"Flame Wheel!"

Pandora rolled through the streak as invisible tongue lashes snapped around her. She charged to their supposed source, but blew through without resistance. A whiplash cracked across her side and sent her spiraling out of the Flame Wheel.

"Where was that supposed genius again?" Otis' voice projected around her. "You're behaving more like a child pretending she's brilliant."

Pandora picked herself up and growled. "You don't know me!" She wrapped into Flame Wheel again and spun toward where Otis should be. However, even as she saw the visible flicker of distortion from her invisible opponent, she passed by without landing a hit.

"As if I'm leaving myself open to your silly antics." His tongue shot from the air and slashed her out of the flames.

"AAAHHH!" Pandora rolled onto her back and held her stomach, the area she was struck. "Stupid, invisible-fighting jackass!"

She heard another whipcrack and rolled just in time. A small hole was punched into the spot she was laying. She rolled onto her paws and broke into a limping sprint as more whipcracks sounded behind her. She squeaked and jumped as the cracking sounds got closer. She saw bits of the ground being shaved off by unseen lashings, closing in on the frantically fleeing Growlithe.

"This. Is. So. STUPID!" Pandora yelled. "Flame Wheel!" She rolled herself up into flames and sped down the street.

For a moment, as she raced around corners and tight alleys, she thought she escaped her invisible pursuer. However, no sooner as she sighed in relief, more whipcracks came down from above. She shrieked, nearly swerving off path, and sped up to escape the barrage of tongue lashes.

"Do you have anything better to do?!" she yelled. He must be using the roofs to follow me. Ugh, I can't shake this guy!

Her assertion seemed correct as, though she was spinning, flickers of refracted light rained down around her before the sound of whipcracks. She couldn't tell which side of the street they were coming from due to Otis' precise movements, but it was a start.

In that case, I'm taking this fight off the streets. But where to? As she turned onto a street, she noticed one of the street signs. Hey, I recognize this street. Oh my gosh, this is where our inn was! Perfect!

Pandora tore through the street until she saw the inn on her right. She made a sharp turn and blew through the doors, startling guests inside the lobby. A Sudowoodo innkeeper gasped and dropped behind the front counter as Pandora crashed into it.

She slumped up against the counter upside-down, holding her aching head. "Note to self: never turn that fast ever again."

The sound of screaming guests and whipcrack drew her attention back to the front doors. Little refractions of light shimmered through the broken door with some debris scattered on the floor being disturbed. She instinctively dodged to her left just as a whipcrack slashed down the middle of the counter.

"You're kidding, right? All you did was make it easier for me to track you," Otis said, still making it unclear to his exact position. "You had a better chance staying outdoors."

Pandora picked herself up. "Actually, you're on my turf now, wise guy. Let's see how long you can play hide-and-seek for. Toxic!" She spat a glob of poison onto the ground, which exploded into a cloud of smog.

She saw movement through the poison and took her chance to bolt out of the lobby. She dashed under some furniture and dove through the doors leading into the kitchen. Her presence startled the cooks currently working.

"Hey, what are you doing here?!" a Chatot yelled, flying up to her with a spatula. "Get out of here or—"

"Zip it!" Pandora snatched him with Psychic Fangs and tossed him into his fellow employees. "Scram, you losers! NOW!" The chefs yelped and ran out through the emergency exit in the back. She nodded to herself and started running through the kitchen. "Got to work fast!"

Otis jumped away from the toxic gas and fanned it away from his face. Stupid girl. He looked around and noticed she disappeared from the lobby. Lost her. Perfect.

He approached the counter and bent down, feeling up the hardwood floor. He spotted droplets of blood to the counter's right, his left. Based on how they were splattered, he could tell she escaped on his left, perfectly obscured by the toxic cloud still filling the lobby. He tiptoed in the blood's direction.

He found more blood under a table and smeared against an armchair, likely from rubbing up against it in her escape. He dropped his invisibility for a moment and stood up, examining the lobby.

"Where, oh where, did she flee to?"

He turned to his right and spotted a pair of doors with a sign marked Kitchen. There were no broken/open windows or exit doors on this side of the lobby, so the only other place she could escape to had to be the kitchen. He glared cautiously at it.

To escape into there, though? She might be arming herself with knives or flour to reveal my location. Pepper to blind me or irritate my tongue. She's a Forester. She's a crafty sort, probably planning a trap to throw me off my guard. The time for mockery is over. I have to be ready for whatever clever plan she has cooking away in there.

He activated Camouflage again and crept toward the kitchen doors. He took a deep breath and lunged through, planning to roll through whatever tripwire set-up or trap that lay in waiting for him.

To his surprise, no bag of flour dumped on his head, nor was the floor greased with anything to trip him up. The kitchen, as far as he was concerned, looked like a normal kitchen. Granted, she only escaped his sight for at least two minutes. It was hardly enough time to cobble together a complex system of traps to do him in.

Otis stuck his tongue out and crept through the kitchen. She has to know I'm here by now. He slipped around the counter and snuck past the emergency exit and some unmarked barrels. There aren't too many places to hide. Only other place could be—

He stopped and turned to a metal door, sealing off the kitchen's freezer system. A cold room maintained by the power of Ice-Types, designed to preserve food for the long term. A Fire-Type could easily survive in there if they needed to hide.

"Heh." Otis approached the freezer and grabbed the handle. "Sorry lass, but this is where we part—" He threw the door open, then frowned. "—ways?"

A blast of cold air hit him, but nothing inside the freeze indicated there to be a Growlithe. He glared and stepped inside the narrow passage, rubbing his arms as his flimsy clothes did nothing to insulate him. He looked up and down the shelves lined with frozen ingredients, yet not a single Growlithe stood out inside.

"Strange. Where else could she be?"

"Surprise attack!"

A clattering of utensils followed the war cry. Otis turned around and was tackled by the maniacal Growlithe. With the narrow passage of the freezer, it gave Pandora an easy target to hit. She slammed Otis into the back and smashed through the shelving unit, dropping frozen ingredients on both of them.

"Get OFF!" Otis used Slash through his tongue and knocked her off. He took a moment to catch his breath and glared at her. "Where were you?"

Pandora stood up and grinned. "I was hiding inside those barrels."

Otis glared and noticed she was dripping wet with something, though he couldn't tell what with the cold air stinging his nostrils. "Okay, that was stupid of me not to check, but you just sealed your doom."

She beckoned him over. "Come at me, wise guy!" She turned and bolted back into the kitchen.

Otis chased her down and flailed his tongue after her. Pandora slid behind the counter, picked up a knife container, and chucked it over the countertop. Otis knocked it out of the air, sending knives flying out. He swung his tongue into the freezer, grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables, and flung it at her.

