"Mmm! I am stuffed!" Monica exclaimed as she and Luna shuffled back to the castle. "I'm so glad you came along with me!"

Luna yawned and leaned up against Monica for support. Stuffed with food and exhausted from lack of sleep, the Snivy knight looked forward to a restful sleep in her guest room. She may very well turn in early and wake up in the noon.

"I have to admit, I did enjoy myself," Luna mumbled. "I never realized how many wonderful foods there were from the other kingdoms. Wish I had the time to visit them. Or at least the ones that are accessible to the common Pokémon. Can't say I can brave the battlefields of the Umbra Clock and New Chariot armies for a delicious pastry."

Monica giggled. "Perhaps not, but at least you had the chance to sample a bit of their culture." She looked ahead as the castle came into view. "I'm really sorry you had to do all that cleaning in the archives. Believe me, I would've done it myself, but it always grew into a bigger mess."

Luna waved it off. "I found what I needed, that's all that matters."

"That means you're leaving tomorrow, huh?"

"I have to get back to the kingdom and bring up my findings to the captain and my king. It wouldn't reflect well of me to go in search of Sir Gerard without the king's knowledge first." Even if I'm dubious about his true nature.

Monica nodded. "Understandable. I wouldn't want to pull some shady stuff behind King Visconti's back, even if I'm incapable of such things!" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "At least, I think I'm not capable of such things. Can one be evil without realizing it?"

Luna sighed and shook her head. "I just want to be done with this investigation stuff and get back to simple patrols around the castle. I don't want to look at another document for months."

"Speaking of, you said Sir Gerard's in Nalzona?"

"That's what is says on the scroll."

"Hmm, odd choice to retire. Nalzona's one of the richer towns in the kingdom. I wouldn't think a knight had the wealth to afford such luxury. Ooh, maybe Sir Gerard is secretly a pirate and he used his buried treasure to afford a luxurious retirement plan!"

Luna raised her brow. "I…think we would've known if Sir Gerard was indeed a pirate."

"You never know~!" Monica sang. "Maybe there's something in his information that tells us!"

Luna shrugged. "By all means. It's in my backpack."

"Great!" Monica slowed down a bit and reached for Luna's backpack.

However…

"Uh, Luna?"

Luna's eyes widened. Monica was using her actual name? That…actually made her suddenly feel anxious. She gulped and looked at the Alcremie worriedly. "Y-Yeah?"

"You were wearing a backpack when you were looking for me, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. So, uh…I imagine this is because of how exhausted you are, but…" Monica tried to hide it with laughter, but her face twisted with panic. "Promise me you won't freak out?"

Luna touched her own shoulder. She felt the light armor beneath her street clothes, but no pack straps. She patted herself slowly for a second before her search became more frenetic and desperate. She deployed her Vine Whips and felt around her whole body, but found nothing but her own clothes on herself.

Her face contorted and eye twitched. She clenched her fingers and flared her nostrils, venting the fumes building inside her. Any thought of sleep disintegrated from her mind as the well in her mind flooded with overwhelming alarm.

Monica tapped her fingers together awkwardly. "You know, to be fair, maybe you shouldn't have brought important documents to the—"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Evangelina, Asterio, and Angelo watched Luna pace around the royal library, digging into her scalp and going off with a string of words that could've been English, Latin, or the mad ramblings of a serial killer. It was hard to differentiate, especially with the fury cooking in Luna's eyes. Though, that may have been the sleep deprivation kicking in again. Whether Luna knew or not, they were all there when she started hallucinating the killer donuts.

Monica just quietly observed her friend going absolutely bonkers, casting hopeful glances to the royal siblings and their knight. Asterio glanced at her. "What?"

"Do something," Monica whispered through clenched teeth. "She's been like this for half an hour. I can't tell if she's breathing anymore or not."

"I am not a people person. What should I do?"

"Slap her!"

Asterio narrowed his eyes. "I am not slapping her." He glared down at the Raboot knight beside him. "You do it."

Angelo raised his hand. "I've taken a vow never to use these hands for violence. I could damage them. And I don't want her breaking them."

Monica sighed. "Okay, I'll get a bucket of cold water and—"

THWACK!

They jumped in surprise as Evangelina, who apparently floated up to the panicking Snivy, whipped her tentacle across her cheek with loud, hard smack. Luna blinked twice, then seized up in pain and massaged her aching cheek. "OW!"

