Hello, everyone! BlueRaptor629 here and back with another chapter! I apologize for the long wait since I got some stuff to do including writing my new Pokemon x One Piece story. It is titled The Straw Hats' Monster Tamer, so you should check that when you get the chance.

Without further ado, on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own characters from The Rising of the Shield Hero and Pokemon. Only most of the OCs. Kurisu Hanatabi is from an old friend of mine, Coral the Leviathan.

Chapter 16: Everlasting Memory

(With Naofumi and co.)

Hydreigon looked around to see if they were being tailed. Sure enough, he descended towards Tyler.

"How is it, buddy?" Tyler asked his partner.

"I didn't see anyone tailing us. I think we're in the clear. For now, at least." Hydreigon answered.

"Phew. That's a relief. Those dirty knights are really relentless." Chelsea commented.

"You can say that again." Naofumi agreed.

"Umm… Master." Naofumi turned to see Filo, who was tugging his cape.

"What's up, Filo?" He asked.

"Can I catch it?" She pointed her finger towards Golett.

"You mean you want to get that as your Pokemon?" Naofumi said. "I dunno…"

"I think you're a bit too young to have a Pokemon, Filo." Raphtalia said.

"But I want it! It saved me from Spear Guy!" Filo pleaded.

"That is true. Plus, it saved me the trouble of taking that magic shackle off of you…" Naofumi remarked.

"I think Filo should catch it." Kurisu told them. "Aside from Mel, she's the only one here who doesn't have a Pokemon. I'm sure having one as strong as that Golett will do her good."

"Are you sure, Kurisu? I still think Filo's a bit too young." Raphtalia stated.

"Right, and this is coming from a ten-years-old girl who somehow grew up to be an adult just by leveling up?" Tyler retorted, causing the raccoon dog demihuman girl to blush embarrassingly.

"Wait, wait. Raptalia's only ten?" Chelsea asked as she was surprised to hear that information.

"Yeah, I was surprised to hear that too." Kurisu told her.

"A reasonable reaction, considering such a concept is alien in your worlds. Aside from the knowledge of Pokemon, of course." Merleo said.

"Back to the topic…" Naofumi said as he turned towards Filo. "Are you sure you're up for this? Becoming a Pokemon Trainer?"

"Of course, Master! I've seen how Master and the others do it, so I can do it too!" Filo said.

"I'll get the Poke Ball ready then?" Tyler said as he opened his bag and went looking for some spare Poke Balls that he could give to Filo.

"And speaking of getting a new Pokemon…" The Shield Hero's attention then shifted towards Wobbuffet. "You did well on standing your ground against that idiot Motoyasu."

"I-It was nothing…" Wobbuffet said. "I've been afraid for most of my life, but I-I can't stand by and let those villains win! E-Especially that guy with the spear! He was quick to believe that witch's words and that look on his face when he was about to do something awful to a little girl..." He continued. "How a guy like that a Hero is something I don't get. In fact, he's an embarrassment to Heroes everywhere."

"That sounds like him all right. That punk…" Naofumi said as his mind flashed about the times he was prosecuted by him, forcing him to a duel, ambushing and attacking him in broad daylight, and now fully buying into Malty's deception.

"But you're different from him." Wobbuffet told him. "You're being brave and standing up when everything is against you. I-I want to be that too. T-To stand my ground and be brave!"

"Then come with me. I can make you stronger and braver." Naofumi declared.

"Ah, here it is!" Tyler managed to find what he was looking for and then presented them to Naofumi.

"I'll take it–"

"Greetings, everyone." Everyone was taken aback by a cloaked figure, who appeared to them all of a sudden. Some of them reached out for their weapons, ready for a potential fight.

"Wait! She's on our side." Melty said.

"On our side? What do you mean?" Chelsea said as she had her hammer ready.

"Princess Melty was correct." Merleo chimed in, vouching for the princess he used to serve. "That is one of the Shadows. An espionage squad under the Queen's direct control."

"They served directly under the Queen, huh?" Kurisu asked as both Merleo and Melty nodded.

"Sir Shield Hero." The Shadow said to Naofumi. "This is the first time I'm meeting you in this form, I daresay."

"Daresay? What's that about?" Naofumi repeated before he remembered about a woman who also used the word "daresay" back at the castle, after arguing with Aultcray. While he was speculating about the connections…

"Allow me to get straight to the point." The cloaked woman continued. "Sir Shield Hero. You are hereby requested to meet Her Majesty, the Queen."

"With the Queen?" He repeated.

"I assume the situation at hand is so dire that it warrants the attention of Her Majesty?" Merleo asked the Shadow.

"Indeed, Sir Merleo." She confirmed. "The roots of this commotion go deep, you understand? I daresay we would've appreciate all the help you can give." The Shadow continued. "This 'abduction' and the events leading up to it were set up by those who find your accomplishments alarming."

"What do you think, Kurisu?" Tyler asked Kurisu. "Is she lying?"

"Nope. She's speaking the truth. Plus, I think what she was saying makes sense." Kurisu replied.

"Oh, that's terrific! More pains in the butt to handle." Naofumi grumbled. "Yeah, so? What would I gain by meeting with her?"

"I have no doubt that you will understand better after you have met, I daresay." She replied.

While he took the time to take the Shadow's word, he heard a whooshing sound and realized that said Shadow had vanished and in her place was a sack of supplies.

Naofumi then pulled out the map and placed it on a rock. "The Queen's in the opposite direction from Siltvelt." He said before looking at Merleo. "Hey, Merleo. Do you know anything about this place?"

"You're pointing at Faubrey, yes?" The party's resident mage stated. "All I can tell you is that it's the most powerful country in this world. In fact, the Hero Summoning was supposed to be performed in this very country until Melromarc unexpectedly did the deed."

"Okay, then…" Naofumi then turned towards Melty. "What do you think, Second Princess?"

Melty only looked away in a huff.

"Oh, yeah. Second Princess, you know how to use magic, don't you?" He asked again.

"...top calling me that." Melty mumbled.

"What was that, Second Princess–"

"Stop calling me 'Second Princess'!" She snapped at him.

"What's gotten to you all of sudden?" Naofumi asked with confusion as Melty moved to his side and sat down next to him.

"I have a name and it's Melty! That's what!" Melty replied. "Why on earth you keep calling me 'Second Princess', Shield Hero? You keep treating me like I'm just an outsider."

"Hey, you're the only one around me who keeps calling me Shield Hero, you know." He argued.

"Well, then. I'll have to call you Naofumi and you can call me Melty, which is what I prefer anyway." She suggested. "So, tell me, Naofumi. What's it going to be?"

"Straight to his first name?" Raphtalia muttered.

"Well, you see, Second Princess, it's like this–"

"Hey, wait!" Melty cutted him off.

"Okay, 'Melty.'" Naofumi relented. "Happy now?"

"Once again, please?" She said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Huh?"

"Say my name one more time!" Melty demanded.

"Fine, Melty." Naofumi repeated.

"Good! And I suggest you don't forget it either." She told him. "One more thing… Thanks for that."

Raphtalia began to feel a little jealous as she stood up.

"What's up?" Her master asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine, just forget it!" The raccoon dog demihuman answered before her ears twitched and smelled something.

"Huh…?" Hydreigon said as he too smelled something in the distance.

"What's wrong, Hydreigon?" Tyler asked his partner.

"Did anyone smell something burning? I can't just be me, right?" The Dark and Dragon type Pokemon asked.

"Actually, that's what I'm thinking." Raphtalia stated. "But the question is where did it come from?"

"Uh…" Chelsea was speechless as she saw something.

"Miss Chelsea, is something the matter?" Merleo asked as he too saw what Chelsea were seeing. "Oh, my."

And everyone eventually saw it. On top of the mountain, particularly the trees, were set on fire by something… or rather by someone.

"Something tells me that this is that bitch's doing." Tyler commented.

"So, trying to smoke us out, huh?" Naofumi said as he turned towards Tyler. "Tyler, give me and Filo the spare Poke Balls!"

"Got it, man! Here!" Tyler said as he gave one Poke Ball to Naofumi and Filo.

"Okay, good." The Shield Hero then looked towards Filo. "Hey, Filo. Let's catch them and then we move out before that fire reaches here."

"Okay, Master!" Filo noted as she and Naofumi threw the empty Poke Ball at Golett and Wobbuffet respectively, hitting them as red energy enveloped them and went inside the Poke Balls. The balls then closed before falling on the ground, where they shook three times before it stopped.

"Oh. So that's how one catches a Pokemon…" Melty muttered aloud as she saw Naofumi and Filo pick up the Poke Balls that contained their new Pokemon.

"We should get a move on, otherwise that fire is gonna reach here." Naofumi said.

"Got it." Tyler said as he returned Hydreigon back to his Poke Ball before he joined the other to go towards somewhere.

(Later on…)

The party and Melty continued their journey. Once they stopped near a town, Naofumi volunteered to scout said town, but not before putting on a cloak to hide his identity. It did not long for him to return.

"So, how did it go, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked him.

"Well, checkpoints have been set up on the border." Naofumi said. "I guess we should give up on going to Siltvelt."

"Ah, that sucks." Tyler said. "What're we gonna do now?"

"The only option we have now is probably going to meet with the Queen." Naofumi stated.

"But still… to think Sister would go so far as to burn the forest in the mountains." Melty stated.

"As cruel as it sounds, you can't deny it's effective." Merleo stated.

"What are you talking about?" Chelsea asked. "Didn't she have her goons to start a forest fire just to smoke us out of hiding?"

"That goes without saying. But it is also sending a message to nearby villages who would intend to harbor fugitives such as us." Merleo replied.

"As much of a liar she is, I admit that she can be really clever." Kurisu added. "But it's a shame that she used it for her own selfish ends."

"You have no idea…" Naofumi said bitterly. "Anyway, we should probably get going now. Or we'll get caught."

And with that, everyone proceeded to go wherever the map that Naofumi had was pointing them to. Two hours have passed and they decided to do a little training on their Pokemon as they encounter some monsters. After defeating some of the monsters, they decided to stop for a bit to take a break but not before making sure that no one was following them. Thanks to both Chelsea and Kurisu, Filo was able to use the Potions to heal her first Pokemon, Golett.

"There. All better now." Filo said as she stood up and looked at her Pokemon with a smile.

"..." Golett did not say anything other than nodding at his Trainer.

"Looks like you're able to treat your Pokemon, Filo." Melty stated.

"Ah, thanks, Mel." Filo replied.

"You know, Filo." The winged girl turned to see Kurisu. "You should consider yourself lucky to get that Golett."

"What are you talking about? Golett is a Pokemon, right?" Naofumi said, perked up after hearing that statement. "Or is there something I missed here?"

"No, no. Golett is a normal, everyday Pokemon. But Filo's Golett is something rare…" Kurisu said before she pulled out her Poryphone to open the Pokedex app. She then showed her leader the image of a Golett. "Tell me, what is this?"

