It had been a few days since the events at the Senbo Kingdom party, though it felt like only a couple of minutes for Melissa. Everything felt like a blur, going in and out of consciousness with lights shining in her face. She could barely remember a few faces hovering over her, and she recalled a couple instances of something sharp poking her skin.

Eventually, she woke up and realized she had been asleep in the medical hut. She had been awake for a little over an hour, and Shade was the first thing to come into her line of sight. He started off slow, asking her questions about how she was feeling and such. She was barely awake enough to give an honest answer, suffering from a throbbing headache. Shade eventually gave up, figuring she was well enough, and went back to whatever he was doing. She didn't pay attention.

As of now, she was staring up at the ceiling vacantly, not doing a whole bunch. She either occupied her time counting the rings in the hut's ceiling, or sank back into the memories of that party. She desperately tried to find interest in the counting.

It felt eerily silent, sans the tapping of Shade's quill as he worked on, again, whatever was occupying his time. She couldn't describe why it felt eerie, much less explain it. Maybe it wasn't the silence that was throwing her off. She just didn't feel right for whatever reason.

Was she relieved to be back home?

Was she distraught over what happened at the party?

Why did she feel so anxious? She was safe, right?

What was this tension gnawing at her soul?

She couldn't ascribe it to anything. She just felt…nothing.

"Melissa?"

She turned her head as Shade rolled himself over to her bedside. It was the first time she turned her head since waking up, and she couldn't help noticing the far end of the medical hut was sectioned off by a curtain. Another sick patient, perhaps?

"Feeling better?" he asked.

She ignored whatever curiosity drew her to the curtains and resumed staring at the ceiling with a dead expression. "Fine."

"That's good." He laughed awkwardly. "I was real worried about you when they brought you in. I did warn you not to get too close to that poison. I didn't expect you to bite down on one of the pellets." She gave him a confused look. "I found little remnants of the pellet stuck between your molars."

"Ah." She resumed staring at the ceiling.

"Anyway…" Shade reached over and grabbed a sheet of paper on the table next to her bed. "I'm happy to report we've administered the antidote and flushed out the love potion from your body. If you're feeling up to it, you're free to go whenever you feel like."

"Hmm."

"There is one other thing. I've never worked with love potion before, but Marie was insistent that there may have been some lingering side effects after your encounter with…um, him."

Melissa's eye twitched as the face of a smug Prinplup flashed through her mind.

"She's worried, in combination of the potion with his use of Attract, there are still some mental triggers laying dormant inside you. We've arranged for you to see Percival for the next few weeks for intensive psychic therapy."

"Psychic therapy?" she mumbled.

"It's like regular therapy, but a bit more…involved, to put it lightly. Nothing to worry about, though. Thank of it like a massage for the mind. Working out those little kinks and aches and…brainwashing," he added under a cough.

She still heard him, but kept it to herself. "Oh. Okay."

Shade awkwardly scratched his cheek. "Um, listen, if there's anything you want to talk about, my door's always open. I…I don't know what happened to you, b-but I'm sure it must've been bad. I-I mean, of course it was bad, I just…dear Arceus, the one time I'm not feeling overwhelmingly tired…" He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is I understand what you're going through. Well, okay, I don't exactly, or at all for that matter, but—"

"Shade." He froze as Melissa turned over on her side and rolled her ears shut. "Thanks, but I just want to be alone right now."

"Oh, um, sure. You're free to leave whenever you want."

"…I don't feel like getting up right now."

His eyes widened slightly. "Did you just use a—" He stopped himself and scratched behind his head. "I mean…well, like I said, you're free to go whenever. We can talk about the psychic therapy later when you're ready to get up. Cool?" He didn't get a response from her. "Good talk, I guess." He frowned and wheeled himself back to his desk. He looked back once over his shoulder before hunching over his work again.

Melissa pulled the blanket over her face. She didn't close her eyes. She just wanted to stare at the white fabric and pretend that weird feeling inside her was stirring uncomfortably in her stomach. She felt like she was lost in a cloud, or a blank void where nothing could disturb her.

Or hurt her.

The news of the Senbo Kingdom retrieval mission hit Fort Lucus hard. Foresters were chomping at the bit trying to figure out what happened, especially when some got a shocking look at their blood-covered leader who ignored their questions and locked himself away in his hut.

For the past few days, there has been nonstop talk about the fort, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating for the higherups. When there were questions that needed to be answered, they were the ones everyone turned to.

Outside of the meeting hut, Jet and Eadwulf were currently trying to quell a gathering crowd of disgruntled Foresters. For days, they've received no confirmation about anything that happened, and the higher-ups were doing everything in their power to sort the mess out. They didn't have much chance to speak on it, and Jason refused to step out of his hut except he summoned someone inside.

Without Jason, they were unfortunately in charge.

"What the hell is going on?!" a Snover in the back yelled.

"Is it true that JoJo and Sadie were covering for missing Foresters?" a Granbull asked.

"Can you finally tell us what happened to Melissa?" the chronicling Lampent, Saga, asked as she floated over the crowd. "Sources are saying she was sick upon return."

"Who was that Kecleon you brought in?!" a Gabite yelled.

