The skies above Mt. Heatmor were particularly grim in the early hours of the morning. On the shores beneath the Syndicate stronghold, more than 1,000 Syndicate Soldiers have gathered to serve as an honor guard of sorts for the coming arrival of The Grand Master. All of the soldiers were decked out in armor suitable for the occasion. Taking after the ancient armor of the tales of shogun and samurai of old, each soldier wore a black tunic with heavy red armor. Despite the immense discomfort of wearing those suits, the soldiers remained perfectly still as they awaited the Supreme Leader of the Syndicate's arrival.
Above the small army of soldiers, on the steps that led into the Syndicate fortress itself, the few Syndicate Administrators that could be gathered in haste were woken from their slumbers and made to stand at full attention. Archer, Courtney, Nadine, Jocelyn and Elezar loomed above the others, each doing their best not to show their fears on their faces, though this was easier for some to do than for others.
Archer shuffled on his feet, unable to contain his excitement over learning who the identity of The Grand Master could be. He had even taken the time to slather grease into his already receding hairline, to make himself stand out among the crowd. Though more than half of the total number of Syndicate Admins could not be present, Archer had learned through his time shadowing Giovanni in Kanto that an appearance made all the difference. To his left on a higher step stood Nadine, who had not slept much since she learned of the coming arrival, only compounded upon learning that Lily and Lena had again been thwarted in an attempt to Snatch even one person. Because of this, Nadine's usually prim and proper attire she wore to impress her beloved Elezar was disheveled and out of order.
Across from Archer stood Courtney, who could not truly believe this day had finally come. When he had recruited her, Elezar had told her of The Grand Master and his mythical powers of Telepathy and control of the mind. Now, with her own plans concerning Michael Kingston moving rapidly and her desire to grow her own powers amplifying, her desire to be introduced directly to The Grand Master only increased at a comparable rate. To her right stood Jocelyn Aced, who could not be more nervous about the arrival of her father's superior. Elezar had once told her as a child that the only thing he feared was the growing power of The Grand Master and how he might one day return to Arcana and assume direct control of The Syndicate. Now, with her father's plans well into motion, she could only wonder what havoc the Supreme Leader would wreak on Arcana now that he had returned after fifteen long years of absence.
Above them all, at the top of the stairs stood Elezar Aced himself. He attempted to maintain his own aura of calm and sophistication, but he too was petrified of The Grand Master. Prior to his father Balthazar's demise, all Elezar had known of him was that he had a gift for control of the mind and Telepathy, things he used to help enhance and refine Balthazar's research. The Grand Master had initially feared James Kingston and fled Arcana after Balthazar's demise, but has been in contact with the scientist's son ever since, encouraging and advising him on steps he could take to ensure the Syndicate completed the work done by Balthazar. Now, fifteen years later, the Syndicate was well on it's way to returning to the power it once had under Giselle, but why did The Grand Master choose now to return? Did it have something to do with The Crimson Moon their plans hinged so greatly on?
As he stood in place, he could feel every element around him. He could feel the cold winds whipping against his neck, the heat of the burning lava to his back as well as the chills of the ocean in front of him, and he could feel beneath his feet the quaking of the very foundation of Mt. Heatmor. Elezar only stood at attention, firmly ensconced in his own mind. "He is coming" he said softly to himself and those who could hear it.
I am already here, my old friend.
Elezar looked around for the source of the voice that had appeared in his head, but no one was present to reveal themselves to him. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate on the source of the message he had received in his mind. "Grand Master, is that you?" he once more quietly asked. He then nervously waited for an answer.
I am in your fortress, Elezar. Bring your Administrators in to meet me.
Elezar cleared his throat to address his Syndicate men. "Alright soldiers. You have done well in your positions today. The Grand Master graciously thanks you for your services to us. Now, resume your normal duties." The soldiers saluted Elezar and marched off towards other parts of the island to continue their training.
Jocelyn turned to her father. "Is it really him?"
