle.

Well, unless you were Selene. Selene managed to get along well with everyone, as far as he could tell. She was cool like that.

Slate shrugged, creasing his special guard uniform that he was wearing for the ball, then winced as he smoothed out the uniform again. Slate had done that around ten times the past ten minutes; it was a unique, special uniform that Slate insisted had to stay pristine.

All of the other guards, including the Regilian and Eonian guards, also wore special uniforms to accentuate their strength and power. The higher the rank of the uniform, the more important looking the uniform. The generals had awesome suit-looking clothes that made them look sharp, fierce, powerful.

Man, if Helios could wear something like that.

Right now, he was decked out in royal robes, the kind that he hated wearing. They were like satin chains; comfortable if you put them on the right way (sitting down in 'the correct posture' like a prince was supposed to, and irritating every other way. It made him look smart and dignified; in other words, the perfect little prince Aunt Hessie wanted.

Helios sighed and threw his head back, the tight robes protesting fervently. "Look, Slate," he said slowly. "We need to find something to do." He took one of the poppers that were levitating by, small trinkets that were floated around by psychic powers. Flicking the popper, it 'popped' and dropped a small top in his hand. There was a load of other junk the poppers had given him as well; Helios had no idea who they were supposed to entertain. Maybe it had to do with that religious junk this whole ball was based on.

Slate then tapped Helios' shoulder. "Hey, Helios, I found Selene and Eve.' He pointed to the door to the ballroom.

Helios snapped to attention and scanned the area that Slate was pointing at. He found the two of them entering the ballroom confidently. Neither walked with any sort of swagger, but with a sense of familiarity and nostalgic joy. Eve had on a conservative set of robes, nothing too special but a set that was nice on the eyes compared to the garish abominations Helios had to avert his eyes from everywhere else.

Selene, however, had on a glittering black dress, one with many different opals and sequins garnishing it. The fabric… Helios couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it made the dress look less like something Selene had put on for the sake of the ball and more like something she shouldn't be seen without. Every single motion she made had the fabric glimmer and weave, enhancing the strange aura Selene had around her.

Eve snorted as she and Selene approached the two of them. "Close your mouth, Helios, you're letting flies in.

Helios' mouth snapped shut. "Selene, what are you…"

Selene grimaced. "Is it that gaudy? Eve says that it's fine, but I feel that the opals are a bit much; I mean, opals, for a dress?"

"No, no, it's fine!" Helios shook his head frantically. "You look wonderful."

Selene frowned. "Well… I still say it's too gaudy. I can't help but think I'm overdressing."

Eve rolled her eyes. "Just let it go, Selene. It's fine if you outperform us in the looks department; you're the one that everyone is going to be looking at on the stage tonight."

"On the stage?" Slate asked. "Are you performing tonight?"

Oh, right, Slate hadn't been there for the first meeting in the library, and he hadn't told Slate much about that visit yet.

Selene nodded, "I always have a solo performance for the Twin Moon Ball. It's a bit strange, but people never look away when I'm dancing, and no one complains when I don't stop. I'm pretty sure some people would have me go on forever." Helios secretly agreed with those people, though he was a little ashamed of that fact. "It's usually around the banquet; the performance typically ends when everyone finishes eating."

"How long does that take?"

Selene shrugged. "Anywhere from ten minutes to an hour; that's how long it takes for people to stop being so entranced by my dancing and finish their food. The longer you look at my dancing, the less of an effect it'll have on you, and most of the people here have been to the ball before, so I'm not expecting them to be too distracted." Then she grimaced. "Still, this year the Lif-" She caught herself saying something when Eve coughed loudly. "Uh… never mind."

"What was that you were saying?" Slate asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Nothing that you should be concerned with, guard." A deep voice echoed behind him. Helios turned to see Caesian standing behind him, decked in his full uniform.

Slate immediately fell into a deeply respectful bow. "Apologies, General Caesian. I shall cease all inquiries."

"See to it that you don't pry too deeply into Regilian affairs," Caesian rumbled in reply, before casting a glance at Selene. "Dancer, your instructor is waiting for you backstage; you'll need to prepare for your performance. Get there ASAP."

