Eight-year-old Melissa knocked on her parents' chamber before poking her head through the door. "Mother?"

Her Ninetales mother turned around in her bed and smiled as Melissa stepped into the room. Her fur was disheveled, as well as her sleep gown, and her cheeks looked flush through her fur. Dark circles formed under her eyes. She groaned a bit after turning herself around, but kept smiling at her daughter. "Hey, sweetie."

Melissa bounced over and crawled up to her bedside. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Feeling much better, sweet pea." She wrapped her tails around the Buneary and pulled her into a snuggle. "Seeing you always makes my heart a hundred times stronger."

Melissa pouted. "Mother…"

"I am fine," Odolina assured, nuzzling her cheek. "I will be back on my paws in no time. Our royal physician will be back before you know it. I can hold out for a few days."

She nuzzled her mother back. "You feel warm."

"It is probably just a fever. I will break through it."

"Hmm…"

Odolina smiled and stroked the back of Melissa's head. "You do not have to worry about me, baby. Nothing will take me away from you. I plan on living a long, long life to watch you lead the Verde Kingdom."

Melissa hugged around her neck and snuggled under her chin. "It all sounds really scary."

"Leading a kingdom is a big responsibility. It is a heavy burden for all princes and princesses. I had these same doubts as you when I was being coronated. Your grandmother expected so much from me, and I was so scared I would lead our kingdom to ruin."

"Are you still scared?"

Odolina giggled weakly. "There is not a day I do not worry." She looked away, losing her smile. "So many little things that keep me up at night. Those little things make me think I have done a poor job as queen."

"But you are amazing!" Melissa exclaimed. "You never did a bad job!"

Her innocent retort made Odolina smile sadly. "Being queen is not an easy task, baby. As sad as it is, even the best of us cannot help everyone. For every laugh brought to a prosperous child, another must be brought to tears."

Melissa tilted her head. "Huh?"

She sighed. "You are still young. You should not be burdened by the affairs of old. I detest the state of the kingdom right now. We lived for too long with our classist division. How I wish to break down the barriers between the classes and unite them. Unfortunately, such a change does not come overnight, and I fear it will never come in my lifetime."

Melissa frowned for a moment, hearing the sadness in her tone, before glaring. She wiggled out of her mother's tails and stood tall, puffing her chest out. "Do not worry, Mother, for I shall be the one to bring peace!"

Odolina giggled. "How precious."

"I am serious!" Melissa shouted, stomping her feet on the bed. "I will grow up to be a great queen and make everyone happy!"

The sick queen shook her head with an amused smile. "That is a tall order for someone so young. Virdis lives in constant flux for control, my precious crème puff. Such a goal will not come easily."

Melissa shook her head. "I do not care! If you cannot make your dream come true, then I will! I will not rest until I see it through!"

"But is that what you want? There is so much to learn about becoming a leader. It is fine to dream big, but some dreams do not come so easily."

"But I am young and full of great ideas!" Melissa cheered. "Just you watch! When you get better, you will watch me succeed you and Father to become the greatest ruler in all of Virdis!"

Odolina smirked. "All of Virdis?"

"Uh huh!"

"What hefty expectations." She smiled and pulled the Buneary back into her tails, snuggling her in a hug. "Alright, I believe you."

Melissa wiggled her head free and pouted at her. "You have to promise you will get better so you can watch me become queen!"

"What better motivation would I need?" She pulled her into her forelegs and hugged her. "But I thought you were scared."

"I will not be scared of anything if it means I will make you proud!" Melissa hugged her back and snuggled into her tails. "I will become the greatest queen of the Verde Kingdom, and I will bring unlimited happiness to everyone!"

Odolina hugged her daughter tighter, a worried frown lingering on her muzzle for a moment. However, sensing the warmth and joy radiating from the child, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. As much as she feared the reality outside the kingdom walls, she wanted to place her faith in Melissa's idealistic innocence.

"Oh Melissa, my precious baby, I just know you are on your way to do great things in the future."

