"HONK!"

Wyatt and Avel went flying backwards and slammed into a tree. Wyatt's trusty rod flew from his hand and impaled into the soft snow. The brothers collapsed face first into the snow, groaning and shivering.

Altair kept to his word about teaching the brothers how to master his killer intent sense. Through painstaking practice, the brothers were subjected to all manner of counterattacks and ambush attacks by their superior, unable to detect a single one of his movements before being knocked to the ground. To make matters worse on them, Wyatt and Avel were blindfolded throughout the lesson, so they couldn't rely on sight. Hearing was no good due to the snow, and even if they had a strong sense of smell, the cold air also dampened that.

They were training out in the forest, which seemed like a bad idea with a bounty hunter on the loose. However, Altair assured them they'll be sticking close to the fort, so any attack on them would be alerted to the Weald Rangers hanging around base. Plus, the snowy grounds contributed to the lesson, hence the lack of sound.

Although the brothers understood the purpose of the blindfolds, they remained baffled as to why Altair needed the honey and acorns, which he hadn't touched since they arrived. They remained sitting beside a tree, untouched and waiting to be used for whatever training exercise could involve such a random pair of items.

Or perhaps Altair was secretly crazy. The brothers were still debating on that.

"Again!" Altair ordered as he paced circled in the open area of the forest. "To master the art of sensing killer intent, you must be fully immersed with your surroundings. There is no room for slacking off."

Wyatt sat up and placed Avel back on his lily pad. "Can't we take a break? My shoulder's starting to hurt."

Avel sighed. "I agree. We've been at this for three hours now. We're not getting any closer to sensing your movements."

Altair shook his head. "The tricky part of sensing killer intent is the intent. I have no reason to cause you two harm, so your mental barriers are lowered. You don't see me as a threat. You must learn when to apply the killer sense, turn it on and off as naturally as breathing."

Avel glared. "Seems easy enough for you since you spend half the day in your own head."

Altair nodded. "Indeed. I must be aware of all surroundings, never expending more energy than what is needed. That is what you two should be focusing on."

Wyatt picked himself up and asked, "So, what are we doing wrong?"

"Well, each of you have your own troubles to work out. Put your blindfolds back on and try to figure out where you're lacking."

Wyatt and Avel pulled their blindfolds back over their eyes. Wyatt paced himself into the center of the area and raised his pole, taking on a defensive stance. Avel raised his elongated tongue, assuming his own stance. Altair walked around them, checking their postures, before flying up into the trees.

"It's all about anticipation. Think of it as a sixth sense."

Wyatt and Avel tensed up. They could hear Altair's voice, but couldn't determine the direction. It bounced around them with audio clues muffled by the surrounding snow. There was nothing but darkness around them, and their mentor could strike from anywhere with just one slip up.

"The senses can be distracted. They can be tricked. They can throw you off balance. It's a form of spatial awareness, not unlike what Pokémon capable of reading aura can achieve. However, we cannot sense aura, thus we must rely on instinct. We must rely on judgment. Though our senses can be used against us, they can also be underestimated.

"Sense of touch can detect changes in the air, but we must determine by our own judgment if those currents carry lethal force. Sense of smell to detect faint scents in the air, like the natural scent of your opponent or the aroma of a weapon bathed in blood. All of this and more, but one must exercise judgment to determine if the attack is lethal or not. Using the most force possible while expending the least about of energy. Absolute focus."

Wyatt tightened his grip, and Avel took a deep breath. They concentrated on any available clues in their dark realm. Flapping feathers, crunching snow, the cool breeze of the wind, everything around them in anticipation for Altair's surprise assault.

Wyatt clicked his claws against his pole as his body twitched with restlessness. M-Man. I'm not used to standing still for this long. When is he going to attack?

Avel remained still on his perch, taking in every little detail he could. Focus. Focus. Focus. Where is he?

Avel could sense Altair's presence looming nearby, but sensed no malintent coming his way. Avel reminded himself not to strike immediately, only when Altair was in range to attack. Avel waited, ready to counterattack at a moment's notice.

Deep in the silence of waiting, a spark went off.

Avel's eyes widened within his blindfold as he felt the rush of power surging toward him.

There!

Avel spun on his perch and whipped his tongue at the divebombing duck. Avel felt a breeze slap across his tongue. He struck nothing but cold wind. He felt Altair launching over his and Wyatt's head.

Too slow! Avel gasped.

Altair landed in the snow, alerting Wyatt. "There he is!" He swung his pole in the direction of the sound, but Altair closed the gap faster than Wyatt could swing. Altair launched his head forward and delivered a brutal peck to the chest.

"HONK!"

Wyatt and Avel flew back and tumbled into the snow. Wyatt reached out and caught Avel just as he fell off the lily pad, then collapsed face first into the snow.

Altair ruffled his wings, then walked up to the fallen brothers. "I counted at least one mistake on each of your parts. Can you guess what there were?"

Avel rolled himself upright and glared. "Listening to you about wearing blindfolds?"

Wyatt sat up and raised his hand. "Not having a super hearty breakfast in the morning?"

Altair laughed. "Close, but no. You both have remarkable technique when it comes to fighting, but your individual talents hold you back from bringing out your full potential."

"How so?" Avel asked.

"Well—" Altair pointed at Avel. "For starters, you have remarkable observation and were able to pinpoint my exact location on the spot. However, you lack the combat instinct and training to monopolize on the opportunity." Altair rubbed his chin. "If I recall right, you didn't take part in most of the training during your first six months here. You left Wyatt to do most of the work."

