Castle Visconti

"La-la-la, la-la-la~!"

Bursting out from the king's chamber and skipping down the hall with such merriment and glee, Victoria and Felix carried between them the king's misplaced crown. A long forgotten token of their adventure into the capital now claimed for their treasured mentor.

"Master Harlow will be so happy when she gets a look at this!" Victoria cheered. "She'll praised us, thank us, and say what a good job we did!"

Felix laughed. "And to think our entire plan revolved around getting past a complex system of guards who would give their lives for this thing! Who knew all you needed to steal a crown was a mass geno—" He paused and stopped skipping. "Okay, now that I'm remembering how we got here, these are horrible circumstances to get the crown."

Victoria nodded slowly. "Yeeeep. Wow." She took the crown in both hands and examined it. "You think she'll still want this? I mean, we didn't exactly steal it. I mean, yeah, this is stealing, but…"

Felix scratched his cheek. "Annnnd we were told to call off the heist since this is happening…"

Victoria shook her head and pressed her fist over her chest. "But we swore to Master Harlow we would help her obtain the crown and push her to the rank of Greenwood! No one deserves it more than her!"

Felix grinned. "Yeah! Jason's bound to give her Greenwood after we show off this bad boy to him. Plus, we couldn't have gotten it without Master Harlow's training. I mean, we were risking our safety being in the king's chamber."

"And we were super stealthy." They raised hand and paw and high-fived each other. Victoria laughed. "Yeah, no sweat! We got the crown! Say goodbye to Green Scout rank, and hello to Woodland Ranger!"

"Yeah! We're going to march up to Master Harlow and give her the crown! She deserves it!"

Victora pointed ahead. "To Master Harlow and her Greenwood promotion! Let's do this!" She grabbed a vase sitting on a hall table and smashed it across the floor. "Woo!"

"…Why did you do that? Again?"

"I'm pumped! WOO!" She placed the crown on her head and ran ahead. "Look at me! I'm king of the castle!"

Felix whined and chased after her. "No fair! I want to wear the crown, too!"

Amidst their merriment and playful chasing, the two hyperactive rookies failed to notice the shadow slithering along the walls, glaring down at them with piercing red eyes.

Echo Bell Streets

Benvenuto hopped through the rainy skies, his air platforms springing him ahead, as he looked back at the Salandit chasing him from the rooftops. He tipped his hat and smirked. "You've always been a pain in the ass, Basil!"

Basil smirked up at him. "Oh, don't be like that! We had some great times! I especially enjoyed tormenting you!"

"Heh." The Mr. Mime spun through the air and landed on a solid air platform. He raised and ignited the end of his cane in pink and red fire. "I know I promised Itzal a cut of your hide, but he won't mind if I hack a limb or two off. Mystical Fire!" He aimed and fired a spiraling streak of flame.

Basil stopped and clicked his fingers, propelling himself out of the way with an explosion. His eyes flickered through the rain until he spotted the pockets of obstructed space. He fired another blast under himself and launched onto one of the performer's lingering air platforms.

"I'm feeling so bashful!" Basil exclaimed, landing and springing off the platform. "I never had so many people fighting over me! I feel so special!"

"Mystical Fire!" Benvenuto fired down on the flying Salandit, but he used the remaining air platforms to jump and dodge around the flames. "Air Walk!" His current platform became elastic, and he launched himself into the air just before Basil got in range with a dagger.

The trickster smirked. "Glamor Fog." He spun himself until he was facing skyward and expelled a thick cloud of purple gas after the clown.

Benvenuto kicked off the air and covered his mouth from the smoke. "I'm not falling for that again!" He landed on an air platform and fired down Mystical Fire.

Basil sprung off the platform and rose into his fog, grabbing and hanging off the one within. "What's the matter? Worried I'm going to show you your death again?" He exhaled and blew more gas toward the clown.

Benvenuto clicked his fingers, causing the air to ripple. The gas slammed across an invisible wall and spread along the wide surface. "Let me show you the results of my training, Dawnblite." He raised his cane and, with the skill of a fencer, rapidly struck across the barrier.

Basil smirked. "Oh? What's this? Practicing your swing to gut me?"

"Something of that sort."

Basil narrowed his eyes as he started noticing the barrier gradually becoming opaque, flickering in a low white light where the clown could barely be seen on the other side. "Huh—"

"Air…Lance!"

Benvenuto struck the wall, causing it to collapse into the tip of his cane and fire out like a thin beam of wind. Basil flipped over the vertical air platform he hung from as the attack pierced and shattered through it. The platform lost its elasticity, causing Basil to fall out of the air.

"Air Lance!" Benvenuto repeated his attack, creating smaller spots of solid air and firing them after the falling Salandit.

Despite his predicament, he smirked at the approaching attacks and raised his hands. "Burn." He clicked his fingers and ignited the air over him in a grand blaze, disrupting the attack. He clicked toward the oncoming roof and cushioned his fall with a controlled explosion, slowing him significantly enough to tuck and roll into a landing.

Another barrage of Air Lances fired through the ceiling of flames on a collision course for the Salandit. He sprayed gas around himself before clicking his fingers and surrounding himself in a tight inferno. The attacks were once again disrupted upon connecting with the raging flames.

