Five Minutes Earlier…

A sizeable army had been sent out in response to the looming Umbra Clock army spotted within the south. Soldiers rolled in on their steeds, drawing a row of catapults loaded with explosive barrels. As they drew closer, they could see the kingdom's soldiers marching up in the capital's direction. A foolhardy mistake against the impenetrable Telo Martius.

Commander Nemesis landed in front of his army, staring down at the opposing forces led by their king. Though he wished for nothing more to annihilate them on the spot, protocol took priority. He took hold of a megaphone handed to him and cleared his throat.

"Attention, invading forces of the Umbra Clock Kingdom. I will issue one and only one warning moving forward: surrender yourselves to the glory of the New Chariot Empire or be dealt certain destruction. Choose wisely."

He almost smirked as the kingdom forces continued their advance, as if utterly oblivious to the unit that easily outnumbered them. It was almost laughable to the Charizard commander.

"Oh well, now we arrive at my favorite part of the job." With a stern expression, he snapped his fingers. "Crush them."

By his signal, the catapults let loose instantly, sending barrels of explosive powder hurtling through the air. Nemesis turned his back to the advancing army and admired his claws as the wonderful ring of gunpowder detonated upon contact with the ground. He could feel the scorching heat erupting over the land behind him, decimating what would certainly have been a bothersome afternoon.

"They never learn. Well, at least I now have the distinct honor of killing another king of Umbra Clock. They shall call me Nemesis the Kingslayer. What a fitting title I shall—"

"C-Commander Nemesis!" a soldier cried out.

Nemesis snorted smoke. "You're interrupting my moment—"

"Th-The enemy army! It's vanishing!"

His eyes widened. Whipping his neck around, he watched as the flames scorched over the presumed invading army, only to find them collapsing in waves of distorted light, their forms fading away like smoke in the wind. In the center of these flames was only one lone knight.

A Kirlia.

"Illusion Waltz," Una announced, twirling her rapier across the air like a conductor's baton. The flames parted away from her, and she winked at the enemy army playfully. "Hello, New Chariot~! Congratulations on being invaded by the Umbra Clock Kingdom!"

Nemesis, in a fit of rage, flared his wings and rocketed toward the Kirlia with his maces drawn. "What trickery is this?!"

She saluted him. "Laters!" Right as Nemesis brought his maces down, she had teleported to safety.

Nemesis panted heavily, pulling his weapons free from the dirt. "Damnation…"

A soldier perked his head up in alarm. "Commander, you said they were coming in from the south, right? What happened?"

Nemesis grunted. "I don't get it. They were hiding this far out from our detection range. We spotted them by chance. How could they have—" His eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Unless…"

"Commander?"

He spread his wings and took off into the sky. "Steer a course back for Telo Martius, now! They aren't invading from the south!"

"They're invading…from the north!"

With New Chariot's forces focused directly on the south, they left their northern side vulnerable. By the time tower guards realized the deception, the Umbra Forest Alliance had already mounted an assault on the north wall led by King Tadhg.

"Warriors of Umbra Clock!" Tadhg yelled. "This is what we trained for! Go, go, go!"

Percival took the lead with his squadron. "Frontline team, prepare for scaling!"

Two Poliwrath knights leapt forward and punched the ground, combining a Muddy Water attack to rise above the walls. Several Psychic-Types got into position and manipulated the flow of the rising water, allowing any who stepped atop to be propelled over the wall. Finally, Sigilyph hovered overhead and fired Ice Beam over the water as it poured into the city, creating a slope for the knights to fly down.

New Chariot soldiers braced themselves as knights came rocketing down the ice slide, giving an extra boost to break through their near flawless defenses. Little by little, the Umbra Forest units ascended the wall and rode into battle through the streets, rousing the patrolling soldiers into action.

"Evacuate the civilians! Protocol Red One!" a soldier called out before being blindsided by Leitis, bashing him aside with her tower shields.

"For the kingdom!" she screamed, rousing the knights into greater vigor.

Tadhg jumped from his steed and smirked as his knights ran havoc through the streets, scattering the New Chariot soldiers with their numbers sufficiently thinned. "Payback time," he whispered.

Umbra Forest Alliance Meeting: The Bait and Switch

Tadhg moved a chess piece across the war table's map. "Getting past New Chariot's initial force will be next to impossible. They'll weaken our forces by the time we reach the wall." He smirked. "However, I plan to take advantage of that."

Jason glared. "You want them to think we'll be invading from the south."

"In a way where we purposefully stand out without rousing suspicion. Hidden just well enough to make it seem as if we're launching a surprise assault, but in the open enough for their arrogance to take hold. In actuality, we'll be striking from the north. We'll stay out of their detection range, taking the long route around until we're perfectly positioned behind. This will distract the initial attack force, leaving only a handful of soldiers to defend the north once they realize what we're up to. By the time they reconvene, we'll have evened the playing field."

Melissa nodded slowly. "You…are a diabolical genius. Taking advantage of their protocols and their culture to optimize the safest route of infiltration."

"And with the emperor potentially weakened from his battle with Harlow, they'll be forced to put him on lockdown while they're scrambling to get themselves back in order," Moira continued.

Blackwood smirked. "On top of the prison escape that'll be following soon after. A truly devilish scheme to take their attention off the looming threat awaiting the city."

