Melissa hovered delicately over the workstation, staring down the clear pellet sitting on the sample dish. She positioned her syringe and guided the needle through the pellet, careful not to break the moldable exterior. She squeezed the plunger and injected the purple liquid into the pellet until it was completely filled.

She pulled the syringe out, set it aside, and sighed. "Done."

Shade rolled over in his chair and picked up the pellet. He rolled it between his fingers a couple times and set it down. "You're getting faster, Melissa. Only took you ten seconds."

Melissa giggled and rubbed her head bashfully. "Aww, thanks. I suppose I have a great teacher who helped me along."

The Sableye smiled before rolling himself back to his desk. He paused a moment to yawn, rubbing his crystal eyes, and picked up his notes. "This new poison will allow you to incapacitate more…stubborn targets. You'd be surprised how many Pokémon can shrug off knockout gas from sheer anger."

Melissa shivered. "I rather not."

"It has a short range, though, and I'd be careful with it. This stuff paralyzes you after a couple minutes, then you're lulled to a deep sleep. Only way to fight it off is administering the antidote, otherwise you would have to wait for it to leave your system."

Melissa nodded. "I am sure I will not accidentally ingest it."

"Well, just in case, make sure to have an antidote on you at all times when using this stuff." Shade realigned his notes and set them aside. "At least I understand how this poison works unlike certain others I've been working with."

Melissa frowned and looked over Shade's desk, spotting the rack holding two of the stolen Wraith vials. They were labeled 'Wraith 2' and 'Wraith 3'. "I take it research is not progressing."

Shade massaged his forehead and groaned. "As if my inability to stay awake hasn't made the process difficult. We simply lack the resources to test it. I've been doing the best that I can with the equipment I've acquired, but the more advance stuff is way out of our reach. I still can't figure out the significance of the Wraith. No clue on symptoms. I don't know how this stuff was made or where it came from. On top of that, I've exhausted one whole vial in my research. I've taken steps to be minimal with the drops, but I'm just lucky to have lasted this long."

Melissa patted his shoulder. "Is there no way to figure out how it works?"

"If I want reliable data, I would benefit from a live test subject, but I'm not stupid enough to inject this crap into a Forester, or even a criminal. I wouldn't even consider using it on a Poison-Type. Jason would have someone's head if they used Wraith on another living creature."

"True." Melissa approached the vials and gently poked the rack. "We had these things for months now, and still nothing. I am getting a little worried."

Shade leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "So am I. It's weird, but we haven't had reports of this stuff being used. Either it's being used in secret, or it's being mistaken for a disease. Which disease, I couldn't say. Plus, the elementium. Why would that be incorporated?"

Melissa picked one up and gently shook the clear liquid. "Do you have any theories?"

"Only working theory I can offer is that it's a conduit for something. Problem is, elementium discharges energy after a while. It can't retain it forever."

Melissa glared. "Did JoJo not say she knew someone who could work around that?"

Shade scratched his chin. "JoJo mentioned her in passing. A skittish alchemist who created a miracle elixir to store the power of elementium indefinitely. Hard to say if the two are linked, but it wouldn't hurt to ask JoJo." He sighed and pressed his claws into his scalp. "The more I think about it, the more frustrated I get. It's so…so…"

"So what?" Melissa turned, then gasped as Shade slumped over in his chair and snored loudly. She then smiled, fetched a blanket from a drawer, and draped it over him. "Get some rest, Dr. Shade."

A knock on the door turned her attention away. Jason pushed the door open and let himself in. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Melissa shook her head. "He just passed out. We were talking about the Wraith research."

Jason sighed. "He puts in a lot of work. He'll come up with an answer eventually." He nodded over his shoulder. "Anyway, I came to pick you up."

Melissa raised her brow. "What for?"

A smirk stretched over Jason's face. "What else? You're going to meet your two new apprentices."

Melissa bounced anxiously on her toes as she and Jason waited on the training deck for the two rookies. Jet will be escorting them over, and no doubt drill in the several hundred warnings he has ready for any and all newbies. Some say, if you listen closely, you can hear his swearing in the wind. Or he's yelling from the other side of the fort.

Jason noted her nervous bouncing and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her down until her soles were flat on the floor. "Cool your springs, Rookie."

"Sorry. I am just so excited. And scared. Really scared." She whimpered and pulled on her hood. "Will they like me?"

Jason rolled his eyes and smirked. "Perhaps concern yourself with training them over trivialities like that. If you do a good job, they'll like you of their own accord."

Melissa let go of her hood and faced Jason. "So, how new are they?"

"Fairly. They're both troublemakers from around the region, each with different reasons. I used to scout out potential candidates to join before the Foresters officially debuted, but now we have informants all over Virdis. We run a tight network of informants, suppliers, and rumor mills to keep us as up-to-date on current events as possible. Petra's basically our one-man mail service, so she keeps our information flow alive and well."

"Wow. A lot of work for her."

