18th Red Ash Moon, 908, Nalzona

"This is a waste of time…"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Better than yours—"

"Don't you two start again. It's too early in the morning to deal with your arguing."

After getting breakfast from the inn, Luna, Jet, and Zephora made their way into town, hoping to reconcile with Gerard after yesterday's unfortunate mishap. The old knight made it clear he didn't want to see any of them again after learning they were Foresters. It was hard to blame the man, having lived in seclusion and paranoia for over twenty years. He didn't want to get involved with whatever they were investigating, or to be dragged down into more conspiracy.

However, Luna remained stubborn as always, doggedly holding out for a second chance.

Jet shoved his hands inside his pockets and groaned. "We were already on thin ice with him earlier. What's going to change about now?"

"Look, regardless of anything, we still need to find out what he knows about the ruins." She frowned at her feet. "I just wished it was under better obligations."

Zephora sighed. "It can't be helped. Despite his words, he's a man lost in his past. Stuff like that does things to people."

"You know?"

"My dad used to do medical work on the field. He's…seen things in his day. Sometimes zones out. Best not to bother him when that happens."

Luna frowned. "I see." She scratched behind her head. "Mom never talked to me about that kind of stuff. I…wonder if she ever regretted her line of work."

Jet sighed. "The past is cruel. Best to forget about it."

"You're the last person who should be giving that advice, Mister Mistrust," Zephora teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Was he wrong, though?"

"That depends on how you let the past affect you. Never stopped my dad from treating wounded soldiers, and it never stopped him from being a loving father." She shrugged. "Some people just…don't know how to handle that sort of thing."

Luna glared. "It just seems so strange. Sir Gerard seemed to have a good relationship with the Penworths when he was in service, especially with Odolina. He never said anything bad about her or the other princes. Not even the king that much. He just seems to have issues with Queen Temperance."

Jet closed his eyes. "Queen Temperance. She was a woman of strong conviction for her kingdom, or so I've been told. She'd do just about anything to make sure the Verde Kingdom thrived. She was quite different compared to her three children. Always aiming for opportunity."

"Hmm. What could've been so important in the ruins that she'd…?" Luna's thoughts trailed off as they came up on Gerard's street. She shook her head and picked up the pace. "If worse comes to worst, we'll have to investigate his house while he's away."

"Much simpler," Jet quipped.

"Oh hush."

They walked up to the knight's door. Luna rapped her knuckles across it a couple times, waiting in anticipation for the door to be slammed into her face or not be opened at all. However, no answer came through, not by irate shouting or a searing glare from the clean window.

Luna raised her brow. "Odd. He's usually still home at this time." She walked up to the window and peered through.

Jet shrugged. "Could be still sleeping. Or gave himself food poisoning from his own food."

Zephora smirked. "You're a bubble of optimism, Jet."

Luna frowned. "I don't think he's home, and I still see his market wagon parked by the kitchen."

Zephora raised her brow. "Weird. What would he be doing this early in the morning?"

The Snivy knight inspected the interior of his home again and noticed a bowl of food on the table. Thanks to the housework she and Jet did, she got a clearer view of the dining area. She saw traces of steam lifting from the meal, indicating it was made fairly recent. The chair it sat in front of was jarred out as if he had gotten out of his seat in a hurry.

"I think…something happened this morning. Something that made him rush out of the house," Luna said, stepping away from the window. "I can't be sure, but…"

Jet glared for a moment before turning away. "Come to think of it, I could've sworn there was a commotion going on near the inn. A little way down the street. Didn't seem like our problem, but…"

She nodded at him. "A knight's instincts never really go away, do they? Let's check out this commotion."

The Foresters traced their steps back to the inn and walked down the street to the source of Jet's assumption. True to his hunch, they noticed town guards scouring the streets, stopping passing Pokémon to ask questions. What stuck out to them was just how many guards were on patrol compared to the last few days they were in town. They would see one or two at most, but the entire town's squadron seemed to be out on duty.

"What the…?" Luna mumbled.

Zephora glared. "Something's got them frazzled."

Jet scanned the streets before spotting three Pokémon stepping out from an alleyway. Two of them were town guards (a Naclstack and a Luxray) and the third among them was Sir Gerard himself. "Found him."

Following Jet's arm to the Sirfetch'd, Luna sprinted to him. "Sir Gerard! What's going—"

"Halt!" the Luxray exclaimed, causing her to freeze. "Ma'am, police business is being conducted here. If you have anything to contribute to the case, speak to another guard."

"H-Hold on a moment." She looked at Gerard in confusion. "Sir Gerard, what's going on here?"