Avel glared. "I'm a Shellder. My only working appendage is this tongue." He slapped the snow with his tongue as an example, then retracted it. "Besides, I work better as Wyatt's sentry. I analyze the situation, he acts on my orders."

Wyatt nodded. "It's true. Avel's always been the brainy one."

Altair nodded. "I see. Well, that appears to be where your shortcomings lie, Wyatt." He gestured to the confused Lombre. "You have amazing combat potential, but you're also the type of person who lacks patience. In many ways, that ambitious fighting instinct is admirable, but not for this particular exercise." Altair crossed his wings. "Actually, you both are lacking one the other specializes in."

Avel raised his brow. "Is that a bad thing? We work better as a team. If I'm getting the hang of this killer intent sensing, I can just give directions to Wyatt."

Altair shook his head. "Not that simple. While it's doable, you fail to grasp the lag."

"Lag?" Wyatt asked.

"You two work in sync with each other because you know what the other brother will do in response to a situation. However, that comes with years of getting to know the other's personality. This is about reading the outside world and how it'll come at you. If only one of you can sense oncoming danger, you have an immeasurably limited timeframe to get across your thoughts without expending too much time or energy through words. That type of fighting is extremely difficult, being able to shrink the gap between thought and action. There's always a lag between the two, no matter how miniscule it might be. Being able to move in sync with your thoughts would make you one of the most dangerous fighters in the region.

"If both of you could master this sixth sense, you would be an unstoppable pair. Your synchronization is an invaluable tool, but it's not something you should heavily rely on."

Avel glared. "But Wyatt and I are always together. That's how we live and fight."

Altair sighed. "We Foresters live by a code not to work alone, but that doesn't mean there won't be times where we're alone. Only advice I can offer is either improving yourselves as individuals, or limiting the factors that can prey on your dependency."

Wyatt and Avel exchanged a concerned look with each other. "I…I've never fought without Avel backing me up, though. I'm not super strategic or focused."

"And I've always relied on Wyatt to smash and fight through any obstacle that stood in our way," Avel said.

Altair sighed. "Well, you two are still relatively green, so I'm asking for too much too soon. Still, it's worth asking the bigger questions. Is that dependency detrimental to your growth as individuals? Or is there a way to turn a weakness into an unstoppable strength?"

Wyatt and Avel stared up at Altair in awe, then looked down into the snow with pensive faces. Was their dependency on each other really a problem? Is there no other way around it?

Altair shrugged. "Don't overthink it, it's not a big deal. Anyway, we'll take a short break before getting back to the exercises." Altair walked away to get a drink.

Wyatt leaned back on his hands and looked up at the trees. He stuck his tongue out and caught a flake of snow that fell from one of the branches, then sighed. "What do you think, Avel?"

Avel closed his eyes and sighed. "I mean, I have considered the possibility of us being separated, but…I've always made sure that would never happen. We're stronger together, after all."

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we are." He smiled up at the trees. "Maybe we're making a big deal over nothing. We did fine for our first real fight during the invasion, and stayed together like glue. That's all we ever needed, right?"

Avel sighed. "Yeah. I guess so." Because I can't imagine being on my own without you, Wyatt. I just can't.

Ursula clung to the side of a tree and peered out into the distance. Emile and Margot landed on the branches below her and performed their own search of the land.

"Still nothing," Ursula muttered.

Emile crossed his arms. "Are we absolutely certain Hedwig didn't just maul the creep and ate his body?"

Margot shivered in disgust. "Why would you even suggest that?"

Emile shrugged. "Hey, that chick is bloodthirsty. If she really was the last one who saw that Accelgor, maybe she tore his flesh apart and buried him underground."

Margot covered her mouth and turned away. "Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."

Ursula slid down the side of the tree, still clinging by one hand and foot. "Hedwig didn't eat anyone, Emile. If she did, she would've had a lot more blood on herself."

"P-Please don't put that image in my head," Margot groaned.

Ursula glared at the vast stretches of snow and trees. "Though, there is the possibility he left after he encountered Hedwig. He would know we're on high alert now, and he obviously came here to kidnap a few of us. Though, it's a low chance. Thales and Saga are rookies. They don't stand out at all to be noteworthy for a bounty. This bounty hunter would want someone much more present in the public eye, or at least more than two measly Foresters. Besides…"

Emile glared. "What?"

Ursula dug her fingers into the bark. "I've heard plenty about the warriors of the Great Gate Kingdom. If this guy's really from there, we're up against someone using the same tactics we use. We'll both be expecting the unexpected."

Margot rubbed her shivering body and asked, "Does that mean he could pop out from anywhere?"

Ursula nodded. "He wouldn't be able to hide in the leaves, but the snow is an excellent source of camouflage. He could be right under our…" Ursula paused as she felt a buzzing sound in her head. Her Anticipation was kicking in, detecting a present danger. "Wait…"

Emile looked up at her. "Captain?"

Ursula glared. "Emile, Margot, stay on your guard."

Margot reached for her twin daggers tucked behind her waist. "Is he close, Captain? I can flush out the area with my Stun Spore—"

Something flew out from Margot's blind spot and grappled her waist. She looked down in time to see a wired grappling hook strung around her midsection. As fast as it caught her, Margot was pulled off her perch and flung back through the trees, screaming in a blind panic.

Ursula and Emile turned right as the Bellossom vanished from view. "Margot!" Emile cried.

