It's been a week, and nothing terrible has happened in a week.

When nothing terrible happens, one would be happy, right? But that one is not Zelda Klef who wanted something terrible to happen.

Zelda Klef, daughter of the President of the Celebi Republic who went missing a week ago was now lying in the bed of an inn, disguised of course.

But now out of the disguise and pondering about her decisions. She knew that people were looking for her and she hoped it was the Beast. Because... she was bait.

For you see, it was about a few weeks ago before she decided to go missing on her own accord.

What came from a concern of a best friend to Sloan and trying to help him out turned out to learning something so mind blowing... that prophecy.

She was worried, fretting at the probability of that prophecy. So far, it was coming true. The Savagery had made no moves since kidnapping Sloan but the Beast was rampaging among the group that had been travelling through kingdoms after that mess with Aurora's birthday.

With how prophecies go... a death of an elf and wolfman might be near.

'What to do...?' Zelda thought. If it was her, her parents, Ash, Sloan... she couldn't bear to think.

But what can she do?

It came in a simple letter.

Zelda was surprised when she came into her room to see a simple piece of parchment on her bed. She just came home after the Zapdos sojourn and was tired that it took a moment before she registered.

Zelda remembered picking up the letter in curiosity and read the contents. She was very confused about them that day.

You have been looking for Beast. So have we. But you are taking the wrong approach, in fact, be assured that we meet at Breloom Borders in a week and you will know everything you need to know. Because you don't want anything bad to happen to him, don't you?

That was the short message, and it wasn't more of a request than an order, with an underlying threat at the end, faint but still there. There was no signature as to who wrote it. Of course, a sane person would ignore it, but Zelda didn't, because of the matter it was real, and there was a chance...

To go or not to go... Zelda had to ponder, because two parts were warring against this.

She decided at that time not to tell anyone, because it was her decision to make. She decided not to be rash about this, because...

'How many times that you have butted your head without knowing anything and caused yourself... and others around you a bunch of trouble?'

Those were the words, or a similar variation of it, Zelda heard ever since she just decided to do what she wanted... and always got into trouble because of it.

It was since the very beginning, Zelda was already reckless for her own good. She just rushed in without consequences, because as a child, she had no notion of anything terrible going on, so she always did what she liked.

Sneaking in the kitchen and trying to make tarts that she loved, going over her mother's inventing room and playing with her cool inventions, always interrupting a fight from the servants because she didn't like it, standing up to her father when he had political arguments with his 'friends'.

Zelda had always been like that, and people scolded her for it. But it seemed that she always did before she even thought. Some people didn't even know if she thought about any consequences of her actions...

But...

'You always act without thinking. Maybe before doing something, you should think about it. It isn't that hard, you know? Like...'

Zelda was 6 years old when her troublesome recklessness was put on hold, by someone of the name of Sloan.

In normal circumstances, those two wouldn't meet at all let alone become the friends they were to this very present, but they did anyway, to the point Sloan was a rock to Zelda teetering her with his logic and reason in contrast with her emotions and brashness.

It was during an important meeting between the wolfmen and elves, considering their history, that while doing her own thing and trying to create an invention, the son of a meeting wolfman officer found her in her lonesome and intervened her from doing what looked damaging to him.

And said those words to her.

Over the years, Zelda was still rough and rash although she possessed high intelligence within inventions but little with her actions of anything else, but she learned to rein in her instincts and... think.

Admittedly with a little help from Sloan, which was why she always wanted to repay the favor, which led Zelda into finding out Sloan's assignment with the Lust Choker, the brutes gunning for it, and helping anyway she can...

That's why Zelda felt she should go, for the sake of Sloan as a help in return for teetering and stopping her recklessness.

Yet she cannot in due to Sloan's advice, of dangerous consequences if she went ahead because of a simple letter. But after everything with Sloan... and the final point to push her, she decided to go.

The final point being Ro during that trip into Kingdom Articuno. When she talked about the greater good... and Zelda realised.

Zelda had never been one to stand still and even if there might be morally wrong implications or anything wrong in general...

She would do things for the greater good. That felt right.

Speaking of greater good...

A door creaking. A cloaked short man appearing.

"The Beast?" Zelda asked softly.

But he did not answer. Instead...

In quick strides, he was already on top of Zelda, the chest of his glowing... red? Was that some kind of an effect? Did he even need an effect for his... crimes?

"After all I have done, course I became famous..." the Beast cooed, "It would be lovely to do some love with someone famous, right?"

Zelda frowned, but she decided to say nothing.

'Let it be...'

She was resisting her instincts of fighting back, struggling so nothing was amiss but nothing too damaging...

'Act according to plan...'

She still remembered the night that she had to leave for the rendezvous. She was going to do it. The wrong thing for the right reason, no matter what happens to her.

If once again, she wasn't stopped by...

"What are you doing? It's getting late out."

"Sloan?!" Zelda nearly exclaimed but kept her voice low because she didn't want to alert anyone else of her whereabouts.

"What are you doing here?"

As far as Zelda knew, there was nothing of note to make Sloan visit her country, let alone her residence despite them being quite close friends.

