After King Ludwig was satisfied with his rage-fueled destruction of Skarmburg, he commanded the knights to cease their looting and rest up so they could march onward to Denryushire the next morning. His commands fell on deaf ears, though. Duchess Madelyn encouraged the pillaging, saying Skarmburg's "cowardly" defensive tactics were an attack on her honor. Duke Ulysses and Duke Qasimir hoarded whatever valuables they came across. Duke Brennan figured he might as well loot what he could for his troubles. Duke Kendrick and Duke Percival did not personally partake but did not interfere with their knights so long as they stayed clear of the Skarmorys' residences. At the end of the third day of occupation, the Solardians sent wagons back to their home provinces stuffed full of their spoils. Only then did the Solardian knights agree to commence their attack on Luneland. Lord Skanderbeg gave his word that Skarmburg would not disrupt Solardie's operations in Luneland, but the dukes left behind a quarter of their army to watch over Skarmburg anyway.
"Can't we stay in Skarmburg? I don't want to attack innocent pokémon anymore," Lily cried as the team descended the mountain opposite the side facing Kyukonais.
"Don't think of it that way," said Helena. "Think of this as an opportunity to welcome more pokémon to Kyukonais!"
"I'm looking forward to this," Chadwyck said. "So far we've faced a bunch of defeats on the battlefield. It's time we score a real victory! I haven't felt satisfied since the time we crushed those s- uh, bandits!" he exclaimed, flinching from Helena's menacing glare.
"I would never have thought I would miss tabulating the city's financials," Max lamented. "I am so weary of King Ludwig's destructive conduct. Why must we continue to enable him?" he glared, crossing his arms.
"Don't look at me," Helena complained. "The dukes are in charge… of which I am only one of seven. Duke Brennan is the only other duke willing to back down; all the others have their eyes on Ludwig's family's riches. Those poké-filled coffers can help us out too, you know. I could pay off the debt I've incurred from buying all the food supplies and maybe have some poké left for new construction."
"What if it's not enough?" Terry asked. "Who knows how many more long sieges we'll get stuck in? Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe!"
Helena chuckled, but Max hardened his frown. "This is no joking matter. The continuation of this grudgeful war is such a waste of our citizens' hard-earned money."
"I know, Max," Helena sighed. "Believe me, I know. But we can't do anything about it. Unlike Skarmburg, Kyukonais is defenseless. I can't make enemies of the other dukes. So please, let's do what we can to end this war, maybe get some compensation for our troubles, maybe get some more pokémon to come to the city, and most of all, keep Kyukonais going."
"The Solardians are coming! The Solardians are coming!"
Messengers raced across the Lunish army camps urging the knights and peasants to prepare for battle. The army had swelled in size over the last few days as nobles across Luneland dragged their serfs to Denryushire under the threat of confiscating their food if they didn't comply. The largest peasant contingent was from Denryushire; it was their province they had to defend, after all. Almost all the pokémon from Denryushire's downtrodden villages showed up at the army camp, helping themselves to the rations they were entitled to for their services.
Duke Antonio spotted a Manectric and several of his knights on approach and bowed. "Good day, Duke Malikai… what may I do for you?" he greeted. Despite their equal stature and past camaraderie, the disgraced Ampharos felt the need to lower himself.
"I must say, I am impressed by the magnitude by which your subjects have turned out in force," Duke Malikai complimented.
"Why, thank you," Duke Antonio smiled. "I intend to serve our new liege with my utmost fealty."
"I will be sure to relay that to His Majesty," Duke Malikai promised. "It pleases me to see Luneland united against our enemy's atrocities."
One of Duke Malikai's retainers, a Watchog, spotted a familiar small Arcanine amongst Denryushire's forces. "Windie?" he called out.
Windie flicked his ear towards the group from the neighboring province of Livoltshire. "Oh… hello, Count Waccom," Windie bowed.
"I never got the chance to thank you for your involvement in purging that ruthless gang from my village."
Windie felt like a Stone Edge was slicing through his chest. "J-just was doing my job, nothing more…" he mumbled.
"A shame we found ourselves on opposite sides of the battlefield. But I must not fault you for staying at your lord's side. Rumor has it you stood tall beside Duke Antonio at Denryu Castle until the end. I commend your dedication."
"Uh huh. Thanks…"
"May we preserve our Kingdom of Luneland and bring Solardie to its knees together," the noble Watchog decreed, returning to his group.
Is Luneland worth preserving? Windie frowned to himself. All around him, his neighbors nibbled on their rations and reluctantly steeled themselves for battle. Windie had convinced them to reenlist in the army, fearing that the knights would find them first if they continued to steal the food supplies. Some of Denryushire's age-old bandits who had joined the military in different provinces at the start of the war found their way back into those provinces' armies too. Windie had relayed Skarlette and Teresa's accounts of Skarmburg's destruction and stressed the need to protect Denryushire, but also promised a better future for Denryushire once they had peace. A lot of pokémon were riding on his shoulders…
"Windie," someone called, snapping the Arcanine out of his trance.
"Hey, April. What's up?"
"Some pokémon could use some Oran bandages for some old wounds. Can you get some?" the Azumarill asked.
"Of course," Windie nodded. "I'll get them right away."
Windie headed for Denryushire's medical cart, making up excuses to get Lothario to give up some of their strained supplies even though the battle had yet to start. To Windie's surprise, he came across three full, pristine covered wagons.
"Windie!" Lothario exclaimed. "Feast your eyes upon Denryushire's renewed grand dispensary!"
"Wow! Where did all this come from?" Windie asked, sifting through stacks of Sitrus and Lum bandages.
"A gift from Alice's husband! The wagons came all the way from Haxony," Lothario explained.
"I see. I'm going to take some to treat some of my soldiers now, okay?"
"Absolutely. I can assist you," Lothario offered.
While Windie and Lothario were making use of their new supplies, Duke Antonio approached them. "Windie, we need to discuss the organization of Denryushire's army for the upcoming battle," the Ampharos said.
"Are we changing things?" Windie asked, facing his lord. "I thought we had an effective arrangement before."
"Well…" Duke Antonio started, rubbing his neck, "previously, you commanded all of the serfs while the knights fought in groups of their own. But more of my serfs have shown up than ever before to defend our homeland. I worry it will be too much for you alone to handle."
"It's not a problem," Windie asserted. "I know I can lead Denryushire to victory."