Elezar eyed his daughter, seeing the clear fear on her face and her it's twinge in her voice. "Yes, my dear. The Grand Master has arrived." The other three Syndicate Admins remained silent in thought, until Elezar raised his arms to them. "Come. He is expecting us." Soon, the five were marching back into the volcano fortress. Elezar led them into their Meeting Hall, but was perplexed when the lights were only lighting a small part of the hall. Elezar tried to work the light switch, until he saw two cerulean colored eyes shining in the darkness and glaring down at him. Elezar quickly fell to his knees. "My Master!"
The Grand Master stared at the Admins until they too got the message and knelt down before him. First to fall to her knees was Courtney, then Archer, followed by Nadine and lastly Jocelyn. When they were all subservient to him, The Grand Master finally blinked and laughed. Though it was clear he was not speaking as normal people did, all of the Syndicate Admins could clearly hear him within their minds.
It is a pleasure to be back where all of our work began, sixteen years ago, The Grand Master spoke to them telepathically. I once hoped to uncover the deepest secrets of The Crimson Moon with Balthazar Aced atop this very volcano and to use it's power to end the decadence of Arcana's elite. I now realize that we were not thinking big enough. We must make haste to harness the complete and total power of The Crimson Moon. Failure to do so is not an option.
"I assure you" Elezar spoke, as if he were a servant to a far more powerful monarch, "the Crimson Moon and all of it's secrets will be under our control. It would have been much sooner had we not endured some setbacks."
Setbacks caused by the incompetence of those you surround yourself with, Elezar. It was the incompetence of James Kingston that cost your father his life. But it may also be the incompetence of some around you that foil our plans. And that is something I cannot allow. Not when we are as close as we are. The Grand Master was silent for a moment, as if surveying those who were in front of him. Despite this, the Sapphire Colored eyes continued to stare straight into the heart of each Admin present. So few of your comrades are present, Elezar.
"My plans have required many to assume positions outside of our fortress here" Elezar explained. "I have many agents who are quietly distributing the words you have given to me most of my life to the rest of Arcana. I have those who are observing Pokémon Trainers we might be able to use for our plans. I have others who are acquiring the necessary tools we need to expand our power."
Poor, simple Elezar the Grand Master mocked cruelly. You believe political power holds sway in this new world we will be creating? You cannot be this much of an infantile fool. What use will political power be when we have all of Arcana at our mercy?
"For-forgive me, Grand Master" Elezar spoke, clearly frightened. "I thought that-"
Leave the thinking to those who see the grander picture, Elezar. There are not many of them that you have personally gathered. However, some you have assembled do possess a modicum of mental prowess. Such as Courtney, from Team Magma.
Courtney blinked at the idea of her name being mentioned. "Grand Master. It is an honor to be recognized by you."
As it should be, Courtney. You possess a remarkable mind, my child. And for that, I expect good things from you. I understand that you are seeking to warp the mind of Arcana's great hero and James Kingston's grandson, Michael Kingston.
"It is my desire to bring him aboard so that he may fully and completely serve our cause, Master."
Good. I won't have someone who has the gift of the Crimson Fury opposing us. I want him under your thumb, Courtney.
"My Lord" Elezar spoke up. "Michael Kingston has been a serious danger to us since he defeated Giselle ten years ago. I was hoping to have Courtney weaken him so that we may destroy him."
One who has the gift of fury that you supplied to him is not our enemy. And if you wish to complete the research that your father fought so hard to maintain and solve, then I suggest you use what your allies provide for you. It Courtney can somehow win the loyalty of Michael Kingston, I expect you to cast aside your hatred of the Kingstons and allow this powerful asset into your fold.
"If that is what you wish, Grand Master" Elezar bowed begrudgingly.
It is, Elezar. The Age of the Syndicate is coming, my friends. And when my plans have reached fruition, the power of the Crimson Moon will be brought down on the decadence of Arcana and all of the region will have but one choice: to embrace the power of the Crimson Fury or to embrace their own destruction.
