Crafton, Senbo Kingdom

Whistles sounded off, and miniature coaches rolled through the streets of the small, industrialized town. The signature gears of the Senbo Kingdom were adorned on most buildings and coaches that rolled by. Puffs of smoke blew from the metal chimneys of buildings, either bakeries or forges. There was hardly a spec of dirt to be found in the clean city, and hardly a Pokémon not dressed in refined clothes.

Though the city seemed compacted with its buildings, there was wide open space in the streets for both Pokémon and coaches to move along unimpeded by each other. Nothing felt too grand like the capital with almost all buildings being a head taller than the average Golurk. The occasional interactions between Pokémon seemed to give the impression of a close community.

A Ledian boy walked down the street, messenger bag with newspapers rolled up inside. He held a paper up and shouted, "Getcha' papers here, folks! Hear about the progress of the Senbo and Wick Kingdom's joint venture to revolutionize transportation! Come see the wonders being cooked up by prodigies in our local workshops! Be amazed by rumors of kingdoms beyond our borders—"

He yelped as the paper levitated out his hand, though he calmed down when a few coins dropped in their place. He stared at them, shrugged, and continued on his route with a new paper in hand.

The paper levitated up to the window of an inn, where a hook caught and drew it inside before the occupant slammed the window shut.

"Tch. This town is way too noisy," the Dusknoir said as he unfurled the paper.

Taking refuge in the room were the Dukes of Buzzard, or what remained of them. Marsaili sat on the second bed caring for the comatose Terrick. Rogier sat near the door, arms crossed and eyes clenched shut. Their newest addition to the group, Hapi, sat in a chair awkwardly kicking her legs.

"It was either here or the Echo Bell Kingdom," Marsaili said. "And believe me, they're anything but quiet over there."

Althalos scoffed. "I'm venting. I'll take anywhere over a custom-made coffin."

Hapi narrowed her eyes. "So, what does the paper say?"

"Usual stuff. Everyone's buzzing over the new train system."

"Oh yeah, it's at least a week away from the grand opening."

"And it's being unveiled here in Crafton. I figured we could give that murderous jackal the slip here. Last place anyone would want to go while on the run is somewhere this busy."

Marsaili smirked dryly. "Yeah, unless he predicted you make a move like that."

He glared at her. "Feel free to test your theory by standing outside and yelling your name."

"…Point made." She crossed her arms and fell back into the bed with a groan. "This is ridiculous. We've been on the run for weeks now, and I can't look over my shoulder without jumping at the sight of anything yellow, sparkly, or vaguely Lucario shaped. I actually almost miss being the Foresters' prisoner!" She then winced. "Well, as long as I don't have to deal with that Mawile again…"

Hapi shot her a confused glare, but decided to brush it off and looked back at Althalos. "We haven't seen The Ghost since we left the Outlands. Maybe we did lose him."

"Doubtful," Althalos muttered. "Someone like that can't be outfoxed so easily. He's probably considered our potential path of escape and making his way here now."

"Then why are we crashing in an inn?" Marsaili asked.

"Because he wants us to keep running. If we do that, we'll run ourselves ragged and become easy prey." He glared at the newspaper. "He's taking his time, so we'll use that to our advantage. Besides, I made sure to injure him badly before we escaped. We at least have a couple days head start, and I refuse to believe that madman doesn't need to sleep."

She sighed. "Once again, point made."

"For now, we just need to take it easy and get our strength back up before we start moving."

Marsaili rolled around onto her side and glared. "Is that our new routine now? Stopping to catch our breaths before hightailing it to the next town over? Come on, how badly does this bastard want us dead? Until we're old and gray and hobbling after each other on canes?"

"No."

"Then how long are we supposed to run until it's time to give up?" She sat up and scowled at the large ghost. "News flash, but Ainsley and Frank are dead, and Amos is probably already rotting away in the middle of nowhere! Last Autumn wants us dead, and there's nothing we can do about it! We can't stop that freak, and we're just delaying the inevitable!"

Althalos closed his eye. "I refuse to succumb to fear."

