High above the skies of Arcana, a helicopter carrying a once deemed incredibly dangerous criminal is making it's way westward for a Rehabilitation Center. Hired and instructed to bring their prisoner to the center as soon as possible by The Elite Four's Cameron Kingston, the pilot and his copilot ensure their chopper is bringing Cassius Sinclair to his predetermined destination immediately.

To their surprise, Cassius had been unnaturally quiet since they brought him aboard. Could someone who was once accused of experimenting on humans and Pokémon be capable of feeling remorse over his actions? Well, that's what his lawyer, the renowned Claude Jacques had argued on his behalf. And with the Champion having allowed his cousin direct control over the case, she chose to believe that the scientist was capable of changing. So, perhaps there was a good bone in his body. No matter what, though, Cassius would be in his Rehabilitation Center very soon.

"Uh Sir?" the copilot said nervously.

"What is it, Otto?" the pilot replied.

"I've got a bad feeling about this" Otto spoke up.

"And why is that?"

"I tried punching in the information about the Rehabilitation Center we're supposed to be taking Cassius to. There doesn't seem to be anything about it online."

"Your Internet Data is slow" the Captain replied. "You need to upgrade your plan."

"I know, but-"

"Trust me, there is no conspiracy or plot to-what the-?" The Captain let go of the steering controls, to see that the helicopter was somehow piloting itself and veering the craft to the North of where they were going. "What's going on with this stupid thing?"

"Sir? We're on a collision course with Mt. Heatmor!"

"The Auto Pilot must be engaged" he said. "I'll try to turn it off."

Behind them, Cassius began to laugh. At first quietly, then louder and louder until he was cackling like a Mightyena.

"Are we supposed to find something amusing, Dr. Sinclair?" The Captain snarled.

"The Champion should have killed me when he had the chance!" Cassius laughed like a comic book super villain as the helicopter continued to change course for Mt. Heatmor.

"We have to get this back on course!" Otto insisted, but he could clearly see the volcano coming. The pilots did everything they could to try and prevent the ship from crashing, but the helicopter careened right into the mouth of the volcano.

Cassius rose from his seat, his handcuffs undone and took one of the pilots emergency parachutes, strapped it to his back and quickly opened the doors of the aircraft. "Well, gentlemen, it has been a truly wonderful time, but I have work I need to attend to, courtesy of Elezar Aced and the Syndicate."

"The Syndicate?" The Captain asked.

"Oh no" Otto cried.

"And unfortunately" the mad scientist continued, "there seems to be only one parachute left for you boys. Fortunately, for the survivor, you have two options. Join the ranks of the Syndicate, or die with the other. Well, I must be off." With that he jumped out of the helicopter and activated the parachute, which floated him out of the mouth of the volcano and onto the side of it.

The two pilots, unwilling to become slaves of the Syndicate, remained in the helicopter as it crashed into the lava. Cassius made his way to the top of the volcano and watched as the helicopter burned to ashes.

"A pity" Cassius said to himself. "But, like with all science, we press on and move forward." He slid down the side of the volcano until he landed by the entrance to the Syndicate Fortress. Elezar was there waiting for him. Cassius bowed respectfully to his old friend. "It has been a long time, old friend."

"Welcome back, Cassius" Elezar grinned. "The Grand Master would like a word before you get to work."

"Work?" Cassius asked. "Elezar, you sly fox. Have you been Snatching up people for me to Brand?"

Elezar grinned coldly. "You know me so well."

"Very well" Cassius said. "I will speak with The Grand Master before I get to work." With that, the two reunited comrades in terror and darkness made their way back into the Syndicate Stronghold, where not even their archenemy Michael Kingston could get them. For once, they were on the winning side.

{Meanwhile}

"And no one knows what became of the two pilots, though it is surmised that they perished when the vehicle was forced to crash land inside Mt. Heatmor itself" Walter O'Hara reported on the news.

Julia had been dragged away from her research by Amanda to see this story. She could not believe what she was witnessing. Amanda was shaking in fear beside her as they watched the news report coming from one of their least favorite reporters and commentators on television.

"I'd like to take this moment to thank the great heads of ArcTV" Walter continued grimly, "for giving me this opportunity to report on such a tragic day like today. It truly is a grim sight to behold and I strongly suggest you do not show the charred remains of the helicopter to any of your children."

"Does that mean that Cassius Sinclair is dead as well?" Amanda asked her.