Ursula's eyes darted around frantically through the trees. "Too late. He's on the attack!"

Emile reached around and pulled out his two-handed sword. "Show yourself, fiend!" Emile jumped off his branch and glided through the air, aiming in the direction Margot vanished. "I'll cut you to ribbons!"

Ursula spotted something swinging past her peripheral vision. "Emile, wait! Fall back!"

The Druddigon turned his head and saw a shadow zipping around the trees. From the cover of the trees, purple projectiles came flying out in arcs, targeting the airborne dragon. Emile swung his sword and slashed through the projectiles, which broke apart into water. However, more came flying of his blind spot and landed a direct hit to his back and neck.

"AAAAHHH!" Emile cried, feeling a searing pain burning into his tough skin. He lost his balance and plummeted into the snow.

Ursula landed on a branch and looked down at Emile worriedly. "This guy's fast. Taking us by surprise and dealing critical blows as fast as possible. He wants to avoid a direct fight, just like with Altair and Hedwig." Ursula scanned her surroundings. "Where could he strike from next—"

Ursula felt a phantom pain run through her shoulder as her Anticipation went off. Swift and precise, ready to tear out her muscle. Quick on the draw, Ursula spun around and blocked an oncoming dagger with her wrist. The dagger stopped in its tracks, striking something metallic hidden under Ursula's sleeve.

Ursula came face-to-face with her attacker, the fiendish Accelgor, and held him back at a brief stalemate as they exchanged glares. Wasting no time, Ursula swung her free hand in a swift chopping motion. The Accelgor catapulted himself backwards, avoiding the chop, and landed on a tree in front of Ursula's.

"[Impressive,]" Katsu said as he withdrew his dagger. "[You have the Anticipation ability. And here I thought the Cramorant was deceptively alert.]"

Ursula glared. "Don't bother with the foreign tongue. [I understand a little of your language.]"

Katsu adjusted his scarf, hiding the amused smirk on his face. "Guess there's no point in the mystery, though I have no intention subjecting myself to a drawn out fight with tricky opponents like yourself. I'll just be taking my haul and calling it a day."

Ursula took a stance and said, "You may leave after you return Thales and Saga."

"That's not your decision to make, nor is it mine." Katsu reached around and clutched his katana. "Everything I do is for the will of my lady, and I'll be sure she succeeds on this day."

Ursula huffed, then crouched down. "No point talking sense into you."

"Indeed." Katsu drew his katana and pointed it at her. "But I wouldn't waste my breath challenging me. Though I have no interest in a drawn out fight, I don't intend to lose either."

Ursula smirked angrily. "Running would be the smart option, so I'll make sure this hurts for only a moment." Ursula tensed her leg muscles and sprang off her perch, rocketing across the air.

Katsu stepped aside and dodged a swift chop that cut through the air. Ursula caught the branch and spun herself around before landing in front of Katsu. She rushed down the branch and came at him with chop attacks. Katsu weaved through her strikes, then swung his sword up, aiming to cleave through her arm.

Ursula pulled her arm back and blocked the sword with her wrist, once against accompanied by a metallic clang. She grabbed the sword in her hand and pulled Katsu forward to chop him across the head. Katsu bent back, let go of his sword, and slid under her attack.

"Water Shuriken!" Katsu spun himself around and threw eight liquid shuriken at Ursula's back.

Ursula sprang over the shuriken and threw Katsu's sword like a javelin. Katsu dodged to the side and caught the sword before it impaled the tree. Ursula landed on the tree truck and bounced off with his arms crossed together.

"Cross Chop!"

Katsu jumped back and avoided Ursula as she slammed her attack into the branch. The tree's naturally sturdy nature resisted the force her Cross Chop, but the vibration it carried caused Katsu to lose his balance on the ice and slid off.

Katsu reoriented himself in his fall and landed safely in the snow. He glanced up in time to see Ursula careening down with another Cross Chop. He dodged and covered himself as a wave of snow kicked up from Ursula's landing. Ursula broke through the veil of snow and landed a brutal chop to Katsu's stomach.

Katsu flew back, but impaled his sword into the ground to catch himself. Once he was on his legs, he leaned forward on his sword and took a moment to catch his breath. That last chop wasn't empowered, yet it felt like he was hit by a brick. It turned his stomach over and bruised his lungs as he tried to inhale.

She hits harder than I thought. Katsu looked up at glared at the Toxicroak. Best to avoid taking more of those hits. I'll have to neutralize her quickly.

Ursula straightened up and rolled her shoulders while staring down Katsu. "You escaped before, but I won't let you a second time."

Katsu sighed. "You Foresters are so brutish. First I'm attacked by a crazy bird, then nearly mauled by a bloodthirsty Lycanroc. Seems the rumors that the Foresters are made up of rejected freaks was true." He pointed his sword at Ursula. "I, however, have refined my craft to surpass the common Pokémon. Your brute strength will serve you no good in this fight."

Ursula smirked. "Brute strength, huh?" She raised her arms and spread her legs into a stance. "Perhaps you would like a taste of my personalized fighting style?"

Katsu spun his sword into a reverse grip. "You won't be allowed ten seconds. Quick Attack!" An aura of white surrounded Katsu before he vanished from sight.

Ursula's first reaction was to track his movements for disturbances in the snow, but a Water Shuriken nailed her in the cheek when her head was turned. It struck hard, empowered by the speed of Quick Attack from the faint white aura she saw coming off it.

