About Two Months Ago…

"You want to take my place to kill Nero?"

Basil, leaning coolly against a tree, smirked at Marie. "Our plan is to create as much confusion as possible. You need an excuse to leave and train to fight your father, and I need a way to get into Terrowin's good graces. Nothing like assassinating the problematic emperor, right?"

Marie glared. "This is a bad idea."

"You want this just as much as I do. They'll be so focused on your betrayal of the plan that any previous suspicion thrown at me will have, at least, lessen. That'll give me time to finalize the plans, and everything will be set into place."

She clenched her teeth. "I don't like this. What we're doing is crossing a line—"

"We're ending this nonsense once and for all. Melissa has a good heart, don't get me wrong, but this world can't be saved by kindness. That's why everything needs to be set up perfectly to get everyone into place. Once the dust has settled and Umbra Clock gets back on their feet, the alliance will focus their efforts on allying with more kingdoms. Arcania is definitely on their list, and that'll get them heading in our direction."

"…" Marie relaxed, staring at the Salandit worriedly. "Basil, you do understand what'll happen if this succeeds, right? Regardless of your intentions, you will forever be branded as a monster throughout history. There's no coming back from that."

He chuckled. "I've made peace with that possibility."

"Have you?"

He shrugged. "What matters is the results. Manipulation is my specialty, after all." He glared. "Besides, if all this goes according to plan, we'll never have to worry about anything like the Arcanian Massacre or the Takigawa Clan ever again. You do want to atone for your crimes, right?"

"…" Marie sighed. "I can never atone for who I was. I'm a Takigawa. I can never repent."

Basil chuckled. "Then I guess you have nothing to lose either. Once this invasion starts, Nero's as good as dead."

"…Just please spare Fuku."

"Oh? I thought you wanted all Takigawa dead."

"She seems happy here. I already feel awful for what we're about to do. Just promise me, whatever anger you have towards my family, spare her from your wrath."

"…"

"Please."

"…" He groaned. "Fine, fine. I won't hurt her. Much."

"Basil—"

"Jesting, I'm jesting. Sheesh." He folded his arms behind his head and laughed quietly. "Soon, we'll be going down in history as the greatest monsters of all time, and no one will ever know the truth. Just the way it was meant to be."

"…" Marie held up her dagger, staring warily at her reflection. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Let the past stay buried."

A tense standoff between jester and king, both holding each other hostage with neither giving an inch. A sword pressing to the Salandit's neck, and a room filled with explosive gas that will trigger from the tiniest of sparks. Both men were equally cunning, devising strategies to escape their predicament.

Tadhg crossed his arms and glared at the Salandit. "You have some nerve attempting to sneak up on the king of Umbra Clock. If I were an unreasonable sort, I'd label this as high treason from the Foresters. But you seem like the type to cause trouble of your own volition."

Basil snickered. "Guilty as charged."

Tadhg glanced at his bookshelf, eying the book the lizard was reading. He asked, "What were you hoping to procure from that tome?"

"There's a wonderful recipe for pumpernickel bread in that one. I can give you the translation if you so wish."

Tadhg sighed. "So, that's how we're playing this." He glared. "You've stirred panic in my city just to get this close. And judging by that pack you're carrying, you were planning to sneak off like none of this happened. Funny, actually. Another of you Foresters turned traitor a couple months ago. It takes more than two to make a pattern, but I'm already seeing parallels."

"Are you implying Marie and I were in cahoots with Emperor Nero's death?"

"Jason already informed me to keep an eye on you. He tells me you were involved in an incident regarding the Wraith that has been circulating through Virdis. You and Marie used it on an individual." Tadhg glared. "Are you denying this involvement?"

He laughed. "Why should I? I never poisoned anyone."

Tadhg raised his brow.

"Well, okay, I obviously have poisoned before. Salandit and all. But I assure you, I've never administered Wraith into anyone." His smirk grew. "Though, I must admit, Marie's deception proved most informational. A little piece of the puzzle denied from my eyes."

"I make it a policy to not lie about my intentions. I am open about who I am. A man who lies all the time will never be able to tell the truth." Tadhg psychically pushed the claymore firmly against Basil. "But whenever you speak, it sounds like even your lies are telling lies. You've never been honest about anything in your life."

Basil laughed. "Why should I? No one wants to see the truth. They much rather see stories play out. Good triumphing over evil and all. Nothing too complex. But when you peel back the curtains of the ugly truth, sometimes the greatest of us are despicable, and sometimes the truly evil are the only ones willing to get the job done."

"…Are you allied with Last Autumn?"

"Ooh, going for the throat?" Basil rubbed his fingers together, creating an uncomfortable amount of sparks as the gas circulated around him. "What if I am?"

