2nd Festive Moon, 908 – Three Months Earlier

War raged across the western side of Virdis. With the invasion of the New Chariot Empire, towns and villages were swept up in the fires of battle. The people ran from their homes, leaving behind their prized possessions and safety, and fled into the open as the march of New Chariot soldiers trampled over their land.

The people of Wick cowered as the soldiers hunted them down. Those who resisted and fought back were ran through with the enemy's spears. Bodies littered the streets as the soldiers marched over them, chasing after the unarmed civilians. Arrows arched over the roofs, striking down unsuspecting Pokémon and blocking off further escape.

One by one, soldiers would restrain and capture the civilians, dragging them off into their mobile cages. Once the town was secured, the captured civilians will be hauled off to either become slaves of the empire or fighters for the colosseum. None were safe from their unstoppable wrath.

A Sandslash mother ran, pulling on the arms of her two Sandshrew children, as they tried to flee out from the town. She winced as screams echoed down the streets, but she ignored the urge to look back and kept running.

"M-Mommy!" one of her children cried. "W-What's going on?"

"I-I'm scared!" the other cried.

She looked down at them with an uneasy smile. "It's going to be alright. Mommy will keep you—"

Arrows struck down from the sky, piercing into the unsuspecting Sandslash's shoulder. She let go of her kids and screamed out in pain, collapsing onto her side. Her children gasped and gathered around her as she trembled.

"Mommy!" they cried.

She winced with tears running down her eyes. "N-No…"

"I got one." Her eyes widened as a group of soldiers stepped down the street. A Scrafty led the group, wielding a longbow and a quiver of arrows. "She's got a couple of brats with her, too."

"Both young boys," a Magmar soldier commented as he pulled out iron shackles. "With enough training, they might be worthy entertainment in the colosseum."

The mother felt a burst of adrenaline through her veins and stood. "P-Poison Sting!" She fired a barrage of poisonous needles from her back.

The soldiers simultaneously ducked behind their shields and let the needles harmlessly ping off them. The mother quickly grabbed her children's arms and ran for cover. The Scrafty pulled his shield back and fired a quick arrow, grazing the Sandslash's side.

"AGH!" She tripped over herself and collapsed onto her face.

"MOMMY!" her children screamed.

"Restrain her," the Scrafty ordered. The Magmar and a couple more soldiers stepped forward, preparing the shackles.

The mother struggled to push herself up, staring up at her terrified children with tears running down her face. "R-Run! RUN!"

The Scrafty scoffed. "Cease your whining and kneel to the empire's will. Resistance is futile—"

"Burning Beast!"

A rush of flames blew through the soldiers behind Scrafty. One by one, bite marks pierced into their exposed flesh and erupted in torrents of flame. Right as Scrafty turned around, a heavy paw struck his side and threw him against the wall.

"What the?!" Magmar gasped.

The flames slowed down and stood in front of the cowering family. Cloaked within the flames was Sir Lionel of the Wick Knighthood. His fur and stripes glowed a bright orange and red respectively within the flames. His eyes, both having been ripped out at previous points, were covered by two strapless eyepatches. He sniffed the air, sensing out the remaining soldiers, and growled in their direction.

"You stand before the Order of the Cleansing Flame, invaders," the Arcanine growled. "Those who set foot in the Wick Kingdom and do it harm shall be swiftly annihilated."

The family felt someone appear over them and looked up to see Sir Fulbertus. The Beheeyem, with a wave of his hand, teleported the family away before they could say anything. "You won't be taking any more people so long as we're here."

The Scrafty pulled himself out of the wall and groaned. "Your attempts are meaningless. Your kingdom's fate is inevitable. Kill them!" His soldiers stood in formation and charged forward in unison.

"I got them!" Lionel rushed forward, but Fulbertus pulled him back with Psychic.

"Don't be daft. I've already foresaw this outcome." He extended his hand out. "Realm of Prophecies!"

Vortexes of psychic energy opened up in the street, blasting the charging battalion from below. It sent them scattering through the air and crashing down over the burning rooftops and the next street over.

"We were ordered to evacuate the people, not get into an unnecessary brawl," Fulbertus reminded.

Lionel grumbled. "I haven't fought in months, and the one time I get to—"

"Save it. Jael! Cover the retreat!" Fulbertus waved his hand and teleported along with Lionel.

Scrafty looked to his soldiers and shouted, "Rise! For the glory of the empire! Attention!"

His words rallied the soldiers, invigorating them with newfound strength thanks to the effects of his Coaching move. Picking up their weapons, they roared and charged down the street with Scrafty leading the way.