Tadhg smirked. "All the pieces are set. All that's left…is the execution."

Tadhg casually strode through the street as his knights dispersed to fend off the city soldiers. A couple soldiers attempted to spear the cat prince, but Leitis lunged in and bashed them aside with her tower shields.

"None have the honor of fighting His Majesty!" Leitis growled. "Rogue Wave Charge!" Ducking behind her shields, she launched forward with a forceful cascade of water surrounding her. She rammed through rows of soldiers, scattering them out of her way with a vengeful roar.

Soldiers took to the rooftops and aimed their crossbows, but a heavy dizziness overcame them, throwing off their aim and firing blindly over the army. From behind, Valentine rushed down the knights and beat them down with a ferocious string of punches, sending them crashing back onto the street.

"Sorry gents, but the narrative flows in our favor," he taunted.

Zephora rushed in, swinging and cutting down soldiers with her glaive. "Autopsy of Torment." She threw herself into the fray, slicing into weak points around their armor and taking them to the ground as their energy channel through the blade.

Percival hovered safely out of reach, rapidly flicking metallic marbles that ricocheted off their armor and the buildings. The marbles struck hard into the skin, faltering the soldiers enough for a swift counterattack from the ally knights.

"RAAAAAAH!" Jet rushed his way through with Aqua Jet and mowed through waves of soldiers with his Razor Shell, sending them flying despite his smaller size. "Get in my way, and I'll crush you!"

Blitz stuck to the city wall, firing arrows into the crowd while fanning his flames over the atmosphere. "Remember, we've been given the okay from Jason to use lethal force if necessary. Exercise your right to kill at your own discretion."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! RAH!" Jet slammed his scalchop into a soldier's helmet, bashing it in, and continued to run amuck through the street.

A soldier bashed aside a knight with his shield and shouted, "Focus on the Foresters! We're dealing with their elites—"

"Third Stance—" The soldier recoiled from a heavy, undetectable punch slamming against his shield. It shattered to pieces, and a blurry red fist hammered into his face, sending him packing through the street. "Crash Punch," Casimir whispered, his fist hissing with steam.

"Woooo!" Shale ricocheted around the buildings and came down on nearby soldiers with heavy stomps. "Look alive, New Chariot! I'm about to make you fools look like chumps!" She kicked up some stones and scattered a barrage of Pyro Balls.

The soldiers quickly gathered together and formed a projective formation against the fiery barrage. A Bisharp soldier ordered, "Call for the reserve soldiers immediately! We need backup!"

"Sir! We sent a scout to gather them at the training hall five minutes ago! They haven't responded yet!"

Bisharp growled. "Impossible. They should've gotten here by now. What's taking them so long?"

Telo Martius Training Hall

"Aaaagh…"

"Guuuh…"

"OooOoohhhhh…"

It happened so fast. One by one, the reserve soldiers fell from their seats in the mess hall, collapsing unconscious to the floor. Not even the higher ups were prepared, succumbing to the same fate as the trainees.

Among the last of the weakened soldiers, the Quaxwell soldier dragged himself to the feet of the servant that had served them their lunch. He clutched at her skirt, looking up to her with pleading eyes. "M-Ms. V…Vibiana…h-help…us…" He passed out at her feet.

Lillia looked around the room with a content smile on her face, watching the last of the soldiers succumb to the sleeping potion mixed with their lunch. She removed her eyepatch, revealing the sparkling green eye that glowed just as vibrantly as her right orange eye.

"Sorry, boys~. I'll make sure you're all cleared out before the flood arrives. Happy to have served you in our short time together."

Telo Martius Colosseum

The invading Umbra Clock Kingdom and Foresters rang from outside the colosseum, stirring confusion and panic from the empire's subjects. As the crowd was abuzz with worry, Nero maintained his usual air of confidence, sparing but a moment to listen in on the fighting taking place outside before turning his sights back on Melissa and Jason.

"Well, well, well. You've played a mean game, Skill Hunter. I acknowledge your competency." He smirked. "But even you must understand attacking Telo Martius as is will not end well. Once Nemesis realizes the trick you pulled, his forces will be back here to squash this little attack. And your friends up on Fort Gladius will not be safe."

However, Melissa smirked. "Oh, they can handle themselves. Besides, your soldiers up there will have their hands full stopping the bombs."

Nero frowned. "What bombs?"

"The ones that'll be blowing up your water supply."

His eyes widened briefly. "The dam."

"The dam?!" his soldiers gasped, their voices echoing out to the confused crowd, startling them into silence.

"What did they do to the dam?!" Nero's father roared from his seat.

Jason crossed his arms. "Not our usual means of assault, but we only grant you this insight to get your people to safety. After all, despite your arrogance, you do put your people first, right?"

An irritated smirk found its way over Nero's maw. "Seems I even underestimated the new king's callousness, too." He snapped his fingers. "Ring the gong. Incapacitate Harlow, then take down the Fairy Knight!"

A soldier raced for the gong and readied to strike it. However, right as the gong was rung, Jason pulled out one last surprise. Producing an impact bomb from his bag, he smashed it on the ground and released a white smoke into the air. The gong's vibrations rang out over the arena, aiming to trigger the restraining collar.

Nero waited patiently for Harlow's screams of pain, but heard no such sounds. Aside from the panic behind him, the arena was quiet. He glared. "What the—"

"Jason, now!"

