As she lazed on her bed after an hour-long meeting with the Council concerning the casino, a knock sounded on Furret Abigail's door. She raised her head from the pale, sugar-glazed donut in front of her eyes.

"Come in!" she called.

The door opened to pitch-black darkness. It seeped into her room as smoke. Her tail flopped around to the other side as she smiled.

"Do you remember when you killed me, Abigail? It was the crowning moment of our time together."

Zoroark Aaron walked in from the darkness, and flames bloomed at his back. His indigo fur from his head had turned white. Shadows covered both of his eyes, and he cut a menacing figure.

"The reunion is almost upon us..." he said.

"Aaron," she giggled, "what are you doing?"

"The reunion is nothing to fear."

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. From the side of the door, Floatzel Zen ran into view. With newly spiked hair tinted blond, he whipped out a massive, blunt sword from on his back and held it up towards Aaron.

"Sephiroth!" Zen shouted.

Aaron turned around, slowly. "Fate is not to be taken lightly, Cloud."

Aaron walked closer to Zen. Each of his footsteps echoed for seconds after they hit the floors. Once he got close to Zen, he traced one of his claws under his chin and gazed into his eyes. Abigail crawled closer to the edge of her bed for a closer look.

"I am your everything, Cloud," Aaron whispered.

Zen frowned and grunted. He glanced at Abigail and popped out of character. Aaron noticed and turned around. The illusion of darkness and flames vanished.

Heat dashed along Abigail's face. Her paws clenched the covers as they turned to her. Her tail flung around to cover her face.

"Uh, hey," she stammered. "What are you guys doing?"

"It's called cosplay," said Aaron. "We're going to this thing called a convention. It's basically where nerds go to nerd out. I've been practicing mine ever since destiny brought us together on that dark, fateful night."

"You mean the Royal Parade?"

"Yup."

"Can I come see?"

Aaron and Zen shared a glance. "I dunno if it'd really be your scene, Abigail," Zen said.

"Don't be an idiot," Aaron hushed. "We could give her Aerith cosplay..." he whispered.

Zen eyes widened with a realization. He cleared his throat. "Nevermind. You're in."

"Who's Aerith?" she asked.

"And then Aerith and Sephiroth get married at the end of the game."

Abigail finished listening to Aaron recount the story as they sat side by side on the bottom edge of her bed.

"You know," Abigail said, "I'm not a big nerd or anything, but that doesn't sound right."

"What doesn't sound right?" he asked.

"It feels more natural to say 'Aerith dies'. I feel like I've heard that before."

"Nah. She marries Sephiroth. Why would I lie about that?"

"So, if I looked up on my phone right now about Aerith dying, I wouldn't find anything?"

"You would, but it's more fun this way."

"Okay." Abigail leaned forward to get a better look at his face. "So, what does Aerith act like?"

"Well," Aaron rolled his eyes on top of her gaze, "she's a little sassy sometimes."

"Mmm."

"She's playful, cute, cool... Has a little 'commoner' slang. So, you know, I think you fit the bill."

"Oh really? You're going to try and give me points for being a 'commoner'?"

"No. Maybe. Depends if you like it or not."

Abigail sat up straight. "Okay, so, what am I wearing?"

"Zen's bringing it," Aaron said. "He'll leave it out on your door. The convention's tomorrow, so, we'll pick you up in the morning."

Abigail realized she had a bit of an opportunity, but didn't know if she wanted to take it or not. Aaron noticed and met her eyes straight on.

"Don't stress," Aaron said. "I told him."

"What'd he say?" she asked.

"Not much. Flooded half of one of the local arenas, though."

Abigail fell quiet.

"Just kidding," Aaron said.

She sighed.

"He flooded all of it. But he's okay now. Also, since we're not an item, he's going to ask you out at the convention, so, yah."

"What...?" she huffed.

"Well, we're not boyfriend girlfriend, we just kissed. Or, well, you tried to take my life. So it's not like you'd be cheating or anything."

Abigail's face warmed. Her tail coiled around her. "Uh, well, I..."

"This is an honorable duel for your heart, so I won't cheat because I'm really hot now. If I am to face with Cloud again, it shall be on a stage where the entire universe can watch as I impale him on my holy blade, Masamune."

Abigail smiled, but then jolted up at a sharp tap that came on the floor.

Floatzel Zen leaned against the doorway with a large, cardboard box standing next to him. He frowned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way..." Zen said. "Sephiroth..."

"Cloud..." Aaron echoed.

"You..."

"Yes, Cloud. Me..."

Zen grunted. Aaron smiled. Abigail shook her head in wonder of what they were doing.

Furret Abigail looked it up before bed. She confirmed that, in fact, Sephiroth and Cloud weren't lovers at any point in the game, and that Aerith died. She read a short (supposedly) summary of the game's story and fell asleep.

In the morning, she stole a quick dip in the water pit and fixed up her fur for half an hour. She put in extra effort since she would be heading to an event. After a check in on her phone for Nightlight activity, and another special request to fix a miniature abyss in front of Gordon Ram's restaurant, she picked up the cardboard box from the side of her room and set it on the bottom edge of her bed. She left it as a surprise.

Abigail opened up the box. Inside, a pink dress and a short velvet jacket popped out to her eye. With the exception of her brown nightdress, she didn't wear them often, much less in public. It'd be a good change of pace. She fitted it on and made sure she looked presentable one last time.

