Piper Pines was woken up in the middle of the night by an unexpected ringing from her Poké Gear. She fumbled around in the dark for it, looking to see who had been trying to call her, but she didn't recognize the number. Despite her initial desire to ignore the number, she nevertheless opted to answer it. She put the device to her head and yawned loudly.

"Hello?" she asked, still half asleep.

"Is this Piper Pines?" a woman's voice answered in a voice filled with concern and fear.

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you at this late hour" the woman apologized. "But I had to tell someone. I'm an assistant for your cousin, Professor Julia. My name is Amanda."

This got Piper's attention, as she quickly rose from her bed and reached for her bathrobe at the end of her bed. "Amanda? Yes, I remember. Is something wrong? Is Julia okay?"

"Professor Pines isn't' the reason why I called you" Amanda said. "Well, not entirely."

"Then what's wrong?"

"It's the Champion, Michael."

"Michael?" Piper repeated, her heart sinking. "What's happened?"

"Professor Julia just ended her relationship with him" Amanda explained worriedly. "And then he just, left. He's gone. I tried calling him, but I haven't gotten a call back. I looked all over their house, but he's completely vanished."

Piper took a deep breath. "Alright. Amanda, don't get yourself too worked up over this. I'll take things from here. Lock up the lab, go home and get some rest. I'll have someone contact you in the morning."

"Thank you, Your Highness" Amanda said. "Please just make sure he and the Professor are safe. He gave me the ring he was going to propose with. And the look in his eyes was...frightening."

"I will keep you posted" Piper promised her. "Take care." With that, she hung up the phone and put her head in her hands. What did you do, Julia? Determined to find that answer out for herself, Piper dialed up her cousin to call and demand to know what was going on. But Julia, likely anticipating her call, had turned off her Pokémon Gear. Piper was about to throw her Poké Gear against the wall of her bedroom, but she knew that would only make things worse. She took another deep breath and decided she needed to make her next step count. She figured Michael wouldn't answer her, so she should check in with the next person who might. She then looked through her numbers to make the next call.

{Meanwhile}

"No, I haven't seen him" Chris replied to Piper's request on the other line of the call.

"I know you're probably busy" Piper requested on the call, "but I really need help looking for him. He can't be alone right now, not after Julia broke up with him."

"Don't worry" Chris assured the Queen of Arcana. "I'm not going to rest until we hear from him. I'll let Mark and Lizzie know too." As he ended the call, he looked towards his sister, who was now pacing rapidly by his side at the Pokémon League HQ.

"This is all my fault" Cameron remarked, sweating nervously as she ran about the entire base. "I started this. And now, no one knows where he is."

"You didn't start anything" Chris told his sister. "How were we supposed to know Julia was going to leave him?"

"What if we don't find him?" Cameron asked, her breathing becoming rapid. "What if we only find him after-"

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Chris shouted at her, causing Cameron to jump back in shock. "Listen, Cam. We are a team. We messed this up. But we are going to make things right. And we are going to find Michael. Do you understand?"

Cameron squeezed her eyes shot, took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. You're right, Chris. We're going to find him."

Chris sent a rapid message out to Lizzie and Mark to let them know Michael had disappeared and what had happened between him and Julia. "Now, Mark and Lizzie will know what's going on. We need to head for the skies and look for every place he might be. I'll head to look and see if he's with his father in Terra Town."

Cameron nodded. "And I'll look in the city for him." The two then broke off, climbed atop their Charizard and Salamence respectively, and took off into the skies above, desperately searching for their cousin.

{Meanwhile}

After enjoying their dinner, Ryan and his friends had decided to get some sleep so that they would be able to make it to Taghwan City in time so that they could help the girls prepare for their Pokémon Contest debuts. So, while Mark watched over the group, they all settled down for the evening. Ryan and Addison's Kirlias, Galatea and Achilles, were sleeping together, close by the fire. Addison and Holly were asleep in Addison's tent, while Ryan was resting peacefully beside their tent. Matthew was a bit further away, either asleep or brooding with his face turned away from Mark's view.

