Whoo hoo! Finally did some serious writing!

We're wrapping up this arc and heading on to the new one.

Enjoy!

Chapter 23:

Pinwheel Forest

"Deary deary, you guys could've at least given me a challenge," Sara sighed out of boredom, looking at the exhausted group of Team Plasma grunts before her. Each and every one of them was handcuffed. "You… brat…" One of the grunts wheezed. "Dirty, cheating brat."

"Again, with the name calling. I wouldn't have done this if you hadn't decided to endanger innocent bystanders in your 'noble' quest at grand theft. That's against the law, by the way. Grand theft.

"So, how did it feel, running around, afraid for your life?" Keep up the tone, be calm, don't let them get to you, Sara thought, make them think you constantly got the upper hand.

"We will never surrender to you!"

"Surrendering? A bit late for that, seeing as you guys already lost." Sara sighed again as she looked at the clearing around her. Permafrost and slash marks had littered the ground; smaller trees snapped off from their trunk after being frozen solid. She forgot how much power her Pokémon had. Their attacks weren't controlled, and a majority of the grunts were forced to dodge Sara's Leafeon's grass and Froslass' ice attacks in the midst. Normally, the ranger would make sure her Pokémon focused on attacking the opponent's Pokémon, but after what happened in the past hours, she decided to make an exception. After all, a tired group of criminals would be easier to catch and interrogate. She glanced beyond the bushes where Alex had disappeared off with the fossil.

"Don't think you've won, brat," one Plasma grunt called out, "We have more men waiting at the forest exit. Your friend's going to get his when they reach him, and they aren't nice."

"Quiet down and Froslass won't turn that tongue into a popsicle," Sara said coolly. Deep down, the words affected her more than she wanted to show.

Hopefully, that kid found Burgh, and the situation was resolved. But, what if the grunt was right? It's not much of a stretch to think other Plasma grunts were scouting the forest, waiting to strike. Sara glanced uneasily into the dark forest, probably crawling with thousands of bug Pokémon. Just the thought gave her shivers. Maybe letting Alex run into there was not such a good idea after all.

…

In another part of Pinwheel Forest…

Judging from the old wooden signs, Alex was getting closer to the exit of Pinwheel that led to the Skyarrow Bridge. If his calculations were correct, he should be meeting up with Gym Leader Burgh anytime soon and can take care of the Team Plasma grunts that were after him. Speaking of which…

Alex was puzzled that he hadn't heard a single Team Plasma grunt in the direction behind him. He figured they might be slow, but this slow? Then again, they didn't look that athletic to begin with. Hopefully, Sara had taken his cue and ran back to Nacrene City for help. If he could find Burgh, they could surround Team Plasma and have this taken care of.

Just a little bit further…

He arrived at a clearing and had to skid into a halt.

Oh no…

"Whoa! Who are you?" The Plasma grunt then spied the fossil in Alex's arm. "You! Where did you get that?"

Not good. Alex's Pokémon were still not healed after his gym battle. He couldn't risk a battle right now and he'd have to get out of there fast. He slowly eyed his surroundings, determining the best escape route. One person should be okay, assuming there were no more hiding around.

"I asked you a question, boy! Where did you get that fossil?"

"What is going on?"

Alex almost jumped at the new voice. Someone came out from the bushes that were directly behind the grunt. Well there goes that plan.

Expecting another Team Plasma grunt, Alex was surprised to see an elderly man.

He had a long, thick white beard that reached his collar. His brown robes covered the entirety of his body, dragged a bit on the grass as he walked towards the grunt. The emblematic P on his robes made it instantly clear to Alex mind why he was here.

"Seven Sage Gorm!" The Plasma grunt kneeled. "Humblest apologies! The skull we went through so much trouble to obtain was stolen by this kid." If the situation hadn't been tense, Alex would've rolled his eyes in disdain. It was like a pot calling the kettle black.

"Oh?" For the first time, the elderly man seemed to notice Alex, the fossil tucked tightly underneath his arm. Alex shifted into a defensive stance, clutching the skull tightly. This seemed to amuse the sage, who responded with a strange smile.

"So, the dream our king had – the dream we had – won't come true," the Plasma grunt continued, keeping his eyes on the ground. He seemed to be close to tears. "I swear on my knight's honor that I and my brothers will do whatever is necessary to…"

"It has been decided that we can take this loss."