Basil blew the flames out his face once the attacks ceased and smirked at the sky. "Neat trick, Benny Boy. What else you got?"

Benvenuto dove out of the air and toward the trickster. "Plenty of little tricks to put you down." He reared his hand back, catching the air around it as he fell. "Here's a little something for you! Air Palm!" He thrusted his hand downward.

Sensing something amiss, Basil dodged out of the way and narrowly avoided a solid handprint of air crashing down onto the roof, imprinting itself through the stone. He rocketed to the next rooftop over as more Air Palms fired down after him.

"My species have the natural ability to create walls of frozen air, Dawnblite! I just took it to the next logical step!" He landed on a new platform and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Air Tunnel!" He exhaled toward the fleeing Salandit.

Basil saw the air rippling around him before landing on a solid, cylindrical tunnel suspended in the air. "How exactly is this dangerous?"

Benvenuto reared his cane back. "You're the fire expert! What do you suppose will happen in an enclosed space like this?!" He fired Mystical Fire into his side of the tunnel, causing the flames to rapidly expand and barrel through.

Unimpressed, Basil clicked his finger and retaliated with his own barrage of flames. The colliding flames resulted in fire spewing out both ends. Basil rode out the blast while Benvenuto had to dodge the flames shooting out his end.

"Oh yeah, real impressive! I'm quivering in my metaphorical boots!" Basil taunted. He landed and pulled out a set of throwing knives. "Let me show you something actually impressive. Ever seen knives turned into fireworks?" He threw the knives and snapped his fingers.

The seemingly normal knives suddenly ruptured with flame from their grips and rocketed toward the airborne clown. Benvenuto swiped his hand across the air and caught the knives in the elastic wall. They pushed against the elasticity, but stopped just short of pricking him.

"Oh yeah, that was certainly more impressive!" Benvenuto sarcastically retorted.

Basil's smirk grew. "Three, two, one—"

The flames died out, and the knives ruptured with intense light before exploded. The blast fired the blades out like bullets. Benvenuto barely dodged most of them, but one lodged itself into his left shoulder. "AGH!" He fell back and landed on an air platform, gripping his injured shoulder. "Shit!"

Basil hugged his waist and bellowed with laughter. "You like my trick knives? I got dozens of them!"

Benvenuto picked himself up and glared at the cackling lizard. He's just as nightmarish as before. Argh, how I hated dealing with this idiot. We picked up our fair share of crazies, but he…he's on a completely different level. What the hell is his problem?

Basil spun on his heel, laughing and pulling out another set of knives. "So Benny Boy, you up for another round of knife throwing?" He juggled the ten knives between his hands with precision and skill, even throwing them behind himself to throw back up with his tail. "I can make it even more explosive~!"

The clown closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I won't let you get under my skin. You've had this coming for a long time, Dawnblite, and I'll relish the opportunity to obliterate that smug grin off your face."

"I'm smug. I laugh at morons. It's my thing!" One by one, Basil caught the knives he was juggling and threw them, igniting each of their hidden rockets. "It's how I roll!"

Benvenuto scoffed. "Try this then! Air Rebound!" He snapped his fingers, causing the air to ripple once again.

The knives impacted the wall, Basil expectedly waiting for them to pierce through, but the air wall proved much more resilient than the last. Before he could comment with a snide remark, his eyes widened as Benvenuto flicked the barrier and caused it to spring back, firing the knives back with greater force and speed.

"Whoa-No!" Basil backstepped as the knives struck the roof and forcibly ignited the explosive contents. He braced himself against the explosion, flying back and sliding over the roof's edge. He caught himself and barely hung on by his adhesive fingers.

Benvenuto gently hopped down from the sky, hovering a couple meters over the roof. "My malice for Pokémon is immeasurable as is, so imagine the depths of the enjoyment I'll have splattering your carcass across this city and bringing your half-dead body back to Itzal to be mounted as a trophy."

Basil pulled himself back onto the roof and chuckled. "Ah, there's the old Benvenuto I loved to torment." He exhaled a veil of gas around himself and lifted his hand, fingers firmly pressed together. "Well, quit yapping and start fighting. The sooner I get that notebook back, the far sweeter your defeat will be~."

Through the fires burning across the city, the light of the progenitor star shined brightest as he rained down volleys of sparkling electrical beams onto his wily target. Fires broke out across the rooftops as he and his Magnemite crew fired upon them.

"You have some nerve trying to interrupt my act, knight!" Ansaldo shouted proudly. "If you think your puny flames can outmatch the light of a star, then you're about to be swallowed by the grandiosity of my legendary performance!"

Angelo hopped from roof to roof, dodging the barrage of beams. "Does this dumbass ever shut up?" He flipped onto his hands and spun. "Heaven's Flame!" With rapid activation of Blaze Kick and Electro Ball, he kicked the air and fired a ball of blue plasma straight for the airborne Heliolisk.

He commanded the Magnemite to swerve out of the way before channeling another dose of electricity through them. "You idiot! You think you can challenge me in long-range combat? Let me show you a real attack! Starlight Cannon!"

