14th Winter Moon, 907, Night

The gentle droplet of frozen water brushed down on the Lombre's nose, rousing him from his uncomfortable slumber. Wyatt stretched his limbs out of habit, only to ache in the torso. He also discovered his limbs to be hanging beneath him, swaying loosely with the wind. As it turned out, Wyatt fell asleep on the tree branch he was perched on, putting pressure on his stomach.

He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the sky wearily. When did the sun go down? He pulled himself up, aching up to his chest. He didn't remember passing out in the middle of the day, though he had taken to Altair's preferred method of observation a bit more seriously after their little break. Perhaps he got so bored staying still that he passed out.

Wyatt smacked his lips and looked around lazily while trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He noticed the snow raining gently from above, sticking to the wood. No doubt tomorrow they will be getting a lot of snow, at least when it starts picking up. Fortunately, when he and Avel first arrived, they were briefed about the living quarters and assured they were insulated against the weather. If wooden huts can handle the rain, the snow shouldn't be a problem.

Speaking of Avel, Wyatt found the Shellder closed up in his shell, snoozing on the same branch. His shell shook open in rhythm to his snoring, which Wyatt found kind of adorable. Closed off he may be, Avel was still precious in Wyatt's eyes.

"Avel," Wyatt whispered, prodding the Shellder with his claw. "Hey, wake up. Avelllll…"

Avel opened his shell and blinked his weary eyes up at his brother. "Ugh…yeah?" It took him a moment to shake the sleep from himself, but he noticed the presence of cold landing on his shell. "Huh?" He extended his tongue and felt the flecks of frozen water drip down. "Snow? Why are we outside?"

"We fell asleep during training."

Avel closed his eyes and groaned. "Of course we did. Why didn't Altair wake us up?"

Wyatt looked up and frowned. "Take a guess."

Avel followed his gaze and saw the Cramorant perched up in the trees, once again in his drone-like state staring off into the distance. He had snow piling on his head, shoulders, and back. They could see his breath fleeing his beak in steady, continuous streams like a silent tea kettle.

"Good grief." Avel latched his tongue to Wyatt's arm and flung himself onto his lily pad. He shivered when he landed in a pile of snow as well. "Ugh…"

Wyatt grinned sheepishly. "Whoops." He raked his claws through his lily pad and scooped the snow out. "Sorry about that."

"Forget it." Avel took a deep breath and yawned. "Let's just go back to our rooms before we catch something. Then again, maybe calling in a sick day would be preferable."

Wyatt rubbed his arms awkwardly. "Still thinking about transferring?"

"If you want to stay, I'll stick with you. Always will. Do you want to transfer?"

Wyatt looked down. "I'm still on the fence. I don't want to be rude to Altair. Plus, given what he told us, I feel a little bad for judging him. I just don't think this manner of guarding the fort is my speed. It's more yours."

Avel rolled his eyes. "I'm not exactly brimming with excitement sitting in one spot." He sighed. "Let's just go to bed."

"Right." Wyatt crouched down, getting some stretched in, then launched himself into the trees, swinging back to base.

Their departure caused a twitch in Altair's eye. He watched them flee into the leaves, the first sign of activity in his eyes, before going back to his surveillance.

"If I had known it would be snowing tonight…" Leon grumbled, bundling tighter in his blanket as he walked out onto the training platform with a lantern hanging off his side. Though adverse to fire, Leon wasn't going to walk around in the dark, not when it was so close to midnight. He saw only a few other Foresters out, namely those who outranked him. No one questioned why he was up. They let him go about his business.

Once he arrived at the training platform, Leon circled the deck, leaving a trail of footprints behind. He thought back to the exam and how he performed on his tests. He remembered handling poorly in the sword and archery tests, though not enough for a failing grade. Everything else he managed just fine. His methods sounded unconventional, but Leon was adamant on a purely defensive style. Despite resistance from Jet initially, he was allowed to pursue his own means of fighting.

Leon sat the lantern down and took a seat, staring out into the trees. Not much to see aside from the snow and darkness. Without all the leaves in the trees, the Forbidden Forest seemed almost dead. There were hardly any left to naturally cover the fort from an aerial view, save for bundles of branches. He recalled during his week in training with the Weald Rangers they had a special covering for that. He can't imagine how large something like that must be if they actually covered the entire fort, even from above.