"What?" the man looked up confused and startled for the sudden disruption of his long-winded speech.

"We can afford to abandon the Dragon Skull." There was a long silence.

"Sir, I don't…"

"Our researchers have finally obtained the results of their analysis. It seems to reveal that this fossil –" Gorm nodded his head in Alex's direction – "is not of the legendary Pokémon that Plasma seeks. It is unrelated."

"I-I see." The man looked hopelessly lost now. The elderly man walked closer to Alex who didn't flinch and held his ground. Even if the Sage guy claimed that they no longer wanted the fossil, Alex refused to let his guard down. The man called Gorm stopped about a couple of meters away and inspected the boy in front of him from head to toe.

"You are just like the king described."

"King?" What an odd choice of word to say.

"Such talent, but perhaps it is better if you had never existed. Although you look harmless right now, I will not allow anyone to disrupt our plans and get away with it." There was a chill emitting from the elderly man's voice. As if on cue, the Team Plasma grunt immediately took out his Poke balls, revealing two Patrat.

Alex's heart pounded against his chest. Even if this grunt's battling skills were novice, Alex's Pokémon were too weak from their gym battle. Turning his back and escaping would leave him wide open.

"We will fix it so that you never interfere with us again."

Suddenly, the scene before Alex changed. It was raining, cold, and dark. Lightning flashed across the sky and a tall man stood over him as he watched Alex being pinned to the ground.

No, no, no… Alex thought wildly as the memory of the night started to consume his mind. No, no, no. Not again…

"Lilla!" The memory dissipated by the sound of a loud voice, and Alex found a strange flower figure before him. It was green with a tulip collection of leaves as a dress and an orange flower attached at the top of its head.

"Lilla!" The flower sounded angry as it faced Gorm.

"Oh my, a Lilligant? What are you doing here?"

A Lilligant? Alex blinked and slowly realized that it was indeed the Pokémon. Or at least the back of one. He couldn't see its face, but judging by whom it was facing, it seemed to be on his side.

"Please step aside," Gorm said politely, "I do not wish to hurt you."

"Lilligant!" The Pokémon immediately released burst of glowing green leaves crashed in front of his feet. The message was clear to the sage.

"Very well," Gorm turned to the Team Plasma Grunt, "Get rid of this Pokémon. Then take care of the child."

However, before the man could give any orders, Lilligant jumped high into the air and shot a bullet of seeds at the Patrats' feet. Vines shot out from them and wrapped around the two rodent Pokémon tightly.

"No! My Patrats!"

"Wow, way to go Lilligant!" The Pokémon looked over at Alex and blushed with happiness from the compliment.

"Idiot, do not panic," Gorm sighed, "You have another Pokémon right? Use it."

"Oh right!" Team Plasma returned his two Pokémon and sent out a brown crocodile Pokémon. "Go Sandile, defeat that Lilligant!" The crocodile Pokémon snapped its jaw and growled at Lilligant.

"Bad move," Alex called out. Although Lilligant technically wasn't his Pokémon, he had the Pokedex out and ready. "Sandile is part Ground-type. Any grass moves Lilligant uses and your Pokémon is toast."

"What?"

"Don't expect to win this battle," Alex warned, "Lilligant is a strong Pokémon, and I have no doubt it will defeat you. And when it does, you guys will be the ones taken care of." A long, uneasy silence filled the air as they glared at each other. Until…

"Ah ha!" A shadow dropped out from a tree and revealed itself to be…

"I finally caught up! And what do I spy with my little eye? One important-lookin' guy," Burgh exclaimed as he struck a pose. Seconds of silence would pass by until he realized no one really reacted to his marvelous entrance, his shoulders slump.

"Oh, dear," the old man chuckled deprecatory at Burgh. "I see that childish behavior still lives on in some despite age. Foolish who they allow to become Gym Leaders these days."

"And I sense a lack of artistic imagination in your childhood," Burgh retorted back, not at all fazed by the insult. He turned to Alex and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Alex said. Thanks to Lilligant. Now that he had time to think, where did the Pokémon come from? And why did it decided to help him?

"Okay. Keep that fossil close to you. I'll handle this," Burgh took out a Pokéball, "I'm afraid this is the end of the line for you. Your little friends are already taken care of.