Selene nodded. "Yes, sir." Caesian nodded, before walking away. Selene then sighed. "Sorry, but this is really important, and Ms. Strect needs me. I'll get back to you guys after the banquet." That could be hours from now. Helios tried not to let his disappointment show as Selene walked to the stage.

Helios sighed, turning to Eve. "So… uh…"

Eve had a sordid look on her face. "So… she's left, huh…" She snorted. "And… I'm left with you guys, then." Eve's tone was dripping with derision and contempt. Helios gritted his teeth but kept his tongue in check.

Slate, however, had no such compunctions "What is your problem?" Slate challenged. "Do you think your Eonian heritage makes you better than us?"

"Slate!" Helios hissed, as a few of the other attendees around them looked at them with either shock and disapproval or contempt. If Aunt Hessie got word of this, it wouldn't sound pretty.

Eve, though, sighed. "My Eonian heritage is the problem." She looked at Helios with curiosity. "Did you tell him about the arranged marriage, Helios?"

"What marriage?" Slate asked sharply, looking between the two.

Helios shrugged as Eve frowned. "I suppose that arranged marriage isn't something to be shared lightly. Let me explain, then; ah, but before I do, are either of you familiar with the Regilian bonding ritual?"

Slate shook his head. "No, and what does it, or a marriage, have to do with your sense of superiority?"

Eve raised an eyebrow. "Were you under the impression I was being haughty? I was just disappointed that I would no longer get to spend time with Selene, and the last bit of childhood I would have was with two people I barely know."

A tiny silence stretched as both Helios and Slate caught onto the important bit. "Last bit of childhood?" Helios asked at last. "What are you talking about?"

Eve sighed. "I'll get to that in a minute. Slate, for the past six or seven years I've been in an arranged marriage with Prince Yurime. I moved here from Eonia and have spent the majority of my life walking these halls, enjoying myself. There are little restrictions on what I can do; I can leave for Regal City at my whim, provided an appropriate guard is with me, and explore to my heart's content. I can talk to whoever I please, however I please. Do you two follow?"

The two of them nodded.

"Excellent. Now, I knew this wouldn't last forever. I had thought that when I was a teenager, I would start having lessons on how to be a proper lady-of-the-court, and would steadily take on more responsibilities. Then I would eventually marry Yurime and be his faithful confidant in courtly matters and give him proper advice on situations that he could be concerned with."

Helios scowled. "That sounds incredibly boring." Boring and painful. Helios imagined living like that and shuddered.

Eve shrugged. "A majority of it is, yes, but I was under the impression that I would still have a majority of my freedom. I thought I would still be allowed to leave the castle at my leisure, that I could still spend most of my time in the library, that I would still be allowed to be Selene's friend."

Helios had an inkling where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"And when did you stop thinking that?"

"The moment Helios brought me the news about the bonding ritual." A note of sadness and anger entered Eve's voice. "The Regilian bonding ritual is one that's archaic, so I was more than surprised when he told me the news. But when I confronted Yurime about it, he confirmed that it would take place. And with it, he threw all preconceptions of my future out the window."

"What does the 'Regilian bonding ritual' do, exactly?" Helios asked, with a note of trepidation.

"Using the power of evolution, it binds an alarm to me," she said bitterly. "That alarm prevents me from leaving the castle without Yurime's permission, prevents me from accessing certain rooms, like the library, without Yurime's permission, and prevents me from talking to people below a certain status... Selene... without Yurime's permission."

It took a few seconds for Helios to process this. "Are… are you serious?!" What kind of a life was that?! Eve wasn't allowed to have friends or have fun anymore?!

"Completely; there's a reason why it's archaic and hasn't been used for centuries. Yurime, though, had decided that I was the perfect person to reinstate the practice on." Eve's tone grew a poisonous edge. "And the worst part? I won't be able to fight back,; the ritual gives him power over me."

There was silence.

"It uses the power of evolution?" Slate eventually asked, a casual curiosity entering his voice.

"It wears off if it's applied outside of evolution; it doesn't properly stick to your body. With evolution, though, it's provided lots of energy, and since your body's changing into a new, permanent form during evolution, the alarm is woven deep into your body, better than any surgery could provide."

