25th Rebirth Moon, 908 – Knife's Edge

"That it?"

"Oh yeah. That's our target."

Having traveled nonstop for days, the Broken Glass Alchemical Company finally made their way to Knife's Edge, an extent of the Outlands that divided the Wick Kingdom from the Umbra Clock Kingdom for miles. The barren town sat near the edge of a sheer cliff that led straight into the ocean. Even from the distance they were at, the crew could see the crashing waves striking against the cliff.

The town of Knife's Edge itself was mostly filled with the same abandoned buildings one would expect in the Outlands, likely filled with squatters and the like. However, the target of interest was what sat on the outskirts of the town, namely a concealed dome within the sand and snow that had a collapsed roof and broken walls.

Phoebe handed her telescope to Amos. "The Faucher hideout. Haven't seen this place in forever. I haven't traveled this far out into the Outlands since that day. Too many bad memories."

Amos peered at the broken hideout, scanning the perimeter for movement. "Did you see Babylas by chance?"

"No, but that concerns me more than actually seeing him."

"Fair point." Amos collapsed the telescope and glared. "Hopefully your hunch is right. This is literally the only lead we have to go off of."

"I'm positive this is the place. Now, it's just a matter of if we made it in time."

Magni stepped forward and sniffed the air. "Can't smell Friend. Too much sand in the air."

"And I'm too far away to get a read on the place," Amos added. "Not that it would do us any good. Babylas will get suspicious if he sees any sand swirling inside the hideout."

Phoebe crossed her arms. "And he and I know the interior pretty well, so it's a toss up on terrain advantage." She glared. "So, our chances still aren't looking too hot."

"And we won't be able to pull off the revival trick a second time." Amos checked his bag, making sure he had all his ammunition stocked up. He sighed and nodded at Phoebe. "You remember the plan?"

She rolled her eye. "We've gone over it a hundred times. Yeah, I know."

"…You do realize you'll be putting yourself in danger if we pull this off."

She shrugged. "Hey, between the three of us, I'm the fastest. Besides, that's if we can. We only have one shot to tag him with the bullet, otherwise he'll catch on pretty quickly to what we're doing."

Amos nodded. "There's also the matter of those Shedinja. We were so focused on trying to hit him that we completely overlooked their defensive properties. If we can destroy them, that gives him less opportunities to trade places."

Phoebe smiled uneasily. "Not the best plan in the world, but we are fighting a deadly mercenary." She sighed, slapped her cheeks firmly, and glared. "I'm ready when you are."

Magni snorted and stomped his feet down. "Ready. We go now."

Amos nodded. "Broken Glass Alchemical Company, follow my lead."

He marched ahead, leading his group into the barren town ahead and leaving behind the company carriage. Within the carriage, left behind by the Gligar upon their arrival, was half a bullet aglow in a pink aura resting in a stable state.

However, every so often, its glow intensified, as if hearing the cries of its other half.

Abandoned Faucher Hideout

"I'm tired of waiting, Babylas. Cain is expecting me to deliver that girl soon, and you're stalling."

Babylas ignored Arethusa's rant as he mixed together a bowl of oatmeal. After mixing the water with the oats, he set the bowl atop his fire katana to let it boil. As he waited for it to cook, he walked over to a cabinet and grabbed himself a bag of jerky. He tore a bite out of a slice, then waved the bag at the irate Milotic. "Want one?"

She glared. "How long do you insist on coddling that girl until she's done with her tantrum? Last I heard, she seemed more interested in putting a dagger to your neck than cooperating."

Babylas rolled his eye. "Look, this is a minor setback, but I'm giving Evelot time to cool off so I can explain everything to her. She'll never forgive me, but I don't want her forgiveness. I just want her to stay out of this war Last Autumn has with Virdis."

Arethusa smirked. "You are the definition of arrogance if you think this changes anything. The war still happens whether or not she joins us. She's the key to guaranteed victory—"

"Project Talos, I assume?"

She scowled. "Okay, how much spying have you done on us?!"

"Enough." Babylas glared at her. "You need Rainbow to act as a binding agent. You need an inexhaustible fuel source to power Talos. You need skilled craftsman to make Talos. You need enriched elementium that can only be obtained from the depths of the Subterra Kingdom. You need specialized parts made by masters of advanced alchemy to control Talos, like say the kind of masters found only in the Arcania Kingdom. Does that thoroughly answer your question?"