"So surrender now, 'big boss', and we'll go a teensy bit easier on you." Gorm didn't seem faze by the warning and instead chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"You are mistaken. I am merely a Sage, one of the Seven that advises the operations of Team Plasma. The 'big boss' you seek is currently unavailable."

"Yes, I see… Team Plasma," Burgh mumbled, "Your boss is the one who, how should I put it delicately, wanted to liberate Pokémon through violence. Sounds a bit unneeded if you ask me. Stupid, even."

"How dare you-!" Gorm immediately placed a hand on the Plasma grunt's shoulder to stop him before addressing Burgh.

"Ah, but that is where you're wrong. Our leader is one who will liberate the Pokémon with words alone. But in order to help him, the other Sages and I regrettably must dabble in methods less than ideal to help accomplish our goals. Either way, the task gets completed. All for a better world."

"A better world? Not sure how endangering the lives of innocent people, especially after wrecking a city landmark, is gonna result in that. Do you think we will let you get away with it?"

"The odds are against us right now, it seems," the sage admitted, "But know this, Burgh, I say… know your enemy and know yourself. Realize you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. We will not tolerate any obstructions, even from a gym leader like yourself." He turned to the grunt. "Let us retreat quietly."

"Sandile, Sand Tomb!" The clearing was quickly wrapped with a powerful dustdevil, blinding Alex and Burgh of their surroundings. By the time the sand dissipated, Gorm and the grunt vanished.

"Hmph. Ran off, did they?" Burgh frowned and then glanced at Alex. "Well, at least we got the fossil back."

"HEY!" The two turned and saw Sara coming out of the bushes and completely out of breath. "Finally, I found you two. The police are here. They are setting up a perimeter."

"Oh good, I need to tell them to pick up the twenty I caught earlier. I hope they have some tree pruners. Those vines are a bit tough to cut."

"Are you guys okay? Where is Team Plasma?"

"They ran off." Burgh shrugged his shoulders, not the least bit worried.

"What?! We need to go after them!" Sara exclaimed. Burgh maintained an unusually composed mood.

"Calm down," Burgh said, "We got the fossil back. That's what important right now. We know they're heading over to Castelia. I'll notify the police force there to be on high alert. Right now, we need to get the fossil back to town and have our Pokémon healed. My Pokémon is not quite up to strength, as I want to claim. I would've bought my entire team if I had known this was going to happen…"

Alex was too lost in his thoughts to keep track of the conversation and started to tune them out. First there is a boss... AND there is a king? Who was Gorm referring to? He spoke of a king to Alex, but he didn't mention any of that to Burgh. Were they the same people? Or was there someone else working in the shadows?

"Alex, here. Let me take a look at that fossil," Burgh said; his hands out. Alex snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh yes, sure." Alex gently placed the skull into Burgh's arm. The poor gym leader didn't account for the heft of the item and almost dropped it. He yelped as he quickly took his other hand out to hold the relic steady.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Burgh said, straining a smile. He quickly set the fossil onto the ground, quickly gasping for air as he let go. "This thing is light as a feather."

"Okay…"

Meanwhile, Sara had been bonding over Lilligant. Her squeals of delight not lost on the Pokémon. Despite being wild, Lilligant was getting along quite well with the trainer, and even allowed Sara to pet its head. Remembering they were there, Alex walked over to the two of them. After all, he had decent manners.

"Lilligant, thank you for saving me back there," Alex said, bowing politely at the grass type Pokémon. However, he didn't expect the Pokémon to respond by jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly. The sudden lunge toppled Alex backwards onto the ground, knocking the hat off his head.

"Alex, do you know this Lilligant? It seems to know you quite fine."

"I don't think so. I never…" Lilligant released a soothing green powder that floated around Alex. The scent was soothing and familiar? Alex found himself flashing back into this forest so many years ago, searching for a gift for Bianca and then…

"Wait, are you… the little Petilil?"

"Lilla!" The flower Pokémon nodded happily that Alex finally recognized it. It twirled around to show off its new look. Alex's shock look was replaced with an incredulous grin.

"Wow, you look amazing! I'm can't believe it. After all these years."

"Lilligant! Lilligant!" The Pokémon hopped around in excitement.