Pandora dodged it and retaliated by chucking spoons at him. Otis charged through them without a care and whipped his tongue around Pandora's neck. He pulled her out from cover and threw her against the wall. She shrieked from the impact as it exasperated the injuries on her back. He lifted her up and threw her to the ground.

"Enough games." Otis retracted his tongue and pressed his foot down on her chest. "You're coming with me, Forester. No more tricks, no more games, and no more run—" He paused a moment and glared in confusion. He smacked his tongue around inside his mouth.

Pandora smirked. "Problem?"

"What the—what am I tasting?" He grimaced and wiped his hand across his tongue. "What are you covered in?"

"Hmm, let me think…" she mused playfully. "Probably all that cooking oil I mixed into those barrels of ale I found."

"…" Otis' eyes widened in realization. "You didn't—"

"Surprise attack!"

Otis immediately jumped off her before she could grab him. "You're insane! Hollow Style: Phantom Whip!" He shot his tongue at her, aiming for her face.

To his horror, Pandora took the hit dead on, but directly to her open mouth instead. The second she felt the throbbing pain hit the back of her throat, she clamped her teeth down on his tongue before it could retreat. "Flame Wheel!" She coiled herself in fire and bowled through the kitchen.

Otis turned around and saw his back was parallel to the emergency exit and the contaminated barrels. "No…" His eyes widened as the flames around Pandora grew in size, burning from the ale and cooking oil she was drenched in. "You insane bitch—"

BOOOOOOM!

Percival sipped on his canteen passively listening to the occasional explosion in the distance. He looked apathetic to the noise while his team looked on in concern. One of the Kirlia, a male, turned to Percival and asked, "Should we do something?"

Percival shook his head. "We need to conserve our energy for the trip back. One miscalculation makes the difference between a safe arrival and teleporting within the occupied space of a mountain."

The Clefable drummed her fingers together. "I thought this was an extraction mission, though. Why is everyone breaking out into fights?"

Percival glared. Jason should've been back by now, too. What's keeping him?

The Xatu suddenly turned his head. "Someone approaches."

Percival capped his canteen and stashed it on his waist. As he levitated up, he spotted a few Pokémon running out from around the corner. It was Marie, Lillia, and Adenine. To his horror, however, they were carrying an unconscious Melissa over their shoulders.

"Medic! We need a medic!" Marie yelled.

The female Kirlia raised her hand. "Um…I'm sort of trained?"

"Good enough!"

The girls slowed down once they reached the teleporters and set Melissa in front of the Kirlia. She immediately kneeled down and checked the unconscious Buneary over. Percival floated over to the girls and said, "You all are in big trouble, you know that—"

"Save it, Percy!" Marie snapped. "This day was punishment enough for all of us!"

Percival deepened his glare on her. His eyes wandered between their faces, where he noted the signs of tears on Adenine's face. She sniffled to herself while Lillia rubbed her back comfortingly. He turned back to Marie and noted the distressed look on her face. He wasn't sure what transpired in that castle, but he reasoned a lecture was out of the question for now.

"We'll talk about this later." He turned to the Kirlia tending to Melissa. "Celeste, how is she?"

She frowned as she opened Melissa's eyes, then looked up at the girls. "What happened?"

Marie crossed her arms. "Prince Darby Tetrarch fed her a love potion without any of us realizing. I think she drank something else with it, though. I know love potions, and it doesn't cause you to pass out like this."

Celeste felt around Melissa until finding something hidden inside her dress. She pulled out thin, cylindrical container. She popped the cap off and dumped a pellet into her hand. "What are these?"

Percival's eyes widened. "Wait, I've seen those. That's the poison Shade's been developing. He was teaching Melissa how to make it."

"W-Will she be okay?" Adenine asked.

He frowned. "I don't know much about it, but it's non-fatal. I think it lulls you into a deep sleep. Enough time to capture someone if needed."

"But she's been out for a half hour!" Lillia exclaimed.

Celeste popped the pellet back in its container. "She's not in immediate danger, but we need to get her back to Shade so he can administer the antidote."

Percival glared at the girls. "Where's Jason and the others?"

Lillia pointed over her shoulder. "Um…Pan and Hedwig are fighting some bounty hunters. I have no idea where Basil and Leon are. Annnnnd…last we saw Jason, he was confronting Darby."

"He's WHAT?!" Percival gasped. "He should've been back by now."

Marie glared. "I heard his tone when he told us to leave. It sounded serious…"

Percival growled. "That idiot…don't tell me he's going to—" He shook his head. "Screw protocol, I need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!"

Right as he was about to teleport, Marie grabbed his shoulder. "I'll go get him. You need to conserve your energy."

"Marie, you're retired. I can't have you—"

"You forced me to retire from my position, Percy. Just because my leg's busted doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. I can still fight."

"Marie—"

"Someone needs to get him under control if the worst happens, and that someone is me." She glared off to the side. "Not that I want to stop him after what that creep did to Melissa…"

"Marie…"

"Just let me go! You and I both know I'm the only one of us with the training to deal with the worst."

"…" Percival rubbed his face and groaned. "Ten minutes. No more, no less."

She nodded. "Okay." She turned and nodded at the girls. "Keep watch while I'm gone." She hopped past them.

Lillia turned after her. "Keep watch of wha—" But just as she turned, the Mawile had already sped down the street at shockingly swift speed. She barely saw Marie before she disappeared around the corner. "…Wow." She glanced at Percival. "Was she always that swift?"

Percival pulled out his canteen and sipped his coffee with a grimace. "You have no idea."

Gaufroi kept his word to the prince and ran out into the city in search of his wayward beloved, hoping to catch up to her before she disappears into the day. A concerning thought that came to him was the harsh sounds of battle booming out deep within the city, followed by the haunting howls of something unnatural to pillars of smoke rising over the rooftops.

The Ursaring knight took noticed of his surroundings as damages became noticeable. The first signs of damage indicated a physical brawl topped off with a slinging of rocks. Stone pillars jutted out from the ground, some skewering buildings, and a layer of dust blew over in a light breeze. He spotted splotches of dried blood here and there.

He placed his hand against a building, still standing despite some damage to the exterior, and glared. "What a mess." He looked further down and squinted when he noticed something white sitting in front of a collapsed building. "Hold on…"

He jogged over the wreckage, but skidded to a halt when he recognized the figure sitting in the fetal position in front of the wreck. With his halberd twisted into a pretzel and a whimpering face, Serell rocked himself back and forth, mumbling gibberish Gaufroi couldn't begin to decipher even if he wanted to.

He looks like my granddad talking about the war. Gaufroi jogged over to Serell's side and kneeled down next to him. "Serell? What happened?"

"S-So…many…teeth…" was all he got as a response.