Two Magnemite hovered over his shoulder, channeling silver light through their eyes, and fired down sparkling beams of electricity.

Angelo flipped onto his hands. "Angel's Hellfire!" He ignited his legs in flame and rapidly kicked the air. The speed and power of his attacks impacted the beams upon entering his range, striking hard enough to neutralize the blast. He flipped off his hands and twirled through the air. "Heaven's Flame!" He kicked the air and fired another plasma shot.

"Starlight Dividing Wall!" Ansaldo clapped his hands together and pulled open a web of electricity that transformed into an electrified barrier. The plasma shot exploded against the wall with damage greatly reduced to near nothing. He smirked and flicked his fingers up. "Now, Starlight Rising Burst!"

Angelo looked down as the electrified rooftops sparked erratically. "Hell Road!" With heat erupting from his feet, he kicked off the roof and bolted to the next one over as the entire building became engulfed in a storm of electricity. He ran across the buildings as a chain of lightning chased him down, following after the flaming footprints left in his wake.

Ansaldo laughed. "Heavenly Devil? I didn't realize demons were such cowards. Do you plan on running all night? My performance will last before that second-rate sun of ours rises." He whistled for two Magnemite to hover over his open hands. "Maybe you just need some encouragement. I can't have a lackluster performance cramping my style!"

Angelo kicked off into the air, dodging the last of the rising electrical bursts. He looked up in time to see the Heliolisk launching his magnetic compatriots like projectiles. They spun through the air like tops, coated themselves in a thin film of electricity, and shined in a silvery aura.

Ansaldo snapped his fingers. "Starlight Moon Dance!"

The two Magnemite each released three beams of electricity from their eye and magnets. In conjunction with their spinning, the electrical beams sliced across all surfaces within their range. Angelo leapt back, narrowly avoiding a passing beam, and continuously skipped back on his heels with each revolution. He ducked his head back as one sliced over him, burning the fur off his forehead.

Ansaldo danced and spun on his remaining Magnemite, laughing with glee. "Bravo! Bravo! Ten out of ten!"

Angelo flipped off the edge of the next building over and grabbed onto a windowsill as the lasers passed over. He paused a moment to catch his breath before looking out at the fires breaking out all over the city.

To think one guy started all of this before the rest of his buddies show up. He glared. That electrical dome he created has to take a lot of power to maintain. Based on the electricity running through the city, one of the key components is Electric Terrain. However, he seems to be feeding his electricity into those Magnemite. They're creating a near-infinite supply loop. They could genuinely keep this up until sunrise if he wanted. Since they don't run on the same biological mechanisms as most Pokémon, my goal should be knocking out the loudmouth.

"Found you~!"

He darted his eyes up, barely spotting the hovering Heliolisk, and jumped off his perch before a laser struck him down. He also seems keen on keeping me from landing any attacks. One thing I know for certain about most Heliolisk is that they have a paradoxical relationship with heat. Just need to figure out what kind he is.

Angelo landed on the next building over and leapt onto the roof. "Heaven's Flame: Reverence!" He kicked the air and fired a scattershot of blue embers into the sky.

"Starlight Dividing Wall!" Ansaldo summoned the electric wall and negated the attack. "Starlight Cannon!" Two Magnemite fired down on the Raboot.

"Hell Road!" Angelo dashed out of the way, leaving a flaming trail behind him. He rocketed between roofs, moving like a streaking comet below the flying lizard.

"Try dodging this! Starlight Rising Tower!"

A vortex of lightning channeled right over the ground in Angelo's path. He barely skidded to a halt before a powerful, concentrated beam of electricity burst out from the roof and through him back from the resulting shockwave. "Gah!"

"Starlight Cannon!"

He cracked his eyes open as an electrical beam fired down from the sky and blasted him through the next building over. He crashed through two floors before landing in a storage area full of crates. He rubbed his head, brushing off the sparks surging off his fur, and glanced down to see he was sitting on a stash of fireworks.

"Hmm…" He glared up through the hole he made and picked up a firework. "Alright, try this. Heaven's Flame!" He tossed the firework up and kicked it, launching it back out into the sky.

Ansaldo gasped as he saw the flaming projectile launch out of the building. He narrowly dodged it, but stumbled from the close range explosion. A Magnemite darted into his side and pushed him back up. "Gah…thanks—"

Big Boss frantically beeped behind the Heliolisk as a volley of fireworks fired out from the building.

"Higher, higher!" Ansaldo held on tight as the Magneto Crew launched themselves higher into the air. A string of colorful explosions went off below them, reacting to the rain and shooting fiery raindrops all over. He batted the raindrops away with his treated clothes and growled. "Is he that desperate to ruin my show? Big Boss, where the hell is that showoff?"

The Magneton's eyes glowed red as it scanned for the Raboot knight. Upon investigating the crash site, there was no sign of their target. Big Boss electrically signaled back to his superior, who grunted in annoyance.

"He gave us the slip? Agh, whatever. Let's reposition ourselves to the other side of town and continue with—"

"Hell Road!"

Ansaldo gasped as a streak of red light burst out from the streets below, climbing with such speed that it easily overshot his aerial height. He craned his head back and saw the fiery knight hovering above him with smoke hissing off his soles.