Jason shook his head. "As long as she gets fed, she doesn't mind. Flying all over Virdis means burning more energy, and burning more energy means she gets to eat more. That's the way she puts it, at least. Point is, your new apprentices have only just arrived and received minimal training from Jet. Since the Foresters need to increase productivity, you will be responsible for most of their training. They'll become fully-fledged Woodland Rangers if they perform well in your heist."

Melissa frowned. "But I thought training took six months."

Jason smirked. "If you can get into shape in at least two, perhaps we could stand to increase training schedules."

Melissa pouted. "Were you always this snarky?"

"Perhaps."

Melissa stuck her tongue out at him, which caused the Pikachu to chuckle. She blinked at the genuine affection in his laugh and smiled a bit. "I am not used to seeing you this relaxed, Jason."

He sighed and folded his arms behind his back. "Neither am I."

Before Melissa could ask, she spotted Jet out of the corner of her eye, along with the two rookies. She mirrored Jason's professional stance and puffed her chest out to look tougher.

Jet shot her a look and said, "You look ridiculous."

Melissa huffed the breath she was holding in and glared. "Gee, thanks."

Jet shook his head. "Anyway…Melissa, meet your new recruits: Victoria Maldonado and Felix Teufel." He stepped aside and gestured to the pair.

Melissa took a moment to look her new apprentices over. Victoria, an Azumarill, seemed as anxious and excited as her, bouncing on her toes with a bright happy grin on her face. She wore the standard uniform, though with some peculiar additions. At her sides, Victoria had a messenger bag and a sheathed boomerang. They didn't hold Melissa's attention for long as her eyes were drawn to the modified hood she was currently wearing. There were pockets for her ears to stick through, and they seemed to be shaped like the ears of Victini.

Next was Felix, a Sylveon who wore a smug, confident grin plastered on his face. He had a darker shade of pink to his fur, almost bordering on red, and a strange birthmark around his left eye: a patch of pink fur shaped like a diamond. In his feelers, he was shuffling a deck of playing cards, and rather adeptly despite the lack of digits. He had four card pouches strapped to a harness running across his body.

Melissa gulped. Well, they seem…normal-ish.

Jet faced the pair and said, "Listen up, rookies. As of today, Melissa will be your instructor. If you wish to continue under the banner of the Foresters, you will follow her instruction to the letter and push yourselves to the limit. You will be assisting her in a heist in the Echo Bell Kingdom two months from now. Though this is Melissa's test to become a Greenwood Leader, she holds the power to pass or fail you on your cooperation and effectiveness in a team. Her success and yours rely on perfect synergy. Do I make myself clear?"

Victoria and Felix saluted. "Sir, yes sir!"

Jet nodded. "Good." He turned to Melissa and said, "They're your problem now." He marched away.

Melissa's eyes widened. "What did he mean by that?"

Jason patted her shoulder. "Don't listen to him." He turned to the pair and asked, "How are you two enjoying the new accommodations?"

Victoria clasped her hands together and squealed. "Oh, everything's so great! Everyone's nice, friendly, and didn't even bat an eye after I accidentally started that fire!"

"F-Fire?!" Melissa gasped.

Felix snickered. "There's an air of opportunity to explore here. It's much better than living in the dumpster. I hope everyone likes games, because I'm itching to risk it all."

"R-Risk it all?!" Melissa squeaked. "Wait, huh? What?"

Jason smirked. "I'd get comfort quick, Melissa. I told you, this is also a test of how well you can deal with contrasting personalities." He patted her one last time on the shoulder and walked away. "Try not to burn anything down."

"We won't!" Victoria exclaimed.

Melissa's eye twitched as she walked Jason off. Okay. I have a potential arsonist and a daredevil to work with. I-I am sure it is not that bad. After all, first time jitters are a thing, and I am sure they are just nervous being in a strange new location. Or is that just with me? She shook her head and smiled awkwardly at the pair. "Uh, so…nice to meet you, Victoria and Felix. I am Melissa Penworth, of course, and—"

"Ah, the infamous runaway princess," Felix interrupted as he packed his playing cards back into their pouch. "Jet explained that to us when we arrived her. News stretched far to the Wick Kingdom and mentioned many tales of your mysterious disappearance." He groaned and looked away. "And since you're here and not being used as one of Emperor Nero's slave women, I just lost a bet."

Melissa gasped. "How many people think I am dead?!"

"I never said dead, but…well, there were a handful of bets that said you were, though with varying reasons."

Melissa pulled her ears and groaned. "I am so going to freak people out if I ever return to the throne…"

Victoria bounced around Melissa and beamed. "So cool to work with an actual princess! Is it true your plumbing is made out of solid gold? Or that you eat jewels in your meals?"

"Uh, I am not a Sableye. I would break my teeth if I did that." Melissa deadpanned. "And I would fear for our economy if I did use gold in such a wasteful manner." Melissa shook her head and tried to smile. "Uh, you know what? Since we will be working together for some time, how about we have some one-on-one sessions? That will help me get to know you two better. You both look like you have such enrichening backgrounds, and I want to give you both the chance to speak freely."