"…" The duck knight glared at her firmly for a moment before sighing and waving his wing to the guards. "I know the lass. Continue with your investigation. I'll handle this."

The Naclstack nodded. "Thank you again for your service, Sir Gerard."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The two guards left the duck to attend to the confused grass snake. He massaged his face and groaned. "Any other day, lass, I'd be telling you to scram. I'm not in the mood for whatever you have to say."

Zephora and Jet walked up beside Luna, the former saying, "As much as we want to make amends for yesterday, this seems to be the forefront of everyone's attention right now."

Jet crossed his arms and glared. "Yeah. What's going on, old man? What's the town fussing about?"

Gerard sighed through his nostrils. "You haven't heard yet? I'm not surprised. Reports came in before sunrise." He glared down the street and said, "The town's going on lockdown. There have been reports of children going missing in the past couple of days."

The Foresters' eyes widened. "Missing? As in…kidnapped?!" Luna gasped.

"That's the leading theory, at least. According to some of the missing children's parents, their kids have been gone the day prior under the assumption they were sleeping over at a friend's house or just…being out late as kids do. No alarm was raised until one of the parents noticed their child forgot to take their medicine. When she realized her kid wasn't where he said he was, well…one thing led to another and snowballed into this."

"Th-That's horrible!" Luna exclaimed. "Who would do something like this?"

"We're still looking into it. The guards did consider it a case of a runaway, but too many reports came in to support that. Based on the number of missing children, this wasn't done by one perpetrator. This was a coordinated effort done by a group."

Jet narrowed his eyes. "Is that right?"

"Mhmm." He glanced at the three and asked, "I have no reason to suspect you all are involved, right?"

Zephora flashed a bitter smile. "Don't go pointing fingers at us. Everyone we've kidnapped was either a criminal or someone in power."

"Hmm, point made. Besides, I know it can't be you three. You were with me around the alleged times some of the children went missing." He crossed his wings and sighed. "It's a sad state. All those kids must be worried sick, wondering if they'll see their folks again."

Luna frowned. "I don't get it. How can this many people go missing in broad daylight?"

"Like I said, it's likely a coordinated effort. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. Our main concern now is whether or not they got away before we locked the town down."

Jet raised his brow. "Is that why you're out so early?"

He sighed. "For all the contempt I hold for my home kingdom's monarch, I was a knight of Verde. It's my job to protect the innocent. All I can offer is assisting in the search and leading the guards in the right direction."

"You're not going to hunt down the kidnappers yourself?" Zephora asked.

"My fighting days are over. I'm not the pillar of strength I used to be."

"I beg to differ," Jet grumbled, clearly remembering the split the old duck made in his backyard.

Gerard rolled his shoulders and began to walk away. "If you'll excuse me, I want to check out the other crime scenes and see if I can find any—" Luna reached out and stopped him by the shoulder. "Lass?"

"Let us help you," she said. "If there's anyone who can hunt down crooks and baddies, it's a fellow knight and two thieves. R-Right?" she added with an awkward smile.

He glared and shook her hand off. "Do whatever you think will help, but leave me out of it. I don't want to get involved with you people."

"Sir Gerard, about yesterday—"

"Don't want to hear it. I've got more important matters at wing obviously." He walked away, waving his wing back at them. "If you find any leads, give them to the guards. Do not pursue the kidnappers."

"But Sir Gerard—" But the Snivy's pleas fell on deaf ears as he continued on his way. She deflated with a miserable expression. "You can trust me…" She hung her head and sighed. "It just keeps getting worse."

Zephora patted her shoulder. "Leave it be, Lu. Let's head back to the room and get our gear."

Jet glared. "Didn't Gerard say not to pursue the kidnappers?"

She smirked. "Were you going to listen?"

"I was preoccupied thinking of the different ways to break the kidnappers' bones."

"That's what I thought."

Upon returning to their room, the trio gathered up their gear hidden within several discreet spaces. Jet and Zephora helped each other strap their phantom grapplers on while Luna slung her scabbard and belt on. As they geared up, Luna walked up to the room window and peered out onto the streets.

She saw a couple speaking to a town guard, and the woman seemed barely able to keep herself together, distraught over the fate of her missing child. Her husband didn't seem all that better either, though rage was written over his expression than sadness. It reminded her of her mom and the devastation she brought in Barrenworth. She couldn't imagine going through that pain if she ever had kids herself.

She pressed her forehead to the window and sighed. "How can people be so cruel?"