"…You will be tried for your actions."

"A king usually forgives the jester for his cruel remarks. So what if I am with Last Autumn?" Basil smirked. "Am I wrong that this region would rather see its enemies die horribly and believe themselves to be the true heroes? Everyone thinks they know how to save the world, but I'd say Nero was the only one who understood the truth. Peace is only for the entitled. You can't save everyone. Someone has to suffer to make a utopia. I'm a casualty of that truth, and now I want to see true justice served."

Tadhg scowled "And in that black heart of yours, not one ounce of your soul believed it was possible?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. One person cannot change the course of history." He smirked. "Of course, that's only if you want to do things the right way. Everyone loves a hero, but no one will ever forget a villain. That's the role I was born to play."

"What do you plan to do?"

Basil stepped back and bowed. "I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty, but we've used up all our available time. I'm afraid I've got places to be."

Tadhg pulled his arm back, conjuring his Domain of Space-Time in hand. "You're not going anywhere."

Basil snickered. "Do you really think you can deploy that and stop me from escaping before I can click my fingers?"

"Do not underestimate me."

Basil narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I never did. You're lucky to have two beautiful wives by your side, Your Majesty. They'll be able to help you recover from this tragic act of arson that befell this one room."

Tadhg channeled his energy. "Domain of—"

"Too late!" Basil reared his hand back and readied to set the room alight.

CRASH!

Tadhg's door shattered open, and a jet of water slammed into the Salandit like a gunshot. His entire torso was submerged in water, as well as his arms, preventing him from creating a spark. He glared at the doorway and saw an exhausted Rikmai extending her tail out into a stream of water with Tank supporting her.

"Basil!" Tank yelled.

Basil smirked. "Well, that's unfortunate!"

"Your Majesty, activate your technique, now!"

Tadhg shook off his startlement and readied his domain again. "Domain of—"

However, the water holding Basil in place collapsed. Rikmai, who was still recovering, collapsed out of her wheelchair, panting wearily. Quick on his feet, Basil bounced off his heel and threw himself into the window, shattering it.

"Impressive display, Dame Kruger!" Basil praised. "If you weren't still recovering from your injuries, I'd dare say you would've had me trapped." He smirked. "So sorry, but I have places to be—"

"We weren't trying to catch you!" Tank shouted. "We were just buying Adenine time!"

Basil raised his brow. "Time for what—"

"BAAAAAAAAASIL!"

As Basil flew out of the window, he looked down into the courtyard and saw a surge of water rushing up after him. Realizing what was coming, he tried to snap his fingers, but they were still soaked. Seized by the collar, Basil gasped in pain as the raging Dewott hammered his knee into his stomach.

"YOU BASTARD!" Twisting into the Salandit's uniform, Jet used his High-Speed Flow to spin through the air and throw Basil away from the castle, sending him careening into the roof of a building.

"Glamor Fog: Cloud Landing!" Before he impacted, Basil exhaled purple smoke that broke his fall like a cushion. He rolled out of the smoke, stumbling on his heels, before taking a kick to the face from the fast-moving Dewott. "Agh!"

Jet landed, grabbed Basil's arms, and slammed him onto the roof, locking his arms down. "Adenine told me what happened," he growled. "She's already spreading the word to every Forester. You're not leaving."

Basil snickered even as Jet pressed his head against the stone roof. "She…couldn't have been gone for that long. You didn't hesitate. Oh, a part of you really hoped I was up to something, right—"

"Shut up!" Jet lifted and slammed the Salandit's head down. "The day I met you, I've never trusted you. Do you have any idea how enraged I am that I ended up being right? Jason should've been harsher with you. You're always galivanting around and causing trouble for us. And now you have a lot to answer for."

Again, Basil laughed. "Oh yes, I have been quite the dastardly fiend behind the scenes." He smirked. "What a shame, really. All the work you've put in to maintain order, and you let someone like me slip through the cracks. Oh, I can only imagine how riled up you are. To think this could've all been avoided had you been a little more perceptive—"

"I said shut up!" Jet slammed the Salandit's head down again, but recoiled as the lizard burst into a cloud of purple smoke. "Ack!" He fanned the smoke away before glaring as the real Basil burst out of hiding. "High-Speed—"

Basil turned around and clicked his fingers, igniting a trail of gas that exploded the lingering clone. Jet shielded himself as a powerful explosion of flame erupted in his face, throwing him off the building. Basil laughed and took off running across the rooftops.

"Too slow, Jet! Too slo—" He suddenly stopped as an impact arrow flew past his face. He glared to his left and saw Blitz peeking out from behind a roof. "You missed."