A few minutes later, a knock came on her door, Abigail pulled it open to the bright, morning hallway.

Floatzel Zen shifted on his feet. His fur spiked up over a comically large sword on his back. He glanced her up and down, opened his mouth to speak, and held it there.

The situation put Abigail's memory on what to do when he short-circuited to the test. She stared at his face and searched for what Aaron told her to do. It clicked.

She reached up and pinched Zen's nose. He shook his head and rubbed between his eyes.

"Sorry, what was that?" he asked.

"Where's the convention at?" Abigail pretended to repeat.

"At a convention center. Guess you wouldn't really hear about them often. They're just big buildings with a lot of open space for events."

"Oh. Is Gawain coming?"

"We asked, but he said he wanted to stay and just study and stuff. Aaron called a carriage for us outside."

"Alright, cool."

Zen didn't speak on their elevator ride down. Abigail half expected him to ask then, but it also made sense for him to wait until later for a better place.

The sun began its flight above the skyscrapers. Half of the city sky still showed stars through the darkness, and the other half entered sunrise. At this time in the morning, the plaza underneath the Nightlight tower stayed empty, with the exception of a moderately-sized carriage, driven by Dewott Adam from the Yellow Clan. Raichu Aden sat next to him. Zoroark Aaron leaned out the back and waved them over.

Zen jogged over and held the door open for Abigail. She nodded towards the ground as she hopped in.

This time, Aaron called for a comfortable ride with soft velvet cushions, a small TV on the wall, and a short row of snacks in the back. He reclined back against the side wall with his arms folded behind his head, and still white mass of fur.

"Hey Aaron," Abigail said. "What's all this?"

"The ride's kinda long," he said. "I figured we could take it easy on the way."

"You always did talk about showing off our first time going to a convention as princes," Zen said.

"We don't need this fancy carriage to show off. We have Abigail cosplaying as freakin' Aerith."

"People are going to ask why not Tifa, though."

"It was fifty-fifty. I dunno how to answer that."

"Me neither."

Abigail curled up on a cushion, careful not to mess up her dress. Zen plopped down next to Aaron and stared him in the eye. Their gazes intensified. Abigail frantically reminded herself that they weren't cosplaying as lovers.

"I am your everything, Cloud..." Aaron whispered.

Zen grunted and clenched his teeth. Aaron's face drew closer.

"Cut it out..." Abigail complained.

Zen and Aaron broke character and smiled. Abigail rolled herself around and faced the wall.

During the ride, Zen and Aaron played phone games. Zen won, a lot. Abigail didn't say much, but she got the impression Aaron sucked at video games, and took it personally. Maybe they had that in common.

The TV snatched her attention. It showed a press conference (she hated those) starring a Jigglypuff with a green headband. He held a mic close to his mouth.

"Sir, what are your thoughts on how the rest of the tournament went?" a reporter asked.

"Well," Jigglypuff said, "I wrote about it in my hour long Chatotlonger on why Gareth Acuity is actually a bitch."

Jigglypuff reeled back. An object flew in from offscreen. He glanced round, bent down, and picked up a dark red mass of... something.

"Who threw this!?" he demanded. "Who threw this crab at me?"

"Hey Abigail," Aaron said, "how goes the paperwork?"

"I finished it," she said., staring at the TV. She might need to dodge a crab someday. "Just need Anne to sign off on some things. My, uh... Mom taught me about all this."

"So that's why you have enough free time to come. Nice."

"Well, that and the fact that investigators are still trying to narrow down what area of the city the Rioters are in. If I weren't famous, I could just do it myself..."

"But isn't it fun being the battering ram?"

"Yah. It is. But still."

"I guess we should apologize about that," Zen said. "We never even considered it might be better to talk to you under the radar instead of all this. It's our bad."

"Yah," Aaron said. He stared down at his phone. "Sorry."

"It's cool," she said. "This way, I have some time to myself. Also, who's Gareth Acuity, and why's that Jigglypuff calling him a... bad word?"

"He's one of Amadeus' sons. Apparently, he left home young and hasn't been seen since now. Pretty intense timing."

"Well, Amadeus does say he's a pretty intense guy," Zen said. "Still though, that's a lotta stuff coming out of the woodwork, but I guess that's the norm, lately."

"Maybe."

Abigail's attention drifted back to the TV. Jiggylpuff ran around in a small circle on the short wooden stand. She needed to save her energy for understanding new things for the convention, and turned away to make sure.

After Zoroark Aaron lost ten more times, the carriage came to a smooth stop, and didn't continue for another minute. Floatzel Zen got up and pulled open the back door to make sure they had arrived. Furret Abigail stood up along with Aaron as he pushed open the doors.

Abigail held no prior expectations for a convention center. Her eyes met with a five-story, mile-long glassy building, a complex. A single glance around the parking lot showed her that it was the largest one she'd ever seen, even bigger than the lots for arenas by her guess. Sunrise neared its completion. Most of the asphalt lot stood vacant, except for a wall of carriages near the front of the building, where they parked.

"So, what's the plan?" Abigail asked. "To avoid, like, paparazzi or whoever?"

"Won't be any," Aaron said. "Different media sources are allowed to send in one reporter. Won't be any around to swarm you."