Leon sighed into his paws and rubbed them together for warmth. "Nights like these, I could curl up in front of the forge and sleep through the harshest winter. Those were some good times."

Crunch! Crunch!

Leon looked over his shoulder and saw someone stepping onto the training platform. He raised his lantern and caught a glimpse of a long tail with green paint on the tuff. He sighed and stood up, wrapping his blanket tighter.

"Glad I didn't have to wait long for you."

Tank removed a backpack he was carrying and tossed it aside. He dressed in his winter uniform, though still had his overalls on underneath. "I'm surprised you came. I was prepared to sit here for a couple hours and put on a kettle of tea." He rested his hand in his pocket and let the prosthetic one dangle by his side as he gazed up at the branches. "Even with this cluster over our heads, snow always finds a way to break through and sprinkle onto us. We'd be safe-ish from a blizzard, but…well, you know."

Leon narrowed his eyes. "Feeling nostalgic?"

"I'm from Algus, actually. I've lived through some tough blizzards." Tank inhaled and sighed. "This is pretty tame, honestly. Just a little under -1 degree or less, barely pass freezing. Temperature tends to drop to the negative twenties in Algus. They just get worse and more frequent the higher you go up."

"Uh huh," Leon mumbled. "Did you come all the way out here to talk, or are you going to train me like you said?"

Tank went over to his bag and pulled a metal container out. "Have some patience, Leon. The night's young." He held the container in his gloved palm.

Leon raised his brow and watched the snow on his glove evaporating off. A heat surrounded his glove and heated up the container. Fire-Type moves?

Tank carefully unscrewed the lid, then drank out of it. He took a few gulps before pulling it away and sighing. "Peppermint tea. Bought it out from the local markets every chance I had. My sister and I would always share a drink before we got down to business. Really warms you up on a cold night. Do you drink tea?"

Leon shrugged. "Not really."

"Eh, it can get pretty expensive. I was lucky to be of middle class status."

"I didn't think blacksmiths could have such status."

"Algus prides itself on hard work and determination. They value innovation like ours. It's a similar philosophy of Senbo's, though I guess they never had a warrior king battling away at invaders to claim the largest mountain in the region as their own."

"Did you bring me out here just to talk about history?"

Tank capped his drink and set it aside. "I proudly call myself an Algusian any day of the week, but I dedicated my time to the Foresters because I believe in change." Tank faced Leon, hand on his hip and brow furrowed. "I can't help but fear your goal for joining."

Leon scoffed. "Don't go making a big deal out of nothing. I'm not here to start trouble."

"Given your aggressive behavior with Melissa, I'd say otherwise. But enough about that. I didn't bring you out here to only prattle." Tank reached behind his back and gripped the weapon he had sheathed. "We're going to see just how far you can go with your defensive style."

Leon tossed his blanket aside and armed himself with his kite shield. He hooked it to his right foreleg and took a firm stance. "The famous 'Battle Forge' Tank, huh? So, what made you so dangerous on the battlefield?"

"Unfortunately, I can't show you my full capabilities, unless I want to spend all of tomorrow repairing the training deck." Tank pulled out a war hammer and dropped the hammerhead to the floor. It looked the same size as a Charjabug, maybe double that. Just from the thud, Leon could tell it carried a lot of weight. "So you'll have to settle with my average."

Leon sighed. "Fine." He spread his legs out and held his shield out in front of his face. "Iron Defense and Mimic!" His body hardened, then transferred the energy into his shield to further increase its durability. "If you're serious, then don't hold anything back. I can take it."

Tank smirked and threw his jacket off, now dressed only in his work overalls. "Good to know. Bulk Up." Lean muscles appeared over his body, adding mass to his unassuming frame. He kicked the hammerhead with his heel and flipped it around in his hand, dexterously spinning it with the bulky fingers of his glove. He caught the middle of the hilt and reared it back.

Leon huffed. "I should've expected you had some unique tricks hidden away."

"Heh. Smeargle tend to be underestimated since we aren't naturally powerful. Someone like me who spent days on end working the body can compensate for such weakness. Our true gift is taking artistic liberties with what we see. The power of Sketch, if you will."

"I've never actually seen it. The power to turn your paintings into an actual move that you permanently learn, right? It seems almost like magic."