Blitz stood up and shouted, "Basil, what on earth are you doing? What's this about?"

"…"

Blitz snarled. "I'm sorry, Basil, but you're coming with us."

Basil sensed movement and looked around, finding himself surrounded by Ursula, Hedwig, the Thievery Twins, Altair, Emile, and Margot. Some looked at the Salandit with a fire in their eyes while others looked on with disappointment even as they readied themselves.

"Oh, this is going to be one hell of a hunt," Hedwig growled, cracking her knuckles.

Ursula raised her fists. "Basil, don't do anything stupid. Just surrender so we can talk this out."

"…" Basil smirked. "Sorry everyone. No hard feelings." He spun around and clicked his fingers, sending a torrent of flame their way.

"Safeguard!" Margot fanned her flames, creating a blue-green barrier that pushed out Basil's smoke and redirected the flames around them.

Basil took off running the moment the barrier was deployed. Hedwig and the twins were the first to react, chasing after the fleeing lizard. While the twins hopped through building to building, Hedwig practically sprinted between gaps as if she was running on solid ground. Dashing on all fours, she effortlessly caught up with Basil and caught his tail.

"Beast Slaying Style!" Her red fur glowed brightly, channeling her feral instincts. She slammed her fist down on the lizard, but his body erupted into purple smoke. "GAH!"

Basil appeared from behind and, with a snap, set the Lycanroc alight. He leapt back as Hedwig pushed through the pain, swiping her claws and ripping through his uniform, only revealing it was another clone. The real Basil had already took off running.

"Twins of Calamity!" Basil stopped and flipped backwards, dodging a dive attack from Gold.

"Restricted Treasury!" Basil looked back as Jewel jumped in from behind, sprouting dark chains from her paws. He flipped off his hand, dodging the ensnaring chains. Jewel grasped them like whips and swung them, trying to grapple the springy lizard.

Torment and Encore. If I get caught by those, my entire escape plan is foiled.

"Twins of Calamity—" Gold ignited his fists in dark energy again and lunged after Basil. He extended his claws, transforming the technique into a pair of dark sabers. "Ruin!"

Basil ducked and weaved between the dark chains and energy slashes. One sliced from Gold's claws grinded up the stone in the roof until it was dust. One hit could cripple Basil if he wasn't careful.

Jewel smacked a rock with her tail, which Basil ended up stepping on. Right as he did, Gold deactivated one claw and applied a softer darkness around his paw. "Sinister Swipe!" He pulled back, causing the stone to instantly appear in his hand and trip up Basil. "Sister!"

"Brother!" Jewel snapped her chains down, catching Basil.

"Take this!" Gold brought his claws down onto the chained lizard.

"…Glamor Fog."

Jewel gasped, flying away as a repeating slash attack barreled across her stomach while Gold fell to the ground, his energy receding as the dark chains wrapped around him. Basil somersaulted over the fallen Meowth and continued his escape.

"You two were always so easy to outmaneuver!" Basil taunted.

"HA!" Basil looked up and jumped out of the way as Emile came flying down with his zweihander, cracking the roof.

"Burn Point." Basil clicked his fingers and set the inside of the Druddigon's mouth alight, causing him to recoil. "Play dead—"

Emile instantly recovered and rushed the lizard down, swiping at his with Metal Claw. Basil moved out of the way an inch sooner, barely avoiding the sharpened claws. He glared, noting the blue-green aura shimmering around the dragon like armor.

"O Beast of Iron!" Margot announced dramatically from nearby, fanning her iron fans. "Bring forth unrest to this traitor! Mist of the Slumbering Bear!" She fanned a blue fist from her fans, coating it around Emile.

"Draconian Armament!" Applying a metallic sheen around his head, claws, and tail, Emile erupted in a dense blue aura and rushed the Salandit down.

Basil stepped back carefully, narrowly avoided Emile's powerful swiping attacks coated with Sleep Powder. He landed on one hand and ignited the gas under it, propelling himself into the air. He waved his hands, creating sparkling stars around himself before turning toward the city exit.

"Trickster's Escape!" He released all the explosions at once, creating a powerful blast wave to send him flying.

Margot raced over and leapt off Emile, channeling a whirlwind of blossoms. "Endure the plagues of betrayal! My Fair Malady of the Withering Garden!" She clanged her fans together, releasing a whirlwind of petals mixed with a swirling mix of blue, yellow, and purple powders.

Basil manipulated his trajectory as the whirlwind chased him, crashing down across rooftops as he slid and rocketed around obstacles. The attack came dangerously close to engulfing him, but he eventually flew out of Margot's range. However…

"HONK!"