After all the time she knew Sloan, he was always straight to the point, doing everything necessary and never anything unnecessary.

"You have been acting strange the past few days. I have been checking up from time to time to make sure you wouldn't be doing something stupid... but it seems you are anyway."

Why was he the only one who seemed to know that something was up with her when she was careful to make sure the rest didn't suspect anything? It's like within their friendship, Sloan was more in tune with her.

Or unlike the rest, he was also in the Savagery, the Beast and the prophecy and knew what Zelda would doubtlessly think about that.

And then he was going to stop her from going. Of course he was. Just like everyone else with her-

"Do you have a plan?" Sloan asked.

"Huh?" Zelda asked.

"Don't tell me you are going to do something without a plan..." Sloan said.

"I thought you were going to stop me?" Zelda asked tentatively.

In response, Sloan rolled his eyes, "And what will stopping you do? You would probably say something along the lines, 'But I have to.' So, instead of stopping you, I just want to know... do you have a plan?"

Zelda was completely silent.

Sloan sighed this time, "I can't believe you are going to do something possibly dangerous without a plan." And then, he continued.

"Zelda, there are three things you need in life when facing situations ahead, especially the dangerous ones. I know you are the rash type of person, but please... listen to me."

"The first, I told you already; Before doing anything, you should think about it."

'Check,' Zelda thought, because she have thought it plenty during her struggle to choose and coming to this, as her clothes were already loosened up despite her struggles, or especially made because of her struggles.

"The second: Make a plan. With the limited information, make a plan so that nothing bad will happen to you."

And she did, after Sloan's cajoling. She set back ups so the meeting won't slip up. And for whatever that came next.

Zelda briefly flashbacked to the moment she met the people who sent her that letter, a group of cloaked men but she could make the furry arms. And then, she was suddenly ambushed. They confiscated her weapons and anything they deemed unsafe as she was suddenly tied up before she even realized what was happening.

"What is going on?" Zelda exclaimed.

"Well, you are looking for the Beast. We are looking for the Beast. We can work together, you know?" One of the cloaked men, or more like wolfmen, said.

"And you start our cooperation by ambushing me, tying me up and confiscating my weapons?" Zelda asked.

"Easiest kidnapping ever. And all thanks to kids who think they are better than adults and could do their work... like catching the Beast, except they forget they are kids and are plenty gullible to scenarios like this," the wolfman taunted.

"What are you guys going to do?" Zelda hissed. Sloan was right, making a plan...

Because she could use it.

"Well, you are going to be bait. The Beast seems to have taken a liking to tussle girls in inns all over, but that's rare as the blue moon, and even rarer now that all girls are now being protected by their parents from the dastardly Beast."

"And when he comes to you, you would keep him mighty distracted so we can get the jump on him. Do that for us, will you love?"

And right now, despite what the wolfmen said, they had not come.

'What are they waiting for?' Zelda thought, as the Beast started sniffing around her... truly like an animal. Nothing has been done yet. It was strange.

Because her plan required the captors, which she was very sure the very beginning they tied her up that they were the Savagery and if she can capture both of them...

So, what were they waiting for?

But she maintained her cool. In plans, Sloan had advised Zelda to act calm, do not panic and go through with it. To trust the plan and follow her instincts with that in mind.

Zelda's instincts were telling her to push the bastard down and pin him for all the things he was about to do, but putting her plan in mind, her instincts compromised to wait it out but don't give in to the Beast.

She won't, even if she was mostly in her underwear by now, and the Beast, like the feral animal he was, started licking his lips.

"I will really enjoy this," the Beast said, cooing over her body, and once again, Zelda wondered...

What were they waiting for?

Zelda knew... from Ro and her friends that it had to do with the Lust Choker that the Beast was currently wearing, that the Savagery wanted it and the Beast was using it.

But that was about it.

Yet... what were they waiting for?

"Mmm..." the Beast muttered as he fondled her body. Close enough, he seemed almost the same age as her. Being only 10 years old, she kinda understood that she was being defiled, but not yet into the birds and bees territory that her parents said they will explain when she was older.

Somehow... maybe it was because of his age that he chose children like her instead of older women who would definitely know better of what he is doing instead of kids like Zelda who just knew this was wrong, but don't know why.

And maybe have more fun with it.

... Before she knew it, she was already analyzing the Beast, just to ignore whatever he was doing to her.

She could feel something among her skin, she could feel her undergarments loosening up anymore. She could feel touched uncomfortable around the body.

Zelda struggled wanting to draw the line.

But the Beast would not allow it.

What were they waiting for?

She could finally feel the bite on her neck, the Beast's signature... could feel waves of tension from the Beast, and... a bright red illuminated the place, dazzling and blinding her... giving her-

That's when it happened in a flash.

One moment the Beast was leaning too close to her, the next moment the Beast was pinned down by the same cloaked men and one of them was near her, restraining her as well.

"Laito-sama, Laito-sama! Do you know us? Do you remember your own kind? Do you remember the Savagery that you created a long time ago?"