"Meh-meh!" Monica cried. "Gospel Princess, how could you?!"

Evangelina looked back and smirked. "What? You suggested it."

Asterio rolled his eyes. "Never took you for the direct one, dear sister."

"There is a time for gossip, and a time for action." She massaged her tentacle and turned back to Luna. "Feeling better, Lady Freia?"

Luna groaned. "You didn't need to hit me that hard, Princess, but thank you."

"Anything for my subjects," she said with a bit of a snobbish attitude. "Now, can you please tell us what has caused this mad ire of yours? Monica told us something about a missing document."

Luna sighed. "Due to my…lack of judgment from the long hours, I mistakenly took an important document from the archives crucial to my mission here. I was with Monica during the festival, and it seems someone managed to swipe my backpack. I haven't noticed all day, and I didn't even think of checking to make sure I still had it."

Evangelina glared. "There are thieves at the festival?"

"We should not be surprised," Asterio grumbled. "With how densely packed everything is, someone is bound to slip through and steal with an easy escape." He glared at the library window. "Rotten scoundrels…"

Luna sank to the floor and covered her face. "If I weren't so freaked out and tired right now, I would be rampaging through the entire capital for the jerk who stole my bag! Do you know what I went through to clean those archives?! I'm going to have these dark rings under my eyes for WEEKS! I'm probably twenty percent coffee right now!"

Evangelina deadpanned. "You seem angry enough." She stroked her chin. "Still, it wouldn't be good for a retired knight's information to be in the hands of some crook."

"Perhaps we should cancel the festival and do a sweep of the capital," Angelo suggested.

Asterio shook his head. "The people have been looking forward to the festival for weeks now. We would not want Father dealing with angry subjects all for the sake of one thief. Plus, if we cancel the festival, the thief will not have much incentive to stay, and may even suspect something."

"Would one thief really be suspicious of us cancelling the festival just to find them?" Evangelina asked.

"If you are paranoid enough. It will be difficult to find them among the crowd, and they might not even be carrying the backpack or scroll on them, but cancelling may give them a reason to leave if they are not from here."

Evangelina sighed. "Fair enough, but there are thousands of people in the capital. Finding one stray thief will be next to impossible."

Luna narrowed her eyes, trying to think back to what happened. She was too exhausted at the time to even catch a glimpse at the thief's face. She wasn't even entirely sure when her backpack was stolen. However, she remembered one brief moment that seemed a bit suspicious looking back. She recalled two bodies pressing up against her while being dragged through the crowd. While not overtly criminal on paper, something about it felt deliberate, like they intentionally bumped into her. Although she couldn't figure out how the backpack was removed so swiftly, especially since one of her arms was linked with Monica, she figured one possibility.

"I think…I was robbed by two thieves," Luna blurted.

"Hmm?" Evangelina hummed. "So, a pair."

Angelo crossed his arms. "Actually, now that she's brought it up, we've been getting a lot of reports recently about random objects disappearing. Just today, people's bags have been mysteriously vanishing right from under everyone's noses."

Evangelina nodded. "Ah yes. I have heard about that. Hmm, thieves in the Echo Bell Kingdom. A pair of them." She raised her brow. "You do not suppose this is the Foresters, right?"

Asterio glared. "Well, the festival would be a good opportunity to steal food, so I would not be surprised."

"The Foresters," Luna growled. She clenched her fist, shaking with rage. "They have no idea how pissed I am. All that research for this? No way. They are going to…to…" Luna lost her train of thought and yawned.

Monica grabbed Luna's shoulders and started pushing her out of the library. "How about you go to bed first before going on a war path? How does that sound?"

"Need to…find the…" Luna mumbled sleepily, helpless to Monica's insistence as she was dragged away.

The royal siblings looked to each other and nodded. "We should keep this on the down low until further notice," Evangelina stated. "I will inform Father so that we can send out more security around the festival."

Asterio nodded. "We should probably have some escort Ms. Freia before she does something foolish, too."

"I'll do it," Angelo offered, raising his hand. "I actually have business tomorrow with a client. I'm supposed to meet up with him."

"Very well, then," Evangelina said. "Best you rest up, Michelangelo. It will be a long day for everyone." Angelo bowed to her, then walked off.