The deafening cry of a honk was not one to be taken lightly. Basil spotted the glow of a powerful attack hurtling toward him and blasted himself down onto a roof as the bright white laser sailed over the city, carrying a thunderous boom that shattered windows below.

The brief burst of sound disoriented him long enough for Ursula to get in close. She swung and chopped him in the chest. Basil managed to reclaim enough of his bearings to roll with the attack before the Toxicroak could inevitably shatter his ribs. The attack still carried considerable force, throwing him against a chimney. The impact caused him to cough up blood and fall to his knees.

Ursula marched up to him as Altair flew down. She cracked her knuckles, scowling at the panting Salandit. "What did I just warn you about earlier?"

Basil pressed his hand to the chimney and lifted himself. "H-Hard to say. I've never been good at following orders." Ursula. Shit. If I take one of those chops unresisted, she might even kill me if she's pissed enough.

Ursula didn't waste a second lunging at him, crossing her arms together. "Xalted Charge!"

Basil used his adhesive hands to flip himself one-handed over the chimney, letting the Toxicroak smash through it. He leapt back as Altair unleashed a violent Hurricane, scattering loose bricks like cannonballs. Basil snapped his fingers, creating an explosive wave that barely shielded him against the bricks before flying to a safer location. He changed directions and blasted himself away to the western side of the city.

"They're all too scattered around the city. I just need to keep moving and keep them from getting organized—"

BAMF!

Basil suddenly crashed into a wall, somehow relocating into an alleyway. With only a second to gather his thoughts, he rolled and dodged a flurry of knives. He stumbled back as Sadie stepped out of the darkness, brandishing a handful of knives.

"Want to take a guess how serious I am about this, Baz?" she asked with a hint of venom dripping off her tone.

Basil huffed and tried to flee as Sadie threw another handful of knives. However, he suddenly traded places with the Audino just as her knives ricocheted off the wall back onto her original location. Basil backflipped as they stabbed across the ground.

BAMF!

Basil traded places with Sadie again, this time taking a knee to the face from an irate Grumpig. He slammed against the wall, spitting blood that was still dripping in his mouth. He gasped and dodged out of the way from Lambert's flying kick.

The Grumpig snorted, glowering down at the Salandit. "What the hell is this about?"

Basil winced, looking back as Sadie readied another handful of knives. He leapt into the air right as she threw them, but swapped places with Lambert who was originally in the line of fire. He quickly exhaled smoke and blew the knives away with a snap of his fingers. However, one knife that flew over his shoulder traded places with Lambert, who sucker-punched the Salandit in the side.

"GAH!" Basil snapped his fingers, channeling explosive flame in his hand, and attempted to grab Lambert. He ended up grabbing a rock Lambert swapped with, taking another punch to the back.

"Assisted Destruction!" Sadie threw out more knives, using their increased power to bounce repeatedly off the walls.

Basil slammed his hands down, igniting the air with a vortex of explosive flame, scattering the knives. Lambert, with his Thick Fat shielding him, charged through the flames. Basil attempted to blast him, but a last second swap with Sadie threw off his aim as she seized his wrist and kneed him in the stomach.

"You're not the only one with tricks, Basil," Lambert said as the flaming vortex receded. "The gas doesn't hide your scent. No matter what illusions you try to pull off, this nose can't be fooled."

Sadie tightened her grip and forced her knee down on the Salandit's chest as she pinned him. "What is your deal, Basil?! You're our friend! How can you do this?! After everything we've been through…!"

Though struggling to breathe, Basil laughed at the Audino. "And it wounds me deeply to put you all through this. After all, the cruelest betrayals come from a place of genuine care, and it breaks my heart having to put you all through this." He snapped his fingers, igniting a jet of flame in Sadie's face.

"WAH!" She leapt back, wincing as the flame caught her right ear.

Basil flipped to his feet, scanning his environment for a way out. Unfortunately, speed wasn't the issue in play, but rather Lambert. Fire resistance, the ability to ignore his illusions, and a method of keeping the Salandit grounded. Basil could deal with Jet and the others, but Lambert? He was a hard counter to most of his arsenal.

Most, at least.

"My friends, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm afraid I'll have to actually start trying now."

Basil pressed his hands together, creating a spark that ignited into a pillar of flame between his hands. He bent and stretched the flame before aiming it at Lambert as it took on the shape of an arrow.

Lambert glared. "What are you trying to pull? I can switch places with you, remember? You'll end up hitting yourself with your own attack."

Basil smirked, then turned the arrow skyward. "See, the thing is, we wouldn't want to put the bystanders in harm's way, right?"