{Meanwhile}
Michael's eyes opened at some point in the middle of the night. He knew it was the middle of the night, because the moon had barely moved in the skies above Kingston Castle. He could see it outside his high and wide windows that looked out over the rest of the region. Most of the time when he woke up in the middle of the night, he could just yawn and roll back to sleep. But there was always one night out of ten, where it wasn't a usual chill in the night that woke him. It was a tingling feeling in his heart. He rolled up to his feet and tried to get acclimated to his surroundings. He could feel the feeling all over his body. Something had happened. Somewhere, in some part of Arcana, he could feel that there had been a shift in power. Something had changed, and it was not for the better.
Sensing his trainer was awake, the Cinderace asleep on the bed turned towards his trainer and came over to him. But rather than be playful, the Pokémon could feel the same thing Michael could. Michael ruffled the tuft of fur on his Pokémon's head. "You feel it too, huh?"
The Pokémon nodded, looking around for the source of it.
"You know what the worst part is?" Michael said to the fiery rabbit. "Even if we told everyone, no one would believe us." He rose to his feet and put on his Running Shoes. "That's why, part of what Courtney said was right. The only person we might be able to rely on is ourselves alone. Let's go for a run, Beckham!" Eager to let's it's legs run free, Beckham raced for the door and opened it himself. Michael followed his Pokémon out and the two headed out into the gardens for a morning jog.
{Meanwhile}
Ryan, Matthew, Holly and Addison finally made it to the other end of the Ruined Tunnel as dawn approached. Matthew and Ryan worked together to push the other slab open and allowed the girls to climb out first, then hopped out after them. With their ordeal in the Ruined Tunnel finished and behind them, all that remained now was to get the girls to Kingston Castle before the Ball would begin later that evening.
Ryan seemed to be in brighter spirits having reunited with his brother. While he was always thankful and content to continue traveling with Addison and Holly, something was just a bit better about being able to compete alongside Matthew. Also, had it not been for him, he didn't know what would befall him in the clutches of Lily and Lena. Matthew had not only gotten stronger, he had gotten smarter when it came to his training and battling. He couldn't wait for them to have a rematch at some point along their journey. But to his surprise, Matthew didn't seem too keen on battling at the moment.
"I think we could all use a little bit of sleep after that excitement" he told his brother when Ryan challenged him.
"But Matt-"
"If you're that desperate for me to flatten you" Matthew grinned, "you can wait until the afternoon before the Ball."
As the four continued down the path, they saw the steepness of the hills increased over here, prompting Addison and Holly to look for another way down. To the girl's surprise, Matthew simply planted his feet and slid down the steep hill to the smoother grounds below. He looked up to them. "Come on, it's easy." Holly put her hands over her eyes and did as Matthew did, but she slid down much faster than he did, prompting Matthew to step in her way and catch her before she continued sliding even farther than he did. Once Holly was down, he looked up to Ryan and Addison. "Well?"
Ryan and Addison looked to each other. "Ladies first?" Ryan asked.
"I prefer equal treatment" Addison replied quickly.
Ryan raced forward and planted his feet as he slid down the hill and landed beside his brother. "That was simple enough."
"Here comes Addy" Holly pointed out.
Ryan looked up to see Addison sliding down the hill like a toboggan in the middle of a snow day. The speeds she hit were surprising, until she realized something the others had realized a bit earlier than her. "Uh, how do I stop?"
Matthew was about to move to block her fall as he had with Holly, but Ryan stepped in the way. Addison collided with him and the two fell onto the ground, with Addison on top of Ryan. Realizing how they had fallen onto each other, Addison quickly rose back to her feet and pulled Ryan up after her, her face slightly red after the experience.
"Uh, thanks Ry" Addison thanked her friend.
"Any-any time." Ryan replied.
"How much farther until Kingston Castle?" Holly asked her friends.