"It's a Golett. Why did you–" Naofumi said before he realized that the one that was shown on the Pokedex was colored differently than the one that Filo had. "Wait a minute. The one in this picture has different colors compared to the one Filo had."

"Let me see." Raphtalia said as she was shown the image. "I see why you thought so, Master Naofumi. The Golett shown in Kurisu's Pokedex has blue and yellow lines and eyes. Filo's Golett, on the other hand, is gray with green lines and eyes."

"Oh, now I know what's up." Chelsea stated, having finally two pieces together. "I was wondering why there are sparkles appeared around Golett everytime when it came out from the Poké Ball. That's because Filo's Golett is a Shiny Pokémon!"

"Shiny Pokémon?" Those who were not familiar enough with Pokémon repeated in confusion.

"Wait!? For real!?" Tyler exclaimed as he recognized the term. "Aren't Shiny Pokémon like super rare and shit?"

"Rare?" Merleo asked.

"Let's take it from the top." Kurisu said as she cleared her throat. "Shiny Pokémon are Pokémon with different coloration to what is usual for their species."

"So, then the image of Golett that you just showed…" Naofumi said.

"Yeah. That is Golett in its standard coloration." The former police intern stated. "And I so happened to have studied about Pokemon throughout my life. Not as much, but just enough to know what their standard coloration is. So, Filo's Golett is 100% a Shiny Pokémon."

"Okay, so it's different colored compared to the others. But, what's so special about a Shiny Pokémon?"

"It's because they are extremely difficult to find in the wild." Kurisu said. "Sure, there is no difference in power. But, the fact that they're hard to find is like uncovering a hidden treasure."

"I see…" Naofumi noted.

"Naofumi, does albinism exist in your world?" Kurisu asked him.

"Yeah, it does."

"Okay. And apparently, Shiny Pokémon are like that too." She elaborated.

"Oh, I get it now." The messy haired young man stated.

"Master Naofumi. What is this 'albinism'?" Raphtalia asked.

"It's a special condition where you have light skin, eyes, and hair. It's not a disease but it's something else. Aside from animals in my world, humans can also be albino." He explained.

"I see. I never thought such a thing existed…" Merleo remarked.

"Hey, Kurisu. Are there Shiny Hunters in your world?" Chelsea asked her.

"Yes, they are." Kurisu stated.

"Shiny Hunters?" Melty repeated.

"They are a type of Pokémon Trainers who exclusively seek out, catch, and collect Shiny Pokémon." The former police intern remarked. "This type of Trainers are tenacious as they're willing to scout far and wide, looking for any Shiny Pokémon that they can find."

"That's some ambition." Naofumi said as he stood up. "Anyway, break time's over. We should get going before some knights catch up to us."

Everyone was not against the decision as they immediately continued their journey.

(Later…)

One hour has passed as Naofumi, his party, and Melty traveled through the land in order to go towards the supposed whereabouts of Melromarc's Queen. As they walked through the woods, Tyler caught something in his eyes.

"Hey, guys! Check this out!" Tyler called out to his friends.

"What's wrong, Tyler?" Chelsea asked before she and everyone else looked at what Tyler was seeing.

They saw several demihumans doing several activities in the town.

"Are those demihumans?" Naofumi asked.

"From the looks of it, all of the townspeople here are demihumans. What's up with that?" Kurisu asked as both Melty and Merleo widened their eyes.

"Merleo, do you think this area is…" Melty asked her former magic teacher.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Princess Melty." Merleo replied.

"Do you two know this place?" Raphtalia asked.

"If I am right, the nobleman, who is also the lord of this region, will allow us to seek shelter in his mansion." Merleo said. "And it just so happened that Princess Melty and I are well-acquainted with the fellow.

"That's right. He's a good man, so he might be able to help us out." The second princess stated.

"A nobleman?" Both Naofumi and Tyler repeated in unison.

"These days, humans treat demihumans like slaves. But in the past, some nobility encouraged peaceful relations between the races. The leader of that group was a wonderful man…" Melty explained. "He was the lord of the domain of Seatto."

It was when she heard that Raphtalia knew what Melty was talking about

"But after he died in the first Wave, all the nobles who had sided with him were banished under King Aultcray, to the most remote regions in the kingdom." Merleo added.

"And from what I'm hearing, those nobles are the ones that suggested a peaceful relation to demihumans." Kurisu said. "And seeing how he hates demihuman, no wonder he immediately exiled them.

"Ugh… Just what was that geezer's problem with demihumans?" Naofumi muttered before he noticed how Raphtalia was bothered by the topic. "Raphtalia, what's wrong?"

"The village my family's from… it was in the Seatto district." Raphtalia began.

"Really? I have no idea…" Merleo stated. "From what I have heard, the region has taken quite the hit by rioters…"

"Yes, it was…" She continued. "After the first Wave, the village was swarmed by a mob of Melromarc soldiers who were totally out of control."

"So, those soldiers took advantage of the death of that area's lord as well as the aftermath of the first Wave and attacked your village?" Chelsea said angrily. "That's low, even for them."

"Yeah, the more I hear about those scums, the more I'm disgusted." Naofumi stated.

Melty looked down in shame as she felt guilty. "I'm sorry."

"But, Melty. It's not like it's your fault." Raphtalia assured her.

"If you wanna blame someone, blame those jackass knights." Tyler added. "Only a pansy would kick someone when they're down."

"As royalty, there must've been something we could've done." Melty said as she tugged on her dress. "But we did nothing to help!" She then looked up to face the raccoon dog demihuman. "Raphtalia, tell me everything you remember about those soldiers! Once things have been cleared up, I'll make sure they're brought to justice!"

"Thank you." Raphtalia said, having appreciated the help.

"Okay, so this nobleman that you and Merleo know lives around here, right?" Naofumi asked

"That is correct, Sir Naofumi." Merleo confirmed.

"The real question is whether or not we can actually trust this guy?"

"We could ask those guys near the carriage to take us to that guy's place." Tyler stated, pointing at a pair of demihumans that were near a carriage nearby. Everyone immediately look at what Tyler was pointing

"Will that be okay? Even if they are demihumans, I don't want them rat out on us if possible." Chelsea replied.

"Yeah, good point. What to do…?"

"Do not worry. That is my horse-drawn carriage, so please feel free to use it." It took everyone five seconds to realize someone new was standing besides them.

It was a man with bowl style dark blue hair and small, round, armless glasses on his nose bridge. He wore a dark blue overcoat and brown trousers underneath his long white cape.

"Whoa!" Naofumi backed away from the man as he and those who were unfamiliar with the man let their guard up while eyeing the man with caution.

"It's been too long, hasn't it, Reichnott?" Melty greeted the man.

"Princess Melty, it's good to see you again." 'Reichnott' said as he turned towards Merleo. "Oh? I see that Merleo is with you as well. How have you been doing, my friend?"

"I'm well." Merleo greeted back. "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Van Reichnott. He's the current lord of this area and a good friend of mine. And as you can see, he is well-acquainted with Princess Melty."

"It is a pleasure to meet with you all, especially you, the Shield Hero." Van remarked.

"So, this guy is the nobleman that you two knew?" Naofumi asked Merleo and Melty.

"Indeed he is." His party's mage stated.

'The guy's look like a wimp, but his stealth is off the charts. How the hell did he do that?' Naofumi pondered.

"Um… Is it safe to come out yet?" Everyone was alerted by a new voice as they realized that the man was not alone.

"What's that?" Chelsea asked.

"Yes, you can come out, little ones."

Coming out from a bush behind was a pair of unusual creatures.

One was a round, bipedal creature with a primarily blue carapace that comprises a horn at the tip. Its black face has a teal patch on its forehead, a fanged mouth, and eyes with orange pupils and yellow sclera. Its ridged underbelly, or plastron, is yellow, and its stubby arms and legs are black. The other is a snail-like creature. Its gray shell resembles a knight's visor, with a coiling spiral of its shell further back. The shell has protrusions on the underside, which it apparently uses as legs. Its inner body is pink with a long, puckered mouth, and green markings below its eyes.

"Is that a beetle monster and a snail monster?" Naofumi mouthed as he and most of the others were not familiar with the creatures. But for the otherworldly Pokémon Trainers…

"A Karrablast and a Shelmet!?" Tyler, Chelsea, and Kurisu exclaimed in unison.

"If you knew what they are, then that means these two are Pokémon?" Naofumi asked.

"Pokémon?" Van repeated. "Is that what this pair is called?"

Chelsea pulled out her Pokedex and the screen of the device immediately showed the image of a Karrablast.

"Karrablast, the Clamping Pokémon. A Bug type. Karrablast live in forests and fields, and often hide in trees or grass when threatened. They can also defend themselves by spitting acid."

Tyler then pulled out his Pokedex as he looked up at Shelmet.

"Shelmet, the Snail Pokémon. A Bug type. Shelmet can spit a sticky poisonous acid when attacking, and it can defend itself by closing its shell."

"Wait. Is it just me or why do those entries mention exactly the same thing?" Naofumi wondered. "The part where they spit acid, I mean."

"That's a good question…" Merleo said. "These two are a beetle and a snail. Two different creatures belonging to two different groups…"

'A Karrablast and a Shelmet appear in the same place…That's an interesting combo." Kurisu thought as she was fully aware of how exactly those two Pokemon were connected to one another.

"Fascinating…" Van muttered before he went back on the main subject. "As much as I want to hear more, this is not exactly a place for a chat. Why don't you all come over to my house?"

Seeing as the nobleman was friendly enough and how Kurisu did not detect any lies from him, the party and Melty decided to go with Van Reichnott.

(At Van's mansion)

Although Van's house is a simple house as it was more of a three-story mansion with pale brown walls and green roofs.

Inside of a room, everyone was there, including Van and the pair of Pokemon that were with him. Everyone wasted no time to inform the nobleman about the current situation.

"I see." Van said as he was standing in front of a window. "So, you've reached my domain after escaping Melromarc's forces. Is that it?"

"Yeah." Naofumi confirmed as his party nodded in agreement.

"The knights have informed me that you were the one who started the wildfires in order to cover your tracks, Shield Hero." The nobleman looked at Naofumi while revealing his blue eyes. "Would you consider that account to be accurate?"

"That's a complete lie!" Naofumi replied. "I can guarantee the other Princess's behind that."

"I can vouch for him because I have the ability to know what's the truth and what's not." Kurisu chimed in, vouching for her leader.

"I thought so." Van stated, fully believing Naofumi's words. "In fact, when I ran into you and your party in the woods, I was patrolling the area out of concern for Princess Melty." He then turned towards Karrablast and Shelmet. "It was also when I encountered these two 'Pokémon.'"

"Wait, does that mean that these two Pokemon were in the forest when it was on fire?" Chelsea asked.

"Yikes!" Shelmet immediately clamped herself back to her shell.