Victoria grinned. "Really? Oh, that would be so amazing! Thanks, Princess!"

"Heh, make sure to call me Harlow outside of the fort, okay?"

"Right-o, Ms. Harlow!"

Felix crossed his feelers and chuckled. "Fine by me. I would love to evaluate your potential as a risktaker personally."

Melissa chuckled nervously. Oh dear.

With fresh tankards of juice for the both of them, Melissa and Victoria sat at a table outside the mess hall. Felix sat on the other side of the outdoor area and played cards with a passing Forester. From the looks on the poor Forester's face, he was losing. Badly.

Melissa pulled her attention away from that and focused on Victoria. "So Victoria, tell me where you are from."

Victoria shifted in her seat. "Well, I hail from the Arcania Kingdom."

"Oh, really? That far away?"

Victoria nodded. "Yep, yep, yep! Lovely place…as long as you don't think about the crippling despair we all live in over our nearly depleted land and the threat of an invasion so large that it'll wipe us out before we have a chance to blink."

Melissa stared in horror at the Azumarill, who said all of that with an unwavering smile. "Uh…cool?"

"But at least we have our pride!" Victoria cheered. "And they can't take that away from us!" She tapped her chin. "I actually tried to join the Arcanian Knights, but they rejected me. Pfft, they're loss on losing this lucky charm!"

Melissa squinted. "Lucky charm?"

Victoria grinned. "That's right. Ever since I was born, I've been naturally lucky. No matter where I go, fortune turns up my way and blesses me with another good day."

"But you were rejected by the Arcanian Knights, right? That…is not very lucky."

Victoria laughed. "Yeah, but now I get to be a Forester. The head knight offhandedly mentioned them after I bombed my training, and I figured this would be much better. See? Lucky!"

Melissa frowned. "That…seems more like a happy coincidence than lucky."

Victoria waved her off. "Oh ye of little faith, you have yet to bear witness the splendor of my blessed fortune. That's why, every night, I pray to the god of victory, Victini, to bestow upon me his lucky prowess."

Well, that explains the hood.

Victoria lifted her tankard and laughed. "You'll see. I'm the luckiest Azumarill alive!" She tilted her head back and chugged down her juice.

Melissa tried to laugh it off. "Uh, that is very nice, Victoria, but how about you tell me about your other skills—"

"ACK!" Melissa gasped as Victoria suddenly dropped her tankard, spilling the juice over herself, and slipped out of her seat gasping for air. "Wrong pipe! Went down the wrong pipe!"

"Oh no! Are you okay?!" Melissa cried as she stood up.

"I…I…think so—ooh, look! Free money!" Melissa's ears drooped as Victoria shot up off the floor, holding five gold coins in her hand. "Must be my lucky day!" She laughed proudly and juggled the coins in her hand. "Told you I was lucky."

Melissa laughed nervously and raised her hand. "Uh, I do not think that was luck—"

"AH!" Melissa's eyes widened as the coins slipped out of Victoria's hand and rolled across the floor. "My free money!" Victoria chased after the coins, blindly following them to the platform guardrails.

"Victoria, stop!" Melissa screamed.

The Azumarill didn't hear and dove for the coins, accidentally slipping through the rails and plummeting over the edge. Melissa shrieked and ran over to the rails. However, as soon as she looked over the railing, her eyes widened when she saw Victoria dangling upside-down. Her uniform snagged on a sturdy branch just inches below the platform. She miraculously caught the runaway coins, too.

"Phew! That was close," Victoria said. "Lucky me that this branch was here, right?"

Melissa's eye twitched. I…think I understand why she bombed her knight training now.

After securing Victoria and barely managing to get through the rest of the interview, Melissa moved on to Felix. She worriedly watched as Victoria tripped over a chair and tumbled into a passing group of Foresters. Miraculously, they looked unharmed, and Victoria seemed to be flirting with one of the boys because of it.

Oh dear. Melissa shook her head and smiled at Felix. "So Felix, you said earlier that you lived in a…dumpster? Is that right?"

Felix shuffled a deck of cards in his feelers. "Yep. My parents ran into some money troubles due to my father's…let's say poor business strategies. So, when I turned thirteen, I decided to ease their burdens and ventured out on my own. I travel place to place and make money through my exceptional love of games."

Melissa smiled. "Oh, you like games?"

"All kinds. Marbles, dice, boards, sports, and more. Though, I have a fondness for cards." He lifted the deck and rained them into his other feeler perfectly. "I live for the thrill of a game, though. Money has little value compared to the thrill of a game. Win or lose, it's the excitement that gets me going for another round."

Her eyes widened. "That…sounds like a gambling addiction."

"You call it an addiction, I call it a way of life." Felix set the cards down. "Perhaps you just don't understand the excitement a good risk can bring you."

Melissa laughed awkwardly. "Um, given what I am working towards, I would not benefit from taking risks—" Her eyes widened as Felix flicked a couple card over to her side. "Uh…"

"Blackjack. You know how to play?"