"I could've gone many routes with choosing my moves, but I thought sticking to what I know best. Besides, nothing beats the classics like a stone on a stick, or the war hammer. Though, that doesn't mean it can't be enhanced."

Tank tightened his grip. A purple aura surrounded his glove and transferred through his hammer. At first, it appeared as mist around the weapon before taking on a thicker coating, resembling flames that seemed to double the size of the hammer. An avatar of the hammer overlapped around it. The hammerhead blazed like a torch, with the face taking the shape of a monstrous face like that of an ancient dragon.

"Dragon Hammer." Tank spun the blazing hammer around and rested it on his shoulder. "The only Pokémon who can learn this move is an Exeggutor native to Alola. Doesn't normally look like this, but I took creative liberties with my creations."

Leon glared. "I can sense the power surging through it."

"Why sense when you can experience?" Tank crouched down. "Let's see your defenses in action!" He kicked off into a sprint with the hammer rippling through the air behind him.

Leon tightened his stance and raised his shield forward. Tank clutched the end of his hammer and went in with a wide swing. It slammed against the kite shield, ringing off its surface like a gong, and threw Leon off his feet. Though his stance was rigid, he didn't anticipate being thrown off the floor.

"Whoa!" Leon shouted. He straightened out and landed right on the platform's edge. He felt the shield shaking, the force still ringing through his body. "Are you even going easy?"

Tank grinned. "What? You can handle it. Besides, I can do much worse. This just shows you have to have a backup plan when defense won't purely cut it."

Leon glared. "Fine." He wound himself up and charged with his shield facing out. "Try this!"

Tank switched his hammer to his empty hand and raised his glove. Leon rammed into him like a boulder picking up speed down a hill. Even with Tank's physical boost, Leon put some weight to his tackle. However, it felt like it was missing something. The weight was there, but not the power.

Tank raised his hammer above his hand and swung down. Leon intercepted with his shield and parried the hammer away from him. Tank's swing grazed off and carried its momentum away in a wide arc, leaving him open to a close range tackle with the shield pressing against his face.

Tank kept his heels hug in and skidded back only a couple feet. He rubbed his snout. "Good. So, you wait to capitalize on your opponent's attacks, then strike while they're vulnerable."

Leon nodded. "I've dedicated my all into a full-on defensive style. I know how to parry and strike back."

"You would outlast most in a war of attrition." Tank grinned. "Okay, I might have some fun with this."

Leon planted his feet down and raised his shield. "Just try and hit me again."

"Well then, note I mean nothing personal with this." Tank sprinted with his hammer tucked behind him.

Leon tensed his body and waited for the attack, but noticed Tank raised his gloved palm instead. Before he could question it, a glowing symbol appeared in the palm before radiating a crackling heat. Leon flinched at the presence of fire, but realized something off about the flames. They weren't just crackling. They made a sizzling sound like something was moments away from—

Leon sidestepped and narrowly avoided Tank's strike before an explosion ejected from his palm. Leon hid behind his shield with clenched teeth. Was that Explosion?! How could he manage something like that without fainting?

Tank rolled across the floor and sprung forward, rearing his hammer back. Leon raised his shield and deflected the hammer strike, this time cementing his stance so he didn't fly back. He felt the impact rush through his body, giving off an odd tingling that rattled his bones, maybe even a couple organs. If he didn't have such impressive defenses, no doubt a strike from Tank meant instant knockout, and that was a generous estimate.

With Tank exposed, Leon rammed his shield into the Smeargle's chest. Tank, however, guarded with his glove and shielded against it with his palm. "You're quick on your feet, Leon. Guess your combat score in the exam doesn't reflect your skill."

Leon attempted to bash Tank under the chin, but Tank ducked back and exposed his palm to him. The same glowing symbol appeared on the palm, followed by intense crackling. Leon raised his shield and flew back as another explosion went off. He dug his feet down and caught himself. This time, he nearly did slip over the edge, no thanks to the snow.

Leon panted a bit, then glared. "Are you trying to knock me out of the fort?"

"We have plenty of safety nets under here," Tank assured, spinning the hammer in his hand. "As I assumed, your opponent would sooner drop from exhaustion before they could penetrate your defenses, and your parrying is spot on. However, you definitely lack offensive power."

Leon relaxed his posture and huffed. "Then what do you propose?"