"Now, look what you did to Shelmet, you morons!" Karrablast shouted at them. "But yeah, we were sleeping until some genius decided to light the forest on fire. Seeing as how Bug types like us can't stand anything fiery, we decided to run away from the fire." He then pointed one of his stubby arms at Van Reichnott. "But then we ran into this guy and he was nice enough to shelter us."

"But it was right after a bit of convincing, of course." Van said as the door of the room opened up, revealing to be a pair of maids who entered the room and were about to serve the party and Melty with food. "Anyhow, I believe all of you must be exhausted from your travels. You're more than welcome to rest up here for a while."

The maids immediately placed the foods and the silverwares onto the table.

"Oh, that looks tasty…!" Tyler said, much to Chelsea's discomfort.

"Ooooh… Wow… Can I eat now, Master? Can I?" Filo asked.

"No, wait. Not until I'm convinced I can trust this guy?" Naofumi answered

"Stubborn to the very end, huh?" Kurisu muttered as Van grabbed a piece of bread and immediately ate it.

"Absolutely exquisite~!" Van stated. "Rest assured, the food isn't poisoned."

"Okay, everybody! Time to eat!" Filo said excitedly.

"Filo! Where are your manners? Put that down!" Raphtalia scolded her.

"...'Kay." Filo said before she put down the bread and grabbed the fork and knife.

And with that, everyone decided to dig in.

"Come on, Master Naofumi. I'm sure it's safe to eat." Raphtalia assured her master.

"It's incredibly rude to cast such doubts on his gracious hospitality." Melty added.

"We're not gonna be here that long." Naofumi declared. "We're leaving tomorrow morning at dawn!" He said before putting a piece of steak into his mouth.

"But why so soon?" The second princess asked.

"The longer we stay, the higher odds of us being sniffed out."

"Well, yes. But I was… I was hoping to be able to rest a little more."

"Princess Melty, if you allow me to say so, it appears you have grown." Van began. "In the past, you used to affect a mature attitude that went beyond your years. However, since you've been traveling with the Shield Hero, I'd say it helped you to grow. And I mean that in a good way."

"Of that, I agree with you." Merleo stated. "If only Princess Malty would follow her examples…"

"No, I'm pretty sure you mean it in a bad way." Naofumi remarked.

"WHAT!? You keep quiet, you!" Melty retorted as her face was red.

"Wouldn't make such a racket, we're trying to eat here."

"Whose fault do you think that is!?"

Raphtalia could only sigh at the sight.

(Later…)

"Oh, wow! This feels amazing~!" Filo said as she immediately plumped down in her bed. "So soft and bouncy~!"

After having dinner, the party decided to head for the guest bedrooms that Van's maids prepared. Naofumi, Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty in one room while Tyler, Kurisu, Merleo, and Chelsea in the other.

"You should get some rest. Why don't you sleep?" Melty suggested.

"There's no way of knowing when this place is gonna be attacked…" Naofumi replied. "I make a point of not sleeping at times like this."

"Master Naofumi, why don't I keep watch?" Raphtalia volunteered, with her statement not that different from Melty's. "That way, you can go ahead and get some sleep."

"... Alright." Naofumi relented as he walked to his bed.

"Wait a minute! Why are you listening to what Raphtalia says, but not to me!?" The second princess complained.

"That's because I trust her."

"Hey, I know!" Filo chimed in. "You and I can do some exploring around this place."

"Sure, let's go!" Melty said as she proceeded to leave the room with Filo.

Naofumi then lay down on the bed as he prepared to go to sleep. Raphtalia then put the blanket over her master.

"Would it hurt you to be a bit nice to her? It wouldn't cost you anything, you know." She asked him but Naofumi simply just rolled to the side and then fell asleep.

Even though he did not exactly show it outright, Raphtalia could tell that Naofumi was contemplating on it. She then looked at the window and saw that Filo and Melty were sitting in one of the benches in Van's backyard.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Filo asked her best friend.

"I don't understand why, but I think I've been acting spoiled since meeting Naofumi." Melty confessed. "Even my speech is becoming more crude as well. I feel like a different person and I'm not sure I like her."

"Well, I… um…" Filo muttered as she tried to figure out what words she should be saying.

"I'm sorry. You don't really understand me, do you?" She apologized.

"Well, not exactly. I still love you." Filo smiled.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you always look so cheerful and everything when you're talking with Master, so I can tell that you really like him."

"Oh, really…" Melty muttered as her cheeks were beginning to glow red.

"I know! All you have to do is get him to dote on you just like he does with me and Big Sis Raphtalia! It's simple!"

"WHAT!?" The second princess exclaimed. "Wait, no!"

"Yup!"

"But that isn't… I mean, I don't… But that's not really what I'm looking for from him!"

And from one of the windows on the second floor was Raphtalia, simply smiling at the conversation.

(Back in Melromarc…)

Night has fallen on Melromarc as the search for Melty and the "fugitives" that kidnapped her was still ongoing.

In the throne room of the castle was Aultcray, who was displeased with the knights as they were kneeling in front of him. Her eldest daughter, Malty, was also there.

"YOU STILL HAVEN'T FOUND HER!?" Aultcray yelled at the knights. "IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MELTY, I'LL HAVE EVERY ONE OF YOUR MISERABLE HEADS ON A PIKE!"

"Yes, sire!" The knights stated as they left to continue the search.

"Rest assured, Father." Malty "assured" him. "I will promise you that I will find Melty and bring her back home to us."

"... Do what you can." Aultcray said as his daughter left him. "This can't happen to my family again…! How much do you intend to make me suffer…!" He said before he slammed his fist on the throne. "Accursed Shield!"

(Early next day…)

Naofumi snapped his eyes open as he woke up and got up from his bed. He looked up to see Raphtalia, who had fallen asleep. It was decided that it was his turn to keep watch.

"You're up?" He turned to see Melty, who had also woken up.

"Yeah. I'll take over now." Naofumi replied.

"It's fine." Melty stated. "I'm really not very sleepy, actually."

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"Naofumi, I…"

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking that as a Crown Princess, should I really keep running like this?" Melty asked. "As a member of the royal family, there's just so much more I could be doing. But I feel like doing nothing because I keep running."

"You know, your life comes before anything else, so you can worry about your duties once you're safe and out of danger." Naofumi said.

"But I feel… so pathetic." Melty remarked as she felt a hand patting on one of her shoulders. She then turned to see Naofumi, who was right behind her.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." The Shield Hero said. "Get some rest now."

"Okay." Melty then proceeded to get on her bed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there are things only you can take care of." He assured her.

"Thanks. Um…" Melty said before she shrugged. "It's nothing. Not important. Good night, Naofumi." She said as she fell asleep in her bed.

As Naofumi continued night watching, he heard gasping and crying and realized that Raphtalia once again experienced another nightmare.

"No… please! No, please! Stop…!" Raphtalia muttered as she slept as Naofumi sat on her bed and immediately held her hand to lessen the nightmare she was experiencing.

(In the morning…)

Naofumi decided to go to the kitchen to see if he could pack some food for the trip. Originally, he wanted to wake everyone up to leave at dawn, but he realized it would be better to have some food cooked and packed in advance than to make it on the spot where they stop for a break. Of course, he wouldn't leave Rhertalia on her own as he asked his Pokémon to watch over her. As he entered the kitchen, he realized that Tyler, Kurisu, and Chelsea were using the kitchen to make something. And Merleo was also there to observe the procedure.

"What are you guys making?" Naofumi asked the three otherworldly Trainers.

"Some Pokémon food, of course. We have been running low on them, especially with all the mouths to feed." Kurisu answered.

"Good thing Filo has some form of boundaries in that appetite of hers, or we would have to make a Snorlax's worth of this stuff." Chelsea remarked.

"That, or we would have run out of these a whole lot earlier." Tyler added.

"And I'm just merely to see how they make such a thing." Merleo chimed in.

"Hang on. Pokémon food? As in, food for Pokémon?" Naofumi repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Though, now that I think about it... Every so often, you did feed them those kibble food if they're not having what I or Chelsea make, or even just some fruits."

"If you're worried about human food upsetting a Pokémon's appetite or anything of the sort, that's not exactly why we're making food exclusive for them." Kurisu said. "It's more of... How to say this to someone who doesn't have Pokémon in their world...?"

"While a Pokémon can eat just about anything we humans can eat, oftentimes, it's not really that healthy for them to just feed on human food. Generally speaking, they don't get any sort of ill effects, but it's best if they eat something more to their diet." Chelsea explained on her behalf.

In her explanation, Naofumi compared it to the common knowledge of feeding dogs and cats in his world. 'So, it's like that, but without any harmful reaction.' he thought.

"Looks like you understand that. That's good." Kurisu said, taking out some of the bowls.

"Yeah, I understand that. But... Do you really need to make all of that? The color looks different, too," Naofumi then asked, noticing how each bowl of the Pokémon food seems to have quite different shades of brown.

"Well, like humans, Pokémon have their own preferences in taste. It's practically our job as good trainers to make sure they eat well." Tyler explained.

"I see. So, it's vital to watch over what sort of food that our Pokémon are going to eat?" Merleo muttered. "It seems that Pokémon Trainers are very attentive towards their Pokémon."

"Surely you can understand that, yeah? Mr. Daddy-of-two-girls~!" Chelsea teased.

Annoyed as Naofumi felt by the action, he also could not argue against those words. Especially considering how he had acted towards Raphtalia when she was still the child she should've been, before he finally saw her as the girl she has become now.

"... Don't call me that."

"Oh? But I'm not hearing a denial~!" Chelsea teased once more.

"Just leave him alone, Chelsea." Tyler said. "Anyway, these look good enough. What do you girls think?"

"I'm more used to making these for Riolu and Floette, as well as for my SO's Pokémon team when I had the extra time, but I'm not so sure about the other Pokémon in our team. And even though the ingredients in this world are similar to home, it's hard to say for sure." Kurisu admitted.

"Can't argue with that. Although, I did make some shortly after meeting and joining Naofumi and Raphtalia. My team seems to like it, as far as I'm concerned." Tyler stated as he then turned towards Naofumi "What about you, Naofumi? Since you do the majority of the cooking here, it wouldn't hurt to know another recipe, right?"

Though he saw no need to learn how to make these kibbles, Naofumi could not help but admit that he was quite curious about the process. Besides, he's a Pokémon Trainer too; he should learn how to make this for his Pokemon team's health.

"Sure, why not? Maybe we can take turns in making this stuff, too." Naofumi stated. "So, how does it work? What are the ingredients used? If there are any left, I prefer a hands-on teaching experience rather than just a worded explanation."

"Even if you say that..." Chelsea trailed off, turning to some canisters and scraps of food near them. Since their Pokémon had different preferences in their kibbles, the trio had used quite a large amount of ingredients for their meals.

"Hey Naofumi. What did you say was your surname again?" Kurisu suddenly questioned.