"Well, I don't want to runaway for the rest of my life. Unless you have a plan, we might as well take the initiative and jump that bastard Lucario before he can pull a gun on us—"

"If…I may interject," Hapi interrupted, raising her hand. The two adults glared at her. She bowed her head a bit and said, "The Ghost was after me, right? He wanted me alive. If it saves you all trouble, maybe you should bargain me up in exchange for your freedom. He'll say you're dead, and he gets me."

Althalos put the paper down and shook his head. "Sorry kid, but I'm not in the mood to negotiate. Besides, he doesn't seem like the type to have any ulterior motives. If he wants you, that means Last Autumn wants you, and I don't even want to think about what that entails."

Rogier opened his eyes and finally joined in on the conversation. "What's so special about the kid that The Ghost wants her?"

"We're still trying to figure that out." He crossed his arms and glared at Hapi. "He called you Solberg. Does that ring any bells? Surname?"

She shook her head. "N-No. My last name's Northrop. I don't know anything about a Solberg."

"Odd." He scratched his chin. "Very odd."

Marsaili glared. "Solberg, huh?"

"You know of it?"

"I…think? I feel like I heard it somewhere before, but I can't place when or where."

"Hmph." Althalos looked out the window before scooting off the bed. "Market's will be opening up soon. We'll stock up on provisions and figure out where to head off next tomorrow. Hapi, you come with me."

"O-Okay." She slid off the chair and followed behind.

Rogier raised his brow. "You sure it's a good idea to take her along? The streets are packed this morning, and—"

Althalos raised his hand and said, "If she's going to stay with us, she'll have to help out. You two need to watch over Terrick and keep him stable." He opened the door and gestured Hapi to leave first. "We won't be gone long." He shut the door behind him.

Rogier sighed and pressed the back of his head to the wall. "Great. Just great."

"Yep." Marsaili kicked her feet as she looked around the room. "Ssssoooo…"

"Ssssoooo…"

"…"

"…"

"…I've got some cards."

"Go Fish."

"Seriously?"

"It's the only card game I know how to play."

Senbo Capital

"Hold still."

"Agh!"

"I told you to hold still."

Hobs tensed up as Brinley applied the sponged to his chest, wiping off the bloodstains from his fur. He had just finished getting out of minor surgery removing the splinters from his body. Now he was being treated for the burn wounds across his body. A huge, black scar marked his torso, searing into his flesh. It was the worst of his injuries, the rest being superficial at best.

Brinley grunted. "You're lucky, you know. That arrow could've gone deeper and burned a hole clean through your stomach."

He rested his head back into the pillow and sighed. "I wasn't going to die. It wasn't in the kid's nature."

"Whatever you say." A knock sounded off the door. "Go away."

"His Majesty requests to speak with the bounty hunter!"

She groaned. "Send him in." A knight opened the door, letting in King Talbot along with Ignacia and Fulbertus. She stopped cleaning Hobs and pointed at the two extras. "No. Just the king. You two, out."

Ignacia scoffed. "He's my dad. You ain't kicking me out."

Before Brinley could retort, Gilbert cut in and said, "It is fine, Dr. Sappington. Let the girl speak with her father." She narrowed her eyes, but relented as she continued wiping down Hobs.

Ignacia approached the Gumshoos' bedside. He tilted his head and smirked. "Hey, sweetie. Come to wish your old man a speedy recover—" He flinched as the Flygon chopped him on the head. "YOW!"

"You shitty old man, you could've been killed!" she growled. "Look at you! You're a couple degrees away from being a certified brisket!"

Brinley shot her a deadpan glare. "Would you mind not assaulting my patient? That's my job."

Hobs sighed. "Sorry, Ignacia. Guess I got carried away with last night."

"I could've helped," she said.

"I needed you to protect the castle in my absence."

"You're in your mid-fifties. You can't afford to take too many hits like that."

He smirked. "And here I thought you didn't care for your old man's health."

She looked away with an embarrassed blush. "Don't twist my words. I just don't want to go through the trouble of planning your funeral."

"Hahahaha! If you insist—YOW!" He flinched as Brinley chopped him on the head.

"If you're going to talk, do it in moderation so your stitches don't open back up."