Jason suddenly burst out from the smoke, climbing high into the air. Melissa bounced after him, her fur standing on end with electricity. Nero focused in on her and saw her collar was rusting and degrading before shattering to pieces.

Some of the smoke blew his way. He let it pass across his tongue, and he grinned with understanding. "Salt. A repurposed use of Salt Cure."

"We're not done yet!" Melissa shouted. She reached her hand out and took hold of Jason's. "You ready?"

"Do it!" he yelled.

Melissa passed on the electricity charging through her fur as she started to spin Jason around. Once his own fur stood on end, the individual hairs glowing in an electric blue, she switched up her copied technique, passing along an orange and blue glow through his body.

"Sadie Style: Assisted—"

"Thunder Fairy Step: Flash and—"

Melissa set her sights on the arena and, with all her remaining strength, threw Jason straight down. "Destruction!"

"CRACKLE!"

Jason exploded downward with a booming clap of thunder. With his sword drawn and only half a second to react, he braced himself and slammed hard into the ground, plunging the sword through the earth. The ground split open under his feet, and a surge of electricity carried out through the ripples of the borrowed power boost.

A second after landing, the ground swelled with heat before an explosion sounded deep below. Starting from the walls, the earth began to cave in, sinking below the colosseum. Soldiers immediately retreated off the ground, running and grabbing onto the walls before the ground swallowed them up.

Two soldiers gasped as their feet slid out from under them, nearly drowning with the collapsing earth. However, Nero grabbed them by their armor and threw them effortlessly into the stands before leaping for the walls himself. The two soldiers crashed into the seats while Nero dug one hand into the wall, keeping himself anchored in.

"Th-Thank you, Emperor Nero!" the soldiers cried.

Nero ignored their praise and watched as Melissa and Jason retreated to the stands as well. He then gazed upon the collapsing arena, watching as the dirt piled over itself, forming into a small mountain that reached deep within the lower levels. He smirked at what he saw instantly gathering around the mound.

"Well played, Skill Hunter. Well played."

The prisoners of the colosseum, stepping out from a cloud of salted smoke the corroded their collars, stared up at the sunlight peering down the newly formed hole. It was like the light of Arceus was casting a spotlight on them, showing them the way to paradise after suffering in the deep pits of Hell.

Their time has come.

"Inmates of Telo Martius!" Vilde shouted. "Advance!" The prisoners roared, rushing for the dirt mound and ascending it to the top. Many Ice and Rock-Types fired into the mound to make stable handholds.

Decebal struck Corin's chains, freeing the malnourished Typhlosion. "I'll help you out of here, come on!"

Corin's arms dropped to his sides, and he laughed weakly. "Don't let me slow you down. I'll leave at my own speed."

Decebal groaned. "Suit yourself. TO FREEDOM!" He kicked off the ground and hopped up the dirt mound.

Corin pressed his hand to the wall and, after catching his breath, picked himself up. He chuckled softly. "Something tells me…Freya will be in safe hands now. Don't lose her again, Ragnarok." He sighed and glanced mischievously at the dirt mound. "Now then, find a way out, then hopefully someone will be waiting for me on the other side like they promised."

Nero pulled himself onto the ledge of the stands, watching as the prisoners ascended the mound of earth. He laughed, opening his arms out to the rebellion unfolding before him. "Oh, now you've really done it, Skill Hunter! Very well, let the war commence! Ahahahaha—"

"My liege!" Nero grunted in annoyance as Gemini quickly raced down the seats, landing beside the emperor. "We need to get you back to the palace immediately. It's not safe out here."

Nero scoffed. "New Chariot warriors don't run from a—" He winced as Gemini firmly slapped him across his wounded side. "Gaaaaah!"

"That high from the adrenaline is only going to keep you conscious for so long!" Gemini snapped. He grabbed the emperor's wrist. "I've already ordered Terminus to clear the way. Saturn will be guarding the palace. You need to return there and be healed before you can even think of retaliating. Fortuna was practically in tears over the match, you know."

"…" Nero frowned softly. "That worried over me, huh?" He watched as the prisoners climbed closer to the mound's peak. With a reluctant sigh, he surrendered to the Medicham advisor. "Fine. Escort me back to the palace."

Gemini sighed in relief. "Thank you, my liege." He wrapped the emperor's arm over his shoulder and helped him up the stairs. He pointed to the soldiers who had recovered from the collapsing floor. "If the Foresters are making good on that threat, keep guard of the colosseum! Don't let anyone leave until this matter is resolved!"

"Yes, Grand Advisor Gemini!" they shouted.

Gemini grunted and pulled Nero along. "Best to hurry."

"…" Nero closed his eyes and sighed. Sorry for being reckless, Fortuna. Hope you're not too mad at me.

Melissa and Jason watched as Nero was escorted out of the colosseum. Jason reached for his sword. "I can stop him—" Melissa held her hand out to stop him.

"Let him retreat for now. I overheard what they said over the noise. Nero's going to be squared away in the palace for the time being. That should buy us some time to capture Telo Martius. Once that's under control, I can make my move for the negotiations."

"…" Jason let go of his sword. "Right." He looked toward the sky and smirked. "Well, since we're here—" He brought his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply.