Julia did not answer, but kept listening in on what Walter was saying. "These moments have to make us question the very fabric of our society. How does a helicopter crash into a volcano? According to the mental health status of Captain Greenwood and his Copilot, there were no signs of any depression or suicidal tendencies among either of the gentlemen in question. Nor do I believe the exonerated Cassius Sinclair was suicidal over his wrongful imprisonment."

"Why do they let this imbecile talk?" Julia asked.

"These men were not tragically taken from us by a fierce act of nature, nor were they taken by their own tendencies" Walter continued on air. "I surmise, ladies and gentlemen, that these men were taken from us by an act of man. And as far as I know, there is only one man in all of Arcana who would gain anything from the death of Cassius Sinclair."

"You have got to be kidding me" Amanda snapped. "Michael would never-"

"I implore those who have the power to do so" Walter said to his audiences. "Remove Michael Kingston from any positions of power and strip him of his titles as Champion. We can still do the right thing by these men he recklessly sacrificed in his own sick game of revenge. But we cannot do so while this man holds any power in Arcana." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Let me say this to all of you watching and the millions I hope will soon catch word of this. Michael Kingston is the real danger in Arcana. Any talk he makes of conspiracies and plots against him are not to be believed. He is not mentally or emotionally fit to serve in any of his positions, not even as the Arcana Pokémon League Champion!"

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this" Amanda spoke to Julia, turning off the TV in disbelief.

Julia was blankly staring at the TV.

"Professor?" Amanda asked.

"Amanda" Julia said. "Where did the Elite Four say Michael was going today?"

"To Terra Town, I believe you said."

Julia closed her eyes. It couldn't have been him. It just couldn't have been. But something was clearly wrong with him. The Fury that was gripping his heart was only intensifying in strength. If what Chris had said yesterday were true, Michael nearly had a fatal encounter with the Fury when he learned Cameron had orchestrated the deal to only commit Cassius instead of trying him. He couldn't have. That's not my Michael. It's not! But the real question was, could he truly be her Michael anymore?

"Professor" Amanda said. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear on TV. Call Michael and I'm sure you'll know it wasn't him."

Julia bit her lip to prevent her tears of anguish and pain from showing. "No, Amanda. We're going to go about our duties in the same way we do always. Michael can take care of himself." She looked out the window and saw news trucks coming out in front of the Lab. "Lock the lab. We're doing our work in lockdown until these vultures leave."

"Lock it all?" Amanda asked.

"Total lockdown" Julia remarked. With that, turned away from her protégé and continued to plead to the heavens above. It couldn't have been Michael. Not my Michael. Not him. But no matter how much she prayed or pleaded with whomever was out there to answer her, she was mortified she already knew what the answer was.

{Meanwhile}

Ryan, Michael, Addison and Julia emerged from the Terra Town Cafe, refreshed and rejuvenated after their celebratory lunch over Ryan's securing of the Tectonic Badge. After Michael had used some of the specialized medicines Julia had given him to heal up Ryan's Pokemon, he prepared to take his leave of them.

"Well, you guys are well on your way. I guess you'll be headed to Taghwan City next?"

"You can come with us if you want" Ryan offered.

"Yeah, we'd love for you to come with us" Addison insisted.

"Tempting" Michael smiled faintly. "But I've got a pretty angry girlfriend I haven't seen in a few days." He called out Rhaegar, who yawned loudly and let out a magnificent roar. As Michael climbed up his back, he turned to the kids. "Look after each other. And make sure you guys have fun." With that, Michael took off into the skies over Terra Town and vanished into the distance.

"When do we get to fly?" Ryan asked Addison.

"As soon as Marahute is big enough to carry you" Addison said bluntly.

"Well" Holly proclaimed, "until we get some Flying Pokémon of our own, we're just going to have to move about on our own."

"Since when have you become so interested in hoofing it?" Ryan asked her.

"They say we learn a little bit about ourselves when we travel" Holly said. "I used to think that the idea of camping out like you guys have been doing was a little barbaric. But lately, I've been rethinking a lot about what I know about who I am." She turned to him and winked. "And I think I'm starting to get a better idea of what I want from life."

"Well that's-good" Addison said, raising her eyebrow at her friend's sudden reversal. "Then I guess we should begin the road to Taghwan City?"

"I agree" Ryan said.

"Hey, can we visit the Flower Sanctuary while we're on our way?" Holly asked.

"There's bound to be a ton of Grass Pokémon there" Addison said. "That's a great way for us to bond with our Pokémon."

"And I'm pretty sure it's my turn to catch my next Pokémon" Holly said defiantly.