He huffed. "Suddenly missing Patience's vacant attitude…" He turned to the king at the foot of his bed. "So, what earned me your esteemed presence, King Talbot?"

The royal Houndoom sighed. "Forgive my bluntness on the matter, but I come bearing news in light of last night's events. Once your injuries have healed, I am relieving you of your service in the castle."

He sighed. "Yeah, should've saw that coming."

"The commotion from your battle last night has sent my subjects into a panic. Explosions, light pollution, flames engulfing the street—"

"I only take responsibility for the explosions, Your Majesty."

"Regardless, I cannot afford to keep you around, especially with the debacle that proceeded these transgressions." He turned his attention to Fulbertus. "You failed to stop the Foresters from taking the prisoner."

Fulbertus bowed his head. "I am ashamed of my failure, Your Majesty. On behalf of the Wick Kingdom and my king, I will not rest until the Foresters pay for their crimes."

Gilbert nodded and looked back at Hobs. "King Tetrarch and his family will be returning to the Wick Kingdom soon to oversee the unveiling of the train system. He still requests that you assist with security, but I cannot have the Desierto Hunters Guild continue operating in my kingdom. My people have lived for two centuries in fear of outsiders, and these invasions have reflected poorly on our efforts to quell the people's bias."

Hobs closed his eyes and nodded. "I understand, Your Majesty. We will continue to serve, even from afar."

"Very good. Now, in regard to why the Foresters were in the castle last night…"

Hobs nodded and said, "I was one of the first to discover their presence in the castle. Two were breaking Ms. Rousseau out of prison while two more were snooping around the ailing prince. I naturally sent my daughter to alert the knights while I tended to your son first."

"And was my son harmed in any way?"

Brinley finished cleaning Hobs and gently dabbed his chest with a dry cloth. "I looked over the prince myself after this came to my attention. There have been no signs of injury or injections to his body."

Gilbert narrowed his eyes. "Strange. From the sound of it, they should have had plenty of time to do something. Was there anything out of place?"

"Aside from a broken down door, nothing. If anything, the prince is steadily recovering from his injuries. He's having trouble speaking, but it's a start. Couldn't make much sense of what he was saying."

"Very strange." Gilbert shook his head. "Just what are those Foresters plotting?"

Fulbertus raised his hand. "The abduction of the prisoner does at least conclude her alliance with the Foresters. They were most likely retrieving her in fear of secrets being spilled about their operation. As for why they didn't finish assassinating the prince, I wouldn't know."

Gilbert grunted. "This is an embarrassment to the Senbo Kingdom. Loosening our borders has been bringing too much trouble of late. We have rarely dealt with these kinds of problems, and no crime of this magnitude has ever been committed in the capital."

Hobs narrowed his eyes. "Ah yes, Senbo's squeaky clean record for maintaining peace. That must be very important to you, Your Majesty."

"…" Gilbert shot him a brief look before shaking his head. "I had hoped this joint operation with our kingdoms would bring new opportunities to my people, but now…"

Fulbertus shook his head. "Trust in King Tetrarch, Your Majesty. Once the train system is finished, we will be able to expand our communities. And once it's been officially approved, we can connect to the Echo Bell Kingdom and eventually the Verde Kingdom. This is all in the name of peace."

"Peace." Gilbert sighed. "Peace, indeed."

Brinley picked up her supplies and squeezed past them. "Well, I'll be taking my leave. Remember to get some bed rest, old man."

Hobs waved at her. "Thank you kindly, doctor."

Gilbert tilted his head. "Where are you off to, Dr. Sappington?"

"I have other matters to attend to in my chamber. Watch over your dad for me, kid."

Ignacia rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Brinley stepped out into the hallway, but paused when she saw Erasmus and Darby standing with their ears pressed to the wall. She blinked at them before glaring as she shut the door. "What are you two doing?"

"…Eavesdropping?" Erasmus answered unsurely.

"…" The Aromatisse shrugged and went on her way. "Not my problem." She shot a glare at Darby, noting the direction of his eyes. "Want to see what I can do with a melon baller, prince?"