"Stay out on the streets long enough, and you'll be surprised," Jet said after strapping Zephora's grappler on. "You get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to this," she mumbled.

Zephora shook her head. "No one does. A good chunk of the Foresters is made up of people who saw the worst in pokemanity. It's the way things are, sadly."

Luna closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and punched the wall with a growl. "I don't get it. Who would be cruel enough to kidnap innocent children from a nice town like this?"

Jet threw his uniform on and smoothed the sleeves out. "I have my suspicions."

She raised her head at him. "Huh?"

"You're right, no one would benefit from committing crimes in a town like this. No one in the west, that is." Jet glared. "We've been keeping up with the warring in the east, and there have been reports of New Chariot spies infiltrating our territory to weaken us from the inside. How do you weaken your enemy for attacking? You either systematically destroy them or—"

"Weaken their morale," Luna finished with a gasp. "Are you saying New Chariot soldiers are behind this?"

He shrugged. "It's an assumption, at least. They're the only people I can think of who would pull a brazen stunt like this. They usually go after unguarded targets or travelers. But since they want to move the war into the west, they want to make sure their enemy is under mass hysteria. It's the same shit they pulled on the Umbra Clock Kingdom and even the Arcania Kingdom. Fighting with fear."

Luna clenched her teeth. "That's…horrible!"

Zephora groaned. "It also means they anticipated something like this happening. They either already left with the kidnapped children or are planning an escape route during the confusion. They likely already know the town guard's procedures and planned around them."

Jet scoffed. "If that's the case, it won't be long before they're out of Echo Bell territory."

Zephora sighed. "Even if we do search the town on our own, the three of us might not be enough. Unless we had someone familiar with New Chariot's tactics…"

"…" Luna narrowed her eyes. "Familiar with their tactics?"

"If you've seen the horrible things I did in New Chariot's arena, you'll know assassinating royalty is the least of my concerns."

"…" Her eyes widened. "I think I know where we can find more help."

Jet growled. "Why do I feel like I'm about to hate your suggestion?"

"Do you remember where those bounty hunters from yesterday are staying?"

"Yep, definitely hate it…"

With the events of yesterday behind them, Regina was hoping to put the traumatizing experience to rest by staying in her room and sleeping. However, peace would not come so easily that morning as Casimir came bursting into the room and dragging her and Katsu out, much to the Zangoose's never-ending complaints.

"This is assault, you jerk! Assault!" Regina screamed, flailing her arms angrily. "Katsu, kill him! Now!"

The Accelgor didn't fight back against Casimir, still drained from being partially dehydrated. While he was back to decent vigor, he awoke in the morning with a splitting headache that was further exasperated by his lady's improper tantrums. "Lady von Elmnou, can you please keep your voice down?"

"UGH!" She growled at Casimir and asked, "What's the big idea dragging us out of our room, you filthy mercenary? Just you wait, I'll—AH!" After stepping outside, Casimir dropped them both onto the sidewalk. "Is this some kind of joke to—"

"Hey, old lady!" The ex-noble's expression soured further at the presence of Shale, who was casually munching on a bread roll. "Wow, you look terrible! Almost like you were filling a ditch or something."

Regina shakily raised her hands toward the Cinderace's neck. "I'm going to—"

"Ahem." She paused and looked down, finding she and her fellow bounty hunters weren't the only ones present. Furthering her distasteful morning, it was the three Foresters she tried and failed to capture. The one who addressed them, Luna, smiled and waved. "Good morning."

Regina blinked twice before shooting a glare at Casimir. "Alright, what's this about?"

Casimir crossed his arms and sighed. "She asked to speak with all four of us, so I went to pull you two outside."

"You say that like you weren't told why you needed to."

"It was faster."

"Faster?!"

"Shut up!" Jet snapped. "You're getting on my nerves, you crone."

"Crone?!" Regina gnashed her teeth together, hissing smoke. "I'm in my thirties, you annoying whelp—"

"AHEM!" Luna sounded louder, interrupting both sides. She groaned and massaged her temples. "Look, it's too early in the morning for all of us, but I'm reaching out to you four for much needed assistance."

Katsu picked himself up and massaged his head. "Assistance?"

Zephora nodded her head down the street. "I'm sure you've noticed the sudden influx of patrol from the town guard today."

Shale nodded. "Oh yeah, I did. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to steal my breakfast earlier." Casimir facepalmed as she continued munching on her roll.

Luna sighed. "Alright, then I'll make this brief. Over the last couple of days, there apparently have been a string of kidnappings. Several children have gone missing in that time."

Casimir's eyes widened. "What?"

