"Torkoal!" Victor snarled at his Pokémon. "Use Overheat!" His flaming tortoise spat out a colossal amount of flames at Chris's Dusknoir, engulfing the spectral Pokémon in flames and prompting it to collapse. As the Torkoal was about to fall down himself in fatigue due to power it used in it's Overheat, it ate the White Herb it was holding onto to regain it's power, prompting Victor to laugh.
Ryan watched from the stairwell as his cousin was struggling in battle against the Syndicate Admin. His frustration with Victor solidifying, it took all he could to keep himself from storming in on his cousin's battle. He knew that he would jump in as needed.
"So much for the Mighty Christopher Kingston" Victor snickered.
"You know" Chris said, his fatigue showing greatly, "you're not inaccurate, but that doesn't mean I'm happy to hear it."
"The only thing you should be happy about is the thrashing I'm about to give you!" the Syndicate Snatcher snarled. "Then, I'll go and take care of that weak sister of yours!"
"Sorry, Victor" Ryan said as he made it to the top step. "You're not going to get that opportunity."
Chris looked back and seemed relieved. "Ryan. Well, isn't this a surprise."
Victor folded his arms and shook his head. "You need backup, Chris? How pathetic!"
"We're not the ones that hide in packs like you cowards!" Ryan fired back.
Victor stomped his foot angrily. "I'm no coward! I'll break you in half, runt!"
Chris took out another Poké Ball. "I'd just love to see you try!" He sent out his next Pokémon: his Alakazam named Jafar. Ryan stepped to his cousin's side and sent out his own next Pokémon: Terra the Sandslash.
Victor sends out his Rhyperior to fight alongside his Torkoal. "Fine. I'll squash you pests in one shot! Rhyperior! Use Megahorn! Torkoal, use Flamethrower!" The Rhyperior charged his way towards the Alakazam, while the Torkoal sent a Flamethrower towards Jafar as well.
"Chris!" Ryan called to his cousin. "Have your Alakazam Teleport away!"
"What?" Chris asked.
"Just do it!"
"Jafar! Use Teleport!" With that, the Alakazam vanished into thin air.
"Terra! Use Earthquake!" The Sandslash concentrated all of it's weight and muscle into one colossal blast and caused Victor's room to shake as violently as Courtney's had. Both the Rhyperior and the Torkoal took the savage hits and remained on the ground, though both were clearly fatigued by the devastation caused by Ryan's Pokémon.
"Now, Jafar!" Chris called to his Pokémon. "Reappear and use Psychic on the Rhyperior!" The Alakazam did as his trainer instructed and ragdolled the Rhyperior into the ground, causing him to faint.
Victor scoffed. "Well, well. Finally found your footing?"
Chris shrugged. "You could say that." Ryan looked back at his cousin and his worry grew. Chris was barely keeping it together himself. His injuries were just too much on him.
Victor shrugged. "Crushing dreams before crushing bones is my goal, anyway! Go Accelgor!" From Victor's next Poké Ball appeared a mysterious ninja-looking Pokémon with a huge pink and green skull that flashed with evil intent. "Now, use Bug Buzz!"
"Terra! Use Crush Claw!" The Sandslash moved forward to strike, but the Accelgor vanished from his view and reappeared behind the Sandslash, devastating it with a wickedly powerful Bug Type Attack. As The Sandslash struggled to recover, Chris chose now to intervene.
"Jafar! Use Tri Attack!" The Alakazam sent a mysterious three pronged triangular beam at the Accelgor, striking it before it could finish off Terra. It struck with the colossal force of Ice, Fire and Electricity, ultimately freezing the Accelgor in place.
"What in the-" Victor grumbled in surprise.
"Terra! Use Crush Claw!" Ryan proclaimed. The Sandslash rushed at the Frozen Bug Pokémon and thrashed at it with his wickedly powerful claws, shattering the ice and causing the Accelgor to faint. As Victor recalled his Pokémon, Ryan's Sandslash rolled back over to his trainer. Ryan looked at the formerly intimidating Syndicate Admin with confidence. "What's the matter? I thought you were gonna throttle us."
Victor growled. "I will not suffer your insolence, you little worm! Go! Walrein!" A massive blue and white Walrus Pokémon appeared and spat a torrential Ice Beam at Terra, knocking him out of commission for the remainder of the match. Ryan recalled his Sandslash and then sent out Marahute to face the Walrein.
"How about I have an idea for a change, Ryan?" Chris said. "Can you whip us up a storm?"
Ryan grinned. "I thought you'd never ask. "Marahute! Use Hurricane!" The Pidgeot whipped up a wind storm unlike any she had ever before and dragged both of the heavy Pokémon into the air and flung them around like they were nothing.
"Leave the rest to me" Chris declared. "Jafar! Use your Psychic Powers to take control of the Hurricane!"
"WHAT?" Victor cried out.
"Huh?" Ryan asked. "You wanna fill me in one what you want to do?"