The bear hoisted the Togetic onto his rear. "Good grief, what happened to you?" He glared at the twisted halberd and picked it up. Aside from being bent out of shape, it also had teeth marks along the staff. He grimaced from a trail of slobber running down his hand. "This doesn't look right."

"Sh-She was crazy, I tell ya. C-Crazy!" Serell squeaked. "That snarling beast, she was. She had me pinned. I thought she was going to eat me for a moment. I could feel her hot breath baking my feathers, and those eyes boring into my soul. Is this divine punishment for the way I treat women? Arceus, forgive me for my sins!" He fell over into his arms and sobbed into them.

Gaufroi sighed and tossed the broken halberd aside. "Well, at least you're alive."

"Hey, you two!" Gaufroi looked up just as Ignacia swooped down onto the street. She sheathed her swords and asked, "Did you see that Salandit run this way?"

"Salandit?" Through all the confusion, Gaufroi nearly forgot about the one who instigated the chaos back in the castle. "No, I haven't seen him. I was looking for the other runaways, but it appears Serell here ran into one of them first."

"There was blood in those teeth…" the Togetic mumbled.

Ignacia slapped her forehead and groaned. "What a waste of time. I was chasing that little jerk and ran him into a dead end, but he just flippin' vanished on me when I grabbed him. I was looking right at him, too. How does he keep doing that?"

Gaufroi looked on ahead and glared. "By chance, is Stormbreaker still in the castle?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."

"Why didn't you go after him?"

"Just because he's a Pikachu doesn't mean I want anything to do with that unstable firework. Besides, if anything happens, my dad will intervene." She scratched her chin. "Haven't see the old bastard in a while, though. Why do you ask?"

Gaufroi pointed ahead. "There's still a chance we can catch the others before they escape. They'll likely be waiting for the rest of their team. You can search on ahead and alert us to their location."

Ignacia cracked her knuckles. "Works for me." She flapped her wings and took off into the air.

Gaufroi picked Serell up by his wings and gave him a firm slap across the face. "YOW! Sir, yes sir!" Serell shouted, breaking into a salute.

"Fly back to the castle and assemble the knights. Get the capture equipment ready."

Serell saluted again. "R-Right!" He slipped out of Gaufroi's grip and flew back to the castle.

Gaufroi nodded to himself before marching down the ruined street. He pulled his battle axe out and rested it upon his shoulder. "They need to be captured, but I give my word to the prince no harm shall befall Adenine, guilty or not."

The back of the inn was blown open by the explosion in the kitchen. Flames flew out onto the street, wrapping it in a growing inferno. By now, those who escaped the inn were running around in a blind panic as the flames spread down the street, calling for someone to put them out.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Otis emerged from the flames, clutching his head and screaming to the sky. The fire wrapped around him, fueled by his ale-stained clothes. The cooking oil mixed in with the barrels coated his skin and seared his face. Due to the fact his ability wasn't Color Change, he couldn't adapt to the fire. He feared what would've happened had he been a Grass or Ice-Type.

"That stupid bitch!" he roared. "Is she out of her mind?!"

"Got you where I want you."

He turned around and saw the Growlithe emerging from the flames. Scraps of her dress floated off her flame-covered body. She was nothing more than a silhouette cloaked in the inferno. An orange glow shimmered off her body, intensified the more she became consumed in fire. Her green eyes shined through the flames with an orange glow outlining them.

"What were you thinking?!" Otis screamed.

"That invisibility crap was irritating me, but I wasn't going to do something stupid like dump flour on you." She smirked. "I figured it would be much easier to blow up the entire street and set everything on fire!"

"Are you out of your mind—AAAAHHHH!" Otis dropped to his knees, clutching his face. "Oh Arceus, it burns!"

"What's the matter? I'm just a cute girl, right?"

"You're a devil!" he screamed.

She smirked. "No. I'm a supervillain." She pointed at him. "And now that were both trapped inside this arena of fire, there's no use fighting from a distance. So, go ahead, hit me with that tongue of yours. Let's hope your insides don't succumb to a slow roasting."

Otis snarled. "This was your plan? Surrounding me in fire just so you have an easy shot of beating me?"

"Only one way to find out." She beckoned him with her paw. "Are you man enough to strike a cute, helpless girl?"

"You stupid bitch! I'll kill you!" Otis fired a barrage of tongue lashes at her.

"Flame Wheel!" She wrapped herself in flames and sped through the inferno, dodging Otis' flurry of whiplashes.

Otis roared, flailing his tongue with greater speed and striking everything in its path. Pandora steered through his attacks, ducking further into the flames he was purposefully avoiding. "Hollow Style: Whirling Blade Storm!" His tongue glowed white with specs of shimmering green and flailed like a cyclone.

Pandora increased her speed as the whirling tongue chased her down, spinning flames around itself until it became its own inferno. "Is that the best you got?" she yelled before flying faster around the street.

Otis nearly barked back a retort, but stopped himself upon noticing something. The flames encroaching over the street were diminishing. For a moment, he assumed they were finally going out, but there was something wrong with the way they were being extinguished. Why were the flames swaying in one direction every time Pandora passed by them?

That's when he realized something else. Pandora's Flame Wheel was getting hotter. Each time it circled the inferno, Otis felt the heat rising and falling all around himself parallel to the Flame Wheel itself. Not only was it getting hotter, it was getting bigger. Much bigger.

The flames weren't being extinguished. They were being drawn into Pandora's Flame Wheel.

Otis' eyes widened upon this realization. Oh…shit.

He realized too late as the last of the flames around himself were sucked up in Pandora's Flame Wheel. She came to a stop and bounced up into the air, hovering above Otis like a miniature sun aiming to impact him. Otis screamed and ran for his life as Pandora careened after him like he was cursed with Lock-On.

"Get away, get away, get away!" he yelled, trying to shake her off, but Pandora's maneuverability through the air was unmatched. The flames were being used to sustain a glide while also steering her with propulsion. It was as if he was being chased by an angry fire spirit.

"You dare mock my status as a villain, bounty hunter?!" Pandora's booming, evil voice projected through the flames, her silhouetted body visible in the center. "You are unworthy to stand before my glorious self! For that, you will face the true wrath of a villain!"

"Mercy, MERCY!" he screamed.

"Exploding Villain Ignition Liberator: Villainous Cremation!"

There was no hope of escape. Pandora dove right on top of Otis and released all her energy at once. A flaming explosion detonated in the middle of the street and decimated the surrounding building. Walls and foundations were torn asunder in the flames, burned to a crisp, and sent scattered to the farthest reaches of the capital. The smooth streets blew apart with molten rock flying up and coming down like meteorites.