"Which means we can cut loose," Zen said, smiling. He shared a glance with Aaron.

Aaron chuckled and walked out the carriage doors. Each of his footsteps echoed again.

"First Cloud, we will have a delightful breakfast with the world's finest donuts. Next we'll do battle with arms forged by some of the finest smiths in the land, all on me, of course. And finally, oh finally, I'll shower you with the power of meeting face to face with the artists behind the masks of some of the most popular media out there, with all the strength to shift culture as we know it at their fingertips."

Abigail wondered what food and weapons they had. Mostly food, but she wanted to buy a wand, a cool wand. She figured it could help on her missions.

"Do they have wands?" she asked. "I want one."

Aaron turned his head to the side and stared at her with one eye. "Not just wands... Custom made wands, blades, and all things nerdy. Once you buy, they'll ship it directly to your doorstep posthaste."

"Custom wands!?"

"Yes, Aerith. Custom wands. Have you ever wondered what the sound and feel of an invisible blast wand would be?"

A drop of drool leaked past Abigail's mouth. "Invisible... explosions?"

"Or perhaps the one-shot two-edged tunnel blast wand?"

"The... The..."

"They have weapons so powerful, so stupid, so ridicuslously impractical and difficult to use, even someone of your calibur will blow up the instant they try to use it."

Abigail's tail beat against the floor of the carriage. Aaron broke character and turned around.

"Uh, Abigail?" Zen asked. "You seem awfully... excited."

"Invisible explosioooooooooons," her tail whipped against the floor one last time. "Where?"

"They should be done setting up by now. I'm sure we could get a first lo-."

"Let's go!"

Furret Abigail snagged Zen's paw, grabbed Aaron's arm, and jumped out the back of the carriage. She ran and kept their airborne, flailing bodies in her grip. When she reached the sidewalk, she remembered they were princes and set them down. They both swayed on their feet and bopped their heads together. Aaron steadied himself by grabbing his head and holding it still while Zen rotated his neck.

"I mean, yes," she said. "Are you both ready?"

"It's okay, you're right," Zen said. "Let's go get a first look. A wand would be super helpful against Lobera. Smiths from all over come here to show off. Let's make good use of our time."

"We can run on our own though," Aaron added. "Thanks..."

"Uh, right. Sorry."

Abigail cruised into a speed-walk. Aaron and Zen followed. Cool air blasted them through sliding-glass doors as they entered.

Their footsteps echoed across an empty, brown tiled floor. Velvet ropes with short gold posts had been set up for a line of pokemon towards a wall of desks. Past that wall, a short series of rampways led up to the different carpeted floors.

"I don't see anyone," Abigail said. "Are we supposed to be in here?"

"There are guards," Aaron said. "We wouldn't have gotten in this far if there weren't. I saw some on the roof."

"What floor are the explosions? I mean, wands?"

"Third?" he asked himself. "Yah, third."

Abigail let Aaron lead the way to the second floor.

In front of large pageant doors, a Nidorina smiled and waved in their direction. Based on the Valorian insignia on a badge on her shoulder, she seemed to be a guard. Her presence let Abigail relax her muscles as she waved back and followed Aaron up another level.

A set of three open doors led to a wide open space inside. A metallic maze of lights rained down on a floor filled to the brim with small shops and stands. Most had one or two pokemon at each as they prepared for the oncoming onslaught of buyers. Abigail didn't know where to start, and let Aaron hold the lead.

"There'll probably be a few famous arena fighters here today, too," Zen said. "Maybe they'll have recommendations."

"I think I got this," said Aaron. "Well, that Abigail's got this. Over here."

Zoroark Aaron walked them over to a stand with racks of wands behind a Ledyba's back. Floatzel Zen walked around to Furret Abigail's other side. Ledbya glanced at each of them. His eyes fluttered. He seemed young, around their age.

"H-hi," Ledbya breathed. "Welcome..."

"Hey," said Aaron. "Where you from?"

"I'm from, uh,,, Central Valor. And I made these wands in, uh, my house... Yah."

"Cool. So whatcha got?"

"I just have a bunch of basic stuff, really. But, uh, I experiment with other wands."

"Give us a whiff."

Aaron's confidence leaked into Ledyba's face. He whipped around, glanced down the rack, plucked out a short pink one, and turned back around.

"This is a Screen Wand," Ledyba said. "On one side, it produces Reflect, and it creates a Light Screen on the other."

"Can you switch between which side they're on?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, but, this is just a prototype, so it doesn't do that yet. All it'd take is some tweaking, but, I'm not exactly a trained professional. Ideally, you could use it to create whichever screen you want based on the situation. I also want to add Protect to it as a sort of extra layer."

"So, if we paid you in advance, do you think you'd be able to make us one that can?"

Ledyba blushed. "Well, uh, I mean."

"We'll do extra," he added. "Besides, if Abigail here uses it on missions, then you would've created the first of a weapon only used by the Lodestar. She could really use a defensive weapon with everything she's dealing with."

"Uh, d-deal!"

"Cool. I'll give you my number. Just don't blow it up, kay'?"

"Kay!"

Abigail glanced over the rest of the wands. They were all the basic Slumber and Petrify style wands, but sleek and well-made. One caught her eye.

"Blast wand," she muttered.