"Fire Ink Bullet!"

From further up ahead, shots of flaming ink sailed through the air and accurately sniped the individual soldiers' head, setting them ablaze. Scrafty and Magmar raised their shields and blocked the attacks aimed at them before tossing aside their burning shields. They took cover around a corner as more shots peppered the street.

"Long-range unit!" Magmar yelled.

The Octillery sniper, Sir Jael, rode through the skies on top of a Skarmory. He focused down the hidden soldiers with his left eye, where a red-glowing targeting reticle overlapped. "They won't escape my sight."


Umberhelm, Senbo Kingdom

"FIRE!"

From the readily constructed bunkers stationed, cannons fired onto the advancing New Chariot soldiers. They smartly kept themselves distance from the cannon fire as it ruptured the earth in front of them, but they were unable to get closer. Some of their men with gruesomely eradicated from taking a straight shot.

Heralding the defending camp, King Gilbert Talbot stood beside his knights with his forelegs crossed. He growled. "Fire again!" His soldiers lit the cannons and fired on the soldiers, blasting them back in the explosion.

Serell flew down to the camp and landed in a kneeling position before the king. "Your Majesty, the soldiers are wheeling in catapults. They plan to lob explosive barrels on our camp."

Gilbert nodded. "You and Rikmai take the aerial units. Bring along any available knights with Water-Type moves. Neutralize their explosives."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" He buzzed his wings and took off into the air.

Right as the Togetic knight fled, a Venomoth knight teleported in behind the king and bowed his head. "My king, I've returned with word from the western and eastern borders. Sir Gaufroi's unit was successful in pushing back the advancing forces. We've lost a bit of land on the eastern border, but we managed to wipe out half the enemy's forces."

Gilbert glared. "Any word on our allies?"

"Verde and Wick are being stormed as we speak, and the Echo Bell Kingdom is barely able to put up a defense. New Chariot doesn't seem to be focuses all their attention on them, though."

"They know of their weakened position and do not see them as a liable threat." Gilbert closed his eyes for a moment. "If the other kingdoms fall, they will be able to replenish their resources and get the upper hand over us. Who knows how long that will take?"

"How shall we respond, sir?"

"Hmm…" The Houndoom king looked to the Amoonguss knight standing beside him. "I am leaving you to take command of the unit. Make sure New Chariot's soldiers do not breach the perimeter."

He saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

The king turned to the Venomoth. "Return me to the capital. I must pen letters to our allied kingdoms. We will not get far acting independently. A call for an alliance is in order."

"At once, Your Majesty." With that, the knight teleported Gilbert and himself out of the defending camp.


Echo Bell Kingdom

"WHAT THE?!"

A small legion of soldiers marched upon the weakened territory of Echo Bell, aiming to further the pressure of their financial ruin. They plowed through the towns that stood in their way, sending innocent bystanders running for the hills.

However, the army wasn't prepared for the traps that lay before them. Out of nowhere, the ground collapsed under their feet, burying them below the earth where hidden spikes lay beneath. Around three dozen soldiers fell victim to the hidden pitfalls all over the city, leading the soldiers to retreat.

"I thought Echo Bell was supposed to be defenseless!" a Darmanitan growled.

"That's what our spy reported last month!" a Dragalge yelled.

"So why the hell are our men being swallowed up by the earth?!"


The Echo Bell knighthood was lackluster compared to the allied kingdoms, thus it lacked many crucial resources and units. Though they had their fair share of powerful fighters, they lacked a reliable tactics specialist to coordinate the knights in preparation for an invasion.

However, they had something much, much better…and worse.

"We've gotten word that around three dozen of New Chariot's men fell into the pitfalls," a Gallade knight informed.

Sitting inside Castle Visconti's war room at the head of the table, Evangelina Visconti smirked evilly. "Good. Continue planting traps around the targeted city. Make sure our ground units trap the locations I specifically picked out. Continue apace with the diversions."

He bowed to her before teleporting out of the room, leaving the princess to recline back in her chair and snicker openly. Despite her outward appearance, she could help feeling flustered and panicked by the soldiers closing in around her home kingdom. She knew her father was ill-prepared to handle the stress of an invasion, so she volunteered herself to take over as the knighthood's tactics officer. With all the stress of the situation, she couldn't help but feel a bit evil to calm her nerves.

Sir Romano, seated by her side, glared over the map of the Echo Bell territory. "About a thousand soldiers have marched onto our territory. It's significantly less than what they're deploying onto our allies."