"Petilil? Wait, you met Lilligant as a Petilil?" Sara's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I think at least six or seven years ago. It saved my life when I was… exploring here."

"AWWWW," Sara sighed, already imagining the 'romantic' scene in her head with obvious exaggerations, "How cute."

"How have you been doing?"

The Pokémon hopped around, and although Alex couldn't understand a word, he felt as if he could.

"Hahaha, seems like you've been doing well. Hey, do you remember my friends – Bianca and Cheren?"

"Lilligant!" The Pokémon nodded, now very excited. Sara could tell that the two needed a lot of catching up to do and decided to ease out of the conversation and give them some time to themselves.

"Wow," she said as she walked over to Burgh who had just finished examining the fossil with great care, "even after all these years, it still recognized Alex. That is so beautiful."

"Pokémon are amazing. They are a lot like us, but definitely calmer and gentler. But enough about that," Burgh turned to face Sara. He had a look on his face that Sara didn't like.

"You, young lady, better explain yourself, or should I say, Pokémon Ranger Sara? If that is truly your real name."

"Wha-?" Sara's mouth gaped open. "How did you-?"

"Your manner of speaking. The accent isn't from Unova region. Also, I recognize an Oblivia Capture Styler when I see one. You will need to hide it better, just because average civilians would probably mistake it Xtransceiver doesn't mean it's inconspicuous."

"Oops, busted," Sara grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Well, my boss is going to be mad anyways for blowing my cover, but yeah, I was here on a mission. Looking out for Team Plasma."

"What for?"

"Intel mostly. Can't say more than that." She cast a sideway glance at Alex.

"Ah, in that case, perhaps we should discuss this another time. First, I do wonder if you could help out again."

"Sure, I don't see the problem in that. What do you need?"

…

Nacrene City…

"In this entire town, none of them were caught? How could this happen?"

"They must have had an escape route planned out already," the officer replied, though Lenora could feel his embarrassment second-hand. It had taken several long hours of assessing the damage and getting checked by the paramedics and waiting for the forensics to go through the crime scenes. Lenora was more than ready to end the day to crash into bed, but the situation wasn't over yet. Not until those conniving little thieves were placed behind bars for endangering the lives of people, stealing, and damaging her museum. And she's got a real beef with them on that last part.

"Ohhh. OH!" The police officer announced suddenly, apparently he had just received correspondence from the team combing through Pinwheel Forest, "There has been a breakthrough! Apparently, the police forces have located the thieves in the forest."

"Do they have the fossil?"

"Umm, no. All I got was that they were still looking. The reception isn't good in Pinwheel and that's all I have, sorry."

Right… Lenora almost forgot how difficult it was to get a signal in that place. The thick canopies made most electronics near useless when connecting to the outside world.

"Okay, we need to get a blueprint of the museum," Lenora said, taking charge. "They had to have taken advantage of a flaw in our security system. We're also going to need camera footage from every surrounding building near the museum. Maybe we can spot one these clowns before the heist. Round up all available witnesses to interview; someone must've seen something."

"Yes sir, I mean, ma'am. We're getting on that right now. We will update you on any new development," the police officer finished writing in his notepad before scampering off.

"What is taking Burgh so long," Lenora groaned, "He should've gotten back the fossil by now."

"Dear, we need to think of the possibility of the actual loss of the fossil. The police might have caught the thieves, but it's possible they could have hidden it anywhere in there, maybe even destroyed it."

"Maybe, but I don't think Burgh would easily…"

"Careful! Don't sweep all over the place. Do it in one motion." Lenora turned to see that her two helpers were still sweeping the entrance. Cheren had a plastic trash bag while Bianca was attempting to sweep.

"I'm trying. Everything scattered all over the place; it makes it hard to walk around."

Lenora walked over to the two trainers. "Kids, I know you guys offered, but you two really don't need to stay and help clean up."

"Don't worry. We are happy to help. It's the least we can do," Bianca said as she held the broom.

"Okay," Lenora said, grateful for the kind act, "I'll get you two some snacks."

"Besides," Bianca mumbled to herself as she continued to sweep, "we need to wait for Alex." There was a look of worry on her face. Although she wasn't consciously aware, Bianca kept glancing down at the road Alex had taken, hoping to see that familiar face in the distance.