In the epicenter of the blast, a crater stood in the street with a smoking Pandora standing atop a crispy Otis. A thick cloud of smoke escaped Pandora's mouth as she took deep breaths. The last of her dress burned away with the smoke veiling most of her body. She trembled on her legs, eyes shaking with fervorous excitement.

"Ha. S-See that?" she taunted weakly. "That…is what happens when you mess with Overlord Pandora." She crawled out of the crater, struggling to lift herself out. "And don't you forget—oof, passing out."

Pandora collapsed on her face, her body hanging limply over the crater's edge. The injuries she received from Otis were cauterized by the heat of her final attack, burning the blood into unsightly scabs. The pain and the exhaustion brought on from her attack finally did her in.

But, in the end, she was happy to get the last laugh.

Percival floated back and forth, arms crossed and impatiently tapping his arm, while the others had their attention on the unconscious Buneary. With very little they could do, the best Celeste could offer was holding Melissa in her arms and checking every so often that she was still breathing. The Slowbro kneeled next to her, using his Heal Pulse to further help the sleeping rabbit.

"Are you absolute sure this stuff isn't poisonous, Boss?" Celeste asked.

Percival glared. "Positive."

Lillia stroked Melissa's head. "Not sure if this should be cause for concern, but Marie confirmed she drank something else. A love potion."

"Love potion?" Percival wanted to ask, but he felt it best to wait until they were back home and safe. He shook his head and said, "I trust Shade's word. If he says it won't kill her, it won't kill her. I don't know anything about love potions to know how it interacts with the poison."

Adenine frowned. "Ah feel so bad just sittin' here when we should be gettin' her back home."

"Believe me, I know, but we can't abandon Jason or the others. If Melissa were in serious danger, it'd be a different story." He glared. "Marie's ten minutes are almost up. I should just teleport them all over and get out of here now."

"But won't that affect our trip back?"

"Long-distance teleporting is a lot of preplanning and locating. It takes a lot of mental calculations to pull off, so even one slip-up can affect the return trip back. We may have to make a jump to the middle of nowhere and lay low before we can return to the base."

Adenine frowned. "Ah see."

Lillia continued stroking Melissa's head until her attention was suddenly drawn away. Her ears twitched, pointing her down the road. "What the?" She turned around and squinted. She focused her hearing to make out the sounds. Upon inspection, it sounded like a pair of stomping feet. "Do you guys hear that?"

Before anyone could voice their thoughts, the source of the noise stomped out from around the corner. Lillia and Adenine's eyes widened in horror, instantly recognized the person as the Rhyperior who ambushed them not too long ago. He looked beaten and winded, likely the handiwork of Hedwig, yet there was no sign of the savage Forester.

"It's him!" Lillia and Adenine gasped, ducking behind Percival.

"Him?" he asked.

"That's one of the bounty hunters who came after us!"

Percival's eyes widened open. He pulled out a handful of marbles from his pouch and pinched one between his fingers, aiming it at the Rhyperior. "That's far enough, tough guy!"

Steinar stopped walking to catch his breath, standing a few meters in front of them. After a few short breaths, he glared at them. "After the day I had, I'm not in the mood to negotiate peace."

Percival glared. "What happened to this guy? Someone roughed him up good."

"That someone was Hedwig!" Lillia exclaimed.

His eyes widened. "Excuse me?!"

"She stayed behind to stall him and—and…oh dear Arceus, I hope she's okay!"

Steinar grunted. "Hedwig, eh? That's the name of that chick? Sad end for her after the beating she gave me. Relentless, I'll give her that, but I guess the tougher fighter one out in the end. Buried her pretty deep underground."

Percival lowered his arm, his horrified expression still plastered across his face. "You…defeated Hedwig?"

"Shocked? She must've been really tough if you're pulling that face." He rotated his shoulders, loosening the aches in his bones, and punched into his palms. "So, you think you have what it takes to defeat me, little man?"

The Abra's eye twitched. "You…actually defeated her? Oh, that's not good."

"Yeah, I think we already established that." Steinar activated his Hammer Arm. "So, still think you can beat me with those puny toys? Or do you want to do this like a man?"

Percival gritted his teeth. "This is bad."

"W-What are we goin' to do?" Adenine asked.

Lillia stood up, deploying a light Misty Terrain around herself. "Let me handle him. He's practically on the verge of collapsing. I think I can—" Percival held his hand out to stop her.

"I don't think any of you understand why I'm worried. You can't beat Hedwig."

Steinar scoffed. "Shows what you know. Sure, she was tough, but after what I did to her—"

"No. I mean you shouldn't beat her."

The Rhyperior raised his brow. "Pardon?"

"Grrrrrrrr…"

Steinar's heart nearly stopped to a low, beastly growling coming from directly behind him. Slowly, he turned around and stared at the source of the noise. To his disbelief, it was the very Lycanroc he left buried under a pile of stone and wood, hunched over and stained with blood. Even with the fair distance between them, he made the distinct observation of her eyes, or lack thereof. No longer could he see the faint signs of her equally red irises or pupils, instead filled in a solid red that glowed.

"You?" He staggered back, raising his arms defensively. "I buried you with a Drill Run/Horn Drill combination. How the hell are you still standing?"

Hedwig ignored his question and took a lumbering step forward. Her fellow teammates backed away, despite the target of her attention standing between them. A nervous sweat broke out among the Foresters, sensing an uncomfortable aura around the Lycanroc.

"W-What's going on?" Lillia asked.

Percival grimaced. "I'm sure you all heard the rumors about when Jason first recruited Hedwig. They got into a fight. Hedwig saw him as an invader on her territory, and she responded with violence. Jason defeated her, but that only made the situation worse."

A red aura crept up Hedwig's body like a bloody mist. Flickers of red light shimmered through her fur, pulsating up her body. Hedwig let her mouth hang open, drooling with a hungry expression.

"Hedwig comes from a tribe in the Subterra Kingdom: the Savage Kin. They who rejected the advancements of the new world gave into their basic instincts and have staved off the tests of modern age. Though passively absorbing speech and reason, they've remained loyal to their savage roots. They are wild, and they are without restriction."

Hedwig stomped her feet down and let her arms hang as the red aura thickened and engulfed her, blanketing out her body with only the glow of her eyes piercing through. Steinar winced under her stare, backing away a few steps more, thus prompting the Foresters to also back away.

"Jason wanted to help her tribe live in peace from the Subterranean King who wanted to get rid of them. He wanted to help them act civilized, enough so they can be left to their practices in peace. It was also the safest route as to not invoke their wrath."

"W-What do ya mean?" Adenine asked.

Percival gritted his teeth. "Hedwig and her tribe don't fight for sport or fun. They fight to survive. To win. We realized too late how deep that drive to survive was. When Jason defeated her, it set off a survival mechanism in her brain. If Hedwig ever thinks she's going to die, she reverts back to her feral instincts. The instincts that have been encoded into her tribe over several generations. Hedwig, among her elders, brothers, and sisters, was the most dangerous of them."