Melissa turned her eyes up and watched as a passing aerial knight dropped something from his talons. She jumped back as a heavy, cylindrical crate smashed down into the stands. "What the—"

Jason pried opened the crate. "I got the word that Pandora and Enoch finished with the new uniforms, as well as your new and improved Multi-Purpose Weapon."

Melissa grinned with excitement. "Oho! They look even better than I imagined!"

"Shall we?"

"We shall!"

Fort Gladius

Fort Gladius had no time to react once the flare was let loose from Telo Martius. Before they could even interpret the meaning behind the flare, it was already too late.

Aerial soldiers of the Umbra Clock Kingdom, led by Sir Neil Lister, emerged from artificial cloud cover and hovered above the hilltop fort carrying the awaiting payload. They released the cylindrical crates from their talons, dropping down dozens upon the fort.

Soldiers retreated as the crates crashed down into the ground, their hides intact from the heavy fall. No sooner had the packages been dropped did the Foresters break from their mundane show of loyalty. Dropping their tools and discarding laundry, they sprang from their chores and launched into their true objective—

Capture Fort Gladius.

"W-What the?!" Centurion Decimus gasped as the Foresters started rushing for the payloads. "Men, seize them—"

Shingo and Brooklyn sprung high into the air. Shingo formed a hand sign and expanded his cheeks. "Hidden Art Combination Technique—" With Brooklyn positioned behind him, he exhaled a massive plume of smoke with her Tailwind spreading the smoke across the air. "Betrayal of the Black-Cladded Curtain!"

The soldiers recoiled as their vision became obscured in a thick smoke. Decimus waved his war club through the smoke, snorting fire in fury. "Counter their wind! Blow this smoke away!"

Several soldiers with access to Defog whipped up a counter storm, blowing away the smoke in no less than five seconds and clearing the atmosphere. However, those short five seconds were all the Foresters needed to access the crates.

Discarding their borrowed rags, the chainless prisoners of Fort Gladius stepped from the cleared smoke equipped with their weapons, along with the new uniform that symbolized their rebellion against the east.

A metallic, yet flexible armor modeled after their iconic uniforms. Dark green metal with malleable joints that boasted both durability and practicality. The armored cowl pulled over their heads, partially obscuring the eyes with slits to peer through the top. The armor came with similarly tough black greaves with boasted durable, woven pockets on the sides for carrying smaller items. The emblem of the Foresters was engraved on the left side of the chest.

Eadwulf tested the flexible sleeves and grinned. "Pandora really outdid herself this time."

Adenine rested her battle parasol over her shoulder. "Guess those tailoring lessons Ah gave her before we left paid off."

Ursula cracked her knuckles. "Enough talk. It's payback time, jerks!"

Enora smirked crazily. "You bastards are so dead!"

Decimus faltered back, staying behind his soldiers as he grew agitated. "Lousy thieves. Soldiers of New Chariot, eliminate the traitors!" The soldiers roared and charged in with their spears and shields raised.

Eadwulf spun his chain staff and yelled, "Foresters! Advance!" He led the charge with everyone sprinting behind him.

New Chariot expected a clash between their two forces, sprinting faster into the thieves. However, the Foresters didn't play by such tactics. The moment they were a spear's distance away, the thieves broke apart and scattered through Fort Gladius.

"What the—" Decimus gasped. "Men, chase them—" He barely reacted in time as Eadwulf came flying from atop a hut, blocking his dark-infused chain staff with his war club.

Eadwulf smirked. "This hill is under our control now!"

The soldiers broke into teams of ten, racing after the dispersed thieves. One group caught sight of Enora's tail disappearing behind a hut and rushed after her. However, right as they turned the corner, two soldiers were suddenly pulled back by the armor.

"Mud Dive!" Keeping hold of the soldiers, Fabrice jumped back into the liquified earth and pulled the men below.

The brief distraction allowed Enora to stop running and set her sights on the remaining eight. She smirked at the liquified earth under their feet. "My turn. Deep Freeze!" She exhaled a mighty gust of cold air, casting it over the soldiers and instantly hardening the ground into jagged ice around their legs. The two soldiers Fabrice submerged were frozen in place with only their heads and limbs poking out.

Fabrice burst out from behind Enora. "Nice work, sweetie!"

"Right back at you, babe!"

Further along Fort Gladius, several soldiers gave chase after Gold and Jewel, who were happily running through the forested area. Arrows flew and struck into the bark, whizzing past the thieving siblings. Gold snatched an arrow out of the air and snapped it in his grip. "So sorry, but—"

"Your toys are useless—"

"Against us!"

Gold's eyes shimmered with joy. "I missed you so much, Sister!"

"I missed you, too, Brother! It was so dreadful not having—"

"My better half at my side!"

They laughed and disappeared into the leaves above. The soldiers concentrated their arrows on that area, shaving through clusters of leaves. They stopped as they heard their laughter echoing louder over their heads.

"Drats," a Magmar soldier said. "They're launching a sneak attack. Form a defensive circle! Do not not—"

"They weren't the attack." Their eyes widened as a mixture of powders filled the air. They turned their sights on the lone Bellossom waving her metal fans and guiding the scattering dust. "Now the starring lead takes his stage. Mist of the Vengeful Hornet!"

From the shadows of the forest, Emile emerged from hiding wrapped in a veil of yellow powder. "Draconian Armament!" A metallic sheen engulfed his form with his head, tail, and claws adopting a metallic coating.