Sadie's eyes widened. "No…Basil, you wouldn't—"

"I told you, I'm actually trying now." He pulled back on the arrow, snickering. "Ash Blossom: Red."

He released, unleashing a cluster of fire arrows into the air. The arrows curved as they reached the zenith of their climb and descended back upon the city.

Basil bowed. "You might want to get that."

Lambert scowled. "Shit!" He sprinted past Basil with Sadie, who was already chucking knives to detonate the arrows.

Basil massaged his wrists, counting under his breath as explosions went off over the street outside the alleyway. He heard bystanders running and screaming for the lives and the march of knights arriving on the location. He sprung up, kicking back and forth off the walls before dashing back onto the rooftops.

His escape didn't last long as psionic barriers dropped down from the sky, blocking his path. He backflipped, springing off his hands, and dodged another round of walls attempting to trap him. He landed and smirked as Lucient, Marianne, Wyatt, Avel, Leon, Felix, and Kenny arrived on the scene.

Basil laughed. "Everyone's getting in on this, huh? I didn't know you all cared so much."

Lucient adjusted his spectacles. "Basil, I advise you surrender before you damage your reputation more than it already has."

"My reputation? You think I've been blowing up parts of the city in fear of damaging my image?" He threw his head back and laughed. "Oh Lucient, you shouldn't think so little of me."

Leon scowled. "Enough talk. Just come along quietly—"

"I've already shot down the last few attempts to get me to surrender. You might as well save your breath for shouting out your techniques."

Wyatt grasped his baton nervously. "This is so weird. Are we seriously fighting Basil?"

Avel glared. "This doesn't bode well for the lot of us."

Marianne lowered into an attack stance as electricity flared from her fangs. "Enough talk. Thunder Pistol!" She snapped her teeth and fired off projectile electric fangs at the Salandit.

Basil sidestepped, twirling and weaving around her attacks as Wyatt and Leon sprinted toward him. He dodged Wyatt's first swing and ducked under Avel's Lick attack. He grabbed the Lombre from under his uniform and threw him onto his back before dodging Leon's Body Press-infused shield charge.

"Glamor Fog!" Basil flipped through the air and exhaled a blast of purple smoke over the rooftop.

Lucient shielded his face. "No one breathe in the gas!"

"Lucient!" His eyes widened as Basil leapt over Marianne and set her ablaze in a torrent of flames. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"Marianne!" he screamed. He summoned light-constructed knives and hurtled them at Basil. "How dare you—"

"Lucient, stop! It's a trick!"

His eyes widened as Basil and Marianne vanished into purple smoke. Basil kicked out his legs from behind and palm-struck his stomach with a condensed explosion, throwing the Espeon across the rooftop.

"Three Kind!" Basil flipped and dodged around the airborne energy cards cutting through the air. Felix lunged out of the smoke and tried to grapple Basil, but the Salandit vanished again and uppercut the befuddled Sylveon in the chin. "AGH!"

Basil jumped and danced around the rooftop, eying up his next opponent when Kenny stepped forward. He had his face covered up with his scarf. The young Cubchoo narrowed his eyes, a mixture of bitterness and pity directed at the Salandit.

Basil grinned. "Oh, no need for that look, kiddo. This is just how life is: disappointing."

No amount of signing could accurately describe the Cubchoo's rage. Instead, he reared his fist back, channeling a deep cold around it. He slammed it down, sending forth a wave of chilling water straight toward the Salandit.

"Trickster's Escape!" Basil summoned a cluster of stars around himself before blasting off into the air.

Kenny swung his fist and directed the wave after the fleeing lizard. With a tight clench, the water attempted to wrap around Basil and flash-freeze him, but the Salandit released another burst of speed to get away in time. Kenny scowled and skated up the ice pillar, creating a pathway through the air.

Basil looked back as Kenny easily closed the gap between them. He spun around and fired off bolts of flame to destroy the ice bridge. Kenny simply leapt off and created a new platform across the buildings, surfing up and down on ramps of ice as Basil continued riddling the sky with explosions.

"Sorry about this, kid!" Basil twisted his flames into an arrow and took aim.

Kenny launched into the air and reared his fist back, channeling an intense cold.

"Ash Blossom: Red!" He released and fired down a barrage of flaming arrows.

Hollow Hailstorm!

Kenny threw a punch, releasing an equal barrage of icy projectile orbs. They intercepted the arrows midway, the contradicting forces colliding and evaporating into a thick mist.

Basil fired off explosions to soften his landing and continued on foot. Kenny dove out of the mist and fired another round of Hollow Hailstorm. Basil snapped his fingers, sending off bolts of flame as he weaved and skipped around the ice attacks, each one instantly flash-freezing whatever they impacted.

