The Outlands. Kingdom territory that was wracked with crime and unrest, far too much to quell overnight. These lands were the breeding grounds of the worst of the worst in Virdis. Laws hung by a thread, resources had to be fought for, and not a single good soul to turn to in your desperate hour.

It was also the perfect place to disappear.

Far out in a rocky valley, a couple miles from the nearest town, stood an abandoned lodge barely hanging in against the elements. Dents were littered across the roof due to falling rock, the wood was weathered down from the winds and sand, and it carried a foul odor as if something died beneath the foundation. It was practically inhospitable, yet it served its basic function for the squatters taking up residence inside.

Occupying the dilapidated shack were the infamous jailbirds, the Dukes of Buzzard, battered and beaten from their long venture away from civilization. Once a group of seven criminals looking for easy cash, all that remained of them were five. Technically four.

Rogier the Poliwrath stood by the windows, searching for any signs of trouble lurking outside. He had scars across his body, as if he was caught in a whirlwind of razor blades months ago.

Frank the Throh sat in the back corner of the shack, meditating. His right arm was severed from his shoulders. He had wrapped bandages around his shoulder to spare his team the unsightly wound left in its place.

Marsaili the Wigglytuff stood by a dusty couch, feeding something to Terrick as he lay on his back. She had a chunk of her left ear ripped off, leaving behind a reddish gash that had since healed. It stung occasionally, but she learned to live with it.

Compared to his teammates, Terrick the Sawsbuck seemed to have gotten off easy, as there wasn't a single wound afflicted to his body. However, the depths of his state were far worse than any of their own. Though physically fine, his mind wasn't. For the last several months, he had been unresponsive to the outside world. His eyes were glazed over, and he couldn't perform most basic functions beyond breathing.

Marsaili carefully poured the liquified food down his throat and massaged his neck so that everything went down. She winced as a bit of slobber leaked out from the corner of his mouth and fell onto her hand. "Gross…" She shook her head and got the last of the mush down.

"How is he?" Frank asked, not looking up from his meditation.

Marsaili groaned. "Same as the last hundred times you asked: a vegetable."

"No need to be snappy."

She turned and glared at him. "Why am I the one stuck with babysitting his dead ass, anyway?"

"Because you're the only one of us who still has two hands…" Frank opened one eye and peeked at Rogier. "Only one of us with two hands that are delicate, at least."

She rolled her eyes and set Terrick's head back onto the pillow. "How long is he going to be like this? I do not want to be his frickin' nanny for the rest of my life."

"Hard to say," Frank said. "Whatever that quack, Underhill, did to him, it isn't an ailment that can be cured through physical therapy. Based on what I know, that Underhill fellow is a skilled doctor."

Marsaili smirked dryly. "Really? What made you think Dr. Underhill was a doctor?"

"What I mean…is that he may have been a doctor that worked at those old asylums."

She frowned. "An asylum, huh?" She looked back at Terrick and stroked his head.

"They take in anyone who looks like they're nuts. Doctors like that are trained in something called psychic therapy. It helps remove ailments of the mind, whether natural or mentally implemented. It's good work, except…I've heard dark tales of those places." Frank shook his head. "It was less about helping people and more about experimentation, like pushing the limits of a Pokémon's mind. Nowadays, we try to move away from those types of facilities, but they're still around somewhere."

Marsaili glared. "So, does that mean Terrick's…dead?"

"I can't say. Amos got the doctor pretty good in the leg while he was torturing Terrick, so perhaps it interrupted the process. We would need to find a specialist on this stuff."

Marsaili scowled. "That coward, Amos. I hope he's good and dead."

Frank shook his head. "We were under fire trying to escape. I don't blame him for running. He's smart. He probably found some way to survive out there."

"Probably living all high and mighty while the rest of us are fending for our lives," Marsaili grumbled. She plopped down on the couch and crossed her arms. "Good riddance to him, I say."