Melissa dragged her feet away from the council hut, head low and hands stuffed in her pockets with fresh tear stains under her eyes. She couldn't stand to listen to the arguing inside the hut, lest she break down into another fit of tears. She hated hearing them snapping and fighting amongst themselves with such biting fury.

The fact they started getting angry after mentioning her made her stomach twist into knots.

She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to refuse to believe it, but it was impossible. Darby was her first love, and she was oblivious to the devil inside him for so long. Had he snatched her up in his iron hooks since their first meeting, or was she just that blind to his deceit that she waltzed into his clutches like a lovesick puppet handing her strings over to him?

She couldn't be a sleeper agent, right? Theobald was the one that gave her the idea to run away, not Darby. Then again, Theobald never told her to join the Foresters. It only happened by her choice, or what she thought was her choice. There was so much about her old mentor left in the dark for her to sift through. There were so many in her life harboring secrets, and she was the oblivious princess in their lives.

She would've noticed gaps in her memory, right? It couldn't have happened multiple times without someone noticing. And yet, Adenine escaped notice with her secret affair with Erasmus. Were her own memories fabricated, too? Was anything she remembered reality, or the reality she wanted to believe? Had she really been selling out her new friends to satisfy the sick desires of a scummy prince?

Melissa stopped pacing and glared down at her feet. "I'm no one's puppet. I'm not…I'm not…" She clenched her eyes shut, holding back the tears forming in her eyes. "I'm…not?"

"Hey Melissa!"

Melissa's expression hardly changed as she approached Enora, who sat stationed by the fort's prison shack. She noticed Enora's uneasy reaction to her neutral expression, a regular reaction she got from most anyone who tried talking to her in the last several days. By now, she brushed them off and went about her business.

"Hey…" Melissa grumbled in response.

The Glaceon closed her book and set it aside. "You, uh, feeling better today? If you wanted to do dinner or something, I'll be off shift in an hour."

She shook her head. "I need to talk to Luna."

"O-Oh. Sure. I'll unlock the security window and—"

"I want to talk to her. In private."

Her eyes widened. "Uh, Melissa? Given that she almost assaulted you the last time we left you two alone, I don't think that's such a—"

"She didn't assault me. I want to talk to her inside. Now."

"…" Enora sighed and pulled out her keys. "I'm pulling you out the second I sense trouble, got it?"

"Whatever."

She stood back and waited for Enora to undo all the locks. She unfurled her ears and heard hasty shuffling inside the shack. It was quiet, though, and seemed to escape Enora's notice. Or perhaps wasn't cause for concern. She didn't know, and she didn't care.

Enora undid the last lock and sighed. "Five minutes. That's it." She pulled the door open, just enough for the Buneary to squeeze through.

Melissa slipped through the door and stepped inside just before the door closed behind her. She waited a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dark space and glared at the Snivy on the other side, who sat in the right corner with her arms crossed and head down.

Luna eventually lifted her head to acknowledge her company. "Princess…"

"Lady Freia."

"Been awhile since you paid me a visit. What's the occasion? Here to inform me of some big heist you'll be committing against your people?"

Melissa's glare deepened as she stepped forward. "Give it to me, now."

"It isn't a useful hint, you know."

"My locket. Give me back my locket. Now."

"I told you, I don't have it."

"Liar." She put one foot forward, stomping down. "You know where it is. You have it."

"Knowing where it is and having it are two completely different things. I've been searched from head to toe, princess. It's nowhere on my person."

Melissa slammed her hand against the wall. "I'm not playing games, Luna. I am your superior, and I'm ordering you to tell me where my locket is."

Luna scoffed. "You lost the right to be my superior after you turned your back on the Verde Kingdom. I only acknowledge you as the missing princess, but not as my ruler."

"Do you get some sick satisfaction toying with me?" Melissa asked.