Zen placed a paw on her shoulder. "Calm down, Abigail..."

"Thanks," Aaron said. "I see a lot of potential with your idea. Let it be the first of many."

"I will!" Ledyba said. "Oh, if you want cool long range wands, there's plenty at the store run by that Feraligatr."

"Thanks for the tip. See you around."

"Yah, you too."

Abigail offered a short, awkward wave to Ledyba as they turned away. She liked the idea of the Screen Wand. Most were all about offense rather than defense. It'd throw anyone for a loop, and had uses she could already imagine.

Aaron walked past an empty artwork shop towards an older Feraligatr standing behind a short table. Based on his gruff skin, he seemed to be a traveler. He sized them up with a glance. His yellow eyes honed in on Abigail.

"Oh," he said. "I can tell you've seen a lot of battles. There's practically a miniature inferno behind those eyes."

"Uh, thanks?" she said.

"For twenty-nine years, I've traveled between Pataliputra, Bogota, Truro, and every other continent in search of weapons and ideas with the most versatility. I only offer the greatest of these wands to tried and true explorers. I happen to have three of these with me today."

Feraligatr turned around. Abigail stole a glance at Zen and Aaron. Both of their lower lips curled up, and hinted at blooming curiosity.

Feraligatr pulled out a dark, purple wand with a swirl of metal at the top. A chill ran up Abigail's spine.

"The Toxic Master Wand," Feraligatr said. "I created it in Bogota, where poison-type masters of combat used vicious methods to defend their dense, jungle villages for generations. One side allows the user to throw sludge, poison gas, and other poisoning substances. The bottom uses Venom Drench to weaken and Venoshock to finish off an opponent. This weapon is capable of a lot of pain, so, please, be careful."

Feraligatr set the wand down on the table. Abigail didn't feel inclined to pick it up, to say the least. Even Aaron second-guessed reaching out his hand to grab it.

"The Sleep Master Wand," Feraligatr continued. He grabbed hold of a dark pink wand next. "It inflicts sleep like a Slumber Wand, but also inflicts Nightmare and Dream Eater. It's very dangerous."

Feraligatr set the wand down above the Toxic Master Wand. Again, Abigail didn't touch it.

"This last wand is basic," Feraligatr turned around again, "but it hits the core of versatility. The Type Wand can take the user's energy and transform it into any type they desire. It's something like an ultimate tool for an explorer. They can light campfires, put out forest fires, strike bandits with lightning or make a bridge of ice to walk across a lake. However, I've never sold it, as with all of these."

Feraligatr pulled out a gleaming, silver wand with flat ends and set it on the table. It didn't make Abigail nearly as uncomfortable as the other two under it.

"So," Zen said, "forgive me for being rude, but why the hell do you have weapons this dangerous here?"

"I always keep them on my person," he said. "We both know the damn Acuitans would militarize them, and if they wouldn't, you all would. These are for explorers only, and I locked the specific science of making them," he tapped his head, "up here and only up here. Besides, you need counters for Lobera, don't you?"

"But why show them to me?" Abigail asked.

"I think they'll be safe with you. I'll deliver them by hand to you later, free of charge. Explorers have to stick together."

It made some sense to her. Abigail's mother told her that proven explorers have a default level of trust between each other. He must have trusted her a lot. She'd never heard of anything close to these wands, especially the Type Wand.

"Uh, thanks..." she mumbled, unsure.

"Everything else is five percent off."

Abigail took a moment to gaze over his wares. She noticed a lot of wands with hearts on the ends of them.

"Why do you have so many Attract Wands?" Zen asked.

"They keep selling out," he grumbled. "Damn teenagers."

"Uh... We'll just also take a Whirlwind Wand and call it a day."

"Sure."

Once Feraligatr settled the delivery away, Aaron bid him goodbye and led them away in a random direction. Abigail pulled down on the bottom of her dress.

"I did not expect that," Zen said.

"That guy can make stuff that goes over the world's heads, I bet," said Aaron. "Let's just keep this to ourselves. Wands that do that many things at once are unheard of. But, if we actually want to counter Lobera, they'd be the ones that could."

"No doubt."

"They seem hard to use, though," Abigail said.

"Eh," Zen leaned his head. "You got this. You say you're not great at ranged combat, but, I'm a believer. Let's check this one out."

Zen gestured to a tall Kricketune's stand.

"Get your explosions over here!" he called

Abigail jumped into a front flip and landed in front of the stand. As her feet touched the floor, she glanced back. Zen and Aaron stared. Her tail vibrated. She got a little excited.

"Uh, oh," Kricketune said. He laughed to himself, nervously. "Didn't realize you were such a fan of blast wands."

"It's a hobby so where are the invisible explosions?"

Abigail answered too fast. She couldn't contain herself. Her face warmed, and her paws clammed up.

Kricketune stopped off to the side and showed a wall of what he had in stock. A tall shelf of wands drew Abigail's eyes to the top, then down.

"We've got Invisible Blast Wands, Burning Blast Wands, normal everyday Blast Wands, Attract Blast Wands." Kricketune turned to the side. "Damn teenagers," he grunted. "We've also got the Super Blast Wands, which split apart into other Blast Wands. We've got all the Blast Wands you could ever find, right here."

Abigail had enough money, she could take one of everything. The problem became where to use them for fun without causing major infrastructure damage. She could use the arenas.