Confused as he may be, Naofumi decided to answer anyway. "It's Iwata-" Before he could finish that response, a kibble was tossed into his mouth, forcing him to chew into it... and get assaulted by quite the "strong" flavor. One that made him choke and spit the kibble out, as well as wiped his tongue. "Ugh! That's gross! Did you really just make me eat that!?"

"You were the one who wanted to know what was used." the former intern simply responded. "That... And call it additional punishment for not believing me about Melty."

"You serious...?"

After that, Naofumi was taught how to make Pokémon food by the three otherworldly Pokémon Trainers for quite a while. Despite being given a worded explanation, he was able to get the basics down pat.

"I think I got the gist of it. More or less anyway." Naofumi said.

"You'll have the chance to make one yourself next time, I'm sure." Kurisu assured him.

As the three otherworldly Trainers were packing the Pokemon food that they recently cooked…

"Master Naofumi/Naofumi!" The kitchen burst opened, revealing Raphtalia, Quilladin, Lairon, and Wobbuffet as they entered the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Naofumi asked them.

"We've got big trouble!" Wobbuffet alerted his Trainer and the others. "Remember that lordly guy that was nice enough to let us stay in this mansion? Well, he was arrested by some knights just now!"

"What!?" Naofumi, Merleo, and the three otherworldly Pokemon Trainers exclaimed in unison.

"It's true!" They turned to see one of Van's maids who entered the kitchen as well. "Lord Van was arrested by a nobleman in the neighboring town under the suspicion of harboring your party. I suggest you hide somewhere immediately because the knights were about to search through the mansion!"

And with that, everyone hastened to clean up what they were doing to ensure that they did not leave anything that would expose them to being in the mansion. Naofumi, Raphtalia, Tyler, and Chelsea hid together in a closet.

"Oh, crap! I think I forgot to return my Pokemon back into their Poke Balls." Naofumi muttered.

"If they're with Kurisu and Merleo, I'm sure they'll be fine." Tyler said. Earlier, another maid appeared and volunteered to hide the rest of the party somewhere.

"In the meantime, let's shut up and hide until those knights go away. Even if it's cramped in here." Chelsea told them as they unanimously agreed. Fortunately, one of the maids, the same one that warned the party, decided to stay in the kitchen.

The doors of the kitchen were kicked open as a pair of knights entered the kitchen.

"Hey, you there!" One of the knights called out to the maid. "What are you doing?"

"I'm preparing lunch." The maid lied.

"Well, forget that! Come here!" The second knight stated as he pulled the maid by the arm.

"That punk…" Tyler growled as the four were considering coming out and saving her, but…

"What do you think you're doing!?" The four turned and saw that Melty had entered the kitchen, calling out the knights. "I'm Melty Melromarc, Second Princess of Melromarc! Let her go, right now! I command you to stop this right away!"

"What should we do?" The knight asked his partner.

"I'm not sure…"

"My, my. If it isn't Princess Melty." A new voice could be heard as the source entered the kitchen.

Raphtalia lightly gasped before she gritted her teeth at the response of the new voice. Her tail was also standing upright.

"Raphtalia…?" Chelsea whispered, taken aback with how this usual gentle girl immediately became angry.

Of course, Naofumi and Tyler also noticed what was up with Raphtalia but decided to keep quiet.

"Aren't you…" As Melty greeted the newcomer, Naofumi and the Kalosian duo noticed that Raphtalia was about to unsheath her sword, with the former placed on his hand on the sword's grip.

"Let's wait and see what happens." Naofumi told her as she reluctantly did as he said.

"Gee, Raphtalia. You almost expose our location." Tyler remarked before he was pinched by Chelsea.

"Shut up or they'll find us!" Chelsea reprimanded him.

Talking to Melty was a middle aged, obese man with unkempt, strawberry blonde hair and a small mustache in the same color like two "leaves" over his upper lip. He wore a purple and black elegant top with white frill sleeves underneath a black mantle with gold buttons, white cravat and frill around his neck, olive brown pants, and black riding boots. The man was accompanied by four knights

"I'm so glad to see that you're alright." The man said. "I rushed over here because I was worried for your safety."

"Idol Rabier." Melty began. "I heard rumors that in the past, you had a disagreement with my father."

"True." The man nodded.

"And I assume that these soldiers are with you?"

"They are, indeed."

"Then have them withdraw from these premises immediately!" She ordered the man.

"Before I do something like that: Tell me where the Devil of the Shield and his army of monsters are hiding?" Idol asked.

"All I can tell you is that the Shield Hero was gone." Melty answered.

"Really?"

"I encouraged him to escape. There's no way your men would ever catch him! He's too far away!"

"That girl…" Naofumi muttered.

"I intend to tell my father everything!" Melty declared. "And I will do everything in my power to clear the Shield Hero's good name!"

'I get the determination, but that's a little bit naive…' Chelsea thought.

"Now, you will take me to the capital as soon as possible!" Melty ordered.

"Oh, I understand that perfectly…" Idol replied. "I'll make 'arrangements' for your journey at my mansion. You'll be more comfortable there."

'Melty… don't! Don't go with this man…! Please!' Raphtalia pleaded in her mind, but her worst fears were realized when Melty agreed to go with Idol.

"Alright, take her!" Idol ordered his knights to escort the mansion out.

Looks like they're leaving, that's good…" Chelsea said before and the other two saw how agitated Raphtalia was.

"Calm down." Naofumi told her. "Don't ruin what Melty was trying to do."

Even though that was the case, the knights still decided to do one last search in Van's mansion. After a few hours, they proceeded to leave the mansion with Melty.

"You all can come out now." The maid told as the closet opened as Naofumi, Raphtalia, Tyler, and Chelsea came out.

The four immediately went to reunite with others except for Filo and proceeded to check if some of their belongings were taken away. Fortunately, none of them went missing thanks to the maids in the mansion. Naofumi and Raphtalia soon meet up with Tyler, Kurisu, Merleo, and Chelsea.

"How are things on your end?" Naofumi asked.

"Our stuff is safe and sound." Tyler answered. "And yours?"

"Same." He said. "But I don't think I've seen Filo anywhere. Have you seen her?"

"No, we haven't." Chelsea shook her head. "I thought she was with you."

"Sadly, no. Now, where could she be hiding?" Raphtalia wondered.

"Oh, to hell with this!" Naofumi said as he took a deep breath. "FILO! GET OUT HERE NOW! THIS IS AN ORDER!"

"AHHHHHH!" Filo's voice could be heard as everyone realized where she was.

"It's coming from above us, so she must be in the attic!" Kurisu stated as she and everyone else hurried to the mansion's attic. Sure enough, they saw Filo writhing on the floor as she was shocked by her Slave Crest. In the attic with her are Karrablast and Shelmet.

"That has to hurt…" Karrablast commented.

"Should we help her?" Shelmet asked Karrablast.

"Meh. I'm sure she's fine. I think it was a weak jolt."

"Ow… Why are you being such a meanie, Master!?" Filo asked.

"It's your fault for not coming when I called." Naofumi replied.

"Care to explain why you're even hiding up here?" Chelsea asked.

"We're just playing Hide and Seek." Filo said. "But I got bored and decided to play with these guys. It was really fun until I was shocked."

"Oh yeah, Karrablast and Shelmet. I kinda forgot that you're here too." Tyler said. "Why're you two also in the attic?"

"That nice human with glasses told us that we could sleep in here." Karrablast answered as Shelmet nodded in agreement.

"Filo, who are you playing Hide and Seek with?" Merleo asked.

"With Mel. She said it was very important that I hide no matter what, so I did just that." Filo explained. "But she never came to find me." It was then that she realized that Melty was not in the room with them. "Wait a sec. Where's Mel?"

"Also, where's that human? I think it's time to eat." Karrablast asked about Van.

"About that…" Tyler began.

They decided to explain everything about what went down in the dining room, the same room they entered when they arrived at Van's mansion.

"I'm going to save her!" Filo declared as she ran to the door of the dining room.

"Filo! No, wait!" Raphtalia said as she managed to grab her by the arm.

"We have to get going! If we don't hurry, then she'll—"

"Abandoning her and running away is an option. I admit that." Naofumi began. "And yet, she never stopped believing in me."

"That much is certain. If she didn't believe in you, she would've sold you out." Kurisu said. "The fact that she didn't means that she trusted you, even if you didn't trust her."

"That's true." Naofumi said as he remembered the time from back then when she tried to talk things out with the other Legendary Heroes and also the time where she begged him not to give her to her evil older sister. "And so, I refused to betray her trust!"

"Took you long enough…" Kurisu stated.

"Does that mean we're gonna go bail her out, then?" Tyler asked.

"That's the plan. I did promise her, after all." Naofumi declared as Raphtalia and Filo looked at each other happily, happy to see their master finally trusting Melty.

"Hey. You're gonna to save your friend, right?" The party turned to see Karrablast and Shelmet, who had entered the room.

"Oh, it's you two." Kurisu said. "Yes, we were on our way to save Melty."

"In that case, mind if we tag along?" Karrablast asked.

"You're coming with us?" Tyler questioned the two Pokemon.

"Y-Yeah…" Shelmet said, trying to put on a brave face. "The human who is the owner of this place sheltered and fed us."

"That guy might be the nicest human we have ever met since entering this world." The Clamping Pokemon said. "And the bad guy ended up catching him when he did nothing wrong!"

"Well, you're welcome to come with us." Naofumi said. "I came to trust that guy too, so we'll try to save him."

"Okay!" The two Bug type Pokemon stated.

By the time they arrived at the town that was within Idol's territory, the night had fallen and the half-moon was brightening the night sky. Karrablast and Shelmet were on Filo's back.

Raphtalia became agitated once more as she recognized the town, which brought back a painful memory of her from the past.

"I guess you know that Idol scum." Naofumi stated. "Is he the one from your nightmares?"

"Y-Yes…" Raphtalia confirmed.

"To think Idol Rabier was your previous master before Sir Naofumi…." Merleo muttered with venom in his tone. "I heard that he hated nobles that stand with demihumans. I suppose that make sense, considering he was a devoted follower of the Church of the Three Heroes."

"So that church is the one that called you, the Shield Hero, a 'Devil' huh? Then that means Melty is in real danger." Kurisu theorized.

"That's pretty much what I figured." Naofumi said as he turned towards Raphtalia. "Anyway, are you gonna be okay? You can stay in the back."

"No, I'm fine. I'm not afraid anymore now that I have my sword and my Pokémon." Raphtalia replied before she looked at her master with determination. "I'm ready to face my past!"

"I know what you mean." Her master said as they heard noises coming from below. They looked down and saw a mob of demihumans protesting in front of the gate that lead to the inner part of the town where Idol's mansion was located.

"What's going on?" Filo asked.

"I think they are demihumans from Van's domain. With how much he treated them with kindness, it's no wonder that they're here demanding Idol to release their lord." Chelsea answered.

"Well, that's convenient." Naofumi said. "We'll sneak into the mansion when they distract the guards." He informed of the plan as he got on Filo, who had turned into her Filolial Queen form. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Raphtalia said as she got on Filo.