"Um—"

"Simple terms? Gotcha. Draw cards to see who gets the highest count without exceeding twenty-one." Felix threw down two cards on his side. "Hit or stand?"

"Are we supposed to fight?" Melissa mumbled.

"No. Hit, you draw a card onto your count. Stand, you don't take anymore. Get as close to twenty-one as you can."

"Felix, I am not really—"

"Hit or stand!"

"AH! Hit!"

Felix flicked a card onto her pile, then looked at his cards. "Hmm…hit!" He threw one onto his. "Alright, hit or stand?"

"S-Stand!" Melissa squeaked.

"Alright. Hit!" Felix threw down a card on his pile. He glared at his cards. "Ah, dang it!"

Melissa peeked over on his side of the table and saw he had a nine, six, two, and an eight, which definitely exceeded twenty-one. She looked down at her pile and saw she had a seven and two fives. "So, did I win?"

Felix grinned. "Seems so!" He scooped up the cards and shuffled them up. "Though, I went easy on you. We weren't playing for bets, and I usually cheat at this stuff."

"Cheat?!"

"That's the thrilling part! Do I get away with my clever ruses, or do I get beaten to a pulp by angry card players and tossed onto the street? That's the beauty of the thrill!"

Melissa raised her hands. "L-Listen Felix, I am not a card player, so—"

"Perfectly understandable! Blackjack can be a lot more intense than this." He finished shuffling the cards and placed down half the stack on her side of the table. "This one's called War. Simple. The game is to collect all the cards. We each pick a card from our deck and compare them. Highest rank wins. Now, if there's a match, we start a War!"

Melissa gulped. "F-Felix, I really want to get to know you, so maybe we could put the cards aside for a moment and—"

"Draw!"

"EEP!" Melissa picked a card off her deck and showed it off. "Here!"

Felix drew his card and compared the two. He laughed. "What terrible luck. My three beats your two." He snatched the card out of her hand and placed it in a discard pile. "Alright, again!"

Melissa's other eye started to twitch. I have an unlucky lucky rabbit and a game-obsessed gambler to work with? Oh no!

Luna hunkered down in the far corner of her shack, arms crossed and head buried into them. The nights were easier to deal with despite the frigid cold. She didn't have her ear talked off by the Toxicroak who guarded her during that shift, and she mostly occupied herself with doing upside-down push-ups. Luna noted she wore a cast over her leg, but something told her that wouldn't be a remarkable handicap to exploit.

Still, anything was better than—

"Oh, Ms. Freia~!"

Luna clenched her teeth. Him.

"Are you still sleeping?" Basil called through the door. "Your lunch will be arriving shortly."

Luna snorted and buried her face deeper into her arms. I swear to Xerneas, if I find a chain of handkerchiefs coming out of my food, I'm going to snap.

"Now, now, what's with all the silence? You better not stay like that forever. You have a guest."

Luna raised her brow. The only people who would remotely talk to her were Jason or Melissa, and neither of them were probably in the best moods to see her. She shielded her face as the door pulled open. She peeked through the gap in her arms and saw a Mawile enter with a tray of food.

"Be gentle with her, Marie," Basil said as he closed the door. "She might not be your type."

Marie smirked as the door closed shut behind her. "We'll see." She approached Luna.

Luna carefully observed the Mawile's gait. She noticed how the Forester walked with a bit of a limp. Her left leg appeared weaker than her right, and she was walking stiffly to keep as much pressure off the weak leg as possible. Her stance was unremarkable, too, unlike the Toxicroak outside. She didn't recall there being a Mawile among the Foresters, too, so either she was new or not one of their field members.

Marie bent down and set the tray in front of Luna. "Lucky you. I snagged you an extra slice of bread." She winked. "Think of me when you eat it, hon."

Luna blinked slowly at her. "W…What?"

Marie giggled. "What's with that befuddled expression? It's cute."

"I, uh…" Luna shook her head and glared. "What do you want, Forester?"

Marie licked her lips. "Depends. What did you have in mind?"

"Eh?!" Luna backed deeper into the corner. "The hell? Stop being weird."

"Can't help myself. When I see a cute face, I have to acknowledge it." She reached over and cupped the Snivy's chin. "A shame no knights recognize the beauty of a warrior like yourself—"

Luna smacked her hand away. "Don't touch me," she growled.

Marie remained undeterred and smirked. "Feisty."

"What do you want with me? We've already established I was taken by mistake."

Marie shrugged. "True. Dear Melissa can be so clumsy with how she handles her emotions. Makes her do the craziest things. Though, personally, I've been dying to meet you."

"Huh?"

"Yep. You've been on our notice for some time. You appear to be rather…invested in your investigative prowess. Nasty stuff now that you've uncovered our little secret. We couldn't exactly let you spill anything regarding the princess' whereabouts."

Luna glared. "I had no intention of revealing that to the public. It would've been a catastrophic blunder on my part if I willingly allowed such a move. Reporting it to the captain, however, was my intention until I was kidnapped."

"But you didn't because that little voice in the back of your head kept saying doubt over and over," Marie said. "Is that right? I know I'm right."