"Because of you, I've been locked up in a lightless shack for over a month being fed poison to keep me pacified and had to endure the torture of a magician with too much free time on his hands. If I was getting any sort of satisfaction out of this, it wouldn't do me anymore favors than what I've been roped into."

Melissa growled. "Then what is so important that you refuse to tell me where my locket is?"

Luna stood up and brushed her prison rags off. "I don't even know anymore. I've been in the hotspot of information for months only to wind up separated from the outside world's dealings. All I know now is that bad things are brewing outside, and I should be back in the Verde Kingdom preparing for an apparent threat on its people."

"And with that comes me, right?"

"I warned you before that Stormbreaker is a dangerous man. If by force, I will take you back to the kingdom while dismantling everything the Foresters built up so we can finally put this nonsense to rest." Luna shook her head. "Then again, putting our faith in a traitor princess hardly sparks tales of a kingdom's revival if she's already proven to turn her back when it suits her most."

Melissa curled her fists, seething through clenched teeth. "You don't know what I sacrificed to—"

"What? What did you sacrifice?" Luna asked, getting visibly heated. "You ran away from home and joined a group of bandits. What grand vision are you working towards that requires you to steal and cause trouble? What have you actually accomplished since you escaped?"

"I'm working on it!"

"No, you aren't! You're still the same spoiled brat from before. Promising so much while giving so little. If you truly cared about your kingdom, you wouldn't have abandoned us."

"I wasn't going to be the trophy wife of another kingdom just to satisfy a peace treaty!" Melissa stomped forward again, getting up in Luna's face. "I worked day and night to take over the throne. I still had a way to go, but to be lied to and stabbed in the back by my own father because he didn't trust me—"

"How can anyone trust you after today? What will change when you go back to the Verde Kingdom? Once word gets out you ran away and became a Forester, no one is ever going to trust you. You'll never be queen, and you'll never bring this kingdom back to its former glory."

"I can try!"

"How?"

"I'll…" She bit her tongue for an answer, but just growled instead. "What does it matter? This isn't about Verde! I want my locket back!"

"Do you have a plan for the Verde Kingdom?"

"I'll think of something when I think of something! These things take time!"

"Well, I look forward to you burning down everything we've worked toward until you find a suitable recourse to these tragedies!"

Melissa growled and stomped her feet down harder. "Just shut up! Just…shut up! Give me my locket!"

"You are a disgrace to everything the Penworth name built up! What would the late queen say if she saw this was how her daughter turned out—" Luna gasped as Melissa suddenly seized her by the collar and forced her up against the wall.

Her eyes lowered into a vicious glare with her teeth bared. An unnatural snarl rumbled deep within her throat. "Don't…you dare speak about my mother."

Luna winced, feeling the princess' hands pressing against her throat. Her eyes widened as a rainbow of auras surrounded Melissa, blazing from her eyes like flames. "W-What?"

"I will never…" Melissa's voice distorted, as if a dozen or more voices were overlapping over her own, all sounding like hers but with vastly different tones. "I will never stop until I make her last wish come true, even if I must destroy myself to do so!"

"All I'm saying is that the old way needs to change!" Zephora yelled over the rest of her peers. "We can't keep moving forward if we keep playing pacifist!"

Jason shook his head. "I made the Sacred Laws specifically to keep us from going down that path!"

"You made them to keep yourself from going down that route."

"That's besides the point!" Jason gestured to everyone. "We're not the authorities. If we go around acting as judge, jury, and executioner, Virdis will devolve into chaos."

"But is it wise to continue apace until we're old and gray?" Valentine asked. "I don't want to see myself going through a fifty-part series of events where nothing changes. I don't want to be a thief for the next fifty or sixty years. We all have goals and aspirations we want to make reality. That's why we joined in the first place."

Sid frowned. "Do nothing or kill our enemy. Either way, all of Virdis will turn against us."

Blitz crossed his arms. "A war that could turn the tides of power where no one side truly comes out on top. It's not just Last Autumn. There are plenty of kingdoms who have their own internal affairs to contend with. We can't solve every problem."