Asterio looked out the library window and glared. "Rotten Foresters. If they are actually in the capital, then…" He closed his eyes and growled quietly. "I just cannot stand them…"

Evangelina turned away from her brother and smirked. "Oh, fret not, dear brother. After all, when fooling about in the Echo Bell Kingdom, has crime ever been worth the risk?"

"…Perhaps not."

"Then do not fret over it. They are hardly murderers compared to the usual crimes reported on a nightly stroll." Evangelina chuckled behind her tentacle and floated out of the room. "Then again, crime does not seem to have a measure with tolerance. The thief and the murderer share a common fate in the night of Echo Bell's worst. Take comfort in that much should our knights fail to apprehend the thieves."

Asterio closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah…"

Evangelina frowned. "Something wrong?"

"Sorry, it is just…whenever I look out over the city at night, I cannot help thinking of…"

Evangelina closed her eyes and shook her head. "Troubling as it may be, I share your sympathies. You are not the only one who has trouble sleeping on some nights. But do not let it bother you. Justice always finds a way to be served. The guilty will always suffer for their actions." With that, she floated out of the library.

Asterio exhaled, then looked up at the stars. "We know that better than anyone, do we not?"

Upon returning to the underground camp, Melissa collapsed onto the floor and groaned, "So…stuffed." She threw her backpack aside and curled herself into her uniform.

Fabrice chuckled as he set his own belongings down. "I take it you enjoyed the festival, Melissa?"

She looked up and smiled at him. "For the most part, though I spent most of the day researching." She sat up and wagged her little tail. "I found so many interesting documents about the old catacombs that run under the Echo Bell Kingdom. Did you know there may be hidden passageways long since undiscovered? Since they are closed off to the general public, that means there may be possible entrance ways to exploit."

Fabrice smirked. "Hmm, that so? And how will you be using them?"

"Well, I plan to carry out my heist over a week, so that will give me plenty of time to scour the catacombs and chart out passageways. Even if nothing useful comes up for the actual heist, they could make good escape routes to throw off any potential pursuers."

Fabrice nodded. "You're really getting into the spirit of this, Melissa. Though, I still need to hear what you're doing."

Melissa giggled. "Well, I think I finalized enough material to say I am satisfied." She pulled a stack of parchment from her backpack and handed it to Fabrice.

Fabrice flipped through the rabbit's fancy handwriting, skimming through her detailed notes. Gradually, his eyes widened in disbelief. The setup was just an outline, but the heist itself shocked him. He expected big things from Melissa, by all means, but…

"Melissa, are you sure? This seems a little too advanced of an idea."

Melissa beamed. "I am aware!"

"And you are aware of the potential danger this will bring, right?"

"I have a few months to refine the details, do not worry. I did my research, and I am a hundred percent confident in my ability to carry out this heist." She crossed her arms and nodded firmly. "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think? I think this is absolutely bonkers and dangerous." Fabrice sighed, then grinned at her. "Good grief, we've finally corrupted you." Melissa giggled proudly. "Well, you have my approval, but it's not my final decision. You better have a hard sell ready for Jason."

"I shall make notecards for myself!" Melissa cheered.

Just then, a rustling sounded above their hidden camp. The dirt hatch flew open, and the Thievery Twins came crashing down on their faces. Right as Melissa and Fabrice got up to help them, Klaus jumped down and grabbed the two by their napes.

"I knew you two were going to cause us trouble!" Klaus growled.

"We didn't do anything!" the twins cried.

Melissa and Fabrice looked at each other in confusion before the Greenwood stepped forward. "Okay, okay, calm down, Klaus." Fabrice pulled Klaus off of the twins and helped them to their feet. "What's the problem?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Oh, nothing much, just that there are two bounty hunters in the city looking for us!"

Melissa gasped. "Bounty hunters?!"

Klaus nodded, then glared at the twins. "And a certain pair of kleptomaniacs blew our cover."

Gold raised his hands. "In our defense—"

"We can't help ourselves," Jewel finished, mirroring her brother. Klaus facepalmed.

Fabrice crossed his arms and frowned at the floor. "Oh dear, that would be a problem. With so many Pokémon at the festival, us being there could put many lives in the crossfire. Do they know who we are?"

Klaus shrugged. "Probably not, but that hasn't stopped us from being hunted down in the past."

"Fair point." Fabrice sighed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess we have no choice but to leave in the morning. No use sticking around if we're being actively pursued."