Still wide awake, Mark gently pet his Pikachu, who was resting beside him. Mark couldn't really put his finger on it, but he could clearly tell something was wrong. He could feel it in the cold winds that blew past his head. Even his Pikachu sensed it, shivering while he was asleep. Mark took the Pikachu into his arms and let him rest on his stomach. Something is not right. Not at all. There's a strong sense of darkness in the air. I can feel it in my bones. I think something terrible is about to happen.

The Pikachu suddenly awoke and hopped onto Mark's head and began to sniff around, as if sensing the same thing his trainer was. Mark was about to pet him, when his Poké Gear went off in his pocket. Mark pulled it out and inspected who was calling him. It wasn't a call, but a message from Chris. He opened up his Poké Gear and began to read what Chris had sent him:

[Julia broke up with Mike and now he's gone missing. Be on the lookout for him. Will let you know of any updates.]

Mark gulped nervously. So this was the thing I was fearing. Julia broke things off with Mike. But what does this have to do with the-wait a minute. Within a few seconds, all of it clicked for him. He had always wondered why Michael ever chose to return to Arcana all those years ago, when he had spent the first few years they knew each other telling him he could never return home. He had spent all these years, even knowing Michael's condition with the Crimson Fury, wondering what his Achilles Heel was and what his friend's ultimate weakness was. Now, it played perfectly in front of him.

Julia.

All of it was for her. If Michael had had it his way, he would never have returned to Arcana at all and Giselle would still be ruling Arcana with an iron fist. But it was reuniting with Julia in Agate Village that had motivated him to want to come back. It was his love for Julia that was keeping him tethered to Arcana. He had no loyalty to the Kingstons or any real connections left in the region besides for arguably Ryan, Matthew, Chris and Cam. Everything that made Michael the powerful Pokémon Trainer he was and what fueled him to keep going and not sink into the despair of the Crimson Fury, was all due to Julia's influence.

And now, for reasons undisclosed, she had left him.

Mark looked into the skies above him and saw the clouds darkening. There's a storm coming. And I think it's going to come to a head very soon. I just hope we're ready to brace for whatever comes of this. He looked at the two Kirlias, sound asleep beside one another and pictured the same relationship blossoming between their two trainers, especially after their dance. Why couldn't things just stay like this?

{Meanwhile}

In her apartment in Craft Terrace, Tori drowsily ran down the stairs as she heard her doorbell going off. Dressed in her emerald colored bathrobe, she shook her head and did her best to put on an appealing persona for whoever her guest was until she could send them away. When she looked out the eyehole in her door, she was surprised. Lizzie? What could she possibly want? She opened the door and addressed the Elite Four member.

"Lizzie? Is everything okay?"

"Is your brother here?" Lizzie asked, her face pale.

Tori shook her head. "No. I haven't seen him in months. What happened?"

"I got a message from Christopher" Cameron told her friend's sister. "Julia just left Michael."

Tori gasped. "What? Why?"

"No one knows" Lizzie told her sadly. "And after that, according to Julia's protégé, Michael just disappeared. No one knows where he is."

Tori threw on her shoes by the door. "Then what are we waiting for? We need to go find him."

Lizzie nodded. "If that's what you want."

Tori paused. "This is my brother, Lizzie. Do you really think I'm going to sit around and do nothing?"

"No" she spoke sadly, "but this could be the work of his enemies. You could be in danger if you head out."

"I don't care" Tori replied. "I'm going to get my Tropius. I'll wake Greg up and have him help us look." When Lizzie nodded and headed out back into the night air, Tori bit her lip. I lost my brother once. I am NOT going to lose him again. Once her shoes were on, she picked up her belt of Poké Balls and slipped out into the dead of the night.

{Meanwhile}

Roaming the streets of Titanio City on her own, Cameron desperately searched through the huge crowds of night lifers and tourists for her cousin. She tried in every part of the city she could get into, from the ArcTV Studios and Titanio Park to even checking in on Renee's Gym out on the open water. But she couldn't come up with a thing. Or, in the case of the ArcTV Studios, they simply shooed her out and didn't show any interest in helping her in the slightest. She, of course, didn't tell them that it was the Champion she was looking for, not wanting to raise any alarms. But she was angry at how few people were willing to help her.