Zephora glared. "Because Jason doesn't want to get involve with politics. He's only obsessed with bringing down King Penworth."

Jason growled. "You think I wanted any of this? I never even wanted to start the Foresters! I never wanted to be this big, important leader, nor did I want to be one of the most wanted men in Virdis! I wanted to expose the Penworths for the corruption in their numbers!"

"Your obsession is just with the king!" Zephora yelled. "Goodness sake, have you even told Melissa how you really felt about her when she first showed up here? If she ever knew the things you felt just because of your hatred for her father…"

Jason frowned and fell back into his seat. "I…" He closed his eyes.

Eadwulf sighed and slammed his hands down on the table, gathering everyone's attention. "Look at yourselves. We're not going to get anywhere if we keep yelling at each other. Let's be real: we're all still basically children. We never had a plan. We just wanted to rebel against a system that dealt us a bad hand. We all want to make change, but the situation has changed. If we truly want to make a difference, we need to stop stealing and start taking drastic measures to our operations. Not by violence or through peace. I don't know what or how, but this isn't working anymore."

The council looked amongst themselves for a moment before bowing their heads, muttering apologies under their breaths.

Eadwulf sighed in relief and sat back down, massaging his temples. "We're all under a lot of stress. Let's not pretend we aren't. We must maintain cool heads and work towards keeping the Foresters afloat if we want to illicit change." He frowned at Jason. "That starts by reforming our M.O."

Jason closed his eyes and exhaled softly. "I…I just don't know what to do anymore. I really don't."

Sid frowned. "You haven't slept since our supporters cut ties with us. Maybe you should take some time off."

"I can't. We lost too many supporters, and our numbers drop with our morale. I have to stay strong for everyone."

Zephora frowned. "Even all that hatred for your position, you still keep your head up for our sake." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn earlier. I, too, want what's best for the Foresters. I joined because I wanted to see a future where no more of the young had to suffer such fleeting lives."

Jason sighed through his nose. "Perhaps we've been too stagnant."

Marie crossed her arms. "We're all still young. There's room for improvement."

"But what future do we have if we can't agree on a direction?"

Percival leaned forward. "Perhaps a fresh perspective?"

"Are you suggesting changing over leadership?"

He shook his head. "You are an important symbol that still gives us a margin of influence. No, I suggest an advisor. Someone beyond a righthand. Stopping Last Autumn will take more than ending their criminal activity. We need to go deeper than that. We need to tackle the issues of Virdis by overthrowing the very concepts that has held it back for the last two hundred years. A complete reformation."

"Who would be able to accomplish that? And how can we overturn two centuries of mistrust and political tension?" Jason asked wearily.

"As was said, it would take something drastic. For now, we need new allies to aid us in our research, and we need to follow the roots of these trees of conspiracy before we can start ripping them loose."

Jet huffed. "I'll go with whatever plan brings us closer to victory."

Jason sighed. "I…still don't know what to—"

Just then, the council's heads shot up to a commotion outside the room. It sounded like a gathering of Foresters, chanting something. Shade, the closest to the door, got up from his corner and peeked outside.

"Shade, what's going on?" Blitz asked.

The Sableye turned back to them, his mouth hanging open. "Uh…I think someone started a fight."

Jason, Marie, and Zephora raced outside to see the Foresters gathered in a circle near the prison shack. Before they could assess the situation, they spotted Enora sitting outside the ring with Fabrice. He was helping her nurse her bruised eye as she lay against him, groaning.

"Enora!" Zephora gasped. She and the others ran over to her. "What happened?"

Enora opened her good eye and said, "Melissa sucker punched me when I tried to break up their fight."

Marie's eyes widened. "She did what?!"

Jason glared. "Their fight?" He peeked over the crowd of heads and pinpointed the source of everyone's entertainment. "What in the…"

In the center of the crowd, Melissa was wrestling around on the ground with Luna, punching her mercilessly with her fists and ears. Luna stayed mostly on the defensive, guarding her face behind her arms. When she saw an opening, she flipped her on top of Melissa and pinned her arms down. However, because of the poison still lurking in her system, Melissa was able to overpower her with her legs and kicked her onto her back.