"…" She settled into a glare. "What exactly are you up to? Are you our ally? Or are you planning to betray us?"

He smirked. "Betray you? No, I would never do such a thing." He leaned back against the table and laughed. "I would never betray you because we were never allies. Last Autumn's goals do not concern me, nor do they align with my desire for true immortality. Why do you think Cain is particularly afraid of me? Tell me, Arethusa: did Cain give you specific instructions to kill me if I stepped out of line?"

"…" Her brow creased with annoyance.

"Don't answer that. I already know." He chuckled. "I took on the name of Greed because I wanted it. It fits me perfectly. That's why he fears me. I can't be bought. I can't be manipulated. I can't be reasoned with. Not unless I desire so. I had a good life, you know. My mother remarried in the Wick Kingdom and lives happily with my stepfather. I chose the way of the mercenary because I wanted to find my treasure. I desire nothing short of being free, and people like you and Cain can't live in a world where someone like me acts in opposition of your goals."

"…Tch."

Babylas smirked. "Stunned speechless? Yes, I have that effect on people." He turned back to the oatmeal as the water started to boil. He removed the fire katana, casting it into his shadow, and stirred the bowl. "Last Autumn can't stand people with boundless freedom, because too much freedom leads to chaos."

"…You do the things you do just because you decided so? All of us have a reason."

"Is it too hard for you to accept that I just decided to become a mercenary? Heh, then again, you're too obsessed with the artform of despair to see any reason. A shallow mindset for a lunatic."

Arethusa snarled. "You…!"

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" He turned around, tracing a finger across his chest. "Come on. I'm right here. Give it your best shot."

"…" She sighed and backed off. "I hate you. So much."

"Heh. It says a lot when the timid alchemist is more willing to attack me than the supposed serial killer who just wants power over the weak. All talk." He saluted her and sunk into the shadows.

Arethusa scowled at the darkness before huffing and slithering toward the entrance. "The nerve of that smug, greedy, little—" She stopped as one of Babylas' Shedinja appeared out of a Phantom Force portal. She glared at it. "What do you want?"

It responded with incoherent hissing noises, like echoes scattering through the deepest of caves.

"…What?"

The Shedinja nodded at the entrance and floated outside, using Poltergeist to throw her a telescope. Confused yet curious, she caught the instrument and followed the possessed shell outside.

Babylas stepped out of the shadows just outside of Evelot's room. He walked up to the massive hole in the wall, knocking twice. "Evelot. It's me. I've brough you your lunch. You've been awfully quiet the last couple of days. How about you and I sit down for a bit and talk about what's going to happen? Perhaps we can come to an agreement on what happens…next?"

The Banette narrowed his eyes in confusion. He pressed his ear to the wall, listening in on the Mimikyu who seemed to be talking to someone in hushed whispers. He reached for his poisoned dagger from his shadow as he peeked into the room.

To his confusion, there wasn't anyone in the room, though Evelot had her back turned toward the entrance. He could still hear her whispering, sounding as if she was having an in-depth conversation with the wall.

"Evelot…?" Babylas pulled away and glared at the floor. "She couldn't be that mad that she's resorting to banter with the walls. Who is she talking to?"

Something seemed off about the matter, and Babylas knew he wasn't going to understand through his eyes alone.

He sighed and pressed his hand over his eyepatch. "Sorry, Evelot. I'm breaking my promise. What are you—"

His eyes widened as his vision linked with Evelot's right eye, and he found himself staring at a ghastly apparition whose features were worryingly familiar. It was some kind of illusion that only Evelot could see, yet she spoke to it without fear. If anything, she seemed more annoyed with the spirit.

"I know where you're pointing me to, I get it. You say there's something for me to find in the Algus Kingdom, right?"

Babylas tensed up. Oh no…

"Then what is it that I'll find there? Does it have anything to do with my family's killer? Please, give me a better clue! Who was the one who killed my—"

Babylas dropped the oatmeal and rushed into the room, grabbing Evelot from behind. He could see the apparition fading from Evelot's vision before breaking his link.

"AH!" Evelot shoved him off and backed away. "Babylas?!"

"Were you talking to Absalom?!"

She gasped. "Wait, you can see him—" Her eyes widened, then she glared. "You were peering through my eye again!"