"Devil's Kick!"

Angelo thrusted his foot, launching himself straight down with incredible speed. Red light shined and stretched off his sole as tremendous heat built up around him.

"Starlight Dividing—" He hastily tried to summon the barrier, but Angelo came down too hard and fast. His kick broke through the barrier and struck Ansaldo across the face.

Flames burst out from the point of impact, wrapping around the knight like ribbons shaped like the splayed wings of a devil. The red light of the impact shined brightly across the Heliolisk's face followed by the sizzling sound of flesh burning from prolonged contact. Soon, with his downward momentum waning, Angelo kicked off the Heliolisk and landed safely onto a roof.

Ansaldo recoiled, screaming out in agony as he clutched his burnt face. His skin of his cheek was bright red with a scorched imprint of the attack burnt into it. He could barely remain standing on his Magnemite, trembling from the overwhelming surge of pain exploding across his body.

"GaaaaaaAAAAAH!"

Angelo watched the Heliolisk squirm and teeter in the sky, snuffing out the remnants of smoke burning from his heels. "Looks like I narrowed down your ability. This rain must be beneficial to you. What a troublesome trait to have in the hot summer." He narrowed his eyes. "Dry Skin."

Ansaldo clutched a Magnemite to keep himself standing. The rain dripped across his face, steadily rejuvenating him and healing the searing wound. He growled furiously at the knight below him, his frills sparking wildly. "You…DARE?!"

"Hmm?"

"It's not enough to upstage me, but you intend to bully me for my weakness? You were hoping that kick of yours would hurt! You targeted my ability! I dare say you enjoyed inflicting pain on me!" Ansaldo clenched his teeth. "Devil is the right way to describe you."

Angelo narrowed his eyes, hardly moved by his rant. "If you're going to whine about it, drop the dome and surrender before I turn up the heat. You don't want to see how much hotter my soul gets."

Ansaldo brushed the ash off his cheek and scoffed. "On the contrary…" He stood tall and poured in a new supply of electricity into his Magneto Crew. "You're going to witness just how brightly my illustrious soul shines, you demonic runt!"

Castle Visconti

Felix and Victoria (the former currently wearing the king's crown) peeked out around another corner of the castle before looking at each other expectantly. In their excitement and haste to meet back with their dear master, they neglected to learn the layout of the castle and got themselves lost.

"I think this is a new hallway," Victoria pointed out.

Felix shook his head. "Nope." He pointed to the shattered pottery on the floor. "That's the vase you broke earlier."

"The first or second one?"

"Now that, I don't know."

Victoria groaned. "Why do castles need to be so darn big?! I don't even know what half of these rooms are for!"

"I think they're for the staff that lives in the castle."

"Even still, there's too many rooms and hallways!"

Felix scratched his cheek. "Alright, let's think this through. We know for certain there's four floors to this place, and I believe we're on the third floor. We just need to move carefully and find our way to the stairs. Hmm…" He placed his paw on the wall.

"What are you doing?" Victoria asked.

"I've heard if you get lost in a maze, you should keep one hand or paw to the walls and follow it until you come across an exit."

"I know I said this place was confusing, but I don't think it's an actual maze." Victoria grinned. "Ooh, we'll flip a coin when we reach a fork in the path. My luck will lead us to the exit!"

Felix glared. "You want to rely on luck?"

"It's never failed me before."

"What if we find ourselves in a hallway with three paths?"

"…" Victoria pouted as she thought it over. "How often does a coin land on its side?"

"I say my idea makes more sense."

"No, the great Victini will guide us to salvation!"

"My idea!"

"No, my idea!"

"Mine!"

"No, mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine—"

"Oho~! If you're looking for the exit, I can show you the way out."

Felix and Victoria smiled and turned around. "Why thank you! How awfully generous of—" Victoria started until the apprentices suddenly froze.

They half-expected it to be the Gholdengo knight they gave the slip to earlier, but it was something much, much worse. Shaking in place, their eyes traveled up the long stretch of darkness coiling around the hallway like a snake constricting its target before reaching the end of the shadow. With two arms outstretched and wrapping around the walls and floor between the duo, the face of a ghoulish, evil figure grinned down at them with piercing red eyes.

"Yes. Allow me to personally escort you out from your mortal coils and introduce you to the embrace of the Scarlet Flame~."

Echo Bell Streets

Rays of light fired down from the sky, aiming to strike down the trail of red heat darting across the rooftops. Ansaldo and the Magneto Crew kept pace with the speedy knight, firing wave upon wave of Starlight Cannons to cut his path off. However, Angelo proved too swift, easily able to turn with a fraction of a second and maneuver around the sparkling attacks.

Ansaldo kneaded some electricity between his hands. "I'm getting real sick of you hopping around. Hope you don't mind me stalling the show?" He molded the electricity into a ball and tossed it ahead. "Starlight Draining Net!"

Angelo glanced up as a massive net of electricity descended upon him. "Angel's Hellfire!" He flipped onto his hands and unleased a rapid flurry of flaming kicks skyward, tearing the net to shreds. However, from the brief contact he made with the net, he winced from the sparks shooting through his body. "Wha—"

Electricity flew off his fur and surged up toward Ansaldo's open frills. He absorbed the electricity and shuddered with relief as a healing glow washed over him. "Simply wonderful~. This'll more or less make up for that offense you deliver to my beautiful face! Starlight Draining Net!" He threw out three more electrified nets.