Ursula stumbled back and massaged her cheek. "What the—" She winced and pulled her hand away. She saw a purple liquid dripping off her hand. "Wait, this looks like the same thing he used against Emile."

Two more Water Shuriken flew from behind and struck Ursula in the back. She tumbled forward and searched the trees for signs of Katsu. She heard a sizzling coming off her back. Craning her neck, she saw the purple liquid eating at her uniform, leaving burned scars in the fabric.

Water Shuriken combined with Acid Spray, Ursula surmised. No wonder I didn't sense it. My Anticipation only responds to attacks that could do serious damage to me. He's chipping away at my defenses.

Ursula spotted two more shuriken flying from behind the trees and dodged them this time. She focused on her surroundings and listened for the sound of the shuriken in flight. Four more popped out of cover and arced from four directions. Ursula flipped off the ground with one hand and spun her body in midair, evading the shuriken by a hair.

I work better in a straight-on fight, not this cat-and-mouse game. He took out Margot first because he surmised she was our AOE fighter. Ursula glared. This guy's super dangerous.

Ursula landed, then crossed her arms together. They wrapped in a blue-green aura. She waited for another round of shuriken to come at her while paying special attention to the snow and air. The first sign of movement, she'll track it down with reckless abandon.

Her eyes flickered to a patch of disturbed snow, then saw six shuriken flying out from cover. She kicked her legs and sprinted forward.

"Dual Chop!" Ursula swung her hands through the shuriken and obliterated them across the snow. She wildly tracked the disturbances in the snow, then caught sight of a cloak fluttering past the trees. "There!" She kicked her legs again and sprung up into the trees.

She raced across the branches and spotted Katsu speeding along on the ground. He looked up, then spun around to fire more Water Shuriken at her. Ursula flipped and swung off the trees, avoiding close shaves with the shuriken, and flung herself up in the air.

Lock onto the target, then go for the strike.

Ursula kicked off a tree truck and careened after Katsu. She curled herself into a ball and started spinning like one. A mixture of colors glowed around her as she neared her target.

Cross Chop, Dual Chop, and X-Scissor. Strike with absolute brutality. Chop through anything that stands in your way. Destroy the target!

"Xtinction Catapult!"

Katsu saw Ursula coming and jumped out of the way before she hit the ground. However, he was woefully unprepared for the impact. Ursula uncurled herself at the last second and slashed the ground with an X-shaped chop. The kinetic energy carried over from the attack split the ground open with a giant X that blew the ground clean of snow.

Katsu covered himself as the shockwave slammed into and threw him against a tree. He grunted through the pain and focused his attention on the giant split in the ground. What the actual hell?

Ursula rolled onto her feet and dusted off her hands. She glared at Katsu and said, "That brutish strength you saw was years of training to perfect my personal martial art: Stone Toad Style."

Katsu picked himself up and brushed the snow off. She's been doing nothing but attacking me with chops. If she were aiming to kill, I wouldn't be surprised if she could decapitate a Steelix.

Ursula straightened up and rolled back her sleeves. "I live by only one philosophy. Fear not the warrior who practices several thousand moves once, but the warrior who practices one move several thousand times. I've trained these hands to destroy anything they set their sights on. These are the hands that can surpass any sword."

Attached to Ursula's wrists with metal bracelets with a dial-based locking mechanism. There was an insignia of a laughing Growlithe etched onto the bottom.

"I need no weapon to fight you," Ursula said, "but these weighted bracelets add some serious crushing force to my attacks." Ursula clenched her fingers, making harsh cracking noises from them. "We have a policy against killing, but I hold no such sentiment to broken bones."

Katsu glared as he readjusted his scarf. I was right to stay out of direct combat with her. My stealth and speed vs. her strength and tenacity. Shit, this chick's scary.

Ursula bent her knees. "Now, we can continue with the negotiations, or you can drag yourself out of the forest with powdered bones."

Katsu clutched his sword in both hands and raised it. "Seems I have to take you as a serious threat now."

Ursula huffed. "Powdered bones, it is." She launched across the ground with her hands glowing white. "Brick Break!"

"Leech Life!" Red energy coursed up Katsu's sword and turned the blade a glowing red.

Ursula came in spinning and slammed her hands against Katsu's sword. Katsu braced himself and deflected Ursula's attack, minimizing the force pounding down on him. With Ursula's attack redirected, he swung at her face with incredible speed that sliced the wind.

Ursula ducked back in time, but felt the blade nick her across the cheek. She turned on her heel and threw a Brick Break at Katsu's side, who met her attack with another deflection. His sword clashed with her bracer, shooting sparks between them.

"Dissolving Shuriken!" Katsu pulled one hand off his sword and threw the corrosive shuriken into Ursula's face.

Ursula bit her tongue and forced herself not to back away as the poison burned her skin. She stood her ground, stomped her feet, and raised both arms. "Cross Poison!"

Katsu jumped back and narrowly dodged the poison cross slash. He threw his sword into the air, then threw out multiple corrosive shuriken into Ursula. Ursula raised her arms and blocked the shuriken with her sleeves with holes burning into them. Though the added Poison-Type move wouldn't harm her, the acidic properties chewed away at her focus.

"Quick Attack." Katsu caught his sword, then sped out of sight. He sped around the trees like a blur, blending the snowy terrain while Ursula was distracted. He flipped his sword into a reverse grip, then sped past Ursula, slicing her across the arm.