She scoffed. "Of course it's less. They don't see us as threats. We lack the firepower to defend ourselves, and our knights weren't prepped for war of this scale. The best we can do is keep them from advancing by sabotaging them from afar."

Romano narrowed his eyes. "And what of your brother?"

She scowled. "He's not budging."

"His people are at risk."

"He refuses to come out of his room. I haven't seen him this depressed in years, but…it's worse. If we had him, he could easily cleave through New Chariot's soldiers. He's lost the strength to fight." She narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I'm not sure if he has the strength to live."

Romano's eyes widened. "What?"

"…I'm having Angelo keep an eye on him just in case." She straightened up and looked over the map. "We don't need him. New Chariot doesn't want to waste their resources on us yet. They're planning to crush Verde and Wick before taking us down. Their main target is going to be the Senbo Kingdom once that happens."

He glared. "How long do you think that'll take?"

"It's hard to say. The Senbo Kingdom has a treasure trove's worth of resources, so they're not going to be crushed any time soon. The Wick Kingdom has a lot of territory unsuited for combat, which might give them the advantage. The Verde Kingdom is filled with forests they can use for cover, plus they have the Black Knight as their trump card."

"…And what of the Foresters?"

Evangelina glared. "Good question. I wonder…what role they'll play in this chaos."


Verde Kingdom

With the loss of their king, the capital of the Verde Kingdom became New Chariot's primary target. Their armies gathered in great numbers, easily overtaking the visible horizon as they advanced on the Forbidden Forest. They launched volleys of flaming arrows through the sky, striking down on the path and trees.

Guarding the outside of the forest was the Verde knighthood, hiding behind barricades as the arrows rained down on top of them. Nathaniel winced as an arrow pierced through the barricade, grazing across his helmet. "Their arrowheads are weighted!"

"What kind of draw strength do those bows have?" Ivone wondered.

"W-We're so screwed!" Jakke yelled.

"Pull yourself together, man!" Accompanying the knighthood was the former mercenary, Noel Freia. Decked out in her old armor and wielding her trusty battle axe, she pointed over the barricades and yelled, "This is war! Strike down your enemies before they get the chance to act!"

Once the arrow rain ceased, Ivone stood up and yelled, "Return fire!" A volley of arrows erupted out from behind cover, showering over the New Chariot soldiers.

The soldiers huddled together and took shelter under their shields, waiting out the downfall of arrows that harmlessly bounced off their defense. With the army now stationary, Noel charged out into the open, rallying squadrons of knights to follow behind her. They let out a fierce war cry as they closed the distance with the soldiers.

New Chariot sprung into action and charged down the advancing knights in divided formations. With their spears held out alongside their shields, they rammed headlong into the Verde knights and pushed them back, piercing into the gaps of their armor.

Noel roared, swinging her colossal battle axe and blowing apart their shields in a single strike. Waves of flame and molten earth traveled along the ground, scorching the soldiers alive. "You will not take a step further!" she yelled.

Two soldiers rammed her with their shields, pushing her back, and attempted to spear her. She deflected and snapped the spears with her axe head, then slashed through their shields. Her attack sent the men flying with blood spraying out of their chests. Their allies didn't even hesitate to charge through the two bodies, showing no fear against the walking volcano.

Noel grunted and blocked their spear attacks, feeling their combined strength pushing her heels into the dirt. Not a trace of fear. Death to them…is just an inconvenience! She batted them back and raised her axe high. "Molten Geyser!" She struck the ground and sent forth a wave of lava that split the earth in two. The soldiers were blown back in the blast before being covered in the raining lava.

Several knights kept up their guard against the unrelenting brutality of the soldiers. Their foes drew out hammers and slammed against the knights' shields and armor. One unfortunate knight got struck across the head, denting his armor and collapsing him to the ground.

"For the empire!" the soldiers roared, rallying themselves to charge in harder.

Nathaniel charged into the battle, wielding two Bone Rush staves composed of aura. "Prepare yourselves!" He reared his staves back. "Hero's Light Storm!" He stomped one foot forward and threw his staves, splitting them into a shower of sharpened aura bones.

The knights quickly dropped down and let the aura bones sail over their heads as they struck into the unsuspecting soldiers. They raised their shields, but the sheer number of brutal pushed into them before collapsing their formation. Their shields broke apart, and the aura bones speared the soldiers, sending flying backwards over their comrades.

Nathaniel conjured two more staves, then took a deep breath. "Paladin's Rally!" He let loose a mighty howl that emitted pink soundwaves over the knights. Pink auras flared up around the knights, restoring their vitality and inspiriting them with newfound strength. They roared with blazing courage and continued the charge into the enemy forces.