"Another prisoner? Are we taking prisoners now?"

"Why was Jason covered in blood? Did he kill someone?!"

Jet covered his ears and grinded his teeth together. "Shut up, shut up, shut up…" he muttered under his breath.

Eadwulf raised his hands and tried to speak over the irate crowd. "The higherups are getting to the bottom of this as we speak. It'll take some time, but we assure you there's nothing to worry about. We already sent Petra out to investigate the scene, and she should eventually report back in. I ask that everyone remain calm and be patient until—"

"I heard from Pandora that something horrible happened to Melissa!" a Forester shouted in the crowd. "Is it true?!"

"That information is classified—" Eadwulf tried to say, but Saga flew closer and interrupted him.

"Rumor has it that Leon was brought to the Senbo Kingdom, and sources say there was some blood on his shield. Can you make a comment about that?"

Eadwulf winced. "It's not what you think. There was just a minor incident and—"

"Are we in danger or what?!" the Gabite yelled. "What happened at that party? And seriously, who was that Kecleon?!"

"This is a very complicated matter, but—"

"Why hasn't Jason made a comment about all of this?" Saga asked firmly. "He hasn't let his hut in days and made no mention to the blood he was practically drenched in. Is he now breaking his own rules or—"

"SHUT UP!" The crowd, and even Eadwulf, went silent as the seething Oshawott who mostly remained silent finally snapped. "All of you. Shut up. NOW!" He stomped his foot and pointed at them. "Back to your huts! The more you yell at the us, the less likely you'll get an answer. I want you all gone now before I have you running laps around the edge of Virdis! Twice! Understood?"

Everyone nervously shuffled in place, avoiding his gaze.

"Did I stutter? GET LOST!"

His cries spooked the Foresters into fleeing from the hut. Jet hunched over and breathed heavily with a scowl directed at the floor. His hands and body trembled with a nervous energy. He flinched to the brief contact of Eadwulf's hand patting his head.

"You okay?" he asked.

Jet closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and shook his head. "No. No. I am not okay."

After Jet took a moment to calm himself down, he and Eadwulf entered the meeting room where the others were already gathered, sans an absent Jason. Based on their expressions, it was clear they heard the commotion happening outside, and they looked as worried as the two.

Blitz, who sat in Jason's spot, stood up and tucked his arms behind his back. "Since we're all here, it's time we got down to business."

Jet pulled up his chair and planted his rear down. "I think you mean the mountain of paperwork and excuses we need to work through before we come back to any semblance of normality." He rubbed his temples and growled. "Someone just kill me already."

Zephora sighed. "I'm not even sure how to begin approaching the topic. We only know so much from the accounts given to us by the girls. It's a lot to take in."

"I can't blame everyone for being on edge," Valentine said, leaning back in his chair. "The second Percival got back with the Teleportation Corp, everyone wanted to know what went down in the capital. We're still trying to get to the bottom of it."

Sid raised her claws. "Situation seems cut and dry as is. The girls snuck out to attend a party, and JoJo and Sadie were covering for them until they get back."

"If only that was the story we could stick with," Eadwulf said after sitting himself down. "That image of Jason is going to haunt most of them. You can't explain that away when it was supposed to be an extraction mission. No one was supposed to get hurt, and yet…"

Jet scowled. "If you ask me, someone should've gotten a lot more than hurt."

"Jet," Blitz scolded lightly.

"Oh come on, you know I'm right! We heard from Marie's mouth. How long are we going to dance over the topic? That scumbag prince tried to force himself on Melissa after drugging her!" He slammed his fists down. "I have half a mind to finish what Jason started!"

Zephora raised her brow. "I never realized how much you cared about her, Jet."

"Tch." He looked away, trying to hide the red in his cheeks. "Don't be stupid. We would've done the same thing if any of us were in Jason's position. Don't deny it."

The Maractus closed her eyes. "I never said I disagreed."

"But it goes against everything we stand for as the Foresters," Sid pointed out. "We steal from the rich and give to the poor. We have enough supporters around Virdis who see our actions as justice. If we resorted to murder—"

"Darby showed his true colors to Melissa and the Foresters," Zephora interrupted. "Who knows how many lives he twisted just to get a bit of fun out of it?" There was disgust in her emphasis.

Percival raised his hand. "We created those rules to abide by a strict morality system. We're not here to start wars. We're just here to help people."

"And now we're getting ourselves caught up in some big conspiracy that got Giles killed," she countered. "We didn't make the rules. Jason enforces them. The Sacred Laws were made by Jason. Maybe it's about time the no-killing rule got retired."

"For someone who values a natural death, you sure do have a homicidal aura."

Zephora hissed. "What's so unnatural about burning trash?"

"Counterpoint," Valentine interjected. "How will the rest of Virdis respond? Before this business with a kidnapped princess started, we were only being hunted when actively committing robberies. Now we have the entire region after us for the disappearance of one princess and a knight. What do you think will happen if the blood of a prince fell onto our hands? As far as the rest of Virdis is concerned, Darby Tetrarch is the victim."

"And Dimitri Talbot is a casualty," Percival added hesitantly.

Zephora shook her head. "Don't say that. Once Petra gets back, she'll explain everything to us and have an update on Prince Dimitri's health."