"He'll be back," Cheren said, seeing this for the umpteenth time. "He always comes back to us one way or another."

"Of course I know that!" Bianca exclaimed, though she kept her head down still. "I just… I want him to come back now." An awkward silence filled the room, one that soon was punctured with a yell.

"Hi everybody!" A figure came down the road in some sort of scooter, waving its arm wildly in the air.

"Sara?" Bianca looked up in surprised, "What are you doing here? Wait, where were you?"

"I was playing chase with some unwanted criminals and got something back I think you might like. Look familiar?" Sara grinned, holding the fossil out. How she managed to keep it hidden till now was a mystery to everyone.

"Is that the Dragon Skull?" Lenora gaped, coming out with a tray of chips and soda cans.

"Yup! Sara Knight, at your service," the girl saluted and grinned. "The police gave me permission to bring this back while they take care of some stuff."

"Thank you so much!" Lenora exclaimed with happiness. "I can't believe those thugs managed to steal this from the museum. I need to beef up the security around here."

"No problem," Sara said, "As a concerned citizen, I was happy to help… it will also help if you take this from me. It sort of hurts to hold it in my arms."

"Come on dear," Lenora said to her husband while lifting the skull with just one hand, "We need to put this into a safe place." She quickly headed back into the museum while her husband desperately tried to keep up.

"Good to see she's in good health… and good to see you two still in one piece," Sara smiled at Bianca and Cheren and added, "Oh by the way, before I forget, Burgh wanted to talk to you two." Sara pulled out a bulky-looking watch from her pocket and dialed a number. "Hey Burgh, got to town safely; I have them here."

"Burgh?" Cheren looked shock as Sara handed him the Xtransceiver, "As in the gym leader Bur-?" Oh my gosh it was him.

"Hi there kids," Burgh smiled from the screen, "My name is Burgh. I am the Castellia's gym leader."

"Hi Burgh!" Bianca grinned and waved wildly at the screen.

"Nice to meet you sir," Cheren said, bewildered that the gym leader was personally calling them.

"Thank you for helping out at the museum."

"Oh, we didn't really do anything," Bianca said modestly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Burgh said, "You guys managed to protect the Nacrene people from that attack. That's huge." Bianca blushed with pride. Being complimented by a gym leader was such a huge honor.

"Oh, by the way, I'm calling to let you know that Alex is okay. He told me he was worried about you guys, so I asked Sara to get in contact with you two."

"Where is he?" Cheren asked.

"He came with me back to Castellia," Burgh said. "Oh hey, he's next to me now, so I'll let him do the talking."

"Oh, hey guys," Alex said pleasantly, suddenly appearing on the Xtransreciever screen. "Thank goodness you're all okay."

"Don't act so calm!" Bianca puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "You had us worried when you didn't come back!"

"Sorry, sorry," Alex said, apologetically. "I needed to heal my Pokémon and I was a lot closer to Castellia. How are you guys? Any injuries?"

"Some had to be taken to the hospital, but it looks like everybody is okay," Bianca informed him. "The museum is in disarray and some of the exhibits are damaged. But Lenora said she'll have this place up and running in no time."

"We heard you fought against Team Plasma," Cheren said, grabbing the Xtransceiver, "Are you okay?"

"Oh hey, Cheren. Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't injured or anything. One of those Team Plasma grunts was about to have a Pokémon battle against me, but then Lilligant came and rescue me, and-."

"Lilligant?"

"Oh that's right, hold on," Alex moved the screen a little to show a Pokémon next to him.

"Lilligant!" The Pokémon smiled while Bianca and Cheren exchanged modest surprise.

"Alex, you caught a Lilligant?"

"No, this is… Remember that Petilil you guys were talking about that I found in Pinwheel?"

"Yeah… wait, are you saying…?"

"Yup, this is the same one. It evolved into a Lilligant."

"Oh my gosh! Petilil!" Bianca screamed with happiness. She grabbed the Xtransceiver from Cheren's hands and stared at the screen as close as she could. "I thought I would never see you again. After daddy told me I had to let you go… Oh I'm so sorry about that, but I'm so glad you're okay. And you evolved into such a beautiful Pokémon!"

"Liligant!" The Pokémon beamed happily.

"Also, great news, Lilligant wants to meet with you two as well," Alex smiled. "I think it had been waiting for us this whole time in hopes that we come back, and- Hey, Bianca, are you okay?"