Frank finally opened his eyes and glared at her. "He was our teammate, Marsaili, regardless of your personal grievances with him. We must pay our respects to our teammates who've fallen. Amos, Terrick…Ainsley."

She frowned for a moment as she stroked Terrick's head, then scoffed. "Oh, like you're so noble. You helped destroy Braveville or whatever when that bandit raid plunged it into flames."

"Boldvale, and I only joined in to find some worthy competition." He sighed and shook his head. "I haven't had a decent fight since that Hakomo-o and Aron back in Algus…and while I was still apprenticing under my master."

"Master, huh?"

"Can't say he would have approved my jaunt around Boldvale, but I haven't seen him in…I don't know, over two decades. He's probably in his fifties by now, or dead."

"What was he like?"

"Heh. He had a reputation. He was a monster of a Pokémon. They say one punch triggered a pocket of magma beneath the ground and caused it to erupt. His legs can create earthquakes with each step. They say he once backhanded a mountain and turned it to dust. They called him…the God of Destruction."

Marsaili shook her head. "Sounds fake. No one's that strong."

"I've been around for forty long years, Marsaili. I can assure you, there have been stranger Pokémon in this world."

She sighed. "Great, more weirdos to look out for."

Their heads perked up to the low grumbling. They turned to Rogier, who turned away from the window and held his stomach. He narrowed his eyes and looked at them. "When's lunch? I'm starving."

Marsaili sneered. "Says the guy who ate all our leftovers last night."

Frank shook his head. "Althalos just left. He'll pick up some lunch and more groceries."

"He better be back soon. I can't think without some grub," Rogier mumbled.

Marsaili smirked. "I never realized you were starving to death every day, Rogi."

"The hell does that mean?!"

"It means you're a dumbass! The only frickin' word you would probably understand in that peanut brain of yours!"

"Listen here, bitch…!"

Frank narrowed his eyes as they screamed at each other, hurling all manner of insults that he couldn't be bothered to listen to. "I'll just…take the next shift." He got up and walked over to the window, completely unnoticed by the bickering pair.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

They tried their hardest to escape. Weeks of planning finally realized with their attempted escape out of the prison. It took so much time to dig their escape tunnel, but they managed to dig far enough to make it into the prison mines. It seemed like they were home free, but they didn't account for their visitor to sneak up on them.

Althalos and his team looked up in horror as the Hypno doctor took hold of Terrick's head and zapped him with a blinding psychic light. They watched the Sawsbuck convulse and squirm in his tranced state, trying his hardest to break free. Standing besides the doctor were a Milotic and a Skuntank, both unfazed by their employer's cruel methods.

Dr. Cain Underhill smirked. "Fall into endlessness, you useless pawn—"

BANG!

Cain recoiled and dropped Terrick as something pierced through his leg. He grabbed his bleeding leg and saw a stone embedded into the skin. He looked up and singled out the Gligar standing behind Althalos with sand swirling around his pincer.

"Well, I tried to give you lot a peaceful death…" Cain let go of his leg and pulled out his pendulum. "But it seems I need to take more gruesome measures."

Althalos summoned his Abyss Clouds. "Run, now!" He fired dark clouds at the trio.

Milotic jumped forward. "Aqua Tail!" Water swirled around her tail, and she struck the clouds, scattering them into harmless pieces in the air.

Skuntank opened the tip of his tail. "Death Fog." He sprayed a jet of purple gas from his tail, hurtling toward Amos.

"Look out!" Althalos pushed Amos out of the way. The gas struck his left hand and instantly caused it to sizzle. He pulled his hand out of the mist and clutched his wrist, screaming in agony. The gas lingered around his hand as it ate away at his spectral flesh.

"I'm going to enjoy butchering you idiots!" Ainsley jumped around off the mine's walls. Skuntank tried sprayed her, but the wind barrier surrounding her blew it away. "That won't get through! My wind barrier is impenetrable!"

Milotic sprang into the air. "Frost Whip Tail!" She summoned up her Aqua Tail again, this time mixed with Blizzard, and smashed it down on Ainsley's wind barrier.