"Forget that! I saw you talking to him!"

She growled. "So?! What if I was?!"

"Evelot, he is the last person you want to get involved with! Whatever he was trying to show you, ignore it! Do not follow his directions!"

She slapped his hand away. "And why should I trust anything you say?! After everything you've done behind my back, what makes Absalom less trustworthy than you?!"

"He is the Ferryman of Destiny to some, and the Ferryman of Destined Tragedy to others! Anyone who follows the path he sees for them will be met with a tragic end!"

Evelot scowled. "Or maybe he's finally telling me what I want to! All I wanted was closure for what happened five years ago, but everyone just keeps treating me like I'm too immature to handle the truth!"

"You are too immature! You were just confirming with him where that vile woman is!"

"…" Her eyes narrowed darkly. "So, it's true. She really is in the Algus Kingdom."

Babylas nearly slapped himself for the slipup, but brushed it aside. "Ugh! I don't have time for this." He grabbed her by the ear.

"Wah—HEY!"

"I waited long enough for you to simmer down. I'm taking you to Last Autumn, and I'm waiting out the clock until the end of the moon passes."

"Babylas!" She squirmed and swatted at his arm. "Let me GO!"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until this stupid prophecy of his passes. You'll understand what I'm doing for you later, but now we need to—"

"Ohhhhhh, Babylas~!"

Babylas paused and glared at one of his Shedinja, who was projecting Arethusa's obnoxious smug tone to him. He picked Evelot off the ground, letting her shake in his grip, and answered, "What? I'm a little busy."

"You. Screwed. Up~."

He rolled his eye. "Yes, yes, you've told me a thousand times. Look, I'm bringing Evelot upstairs now, so save the attitude for another—"

"Oh, I'm not referring to your deplorable means of comfort. You may want to come up to the roof and see for yourself."

Babylas glared at his Shedinja suspiciously. He dropped Evelot and allowed himself to be absorbed into the swirling portal projecting from the carapace's back. As his body dissolve up to his head, he looked back once at Evelot and said, "We're not done with this conversation." He disappeared into the portal.

Evelot glared at the haunted carapace, digging her claws into the floor. "Babylas, you…"

Babylas stepped out of his Shedinja's vortex and walked along the hideout's roof, joining Arethusa by the edge. He crossed his arms and asked, "So, what exactly did I screw up with?"

Wordlessly, the Milotic snickered and passed him the telescope. Rolling his eye, he took the device and peered through it. At first, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, mainly Freaks that took refuge in town. However, after adjusting the telescope, he saw three figures crossing into the town.

Three familiar, supposed-to-be-dead figures.

"…Ah," was his response.

Arethusa laughed through her teeth. "My, oh my, I'm starting to wonder why Cain is afraid of you. I could've sworn you said you killed all of Evelot's friends. So then, by pure coincidence, a party consisting of a Gligar, Aipom, and Scolipede just happened to wander into this area?"

Babylas collapsed the telescope and threw it into his shadow. "No, that's definitely them."

"Oho~! Then, how come they're still alive?" she hissed in his ear.

He pushed her away. "How should I know? I injected them with poison and slashed their necks open. By all accounts, they should be dead." He scratched his chin. "Well, I'll give them credit, they're a lot hardier than I thought. They must've pulled a trick on me at the last second. Though, MacGyver isn't with them, oddly enough."

Arethusa slithered around him. "You can hypothesize the means of their survival another time. Right now, my teleporter hasn't arrived yet, and those three are going to cause trouble if they take Evelot away."

Babylas huffed. "Don't state the obvious. Look, Cain said the teleporter will be here at fifteen hundred on the dot, right? That gives us an hour to stall them, get Evelot back to Last Autumn, and put them down permanently."

Arethusa laughed. "Oh, and you think I'm going to trust you to do the job right this time? For all I know, you went easy on them because you felt bad for the poor dear." She smirked. "In fact, given your history, you could've done a lot worse to make sure they couldn't get back up."

"…" Babylas sighed. "I did the bare minimum. Nothing more."

"Hmph. So, how are we doing this?"

He crossed his arms. "If I get too far away from the hideout, my Endless Darkness won't be able to keep Evelot trapped in the lower levels. That means you'll have to go down there and intercept their party for me." He raised his brow. "Shouldn't be too much trouble for you, right?"

"Heh. And leave you alone with the alchemist?"