Melissa frowned. "Aww, already?"

"It can't be helped, Melissa. My job is to supervise and keep you all safe. It's better we make ourselves scarce before trouble comes knocking on the door."

Melissa pouted, but sighed in defeat. "Oh, fine."

Fabrice looked at the twins. "As for you two, I think we need to have a little talk about keeping a low profile."

Gold huffed. "Hey, no one's noticed us for over a week now!"

"We're plenty stealthy as is!" Jewel added.

Fabrice shook his head. "We'll talk about this in the morning. The rest of you, start packing. We leave in the morning." A halfhearted round of ayes sounded off. Fabrice stretched his arms and curled up onto his cot. "Best to turn in early. Goodnight, everyone."

"Night," they all muttered as they lay down in their own cots.

Melissa let out one more whine. "I was really hoping to find a stand that was selling crème puffs, too." She picked up the pamphlet she picked up in the capital and combed through the food stands. "How can no one see the majesty of a perfect treat?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "You know, you could always make some back at base."

"Before I even came here, I did not bathe myself. What makes you think I know how to cook?" Melissa paused, then scratched her head. "Admittedly, I should learn how to do that. Maybe I can ask Lambert for lessons." She shrugged, then collapsed into her cot with the pamphlet draped over her face. "Night…"

"Night." Klaus turned onto his side and glared at the twins, who were rummaging through their new bag. "I've got my eye on you two."

Gold and Jewel rolled their eyes. "Harsh~!"

"Ugh…" Klaus turned away from them and closed his eyes.

Gold crossed his arms and huffed. "So rude, that one. Right, Sister?"

"Quite." Jewel opened the bag and showed off the books and scroll inside. "By the way, Brother, what do we do with this junk?"

"Well, it would be a shame to waste it." Gold looked around for a bit, then smiled at Melissa's backpack. "Ah!" He picked it up and opened the flap. "Melissa likes boring stuff, right? We'll just dump it into here."

Jewel shrugged. "Good enough for me." She poured everything out of the bag and into Melissa's. "There we go! Nice and snug."

"Quite!" Gold closed the bag and tossed it back into its corner. He yawned and stretched his legs out. "Best to sleep the night away, Sister. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Brother." They curled up into their cot and drifted off to sleep with Jewel snuggling her new bag protectively and away from her sleep-scratching brother.

22nd Winter Moon, 907

Newly rested and filled with unbridled rage waiting to burst to the surface, Luna stomped her way out of the castle with Angelo awkwardly in tow. He carried a bag on his back that had his commission for Fabrice, who agreed to meet up with him at the same shop they met at. Of course, duties now were to keep an eye on Luna and make sure she didn't break anything.

"Luna, while I completely understand your frustration, perhaps you should ease up a bit," Angelo suggested.

Luna whipped her head around and glared at the Raboot. "Buddy, when you spend weeks cleaning out an archive for hours hopelessly searching for an important document that turns up once you're ninety-nine percent finished cleaning said archives, you can come back to me and tell me if I should ease up or not!"

Angelo blinked twice. "…Okay, ease up a lot."

Luna sighed and rubbed her face. "I'm sorry, I'm just super pissed off with myself for bringing the scroll with me. I was just so relieved to find it that I didn't want it leaving my sight. What do you know? It left my sight! It would've been perfectly safe in the archives, but Sleep Deprived Luna decided it was safer to bring along where thousands of Pokémon would be gathered sampling rock soup!"

Angelo awkwardly patted her shoulder. "You should…really take up a hobby or something."

Luna groaned and drooped her head. "Any suggestions?"

"How about after we find your missing scroll?" Angelo looked around. "Besides, we're looking for a pair of thieves. We can at least narrow down the search."

Luna sighed. "Probably, though I don't like our chances."

"Then you better get searching. I'll look from the rooftops. How about you check the water canals? The streets they're on are closed off for safety purposes, so a thief would take advantage of the vacancy."

Luna inhaled a deep breath and reinvigorated herself with newfound confidence and/or fury. "Right! I'm coming for you, thieves!" She marched forward.

Angelo nodded to himself, then headed off in the opposite direction. "And while she's doing that, I should find Fabrice first."

"To search the streets, we shall! For the Foresters and their pilfering crimes!" Frediano exclaimed as he marched through the streets, which were less crowded in the early mornings of the festival. The perfect chance to scour the area for crime and thieves!