He flinched and turned away. "N-No."

"Then those eyes better stay up." She continued on her way and disappeared around a corner.

Darby breathed a sigh of relief before shivering. "Have I mentioned how much I hate your physician?"

Erasmus shook his head. "Does not stop you from staring."

"Am I not allowed to appreciate the female body?" Darby asked. The glare he received from Erasmus made him frown. "Fine, fine, not the time." He pulled away from the wall and balanced on his crutches. "This is getting out of hand. The Foresters are becoming too bold in their recent endeavors. We need to strike back now."

Erasmus shook his head. "Believe me, I want to go after them, but I cannot just go behind my father's back and send an army to the Forbidden Forest. I am in enough trouble with him." He scratched his chin. "I could always pen a letter to King Penworth demanding we comb through the forest. I feel so useless waiting for something to happen. Even if I am no longer the heir to the throne, I am still a prince, and I must take a proactive stance in dealing with my kingdom's affairs."

Darby nodded. "And I shall support your mission, my friend. However…" He hobbled up to his side. "There is much risk in this. Not even the denizens of the Verde Kingdom can find the Foresters. What chance do you have?"

Erasmus glared. "If I must, my military can easily set that entire forest ablaze."

"You would also put the Verde capital at risk. Ash in the wind, the risk of flames flying off over the walls, and cutting off routes in and out of the capital." He hooked his wing around the cat. "I understand you are an honest fellow, my friend, but there comes a time for cunning over direct force."

"And what would you do in my place?"

Darby smirked. "They attended the party to investigate the joint train operation between our kingdoms, yes? That would mean they may have an invested interest in seeing the official launch."

"The train unveiling? Are you suggesting that they would board in on its launch day?"

"Why would they not? After all, there is something of great value involved."

Erasmus narrowed his eyes. "The elementium core."

"A chunk like that is not just a lot of money, but untapped potential for more of their schemes. They could not possibly pass up an opportunity."

Erasmus thought it over for a moment, but shook his head. "No. There is no way they would risk the danger. We would expect it."

"It did not stop them from invading your hope at night. And it certainly did not stop them from attempting to kill your brother." Darby hovered around the Talbot prince. "The Foresters have been in operation for so long that we have gotten use to their patterns. Now, during our weakest moments, they switch things up to reveal their true colors. What stops them from breaking expectation again?"

"Maybe, but—"

"And besides, what harm is there in checking? We need security on the train already. Why not double the efforts? If nothing happens, then nothing happens. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"…" Erasmus closed his eyes. "Assuming I agree to this, what do you have in mind?"

Darby grinned. "Come with me to the Wick Kingdom, and we shall ambush the Foresters the second they leave the train. You can have your knights oversee the train security while we wait them out in the connecting town. If nothing happens, we can always tour around and call the launch a success. I see no downside."

Erasmus closed his eyes. "You have a point."

"And, with any luck, we might run into Harlow and finally prove that she is in fact Melissa."

The cat groaned. "You are still on that?"

"I saw her with my own eyes, Erasmus! I know who I saw!"

He glared in return. "Alright, fine. We will ambush the Foresters during the train launch."

Darby chuckled. "I am glad we came to an understanding. Feel free to send whoever you like as security." He turned and hobbled off.

"Where are you going?"

He shrugged. "I am going to get into contact with a noble I am acquainted with in the Verde Kingdom. Not much of a fighter, but he owes me some favors. He may be able to help us get the edge over the Foresters."

"The edge? Darby, you are planning of fighting them again?"

"My injuries should be healed up by the time of the launch, and I could use a spot of revenge against that bastard Fairy Knight." He waved and continued down the hall. "Just you wait, Erasmus. Everything will fall into place before you know it."

Erasmus narrowed his eyes at the penguin's back. "…Yeah."

"…And that is basically our plan moving forward."

Erasmus had gathered his personal guard into his chamber as he looked over his royal armor, mounted on a quadrupedal mannequin. A shining red armor composed of armored plating for the body, bracers, and a helmet with blue plumage atop. It bared the family crest on its chest, the hammer encircled by bayonets.