Luna snorted. "So, though an accident, silencing me was your intention?"

"We couldn't exactly have that information floating about, could we?" Marie chuckled behind her hand. "Consider yourself lucky we are a merciful people."

Luna scoffed. "Please. You Foresters try to uphold moral standards, but I can tell some of you have blood on your hands, especially your leader."

Marie dropped her playful attitude and glared. "You're a knight from a squeaky clean kingdom. You know nothing of blood."

"And you do?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I do, and maybe I'm just saying words. But I'm going to make mine count." She seized Luna by the collar and pulled her up, glaring into her eyes. "Where's Melissa's locket?"

Luna, after settling under Marie's stare, glared back. "The locket?"

"It wasn't on your person after we repurposed your belongings. What did you do with it?"

Luna closed her eyes and sighed. "I hid that locket just so I have some degree of proof that Melissa is Harlow. I anticipated something happening to me, but I never expected it would come so soon after discovering the truth. So, I made sure it was placed somewhere safe and sound for the time being. The public won't know, and it's a little dose of revenge for stealing my scroll."

Marie glared. "How petty."

"I've had a LONG month, and less sleep."

"And you're not just going to give up that information to us?"

"Don't see why I should."

Marie narrowed her eyes, then released Luna. "It'd be too easy to rip that information out of you, but I have standards. As far as I'm concerned, you're not a bad person." She stood up and turned toward the door.

Luna glared and watched the Mawile slowly walked to the exit. She carefully picked her food off the tray, grabbed it, and crept up behind her. Marie raised her fist at the door, ready to signal Basil to let her out. Luna held her breath as she lifted the tray above her head. When the moment was right, she was blitzing out of the shack and taking a leap of faith out of the fort. She couldn't afford a second to waste once she escaped.

Luna tensed her muscles and swung the tray down. It flew down without resistance, and she stumbled forward as she felt the tray swing through the air in one clean arc. Her eyes widened to see no Mawile standing in front of her. Strangely, the tray felt lighter.

She lifted the tray and gasped at the huge bite mark taken out of the metal. She didn't hear a sound of ripping metal or anything.

"…That desperate, huh?"

Luna swung around with the tray, but stopped as a dagger pressed against her throat. She stared into Marie's eyes, her left one seeming to glow a faint red. Her fanged hair gnawed on something before spitting it out. It was a balled-up piece of scrap metal.

Luna stayed frozen in place as Marie glared her down. Eventually, she sheathed her dagger and took the tray out of Luna's hand, and with no resistance from the Snivy. She pushed her aside and knocked on the door.

As the locks were undone, Marie turned back and said, "Like I said, I have standards. I suggest you abide by your own."

Luna narrowed her eyes and watched the door open. Without another word, Marie stepped out before the door closed behind her. Luna listened to the locking mechanism's clicking until the door was completely sealed shut. She sighed, backed away to the wall, and slid down.

"I underestimated her." She sighed, picked up an apple, and bit into it.

"Have fun?" Basil asked as Marie wiped off her dagger.

Marie shook her head. "She hid Melissa's locket somewhere. We need to get it back before someone comes across it and gets bad ideas."

Basil waved it off. "I'll keep an ear out in case of an emergency."

Marie nodded. "Thanks." She started to walk away, but stopped a moment. "Hey. You remember how Melissa brought back that scroll she stole? What do you suppose that was about?"

Basil shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she's a fan of Sir Gerard."

"…Maybe." Marie shrugged it off and continued on her way.

Basil sat back in his chair and leaned back, chuckling to himself. "Sir Gerard, eh? My, my, what could she be looking into?"

He reached behind himself and procured the stolen scroll. He unfurled it and skimmed through the retired knight's information.

Basil hummed aloud in a mellifluous tone, and with a devious smirk on his face. "Perhaps we should make the best of both worlds, my dear Marie. I see potential with this Snivy's investigation."

With the interviews over, for better or worse, Melissa took her apprentices over to the training grounds. She smiled upon spotting Shingo already there as he did his stretches alongside the training equipment they'll be using.

"Perfect." She gestured her apprentices along and hopped over to Shingo. "Good day, Shingo. How are you today?"

Shingo finished his stretches and straightened up. "Excellent, thank you for asking. I have been adamantly preparing for the training as you requested. Rest assured, I will mold your rookies into amateur escape artists in no time."

Melissa raised her brow. "Not master escape artists?"

Shingo's eyes narrowed darkly. "To get to my level requires torturous hours of perfection, to sweat and bleed an escape through one's fears as you channel that energy of doom and despair into the perfect technique that can break through any crate buried twenty feet underground, confines so tight that even flexing a finger is a trying task…"

Melissa, Felix, and Victoria stared at the Frogadier awkwardly. "Uh…one more time?" Melissa asked.

Shingo blinked twice, then shook himself out of a daze. "Sorry. Flashback." He cleared his throat and bowed to her apprentices. "I am Mochizuki Shingo, Greenwood Leader and master of escapology. There is no confinement, building, prison, or trap I can't escape from."

