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I am surprised myself that I can write more than 2000 words haha. I'm really busy, so trying to finish writing on time is kind of a hassle. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Notes

- Kanto Quartet's Positions

- Two of Johto Positions

- New character! (Kinda)

Zodiac I

Moon wasn't home by the time Sun got back from school. He put her homework on the living room table. Passing by the dining room, he almost missed the note she wrote to him.

Entering the dining room, he read it.

Hey Taiyono,

I'm currently running errands and will probably be back by four P.M.

Enjoy the loneliness, I guess for now.

- Moon

P.S.: If you're reading this, wow. You really memorized the road back to this house.

Sun let out a laugh. As they were walking to her mother's mansion/castle, Moon had told him which path he should take to school and use to come back to her house.

But before the boy could move, his phone suddenly rang. He sighed. He hadn't contacted his boss in over 39 hours.

He had to answer. No matter what.

Reluctantly and hesitantly, Sun grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pressed the green answer button that sat next to the red decline button the spy envied on touching.

Quickly, Sun placed his phone beside his ear. "Hello, master?"

The man's cold voice reached his ear. "Where have you been?"

"School."

"You didn't report to me yesterday."

"You saw me yesterday. Were you trying to kill her?"

"No."

"Sure." Sun sarcastically spoke.

"I made her a damsel in distress for you."

"She doesn't like that."

"Are we supposed to care if she does or not? That's not our objective. Our objective is get closer to her and get a gate caster."

"A gate caster?"

"For the gateway to eternal life, Sun."

"Master Polarri," Sun said. "It sounds you're going to kill her."

"No. We need her to get to the gateway. And then, if we want, we can kill her."

"Stop saying 'our' and 'we'!" Sun almost shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Why?"

"I-I... I..."

"You what?"

"I don't want to kill her."

"But when we have to. We have to."

Sun finally found the courage to hang up.

And he used it to.

⇺⇻

Moon had lied to Sun and she was feeling bad about it.

Riding a horse to Blue's vacation home, Moon was a bit excited to interrogate Blue about her cousin's disappearance. But the marchioness was also a bit uncertain, too.

"Moon!" a feminine voice called. It was Blue. "Whatcha doing here?"

Moon rode her horse towards the voice. "I have letters from the Novarro lobby about your eldest cousin."

"The Novarro lobby?" Blue asked, her voice coming out weird. "How'd you get into there?"

Moon let out a laugh. "It wasn't me. It was my uncle, Henry."

"Nice."

As soon as Moon arrived at the entrance of Blue's house, she hopped off her horse. "Is your arm alright, Blue?"

"Yeah!" she beamed, showing her now healed arm. "Got it all fixed up thanks to you before my royal promotion, hehe."

"I'm so happy for you!" Moon said. "Duchess Blue."

The new duchess did a shoo hand gesture. "Bleh, doesn't sound like your friend, right?"

"I'm waiting for my promotion. I wonder what it's like."

"The ceremony is way better and more fun than the one for marquesses and marchionesses."

Moon forced a smile. "Really?"

"Yup!" said Blue, opening the door to let Moon in. "Believe me."

"I do."

"Great!"

"So how's Yellow? Red? Green? Silver? Anyone?"

"Countess Yellow has been traveling around the Kanto Region. I have last seen her at my ceremony. Earl Red and Earl Green have been training with me. Aaaand Viscount Silver is accompanying Earl Gold on a trip to the Sinnoh Region!"

"Oh wow," replied Moon. "Did anyone know you would be coming here right afterwards?"

"Nope~!"

"Oh."

"Albeit I knew I should've, I just didn't. Like usual."

"Mhm. Like usual," the marchioness repeated. "So anyways. The letters."

"Oh! Right."

Moon gave the duchess the two letters she read before sunrise. She pasted the translation onto the letter containing the Galactic Alphabet.

As the raven-haired marchioness waited for Blue to read it all, she looked out the window. Blue's vacation home looked old on the outside, but new in the inside. The duchess had chosen the perfect place for light breezes. The breezes moved blades of grass, making the scene look livelier than before.

"Yuliana... Essie..?" Blue mumbled.

"You know her?"

"I've met her once or twice. I think twice. She's my cousin's daughter. Yuliana also has a sister."

"Do you know her name?"

"Can't really remember," Blue said, rubbing her temples. "I think her name starts with a C.."

"Okay. My mom says the disappearance of your cousin about twenty years ago. You said you knew him, but.. you're twenty?"

"Sixteen years ago to be exact."

"Oh."

Blue stood up, slowly. "He was my babysitter when my parents went out. He brought his children so I had people to play with. Yet, I can't remember his real name."

Moon looked up at her sharply. "He had a fake name?"

"People called him," Blue began. "Esser. My parents hid all the media surrounding his disappearance from me to make me stop caring."

"Why?"