Armant seemed less enthused by the prospect as he let out a loud yawn. "I could've been sleeping in."

"But how will you find the Foresters if you don't take an active approach in the search?!" Frediano exclaimed.

"I don't look for trouble. Trouble looks for me, and I'll react accordingly if it ever does."

Frediano laughed joyously and spun around to look up at the Machamp. "Well, my friend, a change of pace is needed. This is our golden opportunity for a grand debut on the global stage! The good Pokémon of this city rely on us to cleanse it of the evil that festers, stealing away fine cutlery and fashionable luggage! That is the mark of a bounty hunter, a chance to stand in the spotlight and proudly announce that we will be there to life you up in your darkest hour! We are the peacekeepers of Virdis!"

Armant blinked slowly after Frediano's grandiose speech, then sighed. "Alright, look. How about you search from the ground while I take an aerial view of the city? After all, you…blend in so well with the commonfolk," he grunted, looking the Weavile's flashy attire over.

Frediano massaged his chin, then nodded. "You're absolutely right, my friend!" He flicked his cape and pointed ahead. "Then off, we must go! Destiny awaits us, and it calls out to right the wrongs of crime! The hunt begins! Away!" Frediano dashed off like the wind, his cape fluttering majestically behind him like an equally majestic flag on the most majestic of sailing vessels.

With the flashy Weavile out of his hair (so to speak), Armant breathed a sigh of relief and walked away. "Man, I liked him better when he was annoying the others, not me. Maybe I'll just wander this side of the capital and hope I don't run into him again."

With the morning upon them, the Foresters rose from their cots and began packing. Though their trip had to be cut short, it was ultimately for the best. Better to be precautious of the worst rather than wade through torrential waters. Besides, at least Melissa, Klaus, and the twins made admirable progress on outlining their heists, some better than others, of course.

Melissa just shoved her belongings into her pack, not noticing it was a bit more snug than usual, and pushed it off to the side. She collapsed to the floor and pulled out the festival pamphlet, skimming through the foods she will be missing out on today. She grabbed one of the candy apples from the bag Armant gave her and bit into it.

That was another thing that bummed her out. She wouldn't have time to at least say goodbye to Armant and thank him again for his wonderful advice. He did a lot to motivate her towards the perfect heist, whether or not he knew what she was up to. For such a strong, intimidating figure, it amazed her just how sweet and funny he was. She always figured bounty hunters were rough and tough, no-good, greedy heathens, at least as much as her father and Hilda have repeated in her youth. Her encounter with Amos and the Dukes certainly didn't help that mindset.

Melissa sighed and bit into her candy apple again. Oh well, it cannot be helped. Fabrice is right. Better to leave than—

Her eyes landed on something in the pamphlet. A sharp gasp escaped her mouth and her candy apple slipped from her hand as she grasped the pamphlet in a death grip up to her face.

"No. Way!" she squealed, a quick and sharp cheer that caused her neighboring friends to tense up and flinch.

"Yikes!" Fabrice huffed, rubbing his ear canals. "Everything okay, Melissa?"

"Crème puffs!"

"…Excuse me?"

Melissa turned the pamphlet around and pointed at the printed list. "Crème puffs made with a special chocolate cream found only in the Algus Kingdom, made with only the finest dough of the mountains! There's a stand selling them today! I HAVE to go get them!"

Fabrice frowned. "Melissa, we really shouldn't be going into the kingdom."

"No one knows I'm a Forester. I'll be in and out before anyone gets suspicious." She collapsed to his feet and whined. "Please! Just this once! I really want them! You have no idea how much this means to me! I've been dying to find some since yesterday!"

Gold and Jewel looked at each other, then sighed. "She has a problem."

"A serious problem."

Fabrice pulled Melissa to her feet. "Melissa, I know what you're feeling. I was supposed to meet someone about a present I ordered for Enora. Believe me, it's eating me up inside, but I simply can't risk everyone's safety over my selfishness. And the same goes for you."

Melissa's ears drooped. "I…I understand, but…" She poked her fingers together sheepishly. "I really wanted those crème puffs."

Klaus narrowed his eyes sympathetically, then pulled out a map from his bag. He quickly skimmed it over, then smiled. "You know what, Fabrice? I wouldn't mind waiting for a bit."