Matthew moved back to the front of the group. "It's right around these rocks, here." As if they had entirely renewed energy, the girls barreled past Ryan and Matthew and raced their ways around the rocks. Ryan and Matthew followed at a distance, until the two saw the same thing that Addison and Holly did: the glorious Kingston Castle. Even in the middle of the night, the castle was still a sprawling masterpiece. Set in it's own valley of sorts with a brook that traveled nearby where trainers could fish and catch Water Pokémon, the Castle was a landmark that everyone in Arcana was proud of. Too proud of in fact, as Ryan saw guards standing in front to the castle and denying the girls entry.
"Guess they need our help?" Ryan asked.
"Yep" Matthew told his brother. "Come on, Ry. Let's go be heroes to the damsels in distress."
The boys hurried down the path towards the castle to catch up to their friends, who were doing everything in their power to try and get into the castle.
"But you don't understand, sir" Holly explained. "We're Contestants!"
"Sorry" the Guard told Holly, "but Kingston Castle does not allow visitors after a certain time. Lady Bonnie's orders. Visiting hours resume at 10:00 AM. Now run along."
"But sir" Addison pleaded. "We've come all this way from Parlor Town to take part in the Ball."
"I don't suppose you two have your invitations, then?"
"Our what?" Addison asked.
"Huh?" Holly echoed.
"I figured" the guard replied. "Lady Bonnie sent out personally signed invitations to all who will be present here. If you don't have any invitations, I cannot let you in."
"What's going on, guys?" Ryan came up to his friends.
"You guys try explaining things to him" Holly snapped. "He just won't listen to reason."
"I made a simple-" the guard began.
"THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!" Holly bellowed, prompting her friends to jump back in fright.
Ryan made his way past Addison and stood before the Guard. "Could you kindly allow us to pass?"
"Do you have invitations?"
"Since when has a Kingston ever needed an invitation?" Matthew asked as he caught up to his brother's side.
"You two are Kingstons?" the guard said, disbelieving the two.
"I'm Ryan Kingston" Ryan said, puffing out his chest. "And this is my brother, Matthew. Our father is Robert Kingston. If you really don't believe us, perhaps you can wake Lady Bonnie up to identify us as her grandchildren."
Unsure of how to handle this situation, the security guard shuffled his feet. "Please wait a moment" the guard said, turning to go inside to discuss the matter with a superior. As he vanished behind the gates, the four waited for him to return. Beyond the walls, they could hear that the guard was getting chewed out by someone.
"-finds out you turned his family away?"
"I'm sorry, sir" the guard replied.
"Count your blessings he's currently training in the gardens" the second voice insisted.
The guard returned a second later and unlatched the gates, saluting the two boys as if they were royalty. "Lord Ryan and Lord Matthew. Welcome to Kingston Castle! Unfortunately, Lady Bonnie is still asleep, so she will not be here to receive you until the morning. Please, make yourselves comfortable. We've sent word to Gerard that you boys have arrived." He looked past the boys and at their friends. "I'm sorry, but they-"
"Are our dates" Ryan proclaimed, shocking everyone present. "Lady Bonnie wouldn't want you to turn away her grandson's dates, would she?"
"Dates?" Addison squeaked, blushing.
"Wasn't' expecting that" Holly added, flustered by the random proclamation.
"Well, I suppose-"
"It's settled then" Ryan said. He walked towards Addison and offered his arm out to her. "M'lady?"
Addison closed her eyes, doing her best to not show the feelings that were bursting from her. She wrapped her arm around his and the two walked in. Ryan nodded at his brother, who got the message and did the same towards Holly. Holly wrapped her arms tightly around Matthew's and the four walked right past the completely baffled guard, who closed the gates behind them. Once they were inside the courtyard, the girls quickly disentangled themselves from their 'dates' and walked in side by side with their friends once more.
"Well that was easy enough" Matthew replied.
"I'll say" Ryan added, looking up towards the main doors of Kingston Castle, where Gerard the Butler stood at attention. "Hi Gerard. Long time, no see."
"Lord Matthew and Lord Ryan" the butler greeted professionally. "It has been far too long. I trust you two have been well?"