"Come on, Ken! You're gonna have to try better than—"

BAM!

Right as he went for another attack, something sniped his hand and pinned him to a chimney. He looked up at the arrow that released a teal compound over his hand, sticking him to the bricks. He looked around before spotting Blitz peeking out from behind a far away roof, plucking another arrow from his quiver.

"That's the same compound that was used to bind Melissa and Jet together, you know. Shade figured reverse-engineering the recipe would come in handy." He loaded another trick arrow. "I just wish we didn't have to test it on an ally." He fired two more arrows.

Basil lifted his legs and kicked the first arrow skyward, then caught the second before it sniped his face. He pressed his trapped hand to the stone and released a blank-point explosion. He screamed out in pain as the goo was obliterated, but left his own hand scorched black. "Agh…!"

Kenny landed on the roof and sprinted at the dazed Salandit. Cruel Ice Age! He powered up his fist with supercold energy and tried to strike Basil, but the Salandit caught his wrist in his tail and pulled him to the ground before striking the trick arrow down, encasing Kenny in the adhesive trap.

"Sorry, kiddo!" Basil, grasping his injured hand, took off running as Blitz continued firing arrows at him.

"Tch…!" Blitz pulled out three arrows as he chased the Salandit from afar.

Basil panted, shaking the pain off and examining the damaged skin of his hand. That's concerningly fortunate. The modifications are doing wonders. The resistance I've built up can no longer withstand close-range blasts. The volatility of my alchemy is getting stronger.

He saw something flying toward him and slid onto his knees, dodging one of many arrows from Blitz. With his good hand, he snapped his fingers and incinerated the path in front of the blind Charmeleon, but Blitz weaved around the erupting flame and fired off two more arrows.

Basil clicked his fingers and raised a wall of flame, burning the arrows to ash. He then dropped down and spun on his back, releasing a vortex of flames around himself.

Blitz stopped and focused on the flames, but couldn't accurately detect Basil's location with his Heat Sonar. This brief moment of reluctance allowed Basil to break away unimpeded.

"Circumstances could be better, but I'm still in line to—" Before he couldn't finish his thought, invisible wire caught his legs and tripped him up. His eyes widened. "Oh crap—" He fired off an explosion and blasted himself out of the way just as an energy blade struck down on his position from nowhere.

Basil sprung to his feet, incinerating the wire off his ankles, and backed away cautiously as Shingo uncloaked himself. The Frogadier's expression was neutral, sporting no malice or disappointment toward the Salandit. It was the face of a warrior prioritizing the mission.

Basil grinned. Of all the people I wanted to avoid, you were the absolute last person I wanted to cross paths with.

Shingo raised his Cut blade, glaring the lizard down. "The others are going easy on you. I won't."

Basil chuckled. "Well, that's touching. Glamor Fog!" He expelled purple smoke into the air, enshrouding the Frogadier. "But how can you chase me within this bottomless pit?"

Shingo looked down as the world widened under him, dropping him into a void. However, even though he felt the sensations of falling on his person, he focused ahead and calmly walked through the open space.

"The way of the shinobi is to have a disciplined mind and body." Shingo conjured a second energy blade. "You can fool my five senses, but you can't haunt my mind." He sprinted at high speed, cutting down the illusion and returning himself to the smoke-filled rooftop.

Basil sidestepped the first slash, then blocked an Aerial Ace to his side. He fired off a bolt of flames, but Shingo dodged the exploding fire and slashed across Basil's side.

"Burn Point!" Basil dodged another swing and clicked his fingers, causing Shingo's eyes to explode. However, Basil leapt away as the Frogadier fell apart into a pile of frubbles. His eyes widened as a set of explosives within the clone caught fire. "Shi—"

BOOOOM!

The Salandit barely protected himself behind a wall of flames as the blast knocked him backwards. With his senses rattled, he tried to reorientate himself, scanning for the elusive Frogadier. He didn't have to wait long as an invisible Aerial Ace smashed across his side, spiking him back down onto the roofs.

"GAH!" Basil cried. He rolled back, preemptively dodging the invisible frog's follow-up attack. He stumbled back, gripping his bruised side. "Th-That smarts…"

"Hidden Art Style—" The shimmering frog split himself into multiple, equally invisible clones and released a thick cloud of smoke ahead before dashing forward. "Shadow in the Void!"

Basil spread more of his smoke through the air before snapping his fingers, setting off waves of flame in front of him. Something struck him from behind. He turned and snapped, but recoiled from an uppercut to the stomach. He was seized by his collar and flipped onto his back, taking an Aerial Ace to the gut, making him spit up blood.