"You could have caught a Ralts" Ryan told her.

"I have my eyes on a different Pokémon" she said, hiding a slight blush on her face. "And some other things."

"What was that?" Addison asked.

"Nothing" Holly insisted. "Nothing at all." Holly then made for the bridge to exit Terra Town. Ryan and Addison looked at each other, shrugged and followed after her.

{Meanwhile}

High above the region on the back of his Dragonite, Michael received a message on his Poké Gear. Curious as to who would be contacting him, he decided to listen in on who had left him a voice message. Before he could adjust the volume on the first, a second appeared. Then a third. And a fourth. And a fifth.

"What the heck is going on here?" Michael asked aloud. He tried to press the device close to his ear so that he may hear what was being talked about. Even as he tried to listen, more were pouring in.

"Mike, you need to call me back immediately! Please! Mom is worried."

Tori? What the heck could she want? He then booted up the second.

"I'd suggest staying out of the public light for a bit, Michael. It seems our slippery friends got one off on you."

Now Giovanni? What is going on here? He decided he would at least listen to another one before trying to figure out what was going on.

"Mike, you need to talk to Julia now! There's something going on!"

Piper? That's the last straw! Michael steered Rhaegar towards the nearest place they could land. When he spotted the peak of Iron Mountain, he landed his Pokémon atop it and began to research what was going on. It didn't take him long to find out about what had happened to the helicopter carrying Cassius towards his Rehab Facility. Then, through an Instant Message, his Uncle Byron sent him the link to the Walter O'Hara report accusing him of being involved. His anger boiling over, he decided to contact each and every person who was constantly barraging him with messages, starting with his uncle.

When Byron answered, he was thankfully not accusatory. "Michael, you got to be honest with me."

"Uncle, I was no where near Mt. Heatmor when that helicopter went down. I was in Terra Town!"

"Okay, son. I believe you. I just need to be sure about these things. Your Grandmother is having a fit."

Michael rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure everyone knows I wasn't there." He hung up with his Uncle and shook his head in anger. This can't be real. This just can't be real. He then dialed up Piper.

When she answered, she was almost on the verge of tears. "Mike? Where are you?"

"On Iron Mountain, why?"

"Please tell me you didn't have anything-"

"Why is everyone accusing me of these things?" Michael asked. "I haven't been near Mt. Heatmor since the last time I left Parlor Town!"

Piper sighed in relief on the other line. "Okay. I'm sorry. I've just been hearing the worst."

"You can't believe everything you hear" Michael assured her, "especially if it comes out of Walter O'Hara's mouth. "Now what's up with Julia?"

"She's a wreck, Michael" Piper told him. "You need to head over to her and talk to her."

"I will" Michael promised her. He then hung up the call. He fell onto his backside and put his head in his hands. This is going to haunt me until the day I die. How can I convince them I had nothing to do with this? I'd say Ryan could vouch for me, but I don't want to bring him or the girls into this. And if I say I was with Giovanni, they'd immediately start saying I'm guilty. This is an absolute nightmare.

His Poké Gear went off once again, he looked at who was calling him. It was Julia. He immediately picked up the call and leaped to his feet to talk to the woman he loved. Hopefully, she would have something good to say.

"Jules? Honey, are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" she repeated. "Mikey, you need to tell me right now if-"

"I'm fine, Jules. I promise."

"What happened to Cassius?"

"You know as much as I do" he assured her.

"I don't know what to think anymore, Mike" she replied, blowing out her nose. She had been crying for a long time. "I just don't know anymore."

"You know I didn't have anything to do with this" Michael told her.

"There's a lot of things I thought I knew" Julia told him. "But I've been wrong before."

"What do you mean?"

"Mike, please just be honest with me. Are you in love with Piper?"

Michael was shocked she would even ask that. "Piper? What are you talking about? Julia, I love you. You are the only person for me, okay?"

Julia was silent for a moment. "When are you coming home?"

Michael lowered his head. "As soon as you need me to."

"When you get here" she said sadly. "We need to talk."

"Once I've got this situation under control, Jules, I'll be coming home. I promise."

"Please, Mikey. Come home."

"I love you, Jules" Michael said, but the line disconnected before he could get a reply. Fighting back the urge to cry himself, he threw his Poké Gear on the ground in frustration and let out a scream that shocked his Dragonite. "AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" When his anger and fury subsided, Rhaegar lowered his head to his trainer's side and nuzzled him. Michael put his arm around the Dragonite's head.