"Quite" Matthew answered. "These are our-"
The butler nodded. "Yes, Her Highness mentioned they would be arriving late in the evening hours." He bowed before the two girls. While Holly was delighted at being treated that way, the more simply raised Addison was a little unsure how to address the butler. When she noticed Holly curtsy, she did the same, albeit with a little less grace. "Addison Tenton and Holly Queensbury. Welcome to Castle Kingston. I am Gerard, the Kingston Family Butler."
"A pleasure" Addison spoke up.
"It is an honor" Holly said politely.
The butler then addressed all four guests. "Your rooms have been prepared, in case you are weary from your travels on this evening. And Her Highness has ensured that both of the Queen of Arcana contestants will be offered hot baths upon their arrival."
"A bath certainly sounds wonderful" Holly said.
"Can't agree much more with you than I do" Addison said. "Thank you, Gerard."
Gerard turned towards the boys. "If you wish, I can have baths drawn for you boys as well."
"I think I'll pass for now" Matthew said. "I was actually wondering if Michael was here yet."
Gerard pointed towards the hall that led to the enormous Gardens behind the Castle. "Lord Kingston is currently training with his Pokémon in the garden, if you would like to greet him." He then turned once more to the girls. "I shall bring you to your rooms. Please, follow me!" Addison and Holly followed the butler inside the Castle, the sparkling eyes they had as they studied every facet of the medieval palace.
"What is it with girls and castles, anyway?" Ryan asked his brother.
Matthew shrugged. "Who knows? Come on, let's find Mike!" The boys hurried down the long hallway that led to the Gardens. They skidded to a stop when they saw what was going on there. Before the Gardens was a pitch, where Pokémon Battles and Soccer Matches could be held and a little bit of both was taking place between Michael and his Pokémon.
On the left side of the field were Rhaegar (Michael's Dragonite), Chuba (Michael's Ambipom) and Beckham (Michael's Cinderace), with Rhaegar being a goalkeeper, Chuba playing Defense and Beckham playing offense. Opposing them on the right side were Michael himself, Koops (Michael's Blastoise) and Rhino (Michael's Nidoking), with Koops playing Goalkeeper, Rhino on Defense and Michael himself on offense. The game was extremely competitive, with Michael and his Cinderace tackling each other and the fiery rabbit having to dodge a Horn Attack from Rhino, all while keeping focus on keeping the ball in his control.
Both Ryan and Matthew watched in awe as the game took off. But no matter how close one side came to scoring a goal, they could not make it past the Goalie. Whenever Michael would come close to scoring a goal, the Ambipom would use her tail to trip him up and hit the ball back towards Beckham, or Rhaegar would spit a fireball at his feet, causing him to lose focus and miss his shot at scoring. His Cinderace, meanwhile, would have to contend with the ceaseless Hydro Pumps firing from Koops, or the tackling prowess of Rhino, who loved to dig holes underground and trip up Cinderace anytime he would be on a breakaway.
Beckham darted forward using Flame Charge, leaped over Rhino's Horn Attack and used Pyro Ball to set the Soccer Ball ablaze before launching it at the net. But Blastoise used Rapid Spin to send the ball bouncing and careening off the walls of the field like a pinball, until the ball bonked Rhaegar in the head, causing the Dragon to pass out and let the ball roll in for a goal.
Cinderace fell to his knees and let out a cry as if he'd just lost a war. Michael celebrated with his team, with Koops having his trainer jump on his back while he fired off pulses of water into the skies. The Ambipom sighed as she rested on her tail and when Rhaegar noticed he let a goal in, stomped around and shot a fireball into the air.
"Oh don't be such a sore loser, Rhaegar" Michael snapped at his signature Pokémon.
Rhaegar turned away in a huff, until he noticed Matthew and Ryan watching the match and waved towards them. This attracted Michael's attention and he slid off of his Pokémon and waved them over. Matthew and Ryan sprinted towards their cousin's side. Michael recalled all of his Pokémon into their Pokémon Balls before addressing his cousins.
"Long time, no see" Matthew said to Michael.