"Burn!" Basil clicked his fingers, releasing an inferno to drive Shingo away. He flipped back and leapt out of the smoke. However, he heard a click behind him and saw a wire detaching. With barely a second, he torched the front of his uniform and ripped it off before the low-powered explosives went off, prematurely setting off his smoke.

"Star of the Mist!" A massive windmill shuriken breached the smoke, hurtling toward the stunned Salandit.

"HA!" With a fanciful flick of his wrists, Basil encased the shuriken in flame and incinerated it on the spot. However, more explosives were lined inside, releasing a powerful blast in front of him. "GAH!" He was nearly blown off the roof, bouncing himself back up with Trickster's Escape. "How many of those does he have?"

"Ascending Gale—" Basil looked up as Brooklyn divebombed from the sky, smashing her air-infused metal wings into him. "Bladed Breeze!"

"AGH!" Basil created another cluster and blasted himself out of the Unfezant's attack. However, lost in the smoke in the air, he failed to notice the wire wrapped around her talons, which promptly lassoed him out of the air. "Huh?"

"Shingo!" Brooklyn spun and threw the Salandit out of the air.

Shingo lunged out of the smoke, crossing his energy blades together. "Take this—"

"Trickster's Escape!" Gathering a tight cluster of sparks, Basil fired down and launched himself high over Shingo's attack. Soaring through the air, he looked back as Shingo landed on Brooklyn, who immediately took flight after the fleeing lizard. Basil released more smoke through the air, manipulating it into the right position, and snapped waves of flame at them.

"Ascending Gale!" Brooklyn spun, creating a dense cyclone around herself that funneled the smoke away, thus redirecting the flames.

Basil readied another Trickster's Escape, but spotted something hurtling toward him at breakneck speed. His eyes widened, realizing it was an irate Jet with both scalchops bursting with water.

"Slash Wave!" Jet swung, firing off slashes of water.

Basil tried to raise a fire wall, but it was nullified by Brooklyn's Serrated Breeze, ripping the flames apart with sharpened wind slashes. Jet's attack connected, slicing the Salandit out of the air. Basil, unable to keep himself airborne, plummeted back down onto the rooftops, barely catching himself on his Cloud Landing technique.

"Agh…ugh…" Basil pushed himself up, panting heavily as he tried to gather his bearings. He looked up, noticing he was right near the city limit. All he had to do was get over and put some distance between him and the others. However…

He looked back, grimacing as the rooftops filled with Foresters, all eyes locking onto him. Sir Neil landed nearby, cutting off another route of escape. Una and Leitis teleported on the other side, cutting off another path. The only way of escape now was the city wall, but getting over it would prove difficult, not without someone catching him first.

Basil finally reigned in his breathing and laughed tiredly. "You lot…are something. I planned to take you all on, but it seems I miscalculated your tenacity."

Jet landed on the same roof as him and raised a scalchop. "You're not going anywhere, Basil. Now talk. What the hell were you doing in King Tadhg's chamber? Were you aiming to assassinate him?" He glowered. "Were you planning to add another body to your kill list?"

Basil smirked. "You still think I killed Otis?"

"Killed him? Accomplice? It doesn't matter which anymore. You showed clear intent to do harm to the king if you were caught. As much as I don't care for royalty, he is our ally. What did you hope to gain from doing this?"

"…" Basil chuckled softly. "What's there to gain?"

"Are you the one that's been working for Last Autumn? Have you been leaking information behind our backs?"

"…" He grinned. "Perhaps."

Sadie snarled. "That explains how perfect the Wick Kingdom incident was. You somehow manipulated Pandora and the others to go to that party. You used Adenine's connection to Erasmus to put them in the right position for that assassination ploy!"

Basil shrugged. "I mean, if that's what you want to believe—"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! You sick, twisted freak! Do you know what you almost did to Melissa?! Putting her in the same place as that creep, Darby?!"

"…" Basil's façade wavered a little. He clenched his fist. "I…didn't know about the love potion—"

"Why should any of us believe you?!" Emile shouted. "You turned your back on us! You manipulated us! Lied to our faces!"

Margot scowled. "A tragedy born of a falsehood."

Ursula glared. "We all banded together to fight for a cause we believed in. Did that not mean anything to you? Well, Basil?"

"…" He chuckled, raising his arms in a grandiose matter. "Why should any of that matter to me? What are we even fighting for? A couple years of peace? You can't possibly believe anything will change. Melissa dragged you all into her dream, believing there was a chance to end this cycle of torment. But that's the sad truth about reality: this is just the natural order of things. It's funny. Jesters tell their jokes to a king, yet they're the only one who sees the truth in a house of fools. This alliance worked out nicely, but you can't expect the world to cooperate and play nice. This will happen again. Could be another hundred years. Could even be the next day the ten kingdoms establish peace." He smirked. "Aren't Pokémon just fascinating creatures? Little bundles of sin working to better their own base desires?"