"Okay!" Filo said as she jumped to the ravine that was separating Idol's town and his mansion

"Come out, Hydreigon! Rapidash!" Tyler summoned two of his Pokemon. Tyler and Chelsea proceed to hop on Hydreigon while Kurisu and Merleo get on Rapidash's back.

"I'm surprised that Rapidash's fiery mane did not burn us." Merleo stated.

"That's because I trusted you. And because you're friends with Tyler." Rapidash stated.

"Alright, let's go!" Tyler said as Hydreigon and Rapidash moved forward to catch up with Filo.

(Inside the mansion)

Idol was aware of the demihumans protesting outside of his mansion and was displeased with them.

"Ugh! Look at those damn demis!" Idol cursed.

"What are they doing out there? And why are they protesting?" Melty asked, unaware that a certain nobleman that she was acquainted with was captured.

"Just some annoying flies, buzzing around. Nothing to worry about, we'll get rid of them at once!" Idol said. "And since we're mentioning annoyances, my dear, I believe it's time to tell me where the Devil of the Shield is."

"I already told you several times, I do not know!" Melty stated before the door to the room had opened, revealing Van with his arms restrained by two knights. "Reichnott!?"

Idol walked up to his restrained fellow nobleman before pulling his head by the hair. "Where is the Devil of the Shield!?"

"I have no idea who you're speaking of!" Van bluffed, refusing to sell Naofumi out despite the clear bruises on his body and face. "But… The only Shield I've ever heard of is the Shield Hero!"

The demihuman-bigot nobleman did not take kindly to that answer as he punched his prisoner in the gut, causing him to spat out some saliva.

"As you can see, we're having a difficult time getting him to cooperate." Idol told Melty. "I'd very much like to avoid getting rough with you if that's all possible." He continued as the door closed. "But as a humble servant of God, my dear, I have taken a sacred vow to punish anyone who sides with the Devil." He declared as he pulled out a rosario of the Church of the Three Heroes.

Melty then realized just how much she misunderstood the situation as the man in front of her was approaching her with clear malicious intent.

"That is holy duty, my dear Princess…"

Filo, Hydreigon, and Rapidash just entered the inner part of the town, alerting some of the knights who were not busy handling the protest.

"Intruders!" One of the knights alerted as more knights came out charging towards them.

"Alright everyone, some of you come with me while the others stay with Filo to fight the soldiers!" Naofumi said, shouting a tactic as he had his default shield morphed into Chimera Viper Shield.

Raphtalia jumped out from Filo as she used her sword to subdue three knights non-lethally.

"Let's go, Shelmet!" Karrablast said as he jumped out from Filo.

"R-Right!" Shelmet replied as she also jumped down to face the knights.

"Acid Spray!" Karrablast shouted as he spat out a glob of purple acid towards one of the knights.

"Gaah! What is this!?" The knight said as he was oblivious to the falling blue aura that briefly enveloped him.

"My turn! Giga Drain!" Shelmet said as she began to make a slurping noise, causing green energy to come out from the knight as said energy went into Shelmet's puckered mouth, effectively draining him.

"I don't… feel so good." The knight said as he fell to the ground, fainted.

"Why you!" One of the knights said as he and the others charged toward Shelmet.

"Golett! Come out and help that little snail with Stomping Tantrum!" Filo said as familiar blue energy came out from her body as Golett appeared from said blue energy.

Golett nodded before he stomped the ground repeatedly before jumping up and hitting the ground with both of his feet at once, sending splinters of the ground flying at one of the knights, defeating him.

"Now use that Shadow Punch move!" Filo ordered before kicking a knight down.

Golett then punched forward to allow a projection of his fist hit some of the knights before using another Shadow Punch to defeat a knight.

Kurisu and Merleo got off from Rapidash as they immediately defeating the knights that was charging at them, with Kurisu using the swing of one of her tonfas and Merleo using Zweit Holy to shoot down some of the knights.

Hydreigon descended to the ground, allowing Tyler and Chelsea to get off from him.

"Let's go, Chelsea! Hydreigon!" Tyler said as he ran to catch up with Naofumi.

"Got it!" Both Chelsea and Hydreigon said in unison as they followed Tyler's lead.

"Stop them!" One of the knights said as he and his fellow knights tried to go after them, only for Filo to block them and blew them away with a flap of her wings.

Raphtalia was underneath an underpass building where she briefly stopped because it brought her another painful memory. She quickly shook her head in order to regain focus at the rescue mission.

Naofumi, Raphtalia, Tyler, Chelsea, and Hydreigon entered what appeared to be a wide open field with a stone monument of sorts standing on the center of it. Then, an explosion to their left occurred as Filo and the others who were with her break into a building and defeat some knights. Raphtalia then found herself in front of a pathway that led to what appeared to be a dungeon below. Being in front of it made the raccoon dog demihuman nervous.

"Hey, Raphtalia. What's down there?" She turned to see Tyler, who noticed her uneasiness. Hydreigon was also there by his side.

"It's…" She trailed off, hesitating to answer.

"Whatever's down there, that can wait." The three turned to see Naofumi and Chelsea who approached them. "Right now, our priority is to save Melty."

"R-Right."

"I found them! Over there!" The five turned to see more knights coming at them, with swords on hand.

Raphtalia quickly dispatched two knights with the swing of her sword.

"Shit!" Tyler said as he shot a bullet to a knight's arm, causing him to drop his sword before he used his gun to strike the poor guy in the neck, knocking him out.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT!?" The gun demanded, spooking Tyler. "How dare you use me as a bludgeon!? I'll have you know that my body is elegant as it was fragile. I will not sit idly by as you use me as a makeshift club!"

"Chill, man! Pistol whipping's actually a thing from where I'm from." The Gun Hero calmed to… the voice in his head.

"Is that so…? Very well, I shall forgive this one time. I highly advise that you proceed with caution in the future!"

"Yeah, yeah. I got you!"

Chelsea then swung her hammer upward, knocking the sword from a knight that she was battling into the air. She proceeded to swing horizontally, hitting the knight so hard that he was sent flying to another knight that was fighting Hydreigon, knocking them both out from the collision.

"Thanks, Chelsea!" Hydreigon thanked her.

"No problem." She replied.

On Naofumi's end, he was to block a knight's sword with his Chimera Viper Shield. One of the two, golden snake decorations flashed its eye red before changing color to green. The "snake" then lunged forward at the knight and bit him in one of his arms, thanks to the Shield's exclusive skill called Venomous Fang (Med).

The knight yelped in pain as he was bitten by the snake before reverting its color back to gold.

"That is HIGHLY potent venom." Naofumi explained. "If you don't take the antidote soon, you'll die."

The knight gasped in fear that one of the Four Legendary Heroes was willing to resort to such dangerous tactics.

Seeing that he finally got the knight's attention, he proceeded to pull an antidote. "But I'm willing to give you a chance to live if you can answer one question…" Naofumi then got up close to the knight's face with a serious look. "Where is Melty?

And speaking of Melty, she was forced to take a step back to the corner of the room as Idol got closer to her with a lecherous look on his face.

"Stay away!" Melty shouted as she put her forward to try scaring off the noble, but it had no effect.

"I truly adore this part~!" Idol began. "That valiant look in your eye… I want to see it become despair! And watch as your face warps in agony! Come on! Let me have a good look at you~!"

The second princess could only stand and watch in tears as the nobleman approached even closer, with a clear intent of defiling her. Just as she closed her eyes, the sound and the slight tremor could be heard from the room.

"Now, what the hell is going on out there?" Idol wondered aloud.

"Idol, sir!" A knight then opened the door to alert his lord. "The Devil of the Shield and his party have entered the mansion!"

"He's done what!?" As Idol exclaimed, a certain someone broke through a wall and sent the knights flying forward. It was none other than Filo, who was with Kurisu, Merleo, Rapidash, Golett, Karrablast, and Shelmet.

"Mel, are you alright?" Filo asked.

"I'm okay, Filo!." Melty answered, she also noticed Raphtalia as well, who had a serious look on her face. "Raphtalia!" She ran off to their sides, but Idol reached out and yanked on her twin tails as he aimed his sword near Melty's throat.

"Don't you dare! Take one step and I'll have the pleasure of making sure the princess's head would roll all the way home!"

"Idol Rabier…" Merleo growled. "In spite of how worse he has gotten these days, King Aultcray's love for his family remains as strong as ever! Imagine what would happen if he received word that you not only defiled one of his daughters, but also threatened to kill her? He, as well as the Queen, will make sure that you receive retribution!"

"Ha! I don't need to take lectures from a traitor who would side with the Devil of the Shield!" The nobleman gloated.

"Oh, so we have to stand still, is that!?" A familiar voice could be heard as everyone realized that Naofumi, as well as Tyler, Chelsea, and Hydreigon, have entered the room, emerging from the smoke and dust. "Air Strike Shield!" He shouted as a green, shield shaped barrier appeared between Melty and Idol, separating them. Filo immediately went for a kick that sent the evil nobleman flying into a wall.

"Naofumi!" Melty said in relief as Idol snarled at the "Devil of the Shield".

Naofumi proceeded to throw the antidote to the knight as thanks for showing him the way before leaving.

The princess was happy for a second before she frowned. "But why did you come back?"

"Because I've never heard of a Hero who would abandon a child to save his own skin." Naofumi answered.

"You realized that you've wasted all my hard work!" She looked away with a blush as Naofumi could sigh at the attitude. "But… Thank you."

Idol got up and glared at the party. "You dare make a mockery of me!? Torture clearly isn't enough for the likes of you!" He then pulled out a black whip. "Your insolence can only be paid for with death!"

The bangs of Raphtalia's hair shadowed her eyes as she finally came face-to-face with the one that was responsible for her nightmares. She then stepped forward to approach the nobleman as everyone stood there, watching the scene unfolding. The raccoon dog demihuman was walking forward with a neutral expression on her face. That being said, her tail were standing up.

Idol proceeded to crack his whip and hit Raphtalia in the right arm.

"Raphtalia!" Filo cried worrily, as did the others. But before they could intervene…

"Wait…" Naofumi said, holding his hand out to the side to stop them.

Despite the pain, Raphtalia still managed to maintain her poker face.

"You miserable, worthless demi!" Idol ranted as he cracked his whip three more times, with the last grazed her right cheek, though all of those hits did not flinch her in the slightest as she walked up to the nobleman.

Once she was in front of said nobleman, Idol growled as he cracked his whip at her once more, but Raphtalia simply cut through the whip

Most of those on the sidelines were in awe of their friend, having to endure those whiplashes before swiftly cutting the whip. Naofumi, on the other hand, was looking on with his stoic expression.

Idol was taken aback by this and stumbled down on the floor. "I beg you! Ohhhh. Oh, please!" With his bravado in shambles, he pathetically begged Raphtalia, with the latter responding aiming the tip of her sword to the former's throat, causing him to shriek. "Spare me my life! I'll give you anything!"