"We have more serfs than ever before," Duke Antonio repeated. "The size of our force is a good first step towards showing our loyalty to King Leinwig, but I feel it would be even more effective if all of my knights each command a portion of my army. It is not simply I who must prove my loyalty, but each of my knights too."
"...You want to divide up the army?" Windie asked.
Duke Antonio nodded.
"Why? I know what I'm doing. I've proven it in the past. You can trust me to bring us to victory, my lord," Windie urged.
"I know your loyalty and service know no bounds," Duke Antonio said with a hand over his heart. "My knights still must prove their loyalty to King Leinwig, the rightful ruler of Luneland. Please do not deny them this chance. Let them command our armies."
The Windie of the past would have stopped at this request, bowed respectfully, and continued on, but Windie glared and stomped his paw instead. "My lord, haven't you heard about the sack of Skarmburg? We must do everything we can to protect Denryushire from that fate! I have the most experience leading our soldiers. I should lead them!"
"You are an exceptional leader; there is no doubt. But you are not the only one capable of leading, and since you are not a member of the formerly rebellious nobility, you need not prove anything to the king. Meanwhile, the knights-"
"There's no time for games!" Windie spat. "Do you want to see villages and fields in flames, Denryu Castle on the verge of collapse-"
"At ease, Windie!" Lothario beseeched, placing a paw on the short Arcanine's shoulder. "My friend, what has afflicted you?" The Lucario held his other paw to his head. "Your aura has entered a frenzy."
"I…" Windie exhaled, accidentally releasing some embers. He stamped over them hastily. "I want what is best for Denryushire," he stated.
"Good, because I have a higher directive for you," said Duke Antonio. "I know I leave much to be desired in terms of army commandeering, which is why I will not lead the army. To show my loyalty, I will be leading the charge on the front lines. Since my knights will be commanding their serfs, I require you to guard me, Windie."
Both Windie's and Loathario's jaws dropped. I make a single request, just to preserve the status quo, and this is what he wants from me instead? My Arceus, Windie seethed.
"I know it is a big honor-"
"If I cannot command the army, at least let me roam across the battlefield freely," Windie demanded. "I can do a lot more damage on the offensive."
Duke Antonio slumped. "I really need you to protect me, Windie…" the Ampharos pleaded, his tail thudding against the ground.
Lothario sensed a disturbing change in Windie's aura. "Father," he spoke up. "I will accompany you on the front lines. Allow Windie to approach the battle on his own. I am sure he knows best where he is best suited on the battlefield."
"Thank you, Lothario," Windie muttered lowly. "For Denryushire," he said with a short nod. He scooped up some expensive bandages and shuffled away. Lothario rested his paw on his father's trembling shoulder and carefully watched the dutiful Arcanine assist some more serfs.
"Oh no," Helena breathed.
"What is this?" Max cried.
"I thought we were supposed to outnumber them two to one!" Terry exclaimed.
Across the field stood Luneland's united army. Their army stretched across the plain, and their supplies were numerous. Some other Solardian groups started murmuring amongst themselves in shock too.
A Staravia fluttered down to King Ludwig and Herald Eugene to deliver a scout report. Herald Eugene opened his mouth wide, and Ludwig brought his muzzle to the central pipe of the back of the Exploud's head. Ludwig gave his speech, and Eugene used Echoed Voice to blanket Ludwig's voice across the whole army's ears.
"My brave knights of Solardie! Their army may look large, but they are pathetic, comprised of dishonorable lords and mere peasants! We will break their ranks and take every last poké of Denryushire's wealth for ourselves! Bring me my cousin's head! CHARGE!" Ludwig/Eugene screamed.
"Oh, my sensitive ears…" Max cried, pressing his ear fur down with his paws and projecting a teal Light Screen around himself.
"I really don't want to attack more innocent pokémon," Lily whined.
"Target the ones in charge. If we can defeat the corrupt nobles, we can help out the suffering commoners," Helena promised.
The Solardian knights charged across the field at the Lunish army with King Ludwig and Duchess Madelyn at the front. Helena's team advanced on the left flank so that her sun wouldn't disrupt friendly water types on the right side. "Helena, a little Drought, pretty please?" Chadwyck grinned, flapping his wings.
Helena activated her Drought, basking the left quarter of the field in bright sunlight. Chadwyck rushed ahead of everyone with his wings glowing dark red, then he flapped his wings vigorously, unleashing waves of scorching hot air on the crowd of enemy pokémon below. Many pokémon shrieked and ran towards the center of the battlefield to avoid the Drought-powered Heat Wave.
"Haha! Have some more!" Chadwyck whooped, redirecting his Heat Wave where the pokémon ran. He suddenly saw a glowing brown rock flying straight towards him, so he dived out of the way. Apparently, he hadn't swerved far enough because the rock smacked straight into his wing anyway. "Yow!" Chadwyck exclaimed as the hit sent his whole body spinning. He flailed his wing around, but the rock was stuck to his wing. Chadwyck's eyes widened. "Not this shit again!" the Charizard roared, spinning and crashing into the ground.
"Chadwyck!" Lily cried as the rest of the team caught up.
Helena glared across the enemy ranks and noticed another Smack Down flying across the battlefield and knocking another friendly flyer out of the sky. She traced the source to an Alolan Golem near the back of the Lunish army. "We should take out that Golem before he smacks all our fliers down!" she declared.
"I'm on it!" Lily yelled, beginning to dash straight through the enemy army.
"Wait, let me clear the way for you first!" Terry said. He dashed first with his ears smoking and spat out a Flame Burst. Several more pokémon fled from the sunny side of the battlefield as the smoking flames fizzled and banged and spread across the crowd; none of the Lunish peasants were prepared for the extreme heat. Terry created two Substitutes that he spread out. "I'll keep them distracted. Go for the target!"
Helena ran forward, carrying Max on her back. She unleashed Flamethrowers at any lingering peasants to scare them away. Once they got a clear line of sight toward the offending Golem, Lily rocketed forward with a trail of green in her wake.
A Rhydon, Beartic, Probopass, and Dragonite guarded Duke Godric while he launched Smack Downs at the Solardian fliers. The Dragonite spotted Lily and released a Dragon Breath at her, but Lily trivially ran around the targeted area with her Chlorophyll-powered speed. She ran straight at Duke Godric, leaped, and created a Leaf Blade extending out of her forepaw, but the Rhydon stepped in front of Duke Godric. He used Stone Edge to form a glowing brown blade of rock in his hand and swung it against Lily's Leaf Blade, causing a flash of light. The Rhydon's feet sunk a few inches into the dirt as he deflected Lily's attack and threw her back.