"Huh?" Fabrice and Melissa gasped, one more excited than the other.

Klaus nodded and pointed at his map. "See, the festival attracts so many people from around the Echo Bell Kingdom, and travelers from all sorts of different kingdoms. Obviously, the streets would be flooded with Pokémon pushing and bumping into each other. Due to there being no safety railings near the canals that run through the city, they blocked off the festival to only circulate within the main streets. Melissa could use the canal streets as a shortcut, find the cream puff stand, and get back here in no time."

"Is that so?" Fabrice muttered. He crossed his arms and looked up thoughtfully. "I don't know."

"Pweeeeeease~!" Melissa begged with the cutest voice she could manage, adding sparkling eyes and a cute pose with her hands hanging under her chin.

Fabrice suppressed the urge to d'aww at the cute image pushing up against him, then sighed in defeat. "Oh, alright. I suppose there's no real harm if the bounty hunters don't know who they're looking for. Just remember to be in and out before noon. I want to be out of here as soon as possible."

Melissa cheered and hugged Fabrice. "You're the best, Fabrice!" She dashed over to Klaus and hugged him, too, even nuzzling his cheek. "Thanks for backing me up, Klaus!"

Klaus turned away to hide the glow in his red face. "Uh, sure, no problem."

Melissa bounced over to her bag. "Crème puffs, crème puffs, crème puffs~!" She scooped her bag up onto her shoulders and nearly fell backwards from the weight. "Huh. Heavier than I remember." She shrugged and hopped merrily out of the hideout. She stopped for a moment and said, "Oh, and help yourselves to the candy apples. A new friend of mine gave them to me." She pulled herself up and bounded away to the capital. "Crème puffs, crème puffs, crème puffs~!"

A half hour passed after Melissa left for the festival. The rest of the Foresters finished packing their belongings and patiently waited for their rabbit companion to return from her dessert search. Acting on her permission, they helped themselves to the candy apples left behind to pass the time.

Fabrice bit into his apple and sighed with content. "These are delicious~. Ah man, do you think Enora would prefer one of these over a mini figurine?"

Klaus shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm not the guru of romance."

Gold twirled his candy apple between his fingers. "I'd say it would taste better coated with gold."

"Can you even eat gold, Brother?" Jewel asked.

"Have you seen have the stuff that came from the Subterra Kingdom? I'm sure there's some fancy meal that has gold infused into it." Gold crunched on his apple and lay back on the ground. "A shame we can't continue with our fun."

Klaus glared. "Gee, I wonder whose fault that was."

Jewel wagged her digit. "There's no need for that tone of voice, Klaus."

"Oh, I have plenty more to say to you two!"

Fabrice sighed and raised his hands. "All of you, calm down. We'll discuss this more once we hit the road. I want to get as far from the capital as possible." Fabrice frowned. "You know, I really should've asked Melissa to pick up Enora's present for me. Actually, I could've probably gone myself since we have to wait for her. Eh, she's probably on her way back."

Klaus finished his candy apple and tossed the stick into his bag. "Live and learn." He reached over for the candy apple bag.

"Klaus, I'm pretty sure Melissa wouldn't want you eating her entire gift."

"I'm just closing up the bag." He picked it up and prepared to tie it shut, but stopped when he saw the note all the way at the bottom. "Hmm, a note for Melissa?" He reached down and pulled it out.

"Someone's being nosy~!" the twins teased.

"Oh lay off!" Klaus grunted. "I'm bored." He leaned into the wall and skimmed the note over.

"Hey there, shrimp. Hope you enjoyed the candy apples. Perhaps a bit early to say, but I hope we get to cross paths again. I don't say that often to most folks, so count yourself lucky. Gahahahahaha! Well, if by chance I don't see you for the rest of the festival, take care of yourself.

Your Pal, Armant."

Klaus smirked. "Aww, how cute. And here I thought Melissa was incapable of making…" His pupils shrank as he read the card over again. "Wait…"

"Do not take my warnings so lightly, dear Armant!"

Armant. That masked Weavile he spied on in the alleyway. He called the Machamp Armant. That…couldn't be a coincidence, right? It seemed too farfetched to consider. And yet, it didn't sound like a name found in the Echo Bell Kingdom. It wasn't unlikely, true, but still. In fact, Klaus recalled a few mentions made by Melissa that her friend was a traveling vagrant.