The iron Druddigon plowed through the soldiers, destroying their spears and rending their shields to scrap. One swipe of his claws sent them flying, the paralyzing powder coating his claws seizing up the soldiers' muscles. He loomed over them, letting out a monstrous roar to the heavens.

Margot landed on his shoulder. "O Beast of Iron, we have reached Act Three of this performance! Let us proceed with a grand climax!"

"RIIIIIIIGHT!" Emile rushed out of the forest and lunged into the populated parts of Fort Gladius, ready to bring down terror.

Further north of the fort, crossbow-wielding soldiers were firing on Lucient, who casually deflected their strikes with a wave of his paw. Ragger and Leon, meanwhile, took to the front lines and bashed through soldiers left and right. Ragger clawed them down with electrified claws while Leon bodied them with his dense bulk.

"You losers think manipulating the lives of innocent creatures is funny or something?!" Ragger roared. "Let's see what happens when the consequences come rearing their ugly heads, huh!"

Leon slammed his shield over one soldier's head and grunted. "How drunk are you now?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ragger sent several soldiers scattering with an upward claw strike. "It's good to be the king, baby!"

"Ah. Very."

Lucient brought his paw down and conjured a portal over his head, revealing a modified hwacha construct. "Blueprint Creation: Millionfold Rain!" Hundreds of arrows ejected from the light construct, rolling out a rug of light that brought down all within its path. Soldiers shielded themselves to the best of their ability, but many were pinned down by the overwhelming rain of light.

Wyatt skated around the raining light arrows with Avel forging a pathway of ice ahead. He tripped up the feet of soldiers with his new baton. Though it looked like a regular pipe, it was made with tougher metals provided by Umbra Clock. He laughed from the satisfying clang it made whenever it whacked passing soldiers.

"New armor, new weapons! We are living!" Wyatt cheered.

"Focus on fighting!" Avel yelled.

A couple soldiers rushed Wyatt down from his blind spot, but a pair of glowing playing cards struck into their armor and detonated, throwing them backwards. They landed on a pilling of rolling orbs, which also exploded under them and sending them arcing through the air.

"Woo!" Victoria cheered as she kneaded another batch of bombs. "Check out that air!"

Felix grinned. "Luck's on our side today!"

On the east side of Fort Gladius, an agile group of Primeape soldiers ganged up on Ursula and Hedwig. Ursula weaved around their spike-covered fists and fired back with one of her heavy chop attacks, knocking the wind out of three pig monkeys in one shot. Hedwig, meanwhile, tanked their attacks head-on with her No Guard ability and new armor, striking back with crippling ferocity.

"You mess with the pack, you get the fangs!" She grabbed one Primeape by the ankle and used him to beat the stuffing out of another. "Hunting RUSH!" She tanked another helping of attacks before lunging at a backup unit of soldiers, mercilessly tearing through them with her apprehended hostage as her newfound club.

"OH NERO, AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Ursula smashed two soldiers into the ground with her chops, then caught another pair by their spears. Flexing her muscles, she ripped the weapons from their hands and returned them with brutal smacks across their faces. "Sorry fellas, but you don't make enemies out of the Foresters. You just don't."

On the west side of Fort Gladius, soldiers with running for cover as lightning came down around them. Storm clouds floated above Adenine, who casually walked through the terrain with her parasol deployed. With but a flick of her wrist, lightning struck down on their position and sent them scattering.

She grimaced. "Ooohhhh, Ah really hate gettin' riled up like this. But, ugh! Just thinkin' about all the rotten, no-good deeds they've committed…!" She clenched her fists, stirring up the thunderclouds into greater volumes. "All this ding-dang fightin' is makin' me MAD!" Chains of lightning strikes came down from the thunderclouds, incinerating the land in front of her.

Klaus kept to his usual shtick of hiding in the shadows, staring at the Kecleon in utter bafflement. "Uh, was she always that strong?"

"Found you, Forester!" Klaus shrieked as a soldier ran up on him with a dagger.

"HOOOOONK!"

Klaus' eyes widened as the soldier was blanketed in a sea of white light, carving a clearing through the forest. He stiffly turned in the direction of Altair, who calmly saluted to the Morgrem before waddling off.

Klaus groaned and sank to the ground. "I'm surrounded by monsters…" He shook his head, moving his hand away from his eye as the number 6 appeared within it. "Oh well, do what you do best, Klaus: wait for someone to do the hard part and finish the job while they're on their last legs."

The south side of Fort Gladius wasn't doing any better. Sadie stole all the cutlery from the fort kitchen and sent them back at the soldiers as blazing projectiles. She provided cover from atop a watchtower while Tank rushed into the fray with a giant hammer cobbled together with rock and repurposed building material.

"Dragon Warhammer!" He manifested draconic energy around the improvised weapon and swung it across the ground, battering soldiers aside like a broom to a pile of dust.

The soldiers in the back kept their defenses up and readied their spears. "What the hell?! These guys are insane!" one soldier commented.

"What kind of crazy people did they invite in this stupid club?!" another yelled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Marianne the Luxray crashed down behind the soldiers and swatted into them with Wild Charge.

"Reflect!" A soldier cast the protective barrier around his colleagues before splitting up to surround the lynx.