"That's awful," Katsu said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I was dragged out into the street for this?" She turned back toward the inn, but Casimir seized her by her nightgown's collar. "Hey! Let me go!"

Zephora glared. "While nothing has been outright confirmed yet, we believe this might be due to New Chariot slave traders hiding in the area." She pointed at Luna and continued, "She thinks one of you may know something about that."

Casimir nodded, his brow furrowing into a tight scowl. "So, my lead was right."

Luna gasped. "You mean it's true?"

"Truth be told, that's why I came to Nalzona in the first place. I heard rumors of slave traders infiltrating this area and decided to investigate. I haven't heard or seen anything yet, but…" He growled to himself. "I'm ashamed of myself for not noticing until now."

Zephora shook her head. "The town guard only just found out, too. They stalked their targets and used deception to buy themselves time. Everyone thought their kids were in one place or the other. It's a complete fluke the illusion got dismantled."

"Meaning they're probably scrambling to make a getaway at this moment." He cupped his fist under his chin. "They most likely have a wagon hidden somewhere in town, probably close to the perimeter. They'll be biding their time until they see an opportunity to flee."

Luna glared. "What makes you think they hadn't escaped already?"

"I've been a New Chariot slave for a long time. I've learned things from the stories told by the younger fighters. They don't pick out their targets randomly in populated areas like this. Days upon weeks of investigation is done to determine routines and habits. They pick out children who would be most likely to leave home for long periods of time and not alert their parents or guardians. They typically have a couple goons do the kidnappings and a team that specializes in deceiving authority figures. If no alarm is immediately raise, they'll typically leave during the day as to not arouse suspicion from any night guards. A wagon leaving in the middle of the night would ironically stand out too much since traveling late at night is dangerous. You'd blend in better during the day."

"In plain sight," Luna mumbled. "So, that means they'll have a wagon prepped to leave at a moment's notice."

"And they'll likely have their head of distraction create a diversion to get the most amount of guards away from their escape route." Casimir glared. "Though, with the plan this muddled, we may have a limited time."

She smiled. "Does that mean you'll help us?"

He bowed to her. "I swore to get my revenge on New Chariot, and I refuse to let anyone meet the same fate I did. I'll join in the search."

Shale finished her bread roll and stepped up to his side. "Better than doing nothing. Count me in, too."

"Well, count me out!" Regina cut in bitterly. "I'm not sticking my neck out for a bunch of snot-nosed brats, especially with New Chariot involved."

Casimir scowled. "You can't be serious. Innocent children's lives are at stake, and you just want to go back to bed?"

She poked his chest and growled. "Getting involved with the east's problems leads to trouble. The Arcania Kingdom went to war with New Chariot and the Umbra Clock Kingdom several times over in the last few decades, and look what happened to them. Umbra Clock is losing power by the day, and now New Chariot's forces are expanding so much that they've decided to tear the west down. I don't want to get involved with that."

Jet groaned and turned his back to them. "I knew this was a waste of time. Trusting bounty hunters—"

Luna touched his shoulder. "Hold on a moment." She frowned at Regina. "Ms. von Elmnou, please. There are innocent lives that are scared and confused right now. You can't just tell us you don't care. You, a member of nobility, must know that carrying for one's subjects is your top priority."

She sneered. "All I care about is getting my status and fortune back. Besides, there's nothing noble about me. Just ask my family. They never treated me with an ounce of respect, and I never got that respect from my supposed subjects in Elmnou. Why should I stick my neck out for anyone? As far as anyone's concerned, there's nothing great about me."

"…" Katsu looked away for a moment.

"Well, I'm going to prove them all wrong. I'm going to become the richest noble in all of Virdis and rub it in the faces of everyone who has ever wronged me. And that means not getting myself killed trying to fight an entire empire." She turned back toward the inn and marched away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to—" Someone grabbed her nightgown and stopped her. Before she snapped at them, she frowned upon seeing it was Katsu. "Huh?"

"…" He sighed and glared up at her. "Lady von Elmnou, I suggest we take up Ms. Freia's request."

"You're serious? Why?!"

"I have seen the horrors of New Chariot myself, remember? If you knew the kind of people I worked with back in Great Gate, you'll know why I don't condone the actions of my home in the east or their ally. I am asking you as your confidant, not your bodyguard, to assist with this selfless task."

"…" She relaxed her shoulders. "Katsu…"

"Lady von Elmnou, if you want to prove you're better than your family, this is the best way to go about it. Not a better noble, but a better person."

"…" She closed her eyes and groaned. "Fiiiiine. I'll do it." She shrugged his hand off and continued into the inn. "Let me get my gear first."