"Heaven's Flame: Reverence!" He kicked up and released the scattershot of embers, tearing the nets to pieces. He jumped away from the fragments raining around him and kept on running.

Ansaldo smirked. "Magneto Crew, let's get my stage music going!" Two Magnemite position themselves in his hands and started spinning. "Starlight Paralyzing Battle Song!" He raised the spinning Magnemite and unleashed an electrified burst of sound all across the area.

The soundwaves quickly caught up to Angelo and struck. His eyes widened, and he screamed out in pain at the harsh, grating sound assaulting his ears. On top of that, sparking ropes of electricity flickered around him and bound his limbs together, knocking him flat on his face. He struggled and squirmed against the bindings and the irritating sound.

Ansaldo skipped through the air, his Magnemite positioning themselves as stepping stones, until he was directly above the trapped Raboot. His two Magnemite kept up the paralyzing attack while he laughed. "Finally got you to stand still. Sorry, but this is my performance, and you don't get to crash my stage without swift justice being taken!"

Angelo fought through the grating noise and glared up at him. "Do you ever…shut up?"

Ansaldo smirked. "A performer needs to keep the audience engaged, and that's what I was born to do. Once I've defeated you, I'll hunt down the rest of your paltry unit and give them the encore of a lifetime." He spun in place and raised his arms to the sky, laughing. "My name will be engraved into the stars as it was foretold! A shining star brighter than the sun itself! I will be a legend across time and space!"

As the Heliolisk gloated, Angelo shifted through the electrical bindings while folding his ears down flat to block out the noise. He pressed his soles together and generated some sparks between them. Electricity and flame joined together. He wiggled through his bindings until he found just enough room to rear back his foot.

"And once the stars burn with my name, I will go beyond the stars and become the greatest light who shines across the night sky! Night itself will be blanketed in my brilliant light—"

"Heaven's Flame!"

Ansaldo barely turned around in time as the plasma shot struck one of the attacking Magnemite, throwing the pair out of sync. The paralyzing soundwaves ceased, allowing Angelo to flip back onto his feet and fire a barrage of Heaven's Flame with fast, spinning kicks.

"Starlight Dividing Wall!" Ansaldo created a larger wall, using the Magnemite to expand it. He gritted his teeth at the onslaught of attacks slamming across the electrified barrier. "Starlight Cannon!" Through the four corners, the Magnemite fired down on the knight.

Angelo sprung back and dodged their attacks. "Hell Road!" Once his heels touched the roof, he rocketed forward in a trail of burning footprints.

Ansaldo staggered, noticing that the knight had gotten a bit faster since last using the technique. "Blast him, now!" The Magnemite continued with the volley of sparkling beams.

Unlike before, Angelo easily weaved through their attacks an entire second before they impacted the roof. He ran circles around the attacks before darting back to a higher roof, kicking off the edge and launching himself at the airborne lizard. "Devil's Kick!" Heat erupted from his outstretched leg.

"Oh, not this crap again! Starlight Draining Net!" He quickly kneaded and threw the electric net.

"Heaven's Flame: Reverence!" Switching up techniques, Angelo blasted through the net with scattered embers. "Alright then. First Judgment!" Surrounded in a pale blue aura, he launched himself into a dropkick.

Ansaldo barely blocked the kicks with his arms, wincing from the sharp pain shooting through them. It paled compared to the flaming kick, but it still made his body quake. "Gah!" He stood his ground on the Magnemite and pushed Angelo off. "Starlight—"

Angelo suddenly torqued his body and kicked the closest Magnemite to him. It flew back, striking in between its teammates and knocking them out of formation. Ansaldo slipped and screamed as he careened toward the street below. "No, no, no!"

Big Boss rushed after him and managed to fly under to catch him. Ansaldo clutched on for dear life, his grip slipping across the Magneton's slick form before finding a comfortable grip. He panted with shaky breaths, whispering all manners of praise to whatever celestial figure spared him a gruesome death.

Angelo fired bursts of flame from his feet until he landed safely back on the rooftops. "I made my intentions clear. If you don't surrender soon, I may just end up killing you by mistake."

Ansaldo found himself back with the Magnemite and shakily climbed back onto them. He bent over for a moment to catch his breath before scowling at the smug knight. "Ha…HA! You fool! M-My fame will only reach further beyond the stars if I went out with a dramatic e-exit—"

"Heaven's Flame."

Ansaldo gasped and barely dodged the plasma shot before scowling. "Let me monologue, you wretched—" He flailed and dodged yet another shot, this one coming dangerously close to his face.

Angelo deftly juggled a live plasma shot on his foot. "Yeah, yeah. You're just like all the other third-rate wannabes who come to the capital seeking glory. I've heard this shit already, so kindly shut the hell up and preserve some of your pride before I kick your ass into the dungeon."

"…" Ansaldo's eye twitched. "Third…rate? Third-rate? Did you just call me…a third-rate performer?!"