Ainsley grinned wildly. "What did I tell you? That won't—" Her eyes widened as her barrier started to break apart with ice crystals forming within the winds. The currents surrounding her drastically slowed down. "What the—"

"A quick splash of cold to slow down those currents," Milotic said. "It's nothing but a thin sheet of ice." She whipped her tail and smacked Ainsley into the escape tunnel entrance.

Cain snapped his fingers. "Kill her." Skuntank turned on Ainsley and opened his tail. The dazed Absol barely picked herself up as Skuntank fired. Her eyes widened as the purple gas came right at her before being swallowed within its clutches.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"Sir?"

Althalos snapped awake and looked around. He wasn't in prison like he thought, but in town. He slowly came to, shaking away the dizziness spiraling in his mind, before turning to the confused Skarmory manning the stall in front of him.

"I…sorry." He shook his head and handed the stall owner a list. "I need everything on this list."

The metal bird held it in his wing and glared. "That's, uh…quite a lot of food you're asking for. Big party? A raid?" He looked up at the Dusknoir and raised his brow. "You?"

Althalos glared. "Watch it."

"Fine, fine." He looked over the list again. "Yeah, I've got what you need, but it'll take a while to get everything together. Two hours, at least."

"Two hours?"

"You think I just keep a stock of food available under this tiny stand? I have to get it from our warehouse." Skarmory crossed his wings. "What's the matter? You in a rush?"

"Sort of." He looked over his shoulder and glared at the Pokémon walking around. He didn't seem anyone out of the ordinary, or anyone strange, but he had an unnerving chill crawling up his back that he couldn't explain. "Fine, but it better just be two hours."

Skarmory nodded. "Very good, sir. That'll be fifty bits." Althalos dropped the coins down on the table. Skarmory quickly counted them up, but frowned. "This is only twenty-five."

"I'm not an idiot. This is the Outlands. You want the rest of your money? You better come back in two hours with my order."

Skarmory scoffed. "You think you can haggle with me or something? How do I know you ain't trying to cheat me out of—" He froze as Althalos pressed his hook hand under the bird's chin, dragging the metal tip along his metallic skin.

"I can and WILL kill you if you try anything. Any funny business whatsoever, I'll make sure you die screaming until your last breath. Don't. Test me," he growled. "Clear?"

The metal bird gulped and backed away from Althalos. "Crystal."

"Then get me my order." Althalos pulled his hook away and let the bird scamper off in a hurry. He sighed and shook his head. "I hate this place."

It was difficult for the old ghost to let his guard down, especially in a crime-infested region such as the Outlands. There was a time where he could confidently roam the streets with Pokémon looking to him with respect. He was once a notable crime lord dealing in the black market, now just a shell of his former glory. When had Althalos ever gotten scared of anyone?

He knew what changed. Ever since he made a deal with Terrowin to help him deliver Wraith across Virdis, his life spiraled into a whole new direction he never thought possible. If not for that deceiving Pokémon, would Althalos still be wasting away in his broken home, all by himself? He took that chance to seize power and become something greater than who he was, but now he had nothing but scraps and a broken team.

It didn't help that every time he looked over his shoulder, he got a foreboding sense something was out of the ordinary. He and the Dukes traveled far to get away from it all, to get away from the bounty hunters no doubt attempting to cash in on their bounty. They could easily dispatch any who hunted them down, but…

Althalos knew who exactly was on their tail.

With a sigh, he turned away from the stall and floated down the street. "Two hours. I don't like the idea of waiting around here, but I guess I have no choice. Still, everything seems clear for now—"

A crash sounded nearby, alerting the ghost. He almost whipped his hooked hand out from under his cloak, but scanned the area and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He narrowed his eye and listened in on his surroundings.

"…Tay away. Stay away from me!"