Marie finally noticed the fight and gasped. "What has gotten into her?!"

Jason glared. "Stay back." He pushed his way through the crowd. As he neared the center, he could better hear Melissa and Luna.

"Give me my locket, now!" she screamed, punched Luna on both sides of the face.

"Get off me, you traitor!" Luna yelled back, clapping both hands between Melissa's head and coiling around her into a headlock. However, Melissa was still able to beat on her with her ears. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"I said NOW!" She worked her chin through Luna's arms and bit down on her hand.

"YOW!" She let go, allowing Melissa pounce on top of her and clamp her hands around her neck.

"I won't let anyone push me down ever again! You either give me my locket, or I'll—"

"That's enough!"

Melissa was yanked by her hood and thrown off Luna. She quickly rebounded off her feet and lunged at her attacker, but her fist was caught by Jason. She tried to punch him again, but he stopped her other fist. She tried to punch with her ears, but he shut her down with a well-placed headbutt.

"OW!" She staggered back and cradled her forehead.

"I said, ENOUGH!" he snapped. "What has gotten into you?!"

She cracked one eye open and trembled under his intense glare. "I…I…" She looked around and noticed all the stares she was getting from the other Foresters. She looked down at Luna, who curled himself into a ball and massaged her injuries. "I…" She pulled her hands from her forehead and looked down at them, watching them shake fiercely.

Jason eased his expression and stepped forward. "Melissa, what's—" She flinched and stepped away from him.

"I…I…" She clenched her eyes shut and ran off, shoving her way through the Foresters.

"Melissa! Get back here!" Jason yelled, but she kept on running until she was out of sight. His ears drooped. "Melissa…"

"Easy, easy." He looked back as Marie and Zephora helped Luna to her feet. Zephora brushed her bruised cheek. "You okay?"

"I've had worse…" Luna grumbled. She flinched after touching her cheek. "Some right hook, though."

Marie glared at Jason. "Now do you see why we've been worried about her?"

"…" Jason closed his eyes and sighed. "Zephora, take Lady Freia to the medical hut. Inform Shade she'll need treatment for her injuries." She nodded and escorted Luna away.

Marie crossed her arms. "And what are you going to do?"

He shook his head and marched off. "What I should've done from the beginning: talk to her."

By the time he reached Melissa's hut, he saw Pandora standing outside and covering her ears. As he got closer, he could hear Melissa thrashing around inside, throwing and smashing things, screaming and roaring. He sighed and walked up to the door.

Pandora cracked one eye open upon sensing his presence. "What the hell is going on?! I was working on my blueprints, and suddenly she comes charging through and throwing things everywhere!"

Jason sighed through his nose. "It's a long story. Go stay in Adenine's room for the night. I need to have a private talk with Melissa."

"Good luck with that." She scrambled off.

Jason faced the hut and took a moment to compose him. He knew he should've talked to Melissa sooner. Though he refused to give her special treatment since her induction into the Foresters, he was ashamed to admit he neglected what woes she would be enduring from such a privileged background. Regardless of her social status, she was a Pokémon with insecurities and weaknesses.

He won't make that same mistake again.

Jason pushed the door open just as a uniform flew into his face. He threw it off and closed the door behind him. He found Melissa standing in the middle of the hut, panting and seething through clenched teeth. She trembled while vigorously rubbing her eyes.

"Get. Out," she hissed.

He glared and stepped forward. "Melissa, we need to talk."

"I'm fine. Leave me alone."

"No, you aren't." He picked up one of Pandora's ripped blueprints. "I don't think I need to explain how abhorrent your behavior earlier was. You owe Enora and Lady Freia an apology."

"…" She looked away from him and grumbled.