Jet snarled. "If we don't want blood on our hands, why not form a secret section of the Foresters that does just that? Some sort of special black ops branch?"

Blitz shook his head. "We've been in the thieving business for nearly five years. To suddenly turn ourselves into assassins would go against the principles we established."

Zephora glared. "Even if we agreed we shouldn't become killers, how long are we going to remain stagnant? We've been doing the same routine since the Foresters first appeared, but now we're starting wars with a long dead criminal organization. It's either we go back to just stealing, or we have to change our ways."

"Would Jason agree to that?" Blitz asked.

Valentine turned to Eadwulf. "Want to throw out your opinion? He's your brother, right?"

Eadwulf crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat. With a deep sigh, he said, "We all know why Jason created those laws in the first place. I know because I've been with him through it all." He touched the burned side of his face. "We're talking ourselves into circles over this. Jason's never going to agree on any of this because he's…too lost in his own past."

Sid frowned. "It's been over a decade."

"And it feels like yesterday to him every day after." Eadwulf sighed. "When I saw Jason covered in blood, I legitimately thought he killed someone. He worked day and night to keep that murderous side of his in check, repeating the laws to himself like a mantra. Darby Tetrarch must be something truly vile for Jason to finally snap back to his old self."

Zephora crossed her arms. "What do we do?"

"We wait until Jason's ready to talk, then we can work toward how we want to reform the Foresters, if that option is still available." Eadwulf looked to Blitz. "Sound good to you?"

The Charmeleon nodded. "Yes. Until then, our next order of business should be discussing what happened to Hollow Otis."

Jet glared. "We made sure to keep that little mishap from the Foresters, but how long until we get a proper statement?"

"Just until the guilty party confesses their deeds," Valentine said. "However long that'll take, I can't say."

Zephora nodded. "If he really has been injected with Wraith, we can at least take advantage of the opportunity to study its effects in action. Grim as it may be, this is an unfortunate miracle that fell onto our fort."

"How long until Shade gets back to us on results?" Eadwulf asked.

Blitz shook his head. "Inconclusive. For now, we have Otis restrained, and Shade's doing his best to keep him comfortable. He didn't sound good when I last went to the medical hut."

Eadwulf sighed. "Things are turning upside-down these days. Is there anything else that can go wrong?"

Valentine looked off to the side and frowned. "Don't tempt fate with a prophecy you created."

Leon barely left his room since returning to base, partially because he was under house arrest by order of Jason. After everyone took a day to clear their heads, Jason called the Aron to his hut and scolded him for his attack on Dimitri before issuing the arrest. Granted, it was mostly limited to the entire hut, but Leon chose to keep himself secluded inside his room.

Lucient and Marianne occasionally popped their heads in to check on their divided roommate, but he hardly acknowledged their presence. Words weren't shared, but they would stop by to give him his meals. They were relieved he was still eating, though they kept trying to coax him out of his room. Nothing would make him budge.

He wasn't sure why he felt so off since returning home. Something had been gnawing at his mind since attacking Dimitri, and it made the nights long as he stared for answers at his ceiling, thinking text will magically appear to spell out the source of his unease.

When he wasn't moping, he was vigorously wiping the blood stained across his kite shield. No matter how much he dragged the rag across the metal, he could still see the tiniest specs of blood so small that it could be mistaken for rust. The edge were the worst. Washing out the little bumps and etches of the shield with his stubby forelegs was a chore that took him until the crack of dawn before giving up.

It had become his routine the last few days: eat, stare at the ceiling, clean his shield, and repeat. There were moments of sleep here and there, but he hadn't had a decent night's rest since then.

He sighed and pulled his sheets over his head. "Someone just kill me already…"

Before he could try and make some attempt at sleeping, there was a knock on his door. He waved it off and buried himself inside his hammock. The knocking persisted, growing louder with each bang. His eye twitched in response. He pulled his pillow over his head and dug deeper inside his sheets.

Eventually, he heard the door creak open. "Leon?" It was Lucient's voice.

"…Go away."

"Ah, you're awake, good. You have a visitor."

Probably Jason to exile me or something.

"If you need anything, just shout. I'll be in my room reading."

"Thank you, Lucient."

Leon's head shot to the voice that definitely wasn't Jason's. He winced as his visitor lit the lantern hanging off the wall, bringing the room back into the light. After adjusting to the light, he stared at his surprise guest: Tank.

The Smeargle paced around the small space, examining the tools laying aside and Leon's shield, which sat atop his trunk. "I know you're under house arrest, but at least try and open your windows. You're not a Zubat in a cave."

Leon threw his sheets off, but fell back onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling. "What are you doing here?"

"Blunt as ever, even in your depressing mood. Well, I wanted to tell you that Hedwig is doing better. Couple of bruises, but she'll live. She can take a scrap and dish back more. Though, I suppose that isn't the crux of this visit." He turned and glared at the Aron. "Perhaps you can enlighten me on the matter."

"…" Leon turned his back to the blacksmith.

"No official statement was made regarding your actions at the castle, though I suppose not many know of your colorful background. Unfortunately, I do, and I'm not sure if my ire should be directed at you or Jason's boneheaded, albeit last second decision to bring you to Senbo. I saw the blood on your shield, Leon."