Blue began to sob. "Because they knew for sure he was dead. The eternal life gate the Novarros are telling the Essies about is all a lie. They're using you and your family. It's all because the Essies are still having hope that he's alive and they want to find him!"

"Blue."

But she ignored it and kept speaking through sobs. "The Novarros are selfish! They want power! They want fame! They want money! They're using us."

"What?"

"They blackmailed me last night. They said if I kept quiet about this all and marry one of them, I would be paid millions."

"No.. way. The Novarros blackmailed you right after you became a duchess!"

"Correct." Blue said in a melancholic tone. "Red texted me that he got blackmailed for the same thing this morning. Silver, too.

"Are you afraid, Blue?"

"I'm not afraid. I'm shook."

"I guess you can say the same for me." said Moon. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Why Red? Why Silver?"

"Red's becoming a Marquess pretty soon. I don't really know why Silver."

"I see."

Blue glanced down at the letters. "Are there any more?"

"Yeah, but my grandfather burned the rest. But, at least knows what's going on."

"He read them?"

"Yes."

"What'd he say?"

"Kind of what you said but you added on."

"Okay."

"Blue?" asked Moon, sensing something in her voice.

"Nothing," she replied with a forced smile. "I'm just glad my niece has a heart."

"Yeah..," Moon told her, trailing off as the light breeze blew her hair. "I'm surprised no one knew what your cousin's name was."

Blue grabbed a coat. "My family won't tell me."

Before Moon could question her friend anymore, Duchess Blue walked out of her house. Making a quick glance back at the raven-haired teen, Blue smiled and then disappeared into the nearby forest.

Moon decided not to follow her. She turned to take back the letters.

But there was only one.

Blue had taken one.

⇺⇻

Sun was holding his phone beside his ear. "Hello? Hau?"

"Heyo! I want you to come over!"

"Sorry, can't."

"Why?"

"Homework."

"Aw. I need help with this."

"With what?"

"Making a masalada."

"No. Did you even finish your homework?"

"Yes. No. Maybe so."

"Seriously," Sun looked up as the front door opened. It was Moon. "Hau. Did you?"

"No. I have a writer's block! Masaladas help me think! I need to make one now, a good one!"

"Sorry. I am no chef."

Moon gave him a look. He couldn't tell if she was filled with disgust or confusion.

Hau's familiar voice reached his ear. "Come on, Sun!"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Homework."

"Right, bye."

"See ya."

Sun hanged up and glanced up at Moon. "Welcome back."

"Thanks. I'm sorry for this morning."

"No. I'm sorry."

"We're both sorry."

"So what's your zodiac?"

"Capricorn," she replied. "Why?"

"I'm seeing if we're going to have good compatibility."

Moon's face was covered with confusion. "Uhh okay? What is yours?"

"Virgo."

"I have a book about zodiac signs in my library. Hold on, lemme go take a quick shower and change."

"Alrighty."

Sun half expected Moon to be like what people said girls were like. Slow at getting changed, taking a shower, putting on makeup. But no. She took two minutes in the shower and three minutes to dry herself and dress up.

Five minutes.

Moon came back out wearing a black sweatshirt and a pair of gym shorts. She had tied up her hair into a bun.

Sun cocked an eyebrow at her shorts. She rolled her eyes. "My mother wants me to.. wear these to beat the scorching heat in the summer."

"Oh, I see. A lot of, um, girls wear shorts to show, um, skin."

"Yeah.. I'm not one of them."

"Yeah.."

Awk. Ward.

"Anyways!" Moon suddenly beamed, clapping her hands together like Platinum. "To the library!"

Grabbing Sun by the arm, she ran through the hallway. At the end, they entered what Sun guessed a second living room. Moon suddenly began charging towards a wall. Alarmed, Sun screamed for Moon to stop. But she didn't. Even more alarmed, he tried to pull her away but she had a very, very strong grip.

"Moon!"

"Stop acting like a four year-old, won't you?!"

Moon pushed against the wall, revealing a secret door. As soon as she stopped, Sun collapsed. "Ow."

"Sorry, Taiyono."

"It's alright."

Sun glanced up. Moon was already looking into a book. "Here, Sun. Capricorn and Virgo compatibility."

He got himself up and took the book from Moon. "Read everything, but the sex part."

"Al-Alright."

As he read, Moon looked around the library. She remembered that she had ordered her books alphabetically and made sure that they were not sticking out two days ago.

The raven-haired marchioness saw an empty space on a bookshelf nearby.

But then she remembered she had put a book that she wanted to read there.

Someone had taken Zodiacal Keys.

"Earth to Moon."

"You finished?"

"Yep! We have great compatibility, according to the stars."

"Oh."

"Moon?"

"Yeah?"

Sun frowned. "Is something.. bothering you?"

"Someone stole a book of mines." Moon replied, pointing at the empty space.

"What was it?"

"It's called Zodiacal Keys."

"What's it about?"

"I don't know. Didn't read it."

"Look it up."