"But that's not why I'm here." He set Pandora's blueprint on her desk and sighed. "Your friends have come to me with concerns of your health. They've been saying you're barely eating and sleeping. Acting snippy with everyone. You've been pushing away your heist team and overtaking the entire operation by yourself. And now I see you starting fights."

"…Tch." She turned her back to him. "What does it matter?"

"I brought you into the Foresters because I wanted to give you a chance. I expected you to work with us. You wanted to know what it means to be a leader. I honored your request, and I wanted to see you succeed in your heist. I might've been looking forward to seeing you grow." He shook his head. "Do you even have a team anymore?"

She waved it off. "They were holding me back. They think I'm not good enough to do this on my own! I know I can pull off my heist singlehandedly!"

"That's not being a leader, Melissa. No one can handle the weight of the world on their own."

"But I can! I am to become Queen of the Verde Kingdom! I must handle the weight of responsibility!"

"Whether it be bandit leader or queen, no one can handle any one task by themselves. Being a leader isn't about taking on all responsibility. It's…" He sighed and looked away. "It's about leading your team to the best possible direction, letting their voices aid you."

Melissa shook her head. "But if I let everyone voice my guidance, what is left for me to contribute? I…I can be just as brilliant as Lucient! I can be just as capable as Wyatt and Avel! And…And…" She growled and pulled on her ears. "I know what I'm doing!"

Jason frowned. "Melissa, what's really going on?"

"Nothing! I'm just…" She clenched her eyes shut. "Just…so anxious to complete my heist."

He shook his head. "No, that's not it. You've been acting different ever since Darby tried to…" He sighed and looked away. "I never told you how relieved I was to know he didn't do anything to you. If I allowed one of my own to be…violated and I couldn't stop it, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I lost too many good Foresters during our run, and my heart grows heavier each time."

"…" Melissa hugged herself and shuffled deeper into the hut. "It wasn't your fault."

"I also didn't tell you how enraged I was when I realized what he tried to do." He closed his eyes. "I nearly lost myself. I wanted to kill him so badly. I wanted to spill his blood for all the lives he ruined for his sick pleasure. That was the closest in a long time I almost broke my oath."

"You don't owe me anything…"

"I speak not as a leader, but as a friend." He straightened up and walked closer to her. "I'm deeply worried about you, Melissa. This, all of this, isn't you. You haven't been smiling or laughing or…enjoying life like you used to. You're closing yourself off. Closing off your heart." He sighed and gripped over his heart. "Just like I've been doing for too long."

"…" She lowered her head, sniffling. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Want to talk about it?" He approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"…" She glanced over her shoulder. "I don't want to burden anyone with my problems. I have to stay strong. I must be strong."

"I can attest that pretending to stay infallible leads to more trouble than it's worth." He turned her around and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Melissa, no more secrets. No more running. I'm here. I'm here for you. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Tears welled in her eyes. The tension in her arms relaxed, and she hung her head as she gently sniffled. "I…"

"The strongest thing anyone can is admit they need help. I want to help you, Melissa."

"…" She nodded and raised her head to look him in the eye. "All my life, I looked up to my mother as a beacon of goodwill and strength. Everything about her made me want to become a leader as strong and amazing as her. She was perfect in every way." She closed her eyes, pushing back her tears. "Then I watched her leave me."

"…" Jason's ears drooped.

"I fell asleep with her while she was sick one day. I…I woke up nestled in her tails. She…She died in her sleep." She covered her eyes behind her ears. "The last thing she ever said to me was that she expected great things from me in the future."

"Oh…" Jason frowned. "Melissa, I'm so sorry."

She sniffled. "I…I had nightmares for a few weeks after she died, but one thing kept me going: the locket she gifted me for my birthday. It's the only thing I have left from her. It…helps me remember her kindness, and it helps me stay strong when I feel anxious."

He looked away. "Just like when we first met."

"I was young at the time, so I didn't fully understand the state of Virdis and my mother's worries. Even before I left the kingdom, I was still clueless to the outside world. But still, nothing gave me more hope than working to make her future a reality. A reality where all Pokémon, no mater their class or culture, could join together in harmony. It sounded impossible, and I don't deny this, but I dedicated every second of my childhood toward making her dream come true."