Hedwig threw her head back and howled to the sky, erupted in a pillar of dark red aura. The pressure exuding off her blasted into Steinar and nearly knocked him off his feet. The Foresters dropped to the ground and braced themselves against the harsh winds.

"AAAAHHHH!" the Teleportation Corp screamed. Celeste and the Slowbro covered Melissa under their bodies to protect her.

Adenine shieled Percival and Lillia with her umbrella as dust blew into them. "You mean to tell me we have something like that in the Foresters?!" Lillia shouted.

Percival growled. "Yes, but we drilled it into Hedwig's head not to go wild unless absolutely necessary. Only high-ranking members of the Foresters are allowed to give her permission! Who gave her permission?!"

Lillia's eyes widened. Marie?

Steinar glared through the pressure, trying to steel his nerves despite the hideous aura flaring before his eyes. "Savage Kin? I know about you freaks! Your ancestors still had a taste for flesh and have been causing problems for the Subterra royal family over the last two hundred years. Our current king had just about enough of you and drove you out! So, this is where one of you ended up? Figures a Forester would salvage a beast like you."

He widened his stance and faced the storm of wild intent with Hammer Arm at the ready. "There's no place in society for monsters who refuse to stop clinging to their ancestral blood! What do you have to say for yourself, monster?"

The aura gradually diminished, as did the pressure, and Hedwig stepped out of the dust. Steinar raised his arms, but trembled as he got a full view of the Lycanroc. His blood nearly froze at the sight stepping into the light.

No longer resembling flesh and fur, what stood before the Rhyperior was a Lycanroc wrapped in dark red aura. From her fur to her claws, it was like she transformed into a creature composed of energy, still retaining her wolf shape. Smoky wisps fluttered off the tips of her fur, and her mane spiked up. The only things that stood out was her ripped uniform and the glow of her red eyes.

Percival clenched his teeth. "Hedwig's ultimate technique: Savage Goddess."

With her arms hanging loose, Hedwig lumbered toward Steinar with lazy, swaying motions of her body. He stared at them, still keeping his guard up, with mild fascination. The eyes seemed unfocused, staring primarily at the ground. The stance indicated a lack of awareness, and she seemed unusually silent compared to her earlier growling.

What kind of ultimate technique is this? Steinar thought.

Then, he blinked.

What was once still standing a few meters away from him had instantly appeared before him, staring him in the eyes with her vacant stare.

"AH!" Steinar quickly slammed his Hammer Arm down on top of her, burying her face into the ground. He panted heavily as his life briefly flashed before his eyes. He felt her claws inches from grazing his neck.

However, he felt his fist tremble as it pressed down on the wolf. She tilted her head out of the ground and howled a demonic roar, triggering a shockwave that blew Steinar off.

"AH!" He found his balance and went for the Hammer Arm again, but Hedwig blitzed him with a claw swipe to the chest. Her claws dug through deep and drew blood in one swipe. "AAAAAAHHHH!"

Hedwig screamed in his face, a wail of unintelligible fury, and swung her claws with renewed ferocity. Steinar desperately shielded himself from her onslaught, but all it managed was for his arms to be torn into even with Hammer Arm empowering them.

"Stone Edge!" He stomped the ground and knocked Hedwig back with several stone spires.

She landed on all fours and roared again, the energy around her splaying outward, intensifying. She kicked off her both her hindlegs, slicing through the air with speeds unlike before, and tackled Steinar off his feet.

The Foresters ducked their heads as the pair soared over them. They watched Hedwig tear into the Rhyperior without remorse, each set of claws flying into him twenty times a second. Maybe faster.

"Hammer Arm!" Steinar bashed his fists into both sides of Hedwig's head and, using their momentum, spun backwards to piledrive her through the street.

Hedwig smashed her hands down to keep the rest of her body above ground. With a second burst of energy going through her, she kicked Steinar into the air. After pulling her head free, she lunged after him, grabbed him by his upper jaw, and dove back into the ground. She returned the favor by smashing his head into the street, this time with more explosive results. Rock went sailing all over, exploding against buildings like bombs.

The Foresters ducked their heads, but Percival snapped his fingers and diverted the rock through the ground with Gravity. Lillia sat up and yelled, "Can't you make her stop?!"

"At this stage, no," he said. "She's combined the effects of her Thrash and Outrage through her Counter. It's taking all that rage and damage to turn her into that. She's pretty much unstoppable in that state, though its effects last only so long. We have to wait it out."

Hedwig climbed over Steinar and assaulted him with a flurry of punches. Fifty blows a second. The force of her wild punching caused tremors in the street, rupturing it and the presiding buildings. She belched her unholy scream into Steinar's buried face.

"Hammer Arm!" Prying his arm from the rock, he bashed Hedwig across the skull and knocked her off. He picked himself up and slammed his hands down. "Stone Edge!" Before she could get up, he sent forth row of stone spires that drove her back.

The Foresters jumped out of the way of their path while Hedwig endured the repeated stabbings. Her aura intensified, resembling a wild growth of fur turned mane extension, punched through the Stone Edge. More and more kept driving into her, but she reduced every single spire to dust.

"Rock Wrecker!" Steinar blasted the massive boulder through the field of spires.

Hedwig screamed and smashed both her fists into it. It shattered instantly and broke apart around her. She clawed at the dust obscuring her vision and howled with such force that the air itself quivered.

Steinar tensed up due to the effects of Rock Wrecker, but he pushed through them out of desperation. "This time, I'll make this one kill! Giga Drill Charge!" He broke into a sprint, stomping his feet with each step, and leapt into a spinning formation. His horn extended as it spun and surrounded his body in its silvery light.

Hedwig, once again, faced the drilling tackle with open arms and a monstrous scream. She slammed her hands into the spinning Rhyperior, stopping him in his tracks. Like last time, the friction from his spinning burned at her hands, yet all it did was infuriate the wild animal more. She screamed into his face, blowing her foul breath into him.

"Shut. UP!" Steinar put more into his momentum. Though Hedwig had the strength advantage, the ground was far too unstable for her to get a proper stance. Her arms started to give out, and the Horn Drill portion of his attack closed in. "Just like last time, savage child! I strike you down, and you'll stay down!"

Hedwig, as if a moment of clarity came through in her feral mind, narrowed her eyes in response.

"I'll run my horn straight through and splatter your intestines across the street! There's no place left in this world for the Savage Era, so take your feral culture and go to the Hell where it belongs—"

Hedwig lunged her head forward and snapped her teeth down on his horn. It grinded inside her both, but she clamped down on it with all her jaw strength until—

SNAP!