"I can leave with her at any time I like, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." His brow creased into a scowl. "So, unless you want to return to Cain in pieces, I suggest you shut your mouth and do your job."

Arethusa growled briefly before smirking. "You are so lucky I take pleasure in watching others suffer." She turned her sights in the direction of the BGAC. "Besides, that just means I can guarantee Lancaster's death. One last loose end that has been fraying apart for too long." She leapt off the roof and darted in the direction of Knife's Edge.

Babylas stepped back and whistled, calling upon his ten Shedinja. "Six days. I just need to get through the next six days. That's it."

The BGAC entered Knife's Edge, making their way through to reach the other side toward the Faucher hideout. The buildings, though mostly abandoned save for the Freaks roaming about, stood relatively intact. Dusty white stone with cracks here and there, shutters opening and shutting by the slightest breeze, and wide-open streets with massive trenches dug out as if a ground-dwelling Pokémon took a swim through the surface. Being so close to the ocean, the air carried a strong stench of salt, so much so that you could season a dish just by leaving it out for an hour.

Phoebe ran her hand across a building and scratched off some chalky dust stuck in her fur. "I dug around in this town quite a bit during my stay. Apparently, back in ye olden days, kids would jump off the cliffside and plunge into the water below. Surprisingly, there were only three counts of death, and two of those were just because kids were being idiots and got unlucky after the hundredth jump."

Amos raised his brow. "I didn't know there was any history to find."

"If you dig in the right places, you're bound to find an old diary or two." She glared. "Some of the locals around here told me everyone was ran out of town once the Wick Kingdom started losing territory. Some people ran to the safety of the other kingdoms, others fled to the ocean. Amazing how everything goes topsy-turvy when this all feels so normal today."

Amos crossed his arms. "Do you ever wonder why the Wick Kingdom loss so much influence over the Outlands?"

"Other kingdoms get grasslands, rivers, and snow. They got a giant desert by the ocean. They're lucky to have any power being the one of the top harbor kingdoms. Plus, you hear stories about the Tetrarchs, and you begin to remember those old stereotypes about kings being incompetent."

"Fair enough."

Magni sniffed the air and grimaced. "Air too salty."

"Don't bother. We're just searching the hideout." Amos awkwardly massaged his neck. "Ugh. Though, I am a bit apprehensive."

Phoebe smirked. "We won't let that shadowy jerk catch us off guard a second time. This time, we have a plan—"

"Oho~! What a shame all that planning won't make a difference." The company trio stopped as a Milotic slithered out from behind a building. Dressed in a blue robe fitted to her slender form, she advanced upon the group with a devious glint in her eye. "After all, there's nothing more delicious than watching dreams fail~."

The trio backed away. As Magni lowered his horns and growled, Phoebe reached for her rifle and whispered, "Is she a Deadly Seven?"

"Worse," Amos growled. "She's one of Cain's goons. She was there when they first ambushed my team."

Arethusa grinned. "I am so glad you remembered me, Amos Lancaster. My, my, the months have not been kind on you. I am shocked you are still breathing. Actually, this seems to be your second time cheating death. I'd say that makes you one lucky fella, but someone as pathetic as you being cheated out of death seems more like a curse."

Amos rattled his stinger angrily. "If you're here, that means we were right. You're here to take Evelot back to Cain, aren't you? She's still here."

Arethusa shrugged, or at least made the approximate motion. "Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. That is the least of your concern." She flashed a shark-like grin, a dangerous bloodlust shimmering in her eyes. "Your troublesome ilk has been getting in our way for far too long, Lancaster, and I would feel just awful not finishing my work. I should thank you for bringing yourself here to be executed by me. I promise, Cain was going to be merciful by slicing your head off. I'm going to savor every little second until the life drains from your eyes."

Phoebe rolled her eye. "Wonderful monologue. Oh, by the way, I have a gun." She raised her rifle and immediately fired on the Milotic.

But the bullet wouldn't reach Arethusa. Water surged up around her slender body like a lattice and intercepted the bullet, drastically slowing its speed until it dripped onto the ground harmlessly.

Arethusa's grin grew. "You're so boring, little monkey. You want to kill without savoring the moment? Perhaps I should show you the wonders of despair."

Phoebe winced. "Okay, that usually works." She backed away with Amos. "Any suggestions?"