Lily landed on the ground a few feet away and took off immediately, rushing around in a semicircle and charging at Duke Godric from the other side. The Probopass swerved in front; Lily's Leaf Blade struck down on the bridge of his nose. She bounced off and was about to go around when some icicles crashed into her side. "Ah!" she cried, shivering from the cold and sharp attack. At least Helena's sun kept her warm and Max's Reflect blocked part of the Icicle Crash. Lily scrambled away and almost slipped because of the puddles that formed. She glared at the Beartic, Probopass, and Rhydon and started running circles around them to find an opening. Meanwhile, Duke Godric ignored Lily completely, instead focusing on the sky and shooting down a Solardian flier with every Smack Down.
Helena got within range of Duke Godric and his knights and raised her glowing-green tails, sending solar energy into a ball above her. Max sent power to his paws and pressed them to Helena's back, using Helping Hand to transfer some of his power into her Solar Beam, making the beams thicker and the ball larger. Helena lifted her forepaws off the ground and then slammed them down with a broader stance, focusing her line of sight on Duke Godric. The green ball above them turned into a bundled beam of bright green light plummeting towards the Golem. The Dragonite flew above Duke Godric and spat a Dragon Breath, although it did little to stop the Helping Hand-boosed Solar Beam. The Solar Beam pummeled the Dragonite, who took the whole attack and still maintained flight afterward.
"Oh come on," Helena growled, preparing another Solar Beam.
The Dragonite roared and flew over Lily at Helena and Max, sending a Dragon Breath their way. Helena hurried out of the way, canceling her Solar Beam. Lily saw the opportunity and created light blue energy at her paws. She leaped high into the air towards the Dragonite, the energy whipping up some wind to propel her forward. The Dragonite spotted her and swerved out of her trajectory, but Lily leaned to the side, making the wind at her paws blow her straight at the Dragonite's new position. Just as she got to the Dragonite, the light blue energy coalesced into a blade, and she slashed across his chest and side.
"Ack! What the-" the Dragonite exclaimed.
"Yeah! I'm an Aerial Ace now!" Lily cheered to herself as she landed, the blade deforming and the flying energy swiveling around her paws once more to soften her landing.
With the Dragonite confounded by Lily, Helena and Max both used Psychic, creating one blue and one purple blast of energy in front of the Dragonite, punching him away from Lily. Then Helena and Max caught sight of a sinister crackling yellow ball careening towards them. Helena quickly ran to the side, but the Zap Cannon followed her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the ball right on her tails. "What-!"
Max gasped and coated himself and Helena in a shimmering film just as the Zap Cannon crashed into them. His Light Screen also appeared and sent part of the electricity ricocheting in every other direction, but the rest of the Zap Cannon exploded and sent searing electricity through both of them, knocking Helena to the ground and sending Max flying. Max bounced once and skidded along the grass, groaning. Luckily the Zap Cannon did not paralyze him thanks to his last-second Safeguard. Picking himself up and holding his head, he squinted at their opponents. Max was unnerved by how the Probopass was staring straight back at him with all three "mini-noses" pointed at him as well. The Meowstic gasped. "Our adversaries must be using Lock-On!" he surmised.
After recovering from his nasty fall, Chadwyck stormed past Terry and his Substitutes on foot, covering his ears from the Roars and averting his eyes from the Scary Faces. Chadwyck had his sights set on the Golem that smacked him out of the sky, but before he could join Helena, Max, and Lily, a brown pokémon with yellow spots and green at the end of his arms intercepted him.
"Oh, you're done for, buddy!" Chadwyck grinned, unleashing a vast, billowing Flamethrower that engulfed the tree-like pokémon… but the pokémon pushed through the flames and chucked a rock at Chadwyck's head!
"AH!" Chadwyck cried as the blow cut off his Flamethrower and he toppled to the ground. The next moment, the pokémon jumped on Chadwyck and stabbed the poor Charizard repeatedly with Stone Edge.
Helena and Max stared down another Zap Cannon whizzing their way. Max gave Helena a boost with Helping Hand and Helena intercepted the Zap Cannon with a powered-up Flamethrower, causing a bang and an explosion of dust. Helena was about to dash forward when a flurry of rocks bombarded her and Max from behind, although Max's Reflect eased some of the blow. Helena gritted her teeth and turned around, spotting a Sudowoodo as the source of the surprise attack. Luckily, Lily was already on it, mowing down the Sudowoodo with a swift Leaf Blade. Helena glanced at Terry's distractions down the field and decided they needed a little more deterrent, so she ran down the field to the right of Duke Godric and set the grass on fire in a line to scare off anyone else from joining the fight taking place on the left flank. Helena saw that the Golem was still firing rocks into the sky and paying no attention to her while his knights stood around him. She went around to face the Beartic and unleashed a colossal Drought-powered Flamethrower at him.
The Beartic sent an Icicle Crash into the Flamethrower but could not counteract most of it. The Rhydon rushed in front and crossed his arms over his face, taking the brunt of the attack. The force of the Flamethrower threw him aside, and part of it still roasted the Beartic. The ice-type cried out and crashed into the Golem he was guarding.
"You disrupted my Lock-On!" Duke Godric seethed, rolling back onto his feet and aiming his cannon back across the sky. "Do not allow any disturbance through!"
"My apologies, my lord…" the Beartic groaned.
Helena saw the Probopass hovering toward her, wielding Stone Edges jutting out of his three mini-noses. The Dragonite dived towards her using Outrage, his body engulfed in wicked purple energy and red smoke billowing out of his horn and antennae. Helena empowered her forepaws in caramel energy and dived underground before the Dragonite could crash into her. She navigated underneath the Probopass and propelled herself up with her hindlegs, pummeling him from below with her super-effective Dig. She drove her forepaws into him until they were several feet in the air, then flung him towards the ground.
The Probopass flipped and spun through the air with a garbled howl. He clanked against the ground beside the Rhydon, fainting on impact. "My lord, please assist us!" the Rhydon cried, wielding a Stone Edge in each hand and parrying another Leaf Blade from Lily.
Duke Godric fired another Smack Down out of his back cannon. "You cannot handle two girls?" the duke scoffed, taking aim at an Unfezant above the other side of the battlefield.