Steinar fell out of his spin and dropped in front of Hedwig's feet. His eyes widened open, staring at what remaining spinning on his snout. Nothing but a jagged couple of centimeters of his horn sat upon his face.

"You…You bit my horn off?"

Adding insult to injury, Hedwig spat the horn down, now mangled into broken pieces. He looked up at the Lycanroc, her aura rising higher and higher from her body. She raised her claws over her head.

"No…NO! Stay away from me, you freak of nature—"

Hedwig pounced on him and delivered the mother of all beatdowns on the Rhyperior. Her claws flew with insane speed, so much so that a number couldn't be ascertained by even the most observant of the current party. Steinar screamed out in agony, feeling her claws scraped through his body's natural armor and excavating his rock skin.

The Foresters watched in horror as blood sprayed out over the street, as well as chunks of rocky flesh. Adenine blocked the sight with her umbrella while the male Kirlia turned away and threw up on the ground. All others couldn't turn their eyes away, mesmerized by the display, while Percival watched with growing concern.

"Hedwig, that's enough!" he yelled.

She kept going, roaring at her prey.

"Hedwig!"

Still nothing.

"Hedwig, that's an order! I order you to—"

Silence.

Before the words could finish leaving, Hedwig's claws stopped inches from further tearing into the Rhyperior. The dark red aura vanished from her body, revealing Hedwig's frazzled and exhausted expression. With the aura cleared, everyone could clearly see the blood stained over her body, and there may have been more in her own red fur.

Steinar, by some miracle, was still breathing, but was clearly out cold. His body was smeared red with his own blood and cracks went up the entirety of his body. If it weren't for all the blood, they might've seen something much more hidden underneath. If it weren't for the Rhyperior's naturally thick body, a few more seconds of unrelenting assault would've resulted in scrambled organs.

Hedwig stepped off of Steinar and approached her terrified teammates, but they saw the fight had been completely drained out of her. Once she was close, she dropped to her knees.

"So…tired…" She fell onto her face and passed out on the spot.

Everyone remained silent as they looked upon the sleeping Lycanroc, unsure of how to process what they witnessed. Lillia, however, was the first to break the silence.

"So, Jason fought her?"

"Yep," Percival answered.

"…How is he not dead?"

"I have no idea."

In the burnt street, where the final clash between evil Forester and righteous bounty hunter presided, movement stirred from the fallen combatants.

Otis' fingers twitched as he regained consciousness. A weak groaned escaped his lips while his eyes fluttered open. It took a moment to find his bearings. His vision was blurred beyond recognition, appearing as nothing than an empty smear of black, though that could just be because he was laying in a crater.

He tilted his head up and saw his opponent still passed out on the crater's edge with only scraps and ashes of her clothes dangling off her body. If he wasn't so disoriented and pissed off, he would've enjoyed the aerial view he was getting.

"Damn bitch," he growled weakly. He dug his fingers down and started pulling himself closer to the crater walls. "Need to…find Hobs."

It was an arduous struggle climbing up the steep walls. There was barely a handhold in the crumbling rock to cling to, and the flames did a number on the adhesive pads on his hands, making it impossible to stick to anything. Not that he had the strength to lift himself if he could.

His efforts were rewarded, thankfully. Eight minutes of clawing through rock and ash finally brought him up to the edge, where he heaved his chest onto the surface to anchor himself down. He paused to catch his breath, panting from the screaming in his muscles.

He turned his head over to the unconscious Growlithe and glared at her. "Cocky, little…!" He patted around himself, hoping not all his equipment was reduced to ash. His hand found its way to his belt, where he pulled out his sheathed dagger. "I'm sure no one will throw a fit if I killed one Forester."

He shuffled himself closer to Pandora until he was in stabbing range. He waited to make sure she was still unconscious before taking a deep breath and standing up on his knees. He took the dagger in both hands and raised it over her exposed neck.

"Congrats, sunshine, I'm taking you as a threat. Here's your reward!" He plunged the dagger down.

Something smacked across his hands and disarmed him of his dagger. Immediately after, he was grabbed by the neck, pulled away from Pandora, and slammed face first into the ground. His attacker sat on his back and pinned his arms down with their feet.

"W-What's going on? Who are you?!" Otis yelled.

The Pokémon hushed him gently. "That's enough of that, Hollow Otis."

His eyes widened. "Who are—"

"I don't appreciate someone killing my teammate. We've had enough deaths in the Foresters." He tensed up as a hand grazed his check. "You have quite the record. Joined Hobs' gang because you needed to get the law off your back. You sought someone who could protect you so you can continue making money however you want."

"How do you—"

"Nothing personal, Otis. You just happen to be the first one I found. Though, it helps you have soft skin compared to your partner."

"What are you blathering about—" Otis froze as he felt something thin pierce his arm. He tilted his head, and his heart nearly stopped as he saw a needle in his arm. His attacker pressed down on the plunger and injected the liquid inside. "What…are you doing?"

"Doing what everyone's been wondering for so long: figuring out how this poison works."

Otis' eyes widened. "The Wraith."

"Precisely. You're familiar with this stuff. Have you been given vials of it? How many did you use under your boss' orders?"

"You can't kill me. You're a Forester!"

His attacker chuckled. "Please. As if you're the first life I've ever taken~."

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Erasmus stared at the carnage unfolding before him, watching as the Forester leader electrocuted Darby with visceral rage and power palpable to the eyes. The anger seething from the Pikachu's face couldn't compare to the electricity invading the walls, floor, and ceiling. It was a display of utter torment that the prince couldn't bear to watch.

"That is enough!" Erasmus yelled. "You will kill him! Stop!"

But Jason didn't listen, too lost in his own head to hear the feeble cries of a cat. If anything, whatever part of Jason that heard Erasmus seemed to enrage him more as he pressed his fingers down harder on Darby's throat.

"I'll burn the life out of you wretched royals. Every last one of you," he growled. "This is for all the people who suffered under your rule. All the souls tainted by suffering!" The electricity shined with such intensity that it practically turned Jason's fur blue.

Erasmus gritted his teeth. Screw diplomacy. He extended his claws and lunged at Jason. "Get away from him!"

Jason sensed movement, and his arm extended out before he could think. Erasmus' eyes widened as Jason grabbed him by the collar and extended the electric field to him. The Glameow recoiled and screamed as he, too, erupted in electricity.

It was the worst pain he ever felt. He couldn't move his body at all, and he could feel every inch of his body being scorched alive. Even his eyes started to feel like they were catching fire. All he could see was the intense blue shining around him, blotting out the hallway and his attacker. Nothing but that sparking blue.

However, Erasmus' screams didn't fall on deaf ears. Their closeness and pitch reached the abyssal depths of Jason's ears. By a twitch reflex, his eyes darted at Erasmus, if only for a passing glance. He didn't look away from the Glameow in the moment. His eyes lingered on the screaming cat, staring at the agony writhing across his face and body.