Then again, the night Klaus had to cover for Melissa and her escapades to the opera, he recalled her mentioning how traveled and worldly he was, taking odd jobs here and there. And he recalled her mentioning this friend's story of how he felled a Steelix with the weakest of his attacks in one shot.

Oh…Oh freakin' no!

Klaus shot to his feet and scrambled for the hatch. "We need to find Melissa, now!"

Fabrice and the twins sprung to their feet. "What? Why?" Fabrice asked.

Klaus looked back at them with panic in his eyes. "Melissa's been hanging out with our bounty hunter!"

Klaus, Fabrice, and the twins made record time sprinting into the capital, stopping at the gated entrance to catch their breath. Their eyes widened in horror as a crowd started to form through the streets, making it as densely packed as the day prior.

"We'll never find her in this mess!" the twins cried.

"We have no choice," Fabrice grunted. "Klaus, you told Melissa to use the canal ways as a shortcut, right?"

"Y-Yeah. They should be pretty vacant right now."

"You and I are going to try and cut her off there." Fabrice pointed at the twins. "You two, go search wherever the cream puff stand is and see if Melissa is still there. Don't get distracted! Find Melissa, then come straight back to us! Got it?!"

The twins saluted and nodded. "Sir, yes sir!" They raced off.

Fabrice nodded at Klaus, then they dart down the right path away from the festival. "How many streets does the canal run through?"

"A few dozen, probably. Melissa would probably take the one closest to the festival, but—"

"We can't risk it," Fabrice huffed. "I'll swim through the canals and try to find her up ahead. Search the streets closer to the festival."

"And what if we run into trouble?"

"Normally, I would want you to run away, but I'm giving you permission to engage combat if necessary. We can't take these guys lightly if they're as much a threat as the Dukes."

Klaus glared. "Right." He spotted the canals up ahead. "Alright, how fast can you search the canals?"

"Probably ten minutes at best."

"Then we don't have a second to lose. Good luck!" They broke off, with Klaus running down the next street and Fabrice diving into the canal, speeding off with a geyser of water shooting up behind him.

"Harlow! Harlow!" the twins cried out as they jumped from building to building, scanning the dense crowd below.

"Do you see her?" Gold asked.

"Nothing! I see a few Buneary, but not ours!"

"Do you get the impression Klaus might've had a point?"

"We're not the ones jeopardizing our safety over pastries!"

"Hmm, fair enough, Sister."

They soared over the street, calling out for their teammate over the deafening chatter of the packed festival. It was probably in vain, but it was the best they could do. Still, who was going to hear Harlow over all this noise?

Well, good news, someone did hear them.

Bad news…it was the worst possible someone.

Armant, who had been aimlessly moving through the crowd, stopped when he heard the buzzing of a name sound above his head. He turned his eyes up and caught two blurs whizzing above the rooftops. He squinted and focused in on them, pushing out the chatter around him. He heard their cry again.

"Harlow!"

Harlow? Armant narrowed his eyes, then smirked. When trouble finds me, I'll act on it accordingly. He bent his legs. Time to exercise for a bit.

Gold and Jewel obliviously continued their scan of the streets. "Ugh, she could be anywhere!" Jewel groaned.

Gold waved it off. "Relax. We'll find her in no time—"

Something came crashing down in front of them, blowing them across the roof they landed on and stopped before the edge. They shook their heads, then gazed up in shock as Armant towered over them, cracking his knuckles. He flashed a casual smirk.

"So, want to do this the easy way, or my way?"

Melissa giggled with delight as she jumped over the barriers blocking off the canal passageway and skipped down the street with a bag firmly clenched in her hand. Inside was her delectable prize securely fastened and boxed for safety. She didn't anticipate such a long line, but she finally obtained and paid for her treats. The walk home was going to be absolutely delicious!

"I should probably share some with the others, but…" Melissa pressed her lips together, weighing the option of being a good person or satiating her gluttony. "Ooh, I feel so guilty, especially since I pleaded to get these, but…they just look so good~!"

She gulped her gluttony down and shook her head. "I should probably put these away. I should have enough room in my bag."

She stopped, set her backpack down, and pulled the flap open. Her eyes twinkled curiously, noticing far more books than she remembered crammed inside. That would explain the weight difference, but where did all these books come from?