"AGH!" Ursula swung her arm at the air, only to get sliced in the back. She growled and tried to track his movements, but he sped past her again the second she looked away. She felt a burning sensation with every slice, as well as minor stamina loss. "Crap…"

Katsu bounced around the trees as his sword glowed with Leech Life and dripped with the applied Acid Spray. "[Brute strength is boorish. To defeat your enemy, you must tear them down. In a battle of attrition, I always win.]"

Ursula panted lightly, eyes slowly scanning her surroundings. "I only understood half of that, but I can tell you're being a condescending jerk about this." She clenched her fist. "Too terrified to face me head on? Well, I don't blame you. You're quivering at my power, aren't you?"

Katsu hid himself on the upper levels of a tree, peeking around to observe Ursula's next move. "Fools like you who dare imply it's the coward's way of fighting would never last in a battle. There is no honor in a helpless death. There is only survival, and you must win by any means."

Ursula smirked. "See, you're overlooking one minor detail. You assume my brute strength has no skill. Allow me to show you the opposite." Ursula inhaled, raised her arms, and flexed her body. "Bulk Up!"

Bulging muscles expanded over her arms, legs, and body. The cuts on her skin closed up as her muscles tightened, squeezing out bits of the Acid Spray that leaked in.

Ursula breathed a sigh, then crossed her arms together. "Xiled Revolt." First, she activated Dual Chop, then a toxic coating merged with the blue glow, giving her arms an indigo color.

Katsu peeked around again and stared at her attack cautiously. Another close range move? As long as I stay out of range, I'll be fine.

Ursula cracked her knuckles, dripping some poison off her hands. "Interesting thing about the way Dragon-Type moves interact with the other types. It enhances its core properties with the Dragon-Type's ancient roots. Increases the Fire-Type's heat, the Ice-Type's cold, the Fighting-Type's brutality…and the Poison-Type's toxicity."

Katsu glared. What is she—

"You caught us off guard earlier, but this is our forest." Ursula spun on her heel. "And we know every Arceus-damned inch of it!" She swiped her arm and fired a blade of poison at Katsu's perch.

"Shit!" Katsu drew his sword and sliced the poison blade in half. His eyes widened as Ursula rocketed up to his level in an instant.

"Xiled Revolt!"

Katsu ducked under Ursula's overhead chop, which slammed into the hardened trees. However, unlike most who couldn't penetrate the trees through brute force, Ursula's chop left a groove in the mark with an acidic poison dripped off.

"Take this!" Ursula spun on her heel again and threw herself at Katsu like a top.

Katsu wrapped his sword with Leech Life's energy and blocked Ursula's assault. Ursula's bracelets took the brunt of the blade's sharp edge as her poisonous chops slammed against the sword. Katsu braced his body and tried to stay steady, but was outmatched by Ursula's superior strength.

Ursula stopped on her foot and whipped her arm straight through the sword, shattering it across the middle. Before Katsu could move back, Ursula threw herself forward and battered his chest with a devastating cross slash, cutting a mark into the tree behind him.

Ursula smirked triumphantly, but gasped as Katsu's form broke apart and collapsed into a pile of snow. "Substitute," she guessed. "Which means—"

Ursula whipped her arm around and chopped a line of poisonous shuriken out of the air. She spotted Katsu dashing around the trees and sprang after him.

Katsu kept throwing out the poisoned Water Shuriken as he searched the forest for an out. I won't last for long. Either I need to find a way to escape or cripple her. I need a distraction, a chance to let her guard down.

"Get back here!" Ursula sliced the air and threw out poisonous blades through the shuriken, cutting them in two and nearly landing direct hits on Katsu. Katsu bounced and zipped around through the trees, throwing out more and more poisoned shuriken. "I've seen this already, bastard! It won't work again!" She bounced toward the tree he was landing on and slammed the trunk with two brutal chops.

The vibrations carried up the trees and disturbed Katsu's balance, causing him to slip on the icy layers of the branch. Katsu drew his sword and ran his hand across it, coating it with the Acid Spray. He drove it through the tree, catching himself in the groove, and catapulted off with a well-timed dismount.

Ursula sprang into the air and pulled her hand back. "Brick Break!"

"Leech Life!" Katsu empowered his sword and dove straight down.

Ursula and Katsu exchanged blows in the air with sparks flying off them. Ursula easily surpassed Katsu in strength, but the Accelgor activated Quick Attack to parry the attack. With the momentum slamming into him, Katsu spun himself around Ursula faster than she could blink and slammed the hilt of his sword against her nape with a critical blow.

Ursula gasped and felt her vision going. Colors rapidly faded from her vision and the world blurred into one smear of black and white. With her concentration disrupted, she crashed into the snowy ground.

Katsu landed next to her and stood up. "I know parts of the body that can stun a Pokémon for a moment. That's the difference in skill vs. strength." He spun his sword into a reverse grip and hung it over Ursula's neck. "Though, I'm not betting on you getting up again." He raised the sword up a bit, then plunged it down.

"Not…YET!"

Ursula suddenly spun herself around and caught the sword between her hands. Katsu, stunned by her counter, tried to pull his sword back, but it was locked tight between Ursula's hands. Her strength combined with the adhesive texture of her hands kept the sword from slipping loose.

"You should've been knocked out cold—" Katsu growled.

Ursula sneered. "You'd think that, but I can adapt just fine."