Eve then gestured to the moon, hanging brightly in the sky. It shone on all of them, and Helios slowly realized that Eve's fur was faintly glowing.

"The ritual is happening tonight after the banquet; the moon is at its peak on Luneira, so it'll facilitate my evolution into an Umbreon with ease." Eve looked at the moon forlornly.

"In other words, when her performance ends, so does my childhood. I haven't told Selene… I don't have enough guts for that." Eve's voice started cracking. "So, once the banquet ends… can you tell her? Please?"

Helios gulped. "I… I…" His tongue was tied. "I… isn't this…" Slate looked at him with concern and Eve with crestfallen disappointment. "... I'll try to catch her," he said at last. "I'll… do my best to explain."

Eve studied him closely. She opened her mouth to say something.

*tinkle*

Eve's mouth instantly shut close as a small bell tinkled through the ballroom. Slowly, the meager conversation died down, as everyone turned to face the center stage. King Midos stood there, wreathed in a luxurious cape that had many, many ornaments attached to it. The Oranguru who rang the bell for King Midos stopped once all eyes were on his king.

"If I may have your attention, please," King Midos solicited smoothly. "In a few minutes, dinner will be served and the Moonlit Wandering will begin. Please, if you would be so kind, make your way to any available seats." King Midos bowed, waving a hand adorned with a crystal ring. "I thank you for your time." King Midos then teleported away.

In just a few seconds, the conversation started up again, but with it came the general movement towards the feasting tables covered in an assortment of dishes. Slowly, people began to wait for the banquet.

Whatever Eve was going to say before King Midos's announcement, Helios would never know. What she said instead brought its own problems. "The Moonlit Wandering is the title of Selene's performance." Eve grimaced. "I guess I don't have any time left after all. I'll be seeing you in the future, Helios. Though, I doubt that you'll recognize who I've become."

Helios had no idea what he could say to make the situation any better. Any consolation would be hollow, as there was nothing he could do at this point, nothing that could make the situation better. Eve started walking away and, while he was dumbstruck, left his sight.

"Slate," Helios whispered, his mind filled with fog. "What are we going to do?"

Slate simply gazed at the crowd moving obediently to their tables, awaiting their luxurious meal. "Nothing; it's dinnertime."

Helios blinked. "W-What?"

Slate turned unconcerned eyes on Helios. "Eve's fate is practically sealed, Helios. Unless Yurime changes his mind and calls off the ritual right now, she'll be bound to him and this castle after the banquet. What do you think we can do about it?"

Helios could offer no reply.

"For now, Helios, you're supposed to be at the royal table." Slate pointed to the especially ornate table, which all of the members of royalty would be dining; the kings, princes, and princesses all had specially marked seats. Slate wouldn't be sitting with him. "I'll see you after the Moonlit Wandering, Helios." With that, Slate marched away to stand with all of the other guards.

Helios was now alone. Listlessly, he walked to the royal table, before sitting in his designated spot. Glacia had put her book away and had a seat next to his; neither of them looked at or talked to each other. The kings (Midos had reappeared at some point) were engaged in another political debate. Arya was politely listening in, occasionally chipping in an odd statement or two.

Mentali, sitting right next to his brother on Glacia's other side, was scanning the room furiously. Then he managed to find what he was looking for and made to get up. But before he could, his brother, King Leafia, pushed him back into his seat. Once back into his seat, Mentali only gazed adoringly, longingly, hungrily, at his target. Helios followed his vision.

It was straight at Eve, sandwiched between an Eonian noble and a Regilian noble, neither of whom Helios recognized. She didn't seem to notice, though, only staring despondently at the table below her.

What was her father thinking? Was he… happy? Sad? Did he know that his daughter would never set foot off this castle again?

'Not quite.' An irritatingly familiar voice sounded in Helios' head. 'He's more regretful than anything else.'

Yurime.

'You… monster.' Helios could barely think; his rage couldn't let him string a coherent thought together. 'Eve… you're… this is all your fault!'