Screw it, she wanted them.

"I'll take one of everything," she said.

"You're insane," he said. "That's good business. Thanks."

Abigail took out her phone and got everything set up. Once complete, it didn't even leave a visible scratch on her bank account. When she completed the order, she bid him goodbye and swung around. Zen and Aaron's smiles interrupted her jolly swing.

"W-what?" she asked.

"You're so damn awesome," Aaron said.

Zen nodded. His eyes drifted away. His expression shifted.

"Zen?" Abigail asked.

"Quiet," Zen said, "follow me. I think I see something."

Aaron and Abigail shared a look. They both bounded behind Zen as he sped-walk. Abigail hid under his back. Aaron glanced around in hopes to find what he did.

Zen stopped. Abigail bumped into his back and shifted around. She traced his eyes to see what had caught his attention

In the corner of the room, close to a hallway leading to another area, a Hypno organized items on top of a stand. She recognized him; the knife thrower. Her blood boiled. She didn't catch him last time.

"Why are there, like, all Attract items?" Aaron whispered. "Look at that. Attract Wands, Orbs. The guy's nuts. Prolly makes the most money out of anyone here, though."

"What's down that hallway?" Abigail asked. She needed to make a strategy if he ran this time.

"U-uh, artwork... Hey Zen, how about you block off that escape route, right?"

"Y-yah. On it."

"They have art here?" Abigail asked.

"Yah," said Aaron. "Is there any way I can help you nab this guy?"

"I don't have any clever ideas. But let's go get him before he sees us."

"Right."

Abigail walked quietly with Aaron over her shoulder. With each step, she got more distance on him for free. He continued to stare down, luckily, all the way until their shadows rose over his face. He glanced up.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

She hated when he did that.

"We got you," Aaron said. "Sorry."

Something had to be wrong. Hypno didn't flinch or visibly react. He straightened out his back and locked eyes with Aaron.

"You see," he said, "I have ascended."

"What, like, training?" Aaron asked.

"No. I have become better at what I do best. You see, ever since our last encounter, I've been grinding Ring Fit Adventure and have made gains beyond your wildest dreams."

Abigail had to guess it was some workout game. She's heard Aaron talk about them before.

Hypno lifted his right leg onto the table. He presented it with a flourish of his hand.

"These are called runner's legs," he said. "As you can see, the tone, definition, and sheer power of them is absolute."

"Damn..." Aaron growled. "Well... So?"

"You're a fake gamer, Aaron Valor. You don't grind like I do. I can tell. You're running around on chicken stumps, while I've ascended. While you were studying the powdered donuts, I was mastering the gains."

Abigail couldn't help but glance. His legs were thinner. He awkwardly shifted his weight.

"That won't help you against Abigail, though," he said.

"The power of my glutes will outrun any opponent, even you, Lodestar."

"I'm used to chasing my opponents when they run away," she said. "So come quietly."

"You've vastly underestimated my gains."

"I'm, like, one foot away from you..."

"But the sheer power of my runner's legs has distracted you from my true plan."

A wand floated into Hypno's hand, one with a large pink heart at the end of it. Abigail wasn't concerned.

"I've trained to ward off the effects of wands," she explained. "I was weak and off guard the last time it worked."

"Oh, I'm more than aware. The use of most combat is useless against you, especially from me. But like I said, I have become a master of running away, which includes strategies. But you see, this is a special wand I had in mind for you. Or more precisely, your friends. To distract you. So I can leave."

Hypno swung the wand. A white projectile slammed into Aaron. He shielded with his arms.

"Okaythanksbye."

Hypno turned and bolted. Abigail darted out. A claw snagged her tail.

Zoroark Aaron bent down on one knee. He flourished his claw, and out popped a short bush of red flowers. His smile sparkled like sunlight.

"Marry me," he said.

"Dang it, Aaron," she groaned. "I'm not letting him get away."

"Who?"

Abigail tugged her tail and ran. Despite the short interruption, she had a good chance of catching Hypno. His "runner's legs" didn't help him reach max speed making sharp turns past the maze of small shops. She dropped on all fours and ran. Despite his skinny legs, Aaron shadowed behind her. He probably still had some level of sense, but he hadn't trained to ward it off completely like she could.

"Aaron!" Abigail called. "Block the exit!"

"Yes my darling!"

With Aaron set to block that, Abigail had one last worry; the dozens of wands around them. A random one flew to his hand with his Psychic. He probably didn't know what it did, Abigail sure didn't. He swung it behind him anyway.

"I kissed a girl, and I liked ii-itiit..."

Hypno stopped and stared at the wand. Abigail stopped too. They both turned to an Arbok. She swayed and bobbed from side to side with a wide grin.

"It's the Katy Berry Wand!" she said. "All your favorites on the go! Cherry chaptstiiii-ick..."

"What in the fuck," Hypno blurted.

Arbok hissed out the lyrics to herself as the song continued. Hypno tossed the wand aside and pulled in another random one. He flourished and waved it at Abigail. She readied to dodge, but nothing came. Instead, a small bushel of flowers popped out of the end.

A Beautifly flew over Hypno's head. It lowered its long mouth into the flowers and sucked out pollen. She sighed in contentment, glanced between them and floated away. They stayed silent.