The anger that consumed Jason's soul had receded back to the murky depths of his soul, and a look of horror filled his face.

"NO!"

Jason immediately cut off his attack and jumped away from the princes, dropping Erasmus on the floor. Sparks lingered across the pair, the worst of it surging across Darby's body. Black, lightning-shape scars covered the Prinplup, and the smell of burning flesh reeked in the air, mostly from the wound inflicted across his side. It was seared shut. His chest displayed a searing wound from where Jason focused most of his electricity on.

Erasmus, though only suffering a brief exposure, had similar scars over his body in a lighter shade. He trembled on the floor, panting erratically.

Jason stared at the two princes in disbelief, then winced as a sudden pain shot through his arms. He lifted his sleeves and found his fur charred black. He pulled his uniform open and found the same marks covering his chest. The burning flesh smell wasn't just coming from Darby, but himself.

"No," he whispered. "No."

"Jason, stop! You'll kill him!"

"Murderers! ALL OF YOU!"

"JASON—AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"NO!" Jason covered his face and backed away. He stared through his fingers with a wide-eyed look of fear, huffing shaky breaths. I almost killed them. I…I wasn't even thinking. How long have I been using my Inherited Will? A minute? Ten minutes? Where am I?

He sensed movement in front of him. He pulled his hands away and watched as Darby started to move. Astonishingly, despite being the most susceptible to his Touch of Zeraora, he was still able to move, albeit with great difficulty.

Darby clenched his teeth as he pushed himself up. "Y-You…!"

His willpower is disturbing. Jason stepped back again. Any longer, and I may have stopped his heart. Or incinerated his brain. I can't stay here. I need to get out of here!

Jason turned and bolted down the hallway before Darby could stand. The Prinplup staggered on his feet and fell against the wall. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but he could feel his mind waning.

"Going to…pass out," he whispered to himself. He glared. "Not yet. Still need…to do this." He picked up Jason's broken sword and, with haste, shuffled along the wall after the fleeing Pikachu.

Dimitri escaped into the sand-covered foyer and ducked under a table that miraculously remained intact. He tried his best to settle his breathing as he peeked out from behind his cover. He kept his ears trained on the hall he escaped from.

It is almost a straight shot to the bunker. Get in, and I can finally put an end to this. Seeing the coast was clear, he slowly back out from around his cover.

"YOU!"

Dimitri barely reacted in time and dodged a surprise dive attack from Leon. He snuck around me? He could only have done that the moment I entered the foyer. These Foresters, they were trained well in stealth.

Leon pulled himself up and lunged at Dimitri again, landing a tackle into his chest and throwing him across the sand. "I don't care how far to you run away. You are not escaping this."

Dimitri flailed through the sand as he tried to back away. "Please listen to me, you are making a big mistake!"

"Tell that to the village you left to burn." He charged at full speed, his shield at the ready and empowered with Body Press. "I'll never forgive the Talbots for what they put me through!"

Dimitri shielded himself and braced for the worst. It never came, however, as something swooshed past the prince and intercepted the Aron's attack. He lowered his forelegs and saw Leon being pinned by the Fairy Knight himself. The first think he noticed was the ragged state of his uniform and the charred fur around his arms.

"That's enough," Jason said firmly. "I will not condone this behavior."

Leon struggled under Jason, trying to squirm his way free. "Let me go! He needs to pay! He needs to—" Jason interrupted him by shoving his face into the sand.

"Don't make the mistake I almost made," he hissed. "You are not a murderer, Leon." Jason's ears fell, and his expression softened. "Not like me."

Leon stopped struggling and looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

Dimitri hesitantly picked himself up. His ears fell as he observed their interaction. "What is going on?" His ears pricked up against, detecting grunts coming from the stairs. "Huh?"

His eyes widened, spotting Darby emerging from the upper level. He hung against the railing, barely able to stay standing. He was also holding up a broken sword like a javelin, infusing it with some dark energy. Strangely, the way he was holding it didn't indicate he was going to throw it at the Foresters, or anywhere near the first floor.

Dimitri's eyes tracked where Darby should be aiming, and his heart sank upon seeing the chandelier hanging directly over him and the Foresters. He looked back at Darby, where he saw the penguin's beak mouthing something to him.

Cat. Meet. Curiosity.

Darby chucked the broken sword at the chain holding up the chandelier. The energy pouring out from the metal cut through the chain and dropped the chandelier down.

Dimitri's eyes shot back to the Foresters, both unaware of the impending danger, and lunged at them. "RUN!"

Jason and Leon could only glance at Dimitri before being tackled away. The moment they landed in the sand, the sound of crystal shattering hit them like thunder. Crystal shards went flying over their heads and into the sand. Pieces of metal snapped off and landed next them. Jason caught a sharp piece before it hit Leon in the back of the neck.

They both turned around and stared at the wreckage. Their eyes widened when they found Dimitri buried under the chandelier with broken crystal imbedded in his skin and a thin piece of metal impaled through his side. The rest that remained intact was pressed down on his body and limbs.

Leon's eyes shook in disbelief. "What? Why did he…?"

Jason opened his mouth to say something, though even wasn't sure what words he could offer, but his attention was drawn to a haggard coughing coming from the stairs. It was Darby, who was barely hanging onto the railing. Jason could see the smug smirk on his face before he looked up the stairs. He coughed into his wing and took a deep breath.

"Erasmus! Come quick! It's Dimitri!" he shouted with the most convincing, desperate tone Jason heard from the vile penguin. "The Foresters! They…They…" It was the last thing he could say before finally succumbing to his injuries and passing out on the stairs.

Jason's eyes widened as Erasmus came running down the stairs, having recovered from his electrical exposure. He stopped as soon as he looked upon the fallen chandelier and the Glameow pinned underneath. He could see the horror in the older brother's eyes, a look that struck a chord with him. It was a look Jason was sadly familiar with.

"DIMITRI!" Erasmus screamed before bolting down the stairs.

Wasting no time, Jason scooped up Leon and sped out of the castle before Erasmus reached them. He ignored their escape, however, and ran straight to his brother. He unsheathed his claws and slashed through the chandelier's skeleton. He carefully pulled Dimitri free and held him in his forelegs.

"Dimitri? Dimitri!" He placed his ear to his brother's chest, listening for a heartbeat. A chill ran through him. "No, no! NO!" He lay Dimitri down and started performing chest compressions. "N-Not like this. Not like this!"

Rikmai came running out from the direction of the bunker and gasped upon seeing her charge. "P-Prince Erasmus! What happened—"

"Rikmai! Get the family physician, hurry!" Erasmus yelled.