She clutched the chest of her uniform, pausing a moment to hiccup a sob. Jason could see tears drizzling from behind her ears.

"But these last few months have been…hard. Every day, it feels like nothing I've done will amount to anything. What is my purpose? What good am I if I cannot stand up for myself? Do I have a voice? Is anything I do good enough if no one else recognizes my accomplishments? Am I even Melissa Penworth anymore?"

"Melissa…"

She covered her eyes, her tears flowing down her face. "Do you know what it's like watching your own parent die before your eyes? Waking up right next to her body thinking everything will be alright?"

"…" He looked away. "I…"

"I never had a dream for when I became queen. I never had my ideals. They were always my mother's. I spent every waking moment of my life prepping myself to take the throne to make my mother's dream come true, but not mine. This isn't my dream. And if I can't carry out her dream, what else do I have left? What else is there for me? What purpose do I serve?"

She couldn't hold the tears back. She fell to her hands and knees and broke out into a fit of sobs, tears dripping onto the floor. Jason winced as he watched her wail and cry, awkwardly scratching his arm.

"I haven't been able to sleep for days! Nothing but nightmares of everyone telling me I'm useless and a bad omen! I'm nothing but a burden! I'm just some pretty doll used for negotiation or to satisfy someone's sadistic desires! I caused you all so much trouble, and I may be the one to end the Foresters because I wanted to help! I might even be a spy, and I wouldn't know!"

"…You heard that, didn't you?"

"Everything I've done was for my mother's dream. If I can't make that come true, then what else do I have left? I'll never amount to anything! I'll never be a great leader! I'll be nothing but a useless puppet dragged by the whims of someone better than me! I'm useless!" She punched herself in the face repeatedly. "Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless—"

"Melissa, stop!" Jason lunged and grabbed her wrist. "No! Do not say that! I won't allow it!"

She trembled beneath his stare, sobbing harder. "I'm nothing but a burden! You all must hate me. I caused you all so much—"

"I said SHUT UP!"

Melissa gasped as Jason grabbed her by the cheeks and forced her to look up at him. He glared at her intensely, yet with tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Not. Another. Word. You are not useless. You were never a burden to us. I don't want to hear another word of it from you."

"B-But I—"

"You can be so much more than your mother's ideals. What does it matter if it wasn't your dream first? I told you, a true leader doesn't need to shoulder the burdens of all on their own. They look out for their underlings, and they in turn look for you. Her dream can be your dream. You can exceed her dream and make it yours. It doesn't have to end there."

"But I've messed up so much," she whimpered.

"There is no learning if one doesn't fail. You, who everyone deemed a failure, conquered our tests in such a limited time. Messing up doesn't mean you can't learn. It takes time, and people can mess up hundreds or thousands of times until they get something right. What's important is understanding when it's time to give up and move on at your own ease, or to find the will to keep striving until you get it done. People make mistakes, and some have to live with those mistakes for the rest of their lives."

She sniffled, covering her face behind her ears. "H-How would you know?"

He let go of her face and sat down. "Because…I made those mistakes, too. I did some horrible things that I'm not proud of, things that still keep me up at night." He rubbed the dark circles under his eyes. "Things that changed me for the worse." He shook his head. "I know what it's like feeling powerless in the face of unsurmountable odds, and I know what it's like feeling helpless and alone. You? You're lucky."

"W-Why?"

"Because unlike me, when I was at my lowest, you have so many wonderful friends who would go to the moon and back to make you happy. Marie, Pandora, Lillia, Klaus, everyone; they love you with all their heart." He closed his eyes and sighed. "And I was an idiot for neglecting your silent suffering. They told me over and over about what you're going through, and I…I've been lost in my own doubts to help anyone."