Gaufroi glared. "You will be going to the Wick Kingdom to stage this ambush?"

"Indeed, and I require your aid if this operation is to go off without error. I will need two of you to volunteer as security on the train while the other two wait out at the second station in Barrenworth. If Darby's scheme goes as he envisions, there will be Foresters aiming to steal the elementium core."

Serell crossed his arms. "Sounds reasonable, but would it be wise to pursue the Foresters on the train?"

Linota glared. "For once, I side with Serell. Important nobles will be on that train, and any fighting could put them at risk. Not only could it put a dent in officializing the train system extensions in the Echo Bell Kingdom, it could further dampen relations with the Senbo Kingdom. Your father has been trying to stamp out any rumors regarding your affair with Adenine, though there's only such much he can do."

Erasmus frowned, stroking the side of his helmet. "I do hope she is not suffering."

Rikmai frowned. "Still no contact from her, huh?"

"No."

"Give it time. I am sure she is just caught up with something."

He sighed. "Or maybe I am blind. Maybe I did let a Forester sneak into my life without realizing. I refuse to believe she is a cold-hearted manipulator, but…it is becoming harder to deny the evidence points to the obvious."

Gaufroi crossed his arms and sighed. "Her intentions eluded all of us, Your Highness. We are just as much to blame, if not completely."

Rikmai shook her head fervently. "I don't buy it for a second! That was real love I saw between you two! Even if she is a Forester, maybe she had a change of heart after realizing how special you are to her. Love is the most powerful force on this planet!"

Serell looked off and mumbled, "Says the girl who drops the marriage bomb on the first hello."

She turned and growled at him. "You shut your—"

"Enough!" Linota snapped. "Both of you! You're acting like children!" They pouted and looked away. She sighed and approached Erasmus. "My prince, you know your safety is our number one priority."

He shook his head. "It was your priority when I was the heir to the throne. You should be worrying about one of the twins."

"We've been by your side for a long time. We are not just duty bound to protect the eldest son of the Talbot bloodline. We're duty bound to protect our dear friend."

Gaufroi nodded. "She speaks nothing but truth, Your Highness. Our loyalty to you goes beyond obligation."

Erasmus sighed before smiling at them. "I always could count on you four for support."

Gaufroi nodded with a small smile before switching to a serious glare. "That said, I personally object to this plan."

"What do you mean?"

"Call it a gut feeling, but I don't trust the Wick Kingdom."

Serell waved it off. "Ah, come on, Gaufroi. You're an old fart who slaughtered Wick knights back during the old wars. Of course you would be a bit tense around them."

He shook his head. "No, this is different. I had a chat with that one knight, Fulbertus. I still don't know why he wanted to talk to me, though I felt his eyes during the whole conversation. It felt like he was studying me. Almost felt like he was testing me."

"Testing you?" Linota asked.

Rikmai tilted her head. "Did you pass?"

"Hard to say, though I think I spooked him before he attended to the jailbreak. He was definitely after something in that conversation." He sighed and shook his head. "Pray you all never have to go through war like I did. It does things to you. I still endure the flashbacks."

Erasmus frowned. "My…sincerest apologies, my friend."

"Everything I have heard about King Tetrarch down to the legacy of the Wick Kingdom leaves a bad taste in my mouth." He glared at the prince. "You're a sharp kid. Surely, you've been feeling off about him, too."

Erasmus turned away and glared at his mirror. "When I had lunch with Darby and the Visconti siblings, I recall an exchange between Darby and Evangelina. Recently, Dimitri also called me out for ignoring…potential warning signs because I have been concerning myself with maintain relations for Father. Since I have never talked to other royals outside my family, I had to adapt. Everything I do is for the good of the Senbo Kingdom. Perhaps I have been putting aside those doubts."

"…" Gaufroi closed his eyes and sighed. "I will volunteer as train security."

The prince's eyes widened. "Gaufroi?"

"However, no matter what, stay on your guard. Do not interact with Darby any more than you need to. If you feel like you are in danger, do not hesitate to defend yourself by any means necessary. Should anything come of it, I will take responsibility for the fallout. Better my life be forfeit than yours."