'Well, not quite. It was at the suggestion of my father that we have the bonding ritual; he thought that in these turbulent times, a step back into our esteemed ancestral traditions would be best for the continued safety of Regilia. Considering the recent… accidents with treasured artifacts and the death of one highly treasured daughter, covering any other potential security breaches, like a foreigner with incredible access to positions around the castle, is a necessity.'

Yurime's smooth and slick thoughts were conveyed with a sense of detachment; he didn't care about Eve, his bride-to-be, at all. He was more than willing to let her be chained to his will, to destroy her freedom in life.

'Well, that's hardly so. I'd be more than willing to let her into town occasionally, and perhaps an odd chat to that mutant friend of hers wouldn't be too amiss, provided proper monitoring.'

'Shut up,' Helios coldly thought in return. 'Shut up, you apathetic monster.'

Yurime closed the connection. Helios glared at him, and Yurime smiled politely in return. There was a bitter fragility to it, though; as thought Yurime could barely contain his disdain and contempt for Helios.

Tiny wisps of smoke started rising from Helios' throat; he could barely hold himself from leaping across the table and ripping that fake smile to shreds.

"Here are your appetizers," a well-dressed Gardevoir servant said, levitating side dishes in front of them all. Uncle Theus nudged him to start, but Helios couldn't care less. All he had in his head was revulsion for Yurime.

The only reason he wasn't attacking Yurime outright was that somewhere deep in his heart he knew it would only make trouble for everyone else. It was the same feeling he had before throwing that pie into Lord Black's face; he was on the edge of doing something that would give everyone around him nothing but pain, all for a single moment of catharsis.

Helios stared at his appetizer, a creamy soup. Right now, the thought of eating at the same table as Yurime was sickening; he had lost his appetite long ago.

"Eurgh… I don't know why, but this soup is disgusting," Next to him, Glacia wrinkled her nose, at last deigning to talk to him. "I've only had a single spoonful, but it tastes so sweet and… and it's wrong." Helios couldn't care less what Glacia thought of the soup; Helios didn't know how aware she was of Eve's situation, but Helios imagined she wouldn't have cared regardless.

And now that he looked at her again, she was missing that book from the library; King Leafia must have confiscated it for the banquet. She was only talking to him out of boredom.

"I… yeah, it smells weird," Helios said at last since Glacia was waiting for a response. The soup did smell a bit… off. Helios was too tired, though, to really care about the meal.

"Maybe the roast Unfezant will taste better?" Glacia suggested as a servant cut her a slab of the poultry. She bit into it half-heartedly; and by the look on her face, it wasn't much better. "This is too sweet as well... who made this food?"

Helios sighed, pushing away the slab the servant had cut for him as well. "I'm not in the mood for eating," he said at last.

Glacia looked curious. "Huh… well, anyway, that Selene girl from the library is performing tonight; that 'Moonlit Wandering' dance King Midos told us about; and they're going to play the song on the Life Harp. How graceful of a dancer do you think she is if the king is her patron and the Life Harp is played for her dances?"

"She's wonderful," Helios replied, uninterested. "You won't be able to look away from her."

"Ah…" Glacia yawned. "I hope I'll stay awake for it; after all, the legends say that the Life Harp makes the most wonderful music. What time is it, anyway?"

"Still early, I think," Helios mentioned. Glacia looked as tired as he did, and her eyes slowly started to glaze over.

"Oh… whatever," Glacia mumbled, before continuing to gnaw on the Unfezant. Helios waited for a response, but it seemed Glacia finally got bored with him again. Helios sighed and sat down. Every minute or two, his thoughts would wander back to Eve's situation.

There had to be something he could do, right? Maybe if he asked Aunt Hessie or Uncle Theus - no… they would just tell him not to be concerned with other countries' business.

Still, it was worth a shot. Helios tapped Uncle Theus on the tip of his wing, to get his attention from the other kings.

*tinkle*

Before Uncle Theus had even turned to address him, the Oranguru from before had rung the bell again; and this time, they gave the announcement themselves. "The Moonlit Wandering," the Oranguru stated in a calm voice. "Shall now begin. Please enjoy the performance."

Selene's performance… oh…

Selene stepped on the stage into a beam of moonlight. The light reflected off the opals of her dress and into the eyes of the crowd. There was a small period of silence, in which everyone gazed at her, judging her, waiting.