"RAH!" the Dragonite roared, slamming into Helena before she could land. Max's Reflect materialized around her to absorb part of the impact, but she still cried out and rolled across the grass.
"Hey, over here!" Lily yelled to distract the Dragonite away from Helena. She sent wind power to her paws and leaped at the Dragonite with Aerial Ace. The Dragonite whipped around and sprayed his Dragon Breath all over, having trouble aiming after the overexertion of Outrage. Lily used the wind to swerve to the side, avoiding the thickest stream of Dragon Breath. As she got closer, she curved back towards the Dragonite with Max's Light Screen thinning out some of the Dragon Breath. She formed her wind into a blade and slashed at the Dragonite, who pushed back with Dragon Claw in return.
Helena scrambled to her paws. Once Lily sliced past the Dragonite, Helena sent a Flamethrower his way. The Dragonite didn't react in time to dodge but mostly brushed off the hot flames. Helena and Lily retreated away from Duke Godric and his knights to Max's position. "Max, enough defenses. We need help taking down the Dragonite," Helena requested.
"Agreed," Max nodded. "Lily, may I ask you to engage the Rhydon and knock his Stone Edges out of his possession?"
"You got it!" Lily answered.
"But take caution," Max urged.
Helena distracted the Dragonite while Lily zipped forward, leaped, and brought a Leaf Blade down on her target. The Rhydon struck back hard with his two Stone Edge blades to throw Lily back, but this time Lily snuck a Vine Whip below his wrists which knocked his Stone Edges high into the air. The sharp, glowing brown blades of rock glowed purple as Max took control of them with Psychic and drove them into the Dragonite's wings.
"Argh!" the Dragonite screeched, nearly falling out of the sky. He tried to claw the Stone Edges away, but Max pulled them afar. Next, the Dragonite attempted to destroy the Stone Edges with Dragon Breath, but Max directed one on each side and attacked the Dragonite again, eliciting a howl.
"What is with these wretched disruptions?!" Duke Godric demanded after firing his latest Smack Down and hearing the Dragonite's wailing.
"My lord," the Rhydon panted, "we cannot hold!" He just barely blocked Lily's latest Leaf Blade, his feet skidding across the dirt from the high-speed impact.
"Unacceptable," Duke Godric spat. "Ahem! Cease your sprawling!" he hollered at the Beartic, who was on the ground, recovering from the earlier Flamethrower. Then Duke Godric bent forward and focused on the Leafeon running around them.
"Aye…" the Beartic moaned, stumbling to his feet while holding his head. He took a few steps forward, and then his eyes widened as a green blur came at him.
"Hahaha!" Lily cheered as she wiped out the Beartic. She turned towards the Rhydon and Golem to strike again, but the Golem fired a wicked Stone Edge out of his back cannon headed straight for her. Lily took off to avoid it, but the Stone Edge swerved after her. "Ow!" she cried as the Stone Edge jabbed into her hip. She tripped and faceplanted into the ground.
"You little pest!" the Dragonite roared, forgoing Helena and diving at Max with Dragon Claws at the ready. With his unfurled ears and glowing purple eyes, Max pulled his trusty stolen Stone Edges in front of him. He shoved his paws forward, commanding the rock blades straight at the oncoming target. The Dragonite sputtered as he got stabbed, crashing into the ground with the dragon energy fading away from his claws.
"Whew, finally," Helena sighed. "Thanks, Max."
"That… was a drain," Max huffed, holding his head and refurling his ear fur.
"Now to end this," Helena declared, raising a Solar Beam and commanding it at the Rhydon and Golem.
"Block. It!" Duke Godric demanded, staying immobile with his cannon pointed at his enemies.
The Rhydon cringed, shielding his eyes from the blinding green bundle of light. He generated and chucked a large rock at the Solar Beam and then held a Stone Edge in front of him. Still, the Solar Beam punched through the Rock Throw and the Stone Edge and pounded the Rhydon into the ground. The Rhydon roared with his feet and tail planted into the ground to prop him up and resist the force of the Solar Beam. When the Solar Beam ended, the Rhydon plopped on the grass. Seconds later, Duke Godric launched a high-speed Stone Edge out of his back cannon.
Helena intercepted with a Flamethrower, but it only slowed the Stone Edge down a little. She braced her muscles and held her tails in front of her, but the sharp rock whizzed past her. "Max! Protect yourself!" she cried.
Knowing the attack was locked onto him, Max put up a Reflect. The Stone Edge punctured through the Reflect, shattering it into a thousand white sparkles, and speared Max in the head. "Ah!" Max exclaimed, flying into the air and slamming onto the ground on his back.
Helena looked back and cringed. In front of her, Lily was limping back towards her, lacking the speed and enthusiasm she was known for. Helena glanced to the right and gritted her teeth as she spotted an Arcanine popping through her wall of flames from the enemy's side of the battlefield. Peering further, she could see that the battle as a whole was not going in Solardie's favor. "Lily! Take Max and retreat quickly," Helena urged.
"Okay," Lily panted, dragging herself towards Max. She secured the unconscious Meowstic on her back with some vines and stumbled away towards Terry.
Helena ran forward, staring into the eyes of Duke Godric and growling. Duke Godric leered back with his back cannon pointed at her. When his Stone Edge shot straight at Helena, she drove into the ground with Dig. The Stone Edge lurched downward and lodged itself into the soil.
"A grave mistake!" Duke Godric hollered, curling his rocky mustache as high as it could. He started hopping, his legs pounding the ground repeatedly. All the dirt around him shook like mad from his Earthquake. Moments later, the harsh sunlight faded.
Duke Godric glowered at the fainted Probopass, Sudowoodo, Beartic, Dragonite, and Rhydon. "I require superior knights," he grumbled. He turned towards the rest of the battlefield and was about to use Lock-On on another enemy flying pokémon when he was met with a faceful of glowing brownish-orange paws. His attacker's attack crushed him into the loosened soil. A blur of orange and tan was all the duke could perceive before everything went black.
Helena's eyes snapped open, perceiving a haze of pale yellow. After blinking many times and forming thoughts through a drumming headache, she realized she was looking at a straw roof. She was alone, lying on a simple bed in a small straw hut that was probably half the size of her room at Rokon Palace.