Althalos turned his head. He detected the voice coming from somewhere on the next street over. Normally, he would leave it be and go on with his day, but the voice not only sounded distressed, but young. A kid, definitely. He assumed it might be some street rat who messed with the wrong guy, nothing unexpected in the Outlands, though he didn't know too many children running around in the Outlands that could live for so long out here.

"Curious." Althalos phased through the ground and stealthily slithered toward the source of the commotion.

A young Pignite charged through the street, crashing into everything in her way and tripping over her red and white-striped scarf. She looked over her shoulder and saw a Shiinotic and Excadrill chasing her down. She shrieked and doubled her speed.

A Grass Knot formed in front of her and caught her foot. She tripped over herself and rolled into a stack of barrels, knocking them down on top of her. She pushed one off, but froze as two shadows loomed over her. She felt the icy stares of her pursuers beating down on her, like two demons eying up a juicy sacrifice.

She dared to look up at them. Both wore heavy cloaks that concealed most of their bodies, but she could see the armor they wore underneath. The center of the chest plate bared the symbol of a spear overlapped by a reptilian head that glared at those who stared at it.

"You've caused us a lot of trouble, you little imp," Shiinotic said.

The Pignite sat up and retreated inside her winter coat. "S-Stay away. Stay away from me!"

Excadrill pulled a wanted poster from his hidden pocket and looked it over. "No can do, squirt. The emperor made it clear you were to be captured by any means necessary. Can't say I understand why, but the emperor's word is absolute."

"Now, come here." Shiinotic reached out for her.

The Pignite's eyes shrank. "No…no! Don't touch me! Please, don't touch me!" She scooted as far back from them as she could, tears welling up in her eyes. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Will you shut up?!" Shiinotic growled. He lunged at her. "You're coming with us—"

Dark clouds sprung up from beneath the two and snatched them into the air. The Pignite girl froze with hot tears running down her face, watching her pursuers struggling in the strange dark matter.

"What is this stuff?!" Shiinotic yelled.

"It's…crushing me!" Excadrill groaned.

"I'm by no means a stranger when it comes to reprehensible acts—" Their eyes widened. Slowly, they turned their heads and locked eyes with the Dusknoir who towered over them. His hand was wrapped in the same dark matter that ensnared them. "But harming children is a pretty big low a bastard like me can't overlook."

"You…" Shiinotic growled and struggled harder in the dark clouds. "Release us at once, you swine! You have no idea who you are messing with!"

Althalos pulled them closer and parted the clouds to look over their armor. He glared and said, "That symbol. It's the crest of the New Chariot emperor. You're soldiers of Emperor Nero."

Excadrill bared his teeth. "Unhand us from your wicked magic, fiend. You stand before the greatest military power of Virdis. You will learn to respect this crest after our glorious emperor crushes your feeble lands and repossesses them under new authority."

Althalos huffed. "I submit to no one. I've heard the rumors that soldiers from the empire were going around trying to turn civilians against their kingdoms."

"The day of reckoning comes soon enough, you worthless lout!" Shiinotic exclaimed. "Nothing can stop our glorious emperor from seizing the power he so rightfully deserves. You either bow in the name of his greatness, or be forced to serve as entertainment in the colosseum until you break."

Althalos glanced at the quivering Pignite, glared, and looked back at the soldiers. "What does the kid have to do with this?"

"She is none of your concern," Excadrill hissed. "She is a wanted criminal who escaped captivity many years ago, and must be recaptured by any means necessary. We've been searching for her for six long years."

"She looks no more than thirteen," Althalos said. "What is this about?"

"You are no longer in the position to ask us questions, dog!" Shiinotic growled. "Release us, or die!"

Althalos narrowed his eye. "Dog?" He lowered his head and chuckled darkly. The soldiers eased up and looked unnervingly at the laughing ghost. "I tried playing nice, but you two make it just too easy." He lifted his hand and clenched his fingers. "If I'm a dog, then you're lunch." He squeezed his hand shut.