New Chariot aerial support swarmed over the knights, preparing to divebomb them. A rainbow light caught their attention before blindsiding them with brutal, passing tackles. The light streaked like a fireball and blazed like flame itself. Within the rainbow cloak, Sir Ivone glared down the flying soldiers.

"Your battle starts and ends with me. Purified Luster: Armament!" He dove toward the aerial soldiers with wings burning in white hot light. He burst through their formation, striking them down in a single blow that obliterated their armor. Blood spurted from their wounds as they fell from the sky.

Jakke, while the enemy forces were distracted, ran around the battle until he got a clear view of the soldiers from the side. He gulped. "Please don't notice me!" He stopped and aimed the protrusion coming out of his rock shell. "Demon Thunder Gatling!" A volley of electrified stones fired out from his shell. Their aim was atrocious, but the damage they dealt wasn't to be underestimated.

The attack struck into the unsuspecting soldiers, catching them off guard with its horrid aim and brutal power. A group of soldiers turned their shields toward the attack and shielded their allies from the volley of spontaneous stones.

Jakke winced, but wasn't deterred. "A-Alright…" He ceased firing and stomped his foot down. "Demon Thunder Mountain!"

Electrified spires formed out from the ground, splitting through the soldiers' formation. The spires formed around the soldiers like a prison. Worst of all, those enclosed within the rock prison felt all their metallic weapons and equipment being drawn into the walls.

Jakke grinned. "I got them! I actually got—"

A Donphan crashed through the stone prison, shattering it in a single blow and causing it to crumble around the soldiers. The rolling elephant set his sights on Jakke, racing toward him at high speed.

Tears trickled down the defeated Alolan Golem's face. "I lived a good life…"

"Jakke, you idiot! RUN!" Nathaniel yelled.

Before the electric Golem could think of moving, a wall of black flames cut off the Donphan's path. He barely stomped in time, flinching as the embers touched his trunk. "This is—"

A hand suddenly whipped under the elephant and clutched by the throat, lifting him in the air with monstrous strength. His eyes widened as he stared down into the helmet of the Black Knight, whose eyes burned red behind the helmet's protective grate. In his other hand was his colossal zweihander-like broadsword, its weight intimidating and seemingly impossible to wield with one hand. Yet the black knight lifted it with no issue and ignited its giant blade in the black flames.

"Blackfire Soul Blade."

With a single slash, he struck across the elephant's side, crushing his ribs and splitting into his thick hide before setting him ablaze. He sent the burning soldier flying across the battlefield, barreling through the soldiers and taking out a dozen of them.

Jakke collapsed to his knees, staring up at his savior in tears. "S-Sir Matthias…"

He ignored the Alolan Golem's unknightly appearance and advanced towards the battle with his sword propped up over his shoulder. His eyes burned brightly within his helmet. "You've overstayed your welcome, New Chariot," his voice growled demonically within the helmet. "And I haven't been in a good mood for months."

"It's the Black Knight of Verde!" a soldier called out.

"Orders were to retreat once he stepped onto the battlefield!" another shouted. "Call for the archers! Ready the catapults!" The soldiers turned and retreated off the scorched battlefield.

Matthias gripped his sword in both hands and reared it back. "Blackfire…Extinction!" He slammed it into the earth, rupturing in with black flames, and sending forth a wave of fire that rushed after the retreating army. It caught a couple dozen soldiers in the blast, swallowing them within its inescapable grasp and burning them alive.

The soldiers had already signaled to their allies ahead as a rain of explosive barrels arched through the air. The knights quickly shielded themselves, but Nathaniel jumped off their shoulders and leapt toward the incoming barrels.

"Knight's Guard!" He crossed his arms, creating a blue barrier around himself with a vacuum-like force attracting the barrels to him. They exploded on contact with his shield, detonating the sky in a sea of flame that rained over the battlefield.

Noel shielded her face from the raining embers and scoffed. "They're playing smart. None of us will be fast enough to stop their long-range support."

Ivone flew down to them. "I could probably divert their fire."

"Then you'll be their next target," Matthias warned. He glared to his right and saw more soldiers circling around their rear. "They're dividing our attention."

"You got a plan then?" Noel growled, clutching her axe in both hands.

Matthias raised his hand. "Jakke, you and the long-range support try and disable their own. The rest of us will—"

"Sir Matthias!" a knight yelled. "Over there!"

He turned around and saw something racing out from the Forbidden Forest and onto the battlefield. It appeared to be a group of three (though, he assumed it was actually four): a Druddigon with a Bellossom riding atop his shoulder running at top speed, and a Glaceon who appeared to be riding atop a wave of mud. Their uniforms stood out to the knights.