"Yes of course!" Bianca said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm just so happy."

"And a little bit shock," Cheren added. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"I know; what are the odds? You guys will see it after I healed my other Pokémon and come on over."

"No, you don't need to do that. Stay in Castellia, we'll meet up with you and Lilligant there once we get our gym battles."

"Battles? Wait, are you two-?"

"Yeah, Lenora said that as thanks for stopping those crooks, she'll make an exception and give us both gym battles!" Bianca butted in, pushing her face into the screen.

"Yes, well," Cheren explained further, "the museum needs heavy repairs and the exhibits need to renovated, but she said she will make time to battle us tomorrow morning."

"That's great! Don't forget the training you had with Mark," Alex said happily.

"Of course not! I'm not going to lose that easily," Bianca puffed her cheeks in frustration again before turning to Lilligant. "Just you wait, Lilligant. We're going to meet up tomorrow and have the best fun ever!"

"Lilli!" The Pokémon smiled.

"Hey Alex," Cheren said, going back on topic, "is Burgh still with you?"

"No, he stepped out a second ago. Do you want me to get him?"

"No, it's okay. Can you talk privately?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess?" As if on cue, Bianca hurried over to Sara.

"Sara! You said you stopped Team Plasma right?"

"Oh shucks, it was no big deal," Sara grinned, "They weren't that hard to deal with."

"Your Pokémon must be really strong! We had a hard time dealing with them ourselves. Of course, falling debris didn't help either, but still, can I meet them?"

"My Pokémon? Yeah, sure."

"So," Cheren said, making some distance away from Sara and Bianca, "did you get any flashbacks from the forest?"

There was an uneasy look on Alex's face. He looked behind him before turning his head back to the screen. "No, not really… Well, I remembered about Lilligant but… Team Plasma mentioned that they know me."

"What?" Cheren blanched. "Know you?"

"One of the members I met was an old man who looked pretty important. This one grunt was calling him a sage and… I don't think the sage has met me before but… he definitely said his 'king' knew me. Like we met before."

Sage? King? Now Cheren was definitely confused. Unovian society hasn't been under royal rule for centuries. Who would keep using these terms? "Are you sure he said 'king'?"

"Positive," Alex nodded without hesitation, "Hard to forget a word like that."

Cheren glanced over at Bianca. She was gushing over Sara's Froslass and Leafeon. "Okay, we'll discuss this later," Cheren said quickly, realizing that this was going to turn into another long conversation.

"Okay."

"Don't do anything stupid."

"Seriously? Those are your parting words?"

"I'm serious; you had way too many close calls. Where are you staying?"

"At the Pokémon Center."

"Okay, we'll call you in the morning. We'll let you know when we'll head over."

"Got it; tell Bianca to be careful too." With that the screen went dark.

"Hey Bianca!" Cheren called out, "We should get a room at the Pokémon Center. It is getting pretty late."

"Aww, already?" Bianca pouted but she stood up. "Well, we got to go, Sara. See you later."

"See you guys later. I'll let Lenora know that you guys headed out."

"Thanks for let us talk to Alex. And try not to follow us," Cheren added.

"O-Of course not!" Sara turned red in embarrassment, and they parted ways.

"I am this close from collapsing due to sheer exhaustion," Cheren sighed, wanting nothing more than to find the nearest bed and crash. The town had quieted down a bit, but there were still police cars roaming the area.

"Are you kidding? Cheren, this is so exciting. Solving puzzles, battling evil bad guys, getting a chance to meet Lilligant and all of this happened in one day? I'm so glad we are on this trip."

"Bianca, as much as I wish I could share your enthusiasm, we have a problem. Alex and I talked and he told me that…"

"Cheren," Bianca interrupted, picking up a magazine from a newspaper stand, "is it just me or is Alex's face on all the fashion magazines in this city?"

Author's Notes

What's this? Fashion magazine? Could JD be hinting the return of a familiar character? Is it a red herring? Or is JD just doing this to torture the readers?

Well, guess we will have to find out in the next chapter.

This pretty much wraps up Pinwheel arc. We met an important character, met an old friend, and got some foreshadowing. I can't wait for the start of the next arc.

Thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter.

-JapanDreamer