The Abyss Clouds wrapped the soldiers in tight cocoons. They screamed within their confines, punching and struggling to free themselves. The Pignite girl looked up at Althalos with fear in her eyes as the clouds squeezed around the soldiers. Their screams turned into bloodcurdling wails, followed by a sickening snapping of bones before the clouds crushed their inner contents into tight balls. Silence followed afterwards.

Althalos flicked his hand and discarded the lumps of plant and meat into an alleyway. "I feel sorry for the poor chump who has to clean that up." He turned back to the shivering Pignite girl. "…Hey."

She flinched under his gaze and hid beneath her scarf. "P-Please don't…kill me."

He glared at her. "Don't be stupid. I'm not going to kill you. I'm not going to do anything to you." He lowered down to her level and looked her in the eyes. "What I want to know is why those guys were after you."

She frowned and turned away. "I…I don't want to…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, I don't want to…"

He stared at her quivering form for a moment before sighing. "Useless. Whatever." He reached out to her. "Can you at least tell me you have somewhere to go—"

"AAAHHH!" Althalos nearly jumped as the poor girl backed away behind a barrel. She looked like he just pulled a knife on her. "Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"…" He calmly pulled his hand back into his cloak. "Alright, I'm not going to lay a hand on you."

She narrowed her eyes sadly as tears flowed down her face. "I-I'm sorry, but…I don't want anyone to…y-you just can't. I—"

"Whatever." She gasped as Althalos straightened up and turned away. "You can clearly take care of yourself if you've been ducking out of New Chariot's notice for six years. Just stay out of trouble next time."

"B-But—"

"But nothing. I've got more important things to do than babysit some screeching brat." He gave her a half-hearted wave and went back the way he came through.

The Pignite girl watched him leave, clutching to the barrel she hid behind. She whimpered and pressed her face down into the surface.

With the spare coins he had left, Althalos entered a shop and purchased some to-go sandwiches for the team. He figured they were starting to go hungry with the lack of food back at the hideout. Tensions were high among them with their lives hanging by a thread, and Althalos was doing all he could to keep the peace.

"Here you go, sir," the Nosepass said, placing the bag down on the counter. "Will that be all?"

"Should be," he grumbled as he picked up the bags. He paused for a moment, then glanced over his shoulder. He could've sworn he saw an orange head darting away from the door.

"Sir?"

Althalos glared, then turned back to the Nosepass. "One more sandwich. And an apple." The Nosepass quickly whipped together the extra order and handed it off to the ghost. He dropped some extra coins on the counter and headed outside.

He scanned the street and spotted a lump of orange in a green coat. He extended his finger and activated his Poltergeist, dragging the Pignite out from her cover. She yelped and buried her head inside her scarf.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to follow you!"

Althalos released his spectral hold on her and floated over to her. She instantly froze at his closeness, but relaxed as he placed a wrapped up sandwich on the ground with an apple on top. Confused, she picked up the items and looked them over, inspecting them like they might've been poisoned.

"Why are you—" She looked up and gasped as Althalos started to leave. "Hey, wait!" She followed after him, but kept her distance once she caught up. "Um, thank you."

"Whatever."

She looked down at the food in her hands. "Um…and thank you for saving me from those soldiers. I-I mean it."

He sighed. "Weren't you scared of me twenty minutes ago?"

"I…no, I wasn't. I just…don't like being touched. I hate it. I'm…scared."

"That so? How come?"

"I…I don't want to say. I—"

"Too painful to think about?" She looked up at him and nodded weakly. Althalos sighed and shook his head. "Then I won't ask."

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you."

"Compared to some people I know, you're a welcomed change of pace."

She looked at his cloak and saw his hook hand peeking underneath. "What happened to your hand?"

"Lost it, obviously."

She pouted. "Rude." She took an aggressive bite out of her apple and munched on it. "What brought you all the way out here in the Outlands?"

"Running. Broke out of prison some months ago." Althalos looked around his shoulder again. "This is the only place I can hide from the law…unfortunately, the least of my concerns."