Katsu sighed. "Thank you, Lady von Elmnou."

Shale snickered. "You got a real handle on her, Kat!"

Casimir raised his brow. "What was that about?"

"…" Katsu shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing." He turned to Luna and bowed his head. "I apologize for her behavior. I'll make sure she keeps her word and joins in the search. Start on without us."

Luna nodded. "Alright. Thank you." She glared at Casimir and Shale. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's hurry."

"Right!" Casimir and Shale took off in opposite directions. The Foresters nodded to each other and ran on ahead as well.

Katsu leaned against the inn's exterior and massaged his forehead. Lady von Elmnou. There is so much more to you than you give yourself credit for. I hope one day you'll learn to understand that.

19th Red Ash Moon, 908, Copper Bluff

Three days into Copper Bluff, Linota and Serell were adapting to their undercover roles in the Brennan's shop. Their responsibilities bumped up to delivering orders to townspeople and doing the shopping while the Brennans were working. It was relaxed compared to their normal duties back in Senbo.

However, this did put a damper in their investigation. They intended to sneak into the town archival house to look up any information on Adenine, but they would be busy throughout all hours of the day. The archival house would be locked shut at night, and neither of them knew how to pick a lock.

They were able to sneak away during a lunch break, but that's when they ran into a second problem. They weren't allowed inside the archival house to begin with. For whatever reason, it was off limits to the public, and the old woman running the archives made it particular clear she didn't want two strangers snooping around inside. It was a waste of time and of a lunch break. They wouldn't be able to access anything without her keys.

Fortunately, favor smiled upon them as noon rolled around just as they got back from their deliveries.

"Alright, breaktime!" Doc announced, stepping into the shop. "Linota, Serell, hows about ya two and Monroe take an hour long lunch break down at the tavern?"

Serell tilted his head. "Oh, really?"

He laughed. "Sure! Pearl and Ah eat light for lunch, but Monroe typically eats out at the tavern on his break. He can take ya down so ya can chat and stuff."

Linota frowned. "You sure it's alright for us to be gone that long?"

"No problem at all. Besides, it's a slow workday. Only a couple more orders to fill out. One to Old Man McBucket and the other to Ms. Hortense."

Their eyes widened at the mention of the name, and the look they shared with each other told them they were thinking the same thing. Ms. Hortense was the name of the old woman running the archival house. They'd have a bit more wiggle room on a delivery than their lunch break. If they could distract her long enough to take the keys…

"Oh, is that all?" Serell spoke up. He waved it off and laughed. "No biggie. We'll get those deliveries done no problem after lunch."

Doc smiled. "That's a mighty fine workin' attitude, mah friend. Monroe will be down in a moment to take ya two out." He walked over to the front counter and opened the money box.

Serell and Linota shared a quick fistbump. "We really appreciate it, Doc. I could use a drink, honestly." Linota said. Her expression suddenly turned awkward as she scratched her nape. "Hey, uh, by the way. I was wondering something. I'm probably just snooping, but—"

Doc waved her off. "Oh, don't be like that. We're always open to answer yer questions. What's eatin' at ya, lassie?"

She shared a quick look with Serell before sighing. "Well, it's just that…we couldn't help but notice some of the family portraits upstairs. Very lovely. Though, we…noticed someone else in the portraits. A younger Kecleon."

That made Doc's expression drop instantly. "Oh. Ya did now?"

"Yeah. Just curious and all. Is she your daughter?"

"…" Doc looked down. "Yes, that's mah youngest child, Adenine. She doesn't live in Copper Bluff anymore. Left town a while ago."

"Oh. How come?"

He waved it off. "Oh, the details aren't important. She just wanted to explore the region." He laughed. "Ya know how kids are. They get to a certain age where they want to set out on their own and see the world. She does write back to us time to time. We…miss her dearly."

Serell frowned. "Sir, are you okay? You look…troubled."

"Ah…Ah'm fine. It's just—"

"It's none of yer business, that's what it is." The two knights jumped as Monroe came down from the stairs, scowling lightly at them. "She left town. That's all ya need to know, so quit askin'."

Linota glared. "Hey, we were just curious. No need to throw a fit with us."

Doc raised his hands. "Monroe, it's fine. Don't make a scene over it.

The Granbull huffed through his nose and shoved his hands into his overall pockets. "Sorry, Pa." He marched around the knights and gently kicked the door open. "Come on, ya two. Let's grab some grub or…whatever."

Linota and Serell shared one last, concerned look with each other before following him out.