"What are we going to do?" he asked himself and his Pokémon. The Dragonite made a sad face, until he started sniffing around in the air for something. He then turned his head around and growled.

"What is it, Rhaegar?" Michael asked.

"I warned you something like this would happen" a voice called out. Michael turned and saw that he had been joined on the peak of Iron Mountain by a certain lavender haired Syndicate Admin.

"You're the last person I want to see right now, Courtney" Michael hissed. "I don't need you to rub my misery in my face."

"You mistake me" Courtney replied, offering as much emotional sympathy as was capable of the former Team Magma Admin. "I don't take pride in telling you I was right. Do you think I enjoy seeing the wars you're fighting? I'm the only one who's truly concerned about you. Those people you called are only interested in themselves."

"You're actually concerned with The Syndicate's most hated person in Arcana?" Michael laughed. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"You aren't the most hated person by The Syndicate" she told him. "At least, not the parts that matter. Sure, Elezar hates you. But there are plenty of people in Arcana they hate just as much as you. And if you want to go all time, I think you're Grandfather wins that contest."

"Why are you here?" Michael asked, his frustration turning into misery.

"Because I can see into your mind" Courtney told him, coming closer to him. "I see the inner fury in your eyes and the longing for justice and what's truly right behind it. Michael, I didn't give you that taste of my prophetic powers to scare you, but to warn you. The path you're taking now will lead to your inevitable destruction, either by the hands of the Crimson Fury or the hands of your enemies. And not the enemies you're thinking of."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you not recall what my prophecy told you?" she asked him. "I predicted that the moon would take from others. You saw what the Syndicate did to the Space Program. They hijacked it, right from under Queensbury's nose. I also predicted that three people would betray you. And rumor has it that you aren't too pleased with how Cameron undermined you and sent Cassius out of your custody in the first place. And look where it's gotten you."

Michael sat down and put his head in his hands. "I've had my fill with prophecy."

"The prophecy isn't finished, Michael" Courtney told him. "You know as well as I do that the second betrayal is coming. You see it happening right before your eyes and you can't do a thing to stop it."

"Who's going to betray me?" Michael demanded.

"Only you know the answer to that" she told him sadly.

"I don't know what else I can do" Michael said mournfully.

To his surprise, Courtney sat beside him. Rhaegar growled, but was surprised when Michael let her sit next to him. The Dragonite then huffed to himself and turned away, angrily refusing to trust Courtney.

"You do know what you can do" Courtney told him, gently. "I see it in your eyes. You have the passion and tenacity to do what is right. You know what needs to be done, but you're hamstringing yourself with the rest of your family, keeping yourself from doing the right thing. Tell me something, Michael. Where were these family members when you told them Giselle was evil? Weren't they agreeing with her that you were a monster and needed to be banished from your home? Now tell me this. Where is that family right now? When you need them the most? All they care about is themselves. You know it and I know it." She put her hand on his shoulder. "But that's not how it has to be."

Michael squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know anymore."

"Yes you do" she spoke again, almost in a whisper. "You know who truly supports you and who doesn't, The people who don't are the ones that are jumping to an incredibly false conclusion. The ones who do support you, are the ones encouraging you to think for yourself. Elezar and Cassius tortured and experimented on you. And for 14 years, they haven't had to pay a single consequence for their actions. And when you finally have that moment when justice can be served to the vile scientist who tortured you and took your precious Espeon and killed it, the last person in the world you truly trusted betrayed you and let him go free."

Michael was silent and introspective.

Courtney lowered her hand onto his upper arm. "And they will interfere again. They will put their own miserable and selfish lives above yours and make you think that their way is the only way. And when you go to the ones you care about with your problems, all they'll show you is the door in your face." Her hand again lowered to his forearm. "But it doesn't have to be this way." She rose to her feet, came in front of him and fell into a squat, putting her hand on his face. "Unite with me. Combine our strengths and we can destroy Elezar and the rest of his miserable existence." She took his hand in hers. "And when this age of darkness has finally ended, you and I will have made the world a far better place." When Michael didn't respond, she sighed. She let go of his hand and kissed him on his cheek. "The second betrayal is coming, Michael. And I'm afraid you don't have the strength to stop it from coming." With that, Courtney left him.

When Courtney was gone, Rhaegar returned to Michael's side and sniffed him, growling in sadness when he saw the pain that was going through his trainer. He tried licking Michael to cheer him up, but the Dragonite soon found himself incapable of making his mentor happy. Dejected, the Dragonite sat beside him and let out a soft moan.