Marianne hopped into the air and coated her fangs with electrified psychic energy. "Thunder Pistol!" With a snap of her teeth, she fired off electrified fangs one by one. The fangs bit down on the soldiers, shattering their Reflect and erupting them in lightning.

Sadie smirked. "Nice one, Mari!" She pulled out a handful of forks. "Assisted Destruction!" With deadly accuracy, she hurtled the utensils at the stunned soldiers, striking between the gaps in her armor.

"AAAAAHHHH!" they all screamed, dropping to the ground.

Tank battered away another group. "The bombs haven't been set off yet."

Marianne fired another Thunder Pistol into a soldier before landing beside the Smeargle. "Decimus is still over there with his group. I'm not sure if they figured out the plan yet."

"Better hope we keep it that way!" Tank threw the hammer into the ground, smashing it against their defensive formation. He rapidly punched the ground and forged himself a pair of stone boxing gloves. "Leave everything to Shingo and Eadwulf. They're the ones executing the plan."

"Hidden Art Style—" Soldiers suddenly recoiled as Shingo blitzed through them with nearly unperceivable speeds. "Instant Covert Assault!"

Brooklyn hovered above the battle, keeping an eye on the group's blind spots. "Shingo, on your left!"

He formed a mini Cut needle and tossed it over his shoulder, striking a Crobat's throat. He backflipped through the air and whipped his Aerial Ace-empowered foot straight down on the stunned bat's skull, burying him beneath the ground.

"Thanks!" he called out. He looked around as more soldiers continued to appear from the wooded areas. He grunted in annoyance. "They just don't stay down. Their endurance training must be insane."

Brooklyn glared. "Well, if knocking them out's next to impossible, locking them down is the next course of action." She whistled sharply.

Before the soldiers realized what was happening, Kenny burst out from the bushes, gliding atop a field of rapidly freezing ground. He skated around their legs, quick as a bullet, and instantly flash-froze them to the ground. It happened so fast that they had zero time to process the warmth that was sapped from their lower halves.

"What the?!"

Kenny skated along the ice, riding up newly formed ramps and looping through the air. A chilling aura of cold rode along his breath as he exhaled. Despite being only twelve-years-old, the little Cubchoo wasn't a force to take lightly. After the torment he dealt with in the smog-covered forests back home, he spent the last couple of months improving his techniques.

The Cubchoo with the strongest Sheer Cold.

A Magmortar and Camerupt soldier broke free from the ice and focused their sights on the skating Cubchoo. "How cruel for the Foresters to bring a kid into their little game," the Magmortar said. "Flamethrower!"

"Eruption!"

They both fired down their superheated attacks straight at Kenny. The little Cubchoo didn't flinch at the approaching heat. Instead, he skidded to a stop and slammed his hands down, calling forth an icy-blue tidal wave from the ground. The fiery attacks slammed into its surface, producing vast quantities of steam into the air.

However, to the soldiers' surprise, the child's water attack completely overpowered and extinguished their flames. "What the—" they shouted.

Kenny exhaled a frigid aura of cold. The water slammed down atop the Fire-Types and, with a flex of the Cubchoo's fingers, caused the water to flash-freeze on top of them. All their external heat was instantly cooled, even keeping the Camerupt's Magma Armor from activating.

Field of Cold Discomfort.

"Kenny!" He looked to his right as Luna tangled a few soldiers in a mess of vines. She pointed over her shoulder and shouted, "Get to the dam! Hurry!"

The Cubchoo nodded in understanding before skating toward the dam, an action noticed by Decimus as he shielded against Eadwulf's endless flurry of staff strikes. The Turtonator's eyes widened, his mind racing with questions from the brief interaction.

What are they going to do with the dam? Hold on a moment, don't tell me they're planning to—

Realizing the trouble they were in, Decimus bashed Eadwulf away with a heavy swing and turned toward the fleeing polar bear. "So, that's your game, huh?" He lunged forward, slamming his war club against his back. "Boost RUSH!" His shell erupted with flame, propelling him forth with explosive speed. "I won't allow you to carry out your evil deeds, Foresters—"

"Emerald Arrow!" His eyes flickered up as a blazing streak of green aura rushed down from the sky and slammed down on top of the Turtonator's head, burying him beneath the dirt. Jumping off and taking flight again, Sir Neil shouted, "Hurry, kid!"

"RAAAH!" Decimus picked himself up and bashed his club across Neil's side. "You damned knights! You should've known when you were beat!"

Neil winced, but tanked the attack with ease. He smirked through the pain. "We're not…going to live in New Chariot's shadow anymore." He kicked off the volatile tortoise and surrounded himself in a flurry of feathers. "Roost!"

Decimus rushed him down as the Staraptor landed. "You left yourself open!"

"Ascending Gale!" Brooklyn swooped by and created an updraft under Neil, allowing him to glide back into the air and avoid Decimus' attack.

Neil smirked. "Nice work, Lady Brooklyn!"

She laughed sheepishly. "Aww shucks, it was—WAH!" She lost control of her wings for a moment before riding along the currents again. "Ignore that!"

Decimus growled. "Damn it all! There should be some soldiers guarding the dam. Flamethrow—"

"Penance Style—" Decimus recoiled as Eadwulf rushed him down with a flurry of concentrated staff strikes. "Dragon's Fury!"