"I haven't heard anything from you two since we parted ways at Pocus Town" Michael said, hi-fiving his cousins once each. "But, I've heard you two have had some pretty interesting journeys since then."
"Oh yeah!" Matthew jumped up first. "I took down Billy without even trying!"
Michael was surprised. "Are we talking about the same Billy? Because if we are, that's seriously impressive."
"My Flareon and my Hitmonchan wiped him out without breaking a sweat. Then I took on Greg and then beat both him and Tori in matches! I'm three badges down and got another seven to go until I qualify for the Pokémon League Championships!"
Ryan was surprised at how quickly his brother was sweeping his way through the Pokémon League. It wouldn't be long before Matt had double the Gym Badges he did. He could only give his brother a begrudging smile as he boasted of his efforts to Mike.
"Good to know you're improving, Matt" Michael told him. "Don't let up, though. The road is only going to get harder from here."
"I know" Matthew said, "but I've got a pretty good idea of how I'm going to take on my next Gym."
"Good, good." Michael then turned towards Ryan. "What about you, Ry?"
Ryan shrugged. "I beat both Tori and Aunt Erin to get two gym badges."
"HA!" Matthew cheered. "I'm winning!"
"Maybe" Michael said to Matthew. "But I want to hear more about what else you've done. Julia told me you've had quite a last week of adventures, haven't you?"
Ryan shrugged. "All I remember is how tired I was after all of it."
"What kind of adventures did you have?" Matthew asked his brother.
"Apparently" Michael laughed, "Ryan took on an entire group of Gyarados and won while sailing up to Alchemiburg and took on Old Man Anthony's Banette in the Chateau all by himself."
"I really don't remember much of it" Ryan said, not wanting a fuss to be made of his deeds.
"And besides" Matthew grinned, "I was the one who bailed you out when those two trainers in the Tunnel were after you."
Michael eyed the boys curiously. "Two trainers?"
"It's a long story" Ryan said. "I stopped these two poachers from trying to steal Mushrooms from Crafter's Forest and they've been bothering us ever since."
"I'll have to make a note of that for later" Michael said, his mood darkening. "Either way, I can see the two of you have experienced a lot since you left for your journey over a week ago. I'm proud of you for making it this far. But it only get's harder from here for the both of you. Whatever you've been doing to keep yourselves going, I suggest you keep doing it." Michael reached into his pockets for something. "But, as a reward for advancing as far as you both have, I have a gift for you both." He handed each of the boys a Technical Machine.
"Oh wow!" Ryan remarked. "Thanks, Mike!"
"Thanks Mike!" Matt echoed. "What move does it teach?"
"This is one of the most powerful TM's you can find, depending on how well you've raised your Pokémon" Michael explained. "This is the TM for the move Return. So long as you have a strong bond with your Pokémon, this move will continue to grow in power for you."
"I could have used this in my last Gym Battle" Ryan laughed.
"You battled my Mom, right?" Michael asked. "Yeah, she can be difficult for newbies to face next."
"I'm not a newbie" Ryan insisted.
"Buddy" Michael laughed. "Of course you are. I've been at this for 14 years. You two haven't even been trainers for 14 days. That makes you a newbie."
Remembering what his Aunt Erin had told him about keeping Michael in good spirits, Ryan took a moment to study his cousin. He didn't look particularly down at the moment, but there was always the chance he was putting on a façade to try and keep his cousins from knowing. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Ryan decided it was best to do whatever he thought could cheer his cousin up even if he didn't want to admit he needed it.
"How can we prove we aren't newbies?" Ryan asked.
"Come talk to me when you've gotten at least 6 Gym Badges, okay?"
"What if we battled right now?" Matthew asked.
"If you two battled, right here and now?" Michael repeated. "I don't see why not. Why don't you boys-" He then took a whiff of both boys and shriveled away. "Hold on! Nope. Not happening. You two need baths."
"Bath?" Ryan exclaimed. "How can we bathe when we have battles to do?"
"Refusing to keep up your personal hygiene isn't a passable reason for you to win Pokémon Battles!" Michael insisted. "The both of you need to take baths immediately!" He grabbed both twins by their arms. "Let's go!"