"Odd." She set her crème puffs aside and rummaged through the bag. Her hand fell on a scroll tube sitting inside and pulled it out. "I do not remember taking this from the library."

Curiously, she popped the cork off and slid the scroll into her hand. She unfurled the top page and skimmed it over. Her eyes widened in surprise, recognizing the name written in bold.

"Sir Gerard Carpenter?" she read aloud. "I have heard of him. Did he not retire many years ago? Where did this—"

"YOU!"

Melissa squeaked and jumped to her feet in alarm. "I did not do it!" She spun around and gasped as an armored Snivy marched down the street, a fire burning in her eyes. Melissa squinted at her, then gasped again, pulling her hood over her head.

L-Lady Luna! One of my knights! Crap! What is she doing here?!

Luna pointed at her and growled, "Return that scroll immediately, thief!"

Melissa tucked the scroll back into its tube, then held her hands up in surrender. "W-Wait, this is a big misunderstanding! I didn't steal anything!"

"That scroll is property of the royal family's archive! You snatched it along with my belongings right off of me!"

Melissa shook her head frantically. "N-No I didn't, honest! Listen, I can see you're peeved about this, so why don't I just hand you the scroll and we can part ways? Okay?"

Luna narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You're not getting off that easily." She pulled her sword out and pointed it at Melissa. "I know you're a Buneary, thief. And we've been getting reports of a Buneary thief in the Foresters. Who would've guessed I would cross paths with the infamous Harlow?"

Melissa gulped. Why, oh why, did I develop such a famous, but also terrible reputation in the span of a few months?!

"You have a lot to answer for. Stealing that scroll is the least of your crimes." Luna bared her teeth. "Now, where is Princess Penworth? Tell me, and I'll be sure your punishment is lessened."

Melissa laughed nervously. "I'm…not sure how to explain that."

Luna snarled. "Where is she?!"

"Uh…" Quick, what would Marie say in a situation like this? "Sold to a harem?" Okay, wrong person to emulate. "Experimentation?" Pandora isn't any better. "…She's dead?" That one might be Zephora's influence.

Luna looked unimpressed. "If you won't confess, then I must bring you in. Though I am no knight of the Echo Bell Kingdom, I fight for the honor of the royal family I swore allegiance under!"

"Look, just let me give you the scroll back and—"

"I don't negotiate with thieves!" Luna deployed her Vine Whip and snapped it at Melissa.

"AAH!" Melissa jumped out of the way, barely dodging it.

Her heart sank, however, when Luna's whip curved back upon retraction and whipped her crème puff bag into the air. Melissa dove to catch it, but it slipped past her fingers and fell into the canal. Melissa stared into her own horrified reflection as the bag sank down into the clear waters.

Her brain fried. Nothing but soggy brain matter matching what was now soggy pastries and horribly diluted chocolate cream. She could almost cry. She never even got to taste them. She was so excited to receive her treats that she forgot to even try one. She pleaded with Fabrice, waited in line, and got her hopes up…for nothing.

"Now, hand over the scroll and surrender yourself. You're under arrest."

Melissa knew very little about Luna as a knight, much less personally. All she did know was that she was an exceptionally talented knight recommended by the captain, Matthias, himself. Fighting her seemed like a fool's game, where a novice like Melissa wouldn't stand a chance. The most rational solution would be to leave the scroll behind and flee the scene.

Unfortunately, whether due to the latent part of Jet's personality inside her or the grief of her precious crème puffs unable to fulfil their creation's purpose, rationality imploded on itself and twisted into a horrible configuration equal to a mangled soft pretzel.

To put it more bluntly, and more crudely, Melissa was pissed off.

She rose to her feet, then tucked the scroll inside her uniform. She unclipped her cloak and tossed it aside, revealing the sword and dagger strapped to her body. She gripped the sword's hilt and pulled it free from its scabbard. She raised her glare at Luna, eyes flashing blue for a second.

"I was trying to be the adult here and give you the scroll back, but now you've destroyed my precious treats. One may call it petty to get upset over some food, which I will agree to partially, but…" Melissa took her sword in both hands and sprang off her feet.

Luna reflexively raised her sword and blocked Melissa's strike. Both their glares, blazing with a fiery fury, locked together with heated contempt. Their blades sparked and grinded together, struggling to keep the other back.

"No one ruins my crème puffs and gets away with it!"