"So many demihumans begged for their lives, just like that…!" Raphtalia began. "But… it wasn't enough!" She said as a single tear stained through her cheeks.

(Flashback)

Several young demihumans were playing with one another on the open field near the village. Said village was located on the seaside area, where multiple seagulls-like monsters were flying on the skies above the village. This village was under the banner of the Seatto family.

Sitting on the sidelines were Raphtalia, in her true form, and a young female weasel demihuman. She had pale yellow hair and eyes and was wearing a white and red dress and white sleeves.

"The person that I love?" Raphtalia repeated.

"Mm-hmm! Do you have anyone special like that?" The girl sitting next to her asked.

"Um, Uhh…" The raccoon dog demihuman took the time to think on the question, which she did not take long to find the answer. "There's my dad. How's that?"

"That's not what I meant." The girl hung her head low, disappointed by the answer.

"So, what about you, Rifana?"

"There's no one yet, but…" The girl named Rifana began as she looked up. "I wanna marry someone like one of the Legendary Heroes!"

"Someone like the Shield Hero?" Raphtalia asked. "I'd wanna meet him like a forever–"

The conversation was interrupted as a flash appeared in the sky before it turned blood red. Then, a strong gust of wind blew the area around the village, as well as blowing the seagulls that were flying around. The two demihuman girls hugged one another to avoid being blown away.

"Hey, look." A dog demihuman boy with a black and gray hair called out to the two girls as he was pointing at the sky, where blue swirls suddenly appeared on the reddened skies.

(End of flashback)

As she recounted on that moment, Raphtalia was still pointing his sword at her oppressor.

"Please, spare me! Have mercy on me!" Idol begged as the racoon-dog demihuman pointed her sword tip closer to the nobleman, causing him to yelp in fear.

"After killing so many demihumans in that underground chamber, you dare beg for your life!?" Raphtalia exclaimed.

It was then Idol realized how a demihuman in front could have known about what was happening in that chamber. "You're not…! It can't be! One of my enslaved villagers!? An animal like you? A damned demi!?"

Two familiar blue energies shot from Raphtalia as her two Pokémon appeared to face the man who had wronged their Trainer.

"What!?" Idol exclaimed as he was shocked by the appearance of Honedge and Linoone.

"Lady Raphtalia is an animal, you say?" Honedge glared as he unsheathed himself to point his blade at Idol. "You best watch your tongue, cur. Lest you want to lose it."

"If anyone's the animal, it's you! You're the reason why Raphtalia had awful nightmares." Linoone added as her glaring blue eyes intimidated the nobleman.

"Wait! Wait a moment!" Idol began. "You'd all be dead! The whole lot of you would've died like dogs if I hadn't taken you in like that."

"Keep your mouth shut!" Raphtalia retorted. "You'd think I can forget the atrocities you committed!?" She said with widened eyes. "NOT UNTIL I DIE! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

Idol then went on his knees. "I'm sorry! I was wrong! I'll… I'll apologize." He then bowed down. "I swear!"

"Lies…" Kurisu muttered, having sensed that his "apology" was not even sincere.

"This scumbag here…!" Raphtalia continued. "He took Rifana and he…" She then slowly raised her sword above her head.

"Ahhh! No! Please, don't!" The nobleman cried as he bowed once more.

Hearing her past oppressor cowering like a spineless scum made Raphtalia even more furious. But just as she was about to deliver judgment…

"Raphtalia, wait." Kurisu called out to her.

"Don't try to stop me, Kurisu!" Raphtalia glared.

"I will stop you by force if I have to." Kurisu replied, enraging the demi-human.

"What are you saying!? Why are you defending that monster?! He-"

"I'm not saving a scum like him. I'm saving a friend from making a terrible mistake." Raphtalia looked at her in confusion. "If you cut him down, it would make you no different from him."

The claim instantly angered her. "What do you mean it makes me no different from him?! I'm not the one torturing innocent children!"

"Maybe not. And maybe what you want to do is a form of judgment in this world." Kurisu continued. "But if you go through with this, things won't be the same again. One way or another, for one reason or another, you will think back on this and question if you made the right choice. Wondering if this is what your friend, who died at his hands, wants!"

Raphtalia gritted her teeth at the claim, thinking about Rifana.

"You're better than this, Raphtalia. We know you are. Prove that you're better than this scum."

After giving much consideration to those words, Raphtalia finally lowered her sword, albeit reluctantly.

"You're a terrible person. A monster who put demihumans through hell and killed them. I'll never forgive you!" Raphtalia looking down at the nobleman. "But Kurisu's right. If I kill you, I won't be any different from the disgusting worm you are!"

Despite having begged for his life earlier, Idol growled in anger as this "animal" in front of him was wounding his pride.

"So, I decided to let you live. That way, you can atone for the sins you have committed in this place."

"Damn you, demihuman…!" Idol snarled as he reached out and unsheathed his swords. "You scum! Now, you die!"

Raphtalia proceeded to use her own sword to block the attack. She tried her best to push back but her opponent decided to cheat by reaching out and squeezed the bruised spot on her right arm, causing her to yelp in surprise as Idol used this opportunity to swat the sword away from her other hand.

With a smug look, Idol intended to finish Raphtalia off. However, he forgot about one thing…

"Hold!" A blue sash lunged forward and wrapped around Idol's arm that was holding Raphtalia's arm.

"Who dares!?" He exclaimed as the culprit was none other than Honedge.

"Unhand Lady Raphtalia, cur! You have caused her such grief for the last time!" The Sword Pokémon demanded.

"Tch! I forgot that the animal has a pet of her own." Idol remarked. "Not to mention a sentient sword is equally just as much an animal as those demis!"

Idol proceeded to change targets to Honedge as he raised his sword against the Steel and Ghost type Pokémon. But the latter was no fool as he immediately unsheathed himself once more before locking blades with the former.

"That 'animal' is behaving a lot more mature than you could possibly imagine." Honedge said. "In fact, I'm very certain now that I should not consider you as a human. You're a despicable fiend, wearing the skin of one!"

"Shut up! I will not stand as a monstrous sword like you lecture me!" Idol retorted as he tried to overpower Honedge. "Now break, you freak!"

The Sword Pokemon realized this as he put more force in pushing back the attack.

"Chivalry is a sword that slays the wicked." Honedge began as he parried the sword away before locking once again. Chivalry is also a shield that protects the innocent…!" He said as he parried once again and then some. "That is why a knight who embodied such traits stands resolute! The earth may shatter and the heavens may fall…" With one more push, he managed to push back the one who tormented his Trainer. "But I, Honedge, proud knight of Lady Raphtalia, stands resolute!"

Then, a familiar blue energy began coating Honedge.

"What is this!?" Idol exclaimed.

"What happened to Honedge?" Melty asked.

"Honedge is about to evolve." Naofumi stated.

"Evolve…" Melty repeated, having heard that word before when traveling with the party but she had never witnessed it herself.

Honedge's overall body began splitting into two and the hilt he was holding changed as well. Once the light died down, Honedge's evolved form was shown in full splendor. Instead of one sword, he now consisted of two. The eye gem was now pink for both of his swords and the cross-guard on each sword was shaped like a crescent moon but was angled differently compared to one another. Aside from getting an extra sash for his second sword, both of those sashes are now dark purple with a pink swirl at the tip; the tip of the sashes split into four tassels. He has two sheathes that are attached to a plaque. The sheathes are varying shades of brown with lines forming a triquetra pattern across the front.

"My word… He has two swords now." Merleo muttered.

"Honedge…?" Raphtalia called out to her Pokemon.

"No, Lady Raphtalia. You are incorrect." "Honedge" stated. "I am Doublade now. It seems my passionate declaration has triggered my evolution."

"Doublade…"

Tyler instantly whipped out his Pokedex to scan the newly-evolved Pokemon.

"Doublade, the Sword Pokemon. The evolved form of Honedge. The complex attack patterns of its two swords are unstoppable, even for an opponent greatly accomplished at swordplay."

"He can even overpower one of the most skilled master swordsmen!?" Melty exclaimed, hearing about how Doublade can be a formidable opponent especially to those well-versed at swordsmanship.

"That's something alright." Naofumi added. Despite how he looked, in reality, he was thinking about something. 'I wonder if Doublade can beat Ren?"

"So, what if you have two swords? The fact that you even changed form at all means that you're just as much of an animal as the demihumans!" Idol said.

"Hmph! Can you still have the audacity to say that after losing to me?" Doublade said as he unsheathed his two swords before using one to gestured to the racist nobleman to come forward.

"How dare you…! Don't you dare underestimate me!" Idol then raised his sword as he rained down on Doublade.

However, Doublade used his two swords to block the attack effortlessly.

"As humans would say, 'Nice try!'" Thanks to the increased Defense stat, Doublade did not feel anything and parried the sword away, causing Idol to take a step backwards. "I believe it is my turn! Night Slash!" The blades of his two swords glowed light purple before he charged towards Idol.

"Ha! An attack is useless if you can't hit it!" Idol simply dodged to the right. When he thought was being clever, Doublade suddenly appeared before him. "What!?"

"Come now, do you actually think that would work? Even upon evolution, I still have No Guard as my ability." Doublade stated as his blades were swung towards the racist nobleman, but he managed to block the hit, but not for long as he was overpowered and the attack managed to hit him.

"Gaah!"

"Incredible…" Raphtalia muttered, impressed with how her Pokemon battled.

"Yeah. I don't think I saw him fight like this when he was still a Honedge." Linoone remarked

"The pain of those demihumans suffered by your hands… It shall be delivered by these swords!" Doublade declared as he continued his onslaught on Idol, who was trying his best to try surviving. Unfortunately for the follower of Church of the Three Heroes, he came to realize that he was outmatched in this fight. No matter how much he tried to counter, his opponent simply would not let the opportunity and was immediately punished every time he tried that.

"Whoa… That fat piece of shit was getting dominated there." Tyler commented.

"The Pokedex did say Doublade's fighting style is a little tricky to even a master swordsman." Chelsea reminded him.

"Still, the fact that Doublade can even fight them on equal footing shows how skilled they are." Merleo added.

Eventually, Doublade would swing two of his swords at Idol, who tried to block from Night Slash. Not only was the former able to break through the defense one last time, he broke the latter's sword as well.

"Eeeeek!" The racist nobleman shrieked at how messed up he was now.

"This can end in one of two ways…" Doublade began. "I will let you live as decreed by Lady Raphtalia or should you decide to come after her once more, I have no hesitation to cut you down where you stood. So, choose your actions carefully."

"Y-You think I'd let you decide for me? F-Fool! I'm the human around–" Idol ranted before he stepped on the whip that he dropped, causing him to slip and his back hit the window behind. But it was not the end as the weight from him shattered the window, causing the nobleman to fall out from the window plummet to the ground outside hard, due to falling from an impressive height.

"Oh, wow. I never thought he'd fall like that." Tyler muttered.