Amos grimaced. "Magni might be able to outrun her, but he needs to build up speed first."

Magni snorted. "Kill her. Rip out her lungs."

Arethusa's grin stretched wider, threating to split open. "Oh, you're not leaving yet. We're going to have loads of fun together! Water Serpent's Den!" Water encased her body, and she shot off toward the group.

Amos quickly flicked a bullet into his pincer and aimed at the ground. "Absolute Zero Bullet!" He fired, releasing a cold wave that instantly froze the ground ahead.

The blast of cold air passed over Arethusa's technique and instantly encased her in thick ice. Her forward momentum broke her off from the following trail, sending her frozen body skidding over the frozen ground.

"Magni, run!" Amos and Phoebe jumped onto the Scolipede's back, who roared and leapt over the sliding Milotic, racing deeper into town. They looked back as cracks formed over her frozen shell with water spurting out. "Turn here!" Amos ordered, sending the megapede to the left.

They flinched from an explosive burst of pressure in the distance, signaling the Milotic's escape. Amos loaded up his pincer with six bullet wrapped in an amber aura. Phoebe jumped atop Magni's head and peered down her rifle's ironsides.

"So, this is the same crazy chick you dealt with when you first escaped prison? Yeah, a few minutes with her definitely shows the crazy!"

Amos growled. "But if she's here, that means the Skuntank might not be far away. He's the one who will kill us if we get unlucky."

As Magni ran, his horns twitched from an unusual sensation he was picking up. "Rumbling."

"Eh? Rumbling?" Phoebe asked. "What does that mean?"

Amos glanced over his shoulder again and felt his heart sink. "I…think he's sensing that."

Crashing through the narrow streets of Knife's Edge, a massive flood twisted after them like a Seviper hunting its prey. Heading the wave was Arethusa, her maniacal expression visible even within the murky water. The water even started to take on her shape, making her malicious eyes all the clearer.

"Pure Water Blast!" She channeled the water into a misty orb of light before firing on them.

Magni sidestepped out of the way, faltering from the burst of water that clipped his hindlegs. He howled in anger and picked up his speed as his ability triggered another boost.

Amos steadied his arm and aimed at the buildings. "Rock Cluster Bullet!" He fired two shots into opposing walls. Upon striking the buildings, their forms warped and extended out into spiked walls of rock that blocked Arethusa's charge. He reloaded his pincer as the Milotic surged over the rock wall. "Absolute Zero Bullet!" He fired the freezing bullet at the water serpent.

"Weather Ball!" Arethusa fired the misty light orb in response, intercepting the bullet out of the air. She twisted within her watery domain, causing the water serpent to grow even larger and swallowed up the building between her in her advance. Stone, tile, and even unsuspecting Pokémon living in the abandoned town were swept up within the water.

"You're only delaying the inevitable~!" Arethusa exclaimed, her voice reverberating out from the water serpent. "Why run from it, Lancaster? Your shitty teammates will be all dead soon enough, and you'll just keep fighting your way to an early grave! What are you hoping to accomplish from all this defiance? You think you're going to be the big hero defeating the evil dragon?"

Amos growled. "Shut up…"

Phoebe fired on the water serpent, loading bullets one after the other. "Don't listen to her, Lamecaster! She's just trying to get under your skin!"

He huffed. "I know. I know!" He turned and fired more Rock Cluster Bullets.

Huge, jagged clusters of rock sprung from the earth and buildings in a bid to impale the pursuing water serpent, but Arethusa's natural flexibility allowed to maneuver through any rock that breached her watery domain.

"Water Serpent's Den: Pit of Despair!" She twisted her body and commanded smaller, snake-like streams of water to extend ahead of her domain. They struck through the air like lightning and reached the fleeing trio, biting into them.

"Wah—HEY!" Phoebe stabbed at the water snake biting her shoulder, but her dagger passed through it. "Agh!"

Amos sliced at the snakes that got hold of his tail, neck, and arms. "We can't slice them!"

Magni felt himself gradually slow down as the water snakes bit into his hide. "Raaaaaahhhhhh!"

Arethusa twisted her water serpent form, coiling herself in place, and laughed gleefully at her captured prey. "That's it. Now, come to Arethusa." The smaller serpents receded back into the domain, dragging the company back.

"AGH!" Amos kept a hold of the chains wrapped around Magni's torso as he was being pulled up. "Magni! Hurry!"