"Use Mimic on your shield again, but this time use it on me."

Leon raised his brow. "Why?"

"Trust me, you might be surprised."

Though skeptical, Leon narrowed his eyes and recalled whatever that explosion Tank summoned was. He felt a fiery power surge within him before transferring it to his shield. He turned it around and saw the symbol appear on the front. Now looking at it, it seemed to be a red and yellow shell with dark spikes. It looked familiar.

"Hmm…" Leon raised his shield. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, you learn to enhance your shield's capabilities." Tank lunged forward and applied Dragon Hammer to his weapon. He gripped it with both hand and struck the shield as hard as possible.

Leon bared his teeth and dug his back legs down. A brief shockwave rang off the face of the shield and distorted the falling snow around them. Next thing Leon knew, a fiery glow emerged from his shield. Tank jumped back and covered his face as an explosion rang back at him. Leon braced himself for the recoil and covered his face away from the fiery colors.

Tank tumbled over the platform and rolled onto his feet. He swung his hammer dexterously and grinned. "Just like that."

Leon cautiously peered around his shield and noted the singe marks on it. Other than that, no actual damage to the front. He shivered from the heat emanating off it, though. "Was that really Explosion?"

"Given enough time, I'm sure Pandora could rework my glove to use Explosion without hurting myself," Tank stated, flexing the fingers. "But no. That little move is called Shell Trap, the specialty of Turtonator."

Leon glared. "That's why that symbol looked so familiar. I've heard their shells are incredibly unstable, and that any forceful impacts trigger the composition of the surface to explode. They learned to weaponize it."

"And I sought out that move for my personal style." Tank clenched his fist and projected an artistic Turtonator shell on the back of his wrist. "I can even manifest it like a shield. I transfer the energy through the elementium lined in my glove, then release it from my palm. I turn my opponent's kinetic energy into explosive power."

Leon glared. "You've certainly taken time to refine yourself."

"My line of work is all about refinement. Hammering out the imperfections and getting as close to the finished product as possible. And it's only one trick to what I'm capable of on the battlefield."

Leon closed his eyes and sighed. "Almost wish I studied under you instead."

"You still could."

"I…rather not."

Tank frowned. "Home's still a sore subject for you."

"What home? I lost everything about three years ago. There's no point crying over something that doesn't exist anymore. Only thing I can do is make a change so nothing like this ever happens again."

Tank set his hammer down and leaned on the tip of the hilt. "Leon, it's not in my best interest to force something you don't want to talk about out, but I brought you out here hoping to temper that aggression. Ragger told me you had intentions to kill Seismic Frank. The only reason you didn't get in trouble is because Ragger didn't report you to Jason for that behavior. I'd say you owe him."

Leon huffed. "That shitty dragon, I swear…"

"Even so, attempted murder isn't brushed off so easily. We do a lot of morally questionable things here in the Foresters, but we live under a rule never to take a life."

"Isn't there a rule that acts as the exception?" Leon reminded.

Tank nodded. "An exception, yes, but it's a rule as well. A very subjective one. Jason hammered those laws into us, forcing us to abide by them, especially when it came to taking a life. Frankly, when he first told me those laws, it felt like he was telling them to himself, too. I can't imagine what he went through, same as how I can't fully understand your plight."

Leon turned away with a grunt. "I told you, I'll deal with whatever consequences that come my way, with or without the Foresters."

"You didn't join this team just to be a loose cannon. That's how we lost previous Foresters: some got too cocky for their own good and tried to take matters into their own hands." Tank glared at the snow. "We had this one chick named Miriam. Bright-eyed rookie, seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Oh, but we never fully knew her intentions for joining the Foresters. Not even Jason could have predicted what she wanted to do, and he knew the horrors she experienced."

Leon glared. "In what way?"

"Jason's only the second most wanted Pokémon in Virdis. The one who surpasses him is a monster even Jason doesn't want to encounter if given the chance."

"…The Roar of the Wastes," Leon guessed.

Tank nodded. "Miriam's parents were slaughtered before she joined us, just another casualty in that man's body count. She joined to get stronger, to one day face him and take revenge. She slipped away from her group when they got reports of that man in the area." He sighed and shook his head. "I'd be lying if I said she stood a chance. Giles was actually the one leading that group, back when he was a Greenwood. He was pretty shaken by the whole thing. Reports say she didn't even get a chance to draw her weapon, much less ready an attack. He didn't even notice her. He just…killed her without thinking."