The walk into town was unnervingly quiet. The two knights followed behind their boss, sensing the tension in his posture. He grumbled to himself and dragged his feet with his head hanging. Did it have something to do with them prying into Adenine's history? Was there bad blood between her and her brother? They never got that impression whenever she brought up her family on her secret dates.

Linota sighed. "Well, this is awkward," she whispered.

"Maybe we should apologize," Serell suggested.

"Somehow, I feel like he'd just yell at us again."

"He hasn't trusted us since we got here. May do us some good to at least talk." Serell took a deep breath and put on his best smile. "So, uh, Monroe? We didn't properly thank you for taking us out to lunch. It's really kind of you."

The Granbull grumbled more openly and scratched his nape. "It's no big deal."

"How can you afford to eat out everyday, anyway?"

"Ah don't. A friend of mine sets me up with leftovers from the other day, and Ah usually drink the cheap crap collectin' dust on the shelves. Better than lettin' it go to waste."

Linota raised her brow. "Awfully frugal of you."

"That's how Ah live. Ah do mah chores and manage mah allowance." He sighed to himself. "Everyone always told me Ah have a future as a merchant. Ah'm good with numbers, they keep tellin' me. But Ah couldn't go explorin' a career with Ma and Pa strugglin' to manage the shop. All our customers are just everyone in town. We're usually doin' minor mends, but folks take pity on us and give free stuff to shoulder the burden. Ah've just learned to accept it."

Serell frowned. "Must be rough having so much potential yet not finding a way to channel it. Do you regret staying home for so long?"

Monroe sighed. "Course not. If anythin', Ah try to keep mahself busy so Ah don't feel awful. Ah've heard a comment or two about me bein' a lazy bum moochin' off mah folks. Plus, findin' work out here ain't easy. The town's seen better days, too. We barely have a trade route."

Linota nodded. "Right. This used to be an old mining town, but you stopped going into the gorge because of the Outlands."

"…Yeah."

"Hmm? Something wrong?"

"…No." Monroe sighed. "Look, would ya mind keepin' this junk to yerself? Ah don't want Ma and Pa frettin' over me, makin' them think Ah'm holdin' mahself back just for their sakes."

Serell tilted his head. "You really should talk to them about this."

"…Ah just don't want to worry them. Ah've caused us enough tro—" He stopped himself.

"Caused enough what?"

"…Ah'm hungry." The Granbull quickened his pace.

Linota sighed. "Well, he's an open book of secrets."

Serell frowned. "I do feel for him, though. Sometimes you have big dreams, and…they just never go anywhere."

Linota snorted. "You failing to become an artist, then eventually getting arrested doesn't really compare."

He groaned. "I should've never admitted that to you." He shook his head. "Still, it's sweet of him to stick around for so long just to take care of his parents."

She smirked a bit. "Sweet, eh?"

He turned away, hiding a blush. "J-Just an observation."

"Oi! Quit screwing with me!" Monroe and the knights stopped and looked ahead. Just across from the tavern, two thuggish Pokémon were looming over a scared Skiploom. She cowered against the wall as the tallest of the brutes slammed his hand into the space above her. "Hand over our payment, lady."

The Skiploom gulped. "But s-sirs, Ah need that money for food. Ah'm runnin' on low—"

"You're a Grass-Type, ain't you?" He kneeled and scowled at her. "If you're so hungry, stand out in the sun for a few hours."

"P-Please…"

Monroe groaned and held his hand up to shield his eyes. "Of course." He kept on walking, but noticed Linota and Serell weren't following. "What's with ya two?"

Linota's brow creased into a scowl. "Those two again…"

The two brutes harassing the Skiploom were the same pair they met on their first day in Copper Bluff: Vitus the Chesnaught and his Toedscruel accomplice. The sight of them made the temperamental rat's blood boil. She rolled up her sleeves and marched toward them.

"Ah, Linota!" Serell called out.

"HEY!" Her shout alerted the two brutes. They turned and looked down at her as she cracked her knuckles. "Leave her alone. If you want to pick on someone, try answering to me."

Vitus blinked at the undercover knight before smirking. "Well, well, well. Look at that, Newt. It's our troublesome visitor from before. How you doing, cutie?"

She sneered. "I won't say it again. Buzz off, or your head's getting ducked in a barrel of molasses. And believe me, that's not something you want to experience."

Newt groaned. "Pesky little rat, isn't she?"

Vitus turned away from his target and marched up to Linota, his form towering over her comparatively smaller size. "Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier. You and your friend there are new here, so it's obvious you don't know how things are done around these parts."