"Nobody knows of the book. It's ancient. It's passed down.."

"Yet, you didn't read it."

"I just got it from my uncle two days ago."

"Yet, you didn't read it." Sun said again.

"Yeah. It was stupid of me to not read it until the weekend."

"If it's ancient and passed down, it's important. Am I right?"

"Yeah.. wait."

"What is it?"

"Shh, listen."

Hearable but faint footsteps were heard outside of the house. Moon pushed open the secret door and entered the presumed second living room. Going into the hallway, she walked slowly. Her bare feet gently pressing down on the carpet with each step and fall.

Sun followed her from behind. The footsteps were fading in volume but were constant. Running.

Moon shoved her feet into a pair of slippers when she entered the first living room and ran out of the house. "Thief!"

Worrying for her safety and wellbeing, Sun slipped into his school shoes and went after her. "Moon!"

"Taiyono, you slowpoke! Get over here, quickly!" A faint shout said.

Wait, she caught the thief already.. or did she get caught?

It was the former. Sun finally arrived in front of Moon and a man. She was holding him down with her bare hands.

"You did this all in a sweatshirt and shorts?"

"Is that seriously the first thing that came up in your mind?" Moon deadpanned.

"Um.. yeah?"

She sighed and answered his question, "Yes. I did this all in these clothes."

The man grunted as Moon pushed him harder. "I once took down someone in a bathing suit."

"Oh."

"Anyways, we gotta interrogate this thief," Moon told Sun. The suspect grunted once again at the word 'thief', but this only made Moon inflict more pain on him. "Help me get him in. He's pretty aggressive."

"Alrighty."

⇺⇻

"My mother sent you for me, didn't she?"

The red-eyed earl turned and smiled back at the voice. "Yup. How'd you know?"

Duchess Blue revealed herself to Earl Red. "I just knew. That's my mother for me."

"You know she can't afford to lose you."

"But you really didn't have to come all the way here. You know that."

"I know."

"So, how's Green?"

"He's alright," Red told her. "He said to me that he was going to steal something from the Novarro lobby when he visits the Hoenn Region."

"Oh, I would love to join him," said Blue. "What about you?"

"Nah," he replied, looking down at his shoes. "I'll be getting ready to be a marquess."

"Oh, haha. Right. Almost forgot."

"Ouch."

"Sorry, Red."

"Anyways, come back with anything new?"

"Yeah. Green's theories about the Novarros connection with the Essies are true."

"Woah, wait," declared Red. "How do you know?"

"Grand Duke Henry Lumanlan of the Alolan Monarchy got into the Novarro lobby and found letters. Marchioness Moon showed me two letters."

"And let me guess," the earl said. "You took one of them without asking."

"How did you know?"

"You have one in your hand."

"Oh! Yeah."

"Former Countess Astrid Novarro of the Alolan Monarchy sent a letter to Princess Yuliana Essie saying that she had a plan to kill all of the Lumanlans," she held out the letter in front of the male. "This is Princess Yuliana's reply."

Red took it. "Yuliana..? Your missing cousin's daughter?"

"Yeah.. the missing's.. daughter."

"Blue," Red said. "Your eyes... you've been crying?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me. I'm your best friend."

"I don't know anymore."

Red knitted his eyebrows. The duchess's face was turning pale and her blue eyes were losing its shine. Dark clouds moved into the earl's view and blocked the bright blue sky and sun that Alola was known for. "Blue, we're leaving."

"What?"

"I said we are leaving."

"Red.. you have an unusual tone."

"We are leaving."

⇺⇻

Astrid Novarro looked up at the cell's window. She smiled at the dark clouds as they passed by her very slowly.

"Astrid!"

She turned at the sound of her name. "Mother?"

"Oh my lord! Thank goodness you're safe," the woman said, clutching onto the bars of the cell. "Now, let's get you out of here. Shall we?"

A voice reached her ear. "I will stop you."

Astrid's mother glanced over her shoulder. "Who's there?"

A man appeared behind a pole. "I'm disappointed in your lack of knowledge of the Kanto Monarchy."

"Who are you?" Astrid asked, rather rudely. "And what makes you think you can stop us?"

"I've heard you lost your position as Countess, Miss Astrid Novarro. And you, Mrs. Novarro," the man said, turning to the mother. "You are getting demoted to a viscountess in the Johto Monarchy."

"Shut it!" hissed Mrs. Novarro.

"You think I'd obey you?"

The two Novarros both chose to stay silent. The man drew out his sword.

"I am the King of the Kanto Monarchy. My name is Leo Takoizu."

"Takoizu.." said Astrid.

"What is it, honey?"

She glanced up at the man, but then turned her attention to her mother. "The Takoizus are the ruling family of the Kanto Monarchy."

The king smiled. "Good thing to have knowledge, eh?"

"Y-Yes."

"Now, Mrs. Novarro, leave this jail immediately with me and lead me to your family's lobby."

"Y-Yes."