"Oh come on, Mike!" Matthew insisted.
"But Mike-" Ryan argued.
"No buts!" Michael insisted as he dragged both boys from the Courtyard and back into Castle Kingston.
{Meanwhile}
Cameron and Leonard sit in on what they hoped would be their final meeting with Claude Jacques as the Defense Attorney for Cassius. Both the Elite Four member and the lawyer wanted to get what they could from Cassius's plea deal and move on with their lives. As he had last time, Claude kept the two waiting for a considerable amount of time before entering himself. As he did, he once more took his time to clean the chair he would be sitting in, unlocking his briefcase and putting it on the table before he addressed either of them. Leonard was about to speak, when Claude began to polish his monocle and then cleared his throat and finally turned to them.
"Cameron. Leonard."
"Claude" Leonard politely answered.
"Let's get this over with" Cameron snapped, incredibly unhappy about being there.
"Indeed" Claude said, folding his hands. "As we previously discussed, my client is willing to make a plea deal with you in exchange for leniency on his own transgressions."
"We did. Now, let's bring Cassius in so he can tell us what we may need to know."
"That is the thing, Cameron" Claude said dryly. "I'm afraid I must renegotiate from our previous terms."
"We didn't set terms" Leonard insisted. "We simply agreed to the deal in principle."
"My client is considering taking his chances with the Courts, unless you sweeten the deal for him."
"Excuse me?" Cameron answered angrily. "He's in no position to be demanding anything from us!"
"I must disagree, Cameron" Claude said. "Over the past 24 hours, a great deal in this case has changed. If anything, the stance of the prosecution has dwindled into little more than empty promises."
What would make you say that?" Leonard asked.
"Do not play the fool, Leonard. The actions of the Champion during the interview with Walter O'Hara have made one of the primary character witnesses in this trial out to be little more than a unhinged and mentally unstable man. Not to mention the fact that Walter himself has also been told to file civil charges against the Champion." Walter shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that Cassius is willing to take his chances in the courts, unless you somehow find a way to sweeten his deal. He wants to be sent to a rehabilitation facility of his own choosing and for all personal charges against him to be dropped. As the lawyer of the Champion, surely you realize that Michael's case is completely hopeless."
Leonard was sweating nervously. "We will have to hear the value of Cassius's information before we accept such a deal."
"So long as you promise to drop every single charge that is personally aimed at him" Claude promised, "Cassius will be more than willing to offer you both what you seek." Claude pulled out a stack of papers for the two of them. "All you have to do is sign this paperwork and I will gladly have my client come this way to relay the information geared towards you." He pointed at the largest spot that called for a signature. "This signature is where the representative of the Pokémon League must sign. That is where you come in, Cameron." He offered her a pen.
Cameron paused for a moment, thinking to herself of what would come to pass of this if she accepted this deal. If I sign this, I might be able to put this mess behind us. And then, we can worry about what Walter O'Hara has to say later.
"Cameron" Leonard whispered to her. "I don't think it's wise to sign without Michael's consent."
"Michael is not a part of this deal" Cameron declared. "He named me to the case and I get to decide whether or not we sign it." I can see where Leonard stands now. The minute this goes through, he'll hightail it out of here and leave me to bear the brunt of Michael's wrath. I don't care. Michael's done enough damage for one lifetime. I'm taking the initiative. And if he thinks I'm betraying him, well, so be it! She took the pen from Claude and signed where he told her to.
"Excellent" Claude said, taking the contract and putting it back into his briefcase. "Cassius will be here to relay you the information you require of him. If you wish to have a stenographer brought in, you may. And I am quite thankful that we could come to this agreement." He rose from the table and walked out the door.
"Cameron" Leonard said. "That was-"
"I don't care. We need to think about what's best for Arcana right now. Even if Michael would never approve." Cameron put her head against the wall in frustration, knowing all too well that what she just put into action will have consequences not only for all of the Region, but for her relationship with her cousin.