"Trying! Can't…run!" Magni growled, dragging his feet through the ground. However, more water snakes twisted under his legs, softening the ground into mud and giving him less traction. "RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Stinging Shower!" He whipped his head back and fired a barrage of poisonous arrows at the giant water serpent.

Arethusa just laughed as the arrows fizzled out upon breaching the water's surface. They only got within a couple inches of her before fading. "You couldn't even kill me with a rifle! You think that was going to do anything?"

"RAAAHHHHH!" Magni raised his head high, summoning a giant spiked boulder between his horns. "Stinging SMASH!" Twisting his neck around, he slammed it down on the cluster of water snakes before detonating the rock. The blast severed the snakes long enough for the Scolipede to break loose and sprint on ahead.

Arethusa laughed and continued the chase. "Oh, you're making this so enticing!"

Amos shook the water off his arm and yelled, "Good work, Magni! Now, how do we take that thing down!"

Phoebe growled. "This is a waste of time! We're going to burn through all our energy and ammunition if we prolong a fight with her! How do we keep her from chasing us?!"

"I'm trying to think of something, give me a minute!"

Arethusa laughed. "There is no escape for you! Come, be submerged within the watery depths of my Water Serpent's Den! Embrace the wonders of…" Her eyes wandered to the right, then narrowed in confusion. "…despair?"

Amos and Phoebe followed her gaze and noticed something, or someone, racing along the rooftops alongside the Milotic's water serpent. A four-legged hound that moved with great speed, the light shimmering off his paws and around his face. Beside the figure was a floating cube keeping pace with its companion.

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Wait, is that—"

Amos smirked. "There he is. Take her down, Caractacus!"

Arethusa's eyes widened. "Wha—"

The half-metal Boltund, after getting ahead of the water serpent, leapt in front of its path. He slammed into its core, his Negative Space disrupting the momentum around it. Because Arethusa was within the core, she slammed against the Negative Space as well, causing the whole of her Water Serpent's Den to rush ahead of her. She lost her connection over the water, causing it to fall apart and splash down over the street, dropping debris and half-drowned Pokémon everywhere.

Magni stamped his feet down and skidded to a stop as the water rushed past the company. They were briefly submerged under heaps of water before it leveled out, dispensing along the connecting streets.

Once the water began to calm, Amos and Phoebe jumped off and rushed over to their savior, who was indeed Caractacus. He stood in front of Arethusa, who slowly picked herself up. She growled at the interloper. "Of…course. Of course Babylas failed to kill you, too—"

"Hold this." He whipped a metal collar out from his pocket. Before Arethusa could act, it snapped around her neck and released an electrical charge through her soaked body. She screamed and wailed, collapsing over herself and wreathing in pain. "Looks like I forgot to grab a few inventions when I left. Oh well, at least this one still works. Just a little mix of Thunder-infused Rainbow on the inner lining."

"Well, well, well…" Caractacus glared over his shoulder as the company trio approached him. Phoebe crossed her arms and scoffed. "Look who decided to come crawling back to us."

He scoffed back. "Don't flatter yourself, Burkhard. My being here is merely a means to the end rather than desperation. You should be begging me to return to your ilk seeing as how effortlessly I've dealt with your so-called opponent."

Magni glared. "Snake lady not down yet."

The group glanced at Arethusa, who slowly picked herself off the ground and fought against the electric collar. Water snakes slithered around her body and chomped at the collar to try and rip it off.

Caractacus huffed. "My mistake. It was actually Shock Wave I placed into that collar. Oh well."

Phoebe glared. "How did you even find us so fast?"

"I didn't." He glared at Amos. "You have some nerve, you know." He tossed a bullet fragment at the Gligar, who caught it.

Amos smirked. "Yet, you still used it."

"Wasn't easy. I had to throw myself off a cliff five times just to build up enough energy to trigger the switch."

Phoebe glared. "The switch…?" Her eye widened. "The bullets infused with Ally Switch!"

Caractacus sighed. "Fortunately, Alpha was able to provide a substantial boost to make up for the lacking power. Consider yourselves lucky I'm a genius." He glared ahead. "Anyway, Evelot's here, right?"

Amos nodded. "Yeah, she is. We have a plan to buy us time against Babylas, but we can't with Arethusa hunting us down."