"AAAGH!" Decimus spun himself around, causing Eadwulf to strike into his shell. "Boost Raze!" His shell ignited, engulfing the Nuzleaf in a furious explosion of flame. "HA! See if you can survive that, you little—"

"Karmic Beast!"

Decimus' eyes widened as the flames parted around Eadwulf. He spun his chain staff as it hummed and glowed in a magenta light. A similar glow shined within Eadwulf's irises, sparking and flowing like mini flames. A low growl hummed through clenched teeth as if a savage beast was chained just below the flesh.

Shingo took down another soldier before shouting, "Trevorrow, still with us?!"

Eadwulf tightened his grip and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am." He shifted his footing and readied his stance. "I won't let this thing inside me lash out again. This time, my fangs will always point to where I decide!"

Dodging around a couple of soldiers, Kenny broke out from the wooded area and found the dam just up ahead. He hurriedly skated to it while pulling out a potion. Since the bombs couldn't be triggered underwater by normal means, a substitute was crafted that would react with the water.

However, right as he closed in on the dam, a hail of Bullet Seeds cut off his path. He stopped himself and jumped back from a rending Dragon Claw that tore through his ice. Kenny skidded back and glared at the Exeggutor and Garchomp blocking his way.

"You're out of your depth, little boy," the land shark hissed. "Run along before this gets ugly."

Kenny responded by channeling a dense cold around his fist.

Garchomp smirked. "Your funeral."

Kenny's eyes widened as the ground started to break apart under him. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding an Excadrill's rising Drill Run. Kenny attempted to use his technique, but the Excadrill uncoiled himself and struck faster with Metal Claw, sending the little bear flying into a tree.

"Gaaaaaaahhhhh…!" his voice strained, pressing a hand to his throat. He glared up at the three soldiers weakly as they started to surround him.

"Kid has serious firepower, but he's still a weakling," the Exeggutor laughed.

Garchomp sneered. "I don't like the idea of skewering a child, so why don't we just knock him out? He looks old enough to be thrown into the colosseum, right?"

Right as the soldiers reached for the polar bear, a spark of fire flashed in front of their faces before erupting into glorious flames. They recoiled and screamed as their skin caught fire. Several more explosive bursts erupted against them, throwing them back from Kenny.

Kenny pulled himself up and glanced above the branches, where Basil casually hung upside-down. He waved and said, "Oh, don't mind me. You just worry about setting off the bombs."

Kenny nodded and ran past the soldiers as they pulled themselves together. Basil jumped down and casually approached them, an unassuming smile on his snout. As they got up, Basil clicked his fingers and blew them back with a miniature explosion.

"GAH!" Garchomp shielded his comrades from the flames and waved the smoke away. "You dare enter our territory with such brazen attitudes? You will be making yourselves enemies of New Chariot for decades to come!"

Basil chuckled lightly. "My, how unfortunate, but I'm not here to make peace." He extended his hands out and pressed his palms together. "If you gentlemen don't mind, I'm here to run an experiment on the new…improvements to the alchemy I've been subjecting myself to."

Excadrill grimaced. "Alchemy?"

Twisting his palms together, dark red flames igniting between them. Slowly, he pulled his hands apart, holding a twisting column of flame between his palms. He carefully pulled back on the flames and positioned his hands as if aiming a bow and arrow. The flames concentrated around his extended index finger.

The first stage. An improvement on the original formula used to create causinomancy.

"Ash Blossom: Red."

"Ack!"

"Gaaah!"

"Uuuuugh…"

Soldiers were picked off one-by-one after chasing more of the sneaky Foresters into the wooded areas, unaware they were led into a trap. Weaving from within the shadows, Marie dashed around them, hopping along gracefully with her good leg. She slashed them using a pair of separated gardening shears like daggers, cutting into their legs and arms.

"I-I barely noticed her," a soldier grunted, collapsing onto the ground.

Marie backflipped high into the air and landed on a branch. She spun the gardening shears deftly, watching as another round of soldiers grouped up with their crossbows primed. She snapped her fanged hair down on the shears and grinded them out, coating their blades in psionic light.

"400 Kilogram Beast Fang!" Ripping the blades loose, she rent the air with two powerful slashing projectiles, slicing across the entire group and ripping their crossbows to shreds.

After catching her breath from the heavy attack, she raised her head at the sound of a powerful explosion coming from the direction of the dam followed by agonizing screams. She sighed irritably and leapt away from the sound. Basil. I hope you know what you're doing, because I don't like it.

Eadwulf and Decimus clashed weapons, knocking each other away from the energy reverberating off them. Eadwulf clutched his chain staff by both ends and rushed the Turtonator down, the energy within his weapon crackling even louder.

"Karmic Beast—" He leapt forward and swung his chain staff wildly. "Exploding Water Fang Storm!"

Decimus braced himself as a torrent of staff strikes peppered across his body, but not like before. Each strike released a miniature explosion that slowly withered into the fire tortoise's armor. The blasts were condensed, striking the individual areas with pinpoint precision. Furthermore, the blasts weren't harming Eadwulf unlike the last time he let his more beastly side cut loose.

He refused to let control be ripped from him again, his last onslaught acting as a painful memory to his fury, thus he had been practicing tempering that wrath in a controlled manner.

Karmic Beast. A method of channeling his explosive wrath into a literal weapon that he guided.