Melissa lifted her ears from her eyes, globs of tears rolling down her cheeks. "J-Jason…"

He shook his head. "I won't let anyone call you useless, Melissa. You can be the master of your own destiny, but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. You can become the greatest ruler in Virdis, and you can do it with great friends who will support you. You…will never be a burden. I know, as long as you stay strong and honest with us, you'll do great things in the future."

"J…Jas…" Melissa bared her teeth, her fur bristling up her body, before lunging into the Pikachu and locking him into a tight hug. "JAAAAASON!" She pressed her face into his shoulder and sobbed her heart out into it.

He was taken aback by her assault and almost pushed her away, but he stopped. He sighed, smiled lightly, and hugged her back. He stroked the back of her head and whispered, "It's okay, Melissa. Let it all out."

She curled her fingers into his hood, choking on a sob. "I…I just wanted to…" She pressed her face into his chest. "I-I just…I can't…"

"I got you, Melissa. I got you."

"I've been…such a jerk to everyone."

"I think they've already forgiven you."

She sniffled. "I'm sorry, Jason…"

"It's alright. We're…all going through a lot right now. Every little bit counts."

"…" She pressed her face into his chest again. "Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"I…I'm afraid to go to sleep. I don't want the nightmares to come back."

He nodded. "That's okay. I'll stay with you all night if I have to."

"P-Promise?"

"I promise."

"…" She hugged him tighter. "Thank you."

They shuffled up to the wall and just sat there. No words to share or anything. Jason sat still with his arm around Melissa as she cried against him. He took a deep breath and relaxed against the wall, letting his eyes droop shut. It will take some time for Melissa to truly recover from her trauma and insecurities, this he knew. All he could do now was lend her a shoulder to cry on.

In spite of it all, he felt…a little better himself.

At some point, Jason must've drifted off after staring in space. When he came to, he blinked his eyes a couple times and rubbed the sleepiness out of them. He couldn't see much in front of him. A quick look at the window showed it was past sunset, perhaps around midnight.

He remembered he was in Melissa's hut, keeping her company. The entirety of the day came rushing back to him, all the drama from the meeting to comforting the emotionally fragile Buneary. And yet, he felt oddly relaxed despite his ragged state the last several days, perhaps by account he actually managed to get more than two hours of sleep.

Speaking of Melissa, he tilted his head to find her slumped over against his chest, arms around his shoulders. She breathed softly against him, having at some point in the night drifted to sleep. He could see the tear stains around her face from crying into his uniform. Feeling the fabric, it was still a bit moist.

Jason took a moment to stretch his limbs before quietly standing up. He picked Melissa up, mindful not to wake her, and carried her to her hammock where he set her down like a slumbering child. He adjusted her pillowed and pulled her blankets over her.

He sighed and slipped his hands inside his pockets. "As different as our backgrounds were, I've…come to see a little bit of myself in you, Melissa. On my honor, I will never let you feel like a burden again." He closed his eyes. "Just as I need to do better as a leader if I want to help our friends. Perhaps we both could use some time away from all this."

He walked away from her and opened the door, letting the cold night air flow through. He looked back at her for a second before letting himself out.

"See you in the morning, Melissa."

"Eadwulf. Eadwulf. Eadwulf."

The Nuzleaf, fast asleep in his hammock, groaned as someone whispered his name and nudged him. He attempted to ignore it, but the voice persisted. After a minute of hopeless waiting, he finally relented and opened his eyes. Turning around, he squinted up at the Pikachu standing over him.

"Jason?" he whispered. He craned his neck to look out the window. "Bro, it's the middle of the night."

"I know."

He sighed and ran his hand down his face. "Do you need me for a mission or something? Give me a few and—"

Jason shook his head. "I'm just telling you that when you wake up in the morning to pack your bags. We're taking Melissa on a trip tomorrow."

"…Okay." Not bothering to question, Eadwulf just yawned and turned back over into his bed. "Where?" he mumbled.

Jason turned and walked away, breathing a heavy sigh. "Rainside Village. We're paying Grandma a visit."