The last thing I remember… is the dirt crushing me… Helena looked at herself, seeing dirt matted across her golden cream fur but also many bandages. She tried moving around, wincing from the strain, but it wasn't as bad as previous times that she had fainted in a battle. Whoever gave me these bandages did a good job, she thought. She looked all around her again, but she was alone. She couldn't hear anyone nearby either. She tried using Psychic to feel the presence of anyone else but cried out and curled up as her headache intensified. Okay, no moves yet…
Where the heck am I? Is this a medical hut? But this can't be part of an army camp; there's no one around. Why is there no one around? I should get moving… Helena tried to get up, but her body resisted. Her muscles just wanted to lay there and relax to let the healing bandages take effect and restore her energy. She gritted her teeth and slowly managed to sit up on the bed. She hopped down to the dirt ground as gingerly as possible, grimacing as her shaky legs protested. Her ears perked up at the sound of a pokémon approaching.
Windie pushed aside the straw board serving as the door to his hut. His eyes lit up and his muzzle broke into a smile seeing the Ninetales awake. "Good afternoon, my lady!" he greeted with a bow. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been worse," said Helena. "Did you give me these bandages?" she asked, pointing a forepaw at herself.
"Indeed!" Windie chirped. "I dug you out of the ground, brought you away from the battlefield, and applied the finest bandages I had to the worst spots. I just came back with some water for you to wash up," he offered, pulling a wooden cart of water into the hut with his fluffy tail.
"Oh, thank you, sir," Helena said with a short bow, trying not to flare up her aching muscles. "Who are you?"
The Arcanine's eyes shined. "I am so glad you asked! It is an honor, Princess Helena. I am Captain Windie." With a wide smile, he offered his right forepaw with the paw pad face down.
Helena stared at the Arcanine's outstretched paw for several moments. When she realized what he was doing, she looked at his face and saw that his cheerful expression did not falter. Rolling her eyes and mustering a slight smirk, Helena gently picked up his paw an inch. She leaned forward, kissed the back of his paw, and then let go. Helena looked up and cracked a grin at the sparkle in Windie's eyes. "You're supposed to kiss my paw, not the other way around, you know," she giggled.
"I can certainly do that, too," Windie offered with a cheeky grin, flipping his paw over.
Helena couldn't help but laugh, complying with his request with the same paw she had just used. A shot of warmth shot up her bandaged foreleg from the spot the Arcanine kissed, contrasting the soreness of getting crushed by compact soil earlier. She found herself averting her eyes to gaze past Windie's shoulder; it had been a long time since she had last engaged in such a formality with a properly chivalrous pokémon (instead of, say, Prince Horace von Haxburg). She briefly scanned the land outside, seeing more straw huts.
"Well, my good sir, could you tell me where we are?" Helena asked.
"Windswept Village, my lady," Windie answered. "Where the mountain gale descends to graze the softest wheat stalks of Luneland."
"And… this is your home?"
"...Yeah," Windie said quietly. His face fell when Helena narrowed her eyes at him. "It's not much, but I take good care-"
"Your home is fine, but you're part of Luneland," Helena stated, taking a step back. "You said you're a captain, too. What are you doing with me?" she demanded.
Windie calmly sat down and smiled. "I wanted to ask for your help, Princess."
"I'm a princess of Solardie. I'm not going against my kingdom," Helena said. "And if you try to keep me prisoner-"
"It's nothing like that!" Windie cried, waving his paws. "I'm sure you could dig out of or burn down any prison, anyway," he praised. "I'm asking for your help to save Denryushire. The pokémon here have been suffering after so much war. Our farms are decimated from the siege. I heard how you've been helping Skarmburg recover… and I hope you can help us too. I will do anything to help my neighbors, the pokémon of Denryushire," he finished, bowing his head.
He would do anything for the pokémon of Denryushire? Helena looked the Arcanine over, only just realizing that he was small for an Arcanine; a typical Arcanine was twice her size, but Windie was only a little bigger than herself, an average Ninetales. She looked over herself at the bandages he had presumably given her. She glanced forward to meet his gaze and asked, "Would you turn against your nobles if it meant I could bring help to Denryushire?"
"In a heartbeat," Windie answered. "I already did. I crushed Duke Godric under my High Horsepower in order to rescue you from the ground."
Helena cringed, recalling the feeling of everything around her crashing against her from all sides. The dirt still remaining all over her fur suddenly felt heavier. She shook her head and rubbed one foreleg. "Who is Duke Godric?" Helena asked.
"The Golem you were fighting," said Windie. "Duke Godric of Golenshire. During the last battle of the civil war, he led us and his own serfs into a trap just for less taxes," Windie seethed. "He brought Denryushire to ruin…"
Hmm, maybe Luneland is still divided, Helena thought.
"I'll proudly knock down a corrupt pokémon like Duke Godric to help a pokémon like you any day. You… are an inspiration, Princess," Windie smiled. "I got to see Kyukonais when I escorted Princess Nina there. Kyukonais… is the greatest place I've ever seen. The fields were beautiful, the market was otherworldly, and everyone there looked so happy. You are amazing!"
"Oh! Thank you!" Helena beamed, heat rising to her cheeks. She sat down across from Windie, curling some of her tails around her forepaws.
Windie smiled back, his tail wagging and his chest bubbling with excitement. "I've wanted to talk to you for so long. I've met a lot of nobles, but none with a province as awesome as yours. How did you make Kyukonais such a great place to live?" he asked.
"Well, there's a lot of things," Helena chuckled, "but it really all starts with this: Kyukonais's hot and sunny climate is great for growing delicious berries. Forget about growing grains, we can sell our berries to the rest of the world and buy all the food we need and more. Then we built houses, factories, schools, and everything else."
"That's it?" Windie asked. "How come Kyukonais is the only place with such success?"
"Aha, now that is because other pokémon in charge are selfish or incompetent... but why?" Helena grinned. "Would you like a little history lesson?"
"Yes please!" Windie nodded.
"When pokémon first learned to grow grains and started living together around their farms, the ones who ruled the land were the strongest warriors. The strongest pokémon of the village had a duty to protect others from harm, and the farmers would provide food to the warriors in exchange for protection. But who was to say who was the strongest? The right to rule the land was allowed to be challenged through battle. If someone could prove they were stronger than their leader, then they earned the leader's title."