Katsu looked at Ursula's side, right where he sliced her earlier, and noticed that it started bleeding again. He noticed blood on her hand spike, too. She sliced her own wound open to send a shock through her body. She used the pain to keep herself from passing out.

"You really need to shut the hell up with this skill vs. strength shit!" Ursula manipulated the sword between her hands and twisted it out of Katsu's. She kicked it into the air, spun on her back, and rolled to her feet with a chop whipped across the air. "Because there's no skill in being a braggart!"

She delivered a Brick Break into Katsu's side and blasted him across the area. Katsu slammed and bounced off a tree, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He gasped with blood spurting inside his scarf.

Shit! I think…I think she broke two of my ribs!

Ursula launched herself into Katsu before he could hit the ground and cross slashed him in the chest, beating him into the tree again. "I am Ursula Haumann the Heaven Splitter, and I will not let you hurt my comrades again! Xiled Revolt!"

Her hands became coated into the indigo toxic energy. She slammed her arms into Katsu and pinned him against the tree. Ursula pressed her arms firmly into Katsu's chest as acidic poison dripped from them. She flexed her fingers, cracking them threateningly as she stared into Katsu's vacant stare.

"Do you yield?" Ursula asked.

Katsu's head limped forward, almost like he lost consciousness. "So…strong."

Ursula glared. "Is that your voice of surrender?" She shoved one arm up to his throat. "I have no issue with leaving burns, so do you surrender or not?"

Katsu lifted his gaze and met her eyes. "Such brutal efficiency. I was wrong."

Ursula raised her brow. "Eh?"

"Forgive me…for my rudeness. You're clearly more skilled than I thought. For that, you're…too dangerous to continue this fight with."

Katsu's body suddenly exploded with white. Ursula gasped and tried to back away, but felt her arms suddenly gravitate together. As the white cleared, which turned out to be a Substitute snow clone, Ursula's hands were bound together in wire by the gauntlets, the only place on her arms not heavily coated in toxin.

Before she could act, the wire pulled and flung her into the air. She spotted Katsu falling from the trees, holding the other end of the wire.

"My apologies for what happens next." Katsu released the wire.

Gravity overtook Ursula again as she plummeted toward the ground. However, when she looked up, Katsu was divebombing after her with Quick Attack speeding his descent.

They neared the ground, with Katsu nearing a hair's worth of distance between them. He spun himself around, aiming his lower half toward Ursula.

Ursula's back crashed into solid snow. Katsu, with barely a window of time for Ursula to absorb the impact with the ground, smashed down on her leg.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Altair raised his head and honked with alarm. "Alert, alert, alert! Danger, danger!"

Wyatt and Avel sat up from the snow and looked around frantically at the trees. "What the?!" Wyatt gasped.

"Where'd that scream come from?" Avel asked aloud, and much calmer.

"Ursula, Ursula, Ursula! Danger! Honk!" Altair squawked.

The brothers gasped. "Wait, Ursula?!" Before they could get an answer, Altair flew past them hurriedly, scooping up the honey and acorns they brought along, and took off through the trees.

Wyatt gulped. "What happened to Ursula?"

Avel glared. "Something bad. Let's go after Altair and help!"

Wyatt didn't even argue for a second. "Right!" He picked up his pole and raced after Altair.

"AAAAHHHH!" Ursula screamed, pain flaring through her left leg. She fell back into the snow, gritting her teeth with tears running from her eyes. With her hands bound and her leg throbbing with agony, she was effectively paralyzed on the ground.

Katsu stepped off Ursula's leg and shuffled over to the discarded sword sitting impaled in the snow. "I've misjudged you, Forester. You're truly a tenacious fighter. Probably the most stubborn I've faced." He plucked his sword out and traced his hand across the blade. "You've gotten some good hits off on me, and it'll take some time to recuperate, but I can at least capitalize on your weakness. I'm no longer in a position to kill you. You'll be seeing your captured allies soon enough."

Ursula panted through heavy breaths, trying to keep herself from passing out. The pain exceeded what she did to herself early to keep from passing out. Her mind was on overdrive, rushing with adrenaline and freaking out, sending signals that were persuading her to go to sleep to ease the pain. She resisted temptation to fall under, focusing solely on her breathing and willing herself to stay awake.

Katsu sheathed his sword and approached Ursula. "I suppose I'll have to make do with you. I've been keeping track of your routes. By the time your allies come to your location, we'll already be gone."

Ursula bared her teeth, still panting to stay conscious. "I'll…crush you."

Katsu pulled out a capsule from within his scarf. "I'm sure you will, so I'll have to make this easier for the both of us. I can't deal with anymore broken ribs." He reached down, grabbed under Ursula's chin, and aimed to stuff the capsule down her throat.

"HONK!"

Katsu's eyes widened. "That sound—" He moved his head out of the way on instinct as something flew past him, sniping the snow. Katsu whipped his head around and spotted Altair camped out on a tree branch. "You again?!"

Altair dumped the acorns and honey down his throat, then shook his head frenetically. "Secret Move: Cramorant Firing Special!" He opened his beak wide and, with a horrific display of muscle control in his throat, fired the acorns at Katsu in a continuous stream.

Katsu drew his sword and swiped at the incoming projectiles. "You Foresters are full of freaks."

Altair unloaded his entire supply of acorns, then dove from his branch, swooping down on Katsu's position. Katsu raised his sword in preparation, but gasped when he saw the whole blade was covered completely in a thick coating of honey and acorns. With his weapon compromised, he opted to dodge Altair instead, narrowly avoiding a serious pecking.