"Gaufroi…"

"We will not go to war with the Foresters. If we want to put aside our war days, we need to figure this out through words, not swords. Capture them by any means, but we will not shed blood until the truth comes to light. We will figure out the real reason Dimitri is centered around their sudden interests. After all, you trust that Adenine isn't a deceiver."

"…Yes, I do."

"Completely and surely?"

"I do."

Gaufroi nodded. "Then prioritize capture above all else."

Rikmai nodded and stepped forward. "I also volunteer for security! If anyone can protect the nobles best, it's me."

Serell grinned. "Guess that leaves us with the ambush."

Linota nodded. "We're right behind you, Erasmus."

"…" He closed his eyes and bowed his head to them. "I am blessed to have trusted friends like all of you. Thank you." He lifted his head and glared. "Very well. Not a word of this conversation to Darby. We will figure out the Foresters' true motives. Once that is behind us, we need to investigate the Wick Kingdom."

The knights saluted to him. "We're right behind you, Your Highness."

Erasmus nodded. "Good. Prepare yourselves. We do not know what to expect going forward."

Darby kicked open his door and let himself in, chuckling to himself. "Oh Erasmus, how I pity you. So blinded by revenge that you cannot see with that gifted vision of yours."

He kicked the door shut behind him and threw his crutches to the floor. Despite his injuries, he stretched his limbs and massaged his neck before walking perfectly to the guestroom desk, drawing up a sheet of parchment and a quill.

"Still, I cannot rely on his clouded emotions for too long. I worry if Evangelina's words still haunt him. Oh, she just had to spread those nasty little rumors about me. On top of that, without the second vial, the Wraith's basically useless by the time Dimitri recovers from his injuries. It will take forever until it does anything critical to him, and he will shoot his mouth off by then. Assassinating him now would be too risky. I need to play this smart."

He sat down and started writing up the letter, scowling to himself.

"If I can buy enough time, this will all be worth it. I will be the one to prove my worth, and I will take what rightfully belongs to me. I will become the heir to the throne, and I will bring upon true loyalty to this forsaken land. Generations of bloodshed and manipulation all leading up to my name being engraved in history. A region of peace and prosperity the way I shall envision it."

He signed the bottom of the letter and held it up. The name penned at the top of the letter was addressed to House Noir.

He smirked. "Everything I could have asked for."

Locked away in her personal chambers, Brinley hunched over her alchemical equipment as she took notes. A flask sat over a controlled flame, boiling the potion inside. In front of her were ten samples of blood, each marked with Dimitri's name and a number.

After composing her notes, she extinguished the flame and slipped on a thick glove. She carefully picked up the hot flask and tilted it to pour a small amount of potion onto the first blood sample. Once finished, she set the flask aside and clasped her hands under her chin as she waited for a reaction.

She didn't have to wait long as little shimmers of light started sparkling off the blood sample. Little glimmers of purple light.

"Hmm…" She picked up her notes and continued writing. "Test #23: My hypothesis regarding the nature of the metal specs found in Prince Dimitri's proved conclusive. What I originally thought to be tainted pieces of iron were in fact tiny pieces of elementium. Furthermore, concoction 11-PN reveals to me that these elementium fragments have been laced with a sealed energy reminiscent of the Poison-Type. This is thought to be impossible, trapping elemental energy in elemenitum for an extended period of time, though there have been rumors of an alchemist who cracked the code. Further research required."

She set her notes down and examined the dish again with a hard glare.

"This seems way too advanced for something made by the Foresters, though. If they had this kind of alchemical terrorism at their disposal, they could concoct so much worse. Something like this would have to be created in a proper lab." She grunted. "Though, I don't have evidence, just my hypothesis. So far, it hasn't done anything to Dimitri other than give him a bad fever, but why put poisoned metal in another poison? Why only incapacitate the target if this was a supposed assassination?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, drumming her claws on the table.

"Hmm. Why specifically elementium, too? I wonder, is there an intended delay?" She straightened up. "I would need the potion used to bind the energy into the pieces first. If I can study that, it might hasten my research." She glared. "Weirdly enough, I can't identify the host poison used to incapacitate Dimitri. Nothing in my books has any information on this stuff. It must come from an unknown species of plant, but from where?"