Then a few notes from an instrument (what was most likely the Life Harp Glacia was talking about) sounded, and Selene began to dance.

Though Helios wasn't as enraptured as he was before (his robes pinched in all the wrong places, and was incredibly distracting), that was no insult to Selene's dancing. As Helios slowly fell out of the trance Selene's dancing caused, he saw its effects on everyone else. Food was hanging out of people's mouths, as their glazed eyes comprehended nothing but Selene and her dancing.

Even Eve, who by all rights should be uncaring of Selene's dancing at the moment, could do nothing but look, mesmerized, into the shifting lights of Selene's jeweled gown. And though Helios too wanted to do nothing more than rest his head on the table and think of nothing but Selene's beautiful and graceful steps, there was something… off… about everything, beyond the entranced state everyone was in.

Some of the Pokemon were slumped at their seats; though Selene commanded their eyes, the rest of their bodies had completely fallen asleep. Some were drooling, some were snoring softly.

Helios turned his head and slowly came to the realization of another thing that was bothering him. All of the Regilians were entranced by Selene's dancing like everyone else was; they had no capacity to fight back, even though they had become accustomed to her dancing over the years.

Selene had told him earlier that the effect her dancing had on people became weaker the more she used it on them. Helios still thought Selene's dancing was beautiful, but he found it easier and easier to think of things other than her dancing as the minutes ticked on by; the Regilians, even though they had much more exposure to her, had no such resistance.

There was something wrong here; even the mighty General Caesian was staring slack-jawed at Selene.

*gulp*

Next to him, Glacia had been chewing on the same slab of Unfezant since the start of the Moonlit Wandering and now had finally taken half a second to swallow the meat. Then, three seconds after she swallowed, she fell on the table, asleep.

Helios stared at her sleeping body, sprawled awkwardly on the table, with a sense of confusion. Selene… Helios remembered getting up from the trance in the library just as energized as he was before. Selene's performance didn't cause sleep, as far as he remembered.

Yet, as he looked at the crowd, he saw more and more people slump on the table, having fallen asleep… and it always happened after they took a bite of food…

Helios looked down at the poultry on his plate; it smelled weird. His mind hadn't forgotten about Eve's plight, but it had been put aside, and now that he could think clearly, he realized that the meat had smelled weird, beyond what sugars, spices, and herbs could accomplish.

Helios took a bigger sniff, larger than the small passes he had made before, and immediately felt tired. His attention was once again drawn back to Selene, her dancing a far more attractive sight than anything else in the ballroom.

Then Helios had a stray thought - this was wrong - and immediately snorted the cloying aroma out of his nose. As he started breathing through his mouth, his attention span returned to normal, and with it came his reason.

There was something wrong with the food; that smell made it nearly impossible for anyone to resist Selene's dancing, and if you had the food itself, you fell asleep. There was probably something mixed into the food that changed it… and it didn't look like the Regilians knew about it…

Then Helios saw it; out of the corner of his eye, there was movement. He pushed any thoughts or worries, of Selene's dancing or Eve's plight, out the door. Someone was here, someone sneaking around.

And before he could think it was a trick of light that had made him imagine movement, he saw it again; a Pokemon, around his size, moving in the shadows. Helios slowly pushed back his seat, intent on tracking this mysterious stranger.

The shadow slowly approached their table; Helios realized that they knew that he, and he alone, hadn't been affected by the laced food. They were waiting for him… waiting to see what he would do. Helios shivered.

The shadow moved closer, and Helios moved to the side to get a better look. Still, the shadow moved closer and yet further out of sight. They were approaching the Regilians' side of the table, slowly, coming closer to King Midos.

Then a cloud covered the moon, and the lights from the moon's reflection dimmed. It became harder to see… and yet…

Selene had stopped dancing, almost as if the moon being blocked was the signal for her to stop. She blinked as if she had been as entranced by her dancing as everyone else was. Helios realized that while the shadow moved to block Helios from seeing them, they had done nothing to stop Selene's view. Selene gazed at the shadow, and then recognition showed clearly on her face.

"... Culus?"


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