"Hmph! A scoundrel to the very end…" Doublade said as he unsheathed his swords. He then turned towards his Trainer. "Are you okay, my lady?"

"Yes… I'm fine." Raphtalia said as she was surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"If you're feeling sorry for that scum, don't. That guy deserved it as far as I'm concerned." Naofumi told her. "Plus, he did that to himself."

"Sir Shield Hero. Everyone." Everyone turned to see Van, who were standing before them despite the torture he suffered. "Thank you so much for saving me."

"Yo! Glad you're okay." Karrablast said as he and Shelmet approached him.

"Ah, you two. Did you also come here to save me?"

"D-Don't get the wrong idea! We're only here just to repay our debts to you, okay? It's not like I care about you or anything." The Clamping Pokemon stated.

"I think… he was saying that you saved us, so it was only right to save you back… I think." Shelmet said.

"I see…"

"Reichnott! Are you hurt?" Melty asked her old friend.

"No, I'm fine." The kind nobleman stated.

"First off, Heal." The second princess then used the same spell that Naofumi had to heal Van's injury, which was working.

"This is our chance to escape." Van suggested.

"Yeah, I know." Naofumi replied. "But first, there's one more thing."

The party as well as Van arrived at the stairway that leads down to a dungeon.

"Idol imprisoned his demihuman slaves underground and tortured them." Raphtalia explained.

"How do you know that?" Van asked.

"I know because… Because I was lucky enough to live." This surprised most of everyone.

"My word…" Merleo muttered.

"That guy's really sick in the head…" Chelsea felt disgusted after hearing that.

"You don't have to do this, Raphtalia." Naofumi told her.

"It's okay. I'm gonna be alright." Raphtalia insisted as she went down to the dungeon, with everyone following suit.

As she kept walking down, her mind flashed back to one of her most important moments.

(Flashback)

Raphtalia stood before what appeared to be an assortment of rocks that served as a grave for her parents, which was made by the other villagers after the Wave ended. She then placed some white flowers on the stone slab.

"Dad… Mom… I promise I won't cry anymore." Raphtalia vowed. "But please, watch over me."

After that, she proceeded to stand up and look at the grave a bit longer.

(End of flashback)

When that memory ended, Raphtalia was still walking down along with the others. It was then another memory entered her mind.

(Flashback)

"Everyone, listen!" Raphtalia shouted to her fellow demihumans gathered around as she was standing on four wooden boxes. "Remember, we're alive! And we'll keep on living! We can rebuild if we all work together! We can make our village beautiful again." She announced. "I know deep in my heart that everyone who died here would want that!"

Some of the adult demihumans looked at each other, unsure what to take on Raphtalia's suggestion.

"Sure!" A voice agreed to the suggestion as Raphtalia found out who it was, it was one of the demihumans that she was close with. And the boy was standing there with Rifana. "Hey, you guys! Raphtalia was right!"

"Yeah! Let's show them all who we are!" Rifana added.

"They're right."

"We can rebuild our village together!"

Raphtalia was very happy to know her fellow villagers agreed with her proposal and so the rebuilding efforts began immediately.

While everyone was somewhere cleaning up the rubble, Raphtalia, along with RIfana and the demihuman "boy" were handling the flag of the village. As the three young demihumans were finished attaching the flag to the flagpole…

"Hey, Raphtalia…" The black-haired demihuman "boy" called out to Raphtalia. "Your parents were killed, were they?" He asked. "I mean, um… Don't you… Don't you feel sad?"

"Sure, I'm sad." Raphtalia then looked up. "But I told myself no crying! My dad said I should keep a smile on my face even in hard times."

"If you tried so hard to keep a smile on your face, then I guess we should too!" Rifana remarked happily as she and the "boy" nodded at each other. She then saw something in the distance. "Hey, look. Who're they?"

Not just her, some of the villagers who were cleaning up also saw something coming in their direction.

"That could be the help from the capital!" One of the villagers stated.

"Finally!"

While their helpers were Melromarc knights, however their gleeful expressions belies a malicious intent which was proven true as those soldiers immediately went on a rampage. Wreaking havoc around the village and killing of the adults and proceeded to round the children after killing all of the adult demihumans.

"Get in there, move!" One of the knights demanded as he pushed Raphtalia into the carriage.

Once all of the other kids, including Rifana, entered the gilded carriage, said carriage immediately departed towards somewhere.

"Raphtalia!" The black haired "boy" cried out to Raphtalia only to be stopped by a knight.

When night fell, Raphtalia along with the other demihuman children arrived at the underground chamber at Idol's mansion. Despite the incoming gruesome fate before them, Raphtalia was still trying to face it with a smile.

(End of flashback)

Raphtalia then opened the door to the underground chamber. The others, particularly Melty, caught a foul smell in the area.

"'Mel, are you okay?" Filo asked her.

"I'm okay." Melty assured her as she and everyone entered the area.

"So, this is the place where that Idol bastard tortured you…" Tyler said as he was looking around. "I'm no genius, but it's easy to tell what went down in here."

"Got that right. The more I think about it, the more it makes me sick." Naofumi said as he and the others kept walking through the dungeon.

They then stopped in front of a single cell because of Raphtalia stopping there first. Her eyes fixated to the cell that was filled with equipment used for torture, which made her reminiscing about being in this place.

(Flashback)

"You're boring me!" Idol shouted as he cracked his whip at Raphtalia, who was restrained by the shackles that were glued on the ceiling. "Scream! Cry!"

Despite how painful it was, Raphtalia refused to do either of those things as she kept on holding on with a sliver of hope. That said, even if her turn was over, she tried to cover hear as she kept hearing the pained cries of Rifana, her closest friend.

Late at night, the two shared a single cell together. Raphtalia managed to make what appeared to be a soup of some kind.

"Come on, Rifana. Eat something." Raphtalia told her friend, who woke up. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Shield Hero will save us!"

(End of flashback)

"…" Raphtalia kept frowning as more memories returned to haunt her.

(Flashback)

Raphtalia was sleeping on the floor of the cell before she was woken up by the sound of coughing coming from Rifana.

"Rifana. Are you…" Raphtalia began as her palm touched her friend's forehead, which she felt Rifana's body burning up from a fever, followed with her heavy breathing. "You're burning up!" Raphtalia turned around to see if she could find something, but her friend stopped her.

"No, wait…" Rifana stated. "Remember our village's flag? Over the square?"

"Huh?"

"We demihumans… It was a symbol of how we're allowed to build a village for ourselves." The sickly demihuman girl stated.

"Uh-huh! I remembered. Sure, I remembered." Raphtalia replied.

"I wanna see it again…" Rifana said.

"And you will! I promise you."

Later that night, Raphtalia ended up falling asleep once more while holding onto Rifana's hand.

"Raphtalia…" Rifana called her friend out, who immediately woke up. She then spoke something to her but her friend could not hear it.

"What?" Raphtalia asked before she got a little closer.

"I wanna go, Raphtalia…" Rifana muttered as Raphtalia realized that her condition had gotten worse.

"Yeah, um… We'll go back. Back home to our village together." Raphtalia assured her.

"I wanna go home…!" Rifana said as she shed a tear.

Raphtalia proceeded to pull something from the hay on the floor, which was a small black flag.

"Is that the…?" Rifana muttered as she slowly reached out to the flag which Raphtalia helped her grab ahold of.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Raphtalia apologized to her. "It's the best thing I can come up with for now."

"I'm so happy… Thanks, Raphtalia." The weasel demihuman said happily before falling asleep, which her friend wiped a tear away.

When morning came, Raphtalia continued to sleep next to Rifana as she began to cough as well.

"Rifana…" Raphtalia woke up and she immediately went to check up on her. However, the call did not respond. But before she could call out to her again…

"Hey!" Raphtalia turned around to see a knight standing before their cell. "Out."

"Huh?"

Before Raphtalia knew, she was dragged out of the cell by the knight and proceeded to take her outside, where a carriage was waiting. She coughed a few times before getting on the carriage.

"You've been sold to a Slave Merchant." The knight informed her.

"But… What about Rifana?" Raphtalia asked but the knight pushed her in and closed the carriage. "Please!"

"This is the only one being sold for now! Go on, get out!" The knight told his comrade who was holding the reins of the carriage.

"What about Rifana?" Raphtalia asked.

"Haha! She's done for! Forget her." The knight told her as the carriage departed to the next destination.

As the carriage was moving, Raphtalia could only grab the bars of the door of the carriage as she knelt down.

"Smile… even the times are tough…" Raphtalia repeated what her father said to her as the carriage took her somewhere.

Eventually, she made it all the way to a certain Slave Merchant's slave market, where she was put into a cage once more.

(End of flashback)

Raphtalia knelt down once she was done reminiscing. Naofumi could only put his hand onto her shoulder in an effort to comfort.

"There's a survivor!" Van alerted everyone.

"Hey, Raphtalia! Let's go." Naofumi told her as the two joined the others in going to where Van was.

When he and the others met up with Van, Naofumi used a skill to open the lock of a cell. Inside the cell was a black and white haired demihuman "boy" who was barely conscious and one of his arms was shackled. When the "boy" looked up, Raphtalia immediately recognized.

"You're alive… Keel." Raphtalia muttered as she immediately opened the cell aside before entering it. "Oh, Keel! I can't believe you're here!"

"Who are… you?" The one named Keel asked.

"I can't believe I've found you after all this time…" Raphtalia stated. "I'm so glad… So glad that you're alive…!"

She immediately stood up and used her sword to cut the remaining chain, setting her friend free.

"Who are you? I don't…" Keel still did not recognize her.

"Have you forgotten already? It's me, Raphtalia." Raphtalia said.

"You can't be her…" The black and white haired demihuman stated. "Raphtalia? No way! That's impossible!" He said before Raphtalia got a little closer. "No! Stay away!"

"Listen to me, Keel." Raphtalia began. "Do you remember that time when you went diving and nearly drowned, and we have to find Sadeena so she can rescue you? And there was another time when you ate a poisonous mushroom and ended up with an upset stomach? In pain, you begged me not to tell anyone. You remember that, don't you?" She continued. "After the Wave, when I said we should rebuild the village, you were the first one to speak up and agree with me. You don't know how happy that made me…"

"Raphtalia, is it really you?" Keel asked, finally recognizing his old friend. "You're really here after all?"

"Thank goodness!" Raphtalia immediately went for a hug. "I'm so grateful that you're still alive!"

"How about that…" Tyler muttered as he was just as the others, with Melty wiping away a tear of joy.

"Who are they?" Keel asked after seeing a couple of unfamiliar faces behind his friend.

"It's okay. I'm traveling with the Shield Hero now." She answered.

"What? The Shield Hero? You really exist!?"

"He sure does. And he's come here to save all of us!" Raphtalia confirmed as her master stepped into the cell.

"Let me take a look at your wounds." Naofumi said as he grabbed Keel in the wrist, which the gem on his shield started glowing.