Rikmai didn't bother to answer back. She shot out from her armor as a geyser of water and raced off to find the family physician in the castle.

Erasmus bent down and breathed into Dimitri's mouth before resuming the chest compressions. He ignored the tears running down his face. "You're going to be okay, Dimitri. Stay strong. Please, stay strong."

Jason sped through the capital with Leon clinging to his hood. He stopped every so often to register his bearings before continuing through the capital as a streak of lightning. Though, he was mostly distracted with the thoughts racing through his head.

I lost control again. Shit, I almost killed someone. Did I kill him? Or is just like last time? Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why did I do that? I could maintain my composure around Roscoe of all people. Why did that creep set me off?

A brief image of Melissa's desperate expression flashed in his mind. He frowned at it.

Fear.

Jason stopped once again to assess his surroundings, but Leon craned his neck upon seeing something up the street. His eyes widened. "Sir, look!"

He looked up the street and, to his astonishment, saw Marie and Basil picking up a wounded Pandora and the Kecleon bounty hunter. The street was scorched from a battle, likely Pandora's doing. He raced over to the pair of Foresters and yelled, "What happened over here?"

Basil wrapped the Kecleon's arm over his shoulder. "We found Pandora passed out over here. We're bringing her back with us."

"What about him?" Jason asked, pointing to the unconscious bounty hunter.

Marie lifted Pandora onto her back and said, "We're not sure. When Basil went to check on him, he noticed something wrong with his skin or something."

Jason couldn't tell what they were talking about, mainly because of the scorch marks covering the bounty hunter rendering physical ailment obscure. "We have no time for this. Just leave him and—"

"Jason," Marie interrupted firmly. "I strongly suggest we take him in just to make sure he's okay. We already have enough kidnapping charges on our heads. One more won't hurt. Better to take him in and make sure he's alright than get blamed for poisoning him."

"…" Jason groaned and shook his head. "Good grief, fine, but hurry. Knights will be hunting us down any second." Marie and Basil nodded before running on ahead with their carry-ons secured.

Jason began to follow them, but stopped when he noticed something glinting in the sun. He squinted before walking over to it. Leon glared and asked, "Something wrong?"

Jason picked up a small vial off the ground and turned it between his fingers. A label with the number four written was attached to the glass. He narrowed his eyes as realization dawned on him.

"Blamed for poisoning him, huh?"

The Slowbro finished using Heal Pulse on the unconscious Steinar and psychically propped him up against a building. "Okay, he'll be sore for who knows how long, but he'll live."

Percival sighed. "Thank goodness."

The Xatu lifted his wings and said, "Boss, I sense our allies fast approaching. All remaining parties are accounted for."

Percival nodded and yelled, "Alright, Teleportation Corp! Circle up and prepare to jump!"

The seven man team joined in a circle and raised their arms/wings/whatever Electrode was doing, focusing their psychic energy through each other. Lillia and Adenine sat in the center with Melissa and Hedwig laying against them.

Down the street, they saw Jason and the others running out from around the corner with Pandora and Hollow Otis in tow. Jason waved at them and yelled, "Get ready to port as soon as we're all in the center! We need to get out of here before—"

Something swooshed through the air and nearly struck the escaping party. Jason turned toward the rooftops and saw Hobs perched atop with a slingshot in hand. He pulled out jagged balls of metal from his pocket and loaded one into the slingshot. "End of the road, Foresters." He fired on them.

Basil pulled out a dagger and deflected the pellet, but the impact broke half the blade off. "Well, that's not normal," he said.

Hobs fired off three pellets. The Foresters ducked them, but the pellets ricochets off the buildings on their right and fired back their way. They jumped and rolled out of the way as the pellets ricocheted all around them before imbedding themselves through the walls.

"Definitely not normal!" Basil exclaimed.

Hobs stood up and whistled to the sky. "Ignacia!"

They turned their eyes up and saw Ignacia diving out from the sky. She drew back her twin scimitars and sliced the air with blades of sand.

"Psychic Fangs!" Marie's hair projected the psionic teeth and chomped through the sand before it struck.

Jason dug out a couple smoke pellets and chucked them through the street. Hobs and Ignacia covered their mouths as the green smoke filled the air. Jason pointed toward the Teleportation Corp. "Go, now!" Leon and Marie ran ahead, but Jason stopped Basil. "I'll take the bounty hunter. Buy us a few seconds!"

Basil smirked. "As you wish." He handed Otis off and turned to the smoke clouds as they faded.

Ignacia and Hobbs stepped out with their weapons ready. The Flygon bounty hunter crossed her swords and sneered. "You have been a real pain in my ass, wise guy."

Basil bowed. "Happy to bring entertainment to your lives."

"Enough talk." Hobbs pulled back on his slingshot. "Hand over Otis, or this gets ugly."

The Salandit merely laughed. "You ask too much of me. But sadly, this is where our final act must end. We hope you enjoyed our performance. Leave your generous reviews." He cupped his hands over his snout and exhaled a purple gas toward them.

Ignacia flapped her wings and whipped up a sandstorm. "Oh please!"

Hobbs glared at the gas and noticed Basil raised his pressed fingers toward it. His eyes widened. "Ignacia, no!" He grabbed her tail before she could fly away and dragged her back.

Basil snapped his fingers and ignited the gas. The bounty hunter family was blown back by the fiery explosion, sending them sprawling on their backs. He bowed once more to them before hightailing it to his team. He signaled to Jason, who was finished taking a headcount.

He nodded and yelled, "Jump, now!"

Percival and his team lit up with psychic auras. "Teleport!" they exclaimed.

Basil leaped over the teleporters just as they started to phase out. He landed just in time as a bright flash illuminated the street. A thunderous crackle snapped through the air, and the Foresters vanished instantaneously.

Hobbs and Ignacia picked themselves up as the sound of armor clanging against each other marched toward them. Hobbs turned around to see the knights arriving too late to the scene. Gaufroi removed his helmet and glared at the embers flickering in the street, as well as the unconscious Rhyperior propped up against a building.

"They got away?" Gaufroi asked.

Hobbs stood up and massaged his shoulder. "Afraid so."

"Damn."

"They also kidnapped one of my men."

"Any reason?"

"Hard to say. Perhaps they looked into Otis' records and decided he needed to be apprehended." Hobbs dusted his coat off. "Still, I take it the royal families are safe."

"…"

Hobbs looked back and squinted at the silent Ursaring. "What's with that look?"

"…" Gaufroi closed his eyes. "A messenger flew in to give me an update. There was an incident with Prince Dimitri."

Hobbs' eyes widened. "Heavens! What happened? Don't tell me something horrible happened to him!"

Gaufroi took a deep breath and sighed. "As of now, his condition is unknown to us."