"Got into a fight," Leon mumbled.

"Got into one, or started one? Or dare I say actively pursued a fight?" He approached Leon's bedside. "So, which one was it? The king, or the queen? One of the sons? Heaven forbid it wasn't the ten-year-old princess. That's enough reason for me to punt you across the forest with my hammer."

"…" The Aron sighed through his nose. "Prince Dimitri."

"The second eldest son." Tank crossed his arms. "So, what was your brilliant plan? Was it a dramatic speech you've prepared for this confrontation? Or were you more satisfied with a prolonged execution? Did you scoff at the consequences and went ahead with this plan knowing we'd be opposed?"

"…" Leon pressed his face into his pillow.

Tank sighed. "I'm not going to mince words. I'm disappointed with you, Leon. All our time together, training you to improve your defensive style, and you used that training to take another Pokémon's life. No trial and no jury. Just an executioner with his axe, or shield in your case. I warned you not to pursue vengeance, and this is what you come back with? Should I even ask whether or not he's dead?"

Leon shifted under his sheets. "I don't know."

"You don't know. Well, doesn't that inspire confidence in my faith for you?" Tank sighed, gently rubbing his forehead. "I don't want to be angry with you, I really don't. You confided in me your history in Senbo, and I was willing to help you move past it. I wanted to help you, but I can't if you keep acting irrationally like this. I've seen the hatred you hold for the Talbots through your treatment of Melissa. Do you understand what you could've done to us? Or perhaps your actions have already set in motion consequences for all of us. No, you just took the bait you've been eying for all these years. You're as bad as Jason, I swear."

"…" Leon peeked out from the covers. "He saved me."

Tank raised his brow. "Hmm?"

"The chandelier. I could've easily survived it. It wouldn't broken apart against me. Prince Dimitri pushed Jason and me out of the way. It crushed him." He glared. "Why? After everything I did, why did he make such a stupid move? Jason could've dodged it. I could've survived. He wasn't moving when it fell on him."

Tank narrowed his eyes. "So, that's what happened."

"I know what happened in Boldvale, and yet he still saved my life. All of that, and for what?" Leon clenched his eyes shut and growled. "I'm so confused! I just don't know what to feel anymore!"

"What are you feeling?"

"Angry. Cheated. Disgusted." He clenched his teeth. "…Regretful."

Tank nodded. "I can't speak for what was going on in the prince's mind, but maybe that was his small way of saying he's sorry."

Leon relaxed and faced the ceiling again. "He kept saying over and over that I don't understand the truth behind Boldvale. He said his family is responsible for the lack of guards in the town, but…I always assumed they wanted to get rid of us."

"You met Seismic Frank, right?" Tank asked. "He said he joined a raid on Boldvale. I don't know what was going on with the guards, but it does sound like it was an unfortunate test of fate. Crime's rarely get that bad in Senbo. Might as well call it a goldmine for Freaks when one of the villages is not full protected. But I'm from Algus, not Senbo."

"Are you saying I'm wrong for wanting revenge?"

Tank shook his head. "Your anger is justified, but your actions are deplorable. Perhaps it's time to start letting go of the past. I'm not asking you to forgive them. I'm asking you to understand the truth. Flames can only burn for so long, and you've been stoking the embers of Boldvale long enough. Figure out the truth without resorting to violence. After that, make of what you will when you finally understand what happened. Forgive, or don't forgive. That choice is yours."

Leon sighed. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's hard. It's the hardest thing a Pokémon can do." Tank turned to the door. "But sometimes you'll regret those moments where you wish you forgave them sooner." He gently rubbed his glove's knuckles. "Those are the moments that keep you up at night."

"…"

"Don't keep yourself cooped up here for too long, okay? House arrest will be over before you know it. Just…try to think about what I said." Tank let himself out and closed the door behind him.

Leon closed his eyes and pressed his face into his pillow with a deep sigh. "Right."

"OooooOOoooh…"

Shade drew the curtains back and walked toward the bedside of his other patient. While treating Melissa and the others was partially simple, the surprise guest of the Foresters proved to be a difficult subject. Hollow Otis, a Kecleon bounty hunter now afflicted with something that had been Shade's obsession for months: Wraith.

Otis, despite his condition, had to be strapped down in case he tried to pull an escape. Though, Shade doubted he could move much. There was nothing but groans and wails from the bounty hunter, and all he could do was twist his head as he writhed on the bed. Shade pitied him, and he felt guilty he was using Otis' condition to better understand the effects of Wraith. It was a troubling conundrum that made him sick to his stomach, but he pushed that feeling down in the name of science.

"So, how are we doing today?" Shade asked. "Do you need any water? Some food?"

All he got in return were pained groans.

"Water it is. I'll get that for you in a moment." Shade drew back Otis' bedsheet, revealing the straps that crossed over the bed and secured the Kecleon's body and limbs. "Now, let's have a look at this."

One of the startling side effects he made note of was the dark discoloration of the veins. They were faint, but under the right light he could see the dark lines traveling under the skin. They seemed to shift throughout the day, as if the poison was moving through the body via the bloodstream. It explained why most of the discoloration was around the chest area, where the heart was.