If these miserable wastes of oxygen knew what was unfolding in Arcana right now, Cameron hissed to herself, they wouldn't be walking around and acting so casually. But she knew nothing good would come out of her telling anyone of exactly what she was looking for.

When she made it past the main gates of the ArcTV Studios, she was approached by a trio of fringe people protesting outside of the buildings and barking at anyone who passed about the "dark secrets" of ArcTV.

"ArcTV spreads lies!" the lead girl of the group chanted. "ArcTV spreads lies!"

"O'Hara is O'Liar!" another in the trio chanted. When he noticed Cameron approaching, he came up to her. "Hello, miss. Do you have a minute to help us condemn the words of the liar, Walter O'Hara."

Cameron was about to throw the boy aside, when she realized this could be an opportunity to convince some of their most vocal critics of the lies that Walter O'Hara had no problems. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure, I'd love to help."

"Thank you, miss" the boy replied politely. "You're name?"

"Cameron. Cameron Kingston."

The boy gasped. "Wait...you ARE Cameron Kingston!"

She nodded. "Could we make this move quickly? I need to be somewhere."

"Of course, I'm sorry" the boy replied. "Well, can I just get you to sign our petition for ArcTV to force Walter O'Hara to stop spreading his lies?"

Cameron scoffed. "Done and done!" She took the clipboard from the third member in the trio and quickly wrote her name. To her surprise, there were actually over 1,000 signatures on there before hers. "Here, maybe with a Kingston signing it, you might get some legitimacy for your petition."

"Thank you, Miss Kingston" the boy smiled as he took the petition from her. "Can I-um-can I get a picture?"

Cameron sighed. "Just speed it up." He handed his Pokémon Gear to the female member of their group and posed with Cameron. Cameron made a polite smile as the picture was taken.

"Thank you, Cameron" the boy replied. "ArcResistance is on the rise."

Cameron nodded. "ArcResistance is on the rise. And I hope it keeps rising." As she departs from the trio, she continues her increasingly more difficult search to find her cousin. She calls out her Salamence and takes off into the skies above the city to look for him with an aerial glance. But her luck did not increase or decrease as she spent another hour looking throughout Arcana's largest city. Finally, completely frustrated in her failure, Cameron flew back towards the Pokémon League HQ.

Once she landed on the ground, her Poké Gear goes off. She reads who was the one calling her and immediately answers it.

"Mike? Oh my god, you almost gave me a heart attack! Where are you?"

"Cam?" he spoke to her, almost as if in a hypnotic state

"Mike" she repeated, worried by the dreary tone in his voice. "Where are you? You're worrying everyone! There are half a dozen of us out there looking for you. Just tell us where you are so we can find you."

As if not hearing her, Michael called to her again. "Cam? I need you to ask you something."

"Where are you?" Cameron cried out, her heart shaking in fear.

"Cam?" Michael called to her a third time.

Cameron bit her lip and frowned. "Okay, fine. Ask your question."

"If you had a chance to protect the world, even if it meant sacrificing almost everything that made you who you were, would you still do it?"

Cameron thought for a moment. Is this because of the deal I made with Claude for Cassius to evade prison time? But why would he ask her about this now, when he could have done so at any time over the past few days? That can't be it. There needs to be something else behind this. She took a deep breath and nodded to both herself and her cousin's question. "Yes. I think I would. And I would keep on doing it, because that's what a champion has to do. Make the difficult choices that others might not be able to make."

"Thanks Cam" Michael said to her.

"Mike" Cameron said to her cousin, "if this is about my choice to give Cassius a plea deal-"

"It's not" Michael told her plainly. "I can forgive you for that. You did what you felt in your heart was right."

"Will you please tell me where you are?" she pleaded. "There are a lot of us looking for you right now since you bailed on the Ranch."