Linota scoffed. "I've heard this same spiel from men three times your size, and I've broken all of them." She clenched her fist. "Want to see what a tiny Ratatta can do when she's pissed?"

Vitus smirked. "Be my guest~."

Before Linota could make her move, Monroe quickly stepped in and pulled her back by the collar. "Alright, that's enough out of ya!" He threw her back toward Serell and quickly bowed his head to the grunts. "Ah'm terribly sorry about her. She won't bother ya again."

"EH?!" Linota gasped. "You're just going to let them rough her up?!"

"It's the law!" Monroe snapped in a hush tone.

Her and Serell's eyes widened. "The…law?"

Monroe was then grabbed roughly by the shirt collar and lifted up to Vitus' eye level. The Chesnaught studied the bitter hound's face before smirking. "Oho! I recognize this one. Monroe Brennan. My, oh my, haven't seen your face in a while. Almost like you've been avoiding us."

"…" The Granbull curled his fists.

Vitus jabbed a finger into his chest. "You know, I almost forgot we were supposed to collect taxes from your family today. You do have our money, right?"

"…" Monroe reached inside his pocket and pulled out a sack of coins. "Ah do. If ya try harassin' mah folks—"

Vitus took the coins and dropped him. "Monroe, Monroe, Monroe. We're just doing business. I mean, we're the reason your town hasn't been invaded by those Freaks out in the Outlands, remember?"

The knights gasped. What?

"As long as business moves along as usual, there's no point in roughing up your home. Not that you don't deserve it." Vitus suddenly swung his foot and kicked him in the stomach. Monroe gasped and doubled over onto his knees. Vitus pressed his foot down on his head and shoved him into the dirt. "Your whole family's on our watchlist after that stunt your bratty sister pulled five years ago. You're lucky the boss is merciful. We wouldn't want there to be any…accidents, right?"

Monroe growled quietly. "…No."

"That's what I thought." Vitus looked over his shoulder just as Newt finished collecting taxes from the tearful Skiploom. He took his foot off Monroe and kicked off out of the way. "You're an honest fellow, Monroe. Try to keep it like that. Come on, Newt. We've got a few more stores to collect from."

Just as they started to leave, Linota jumped in front of them and growled. "Hold it, we're not finished here—"

Vitus kicked her out of the way without warning, knocking her and Serell to the ground. "That's the only warning you're getting out of us. You mess with the Dead Men Soldiers, you get what's coming to you. Enjoy your stay in Copper Bluff." He waved them off and continued on his way with Newt.

Linota pushed herself off and nearly ran after them, but Serell caught her by the tail. "I'm going to plunk their eyes out and feed them back down their gullets!"

"Will you calm down?!" Serell shouted.

They stopped as Monroe groaned and picked himself off the ground. He shook his head before dusting himself off. "Don't…ya dare do anythin'. Ya'll just get us into more trouble with them."

Linota glared. "What the hell was that about? You just let them kick you around without fighting back."

"Fightin' back isn't an option. This is how we've had to live in Copper Bluff for years. It's better to just accept it than to fight it."

She snarled. "Accept it?! I'd sooner eat dirt than let them tell me what to do—"

"Ya will not interfere!" Monroe snapped, startling the knights. He relaxed and sighed to himself. "If ya try playin' hero, bad things happen. That's how it's always been. We can't even afford to leave Copper Bluff. We're pretty much stuck here. That's why Ah can't leave to start mah own merchant business. If Ah did, Ma and Pa wouldn't be able to last out here."

Serell frowned. "Monroe…"

He turned and marched toward the tavern. "The Wick Kingdom's lost hope in us. We're just a casualty of this shithole world."

The knights watched the depressed Granbull lumber into the tavern, frozen in place. Glancing down the road, they saw Vitus and Newt shaking down other businesses, some more willingly handing over their money than others. It was unlike anything they've seen, even from their own criminal histories. A town so downtrodden under the guise of protection from other dangerous criminals that they choose to endure this lifestyle.

"The Dead Men Soldiers…" Linota mumbled.

Serell glared. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Later…

After an awkward lunch with Monroe, the knights returned to the shop to pick up the packages for delivering. They quickly delivered Old Man McBucket's order before making their way to the archival house where Ms. Hortense was stationed. The old Primarina sat out on the building's porch in her rocking chair munching on a piece of wheat.

She grunted when the knights approached the archival house. "Not ya two again. I told ya to scram, remember? Public access denied."

Linota rolled her eyes and mumbled, "We heard you the first time, you angry crone."