"Ah. You really exist after all!" Keel stated. "Then, all of those stories I've heard about you are actually true!" He said before he coughed a few times.

"Are you okay?" Raphtalia asked her friend.

"Yeah… Now, I see." The black and white haired demihuman said. "I was just thinking Rifana would've wanted to see him."

"Wait a minute. Where is Rifana?" Raphtalia asked. "She's in here, right?"

This caused Keel to look away on a frown, causing Raphtalia to run out from the cell and was heading towards the only place she knew where her other friend could be.

And when she stopped at the last place where she last saw Rifana, Raphtalia began to tear up at the sight she just witnessed.

"Raphtalia, did you find…" Tyler and the others caught up to her only to see what Raphtalia just saw.

"Oh no…" Chelsea muttered.

"This is…" Kurisu added.

What were they seeing exactly? Well… inside of the cell they are currently looking at was a skeletal remains of what appeared to be a deceased demihuman child. It could be any dead demihuman child, but only Raphtalia would know who the skeleton was in the cell as there was a small black flag near the corpse's fingers.

"Oh, Master…" Filo muttered as she tugged at her master's cape for comfort.

"I can't see… how monstrous deeds could exist here?" Melty added.

"Melty. As much as I hate to say it, similar things happened all across this country." Van informed her sadly.

"It can't be…"

"That's why we needed Seatto. But now…"

Then a word rang out within Melty's mind.

"Melty, my dear. I need to do something important for me. Return to the capital and admonish the King for his unjust treatment of the Shield Hero! Ordinarily, I would go myself but as you know…"

It was pretty clear for the Second Princess that the situation was far worse than she initially thought. How serious this issue is besides the mistreatment of the Shield Hero. Then, Raphtalia proceeded to clasped her hands together.

"I failed you… Forgive me." Raphtalia said.

"Hey, Raphtalia. Who was that?" Naofumi asked.

"My friend, Rifana." Raphtalia answered. "She was gentler and more graceful than me. And she only said that… that she wanted to meet you. To meet the Shield Hero."

"Let's give her and some others a proper send-off…" Naofumi insisted. "They can't rest in peace in a place like this." He noticed that Raphtalia did not budge or respond. "What's wrong?"

"I hate myself…" Raphtalia began. "Because I couldn't protect anybody. When we first met, I was so weak and powerless! I couldn't do anything. I'm sure I could've saved everyone… If only I'd been stronger!" She continued. "But, I'm too late!"

"Come on, you did help." Keel assured her as he appeared next to Naofumi. "If you hadn't arrived here when you did, I probably would've died here. You saved my life. You're not weak. Gah!" He then fell over, but Naofumi managed to hold onto him. "You know what else? The only reason everyone managed to hang on so long was because of your smile. We decided to keep smiling, no matter how bad it got

"Sorry…" Raphtalia muttered, shocking everyone. "I'm sorry, but I'm just not… I'm afraid I can't smile like I used to."

"Huh?"

"I'm not worthy. I mean I'm…" She began. "I ended up killing someone!"

"Hey, Raphtalia. You know that's not true, right?" Chelsea spoke up. "You're ways better than that son of a bitch."

"No… Everything about me is all wrong." Raphtalia stated. "Every single thing I've done so far… All of it! Was a mistake! I don't deserve anything!"

"No, that's not true and you know it." Tyler chimed in before turning towards his leader. "Come on, Naofumi. You've been with her the longest. Say something to her."

"Raphtalia…" Naofumi tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't even have the right to walk beside you! I'm worthless!" Raphtalia stated.

"Why you…!" Chelsea picked her up before slapping across her cheeks, shocking everyone.

"Chelsea!" Tyler and Kurisu shouted in unison.

"You're worthless, huh? That you don't deserve anything you got, huh? And everything you did up to this point was a mistake, huh?" Chelsea repeated furiously. "Shut the hell up! I don't want to hear that self-pity crap from you!"

"Chelsea…" Raphtalia stated as she realized how teary eyed her friend was.

"You listen to me because I'll only say this once…" Chelsea said. "You're an amazing girl, Raphtalia. You did nothing wrong. If anything, your life became much more beautiful when Naofumi and the others entered your life." She told her. "Compared to me, you just got off easy."

"What are you… talking about?"

"You forgot? I used to be part of an organization that nearly destroyed the world. Despite that, some people have forgiven me for that." Chelsea said. "Unlike me, you never lost your way. And you keep on living for your friend's sake even if you don't realize it."

"Plus, you made changes to my life and Naofumi too." Tyler stated. "I think you did pretty good."

"Chelsea… Tyler…" Raphtalia mouthed.

"Raphtalia, I'm not sure if Rifana is anything like Elaine, but…" Kurisu said. "I can only say that she's watching you from heaven. And I think she's pretty proud of you for joining Naofumi's party."

"You heard them, right? So, don't blame yourself for the bad things that happened to you." Naofumi stated. "Like Tyler said, you changed my life. Without him, you, and Kurisu, I may not be able to trust someone like I have now."

Then, two familiar energies came out from Raphtalia once more, revealing her two Pokémon appearing.

"Whoa! Where do those two come from?" Keel exclaimed

"Raphtalia… I don't think meeting you wasn't a mistake." Linoone began.

"Indeed, my lady. I believe we all met for a reason." Doublade stated. "Have you wondered how me and Linoone evolved?"

"Is… it because you've reached a certain level?" The demihuman Pokémon Trainer answered.

"That's true, but…" Doublade began. "I believe our evolution happened as the result of a strong connection we had for you, our Pokémon Trainer. Our bonds, to be exact."

"Bonds…?" Raphtalia said.

"Correct. The bonds between the Pokémon Trainer and their Pokémon are said to be as precious as a treasure." The Sword Pokemon continued. "Be proud that you have obtained such a wonderful gift."

"As you can see, all of us here believe that your life is not as worthless as you think." Merleo chimed in. "You are a remarkable young lady. Never forget that."

"Yeah, see. It just can't be a mistake." Keel said. "It's like… Before, you were so small and everything. And now, you've met the Shield Hero and got some weird friends too!" He continued. "And now, you've turned into this really cool lady and even came back to save me!"

"Do you get it now? You can stop crying now." Naofumi said gently as he patted Raphtalia in the head.

"Yeah, just like one of those ladies said, I'm sure Rifana's happy now too. She finally got to meet the Shield Hero." Keel continued.

"From now on, it's our job to protect them." Naofumi said as he and the others turned to the skeletal remains of Rifana. "To make sure nobody went through this kind of suffering ever again. Isn't that what we've been fighting for all this time?"

Raphtalia then turned towards her master.

"Together with me, the Shield Hero…"

It was then that Raphtalia found the drive that she was looking for. "It is!"

(In a dreamscape)

Raphtalia then found herself in a dreamscape where there are mists and reflective puddles.

"You're so lucky! You're in the Shield Hero's party." Raphtalia turned to see the spirit of her deceased friend, Rifana.

"So, now you're jealous, right?" She asked.

"Ah! Don't be such a jerk!" Rifana retorted, causing Raphtalia to laugh happily while Rifana also laughed. "I promised that I would always watch over you."

Raphtalia nodded happily.

"And one day, let's go back to the village with that flag, okay?" Rifana said.

"Uh-hum!"

And with a ripple of the puddle below, Rifana disappeared, knowing that her best friend was doing fine.

(Back to normal)

Raphtalia gathered up all the remains of her fallen friend and wrapped them together with a piece of cloth.

"Rifana… I promise you I'll bring back the flag for our people." Raphtalia declared as she was looking at the small flag that she had gifted to her. "With Master Naofumi and everyone in the party…"

She proceeded to hug the wrapped remains tightly as everyone looked at her. It was then that they decided to leave the place.

Next: Chapter 17: The Queen of the Filolials

Party Data

Tyler Bryant - Level 44

- Hydreigon (Male) - Level 71

Ability: Levitate

Moves: Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Tri Attack

- Vivillon (Elegant Pattern) (Female) - Level 68

Ability: ?

Moves: Hurricane, Signal Beam, Powder

- Scrafty (Male) - Level 69

Ability: ?

Moves: High Jump Kick, Stone Edge, Iron Head, Crunch

- Rapidash (Female) - Level 67

Ability: ?

Moves: Megahorn, Flamethrower, Protect, Extreme Speed

- Dunsparce (Male) - Level 68

Ability: Serene Grace

Moves: Thunderbolt, Drill Run, Coil, Last Resort

- Gengar (Male) - Level 69

Ability: ?

Moves: Shadow Ball, Icy Wind, Sludge Bomb

Naofumi Iwatani - Level 39

- Lairon (Male) - Level 35

Ability: Sturdy

Moves: Headbutt, Protect, Iron Head, Rock Slide

- Quilladin (Male) - Level 28

Ability: ?

Moves: Needle Arm, Pin Missile, Leech Seed, Rock Tomb

- Wobbuffet (Male) - Level 32

Ability: ?

Moves: Mirror Coat

Raphtalia - Level 40*

- Linoone (Female) - Level 27

Ability: Pickup

Moves: Headbutt, Pin Missile, Slash

- Doublade (Male) - Level 34

Ability: No Guard

Moves: Slash, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter, Night Slash

Filo - Level 40*

- Golett* - Level 34

Ability: ?

Moves: Shadow Punch, Stomping Tantrum

Kurisu Hanatabi - Level 40*

- Riolu (Male) - Level 38

Ability: ?

Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack, Metal Claw, Quick Guard

- Floette (Red Flower) (Female) - Level 49

Ability: ?

Moves: Vine Whip, Moonblast, Aromatherapy

Chelsea Arel - Level 43

- Vanilluxe (Female) - Level 67

Ability: ?

Moves: Water Pulse

- Delphox (Female) - Level 70

Ability: ?

Moves: Mystical Fire, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam

- Rhyperior (Male) Level 68

Ability: Solid Rock

Moves: Dig, Megahorn, Rock Wrecker, Thunder Punch

- Sawsbuck (Spring Form) (Male) - Level 65

Ability: ?

Moves: Double Edge, Horn Leech, Jump Kick

- Arbok (Female) - Level 68

Ability: Intimidation

Moves: Sucker Punch, Glare, Gunk Shot

- Altaria (Female) - Level 68

Ability: ?

Moves: Dragon Claw, Cotton Guard

Merleo Goneri - Level 40*

- Kadabra (Male) - Level 20

Ability: ?

Moves: Teleport

That is about a it, so I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

Originally, this was supposed to be double chapter update but I decided to change my mind.

Special thanks to Coral the Leviathan for helping out with the writing of the scenes as well as coming up for the ideas.

Fun fact:

- I've been working on this chapter and the next one long before I decided to rewrite for that one story that I have mentioned it earlier. The next one should be done soon. But I can't guarantee when.

- Honedge's declaration was something I write inspired by the quote of a certain character from Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger.

As usual, leave a review and have a wonderful day/night~!