"Now, as pokémon got more organized, as villages grew and started coming in contact with each other, it wasn't practical to keep fighting over rulership. The pokémon in charge started outlawing fights over the right to rule, bestowing their rights to their children instead. They became the nobility, and those rights to rule became known as titles. Ideally, the nobles should still be honor bound to protect their serfs if they wished to stay entitled to a portion of the harvest, but when one is born rich, they often assume they deserve power. They don't learn to fight the way their ancestors did to earn their place. They turn out selfish, lazy, or incompetent. The nobles around Kyukonais, including my father, were all three."
"But you're the opposite of all three," Windie pointed out.
Helena instantly perked up. "Aw, thank you!" she chimed.
"You're very welcome, my lady," Windie smiled.
Helena giggled. "Please, just 'Helena' is fine," she insisted.
Windie's ears perked up and his eyes widened. "But you're a princess…"
"I don't know, do I look like a princess?" Helena laughed, waving her dirt-covered tails.
"Well, I am just about to help you out with that," Windie grinned. "I went to get water for you to wash up," he said, rolling the cart of water in front of her.
Helena smiled and dipped a tail in. "How thoughtful of you, Windie. Thank you."
"I have some luxury soap you can use too!" Windie offered. He padded over to the corner of his hut and swiped away a layer of dirt, revealing the top of a wooden chest.
"Oh?" Helena voiced, intrigued.
"I've gotten some gifts from noblewomen before," Windie said, opening the chest. "Sadly, I have to keep everything hidden away since I don't have a lock like the ones nobles have." He fished out a small bar of pink soap, went to the cart across from Helena, and held out his forepaws with the soap bar in one. "Allow me," he smiled.
"Why, thank you," Helena said, bringing a tail between his paws. As Windie scrubbed her tail free of dirt, she giggled. "So, you said a noblewoman gave you this soap as a gift?"
"Oh yes," said Windie. "I defended a count's estate from a bandit raid. The countess gave me this as a gift. She said it would suit me well."
"Well, all soap is good for cleaning fur, but… this is the kind of soap that is usually purchased for noble baby girls," Helena snickered.
"What?!" Windie exclaimed, dropping the pink soap bar into the water with a little splash.
"Yeah, not the most flattering gift," Helena said. "I appreciate it, though!"
Helena picked up the soap and continued to clean the brown out of her cream fur while Windie contemplated his life's choices. He eventually sighed and shook his head, bringing back a smile. "You're so much more pleasant than any other noblewoman I've ever met, Helena."
"Hee, you flatterer. Who am I up against?"
"Oh, just… you know, some Lunish nobles here and there," Windie brushed off, looking away. He stared at his wooden treasure chest. "Who knows what they really think of me," he muttered.
"Who cares?" Helena spoke up. "No matter how important a noble makes themself look, in the end, they're only one pokémon."
"But they are rich and control the land," Windie sighed.
"Power is held by those whom pokémon look up to the most," said Helena. "I said earlier that the strongest pokémon used to rule the land. I believe that should still be true today, but 'strongest' doesn't just mean on the battlefield anymore. I think it also includes how much value your ideas bring to the land and its pokémon."
"Wow," Windie breathed, "I never thought of it like that." He closed his eyes for a few moments, then admired the Ninetales before him. "I've met my fair share of nobles, but no one like you. Why do you choose to be different?"
"Heh, well that's a complex question," Helena mused. She finished cleaning her tails but didn't proceed any further because the Sitrus bandages were still offering her some strength. "Well, we have plenty of time. Let's see…" Her tails drooped as she thought back to the very beginning. "Right… I was born as the second child of a royal family, and female. From the moment I was born, the nobles of Solardie wanted me to be married off to the prince of Haxony. Especially my father…"
"From the moment you were born…?" Windie whined, his face falling. "Why?"
"Remember, the old counts of Kyukonais were selfish, lazy, and incompetent," Helena said. "Raising me into the perfect bride and marrying me off was a simple way for Kyukonais to get closer to the royal family of Haxony and their ill-gotten riches."
"Without caring about you?" Windie asked.
Helena nodded. "They didn't care about me, not even my parents, except for one noble - Count Ignacio Gaogaen. He offered to raise me, to take that burden off of my father's tails. He taught me the history lesson that I just taught you; in fact, I think it's the earliest lesson I can remember. He told me that if I wanted power, if I wanted control, then I should fight my hardest and earn it, just like the warriors of old. So I trained every day," Helena said, curling her tails.
Windie felt the flames inside his chest stir. Sounds so familiar...
"Other than raising and motivating me, Count Ignatio also sent me to school in the city of Miloa. The city is rich and powerful because the pokémon of Miloa work together to create value instead of fighting over limited resources. I wanted Kyukonais to follow the same path, so I studied ways to make it happen. Then I set out to earn the trust of Kyukonais's serfs. Again, the local nobles were lazy and weak; they lived off of their ancestors' wealth. Bandits ran rampant across Kyukonais, and my father never did anything about it. So I stepped up to protect the farmers. I said I would lead them to a better future, so they ditched their lords."
"And you delivered!" Windie cheered.
"I sure did," Helena beamed. "My citizens are richer than their pathetic lords ever were, and I am more powerful than my father ever was."
"Amazing," Windie breathed. "I wish Denryushire could be like that, but our nobles… they're not lazy or incompetent… okay, maybe some are incompetent… but they are certainly selfish. Is there anything you can do to help us?" he pleaded.
Helena averted her eyes, looking down at her paws. Oh geez, I'm already in quite a bit of debt. Is this worth considering? Well, if I can get more pokémon in Kyukonais, the wealth and tax base will grow, so it will surely pay off. But what about the short term? Having an empty bank is so risky; it would be a disaster if someone went to exchange their pokénotes for coins while we didn't have any. I really shouldn't borrow more without a short-term guarantee of new coins… like Ludwig's family's coffers. But we have to win the war, and that's certainly not guaranteed at all. I can only borrow more poké if I'm sure we'll win the war. Hmm…
After a few more moments, Helena nodded to herself and looked up to face Windie. "I think I can help you, Windie," she said. "I can provide food shipments and building supplies for the pokémon of Denryushire. I will also welcome anyone who is interested in moving to Kyukonais. We will have housing and jobs set up for everyone."
Windie's eyes shone with life as he practically hopped into the air. "You can do all that? Oh, thank you! Thank you!"
"There's one problem, though," Helena spoke, holding up her paw. "I won't be able to provide anything with Luneland's army in the way. I can only help the pokémon of Denryushire if they cut ties with Luneland and Solardie wins the next battle."