"You damn bird," Katsu growled.

Altair's eyes focused, then glared at the Accelgor. "Stay away from my friend. HONK!" He threw himself at Katsu, kicking his feet and flailing his wings in a sporadic manner.

Katsu drew his dagger and slashed at Altair, but the Cramorant's erratic movements actually parried Katsu's dagger out of his hands, earning him a solid kick to the face. Katsu dropped his sword and wrestled with Altair's unorthodox attack strategy like he was dealing with a very, very angry Ducklett.

With Katsu distracted, Wyatt and Avel poked their heads out from behind a tree, then ran over to Ursula. "Ursula!" Wyatt called out in a hush, but audible whisper.

Avel jumped off Wyatt's head and examined Ursula's leg, wincing at the swollen lump and bent angle. "Shit, her leg's broken."

Ursula grunted and tried to sit up. "I can still…take him."

Wyatt slashed one of his claws across her bindings, then wrapped her arm over his shoulder. "Sorry Ursula, but no can do. We're getting you back to the fort ASAP." Wyatt looked around and winced. "Crap, I don't remember the way back."

"I do," Avel said, flipping himself back onto Wyatt's head. "Let's get Ursula out of here."

"N-No," Ursula groaned. "Emile and Margot need help, too."

"Your team?" Avel looked around. "Where are they?"

Right as Ursula opened her mouth, Altair and Katsu came flying past them in a heated tumble. Katsu broke from the scuffle and fired corrosive shuriken, to which Altair repelled with a small Hurricane. Katsu landed and sped around the group with Quick Attack, kicking up a ring of snow.

"Leech Life!" Katsu broke from the ring and went for Altair from behind, aiming his glowing dagger at the bird's neck.

"HONK!" Altair leaned to the side, barely moving his feet from the ground, then launched back with a peck to the chest.

"GAH!" Katsu tumbled back and clutched his chest. Altair hit him in the same area Ursula broke his ribs. "Just what I needed. A dangerously strong toad and the crazy garbage bin of a Pokémon."

Altair stamped his feet down and outstretched his wings, trying to strike his best intimidating pose. "Wyatt, Avel, help Ursula get back to base. Let me worry about getting Emile and Margot to safety. I'll handle this guy first."

Wyatt nodded and helped Ursula along with Katsu maintaining watch. Katsu formed his dissolving shuriken, but ended up dodging a lunging tackle from Altair instead.

"HONK!" Altair flung his head forward in a rapid flurry of pecks.

Katsu blocked with his arms while being forced up against a tree. With his honey-coated sword still in hand, Katsu attempted a Quick Attack-enhanced slash across Altair's side. He landed a direct hit, but the lightweight armor plus the thick honey coating dulled the impact.

"HONK!" Altair sprang his head forward and nailed Katsu in the forehead.

Katsu's head slammed back into the tree, blurring his vision for a moment. I need to rest. I used too much energy with those Substitute clones. But I need to distract this dullard first.

Altair went for another peck, but Katsu used Quick Attack to leap up the tree. He grabbed a branch and threw himself over the area, directly above Ursula, the brothers, and Altair. Katsu dug inside his scarf and produced a bundle of small purple pellets.

"Perish."

Katsu ripped the bundle open and threw down dozens of pellets with each throw. The pellets exploded across trees and frozen patches of ground, releasing a dense cloud of purple smoke into the air.

Ursula's eyes widened. "Poison!"

"Crap!" Wyatt cried.

Altair covered his beak as the smoke surrounded him. He has plenty of tricks left up his sleeve. Where did—

Altair's senses rang out as he felt a dagger swinging at his exposed neck from within the smoke. Altair turned sharply, meeting eyes with the concealed bounty hunter within, and prepared to counter the dagger.

"Leech Seed!"

The acorns covering Katsu's sword suddenly exploded open with roots. Katsu stopped short of his attack as the roots ensnared him, trapping his hand to his hilt and keeping him from letting go as the rest of the roots spread over his body.

"Altair!" Altair peered through the smoke and saw Margot and Emile through it, with the heavily injured Bellossom laying atop Emile's shoulder. "Clear the smoke, now!"

Altair glared and nodded at her before taking off into the air. He spread his wings and drew a deep breath.

Katsu took his dagger and ripped the roots off his body. He slashed it across the face of his blade and shaved off the acorns stuck to one side. Too many interferences. Need to retreat for now—

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Altair called out.

Everyone looked up and saw Altair's wings glowing bright white. He pumped his wings rapidly and whipped up a powerful Hurricane through the entire clearing. The high winds sucked up the poisonous smoke and jettisoned up the wind funnel.

Emile held onto Margot and anchored himself against a tree. Katsu drove his sword through the ground and growled as the winds buffered his skin with snow and rock.

Wyatt and Ursula planted themselves on the ground, holding onto each other and the dirt. Avel slapped his tongue down on Wyatt's lily pad and tried to move into a safer position underneath the two, but the winds whipped hard against his lighter body.

Avel's eyes widened as he felt his tongue slipping apart. He tried to stick back on, but the adhesion wasn't working. The fast cold winds were rapidly drying his tongue and saliva. He couldn't hold on.

"W…Wyatt! Help!"

Wyatt gasped as he felt Avel slip away. He flung his arm around and grabbed Avel's tongue before he flew away. "I got you, Avel! I got—WAAAH!" He lost his grounding for a second and felt his body leaving the ground.