"Foresters…" he growled.

Nathaniel raised his staves. "Should we attack them?"

"…" Matthias set his sights back on the soldiers attempting to flank them. "Focus on the main threat in front of us. Besides, though our enemy as well, the forest is their dwelling."


Arrows rained from the sky, striking down on the advancing Foresters as they maneuvered around the retaliatory attack. Emile shielded against the arrows, letting them bounce off his thick hide while keeping Margot safe. Enora, meanwhile, kept track of the arrows as they came down.

"Left!" The mud wave curved and dodged out of the way. "Right! Back! Left!" She kept her balance as the mud wave made precise turns around the raining arrows. "Emile, Margot!"

The Bellossom pulled out her metal fans and opened them, scattering petals from their folded blades. "Let the show begin." She hopped off Emile's back and twirled through the air. "Bloom, Iron Dragon! Mist of the Vengeful Hornet!" She slashed the air with her fans, spreading a curtain of green light sparkling in yellow dust.

The energy curtain wrapped around Emile and overlapped with his body. He growled, his eyes glowing red and pupils sharpening. "Draconian Armament!" An intense silver glow erupted over his body. His claws, tail, and head wrapped in the light and transformed with a hardened steel. The energy bursting off his body gave his skin the same reflective sheen.

"Fire!" The New Chariot soldiers fired an explosive barrel at the rampaging Druddigon.

"That won't work!" Emile roared, charging through the barrel and ripping through the explosion without slowing down. He lunged at the frontline and clawed through their armor like wet paper.

The soldiers flew back from his monstrous strength and collapsed over the ground, bleeding from their wounds. As they tried to stand, their bodies suddenly stopped responding and sent them collapsing back onto their faces. "W-What the?!" a soldier gasped.

"I-I can't…move!" another shouted.

A Cacturne soldier who was attacked inspected his wound before looking at his wounded comrades. He gasped in realization. "Everyone who isn't a Grass-Type, avoid the dragon! His claws are laced with a powder move!"

Emile roared and charged down the soldiers. They raised their shields and hardened their stances as he brought his metallic claws down on them. They overestimated the strength of their shields, however, as Emile tore through them with ease and sent the soldiers flying with a single slash of his claws.

Soldiers spaced themselves out and fired on the rampaging Druddigon with arrows, but they pinged off his skin like nothing. "What is his hide made of?!" a soldier gasped.

Emile roared in their direction and continued on his rampage. As he drew in their attention, Enora rode around the enemy forces and singled out their catapults. She smirked. "Fabrice!"

"I see them!" the Marshtomp exclaimed from underground. "Hold your breath!" The Glaceon sucked in a deep breath before being pulled below the earth.

A Drapion soldier noticed them disappearing underground at the last second and yelled, "They're trying to flank us! Spread out and prepare for them to reemerge from below!"

"We can't!" a soldier exclaimed before being bodied by a full-force tackle from the rampaging Druddigon.

Drapion growled before raising his claws into the air. "Pin Missile!" Sparking in white energy, he fired a hail of energy arrows into the sky, raining them down over their territory to flush out the underground flankers. Explosions went off around their barricades, rumbling and disorienting all within the blast's range. "That should get their attention—"

"CAPTAIN!"

His eyes widened as the perimeter of their territory began to swirl with mud. The ground trembled beneath their feet as they started to sink. Emile immediately spread his wings and leapt out of the sinking mudhole.

"Grab the spears! They're trying to drown us!" Drapion ordered. The soldiers gathered their spears and readied to stab into the swirling mud. They froze, however, as pink petals started appearing around them, harmlessly floating in the air.

Margot approached the mudhole, swaying the petals with her fans. "Become mulch for the earth! Blades Formed of Phantom Sakura!" She performed an elegant twirl, causing the petal to concentrate around the mudhole and rise into a dense twister of pink.

The soldiers braced themselves as millions of petals flowed around them, slicing into their skin and withering their weapons down until they shattered to pieces. The soldiers stumbled around, feeling a sudden whirlwind of vertigo as the petals swirled in unusual patterns, disorienting their vision and throwing off their bearings.

"W-What's—" Drapion gasped.

Margot turned her back to the pink twister and glared. "How foolish of you…to think we were attempting to drown you. I'm just providing the effects for their performance."

The soldiers gasped as a prism of light shined over the surface of the mud whirlpool. Suddenly, they were no longer drowning as the mud levels rose up their waists and pushed them into the air instead. Their catapults drowned underneath the mud and were violently torn apart in the rotation.