Eadwulf released one last dual strike into the fire tortoise's chest, blowing him back. Decimus slammed his war club down to catch himself, then roared with an expulsion of Flamethrower. Eadwulf raised his chain staff and absorbed the impact of the flames through them.

"HA!" Eadwulf rushed under the flames and pressed his hand against Decimus' club. "Karmic Beast!"

The magenta glow transferred partially from his staff and into Decimus' weapon. However, without Eadwulf maintaining a mental chain over the rampant energy, cracks started to form across the weapon's surface. He jumped back, and Decimus quickly through the club away before it detonated into a powerful explosion.

"GAH!" Decimus shielded his face from the shrapnel.

Eadwulf deflected the destroyed club and rushed Decimus down with a knee to the face. He grabbed the tortoise by his snout and slammed him atop his back. Decimus aimed to ignite his shell, but Eadwulf took hold of the remainder of his chest plate and infected it with Karmic Beast.

"Go ahead. Try and retaliate," Eadwulf goaded.

Decimus snarled. "Cheeky Forester."

Neil floated above the Nuzleaf and said, "Sidney's team is in position. They'll be ready as soon as the dam is destroyed."

Eadwulf nodded. "Good. Then we can get to the real battle."

Decimus glared. "What do you hope to accomplish today? You aim to force a parley with the emperor? Take his rightful throne for yourselves?"

Eadwulf glared solemnly. "I'm not looking forward to finding the answer to that myself." He looked to the sky and sighed. "I don't know when, but we'll be entering the first stages of a new era soon. I wonder what it'll bring us."

Kenny dove into the lake and swam down to where the bombs had been planted. He plucked out the vial gifted to him by Pandora, knowing he had only a few seconds before the alchemical reaction went off. It was a tough ask for anyone, even the greatest swimmers of the Foresters, but he volunteered wanting to prove his worth even at his age.

There was no turning back after this.

Steeling his nerves, Kenny popped the cork off and spread the concoction over the water in front of himself. As soon as he did, he dropped the vial and hurriedly swam for the surface as the water began to boil and hiss. The reaction rapidly stretched over the water, catching up with the polar bear's legs.

With one last boost of strength, Kenny emerged from the water and landed on land. Catching his breath, he looked back and found the entire lake bubbling like a boiling pot of water.

All that was left was for the bombs to react.

And he didn't have to wait long.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

One by one, the bombs went off. The fuses burned away from the superheated reaction, causing them to wither away and ignite the bombs. Miniature holes burst across the dam's surface one after the other, releasing like a symphony with Kenny as their conductor.

The growing stretch of cracks spreading along the dam reached their durability threshold with water already pouring out the other end. The outer wall swelled from the growing pressure pushed against the withered stone.

From below, Sidney and her digging team witnessed the wall beginning to collapse. "Alright team, this is what we trained for! Everyone, get into position!"

"Ma'am! Yes, ma'am!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Decimus' eyes widened at the distant explosions going off. "What the—"

Eadwulf smirked. "And now for our cue. Foresters, to the dam!" He jumped off Decimus, extinguishing his Karmic Beast, and raced for the wooded area. Soon, the Foresters broke from their fights and followed after the Nuzleaf, running in the direction of the dam.

A tidal wave of green armor burst out from the trees, where Kenny and Basil awaited their arrival. Basil bowed and gestured to the collapsing dam. "Welcome to the New Chariot Waterway Transport Service! Next stop: Telo Martius!"

Kenny punched the water, creating several boards of ice atop the water. He hopped onto one and waved the rest of the group over. They each leapt over the water and landed upon an ice board, remaining balanced against the shifting currents.

Enora hugged Fabrice from behind and grinned nervously. "Oh man, this looks a lot scarier than the practice exercises."

Klaus shifted uncomfortably on his board. "Is it too late to rethink our entrance strategy?"

Eadwulf glared over his shoulder and saw the New Chariot soldiers were rushing out from the woods. "No time. Everyone, brace yourselves! It's going to be a bumpy ride!"

The wall's integrity finally gave out against the water's mass, breaking open and letting loose the tamed waters back onto the wild. The Foresters felt the currents suddenly pulling them forward before careening off the top of the hill and rushing down a steep slope of crashing water.

"HOLLLLLY SHIIIIIIIT!" Klaus screamed.

"AWESOME!" Victoria and Felix exclaimed.

Kenny skated gracefully along the rushing water while everyone else did their best to keep their balance against the harsh currents. The water made sharp turns down the hill, following the trenches dug out by Sidney's team over the course of several weeks. It kept the water on course and mostly contained.

As for the digging team themselves, they were charging ahead of the water, breaking open the hidden earth slide and carving a path toward Telo Martius. Once they reached there, they had to act fast to direct the water underground and send it shooting out through the streets.

It was a sight of utter devastation for those witnessing the event unfold. The dam of Fort Gladius that was used to provide fresh drinking water had been turned into a weapon that would serve as the turning point in the Foresters' war on them. The rumors of these forest spirits weaponizing nature for their cause? This was the reality dreamt in fantasy.

Eadwulf glared as the city grew larger and larger in their sights. All those months of training for this exact plan to go off were about to pay off. They destroyed the dam. There was no turning back after this. They had to complete the mission. Victory had to be obtained on this day.

Victory through peace, or victory through bloodshed. Which path will this day end on?