Other than that, most of the other symptoms didn't seem too unusual. Sweating, shivering, signs of dehydration, and general sluggishness. However, that was the crux of Shade's concerns. If Otis had fur, it would've been much harder to see the discoloration under the skin. If not for that…

"Strange." Shade slipped on some gloves and took out a ball of cotton. "Open, please." He frowned as Otis just groaned and shook his head. Shade grabbed the chameleon's jaw, forced it open, and wiped the cotton ball across his tongue. "Thank you." He let go and stepped out from the curtains.

Just as he did, he saw Sadie entering with Felix and Victoria, Melissa apprentices. Shade placed the cotton ball on a clear dish and walked over to them as he peeled his gloves off.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Sadie smiled. "Felix and Victoria wanted to check on Melissa to see if she's doing better. Um…" She glanced at the curtained area. "Should we not be—"

He sighed. "At this point, I think he's too delirious to know he's in Virdis, much less make the connection with Melissa."

She sighed. "Good. So, anyway—"

He nodded. "Melissa's free to leave whenever she can. She's just resting. Feel free to talk to her."

Felix and Victoria nodded. "Thank you, sir!" They walked over to Melissa's bedside.

Shade went back to his desk with Sadie following behind. She sighed and massaged her forehead. "I thought I'd be done with cleaning after returning to the fort."

"Jason stuck you with cleaning duty again?"

"Just when I thought I was done, too. You get in trouble for aiding a kidnapper, now you get in trouble for fibbing about someone's location." She sighed. "I hate cleaning more than ever."

"You kind of deserve it."

"Oh shut up."

"Any reason you're still here?"

"Naturally because I'm worried about my best friend." She leaned on the back of Shade's chair and frowned. "Marie told me what happened. The love potion. Darby."

Shade frowned. "Yeah."

Sadie closed her eyes and growled. "I pushed her to spend time with Darby. I flat out encouraged it. Twice. I…I don't know how to feel about myself. I'm just so angry and…and…"

Shade stopped working and spun around. "Sadie, you didn't know. None of us did. This isn't your fault."

She sighed. "I know, but—"

"Shh." Shade shook his head. "If it clears your mind, I looked her over. Aside from drugging her, he didn't do anything to her body. Just be grateful for that."

"I guess." She rubbed her arm. "It's just hard to look back and not feel disgusted with myself for thinking she had a shot with that bastard penguin. What I wouldn't give to slit his throat."

Shade sighed. "I think a lot of us are feeling that way. You should've seen Jet when he came by yesterday. Poor guy looked like he was ready to storm the Wick Kingdom and dismantle it brick by brick. Everyone in the council is upset over this."

Sadie sighed. "I wish I could've done something."

Shade turned back to his desk. "Well, you're not going to be happy with what I found out."

"What do you mean?"

"Melissa used one of the poison capsules we were working on to escape Darby. I don't know why she was so close as to inhale it, but she did. This is where it gets weird. I think the love potion had an adverse effect with the poison."

Sadie's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"They were both affecting her body chemistry and dulling her senses. I think the stress of the situation combined with the two concoctions triggered some sort of adverse side effect. One dulls the mind, the other lulls you to sleep. Theoretically, under those circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if she started hearing things while she was stressing out. I haven't tested it yet, but I did have Percival do a quick read of her mind. Her thoughts were jumbled and…he was struggling to describe it. That's why he volunteered to run a therapy session with her, hoping he can help her out."

Sadie frowned. "The poor thing."

"Her body is fine, but I'm more concerned about her mind. This isn't something you can just brush off like a glimpse at death."

Sadie glanced over her shoulder, where she saw Melissa seemingly talking to her apprentices. "Is she okay now?"

"Hard to say, but she's not as lively as before." He shook his head. "I'd say give it a few days and maybe she'll be back to her usual self, but…I wouldn't hold my breath."

Sadie sighed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Melissa…"

"Maybe we should switch topics. Actually, I want your opinion on something." He pulled up his notes.

She sniffled and asked, "L-Like what?"

"You've been working in Castle Penworth for a few years, right? What are the regular routines for the doctors?"

Sadie wiped her eyes again as she thought it over. "What do you mean? Like if someone gets sick?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. They usually just check for symptoms and…guess, I guess. I don't know the whole procedure."

"Have you ever had a fever before?"

"I suppose. Why?"

"Does a doctor ever note to check under your fur for anything?"

She narrowed her eyes. "No? Not that I recall. What are you talking about?"

Shade turned and pointed at the curtained area. "Otis has discolored veins due to the Wraith swimming in his bloodstream. However, I wouldn't have noticed them if he had fur or darker skin. It's very faint."

"What's your point?"

"It's the only outlier in the symptoms because everything else makes it look like he's suffering a fever."

"A…fever?"

Shade nodded. "Shivering, sweating, dehydration, irritability, you name it. Without the telltale signs, it just looks like he's coming down with a fever."

"Wouldn't a doctor know the difference?"

"Maybe, but that's the part that has me concerned. How easily can this be mistaken for a fever? His strength looks like it's deteriorating, and he struggles to breathe every so often. I can't tell if his life is in danger right now, but his health may decline in the coming months."