"Oh." She took another bite of her apple, then frowned. "I ran away from the New Chariot Empire six years ago, when I was seven."

"How'd you manage that?" He saw her tensing up again. "…Never mind."

"Th-Thing is, I…" She scratched her arm awkwardly. "I don't actually remember what happened when I escaped. I remember trying to run away, some soldiers grabbed me, and…everything's a blank after that. I remember waking up a couple kilometers away from the empire's capital, and I started running again. I tried hiding in the Algus Kingdom and hoped they wouldn't find me.

"I met this nice family on the mountains. They were blacksmiths. They let me stay with them for a while, but…I got scared when I saw New Chariot soldiers looking for me. I was freaking out and…everything went blank again. I remember crying a lot. And screaming. Lots and lots of screaming."

Althalos narrowed his eye. "That is…strange." He looked down at her. "You were a slave, right?"

She nodded. "I don't even know who my parents are. I never met them. Someone told me they were killed. I…I don't know what they wanted with me. They just kept me in a cell. They kept me fed and stuff like that. Made sure I was healthy and eating well. I have vague memories of the experience."

"They just…kept you locked up." Althalos glared. "Strange. They throw males into the colosseum to fight for their freedom, and they make the women into servants. Slaves in New Chariot don't just sit around in prison cells their whole lives. Did they ever tell you why they kept you locked up?"

She shook her head. "No. I think some of the guards were scared to come near me when I was upset."

What a strange kid. Althalos rubbed his chin. I wonder if there's a bounty to cash in on her. If New Chariot wants her back that badly, the fortune would be amazing. He paused for a moment. On the other hand, I still don't know what they want with this kid. I've heard the horror stories, and I wouldn't feel right if this kid was being kept around for something…horrible.

He sighed and shook his head. "What's your name, kid?"

"Hmm?" She finished the last of her apple and chucked the core away. "I'm Hapi."

"…Althalos." He reached out to her, but she tensed up at his hand. "Right. No touching." He switched to his hook hand. "Will this suffice?"

Hapi carefully inspected the hook before reaching and shaking it. "Nice to meet you, sir."

He sighed. "Listen, I have some time to kill. We should try and find some accommodations for you if you want to stay out of the open. Those soldiers were chumps, but hoards of them are a bloodthirsty massacre waiting to be unleashed. I've been in this town for a few weeks. I could probably persuade someone to look after you."

"But…isn't everyone here a criminal?"

"Not everyone. Some folks just like the lawlessness of the Outlands. There's a lot to learn out here." He nodded down the street. "This way. I might know a fellow that can help."

Hapi smiled softly. "Thank you."

Frank ripped the bandages off his limbless side and grabbed a new roll of gauze. He winced at the ugly scar left behind from where his shoulder was severed. "I swear, if I ever see that doctor again, I'm going to crush his skull between my fingers." He unrolled the gauze with his teeth and started wrapping up his wound.

He deadpanned at the commotion happening in the back. Rogier and Marsaili went into their pathetic excuse of a kitchen in search of any remaining scraps left behind in the pantries. They were so desperate, they were tempted to eat any rotten meat laying around. Though it wasn't actual meat, Frank advised against eating anything growing mold. He was more concerned about one of them eating each other.

"Some days, I forget we're not in the Savage Era anymore," he grumbled to himself. He pulled the bandage tight against his arm.

He glanced out the window to look at the soft snow sitting around on the ground. If they weren't in the Wick Kingdom, which was noticeably hotter than some of the other kingdoms, a snowstorm would've been perfect to conceal their hideout. It ran the risk of shutting them in, but it couldn't be any worse than running from a bounty hunter.

"You better get back soon, Al. Things are falling apart over here." Frank continued tying the bandage around himself.

He let his eyes wander again at the snow, but stopped as he spotting something skipping past the window. Curious, he ducked his head back behind the window enough to obscure his face, but not enough that he couldn't see outside. He squinted at the object rolling by the shack, heading out of the valley and in the direction of town.

"Is that a…tumbleweed?"