Michael took a deep breath on the other line. "Once I resign tomorrow" he warned her, "I'm going to be off the grid for a while. If they name you the Champion to replace me, just keep everything focused on the Pokémon League. Once I've settled things with Elezar and Cassius, I'm putting Arcana behind me forever."

Cameron was pensive. I knew something like this was going to happen. Julia was the only reason Mike came back in the first place. But I don't want to lose Mike again. I don't think I'm ready to make the choices to be a Champion.

"Tell the others I'm fine" Michael told his cousin. "And also tell them I'll be in Taghwan after 9:00 tomorrow morning."

"Mike?" Cameron asked her cousin. "Will you keep in contact with us?" Before she could get her answer, he hung up the call. She lowered her head. I guess I should have expected that too.

{Meanwhile}

At the Syndicate Stronghold on Mt. Heatmor, Elezar Aced stood on a railed catwalk, overseeing the work Cassius was doing on their hopeful future army under the complete control of the Crimson Brand. Below him, their subjects and hostages were put under similar conditions that they had subjected Michael Kingston to, nearly 14 years earlier. Strapped to beds and unable to call upon their Pokémon, the trainers were then given experimental brandings on their legs, before the Crimson Brand could be applied to their arms. If they lived through the ordeal and became one with the mind of the Crimson Moon as well as The Grand Master, they would be outfitted and prepared to wreak havoc on Arcana in the name of the Aceds and the Syndicate. If the Brand failed, or the subject died during the experimenting, Elezar ordered the bodies thrown into the mouth of the volcano to destroy all evidence. Even if he was working on a contingency for dealing with any rowdy enemies, he needed to ensure that no evidence could be traced until it was far too late for anyone to stop them. But they were so close to that time. All they needed was for Elezar's masterstroke to succeed.

Even when he was by himself on the catwalk above Cassius's laboratory, Elezar knew he was not alone. He had a firm telekinetic link to The Grand Master since his days of serving as an apprentice underneath his father Balthazar, and that The Grand Master could sense his every thought and lingering dream. Fortunately, he had nothing to hide from his superior. "We are getting close, Grand Master" the Syndicate Leader proclaimed. "In a matter of time, our army of Branded Soldiers will be ready to wipe out our enemies and claim total dominion over Arcana in the glorious name of you and our Syndicate."

Indeed, Elezar, The Grand Master spoke to him through his mind. Perhaps I have underestimated your mental prowess. You truly have run a functioning operation here in my absence. However, I still have my reservations about this "Masterstroke" of yours. I do not believe it is entirely necessary.

"Perhaps not necessary" Elezar told his liege, "but in memory of my fallen father and for the setbacks we suffered at the hands of the Kingston Family and more specifically the Champion, I do not have a choice. And how can I complete my plans if we do not enact it? With the help of my masterstroke, we will multiply the number of potential Crimson Brand soldiers tenfold."

Very well, Elezar. We are taking a risk by taking this action, but I will reserve my judgment. This had better work.

"It will" Elezar assured The Grand Master. "By the end of tomorrow, the Syndicate will be the only power left in Arcana." He watched as dozens of his hostages were given the Crimson Brand at once, all letting out high pitched screams. A twisted smile appeared on his face. "My only regret is that James Kingston will not be alive to witness his this final end to his great legacy."

{Meanwhile}

Throughout the gentle rains that fell over the western parts of Arcana, Michael and his Dragonite soared in the late night skies. There was only one destination left for him to go. Pressed in one of his hands, was the summoning device given to him by his prophetess, his compatriot and the only person who had proven they could keep his faith and loyalties unyieldingly. He had pressed it since ending his conversation with Cameron, but still held it in his hands as a sign to himself to ensure that he would not turn back from this decision.

Nothing was going to change his mind. There was nothing left in Arcana that could change him. It was clear that the universe was going to be against him no matter how good or nobly he acted. And none of that mattered anymore. Once the light in his life had left him, all he had left to him was his anger and his rage. And even is Dragonite could feel it inside of him. The bond between Trainer and Pokémon were quite profound between he and his team. They felt what he did and he suffered through the pain they endured on his behalf in battle. He had long ago believed that by making himself stronger, he could possibly rid himself of the curse that haunted his dreams since he was a broken 12 year old boy cast out of his home thanks to machinations of a mad scientist and a traitor he had once idolized. But now, he knew there was nothing to counter this. Nothing to change about it. He was one with the Crimson Moon, now and forever. But if he could somehow stop Elezar and Cassius from ruining more lives because of this, he was willing to do it. The caveat of revenge also fueled him now.