Sadie grimaced. "Shit. Can we do something?"

"I'm trying to make an antidote, but it's a bit difficult since I don't know what makes up the Wraith. Plus, I'm mostly self-taught, so I only know so much. If I had some help from someone more experienced in this stuff, it would be appreciated. As it stands, it's mostly guesswork."

Sadie crossed her arms and frowned. "Did…Marie actually poison him?"

"All we know is that Basil and Marie were the ones with Otis when the missing vial was found. I…rather not think about why either of them would do this, though."

"Hey, Master Melissa!" Victoria exclaimed, bouncing over to Melissa's bedside. "Rise and shine, because it's a beautiful day for training!"

Felix gently slapped the back of her head. "At least give her the rest of the day to recuperate before demanding that."

Melissa turned around and smiled weakly at her apprentices. "Oh. Hey."

Felix massaged his nape. "Just so you know, we didn't tell anyone about the switcheroo like you requested. Jet kind of dragged the answer out of Sadie and JoJo."

Melissa shook her head. "It is fine. It…is fine."

Victoria leaned against the bed and asked, "So, when are you getting out of here?"

"Maybe later. I'm just really tired right now."

She nodded. "Fair, fair. Well, we can't wait for you to get back in the action. We've been learning so much from JoJo while she was impersonating you. She taught me how to pickpocket cash and make shady business deals in dark allies." She tapped her chin. "Not sure how useful that skill set will be."

Felix pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled through them. "We've also been improving our teamwork since you left. We came up with some fun combo attacks and names to use if we ever get in a fight. I named one of them the Holiday Gambit. It's actually quite clever. See, it involves Victoria's Present move and—"

"Um, yeah, that's nice." Her apprentices frowned as Melissa turned on her side and pulled her sheets over her shoulder. "Good for you two and all."

Victoria tilted her head. "Are you okay?"

"I said I'm fine. Just not feeling one hundred percent, that's all."

"Can we get you anything?" Felix asked.

"No. I'm fine. I just want to rest. Go bother Lucient or Wyatt and Avel or…someone, I don't know."

The apprentices shared a concerned look with each other. Victoria stroked her ear as she asked, "Well, are we still going to do training tomorrow? I mean, we haven't really talked about the heist much, and we really want to look good for our first assignment. There will still be time for that, right?"

Melissa shrugged her shoulders. "Assuming I'm still allowed to host a mission." She closed her eyes and mumbled, "You probably don't want some useless screwup leading you, anyway."

"What was that?" Felix asked.

"Nothing." She raised her hand and halfheartedly waved it. "If I'm not under house arrest, we can meet up tomorrow or…the next day. I don't care."

Felix frowned. "Melissa, are you sure you're—"

"Ugh, how many times do I have to repeat myself? Yes, I'm fine!" she said firmly without facing them. "Just leave me alone so I can sleep."

Victoria and Felix stared at their team leader surprised by her unfamiliar tone. The accident-prone Azumarill even shuddered with tears in her eyes, but tried not to whimper. "Oh. Okay. Sorry for bothering you."

Felix patted her back. "Come on, Victoria. Let's get something to eat." He casted a glare over his shoulder, just as hurt as Victoria's silent cries, and led her out of the medical hut.

Melissa didn't acknowledge them as they left. She buried her head under her pillow and stared into the fabric pressing against her face.

"They hate you."

"You're terrible."

"You will never be the role model they aspire to become."

"You're useless."

She clenched her eyes shut. She could feel the fabric of her pillow growing damp from her escaping tears.

I'm fine…

The rumors that Jason hadn't left his hut in days were, for the most part, true. The only time he physically left was to get food, though that was in the dead of night. The rest of the day, he would pace around his abode, lost in the thoughts swirling in his head.

The only official duties he performed in the last three days were giving out punishments to the parties involved in the unprompted visit to the Senbo Kingdom. He wanted to chew them out and scold them for all the violations they committed attending the party. He wanted to be firm, to lay down the law and drill it into their heads that what they did was inexcusable.

He couldn't bring himself to.

At worst, he put them on house arrest, especially Leon. He couldn't yell at the girls for what they did, not after everything they went through. It seemed wrong. He didn't want them going unpunished, but he didn't want to come down too harshly. The only one who managed to escape punishment was Melissa, and for two reasons.

One, he couldn't really give her a punishment while she was still unconscious.

Two, after everything she went through, punishing her seemed too cruel. At worst, he considered lecturing her over what happened, but he figured she been through enough torment. It sickened him to think what would've happened had no one intervened when they did.

The only Forester he thought who deserved serious punishment (aside from a certain pair) was himself.

It looped in his head, how close he was to snuffing the life out of Darby Tetrarch. It was so easy for him. He had his hands right on the penguin and was ready to fry him into oblivion. Nothing but killing Darby mattered as he drowned himself in the sweet release of rage. Jason forgot where he was in the moment. It was just him and the dying Prinplup in his grasp.

Then he came to when Erasmus intervened and became a potential victim of the Touch of Zeraora. What was a Pikachu to do but runaway? Erasmus Talbot was not the subject of his rage, and he would've took the cat's life if not for a tiny voice in the back his mind finally screaming above the storm.