"Dual Geyser Nova: Ice Mountain!"

The earth erupted with mud and blasted the soldiers and their equipment up. Before the twister of mud exploded and sent everything trapped within its vortex scattering, a wave of cold rushed up to the tip of the rising cone. Fabrice and Enora burst out from the top right before the freezing effect finished, transforming the loose mud into a solid structure of frozen earth. The soldiers were trapped halfway through the walls of the structure, frozen in place with mud iced over their bodies and restricting what wasn't trapped inside the ice.

Fabrice and Enora landed on top of their combined attack, the latter grinning smugly at the captured soldiers. "That's for burning our home, jerks!"

Fabrice glared. "This isn't the time to be taunting them, Enora." He pointed down at their ice structure as cracks started to form. "They won't be trapped for long."

She settled down and glared. "Right." They leapt off the ice and landed beside Emile and Margot. "We've neutralized their equipment, at least."

Margot glared over her shoulder to where the Verde knights were still engaged in battle. "We should probably lend them a hand."

"They won't attack us, right?" Emile asked.

Fabrice shook his head. "Something tells me they'll begrudgingly accept our assistance." He dove back into the earth, and Enora hopped onto his back as he took off. Emile picked up Margot and followed after them.


Fort Lucus

The war had taken its toll in the last couple of months. Though the Foresters stayed strong in the face of adversity, the weight of their situation became dauting with each passing day. For every little victory they've managed, disaster would strike. Between helping the nearby towns and villages evacuate into the capital…to defending their own home.

New Chariot took the Forbidden Forest by surprise in the last couple of weeks, raining down explosive barrels and setting the forest leaves ablaze in seconds. The fires spread quickly with the Foresters' divided attention. Though the trees themselves were spared of the flames due to their hardy hides, the leaves caused embers and smog to blow through the forest. The flames would eventually reach Fort Lucus, and the Foresters would spend their waking hours defending their home.

The platforms and huts were scorched black from exposure to the rampant flames. A heavy haze of smog lingered in the air, giving the atmosphere a dark tinge. Platforms had fallen apart, and several huts were burned down, forcing entire groups to bunk together in the mostly undamaged ones.

The thick haze in the air made it difficult to breathe, especially for those with weaker lungs. Foresters had to roam the outside with bandanas to stave off as much of the toxic air as they could.

Injuries were running high, and everyone had to contribute to medical checkups, some more than others. With the weeks passing by and their supplies on a rapid decline, the chances of enduring several more weeks were low.

Regardless, everyone contributed wherever they could, such as managing resources and assisting with preparing traps and weapons. For the injured or weak, they had to wait out the smog until a change in atmosphere passed by.

Within the ruined medical hut, there were a few patients on standby. Klaus and Kenny lay in bed, sickened by the accursed air. Hedwig lay in the next bed over, sleeping with bandages wrapped over her wounds after fighting many nights against the invading soldiers. Most alarmingly, Altair had to be admitted into the medical hut due to his eyes and throat being stung by the toxic air.

Running the medical hut were Sadie, Adenine, Wyatt, Avel, and Basil. Working together, they mixed up whatever ingredients they had while using Shade's notebooks as a reference guide. They periodically checked on their patients, feeding them handmade medicine to soothe their burdens.

Kenny started coughing out loud. He tried to sign something, but his hands flopped over his stomach as he coughed even harder. Basil quickly sat him up and pressed a canteen of water to his lips. "Easy, little fella. Take it easy." He gently tipped the canteen, allowing Kenny to take a few big gulps. Once finished, Basil lay him back down and pulled the blanket back over his body. "You'll get better soon, kiddo."

Sadie mashed up some ingredients and mixed them into a beaker. "Okay, um…" She traced her finger along the notebook before stirring the mixture. "Geez, how does Shade do this every day? He's not even an actual doctor."

Adenine walked over to Hedwig's bedside to change out her bandages. "Are we sure he left us enough materials to work with? Ah'm gettin' mighty nervous."

Wyatt grinned. "Don't you worry, Addy! With us taking over for Shade while he's away, there's nothing we can't accomplish! Besides, you of all people should be glad!"

"…" She looked away with a worried frown. "Ah just hope he knows what he's doin'."

Avel glared. "He gave you his word. That's all you can ask for."

"…" She sighed, then shot a determined glare. "Right." She continued on with changing out Hedwig's bandages.

Basil glared. "Pretty words and all, but us picking up for Shade's slack while he's gone doesn't exactly change the main issue at hand. We're still running low on supplies, and Jason and the Nature Spirits are still pulling at their hair trying to find a solution for us. New Chariot practically placed an embargo on trading."