I hope the boy inside of me is resting well, Michael thought to himself as he saw Iron Mountain appearing in his view. Because by the time I have brought down the Syndicate once and for all, I'm fairly certain he won't have a place in my heart. He thought of his friends. Mark and Lizzie, the truest friends a guy could ever know. Chris and Cam have been closer to me than my own sister. Piper...sweet Piper. She deserved better than me and Julia. Ryan and Matthew...would they understand the choice he made? Would he be able to convince the boys who loved and idolized him that this was the right path? Julia...Julia...It hurt to even think about her. But nothing was going to change her mind. She was leaving him. And he was leaving Arcana.

Rhaegar landed on the peak of Iron Mountain and growled. Michael closed his eyes. He didn't know how he could sense her, but he knew she was nearby. As Michael looked for her, Celebi popped out of his Poké Ball and tried to garner his attention. Michael smiled at the Mythical Pokémon that had been by his side for ten years, but then recalled it back into his Poké Ball.

He found her, staring down Iron Mountain at the Iron Village, where dozens of families were sleeping and living their tranquil lives. She did not turn to face him as he approached her, but he knew she had seen him coming. He stopped by her side and looked down at the homes and buildings in the Iron Village.

"Do you know the people who live down in Iron Village?" Courtney asked him.

"No" Michael replied.

"Naturally" she told him. "And most of them have only heard stories of you. They know of how you defied your own exile and returned to stop Giselle. They know of how you sought to follow your Grandfather's legacy as Champion. But they don't know the true terrors you've experienced in your life, do they?"

"No" Michael repeated.

"And yet" Courtney continued, "you both can live and go on all your lives without ever crossing paths. You will never know what they provide for you and they will never know of what you provide for them." She took a deep breath. "I hope the reason you contacted me wasn't for something trivial like this."

Michael lowered his head. "You were right. You were right about everything. And I didn't want to listen. Whether it was due to arrogance or fear, I don't know. But you predicted all that would befall me, when we first met here. And now, I'm losing everything close to my heart."

Courtney nodded. "Indeed. But did you come all this way to hope I might prevent your third and final betrayal from unfolding?"

The Champion shook his head. "No. I don't care about betrayals and the sort. Not anymore. Not after Julia left." A lone tear fell out of his right eye, prompting Courtney to finally turn to face him. In her eyes, he didn't see an enemy. But a balm to the anger and frustration he was feeling inside.

"Why summon me then?"

Michael looked towards the distance. "After tomorrow, I will be free of all my obligations to uphold peace in the Pokémon League. And when those restrictions lift off of my chest, the only thing I want to do is unleash my wrath on everyone who has ever dared to harm or hurt me or anyone else in Arcana I care for. I will destroy Cassius Sinclair and Elezar Aced for ruining my life."

Courtney grinned. "So, you've finally decided to take me up on my offer?"

Michael turned back towards her. "To join together, destroy Elezar and Cassius and finally, to rule over Arcana together."

The former Team Magma Admin smiled a most heartless smile and reached for his hands. Michael let her take them. As the new alliance was being forged, Courtney looked deep into the eyes of her new partner. "I swear to you, Michael Kingston. I swear to you, that the wrongs that have been done to you will be righted. That the broken heart I see before me shall be mended through your own power. And, I swear to you, that when all of this is over, Cassius Sinclair and Elezar Aced will have been completely and utterly destroyed, by your actions or ours together." She then let go of his hands and put her arms around his neck in a twisted embrace. "And when that day comes, there will be no one left to stand in our way." She then kissed him, though Michael did not kiss her back. His thoughts were already on the only thing that gave his heart the power to keep going: revenge.