Hypno pulled another one and waved it. Nothing happened. He raised his eyeball over the end to check what was wrong. A small spark of electricity hit his face. He held his forehead and threw it away.

"Can you like, come quietly?" Abigail asked.

"Mere RNG," Hypno muttered. "How long can you keep this up, Lodestar?"

"I really don't feel like standing here all day while you pull rocks out of a hat."

"I don't think that's how the saying goes, but fine. I'll pull a boulder instead."

Hypno snagged at a wand flying through the air and swung it over his shoulder. A brown blur fell down on him.

Abigail stood still. A boulder, materialized out of thin air, fell on him. The clash, clang, and clatter of him falling down through multiple floors echoed through the room. At the end of the avalanche, silence.

"AaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

A carriage shipped Hypno off to the emergency room. The giant holes in the floors were patched up with the help of a Lairon.

Furret Abigail stared at a swirling brown liquid in a styrofoam cup, coffee. On a short bench outside the main convention room's cream walls, she sat between Floatzel Zen and Zoroark Aaron. Sanity, and insanity. She didn't really like coffee. So much weighed on her mind that she didn't remember until after she bought it. It warmed her paws, at least.

"So," Zen said. "You got him."

"I did?" she asked.

"Well... He's been gotten."

"Yah... Either of you guys like coffee?"

"Not me," Zen said.

"Nah," Aaron echoed. "But hey, he's the first Rioter we've actually captured. This is good."

Abigail nodded. She continued to stare down.

"Hey," Zen said. "It's okay if you want to pack it up and head home for the day. You kind of look like a zombie."

"I know how much this means to you," she said.

"Well, you mean more to us. Besides, we got to see you in Aerith cosplay."

"Thanks, you guys..."

Furret Abigail's long, exhausting day lasted about two hours. Zen and Aaron bought her enough donuts to live off of for a week. She collapsed on her bed and recovered her sanity for a few hours. She used her phone to direct the Nightlights towards the convention center area in case more Rioters were nearby.

In the middle of soaking up heat in her water pit, she received a text message. She dried off her golden paw on a white towel and checked it.

"Questioning time, if you're up." - Anne

Furret Abigail sighed. She twisted and turned her back until it cracked and lifted herself out of the water. She didn't bother to look good; she twisted her tail above the pit to get the water out, dried off and walked out the door. If anyone said anything, she'd deck them. She didn't care. Her concerns all piled onto that stupid Hypno's back.

She stomped to the elevator, went inside, and clicked for the interrogation floor. She swayed on her feet as the elevator went down. It stopped a minute later.

The round elevator doors opened to a darker, long hallway, clearly constructed for intimidation. Abigail stormed through and checked the signs to follow the numbers. With every step, she got closer to the room number Anne included in her text. Based on how far she walked, she guessed she was in the far corner of the building by the time she reached the door.

Abigail knocked twice and pulled the door open. She found Hypno inside, behind presumably one way glass, talking with Victini Anne over a short steel table. No one else had entered the room. Given that they sat silent and stared at each other, Abigail walked through the small empty space and knocked on the door. She pushed it open and entered.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmm."

Both of Hypno's legs were stuck straight in thick, white casts in front of him on a long, flat cushion. His arms were crossed as she walked in.

"Nice gains," she blurted.

"Die," he ordered.

"What the heck were you doing at a convention?"

"We have to get our food money from somewhere. I simply make a haul off of one of my many great pastimes. Like any modern-day worker, I have to take it upon myself to make up for the lack of health benefits and respect from large corporations. The line between workers and slaves continues to blur."

Anne pulled out her phone and absentmindedly scrolled.

"Okay," said Abigail, "but why were you at a convention when you're a criminal?"

"I'm far from the worst criminal to be at that convention. Clearly, you don't understand how prices should work. Probably got ripped off seven different ways before you arrived at my stall. Well, too bad for you, my products are the only quality in that room, till you ruined it."

Perhaps a simpler question. "Where's my mom?"

"I don't know. Probably drunk somewhere pretending to stab Anne."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Hypno blinked and leaned forward, as if he resigned to the fact that he'd have to explain. "We operate in two groups. I'm with Jayden. Jessie... Your mother, stays close to those other explorers. We have no idea where they are, they only know where we are."

"Okay. Then how about what those orbs do?"

"They'll summon a Legendary species to come to Valor and burn it, drown it, destroy it with energy beams or lightsabers. Don't ask me how."

"Then why?"

"We all have our reasons. I can't even make a good living unless I sell Attract items to those damn teenagers. I need to hit society back for this atrocity."

Abigail's shoulders fell. A realization struck: she might learn nothing from this complete idiot. Her lips bobbed over a weird combination of questions she still needed to create.

"Can't you give me anything?" she asked desperately. "Come on, dude... I just wanted to chill."

"Yah, same here," he spat. "And now both of my legs are fucking broken."

"You dropped a boulder on yourself, moron."

Anne sighed, staring at her phone. "Where are the other orb things?"

"Other gangs have them. We'll have to deal with a lot of gang wars soon."

"Gangs like who?"

"Street gangs, weapons smugglers, thieves, killers, cheaters, hackers... Jessie's finding them with her explorer skills or whatever, then throws Jayden at them."

So her mom was out on the streets, gathering intel. That helped, but not a lot. She would've assumed that already.