Victoria grinned. "Ooh, so you must be good at breaking in to places, too—"

"Never!" The trio yelped and jumped back. Shingo recovered from his lapse and readjusted his scarf. "N-No. I only break out of places, not in."

Melissa laughed nervously. "Good to know." And here I thought Shingo was the only normal one here. "W-Well, regardless, we would very much appreciate if you teach us the tricks to breaking into AND out of a buildings. After all, this is a heist."

Shingo took a deep breath and nodded. "I shall quell my fears for you, Penworth. I will teach you all I know of escapology. I warn you, my methods are maddening, and some may say insane. These are the ways that pushed me to learn."

"Heh, good to know, really. D-Don't forget, I will also need Lucient, Wyatt, and Avel trained up, too. I'm just easing these two into it, first."

Shingo nodded. "Very good." He stepped aside and gestured to the training equipment. "These will be the tools to practice the basics."

The trio looked around the counter and marveled at the shackles, chains, straitjackets, and more. Every little item they could think of meant to restrict movement and keep someone prisoner. On the end of the table were three small pouches that Melissa recognized as lockpicking kits.

Shingo picked the pouches up and handed them out. "A gift for each of you. Finely crafted by me."

Melissa smiled. "Aww, thank you."

Shingo closed his eyes. "However, one must always fine creative means to escape if they find themselves without their lockpicking tools."

Felix smirked. "What, like blowing up a prison cell?"

"Current alchemical practices have managed to create a serum that numbs the energy of a Pokémon's body, rendering moves virtually useless. However, the energy is not gone, only suppressed." Shingo clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "One can turn a weakness into a new skill." He clenched his fist and held it out to them.

Curiously, they leaned forward as he opened his hand. Resting in the center of his palm was a tiny needle made of white energy. It looked remarkably delicate, like it could snap in two with just a little pressure.

"Cooool," Felix and Victoria awed.

Shingo held the needle between his fingers. "You'll find that my Cut has many applications with years of training. Pokémon moves have long remained stagnant in use, as they served primary purposes as we discovered more and more of our unique abilities. Overtime, we learn to change them further into something new. Something unseen. That is the basics of enhanced moves, and understanding the basics can craft even the simplest tools."

Victoria beamed. "Ooh, I can be creative. For instance, my bag is specially designed to carry Presents."

"Presents?" Melissa asked. "You are handing out gifts?"

Victoria giggled. "No, the move Present. I just load up a whole bunch of the orbs into my bag here and use them for later. I make sure to separate the ones that heal, though. Those go into a separate section."

Upon recalling how terribly clumsy the Azumarill is, Melissa conjured a horrible image of her tripping and blowing up an entire building. "Uh…maybe something more delicate like Shingo's example," Melissa suggested with a wide smile.

Felix laughed. "Worry not, for I already know Cut."

"Oh, thank goodness. Wonderful news, Felix. You could take a page from Shingo's book and—"

"However!" Felix interrupted, pulling out two cards. "Where is the fun in simplicity when there is no risk to the gambler?"

Melissa's ears flopped. "Oh no…"

"Instead of the silent approach to break out of prison, why not go with the stylish direction? A combination of both stealth and spectacle to wow our captors as we escape into the horizon!"

"…" Melissa pressed her hands together and took a deep breath. "Felix, you understand what you just said is contradictory, right? The idea of stealth is not to draw attention to yourself—"

"That's why they won't expect, because such a risky move is beyond reason!" Felix exclaimed, tossing a card into a nearby target. The card flew with great speed and accuracy, hitting the dead center of the target. Just before Melissa could comment, the card exploded and ruptured the target in two. "Now that's what I call an exit!"

Melissa's eye twitched. "Hehehe…we will put a pin in it…"

Shingo frowned. "Penworth? You're making a weird look with your eye there."

"Oh, I am fine. Nothing to worry about here," she mumbled.

"Hmm. Well, shall we continue?" Shingo picked up a pair of shackles. "We can start with escaping these limb-restricting anchors of pain and suffering."

"Shackles," Melissa corrected.

"I know what I said."

Victoria raised her hand. "Me first!" She raced over to Shingo, but her foot caught a groove in the floorboards. Shingo stepped out of the way as the Azumarill tumbled into the table and knocked over the equipment.

Melissa winced. "Victoria? Are you okay?"

Victoria sat up and shook her head. She raised her arms and found a pair of shackles latched to her wrists. "Ooh, cool, already got them on."

Melissa facepalmed and slid her hand down her face. First day, Melissa. No big deal.

Charlie studied the wooden sword in his hands like it was a strange, yet delicate artifact. "I don't like fighting, Mr. Fletcher."

Roscoe thrusted his blade through the air with finesse and speed, nicking the side of the wooden training dummy in front of him. He and Charlie were dressed in training armor that consisted of a simple shirt, pants, and armor pieces protecting vital parts of the body.