"Then I'll do everything I can to help you," Windie declared.
Helena jumped at how fast Windie answered. "You're going to go against your kingdom, Windie?"
"It doesn't matter if it's King Leinster, Ludwren, Leinwig, or Ludwig. They're all the same," Windie asserted. "The only noble who will make a difference is you, Helena."
Helena smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment, but we're going to need more than just you and me. What about your duke?" Helena asked. "Would he join our side?"
"No," Windie shook his head immediately. "Duke Antonio believes he is nothing without his loyalty and honor, however worthless the pokémon he is pledging to," Windie sighed. "But at the same time, he is like my Count Ignatio. He made me a captain. Maybe I shouldn't…"
"Do what you think is right for all of Denryushire," Helena encouraged. "Sure, Count Ignatio took care of me, but when he tried to take advantage of Kyukonais's newfound wealth, I had to rebuke him."
Windie squeezed his eyes shut, then nodded to himself. "Alright. At the very least, Duke Antonio deserves some mercy once the battle is over. He defended King Ludwig's father until the very end."
"I can certainly convince Ludwig to forgive him," Helena promised. "If Duke Antonio accepts Ludwig as his liege and joins our side, I will have a much easier time delivering supplies. Are you sure he wouldn't be open to joining Ludwig and Solardie right now? Defending Ludwig's father to the very end is no small commitment."
"Trust me when I say his loyalty is all he has," Windie sighed. "But don't worry about my duke. I can convince half of Luneland's army to fight for our better future."
Helena's eyes widened. "Half the army? How?"
"We're all starving serfs," Windie said. "The nobles devastated our fields with their stupid civil war. We are forced to fight for them because the army is the only place we can get food now."
"I'm surprised the Lunish nobles allow serfs to fight on such a large scale," said Helena.
"To tell you the truth, a lot of the serfs actually used to be bandits who had to steal food to survive. During the civil war, they showed up at the opposite sides' armies, where the knights would feed them for their willingness to fight. It helped that they had experience fighting knights before."
"The nobles must have been desperate," Helena remarked.
"All for what? All the Lunish nobles are the same to us. They would even pillage their own subjects' fields if they wanted to," Windie fumed. "At least… it opened my eyes and many others' eyes to the truth."
"The truth?"
Windie nodded. "When our own knights pillaged our fields to stockpile for the siege at Denryu Castle, the pokémon of Denryushire were left with nothing. They had to resort to stealing the besieging army's food supplies to survive. To conserve food, the attackers sent their peasants home… but many of them were bandits with no home to return to or serfs whose fields were devastated. Now stealing from the knights' food supplies side-by-side, serfs and bandits alike came to an understanding - that there was no reason to fear each other when it was the nobles robbing us all along!"
"But you are different, Helena. You made your subjects rich; I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears." Windie placed a paw over his chest. "If you say you can help us, then I will fight for you with all my might. I will convince half the Lunish army to do the same. We are one force of serf and bandit alike, united against the oppressive nobles. And I proudly serve as their captain."
"You really can convince that many pokémon to follow me?" Helena asked.
"Well… probably not by myself overnight," Windie admitted. "I've led Denryushire's serfs for the whole war, but I've only just begun getting to know the pokémon from other places. Everyone looks forward to a better future, that's for sure. Do you think you can introduce yourself?"
Helena nodded. "I'll do what it takes. How will I be able to meet your sympathizers, though? I can't just show up at Luneland's army camp…"
Windie thought for a moment. "I'll go and tell everyone I trust to gather at our old camp in the forest tonight," he decided. "I can escort you there after dark."
"Ooh, that doesn't sound suspicious at all."
Windie flinched, withdrawing his ears back. "Uh, I didn't mean- I-I mean…" he stammered, looking away.
"Hey, I'm only joking!" Helena laughed, patting his shoulder with a tail. "Sounds like a good plan to me."
"O-okay, good!" Windie said, standing up straight. "You can rest here to recover from the battle until I return. Allow me to spruce up this humble abode for your extended stay!" He went to his wooden chest and brought out a new bedsheet. "Are the bandages still working?"
Helena closed her eyes, feeling the healing effects of the Sitrus and Lum-infused bandages. "Still healing," she said.
"Ah. If they were done, I would gladly help you."
Helena smiled brightly. "You're a true gentleman, Windie," she said. "You are far nobler than most noblemen I've dealt with."
Windie finished changing out the dirt-smudged bedsheet with a fresh one and saluted. "Have a good rest! I'll be back before dusk."
"Thanks, and good luck," Helena said. After Windie put the straw door back in place, Helena smiled to herself. Such a sincere pokémon. I should really hesitate to trust a stranger from the other side of the battlefield, but I have a good feeling about Windie.
Once the bandages exhausted their healing properties, Helena slowly peeled them off and cleaned the rest of the dirt from her fur using the baby soap Windie graciously provided. She used some internal fire to raise her temperature to dry off quickly, then lay down on the fresh bed, closing her eyes. A large group of pokémon fed up with nobles? Exactly the kind of pokémon who'd be interested in a new life in Kyukonais, Helena thought. And I may have just found the perfect way to turn the war in my favor.
Helena woke up when Windie returned. "Oops, sorry I disturbed you," Windie whispered.
"It's okay," Helena said. She stretched and stared between the gaps in the straw wall. "Is it sunset?"
"Just starting," said Windie.
"How did you do?" Helena asked, sitting up.
"A success! I went across Denryushire to ask my soldiers to meet in the forest, and some of them will make the trip back to the army camp to inform their friends in the other provinces' armies."
Helena held a paw to her chin, frowning. "With so many pokémon involved, how are you sure the Lunish nobles won't catch wind of your plan?"
"I trust them," Windie said. "They put their trust in me, so I do the same for them."
"But any one of those pokémon can give up the secret in exchange for some reward," Helena cringed, shuffling her paws.
"We'll have to wait and see," Windie said. "I used to think the same thing, that all pokémon only think for themselves, but I have some faith in my neighbors right now. They know the truth about the nobles and they've stood together in the past. However… if things do go wrong, I promise to help you find your way back to Solardie safely," he pledged.
"Alright, I trust you, Windie," Helena said.
Windie grinned. "You are the most sincere and open noblewoman I've ever met, Helena," he remarked.
"Heh, you never told me who I'm up against."