"How many orbs are there, and how many do you have?" Anne asked. "You should know that much."

"They're called 'Eyes'. We have two out of six. A white one and a red one. There are two white, two red, and two blue. But wouldn't you know that already from when they were stolen from the N.A.?"

"Yah."

"I told you everything. Can I at least sell my stuff online? Please? I worked hard on this stuff."

"Yah, whatever, you weirdo. Also, your neutral is ass."

"My what?" he asked.

"Your neutral. All you do is mash sonic boom and bicycle kick. It's like playing a monkey."

"You!" he growled. Hypno's eyes sharpened into pincers around Victini Anne's face. "You bastard..."

Anne looked up from her phone and shrugged. "What? Your neutral is shit. The game took so long we tracked your location."

"How does that even work?"

"I dunno. I'm not a nerd. Go look at the code and figure it out yourself."

"You smurfed me. You lying witch."

"Did mom not let you say the b-word? With how bad you are at Street Fighter, it's no wonder your 'runner's legs' from Ring Fit shattered like your health bar."

"I ranked down into gold. Gold!"

Furret Abigail dipped low and slunk out of the room.

"You know what?" Anne said. "I'm gonna put a console in your cell and beat your ass every night." She stood up and turned for the door. "Have fun in bronze."

Hypno grunted and clenched his jaw.

Before he piped up again, Anne slid a small gold coin on the table. Hypno eyeballed it as she looked back down at her phone.

"What's this?" he asked.

Anne leaned for the door and checked if Abigail was in earshot. She wasn't.

"It's for the attract orb," she said quietly. "Thanks."

A red blush dusted her face. She turned her nose up and walked out.

"What in the FU-"

The door slammed shut.

At the end of it all, Abigail didn't get much from any of their would-be leads. Hypno knew nothing since they all operated what seemed to be all on their own, the scouts that followed Jessie and Yen said they disappeared after they left the casino, and everything else turned up dry. She sulked in her room for the rest of the day.

A knock came to her door when Furret Abigail laid on top of her bed, in the midst of a nap. She called for them to come in. Her own voice buzzed in her head and irritated her. Only a single digit number of people had the passcode to get in by themselves, but the knock sounded familiar enough.

Floatzel Zen walked in. She glanced towards him and waited for him to speak first. His fur had been washed back to normal, so the convention must've ended. It went on into the evening, so, it must've gotten late without her realizing.

"Heard you're upset," he said.

"Frustrated," she said. "All I want to do is... talk to her. I mean, why wouldn't I? I thought she was gone."

"I know."

She sighed. "That Hypno was useless."

"So I've heard. But listen, don't get too hung up on it. You'll get your chance. Until then, don't worry about what will happen."

Zen walked further into the room. Abigail crawled to the edge of her bed and sat up.

A flicker passed through Zen's eyes.

"Zen?" she asked.

"I've been too hung up on what will happen," he said. "I won't be a hypocrite."

Zen leaned forward, Abigail away. She held her paws together. His arms wrapped around her back.

His lips tasted salty. His other arm curled around her and picked her up into a hug. She lost her breath. Her face burned. Her claws scratched against the fur on his chest.

With no warning, Zen set her down. Her lips and eyes quivered. He managed to keep hold of a passive smile.

"Aaron told me something interesting the other day," he said. "Said that kissing you was the first time he legitimately thought he'd actually die."

"Y-you... know...?"

"Yah. But, I have every intention of being your one and only, so, I don't really care. People say I'm pretty mellow, but, when push comes to shove... I know what I want."

"I... already..."

"You didn't straight up choose Aaron just yet."

Zen stayed for a while. He left when night fell deep enough so that there wouldn't be as much activity in the hallways. His fur stuck up in rough angles when he in tatters.

Afterwards, Furret Abigail had to keep her promise for a pizza party. Not long after Zen left, she got a text from Erica that they were on their way. She asked if she could invite her friend Helen, and they said yes to both her and Anne (she seemed to need a break too). With luck, she also had enough time to fix up her own fur.

After, she waited out in the hallway so they wouldn't get lost. She huddled against the wall with her phone in her paws. Unfortunately, Helen texted that she couldn't make it. She looked up when a larger force of metallic footsteps echoed down the hall.

Riolu Erica, Vulpix Quinton, and Houndoom Victoria walked down the hall. Victini Anne floated above them, and even on her phone, held up a stack of flat, cardboard boxes with pizzas inside.

"Ohmyghosh, hiiiiiiiii!" Erica sang. She darted up and fell short of throwing her arms around her in a hug.

"Hey," she said. "How've you been?"

"Good, you?" Abigail asked.

"Great! Awesome! We've had, like, nothing to do thanks to that bust. It's been such a nice break, and people are happier..."

"We owe you more than a pizza," Quinton said. "A lot of people are doing better cause of this. So, thanks."

Victoria nodded without direct eye contact.

"You're welcome," said Abigail. "Come on in."

Abigail pushed open the door to her room. Everyone followed her in. Anne waved her fingers and set the pizzas down in a circle on top of the carpet in front of the TV on the wall. They gravitated towards the multiple cushions.

"Nice room," Victoria said.

"Thanks," Abigail said. "Our basement isn't as cool as yours, though."