Jason himself wasn't looking too good. Aside from washing the blood off his fur, he hadn't been taking care of himself. His fur was a mess, the dark circles under his eyes got worse, and his uniform was wrinkly from sleeping in it, or whatever one called staring at a ceiling until the crack of dawn.

He hunched over his desk and pressed his hand to his throbbing head. "I should've killed him. No one would miss him." He clenched his teeth. "I can't. I can't go back. Not like that. I lost control. He should've died. I can't become a killer. Not again. I'm not a killer. I'm not a killer. I'm not a—"

"Jason?"

He spun around with a start, but relaxed his shoulders once he saw it was just Basil and Marie. The pair looked at him in concern as they closed the door behind themselves. Jason blinked a couple times before running his hand through the fur on his head.

"S-Sorry," he mumbled.

"Are you feeling alright?" Marie asked. "You look pretty frazzled."

"I'm…fine."

"You sure?" Basil sniffed the air and winced. "Ugh. When was the last time you showered?" Marie bumped him with her elbow. "Uh, right. Not the time."

"Why are you two here?" the Pikachu groaned.

Basil held his hips. "You tell us. Blitz came by our huts earlier and said you wanted to see us."

"I did?" Jason closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. "Oh. Right. I did." He slapped himself on the cheeks and walked around his desk. "Sorry. Right."

Basil crossed his arms. "Is this about my mission report? Does something need to be amended?"

"Sort of." Jason pulled open a drawer and picked up an empty glass vial. He glared at them and asked, "Does this look familiar to either of you?"

Marie tilted her head. "Looks like one of Shade's vials."

"Correction: it's Shade's stolen vial that contained a sample of Wraith." He closed the vial into his grip and marched up to them. "And according to Shade, you were the last one in the medical hut before he closed the cabinet."

Marie's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Basil sighed. "It's true, Marie. Someone picked the lock, and Shade confirmed you were the only one who could've done it."

"There's also the issue of a missing alibi," Jason added. "According to Percival, you were absent from the escape party. He said you went to look for me, but I found you in the same area as Hollow Otis and Pandora."

Marie glared. "Is that so?"

Basil shook his head. "You really haven't changed, my dagger-loving friend. A shame on you—"

"Not so fast, Basil." The Salandit's eyes widened as Jason now pointed at him. "She's not the only suspect."

"Pardon me?" Basil gasped. "Shade confirmed the poison was missing when he opened the cabinet that day. How could—"

"Don't pull that shit with me, Basil," Jason cut off. "Sleight of hand and parlor tricks are your specialty. Is it really so hard to believe you stole the vial just as Shade opened the cabinet? Plus, given the state of emergency, you guessed I would've had to bring you along on short notice."

Basil blinked, then glared at the Pikachu. "You can't be serious."

"How do we know it wasn't Pandora?" Marie asked. "She's going on and on about how she's so evil. And she was the one fighting Otis before either of us showed up. Why isn't she getting blamed?"

"A syringe was also stolen from Shade's hut," Jason explained. "Do either of you wish to explain to me how Pandora managed to hold one in her paws despite it not being designed for paws? Besides, Pandora wasn't anywhere near Shade's lab when it was reported stolen. Lillia and Adenine confirmed to Percival you were with each other before you all left." He glared at Marie. "You and Melissa were the only ones who excused themselves before you left together, and I know for a fact Melissa didn't steal or use it."

"Okay, so you have evidence she may have done it," Basil said, pointing at Marie.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Basil." Jason held up the vial. "You were left unaccounted for during the extraction. Regardless of how much this looks on Marie, I'm not unfairly trying her until I get an explanation for your movements."

Basil groaned. "This is so stupid. I escaped that Flygon chick and happened to find Marie hunched over that Kecleon bastard. I didn't actually see her use the Wraith, but—"

"Screw that!" Marie yelled. "You got there before me!"

"Did not."

"Did to."

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did—"

"SHUT UP!" The pair recoiled from Jason. He pinched between his eyes and groaned. "Clearly one of you is refusing to tell the truth."

"It could be JoJo," Marie mumbled. "Maybe she stowed away with you guys without anyone realizing."

"…Do you even want me to explain how stupid that sounds?"

Basil raised his hand. "Actually, I do quite like this Ditto theory. Shall we go with that instead?"

Jason narrowed his eyes. "Neither of you fully understand the weight of what you did." He held the vial up. "We were supposed to study how this crap worked, not test it on someone!"

Marie shrugged. "Who cares? Otis doesn't exactly have the most appealing background, so who's going to miss him?"

"You're missing the point. What are our supporters going to think when they think we've stooped to fatally poisoning our enemies? What will the rest of the Foresters think? This isn't how we do things."

Basil scoffed. "And yet, you didn't seem too hesitant over nearly killing Prince Darby."

"That's different."

"How different?" Marie asked. "I wanted him dead, too, but you can't go saying it's wrong when you nearly went to town turning him into a live barbeque."

Jason growled. His fur stood on end with sparks surging up his body. Basil and Marie took a step back from him, but relaxed as Jason reeled in his emotions and sighed.

"House arrest."

Their eyes widened. "What?"