"Er, well, I've gone around Luneland with orders to take down bandits… so I've gotten to know some nobles here and there…"
"Hmm, now I'm curious. What other gifts have you gotten from noblewomen besides baby soap?" Helena smirked.
"It's not all that bad! I got a Fire Stone once," Windie claimed. "You can take a look at the chest if you'd like," he offered.
Helena went to the corner of the hut and peeked into Windie's stash. Her heart sank when she saw a rock shaped like a star piece without any glimmer, an obvious fake. There was also a porcelain teapot with a disfigured spout and many other "rejected" luxuries. The one promising item she found was a book with an illustration of a Buneary on the cover titled "Questing For Respect." The book was made of an older style of paper from Miloa, which was quite expensive to make at the time, so it was definitely worth a lot - and the story had to be good for it to be worth printing back then.
"What do you think?" Windie asked.
Helena looked him in the eyes. "I'm going to be honest with you… most of these things look valuable, but they're either not the real thing or have imperfections. I would hesistate to consider them earnest gifts. I'm sorry to have to tell you that…"
Windie sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "One more thing to confirm that April is right…" he mumbled to himself.
"I found one interesting thing, though," Helena spoke up, walking over and handing Windie the book. "Books aren't that expensive anymore thanks to the paper factories in Kyukonais, but this book was printed a while ago, so it's worth a lot."
"Oh, that's good to hear."
"I haven't heard of this book," Helena said, sitting down across from Windie. "We have some time before dark. What's it about?"
"Uh, heh, I'm not sure," Windie laughed, rubbing his neck.
"You've had the book all this time but never opened it?"
"Warriors do not read books! We have a lifetime of experiences to share instead!" Windie declared.
Helena laughed. "You think so? Still, I think it's good to absorb yourself in someone else's made up world once in a while. Sometimes we need a break from the everyday chaos, and a lot of books have profound messages to learn that can be applied to the real world."
Windie sighed and slumped his head. "To tell you the truth… I don't know how to read," he whined.
"Oh…" Helena smacked herself on the head. "I'm sorry. I forgot… Everyone in Kyukonais knows how to read these days. I forgot I wasn't home." She patted Windie on the shoulder to catch his attention. "No problem, I can teach you!"
Windie perked up instantly, a flood of warmth rushing through his chest. "Really?!"
"Yep," Helena nodded. "Although… maybe not at this moment. Maybe after we aren't buried in the flames of war. For now, want me to read to you? I can't bear the fact that you've had a good story for so long without the means to enjoy it."
"That would be so awesome," Windie nodded, grinning widely.
"Alright, the name of the book is 'Questing For Respect,'" Helena said. She flipped to the first page and began reading.
A few minutes later, Windie averted his eyes from Helena, red in the face but wearing a guilty smile. "Are you sure you're not making this stuff up?"
"I swear, I'm not!" Helena laughed. "This stuff is too hilarious for me to ever dream of coming up with!" The story was about a Buneary trying to join some sort of explorers guild, getting lost in unexplainable places called "mystery dungeons," and fighting criminals with tons of hilarious and outrageous dirty jokes interlaced throughout.
"Come on, Windie, crude as it may be, aren't you enjoying this?" Helena giggled.
"I'm enjoying your reading a lot! I was just thinking… well, this isn't the kind of first impression I want to give…"
"I'm not going to think less of you for laughing along with some dirty humor," she reassured him.
"It's not you," Windie clarified. "I trust that you mean it. But the noblewoman who gave me that book probably doesn't have the same heart as you. It was probably a double insult too, knowing I can't read," Windie sighed.
"Hey, who cares about nobles' expectations? Certainly not me," Helena asserted. She tapped him on the shoulder and placed the book in his paws. "Be your charming little self, because if you ask me, I think you're pretty sweet."
A/N 9/5/22: "Warriors do not read books" is the name of a random event in EU4 that can occur when at war and slows down technological advancement because your nation's thinkers are busy fighting. There's no relevance to the context I used it in, but I liked the phrase and decided early on that I would use it for the chapter where Helena and Windie meet each other and Helena reads Windie a book.
And it's not just any book… it's Questing for Respect by VGS2 the sexy sausage! The story takes place in the setting of the second PMD series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, but not at the Wigglytuff Guild. It's at the all-new Donphan Guild, founded by the protagonist pair of the games and featuring a massive roster of original characters. The main protagonist is a meek but determined Buneary trying to join the guild. But her entrance test devolves into a ton of shenanigans, and in the background, there's a strange, emotionally detached Pikachu terrorizing Mt. Bristle…
Apart from hilarious nicknames like "Treehugging Kakuna" and "Dash Crash Rapidash", creative mystery dungeon and battle mechanics inspired by a fusion of various spin-off game mechanics, and a detailed and original expansion of PMD2's setting, you can expect a heavy smattering of dirty jokes which I thought was the most hilarious crude humor I've ever read. Now, if you're not a fan of lewd jokes, the story might not be to your liking. The story is definitely M-rated. (There are no lemons, though. At least not yet.) But if you don't mind and/or secretly enjoy dirty jokes, I can't recommend this story enough! Don't suppress your enjoyment like Windie!
Fun fact: the story description for Nine Tales of Liberty that's up right now isn't the first description I used. When I revised it, I looked to Questing for Respect's description as inspiration. Look closely, and you might see the semblance. Better yet, I also took the convention of leaving story recommendations in my author's notes from Questing for Respect!
"Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe" is a quote from Albert Einstein. I only remember it because that quote pops up when you research Economics in Civilization V. Leave it to Terry for being so well-read!
According to the pokédex, Arcanine is 6 ft. 3 in. (1.9 m) and 341.7 lbs. (155 kg). That's a hefty boi. I never internalized those stats because all the pokémon sprites and models in the games were all scaled to a similar size. Meanwhile, Ninetales is only 3 ft. 7 in. (1.1 m) and 43.9 lbs. (19.9 kg), about on par with the eeveelutions. The tails make them look much taller and heavier than they actually are. Why am I mentioning this? I don't know. Why was Windie born smaller than a typical Growlithe/Arcanine? It's totally so that he would get bullied as a kid, thus forming the basis of his worldview, and so that the nobles could easily look down on him, and definitely not for any other reason at all. ;)
Hope you enjoyed the battle sequence and the grand meeting of the times. This chapter took a lot of effort to write, but now I can finally claim that the story's content lives up to the description. Woohoo! Get ready for the upcoming chapter 17: Today's Puppet.