Serell smiled awkwardly. "Heh, yeah. Uh, what she means to say is that we're just here to drop off your order from the Brennans."

That brightened the old archivist's mood a bit. "Well, why didn't ya say so? Hand it over!"

Linota pulled the bundled cloth out from under her arm and handed it over. As Hortense admired the fabric, the knights took notice of the keys latched to the belt around her waist. They shared a quick wink with each other before getting to work. Linota shuffled off to the side while Serell approached the old woman and leaned against her rocking chair.

"You know, I'm curious. What's it like being an archivist? What do you do all day when there's no new information to file away?"

Hortense scowled at him. "First of all, there's always somethin' to file away. Newspapers, flyers, wills, etc. And there's always information to update. Secondly, it's mah job to review and protect this information. Though we may not have a lord lookin' over this here town, we have a few appointed officials who utilize this information. Everything to do with this town is under mah watch!"

"I see, I see. You must be really intelligent to have gotten this job."

Hortense snorted. "Sonny, Ah'm not head archivist for nothin', Ah tell ya what! Ya see, back when Ah was a wee lass, Ah've always had a inclination for organization. Believe me, Ah was what ya call a clean freak. Always fussin' over thin's bein' out of place or bein' stored in the correct way. Reminds me of the time Ah had to babysit mah little cousin, and let me tell ya, she was a right pain in the hindquarters! Ya take yer eyes off that troublemaker for even a second—"

Serell nodded along with the story, his eyes drifting over to Linota as she snuck up on the old woman. She carefully lifted the keys off Hortense's belt and moved toward the door. Quietly as she could, she inserted one key at a time open the lock. Serell kept nervously looking between her and Hortense, who was getting really riled up about something involving a bunch of bananas and a runaway wagon.

Fortunately, it didn't take more than six keys before Linota found the correct one. She flashed the thumbs-up at Serell before slipping inside the archival house.

Phew, that's a relief. Serell's eyes drooped as Hortense continued to blather on. Good grief, has this woman even drawn a breath yet?

After shutting the door behind her, Linota got to work searching through the archive drawers. With the small population of the town, looking up Adenine's information shouldn't take too long. It was a matter of finding what information she needed. Rows of drawers to search through with many secrets waiting to be eyed by the public.

She searched under family records under 'B' and located the Brennans. Adenine Brennan was the first scroll in the lineup. She pulled it out and unfurled it. A list of information appeared before her, some of which updated over time. As the list went on, information dating back to each year Adenine was in Copper Bluff would be sectioned off, mostly to indicate her residency in town and any noteworthy information about her. There wasn't much of note beyond working at the local tailor shop.

That is until she reached Year 903.

Curious, she set the scroll on the table and squinted at the text under the low light. The summer of 903 was the last bit of information added to the scroll, and what caught her attention was the note under the text: Adenine Brennan officially exiled from Copper Bluff. She would've been sixteen years old during this time.

"This lines up with the time she stopped sending letters to the prince," she mumbled. "Exiled? Exiled for what?" She glared. "The summer of 903, huh? I wonder…"

She rolled the scroll up and placed it back into its proper place before heading to the records for local news. She searched under 903, picking out a handful of scrolls under that timeframe. Though no specific date was listed in Adenine's record, Linota considered when Erasmus stopped receiving records and the time it usually takes for the mail to reach him before she disappeared. All she had to do was subtract from the day he was supposed to receive one of her letters, and that should be the date she is looking for.

She unfurled and skimmed through the scrolls, reading through articles about Old Man McBucket running rampant in the streets again—the fact it emphasized again was concerning—and something about two men getting into an argument over a piece of gold they found only to discover it was pyrite. It occurred to Linota that nothing exciting happened in Copper Bluff.

However, her mindless searching eventually led her to an article of interest. The moment she unfurled it, her eyes nearly bulged out from her skull after reading the headline. The details were written out plain as day at the top of the page, spelling out the crime that sentenced the sweet Kecleon down a path of crime she roped herself into.

Up to now, Linota gave her the benefit of the doubt, thinking whatever crime she committed was justifiable. A petty theft, a tussle with a politician, graffiti, or anything else. She couldn't imagine her performing any other heinous crime. It didn't seem in her nature. She didn't know Adenine nearly as long as Erasmus, but she knew her well enough.

So, to see this…

Adenine Brennan Murders Member of Dead Men Soldiers after Breaking and Entering into their Hideout

Exiled from Copper Bluff after Threat of Execution

"What in the…?" She dropped the scroll onto the table and fell back against her seat. "That…That can't be real. What the hell am I looking at?!"