She leaned back in her chair and glared at her ceiling.

"Ugh, this whole situation brings back bad memories…"

Crafton, Senbo Kingdom

"…And with all that, your total comes up to twenty-four bits."

Althalos grumbled as he dropped the coins onto the stall counter and picked up the bags. He handed one to Hapi, and they went on their way. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his face and said, "Taxes are running rampant these days, I swear."

Hapi fiddled with her scarf. "Most of the town's funding is going into the new train station. I heard they want it to look nice for the unveiling."

"Rich or not, no one likes paying taxes. Better be a damn good station."

Hapi turned her eyes to the sky and hummed contemplatively. "It sounds so fascinating. I would love to operate one. I would get to go all over the region any time I want and see the sights."

"Slow down, kid. There's only the one track in use."

She sighed. "Fair, but it's a nice thought. Though, I guess I would have to be around a lot of people."

Althalos glared. "Any particular reason you hate close contact?"

She winced. "I just…I don't like to talk about it. Why don't you tell me what happened to your hand?"

He raised his arm and examined his hook. He sighed and shook his head. "A story for another time. Still, we really need to find a permanent home for you. You're in too much danger being around us." He glared off to the side. "With that nutjob Lucario hunting you down, though, best I keep an eye on you for now."

"How long do we have to keep running?"

"Just until we give The Ghost the slip. Like I said, he'll likely figure out our exact destination, so we have a brief window of time to rest and escape him. Anywhere at this point."

"Hmm, anywhere…" Hapi closed her eyes and hummed to herself. Her mind wandered back to the topic of the train and its unveiling. "What if we used the train?"

Althalos shook his head. "Bad idea. We risk too much staying in one place. The train isn't reliable. Besides, it would just take us back to the Wick Kingdom."

Hapi nodded. "True, but consider this. The Ghost said he will kill anyone in the name of his justice, right? He killed those people in the Outlands."

"So?"

"Would he take innocent lives?"

"He's crazy. I wouldn't be surprised."

"But we're in the Senbo Kingdom. Surely, the second someone hears about a crazed gunman causing trouble out here and so close to the capital, they'd send their best to apprehend him. Plus, he's mostly a legend. If he killed anyone he liked, he would be much more well-known. His legend persists because he keeps his executions on the down low."

Althalos glared. "He can't operate as efficiently if everyone knew who he was…"

"He wouldn't think to attack us out in the open or in such a dense town full of bystanders. I'm confident his only interest is killing those of injustice."

Althalos closed his eye. "Even if that is true, staying here for too long still puts us in grave danger."

"He can only find us because of our auras, though. Isn't there a way to mask them?"

"…" Althalos stopped for a moment and scratched his chin. "Mask our auras?"

Hapi tilted her head. "Mr. Althalos?"

"I worked in the black market for a long time. I think there is a potion I can brew that should do the trick. I never thought to try until now. We would need ingredients and the right equipment, though. I could always break into a workshop in the middle of a night."

Hapi nodded. "And you can brew it from there."

"Hmm…" He looked down at her. "Assuming I can make it, what was your suggestion regarding the train?"

She glared. "That paper said the two stations connect between here and Barrenworth in the Wick Kingdom. That means the tracks have to cross through the Echo Bell Kingdom. If we time our escape right, we could jump the train and hide out in the Echo Bell Kingdom. If the train can get us to the Wick Kingdom within a day, then there's no way even The Ghost is fast enough to catch up with it."

"That's a big if, kid. He can use Extreme Speed, and we already saw what he's capable of doing with it."

"But running away nonstop like this will only slow us down. Our best bet is to jump off the train and escape into Echo Bell territory. Once things cool down, maybe we can finally find somewhere to settle down and get help for Mr. Terrick."

"…" He glared at her. "You're a pretty insightful kid."

She looked away. "I, uh…came from a family of cartographers, so I'm kind of use to reading maps and junk."

"Hmph." Althalos crossed his arms and nodded. "It's risky, stupidly risky, but you're right. We'll run ourselves ragged at this rate. We need to throw The Ghost off our trail completely, and that train system may be our best bet."