Sadie shook her head. "I'm sure they're figuring something out. These things take time."

"We don't have time. Our manpower's dwindling, and we're weeks away from our last crumb of bread."

Adenine pulled taut on Hedwig's bandage before saying, "Ah'm sure Melissa will think of somethin'."

Wyatt glanced at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Ah can't explain it, but that girl has a tendency to come up with the most insane plans imaginable." She glared at the floor. "Ah've never met someone more determined to make an insane dream come true. Even after all of this, she's still holdin' onto her belief peace and unity can be made."

"…" Basil leaned back on a table and looked away.

"Jason trusts her to take part in their war council, so…Ah'm puttin' mah faith in her."

"…" Avel sighed. "Well, after what happened in Echo Bell, I can't say I disagree. After it was publicly announced she helped kick the Lord of Shadow's hindquarters, she skyrocketed up to the ten most wanted in a week. Jason clearly sees something unique in her."

Sadie chuckled. "That's my girl, alright. I'm with Adenine on this one. I know Melissa the best out of all of you." She leaned back in her chair and smiled at the ceiling. "When backed into a corner, she can pull off some miracles."


In the fort meeting hall, a war council was taking place between Jason, Melissa, Percival, Eadwulf, and Luna. While the other Nature Spirits and coleaders were helping with defenses, they were taking note of the current battlefield and their precautionary measures.

Percival psychically slid a chess piece across the enlarged map. "If my predictions are correct, the Verde Kingdom and our vanguard are pushing back against the invading knights as we speak. We'll have their heavy weaponry neutralized and force them into a retreat."

Eadwulf scowled. "Buying us only a little time until they recuperate."

Luna glared. "And giving us a moment to rest and think of a way to reestablish our supplies." She sighed. "With everything going on, not even House Freia can keep Fort Lucus running. We need an alternative method to build back up our resources."

"Which is next to impossible since New Chariot has camps set up all over the territory they took over," Jason grumbled. "We only managed to evacuate the nearby villages…especially Rainside Village," he muttered to himself.

Melissa patted his shoulder before looking down at the map. "Lambert gave me a final estimation of our food supply. If properly rationed, and if everyone takes shifts with scouting to conserve energy, we have roughly a month."

Jason glared. "Not a lot of time."

"We could probably minimize the damage if we steal from New Chariot's food supply," Eadwulf mentioned. "They're bound to have rations on them, too."

"Assuming they haven't been destroyed beforehand," Percival noted, moving chess pieces along the table. "Besides, we'd have to raid a lot of camps to make up for the food shortage." He scowled. "Not that it matters. Fort Lucus is becoming uninhabitable."

Luna frowned. "There's too much smog in the air. The constant bombardment of fire barrels is destroying the forest. If it gets any worse, we'll be the ones getting sick next."

Melissa frowned. "Isn't there a way to purify the air with…I don't know, alchemy?"

"Even if there was, we'd need a lot of supplies for that, and most of it is being used for medicine."

"…Hmm." Melissa leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

Jason sighed. "So, as far as we know, we're on the brink of starvation and with dwindling supplies to keep up the fight. Sidney's team is doing everything they can to trap the forest for invaders, but that may not last long. And with the Weald Ranger's attention divided, the mist we use to disorient anyone who comes near our base isn't active. Anyone would be able to see us, especially with the leaves burnt up. If New Chariot were to enter the forest, they'd destroy the fort as soon as they spot it."

"…" Percival glared. "There's not much we can do."

"Afraid not." The Pikachu covered his face and shuddered. "Dammit…"

Melissa pulled from her thoughts and noticed his trembling. "Jason?"

"It's…fine. We've persevered through the worst. I'm sure…we can come up with something."

Eadwulf frowned. "Bro…"

Melissa stood up from her seat and grabbed Jason's shoulders. "Maaaaybe we should take a small break. We can step aside, clear our heads, and pick up on this conversation with renewed spirit." She smiled uneasily at everyone. "Sound like a plan?"

Percival, Eadwulf, and Luna shared unsure looks with each other, but ultimately nodded in agreement. Percival pulled out his canteen and sipped on his coffee. "Alright. We'll take an hour. I'll go see how Fabrice's group is handling their assignment." With a snap of his fingers, he teleported out of the meeting hut.

Eadwulf and Luna made their way out of the meeting hut, leaving Melissa and Jason as the last ones out as she gently guided him by the shoulders.