"Combat is much more than starting fights, Charlie," Roscoe said. He slashed his rapier across the dummy, leaving a scar across its chest. "A king's duty may be to oversee his people, but he must know when to take up arms and defend his subjects to his last breath. Plus, it is a necessary skill to learn in case you are ever the target for assa…" Roscoe paused a moment.

"Assa? What's that?"

Roscoe cleared his throat and resumed swinging at the dummy. "Err, a lesson for another time. When you are older." He thrusted his sword and stabbed through the dummy's head. "You will receive the finest instructor in time, when you are a little older. Until then, I will entrust some knights to you as your personal guard. Best to have a guard on standby to cover the blind spots."

Charlie tilted his head. "Like friends?"

"The knights are not your friends, though I suppose it cannot be helped with you. Think of them as you will, but remember they serve a greater purpose than friendship." Roscoe relaxed his stance and sheathed his sword. "If you are ever in danger and without your guard, call upon Matthias. You can rely on his vigilance and steadfast loyalty to act on your plea."

"The big, scary fire monkey?"

Roscoe chuckled a bit. "Yes, him. Fret not. He looks intense, but it is mostly a front. Mostly. Sometimes. Occasionally." He paused again. "…Regardless, he will protect you to his last breath."

"Mmm." Charlie looked to the beaten training dummy. "Why do we have to fight, though? Aren't Pokémon all our friends?"

Roscoe narrowed his eyes darkly. "You maintain a shining optimism, my boy, and it is an admirable trait. Sadly, you will find that there are some wretched faces in this world…" He clutched his sheathed sword tightly. It trembled in his grip. "Some of which who would do terrible, terrible things."

Charlie looked up at Roscoe and narrowed his eyes worriedly, sensing the discomfort in his posture. "Mr. Fletcher?"

"…" Roscoe blinked and shook his head. "W-What?"

"Are you okay?"

Roscoe blinked twice, then pressed his hand to his forehead. "Terribly sorry. I…slipped there."

"Slipped?"

Before Roscoe could explain, his ears perked up to a commotion on their floor. He sounded like the knights were wrestling with someone in the main hall. "What the…Charlie, stay here." He pushed open the training hall doors and ran out.

Charlie poked his head out and watched Roscoe vanish around the corner. "Mr. Fletcher…"

Roscoe slid to a stop upon reaching the foyer and saw his knights were holding back an irate Typhlosion dragging a battle ax behind her. Nearby, an embarrassed Serperior and an annoyed Torracat were watching the knights from a safe distance.

Roscoe stepped out of hiding and approached them. "What's going on over here?"

The Typhlosion's eyes locked onto the king and sharpened. "YOU!" Newfound strength allowed her to bust through the guards and charge the king.

Roscoe instantly reached for his sword, but a flash of metal swung past his vision and struck the floor, deterring the furious female's advance. He recognized the sword and let his eyes travel up the length before meeting eyes with the kingdom's black knight.

"Lay one hair on the king, and I shall end you," Matthias warned. His flames crackled wildly atop his head.

The Typhlosion huffed smoke from her nostrils and straightened up. "I wasn't going to kill him."

"Uh huh." Matthias pulled his sword out of the floor and held it between her and the king like a barrier.

Roscoe relaxed and crossed his arms behind his waist. "Mr. and Mrs. Freia of House Freia. And Amon Noir of House Noir."

Ceran slithered over to his wife's side. "I'm terribly sorry for her behavior, Your Majesty. We just—"

"You've been silent for too long!" Noel snapped. "Where's my daughter?!"

Roscoe narrowed his eyes. "The search for Luna Freia has run cold. Unfortunately, because we've been unsuccessful tracking my own daughter's disappearance, the chances of finding a knight would be even less likely."

Noel bared her teeth. "Are you claiming her life is unimportant?"

"Compared to the princess', technically yes."

Before Noel could raise her ax, Amon approached the group and ran a paw through his hair. "This is all very nice and all, but my dear betrothed is a noble, and the disappearance of a noble shouldn't be undersold. Why, she's probably crying out for a handsome hero, perhaps her future husband, to rescue her from the imprisonment of those dastardly imps."

The Freias looked at Noel in annoyance, as did Matthias, while Roscoe looked confused. "Ms. Freia was engaged?"

Matthias leaned in and whispered, "Ignore him. Trust me."

Amon continued, "Why, it's an absolute embarrassment on the royal family's name that a second incident like this occurred. For a helpless damsel to be stolen away under your nose, and in your own castle. Truly disgraceful. My family gave you support for years, good king, but this blemish cannot be overlooked."

Noel snorted. "Like you actually care about the people of this kingdom."

"My family doesn't work in the medical field for nothing, Ms. Freia. We save lives with our connections to the finest medical professionals. It's a true staple to your own hard work given that House Noir is, well, superior in its medical advancements."

Noel tightened her grip on her ax. "You swindling, backstabbing, disgraceful excuses for medical professionals…!" She nearly raised the weapon, but Mattias stomped his armor foot on the blade and pushed it back down. He shot her another warning glare.

Ceran patted her shoulder with his tail. "Noel, time and place."