"…" Leon looked out into the snowy forest, tightening his glare.

"Giles had to fight the Roar just to give the rest of his group time to escape, and so he could retrieve Miriam's body. He was lucky to be alive after that." Tank sighed. "This job's never easy when you run into the wrong people. You can't underestimate anyone. Overconfidence kills the naïve."

"…Why are you telling me all of this?" Leon grumbled.

"Leon, I never watched a loved one or friend die before my eyes, but I've seen those horrors through someone else's eyes once. I've seen that pain. Do you truly wish to go through with this, even knowing what consequences will come of it?"

"…" Leon sighed, then looked over his shoulder. "My grudge is with the Senbo Kingdom itself. The ones who overlook their subjects. The Talbots."

Tank glared. "And what reason do you have to hate them?"

"No different to my hatred of royals in general, but they're the ones that made me open my eyes to the truth. Behind that grandeur of progression, they're just as twisted as any other monarch. They just do a good job of hiding it."

Tank frowned. "Don't you think you're letting your anger warp your—"

"Don't pretend they aren't the biggest criminals of all!" Leon snapped, facing Tank with hate pulsating from his eyes. "Everything these monarchs have done was in favor of the suffering of others! No one with that much authority is good and just! They're all wicked and sinful, and I'll be the one to kick them out of their god complexes!"

Tank glared softly. "Is this why you judge Melissa so harshly?"

"Jet may have lightened up around her, but she's still a link to the chain of misery that's plagued Virdis for years. Can you really say I'm wrong and that all our troubles are because these so-called leaders have been screwing up at their jobs? We have ungoverned land being ruled by criminals because they can't do anything right!"

Tank closed his eyes and breathed in softly. "I won't pretend I don't have issues with certain kingdoms. For what it's worth, I always thought the Widforss family for Algus did a fine job, even if they've made some mistakes in the past."

"Then why go against your kingdom?"

"Not all of us joined the Foresters just to get back at a society that looks down on the little guy. Some of us just have other objectives, and this is the most convenient way to fulfil them." Tank approached Leon and tapped him on the forehead. "You need to think about the bigger picture. A lot of us want revenge on someone, but nothing will get done acting impulsively. Besides, if you don't think about the consequences of your actions, you may end up doing something you can never take back."

Leon turned away. "I'll have no regrets."

Tank shook his head. "I'm not like most Foresters who paint all nobles in a bad light. There's obviously terrible people among them, but it's stupid to think anyone who has vast wealth is some corruptible monster, royals included." Tank walked away. "Pursue your revenge at your own risk. The second you try to take a life, you'll have two forces coming down on you."

"…Right," Leon mumbled.

Tank spun his hammer around and set it on his shoulder. "Leon, do you want to learn a way to bolster that impressive defense of yours into power?"

"How so?"

"I don't know it, but there's a move that turns your physical defense into blunt force. Combine that with your ability to reinforce your shield, you might have the ultimate counterattack set up."

Leon stared out into the snow, looped on Tank's prior warning. He let the rage bubbling in his chest fizzle out before facing the blacksmith. "Teach me all you can."

Tank smirked. "Good. Are you familiar with a move called Body Press?"

"Vaguely."

"Then let's start by toughening that defensive muscle."

Wyatt arrived back on the fort right as the snow started picking. He shivered and rubbed his arms as he walked back to their hut. The snow crunched under his feet, though it didn't bother him that much. Avel closed up inside his shell while sitting inside Wyatt's hood.

"I-I-I should've r-r-realized it was g-going to snow tonight," Avel stuttered.

Wyatt breathed into his hands and rubbed them together. "Think we could raid the mess hall for some hot chocolate?"

"I want to get out of this snow as soon as possible. We'll just warm up some water."

"Ugh. I'm going to gorge on a hot breakfast in the morning," Wyatt groaned, patting his stomach. "Why can't I have breakfast right now?"

Avel opened his shell a bit and looked up at the trees and snow. "You don't see much snow out in the Wick Kingdom. It's kind of nice."

Wyatt smiled. "Yeah. Hey, maybe we could skip out on training tomorrow and play for a bit."