"…" Jet crossed his scalchops together. "I think you've said enough."

Basil sighed. "Indeed. It seems I've overextended my time. I have places to be."

"Do you honestly think you'll get away from all of us?"

He smirked. "Doubtful."

As the Salandit chattered on, Blitz got in close from a nearby rooftop. Focusing his Heat Sonar on Basil, he noticed something…odd about the temperature around him. It was heating up. Fast. An intense heat simmered around his hands, yet no visible flame could be seen.

Blitz glared. What the…?

Basil lifted his hands, sparks dancing around his fingers. "But there's that one fatal flaw with you heroic types: you always prioritize life over the mission. What do you think I've been doing since the start of the war?"

He clasped and twisted his palms together, first creating a ring of flame. He separated his hands, bending a twisting column of flame. It resembled the technique used earlier, but a gentle breath upon the flames granted a metamorphosis. Raging flames swirling between his hands now condensed into a solid beam of light, burning so hot that the flames turned from red to blue.

Basil assumed his stance, shaping the flames into a laser-like arrow. The air visibly distorted around the arrow and burned with a fierce light. Even in the middle of the day, it was like a beacon flashing in the dead of night.

"Jet, allow me to dedicate this attack to you. Consider this…my resignation as a Forester."

Blitz's eyes widened. Wait…

Jet scowled and crossed his scalchops together. "What a joke. I'll cut that pathetic flame down and finish you off."

Basil's smirk grew. "Good."

Jet. No, STOP! Blitz sprung off the roof, lunging toward Jet.

"Goodbye, Nameless Sword."

"JET!"

Jet's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"Ash Blossom—"

Blitz reached and pushed Jet out of the way. "That's not a normal—"

"Blue."

BANG!

A deafening crack split through the air, rendering all Foresters and allies dead silent. A bolt of blue colored the air in a straight line, piercing through stone and tile in the blink of an eye. All in its path was scorched black, unable to resist the intense heat. The arrow soon burned out halfway across the city.

Number of victims.

One.

Jet's eyes shook as Blitz, who had a searing hole through the left side of his stomach, collapse in front of his feet. His arrows and bow scattered over the ground, partially destroyed by the arrow's heat.

"B…Bli—"

"BLITZ!" Sadie pushed Lambert out of her way and leapt to the Charmeleon's side. She picked him up in her arms, immediately using Heal Pulse on him. "NO, NO, NO!" she screamed, tears flooding down her face. "Blitz, please! Stay with me! BLITZ!"

The Foresters were shaken, all eyes falling on the downed Charmeleon in awe and horror at his selfless action. He didn't hesitate, knowing full well what that attack was potentially capable of, and he threw himself into the path for Jet's sake.

Anger boiled inside Jet. He clutched his scalchops in a death grip and steered his rage toward the Salandit. "YOU—"

"Trickster's Escape."

The brief window of distraction was all Basil needed for his escape. He released a massive explosion under himself, instantly disappearing from view as he rocketed high above the capital and blasted off away in a chain of explosions rippling across the sky.

"BASIL!" Jet screamed, aiming to give chase when Shingo and Brooklyn swooped past and took flight after the fleeing lizard. "Huh—"

"You are acting commander in Stormbreaker's absence, Fyrewalker!" Shingo yelled. "Rally our allies! Give them hope! Save your strength and be the leader they need! We shall pursue the traitor!"

Brooklyn, with tears of her own flowing into her localized cyclone, spiraled and took off at breakneck speed with her and Shingo chasing down the fleeing explosions.

The distant explosions turned to an eerie silence, save for the worried chatter of the Foresters in regards to Blitz. Sadie's cries were the loudest among the crowd, hugging and cradling the Charmeleon, pleading with him to not die. Una and Leitis had already joined her side, the former focusing her Teleport and taking them away to get the archer immediate medical treatment.

Jet fell to his knees, staring vacantly into the stone of the roof. His hand traced along his stomach, then to his chest, wondering what would've happened had Blitz not taken the shot for him. Was Basil aiming to wound him? Or kill him? He barely registered what happened until it was too late. He could've been killed, and the last thing he would've seen was that smug grin and a flash of blue.

To be taken out in such a dishonorable way…

To have been the catalyst for his friend's potentially fatal injury…

This rage building up in his chest…

Jet clawed his fingers into the stone, growling through clenched teeth. Basil, I swear…if Blitz dies, I will personally send you to Hell!