"I called you a wannabe, but sure."

The Heliolisk angrily grinded his teeth together, sparks shooting out from his frills erratically. "You…You…!"

Angelo half-expected him to go on a mad tirade, so he lined up his shot and readied to knock the arrogant lizard off his throne. Instead, to his genuine surprise, the lizard took a deep breath and calmly exhaled, relaxing his tense posture.

Ansaldo rolled his neck and cracked his fingers before glaring down at the knight. "Alright. You win."

Angelo raised his brow. "Eh?"

"I suppose I've wasted enough time with my standard routine. You want to heckle me so badly, hell spawn? Let me show you why they called me the Self-Made King of Iron back in the Outlands."

Angelo glared. "The Outlands?"

Ansaldo smirked. "That wretched hellhole was the place for scum and grime, no place for a star like me. I knew I had talent, but I lacked power and control. Fortunately…" He gestured to his crew, floating loyally at his side. "I have my friends to support me. They got my back, and I've got theirs!"

Angelo paused. For some reason, he felt something stirring in the air. He looked down at his plasma shot and found it fizzling out. "What the…?" He looked around himself, feeling an odd sensation in the air. He noticed the electric field coating the city was acting up.

Ansaldo danced and clapped his hands, laughing as he skipped between his crew. "My friends and I are in complete sync with each other. We fuel each other with our electricity. They give me their moves to wield as my own, and I grant them the creativity to use that power. We spent countless hours perfecting our routine. Though I may be the star, no performance can go off without the ingenious work of our glorious stagehands!"

Angelo heard scraping and clanking across the city. Even the building under him shook from whatever force possessed it. He knelt down and scanned the area more thoroughly. "What the hell is going on—"

Then he saw it.

His eyes widened as pieces of debris from the streets were flying up into the air in droves. Carriages, streetlamps, windows, barrels, and assortment of metallic objects rose above the capital and gravitated toward the electrified group, surrounding them like a sea filled with trash. More and more flooded out from the city and joined in the collective, piling around the group as they glared down with brimming confidence.

It wasn't just the general area, either. Across the entire capital—

A storm of metal rose up and polluted the air space, gravitating toward the center of the disturbance.

Ansaldo raised his hands and extended his frills. Pieces of debris joined together, smashing into each other and forming into a rough shape by his design. Through careful assembly and the incredible electric force binding them together, they formed into giant, metallic hands. They mirrored his own as he clenched and unclenched, the grating sound of metal sliding together bellowing across the rainy capital.

"Take a long, hard look at this technique, hell spawn!" Ansaldo taunted. "This is the big showstopper that helped me escape that despicable place. It'll serve as your end and your coffin! Say hello…to my ultimate technique: Starlight Unlimited Magnetism!"

Basil flipped and catapulted himself across the rooftops, firing off concussive bursts of flame in the skipping mime's direction. Benvenuto hopped along his air platforms, deftly avoiding the explosions and keeping his eyes keen to the lizard's tricky shots.

As Basil readied another shot, he felt a strange sensation pass over him. "Eh?" He landed on the roof and looked around in confusion. "The hell was that?"

Benvenuto glared in understanding and turned in the direction of the other fight taking place in the air. "Ansaldo's pulling that little trick out, huh?"

"Eh?" Basil then felt the roof shake. Steadying his stance, he looked on either side of himself and marveled as chunks of debris levitated out from the streets. It all seemed like a random gravitational reversal until he noticed the metallic parks of the debris sparking intensely. He pulled out one of his throwing knives and saw that it gravitated toward the metal storm. "Huh. Neat trick."

Benvenuto smirked. "I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow some of this." He bounced higher into the air and raised his hand toward a floating carriage. "Air Palm!" He thrusted his palm and fired the carriage out of the magnetic storm.

Basil noticed and cartwheeled out of the wheel, weaving through exploding debris and loose wheels shooting over him. "Well, doesn't matter what conditions they're in, I'm still going to roast you!"

Benvenuto hopped through the trove of junk hovering above the city. "I don't think you quite understand the predicament you're in now, Dawnblite. Let me give you a demonstration!" He snapped his fingers and enveloped a chunk of rock with metal rods, a group of barrels, and an assortment of weapons in their own invisible boxes. "You love games, don't you? Let's play a favorite of mine: Guess What's Behind the Invisible Box!"

He clapped his hands, and the trapped items disappeared.

Basil scoffed and raced toward the hopping mime. "As if I'm going to bother entertaining your little show. Just hand over the notebook!"

Benvenuto smirked. "Sorry, that was the wrong answer!" He snapped his fingers.

Basil's eyes widened as an assortment of swords appeared out from the air like a pocket dimension, their blades pointed toward him. Acting fast, he twirled on one foot and bent his body into unnatural positions to avoid the flying blades. He fired off a quick Flame Burst, blowing up and revealing the invisible air box with its contents pouring out.

"HA!" He snapped his finger and lit a trail surging towards the mime.

"Air Wall!" Benvenuto blocked the incoming flames, halting them in their tracks. He clenched his fist and swung it across the air.