She grinned. "So, we'll do it?"

"We have over a week to prepare, so we must use our time wisely. I'll have Marsaili investigate the train wagons and see if there's a way to sneak aboard. I'll worry about making that aura dampening potion." He nodded. "At least someone's being proactive. Good job, kid." He reached down to pat her head, but stopped when she flinched. "Uh, right, sorry."

She shuffled away. "It's f-fine."

He held his hook out to her. "Come on, let's inform the others and craft a plan." She nodded and grabbed his hook as they headed back to the inn.

Verde Capital

Charlie whistled as he scuttled toward Roscoe's personal study, holding a book in his arms. With his newfound responsibilities piling on more work than he was prepared for, he eventually became stumped in preparation for his tutor's upcoming test. Some laws just weren't sticking to memory, and he was struggling with etiquette lessons. He hoped that Roscoe could ease some of the strain on his tiny shoulders.

He rounded the corner and spotted the study with the door partially cracked open, perhaps from not shutting it all the way. He scuttled toward it and placed his hand to the door, preparing to let himself in.

"Mr. Ros—" He peeked through the crack and caught his voice.

Roscoe was by his bookshelf and didn't seem to hear the Clobbopuss prince. To Charlie's surprise, there was a section of the bookshelf split open, and it looked hollow on the inside. He watched as Roscoe seemingly placed something inside before a clicking sound followed, closing up the space.

"Wha—" He was so caught up with questions that his book accidentally slipped from his arms, hitting the floor.

Roscoe jumped and instinctively reached for his sword. "Who's there?!"

Charlie picked up his book and sheepishly poked his head into the study. "Hello."

He relaxed upon seeing the octopus and groaned. "Charlie…" He let go of his sword and approached him. "You should've…ack, should have knocked first."

"Sorry. I saw the door was opened and—"

"What?" Roscoe brushed him aside and closed the door. He frowned as it popped back open a tad. "Ugh. That needs to get fixed."

"Sorry," Charlie mumbled.

Roscoe shook his head. "It is not your fault. Just a nuisance of life that needs to be corrected." He looked down at Charlie. "Did you need something?"

Charlie held up his book. "Mr. Post wants me to take a test this week, but I'm having trouble memorizing all the laws."

He groaned. "Typical. These royal tutor types always expect a prince or princess to have every little facet of information memorized about our history. Trust me, I had to go through a similar evaluation when I married into the Penworth family."

Charlie's eyes widened and sparkled. "You were not a prince before?"

"Well, I was actually made king, so—"

"You were just like me! So cool!"

"…" Roscoe scratched his cheek and chuckled. "I guess it kind of is." He looked aside. "I just hope that is the only similarity."

Charlie tilted his head. "Mr. Roscoe? Are you okay? You look stressed."

The king closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He crouched onto his knee and placed a hand on the child's shoulder. "Charlie, I…have high expectations for your future as king."

"Okay!"

"You have big dreams for a future I…sadly cannot believe in anymore. I envy your innocence of the world, believing there is still good left to be found. If only time did not prove over and over that greed and pride will always dominate society's interests."

"…Okay?"

"You have so much potential, and I hope you can bring to light a good future in your own way. Perhaps if you were older, you would have been made heir to the throne."

"I thought I was the heir to the throne now."

"…" Roscoe closed his eyes. "You said you needed help studying, right?"

"Uh huh."

He took the book from his hands and guided him to his desk. "Well, I finished my work for the day, so I can spare some time and help you." He sat Charlie in his chair before whispering, "I will even teach you the tricks I used to cheat on my evaluation."

Charlie gasped. "Cheating? That's wrong!"

"Would you rather remember the old laws the old fashion way?"

"…" Charlie raised his fists and cheered, "Woo, cheating!"

"Atta boy." He flipped open the book and pressed his finger down. "Alright, let's start here. Now, you see…"

As Roscoe explained the obscure law to Charlie, the child couldn't help but glance at the normal-looking bookshelf, curious as to what his adoptive father was hiding behind it.