"Maybe not," Avel huffed. "We shouldn't ditch Altair, even if we want to transfer out."

Wyatt sighed. "True." He continued rubbing his arms, but stopped as a loud wooden pang rang out through the fort. It was almost unnoticeable from the snow, but he heard a second one more clearly. "Avel, did you hear that?"

Avel opened one eye. "Someone's out late?"

"I think it's coming from one of the huts." Wyatt walked through the residential huts, following the sound.

"Wyatt, we should be going to bed."

"But what if someone needs help? Maybe they're moving something super heavy and keep dropping it?"

Avel sighed. "You're too nice."

Wyatt continued following the sound until he stopped in front of a hut. The sound came from inside. Wyatt and Avel shared a look before approaching the door and giving it a firm knock.

They waited a moment until someone unlatched the door and opened up. A Toxicroak answered, dabbing sweat off her forehead with a cloth. She wore a sleeveless white shirt with sweat stains on the front. "Yeah?" She blinked. "Wyatt? Avel?"

"Ursula?" they gasped.

"What are you doing out so late?"

"Uh…long story," Wyatt muttered. "We were heading back to our hut when we heard something over here. Just wanted to check and make sure everything was alright."

She smiled. "Aww." She noted that they were both shivering. "How long have you two been outside exactly?"

"Too l-l-long," Avel spat.

Ursula blinked again, then opened the door wider. "Want something to drink?"

Wyatt and Avel, wrapped in fresh blankets, sat against the wall drinking freshly made cups of hot chocolate. They took a moment to look around the hut, noting how spacious it was compared to their own. Two lanterns hung from the ceiling, softly illuminating the hut. They spotted three hammocks, though one appeared to be severely torn up.

They also noticed indoor training equipment scattered around the hut, namely fresh piles of wooden boards, training weights, and practice dummies. After Ursula finished hanging their damp jackets on a clothesline, she approached one of the dummies and straightened it up. There were signs of wearing on both sides of the dummy from repeated use.

Ursula took a deep breath, raising her arms up, and delivered a swift chop on the right side of the dummy. Her hand cracked against it, causing the brothers to flinch. Ursula delivered another cracking strike on the other side, then delivered an X-shaped chop into the front, nearly knocking the dummy over.

Wyatt quieted sipped his hot chocolate, then asked, "So, late night training?"

Ursula rubbed her shoulder. "Pretty much. I do this every night before bed."

"It's close to midnight," Avel pointed out. "Don't you get up early?"

"Eh, I'll be fine. I can run off four hours of sleep three nights in a row. Admittedly, not the best habit to develop." Ursula jumped, spun, and performed a diagonal downward chop that tore through the wooden dummy. She massaged her hand. "Phew, that was a good one."

"Where are your roommates?" Wyatt asked.

"Brooklyn is off on a field mission with Jet, and Hedwig…yeah, she tends to head out at night to embrace her wild side. She thinks sleeping in a warm hut will taint her savage heritage or something."

"And here I thought one of you was just a restless sleeper," Avel said, noting the torn hammock.

Ursula delivered three quick chops to the dummy, then finished off with a heavy chop to the neck. "So, why were you two out so late?"

Wyatt sighed. "We fell asleep during Altair's lesson. It got so boring that neither of us realized we passed out."

Ursula chuckled. "Oh yeah, that happened to the last batch who didn't know what they were in for. He's still outside keeping an eye on things, right?" They nodded. "You got to admire that bird's determination."

"Yeah, about that," Avel started, hopping off of Wyatt's head. "We were wondering if we could transfer out into a different course."

Ursula sized up for another chop, but stopped and looked at them. "Bailing on Altair, huh?"

Wyatt whimpered and looked away. "Well, it's not like that, but—"

Ursula raised her hand. "I get it, don't stress out over it." She sighed and shook her head. "I was hoping Altair finally found some students who would tough it out through his course. Guess I was wrong."

Avel glared. "Don't try to guilt trip us. This just isn't our style."

"I'm not, I'm not." She scratched behind her head. "You two toughed it out for a week, so I guess I could find someone willing to take you in."

Avel sighed. "Thank you."

"Still, I'm disappointed in you two," Ursula pointed out. "Altair may be an unconventional member of the Weald Rangers, but you shouldn't dismiss him just because he's kind of slow. He's a valuable asset to our defenses, and we take his warnings very seriously."