Suddenly, something heavy and unseen rammed across the unguarded Salandit and threw him across the roof. His back skipped off the edge, and he went flying to the next building over. He barely tucked himself into a roll and landed on the roof. Right as he did, another heavy object slammed down on his shoulders and smashed him into the stone floor.

Benvenuto laughed while balancing on the tip of his foot. "They say my ancestors could create more than just walls. They could mold objects of solid air to use as weapons. It's just a legend, but I've found a much more practical solution to that problem." He flicked a finger.

Basil heard a whooshing noise head toward him and rolled out of the way. Something crashed down in his previous spot, hard enough that it sounded like it shattered on impact. Based on the weight of the crash, that one was a carriage. He's manipulating everything under the influence of his air constructs.

He burst flames from his hands and launched himself across the air. "Glamor Fog!" He puffed out his chest to max capacity and exhaled purple gas across the entire rooftop. Once sufficiently cloaked, he dove back into mist.

Benvenuto raised his cane and smirked. Idiot. I've been keeping track of your moves. This gas you created is highly explosive, isn't it? You just placed yourself in the center of a bomb. "Mystical Fire!" He released the spiraling flame to ignite the gas.

However, a hole opened atop the fog and let the Mystical Fire pass through, striking down and lighting up the roof. The gas moved away from the flames, even weaving themselves around as it spread along the soaked roof.

Benvenuto sneered. "You can even control that smoke after it's been deployed?"

Basil's laughter echoed through the gas-covered roof. Benvenuto tried searching for the hidden Salandit's shadow, but couldn't make out anything due to the density of the gas. It was completely opaque from the outside.

"Very well, but you can't keep me from igniting this damnable cloud!" He spun his cane and summoned a myriad of fireballs. "Can you avoid this many fireballs?!" He flicked his hand and sent them scattering into the smoke.

Basil's laughter intensified. "Glamor Dragon!"

A burst of smoke erupted from the center, taking on the shape of a serpent dragon. It weaved around the upper layer of the smoke and intercepted all the fireballs at once. Once all had been promptly absorbed, right before the point of igniting, the serpent dragon shot up toward the mime and transformed in a raging inferno.

Unimpressed, Benvenuto raised his fingers and split the flame dragon in two. From the flames, several pieces of debris covered by his air boxes revealed themselves, some torched to ash and others melted into liquid metal. They fell from the sky while the mime bounced higher up into the sky.

"Air Compression Palm!" He gripped and pulled back on the air, forming several layers around his hand. A blue energy highlighted the elastic air as more stress built up within it. With a fierce roar, he thrusted his palm and fired down the stack of compressed air.

It collided straight into the middle of the cloud, striking with such explosive force that the gas dispersed half a second after impact. The building under it caved under the force and collapsed in on itself, shrouding the streets around it in a veil of grainy dust.

Benvenuto carefully hopped down until he was a couple meters floating over the wreckage. For the sake of caution, he encased himself in an air box and made the outside invisible to avoid detection. He maintained vigilance for the crafty Salandit, who no doubt escaped before the attack landed.

Basil never had that kind of control over his smoke. Come to think of it, it was never explosive either. I remembered how he would create grand explosions from his hands, but these are actually targeting distant opponents. How is he launching such pinpoint attacks?

For as much as he hated Basil, he never stopped paying attention to him during their days as coworkers. When Basil actually bothered talking about himself, he'd mention something he took with him after the massacre in Arcania. A book he treasured dearly, something he would throw his life away for. He never revealed the contents of the book, but…Benvenuto always had a hunch.

Arcania's customs revolved around developing magic as they called it. Prominent clans who developed a natural talent at magic would be memorialized as an inspiration to future generations. A tradition among these clans was gifting knowledge of their magic to the eldest child as a rite of passage.

Benvenuto heard the stories of Wisteria Dawnblite, a woman of vicious renown who felled invading armies with a click of her fingers. She possessed immense power that was said to be unavoidable. They say she could accurately shoot down a Cutiefly within a dense crowd of Pokémon. That kind of pinpoint precision with such destructive flames…

The mime growled. "No. That's impossible. There's no way that idiot mastered that. Anything worthy of being memorialized into Arcania's history is infamous for its steep learning curve. To self-teach himself that would take hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gruesome labor—"

"Aww, Benny Boy~." His eyes widened. Slowly, he craned his neck back and found the Salandit sitting atop the concealed box with a smug grin plastered across his snout. "You missed me so much that you even did your research~!"

Benvenuto gasped. "How did you—"

"Click."

With a snap of his fingers, specific spots across Benvenuto's hidden space erupted with jets of flame, completely concentrated and not wildly flaring. The flames quickly burned through the air walls and caused them to burst open like a crack of thunder. Benvenuto barely kicked himself out from the exploding box and landed on a new air platform.

Basil dismounted from the exploding air and landed on a chimney. He bowed to the stunned mime with a veil of purple smoke circling him. "Seeing is believing, isn't it?"

Benvenuto gritted his teeth. "You…! Don't tell me, after all these years…!"

Basil's smirk grew. "Nigh impossible is still possible. Self-taught and self-experimented on. It took its toll, but a few years of non-stop practicing does wonders for ya. I dare say I have my mom beat."