"I don't know what I'm doing anymore…"

Melissa leaned against the bedroom wall, frowning as Jason lay face first in his pillow and blanket. "Maybe you'd be a little less tense if you didn't sleep on a hardwood floor."

He pulled his face away and glared up at her. "Really?"

She shrugged. "Just…lightening the mood." She walked over and pulled him up by the arm. "Come on, you're supposed to be their leader. You can't let yourself break down so easily."

He groaned and massaged his face. "I've been losing my edge these last several months. I'm trying and trying to keep everyone safe, but it's just…one bad thing after the other. Why is it like this?"

Melissa looked aside with a glum expression. "You can say that again…"

"…" He looked back at her guiltily. "Melissa, I…I didn't mean…" He pinched between his eyes and sighed. "I know you're probably going through a lot, too. After what happened to your father…"

"…" She sighed. "We're all feeling stressed out."

"How can you hold yourself together so well?"

She shrugged. "Honestly, after finding out my longtime crush was a sick freak and staring down a demonic cult leader, I think I've reached my threshold for panicking."

He snorted a bit. "Heh. Didn't stop you from freaking out over your new wanted poster."

She toppled over and whined. "Why do I suddenly cost over one million bits?!"

"Welcome to my world, Rookie." He sighed and turned toward his window. "Honestly, with how well you're handling yourself, you'd make a much better leader for the Foresters. You're composed, brilliant, strong…" He gripped his sleeve tightly. "I'm still that same angry eight-year-old who lost his parents."

Melissa walked up to his side and gently grabbed his hand. "Everyone looks up to you as a pillar of strength. That's something to be proud of. No one has the same presence as the Fairy Knight. You alone caused a stir across Virdis all because of a crazy dream."

Jason smiled sadly. "Is going on a pointless revenge quest a dream?"

"Dreams can evolve. Why else would I be in the Foresters? You gave me a chance." She squeezed his hand. "And it allowed me to give the Foresters a chance."

"…" He gazed out the window again. "Dreams are a scary thing. It takes a special kind of will to pursue an impossible dream. Why do you still hold onto hope you can unite Virdis?"

Melissa frowned. "It was once my mother's dream that I inherited. I…molded my life around following her last wish. I never gave myself the chance to develop my dream." She clutched her fist over her heart. "But, after getting to know all of you, I decided to make her dream into my dream. I'm not just doing this for my mother, but to give the Foresters and everyone a place where they truly belong. I want to create a Virdis that tears down the walls we used to divide ourselves. I want a Virdis that embraces its fellow kingdoms as equals. I know some people think it's a naïve dream, but…isn't the nature of chasing dreams to risk that impossible chance?"

"…" Jason sighed with a warm smile. "You've changed so much since your first day."

"Heh. You think so?"

"Hmm." He glared out the window. "Still, how much will that amount to here? We're pressed for options. New Chariot has one of the most powerful militaries in Virdis. Our numbers simply don't compare."

Melissa narrowed her eyes. "Fighting them on equal ground isn't doing us any favors, either. No matter what traps we throw at them, they'll keep charging in without hesitation. New Chariot is frightening…"

Jason sighed. "Plus, with Fort Lucus up in smoke, we can't stay here for much longer. We'd have to relocate. Maybe one of the evacuated villages if they haven't been raided yet."

Melissa closed her eyes, humming to herself. "Relocation? Relocate…"

We need supplies.

We need allies.

We need a way to take out New Chariot without brute force.

We need a new place to stay.

"…" Melissa's eyes shined as a thought dawned on her. "Hey…Jason."

"Yeah?"

"You've been talking about a new revival for the Foresters, right? As in…changing up how we do business and stuff?"

He raised his brow at her. "Yeah?"

"So, if I were to suggest something absolutely insane that you would've never agreed with before, would you be willing to hear me out?"

"…" He straightened up. "Depending on the nature of your suggestion, I would need to gather the Nature Spirits and my coleaders for their opinion. But yes, I suppose I would want to hear you out."

She frowned. "Even if it means going against the original intent of the Foresters?"

"I said we were going to change our ways. Melissa, where are you going with this?"

"…" She took a deep breath and sighed. "I…may have an idea as to how we can solve our issues, though it's a big gamble depending on who we'd need to speak to. However, who I have in mind would have the most to gain from taking down the New Chariot Empire."

"…Who are you suggesting?"

She rested her hands on Jason's shoulders, taking a moment to collect herself. She wasn't sure what may come from following this path, but she had no reason not to trust her instincts. They led her well before, and desperate times called for Harlow levels of desperation.

"I propose…we reach out and form an alliance with the Umbra Clock Kingdom."