Avel glared. "Altair mentioned he's viewed as the security alarm. Is that really true?"

Ursula grabbed a cloth and wiped the sweat off her face, then hung the towel over her shoulders. "Altair is so much more than our alarm. He's our special weapon in case we need to clear out hordes."

"Can't someone like Jason do that already?" Wyatt asked. "I've heard the stories of what he can do on his own. Same for all the higher ups."

Ursula nodded. "True, but Altair specializes in being our surprise weapon. He's the unexpected wild card in our defenses. He's not only the alarm, but someone who could clear our invaders if offensive measures need to be taken. He gives us time to plan accordingly if the situation calls for our full force. He's the one who alerts us if someone manages to get through our defensive perimeter and evade detection. The thing about Altair is that he's ungodly patient and passively absorbs information whenever he stares off into space."

Avel squinted and thought back to the training exercise earlier in the day. "Altair had a brief spar with us. We couldn't do anything to catch him off guard. He said he could sense the weight of our attacks."

Ursula nodded. "More specifically, Altair can sense killer intent, or at least anything close to it. If he thinks he's in danger, he'll react accordingly. I actually tried to learn it from him, but my Anticipation makes it difficult to master. I already have a built-in danger sense, just a bit more alert to everything. Though, even with it limited to what he sees, Altair learned to filter out what he sees as dangerous or not to expend the least amount of energy as possible. He basically has the ultimate way to counterattack."

"Expending the least amount of energy as possible, huh?" Avel repeated.

"Conserving stamina is important, especially in a drawn-out fight. Altair has that down as an artform. Why else would he be able to stay on guard for so long?"

Avel narrowed his eyes. "I…admit, that makes it a bit more impressive."

"But if that's the case, why don't more people know about it?" Wyatt asked.

Ursula shrugged. "No one really gives Altair the time of day to take anything we say seriously, ignorant to the work and dedication he puts in to keeping watch. And Altair never takes offense to rejection. He does it because he wants to keep everyone safe, plain and simple."

Wyatt's frown deepened. "Now I feel even worse…"

Ursula offered them a smile. "I understand Altair's methods don't work with you two, and I'm sure he'll understand if you want to transfer out. Even so, I believe there's a lot you can learn from Altair. He would appreciate knowing someone wanted to learn under him."

Avel looked away glumly. "I see."

"If you still want to be Weald Rangers, maybe Enora or I can give you private lessons. Just enough so you can help out with maintaining surveillance and traps."

Wyatt fiddled with his hot chocolate, staring into his murky reflection, then looked up at Ursula. "Altair really means that much to all of you?"

Ursula laughed. "You kidding? We Foresters look out for each other, and Altair's no exception. Our greatest strength is when we work together. There are some things you'll never learn on your own…" She massaged her hands, smiling sadly at the floor. "The lessons you learn from your friends can be the most important of them all."

"Ursula," Wyatt gasped. "Are you okay?"

She chuckled and wiped her eye. "I'm fine, just…thinking. I'm going to take a shower before heading to bed. Feel free to sleep over until morning." She went to her chest and pulled out some sleepwear. "Listen, if you want my advice, you should talk to Altair again. This time, ask him to teach you. Be sincere and honest, and make an honest effort to see things his way. He's the foundation for developing the Weald Rangers. A lot of us dream of having his alertness." She headed inside the bathroom and closed the door.

Seeing as the snow won't be letting up soon, Wyatt got comfortable on the floor and pulled the blankets over himself. Avel cozied up by the fire and closed his shell, letting out a deep sigh.

"Hey Avel."

Avel peeked one eye out. "Yeah?"

"I think Ursula has a point. Maybe…we should see Altair tomorrow and try one more time."

Avel blinked, then closed his eyes. With a sigh, he said, "I am interested in that technique of his. Could come in handy."

Wyatt smiled. "Yeah." He sighed and pulled the covers over his face. "…We owe him an apology."

"Apology breakfast?"

"You read my mind." Wyatt yawned and curled up. "Night, Avel."

"Night, Wyatt."

Staring in the endless white void, piled up in the unforgiving flurry of snow, Altair continued his valiant scan of the forest, hardly a muscle moved. He made minute adjustments, taking hours just to turn himself around. Though the snow dampened audio cues, his eyesight remained on point, taking in each individual snowdrop.