"…" Caractacus brushed some sand off his shoulder and huffed. "Well then, for the sake of our brief relationship, I'm willing to renew my contract with the Broken Glass Alchemical Company. I'll keep this inferior lifeform busy while you complete your end of the plan. Expect a hefty debt to repay afterwards."

"…" Amos smirked. "Thanks for coming back, Caractacus. We're going to save Evelot. I promise."

"…" He glared at the Gligar. "You better."

Amos waved the others along. "Alright, to the hideout! Hurry!" They ran past Caractacus and rushed toward the abandoned hideout.

Phoebe stuck her tongue out at Caractacus and yelled, "I got my eye on you, you backstabbing jerk!"

He waved her off. "Go jump off a cliff yourself, Burkhard."

Arethusa finally broke the collar off her neck and smirked. "Oho! Who said you could leave~?" She activated Aqua Tail and whipped it in their direction, but Caractacus jumped in front of its path and halted it against his barrier. "Agh!"

Caractacus flicked the suspended droplets away as his fur bristled with electricity. "Désolé, ma chère. Your battle is with me." Alpha floated close to his side, its eye symbol flashing blue. "Try not to be a total disappointment. You're already off to a bad start."

Arethusa smirked. "Caractacus MacGyver." She summoned rings of water around her body, causing her to float off the ground. "I look forward to seeing the depths of your despair~. I'll try not to break you too badly. Dr. Underhill still has use for a MacGyver."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have no idea just how outclassed you really are."

Faucher Hideout

With Caractacus keeping Arethusa distracted, the company trio made it to the other side of the town and ran straight for the abandoned hideout. Being so close to the ocean, they could hear the crashing waves with greater clarity, like thunder rumbling just above their heads.

They ran around until they found the ruined entrance, peering inside to find the desolate remains of a once humble laboratory.

Amos scattered his Sandstorm inside, spreading it through the halls ahead. He stepped back and closed his eyes, feeling out the vibrations as the sand continued to space out.

"Well? Can you find Babylas?" Phoebe asked.

Amos grimaced. "No. How deep is this hideout? There's nothing but destroyed rooms and empty crates—" His eyes widened. "Wait. I think I found Evelot."

"Where?!" she yelled, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Get off!" He shoved her away and focused. "I can't sense any more levels after this."

Phoebe glared. "Of course. He's keeping her on the bottom level. That's where the Faucher family lived. It put them as far away from the top as possible in case of intruders. The entire hideout was designed to dissuade intruders."

Amos scoffed. "No wonder they stayed hidden for so long. Besides trustworthy clients, the hideout is so jumbled that it would look like it was abandoned in a heartbeat. Makes sense given they're a family of ghosts."

Magni snorted. "Enough talk. We invade and find Friend!"

"Hold on, we still don't know where Babylas is." He held his pincer out and sent out more sand. "I'm going to try and sweep the building again."

Phoebe tapped her foot impatiently. "Hurry up, Lamecaster! I'm getting sick and tired of—" She checked over her shoulder out of habit, then froze. "…Uh, Lamecaster?"

"I said shut up! I can't concentrate with you—"

"I…think we've been compromised already."

Amos stopped and turned around. The trio stepped back as a Shedinja stared vacantly at them, a quiet woosh humming from within its hollow shell. Looking closely, they could see dark wisps spilling out from the eyehole. A single, purple glow resembling a tiny vortex peered from within the darkness.

"…" Amos shot the carapace a deadpan glare. "Oh, for fuck's sake—"

WOOSH!

Phoebe and Magni jumped as something snatched Amos off his feet with a rattling jingle slicing through the air and pulled him underground.

"…" Phoebe turned and started booking it back to town. "Hey Tac, trade ya—AIIIIIEEEEEE!" She shrieked as something hooked her torso, flung her through the air, and dragged her underground like a stone through water.

Magni stomped his feet and roared. "Give Friends back!" He charged toward the hideout with his horns out.

However, he, too, fell victim to the phantom rattling as a ghostly hook attached to a chain whistling with wind phased out from the ground. It caught his neck, flipping him off his feet. The chain coiled around his body until it was tight, then pulled him through the ground just like Amos and Phoebe.

The Shedinja stared vacantly at where the group once stood before backing away into a Phantom Force portal, leaving the outside in a dead calm.

The Sin of Greed's game was about to begin.