"Unless I need you for something, you both are under indefinite house arrest. You are not to leave your huts for any reason, and you will not leave until I finally get an answer from the true culprit and why they did it. Do I make myself clear?"

"That's so unfair!" Marie exclaimed.

"Get over it!" Jason snapped.

She jabbed him in the chest. "Are you just excusing me because of what happened in the past? I told you, I changed. I didn't use the Wraith."

"Then where were you before you left Fort Lucus last week?"

"…" Marie looked away.

"Go back to your huts. Now."

Marie sighed through her nose and stepped away. "Yes, sir." She turned and marched out the door.

Basil sighed and shrugged. "Well, at least I don't have to babysit the Snivy knight anymore. Try and take a shower, boss." He walked out behind Marie and shut the door behind himself.

Now alone, Jason turned to his desk and leaned against it on his hands. He clenched his teeth as tears rolled down his face. He clenched his fist so hard that he didn't realize the vial broke. He could feel little trinkles of blood dripping between his fingers.

I hate being the leader.

Jason took to Basil's advice and showered as day turned to night. Once he was dried and in his proper sleep attire, he crashed onto his sad excuse of a cot with a book in hand. The cover was titled Journey of the Storm Breaker Vol.3. Whenever Jason felt stressed, he could always turn to his favorite book series for peace of mind.

"Crypt of the Death God? Nah. The Zeraora and the Diancie? No. The Tournament of Divine Cuisine? Eh, any other day, I could use a good dose of comedy." He skimmed down the table of contents and the titles listed out. His finger stopped on one. "The Race Across the Infinite Plains? Oh yeah, this one's my favorite." He covered his face and chuckled. "Almighty Arceus, when Mom and Dad caught me acting out the scenes in the middle of the night…"

There was a time he read the story so many times that he could recite it from memory. He and Eadwulf would dance around in the yard in the middle of the night, acting out their favorite scenes. Eadwulf liked the series, but wasn't as huge a fan as Jason, so there were nights we he played pretend by himself.

"So stupid," he mumbled.

Cautiously, he pricked his ears up and listened for anyone who may be lingering near his hut. He stood up and peeked out his window, doing a quick scan of his surroundings. Torchlights were out, and not a Forester was wandering outside.

He sighed and pinched between his eyes. "I can't believe I'm doing this…"

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He jumped onto his cot and raised his book into the air, its pages fluttering open.

"You must be joking, Fierce Star. How foolish of you to think you can best me in a race," Jason stated with a dramatic tone of voice. "I can race circles around the mortal plane."

"You gods and your arrogance. What business do you have pretending you are in control, Storm Breaker?"

"I reject the will of the gods for my choice alone. My journey is not to quarrel with you mortals. I simply wish to pass through your realm so that I may help my companion reach her destiny. If you don't step aside and let us pass through peacefully, I will gladly take up your challenge. Best be warned, for I don't plan of losing."

"Such arrogance. Very well, Storm Breaker, but you sealed your fate crossing in my domain. I have ascended beyond the gods. I have become the Lord of Speed in this realm. I am the fastest."

"Name your time and place."

"Three days from now when the sun is at its highest. My realm, the Infinite Plains. Be prepared, for mercy will not smile upon thee."

"Storm Breaker, what are you doing?" Jason voiced in a higher pitch. "You can't agree to this deal. We'll never be able to cross over if you—"

"We did not travel this far just to seek violence, my friend. I promised you we would see the First Dawn's Light. If this mortal wishes to be stubborn, then I shall meet him through his rules. Even if my legs must be incinerated to the bone, I must win."

"Storm. Storm, I—"

"JASON!"

"AAH!" Jason slipped on his sheets and fell onto his back. His book hit the floor, the pages crumbling under its own weight. He rubbed the back of his head and glanced up at the fluttering Ribombee above him.

"P-Petra?"

"Um…" She awkwardly rubbed her arm. "What were you doing—"

"Nothing!" he denied, his face burning red. "I wasn't…doing anything." He picked up his book and swiftly closed it. "Um…what are you doing here? You were supposed to be back hours ago."

Petra blinked twice, then her eyes widened as she inhaled a sharp gasp. "Oh, right! I'm so sorry, I got sidetracked!"

Jason groaned. "Please tell me you didn't get distracted by a giant sandwich."

"I-I'm serious! I was about to leave when I spotted something happening outside of Prince Dimitri's window!"

Jason's eyes widened. "W-What? Is the prince okay?"

"Um, well…"

"Petra?"

She tapped her hands together nervously. "We have a bit of an unfortunate situation on our hands. Like, it was really bad."

"Petra, what happened?" he asked cautiously.

She gulped. "I was fluttering outside Prince Dimitri's window. He's…alive. He's mostly unresponsive, but alive."

Jason held his chest and sighed in relief. "That's one crisis averted. But what's the issue?"

She clenched her teeth. "Someone tried to assassinate him."

His eyes widened. "What?!"

"I saw the whole thing. Th-They injected him with something a-and the knights captured—I panicked and flew away before anything else happened."

"Petra…" Jason grabbed the honey pixie gently. "Who tried to assassinate him?"

"…" She looked at Jason with tears streaming down her face. "Us."