Alone with his thoughts like always. Wyatt and Avel had left sometime ago. He didn't blame them. It was cold outside. Good thing Altair was nicely bundled up. Despite turning into a snowman, he remained tasked on his objective. Altair didn't mind the isolation. He enjoyed bouncing thoughts around, having internal discussions about the finer things in life.

For instance, pumpkins. He always wanted to make a bed out of a pumpkin. Not an actual bed with the framing, the mattress, and any of that junk. No, no, he wanted to gouge out a pumpkin's innards, clean it up, then sit in it. It had to be a large pumpkin, too. He never tried it, but he was inspired by that pumpkin pie Lambert made last week. Why did a delicious pumpkin pie make him think of sitting in a pumpkin? Quite simple, actually.

Pumpkin pies were homely, making you all warm inside as you take that first bite. He wondered if sitting in a pumpkin with be comfortable. It'd be like a blanket wrapped around you, only harder and less flexible. A nice bowl shape for his feathery body to relax in. Perhaps with some decorations to make it his, like a little garland or—

Woosh!

Altair's eyes shrank. Alarm?! Who there? Scanning, scanning, scanning…

One wouldn't assume anything odd about a light breeze during snowfall, but Altair was far too absorbed into the environment to let it past. That was no drawn out breeze, like a woooooosh. No, no, this one was sharp. Sharp like a knife. Like someone threw something. Like a knife. But no knife sounds, no thuds, no trees making thuds. Something else, then? Like a body? A fast moving body, moving at the speed of a flying knife.

Altair's eyes twitched with alert, taking in everything he could. Something was nearby. But what could it be?

He had been detecting something strange throughout the day. Subtle differences in the land made a fraction of a section within Altair's blind spot. Too fast to be a rookie. Greenwood? Too careful. Purposely masking presence. Not friendly.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, Altair's mind chimed as he scanned the whited out forest. Everything seemed clear, save for…the one place he hadn't checked yet?

Then he felt it. The weight of something drawing towards his snow-covered neck. It moved with incredible speed, too, aiming to kill? No, immobilization.

HONK!

His cry startled his attacker into aiming off course and stabbing into Altair's back instead. Thankfully, with the armor underneath, the blade hardly went through a few millimeters. Altair turned and pecked at his attacker.

"[Shit!]" they spoke, stepping out of Altair's range. They sheathed their knife and pulled a sword out from their back, swinging at Altair's head.

Altair hopped back and watched the sword glide through the air. The way it visibly sliced through the snow, leaving a pocket of exposed air amidst the flurries, indicated the speed and power behind their swordsmanship. This one was trained how to kill.

"Hurricane!" Altair flapped his wings and whipped up a windstorm that blew his attacker out of the trees. The snow peeled off everything and assimilated into the storm, blasting his attacker against a tree. With barely time to spare, Altair launched off and pinned his attacker down with his webbed feet.

"[Agh!]" they cried out. Altair could determine three things about his attacker despite how heavily clothed they were. One, they were male. Two, they were naturally fast, singling out a number of Pokémon. Three, based off the one actual word used, they were from the Great Gate Empire.

"Who are you?" Altair asked, charging up his Hyper Beam. "Are you an assassin?"

The attacker coughed out a raspy chuckle. "[Don't get ahead of yourself. I thought there was something strange about you. I made a mistake assuming a sneak attack could do you in. You are no rookie.]"

Altair glared and pressed his foot down harder. "Who sent you?"

"[I gave away the element of surprise, but I'm not done yet. But you don't even know I've gotten a head start on my true objective.]"

Altair grimaced. He couldn't understand a word he was saying, but something about it made him nervous just by tone. "Maybe a word with our interrogator will get you to speak." He pressed his foot down harder until…it caved the assassin's skull in. "Huh?!"

"[Even if you found me out, I'll be long gone by the time you find me a second time. I'll be sure…to stay away from you.]" The assassin crumbled into a pile of dead leaves.

Altair flew back and looked around frantically. "Substitute." He bared his teeth, then took off flying skyward until he breached the trees. Something's very wrong here. He hovered over the forest and inhaled, spouting a mighty:

"HONK! HONK! HONK!"

Translation: Emergency lockdown.