Noel huffed. "Right." She turned and glared at Roscoe. "What do you intend to do now that our daughter is missing? Give up on ever finding her again like you did with yours?"

Roscoe glared. "Perhaps you wish to scour the forest yourself, Mrs. Freia? Do you not understand the lengths it would take to comb this forest? For years, the Verde capital stood in this forest, yet there's still uncharted parts of it we have yet to uncover. The Foresters have weaponized its dense foliage to hide in plain sight."

"Then burn it to the ground," she growled.

"That puts the capital at risk, you realize. Besides, all that would accomplish is burning the leaves down. The trees surrounding us are unusually dense. Not even your ax at full strength could cleave an inch through its thick hide, much less succumb to a wildfire."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" she asked. "Just twiddle our fingers and wait for her to show back up? You may be okay with your daughter possibly dying—"

"I never said that!" Roscoe yelled.

"—but House Freia isn't going to let one of their own disappear without a fight. If you don't find her soon, I'm tearing down the forest tree by tree until I rip the information out of the Fairy Knight or whoever I find first."

Roscoe crossed his arms. "See here, Mrs. Freia, you will not—"

"If you two are done with your little charade…" They turned their glares down to the smug Torracat as he filed his nails. "My safety of my betrothed is very important to me, too. Why, it pains me that she forces herself to succumb to that backbreaking labor and ruins that beautiful face of hers with sweat and grime…"

Noel raised her ax again, but Matthias pushed it down…though with less resistance as he deepened his glare onto Amon this time.

"But there's a simpler solution to this than brute force." Amon adjusted his jacket and brushed his whiskers. "Like I said, House Noir's faith in the Penworths has waned with these recent misfortunes, so it's best we turn our support to more reliable sources. For instance, the Talbots."

"The Senbo royal family?" Ceran asked.

Amon nodded. "We Noirs actually helped fund money into their upcoming project when we caught wind of it, all for the luxurious chance to test it alongside other nobles. As you can imagine, it's a goldmine for greedy forest imps to pilfer away while everyone's celebrating and drunk. Simply capture a Forester, and force the information out of them. Then I will ride valiantly into battle to save my beloved, where she will be so grateful that she'll finally accept my proposal and become my devoted wife."

Roscoe blinked twice, then leaned toward Matthias. "Ooookay, I see what you were talking about."

"Yep."

Noel scoffed. "As if I'm entrusting a sleezy rat like you marry my daughter, much less rescue her."

Amon sighed. "Your eyes, tone, and soul say that you hate me, yet they are in denial at the shining son-in-law you will soon acquire." He ran his paw through his hair. "Yes, I can picture it now. Trembling in her cage, weak and powerless to her captors, until her brave, handsome fiancé easily dispatches the riffraff and carries her away into the sunset."

Ceran deadpanned. "You really don't know our daughter too well, do you?"

"ENOUGH!" All eyes fell back onto Roscoe, who finally had enough with everyone's arguing. "If it will get you people to leave, I will send a letter to King Talbot and have his knights on the lookout for any Foresters that invade his party. If one is captured, we'll at least wring Ms. Freia's current status out of them, and hopefully the princess'. Am I clear?"

Amon smiled. "Absolutely. Though, I will double our efforts by attending myself. Though I may be your average, devilishly talented and gorgeous Torracat nobleman, I am fairly skilled in combat. No Forester will be prepared for me."

Roscoe rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just leave, all of you."

Amon shrugged, bowed to him, and went on his way. Ceran wrapped his tail around Noel's wrist and gently tugged her. "Let's go, dear. I'm sure Luna will turn up soon enough."

Noel sighed. "…Right." She lifted her ax onto her shoulder and followed her husband. She stopped a moment to shoot a dirty glare over at Roscoe before leaving the foyer.

Roscoe finally relaxed his arms and sighed. "Not in the mood for any of this."

Matthias lifted his sword and returned it to its scabbard. "A mother's rage should never be underestimated, Your Majesty. I fear she will make good on her threat if we don't get some confirmation of Luna's safety."

"I have made it clear to that devil woman that searching the forest is near impossible. That party is the only chance they may get should the Foresters act on their greedy instincts." Roscoe glared off to the side. "For the better, hopefully."

"Then what do you suggest we do in the meantime?"

Roscoe crossed his arms. "Assemble a team to scout for any advancing soldiers under the New Chariot banner. Our current priority should be preventing an invasion."

"What about the investigation on Sir Gerard?"

"Forget about it." Roscoe turned his back to the black knight and huffed. "There is no longer a mystery to chase. With Theobald and Ydalyn on the run, we can only assume they are miscreants or thieves like their forest-dwelling allies."

Matthias glared. "Lady Freia seemed to believe as much."

"She was a sleep-deprived Snivy. There is no mystery worth searching. Assemble that scouting team and ensure us that New Chariot does not get within a kilometer of our territory." Roscoe marched back to the training hall.

Matthias watched the king leave with a reluctant glare. "…As you wish, Your Majesty."