Benvenuto gripped his cane tightly and growled. This…might be a problem.

Basil balanced on one foot and pressed his fingers together, generating sparks off them. "I, Basil the Trickster, have completely mastered the Dawnblite Clan's magic: Causinomancy."

Castle Visconti

Jason couldn't help staring at the princess with disgust and shock, whether because of the story she finished explaining or her unflappable expression from retelling it. It made his blood boil thinking about it, the deceit and lies spread by the two conniving royals who twisted history for their own personal gain, and the one who explained it had not a shred of emotion to spare from it.

"You…You condemned an innocent man to death," Jason mumbled.

Evangelina scoffed. "Muraro was anything but innocent. He still aided in covering up a murder and purchased illegal goods from the Outlands. He's not above the law."

"You still tainted his name with that of the Vermin Butcher's. Do you have any sense as to the horrors you committed?" Jason clenched his fists and growled. "I knew there was something fishy about what that Monica girl said. I know about Arcania's current state of affairs. There was never a Rubina Gatti who set foot in the kingdom. She never showed up!"

Evangelina sighed. "And because of that, the Echo Bell Kingdom will never know how its relations with Arcania were completely severed. I covered up everything and tricked everyone into thinking Rubina has been helping in the rebuilding efforts, all to spare us from the backlash of the Vermin Butcher's meddling."

Jason growled. "Why?"

"Why? What a foolish question. Even a dunce like you can see how this would've affected the kingdom. The position of knight is held in high esteem and regard. It's not a title that's worn loosely. It's a symbol of the kingdom's might and unbreakable will. For somebody to misuse our resources behind the royal family's backs is tantamount to a weak kingdom. That's been the Echo Bell Kingdom's fate for several generations. We're barely hanging onto a strand of hope, but that one incident could've torn everything apart. A revolt to overthrow us and plunge this kingdom into further anarchy with the resulting power vacuum. The kingdom I love would be destroyed from the inside."

Jason scoffed. "And yet you went with this elaborate ruse to cover everything up?"

"What does it matter? The Vermin Butcher is truly dead."

"And you and your brother became a force of greater evil—"

"Oh, spare me, rat." She leaned down and glared him down. "Just because you're too much of a coward to end lives doesn't mean we are. We expunge scum who dares to harm the Echo Bell Kingdom. You just use your influence to bully a king and steal from the rich. A selfish guild of thieves. We exterminate the corruption of this kingdom while I work to establish complete order. It doesn't matter what lengths I go to. Even if I'm hated across history for my actions, I'll be remembered as the one who saved this weak kingdom from its own self-destruction."

Jason growled. "What kind of kingdom is ruled through lies and deceit? How can anyone trust a ruler who's going to backstab them?"

"How can a queen trust people who can't keep their morals in check? No kingdom can operate without darkness operating in the background! I don't care how many lives I have to ruin or how many people will hate me for it. A kingdom can't strive without a leader willing to take drastic measures."

"…" Jason's glare furrowed. "Then you don't deserve to call yourself a leader."

She scoffed. "As if your shoddy leadership skills have gotten the Foresters anywhere other than in trouble."

"I wasn't referring to me."

"Oh? Someone else more incompetent than you? Well tell me, who's the bright-eyed optimist filled with dreams and compassion? I can assure you, what I've done was for the good of the idiots who ruined the Echo Bell Kingdom. People need someone powerful to keep them in check. It's how it is. So again, who's stupid enough to think dreams can change the course of this broken land?"

"…" He withdrew the urge to retort, mostly to spare himself from further engaging with the infuriating princess. Instead, he said, "When everyone finds out who you and Asterio really are, I guarantee you'll live to regret your actions. Regardless of what you say, everyone has their breaking point. What's yours?"

The two rival storms locked glares, neither backing down from their stance. Howling wings and crackling lightning, two forces of respectable power in conflict. Neither refused to back down from their stance, incapable of seeing the other's point of view as nothing more than irritating noise.

However, before the atmosphere could stir into a true storm, a rumbling through the castle rattled them. Romano staggered back into the princess' chamber and exclaimed, "Your Highness!"

"I'm fine! What was that?" Evangelina yelled.

"I'm not sure. Something's going down on the floor below us."

Jason dropped and pressed his ear to the floor. He listened carefully for any distinct noises and picked up on a couple of screams. His eyes widened as they became clearer, followed by a sinister cackling blaring through the floor and possibly the walls.

Victoria? Felix? What the hell?

Jason stood up and glared at Evangelina. "Heed my warning, Grim Deadlock. Your actions are going to catch up with you eventually. I pray for your sake you don't lose anything dear to you, because you'll never, ever get it back."

"…" She sneered. "I've already lost too much. One more broken dream's not going to change anything."

Seeing no point in continuing the argument, Jason rushed past the Swampert knight and raced for the stairs in hopes of catching up to the two wayward Foresters.

Evangelina hung back, resting her chin on her balled-up fin. "That's way too noisy for it to be Asterio's doing." Her glare sharpened. "If it happens to be him, then I have some choice words for that shadow bastard. Romano?"

"Your Highness?"

"Looks like I won't be going out into the rain after all. Shall we go check on our new guest and see if he needs to be removed?"