Laito... Zelda remembered the history that connects the republic with the wolfmen's kingdom, the being that caused unspoken sins that could spread throughout the whole world if not for some action from her own country which led to present day.

But the thing was... Laito is so obviously dead since it happened centuries ago, and no living being would have that long a lifespan.

So why... why were they talking to the Beast like he was their dead founder?

Zelda couldn't possibly comprehend, but the first stages of her plan was done, despite what was done to her...

What was done to her?

Most psychologists would coped this to a blocking mechanism of the brain, a mechanism always used in very dire situations that people do not want to remember. And Zelda... like many other young girls of her age, too green to get into the concept of 'rape', or at the very least child porn (or are they the same thing) had already blocked whatever (not necessarily rape but close to it) the Beast done to them, except for any key points that would be too hard to forget.

Like the bite mark that graced Zelda's neck.

She was rash, she was brave, she was reckless.

But that doesn't mean Zelda doesn't have limits.

Yet... right now, with all that's down and dirty done, she glared at the man restraining her, moving on to the second stages of her plan as she continue hearing the men talk.

"... Doesn't matter. We already caught the Beast but the girl..."

"You know what to do. Part of the plan. We will bring the country back to it's former glory and the first step is to cut all ties with that pest of a republic."

"And destroy it completely," the man, holding Zelda, said solemnly as he held the knife high. Zelda knew what that meant. In fact, she kind of expected it. After all the adventures she had, this was a given. And it was not like she didn't learn at least a few political things from her father...

Zelda immediately reacted, fishing from inside of her bra and took out a crystal necklace which she spun around as it glowed a shade of red unlike what the Beast emanates.

It happened in a flash.

One moment, the knife was plunged towards Zelda. The next moment, it was out of the man's hands and in Zelda's own, out of his grasp as she knocked him out with the back of it. With weapon in hand, the other men narrowed their eyes at her, with one of them calling from a walky-talky that he fished out from inside his cloak and said one word, "Back up. Back up now!"

It's hilarious that they would need back up for one kid, but it was in due to underestimation that only three people could subdue the Beast and put down Zelda.

The Beast... the wild animal he is, was still trashing against only two of the men's grip despite his small stature and could not even attend to Zelda, who they needed gone and in purpose of their plans... Hence, backup.

But Zelda's heart was pounding. Close to death. The death of an elf...

It could be...

Please... no...

'I don't want to die...' Zelda thought fearfully. Such a simple thought, that spoke too many volumes, especially in dire situations such as this.

Cloaked men suddenly appeared, surrounding her, with weapons... magical weapons that a single knife and her necklace... a special necklace that she recently acquired during her trip to Kingdom Articuno weeks ago, couldn't possibly stand a chance against.

But... plan...

And the three things needed to face situations such as this. She was two thirds ahead.

One; to think. She was thinking. Thinking through the possibilities to get through this instead of jumping blindly on the attack. She didn't want to die.

Two; a plan. She had a plan. As she noticed the bumps in this situation, they have yet to derive from her plan. A plan that was to actually stall time. For the third...

The third, it was the one that most resonated in Zelda's head, the reason that she was coping until now, in utter and complete belief, as she believed the end result... a good end result will come to pass.

The men were rushing toward her, but this time, Zelda swung her necklace to the left, and... she was gone for that one second like she wasn't there. And two men were suddenly down, as surprised, the wolfmen saw Zelda trying to knock off a third before she realized they noticed and quickly moved herself away from them, but moved far away from the exit.

The wolfmen smiled, thinking gladly of the stupid elf's foolishness, having thought down their kind already and grateful for it.

But that was all part of Zelda's plan. She knew that the fact in this very inn, no one at all came to her rescue, unable to hear the commotion that some barrier or other that prevented anyone from knowing Zelda was in danger at all. With that in mind, she had no hesitation doing her next move.

After all, there was a reason that she chose to knock out the two wolfmen, holding their weapons in her hand.

Using other people's weapons... they can be used, but not as efficiently as her own weapon. If to go by percentage, the efficiency of these weapons would be 25%-75% depending on type of weapon she was using. They were both not bows, and of different elements, so both were 25% and if she used double would be about 50%.

They were also both high level which would make that 50% enough.

Without hesitation, Zelda banged the wall, creating a hole and possibly cracking the behaviour, possibly... but unknown. Until...

It happened in a flash.

One moment, there was a hole in the wall that gave a draft inside the room, the next, people were swarming inside and Sloan was by her side. She immediately recognised the rest of the people as John, Alex, Ro and Ash.

"Are you alright?" Sloan asked immediately.

Zelda smiled, and she said, "Yes."

"Finally, the third; have a few trusted friends by your back. It's too dangerous to go things alone, but with friends waiting ahead, it would be less dangerous, and might even help check in your recklessness."

The last part had been said teasingly, but Zelda couldn't help think at this moment, with her friends by the side, that Sloan was right, with the tables turned.

'Thank you... Sloan,' Zelda thought, again with Sloan at her side reaching out a hand as she let her consciousness fade, exhausted but knowing everything will be alright.