Anne plopped down on a cushion. Her eyes remained on her phone as a cardboard lid lifted. A slice of pepperoni pizza floated into her grasp. Erica and Quinton both sat on another, and Victoria took her own.

"So, I thought of some cool party games," Erica said. "I've got truth or dare, checkers pillow fights... Maybe not that one cause we'll get brain injuries from Abigail, but..."

"Don't think dares are practical," Quinton argued.

"Uh, truths are nice, too."

"I'm fine with anything," Abigail said. "Ask me anything you'd like."

Furret Abigail walked draped herself across two cushions next to each other. She snuggled her back down and got comfortable with a cheese pizza within reach. She reached for a remote and turned on the TV for some background noise.

"You ever gone to an arena?" Erica asked.

"Nope," she said. "Okay, let's go around. Quinton, what's your dream?"

"I don't get dreams when I sleep. Anne, what's it like being in a high position here?"

"Boring," Anne said, staring down. "I don't really do much, to be honest. It's mostly secretary stuff and junk." She glanced at Victoria. "So Victoria, why do you look like such a hard-ass?"

"I take things too seriously," she said. "Don't have to cut that deep, you know. Abigail, how can I become as strong as you?"

"I dunno, I just punch things."

Victoria stayed silent for a second to check if she would keep talking. She didn't.

"O-kay," Victoria huffed. "Well, I guess I'm overthinking it."

"How are your guys' parents okay with you being vigilantes?" Abigail asked them.

"We just don't tell them," Erica said. "Well, we didn't until they found out. It was really weird. Like, terrified and proud mixed together."

"Yah, I can imagine something along those lines..."

"Okay. Now I have a question. Which prince is your favorite...?"

Victini Anne lowered her phone. Vulpix Quinton and Houndoom Victoria shared a curious glance.

Furret Abigail sat up for this one. Riolu Erica's eyes sparkled with mischief. She probably really wanted to know.

Abigail could answer honestly, or skip out. Now that she thought about it, it would be nice to share the truth with someone, and they wouldn't tattle. She knew that rule.

"To be honest," she said, "I made out with Zen and Aaron."

Anne nodded as her eyes fell. She jolted back up. "And?" she questioned. "Like, both?"

"Are you trying to start a war?" Quinton asked curiously.

"Wha- Uh, no?" she answered.

"Cause that's where this is heading."

"Wow," Victoria said. "Skank."

"Don't be jelly," Erica said. "Okay, when?"

"Aaron before the casino... And Zen, like, an hour ago..." Abigail said. Heat rose in her face. The atmosphere became more awkward and tense than she expected it to.

"It was bound to happen," Anne sighed. She took out her phone again and scrolled. "Country girls don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Do you have any idea how much of an impact you have on them? Making out with them is basically the equivalent of bashing their heads in with a bat."

"...Uh..."

"You gave both of those wolves a taste. That means they'll want more. You accidentally just wound them both around your paws. They're gonna fight."

"There are other girls," Abigail reasoned for herself out loud. "They won't fight over one. They're practically like brothers."

"You're not just a girl. You're the girl. The one to set their hormones on fire. There's literally no avoiding it anymore."

"Now hold on," Erica said. "There's a simple solution. I'll take Zen."

"Still two left," Anne said.

Abigail furrowed her brow. "Gawain doesn't like me."

Anne rolled her head and palmed her face. "Yes he does, idiot."

"What?"

"People with the Acuitan blessing always have a warm-up time with new people till they feel comfortable enough to act natural. He likes you just as much as the other two, and his warm-up time is nearly over."

"What makes you say that...?"

"I have my reasons, trust me. You're screwed. If this was medieval times, Aaron would have knifed Zen in his sleep and Gawain would be riding to Valor Castle."

Abigail leaned back in her cushion. Even if Anne was wrong about Gawain, she still played herself. She didn't consider how attraction would play into it at all, except that it made everyone involved stupid.

"Dammit," she uttered. "I made out with Aaron and Zen..."

"Why?" Erica asked.

"They're... well, you know. Have a way with words."

"Yah... They're pretty hot."

"It's not all your fault," Victoria said. "I mean, they have the advantage. They know who they want, and you haven't decided yet. They made moves to get what they wanted despite knowing you hadn't chosen yet to pressure you."

"Doubt they're masterminds, though," Quinton added. "I mean, we're all young. They probably didn't recognize what they were doing. Just lay it on the table and tell them to respect it."

"Thanks," she said. "I just... Got a lot of stress from it. Like, I'm just a civilian, and someone told me to pick between three great desserts and to hurry up before they lose interest."

"They'd be the idiots for that," Anne said. "This isn't about that. You're on equal footing with them. They know it, and so should you. That's why the tradition of them waiting until they're sixteen exists in the first place. They're not fat cats."

"You're awesome with or without them," Erica said. "And also, which one of them makes out the best?"

Abigail clenched her paws together. "U-uh... Uhm..."

"Zen, duh," Anne said.

"No comment," Quinton said.

"With the Veritan blessing, wouldn't it kinda make sense for it to be Zen?" Victoria asked.

Abigail tried to sidestep the topic, but they pushed it for the rest of the night.

Truth be told, Zen had the upper hand, but also the advantage of a better spot to kiss than a small carriage. If she couldn't even choose between them for that, she had no chance of being able to pick for anything more.

Anne was right. She played herself.