"Wyatt! Avel!" Ursula sprung up and grabbed Wyatt's hand. However, she accidentally placed pressure on her broken leg without thinking. "AAAHHH!" She collapsed forward into the snow, jostling the brothers.

Wyatt lost some grip on Avel's tongue and was barely holding onto the end. "Altair! Cut the Hurricane off! Hurry!" Wyatt screamed, but the winds drowned his voice, unable to reach the wind caster himself. "Alta—"

Two dissolving shuriken rode the winds and exploded across Wyatt's hand. Wyatt cried out and lost hold of Avel.

"WYATT!" Avel screamed as he flew away in the twister.

"AVEL!" Wyatt screamed.

Altair heard Wyatt's screams and saw Avel flying around in the Hurricane. "Oh no!" He stopped beating his wings and dove toward Avel. "Hang on, I got—"

"Quick Attack."

A blinding white slash cut across Altair's back, splitting his jacket open with a thin line of blood spilling out. Altair, in a moment of single-minded focus, noticed Katsu's presence too late and lost his aerial balance. Worst of all, Avel slipped past his reach.

Altair looked over his shoulder with blank stare, with Katsu hovering above him with a cold, calculating stare.

"Not as hyper aware as you think, bird," Katsu whispered before vanishing out of sight.

Altair regained focus when he saw Avel flying out of the Hurricane. He tried to flap his wings, but the wound in his back flared and locked up his muscles. "Avel!" Altair yelled.

Avel, now high above the trees, panicked and clamped his shell down as the winds sent him through one final revolution. At the apex of his climb, the wind slingshot Avel out of the hurricane and threw him over the trees like a stone, vanishing from the group's sightline.

"AVEL!" Wyatt screamed, tears running down his eyes. "No, no, no, no, no!"

The winds died down, dropping those airborne back to the ground. Altair crashed into the snow, and Wyatt landed on top of Ursula's back. Wyatt quickly scrambled off and frantically ran to where Avel flew off.

"Avel? Avel!"

Wyatt dripped over a hardened piece of snow and faceplanted. He tried to push himself up, but the snow collapsed under his arms and took him down, worsened as he frantically tried to pull himself up.

"Avel! Avel!" Wyatt sobbed, tears running down his face.

Ursula carefully pushed herself up and panted, then turned toward Altair. "Are you okay?"

Altair struggled to lift himself, growling through clenched teeth. "I let my guard down, and the bounty hunter got away. I'm sorry, everyone. I had to get rid of the smoke. I didn't—"

"It's not your fault, Altair," Ursula assured gently. She winced, feeling her leg flare up. "Ow…"

Emile stomped over and picked Ursula up under the arms. "Captain?" Emile mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Margot asked weakly.

Ursula grimaced. "Am I okay? Margot, you look terrible."

Margot sighed. "I was taken out so fast. Emile found me while you were busy fighting that guy."

Ursula smiled softly. "It happens to the best of us." She then frowned and turned her attention onto Wyatt, who looked absolutely devastated as he stared up at the trees. "Wyatt?"

"Avel…Avel…" Wyatt mumbled vacantly.

Ursula winced. "Wyatt, I'm sure he's fine. Avel's strong. A fall like that won't—"

"That's not why he's worried," Altair grumbled as he limped over to them. "It's deeper than that. That bounty hunter left a critical wound on those two."

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

Altair glared. "Wyatt and Avel are highly dependent on each other, in more ways than one." He turned and frowned at the shivering Lombre, paralyzed inside his own mind. "I naturally had to ask Jason given Avel's unique situation within the Foresters."

"Avel…Avel…Avel…"

Altair sighed. "Separation. A deep-seated fear for both of them."

"Ugh. Wh…Where am I?"

Avel didn't know where he flew off to during Altair's Hurricane attack. Direction was turned upside-down, all around, and flipped all over the place. Avel could've been a few minutes away from the fort, or halfway across the forest. The latter option certainly wouldn't be advantageous for current circumstances.

Avel opened his shell and cautiously peeked through out, finding himself buried in a pile of snow upon landing. He nailed a few trees, but his shell protected him from serious damage, though he did receive a headache after being tossed through the air.

Avel stuck his tongue out and turned himself right side up. He shivered as he touched the snow. His tongue felt frostbitten after the wind chill it endured from the Hurricane. He would have to refrain from using it until it warmed back up, something that didn't work to his favor.

Avel looked up to take a look at his surroundings. Unlike his brother, Avel remembered the tips given to navigate the forest and find his way back to the fort. He didn't know where he was, but he had the sun to guide his direction.

There was just one problem.

He was a Shellder. In the winter. With heaps of snow to trudge through.

And he was separated from Wyatt.

Avel narrowed his eyes worriedly. "Wyatt." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't waste time. He's probably freaking out right now. I need to get back to the fort as quickly as possible. But…"

The bounty hunter attacked Wyatt, which was the cause for Avel's separation. Altair tried to save him, but the bounty hunter once again interfered. He was the main cause for Avel's current predicament. Avel knew that bounty hunter escaped during Altair's rescue from the poison smoke.

The bounty hunter was going after weaker targets to maximize some kind of reward.

And without Wyatt at his side, that left the supportive Avel virtually defenseless. The bounty hunter concluded that and stirred up confusion for an easy mark. Did that mean Avel was going to be hunted down next?

Frostbitten tongue. No offensive capabilities comparable to Wyatt's. Mobility disadvantage. Conclusion?

"I'm freakin' doomed out here."