"Like I said, Ry, leave it to me!" Chris looked to Jafar, who began to levitate in the air and move the wind storm as if it were nothing, flailing it about one room to the next. The winds began to spin faster and faster, even attempting to pull the trainers into it, but Ryan caught his cousin's arm before they could be pulled in. The winds were moving so fast that the Pokémon inside weren't even visible anymore. "Wait for it...wait for it...NOW!"
On command, the Alakazam stopped his telekinetic control of the Hurricane attack and stopped it. Within seconds, the Torkoal and the Walrein were bouncing off every single wall like pinballs, until the two Pokémon crashed to the ground in front of Victor. The Syndicate Admin was infuriated. "Why you-"
"We did it!" Ryan cheered as he recalled Marahute.
"Scratch one more Syndicate Flunky" Chris proclaimed.
"I'LL BREAK YOU TWO!" Victor lunged for the two, intent on grabbing Ryan by the throat, but Chris moved first and elbowed the Admin in the gut, before punching him in the face so hard, Chris was initially afraid he'd snapped Victor's neck. The huge hulking Syndicate Goon stumbled backwards before falling on his rear end, dazed and completely out cold.
Chris could feel his hand vibrating from the punch. "Wow, he was built tougher than I thought...ooof."
"You gonna be okay?" Ryan asked.
Chris sighed as he fell to his rear end and recalled his Alakazam. "Not gonna lie, Ryan. I think I'm done. I thought I'd have more energy than this!"
Ryan walked over to his cousin and picked him up on his arm. "Come on, Chris. Let's get you down to the rest area to recover. Mark and Lizzie should already be down there." Ryan led the way as the two were beginning to head down the stairs.
"Wait, Ryan!" Chris realized. "There should be a switch on Victor's podium over there. Press it to unlock the door so you four can go on ahead." Ryan left his cousin clinging to the bannister as he dashed over past Victor's unconscious body.
Wow, he really did a number on Victor the boy thought to himself as he made it up to Victor's podium. There were several buttons to press, but the large green switch seemed like the obvious choice to make as he flipped it, causing the a bit of a power surge before things turned to normal. With that, Ryan hurried back over to Chris and helped his cousin back down the stairs.
"Guess this washout isn't so useless after all" Chris shrugged.
"Oh, come on, Chris" Ryan told him. "You're no washout."
"Yeah, well I feel like one" the Elite Four Member sighed as the two made it near the exit of Victor's Chamber.
{Meanwhile}
After wrapping up their work in the Computer Rooms in the cellar of Kingston Castle, Amanda decided to check up on Jocelyn as she was still asleep and resting to recover from the wounds she endured in her battle with Elezar. Her patient had been surprisingly quiet since she had last had a bout of consciousness right before Julia left for Mt. Heatmor, so she figured she would do whatever she could to help while Piper and Julia were away.
This castle is absolutely massive, she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs up to where Jocelyn was sleeping. I can see why Michael was always so uncomfortable being here. Whenever his duties compelled him to have to come to Kingston Castle, Julia would tell her that Michael would always be in a bad mood. Though the place would be a little girl's dream come true of being treated pretty much like royalty, for someone more down to earth like Michael or Julia, the place would feel like a pampered prison. But Amanda didn't care where or how they would live, but she just wanted the two of them to find each other again. The two had loved each other more than any other couple she had ever seen, even her own parents. But their relationship was torn apart by their own emotional distress and forces beyond their control. If anyone deserved their happy ending together, it was them. But now, with the Crimson Fury in full force and Julia feeling unworthy of even speaking to Michael, she was beginning to fear that the two wouldn't actually get together in the end.
As she made it to Jocelyn's door, she paused when she saw that the windows in the chamber were wide open. She looked over to the bed and discovered that Jocelyn was gone. Amanda began to panic. Jocelyn still had not fully recovered from her injuries. If she insisted on battling her father and the remnants of the Syndicate, she was afraid the heroic daughter of Elezar was going to end up dead. She was about to call Piper or Julia to warn them, but she paused when she discovered a letter on the pillow where Jocelyn had been placed. Curious, Amanda opened the letter to read what had been written:
[Dear Kingston Family and Friends,
I never would have guessed that a family I had been told my entire life to despise would be full of such kind, caring and courteous people. Every single one of you from Lady Kingston down to young Ryan I owe a debt that cannot possibly be paid. You have shown me a world where my anger and hatred can be better suited to help others and protect the things that matter to me. I would also like to personally thank Michael Kingston for saving my life, Cameron Kingston for bringing me to recuperate here and for the wonderful treatment I've received under the care of Professor Pines, Her Majesty and Miss Amanda.
However, I cannot be kept on the sidelines during this crucial moment in Arcana's history. Even if my physical health prevents me from making a significant difference in the long run, I have to be there for the moment my father truly admits his defeat. This, I believe, is a forgone conclusion. Michael Kingston's survival and the ousting of Walter O'Hara and Claude Jacques as Syndicate flunkies has proven to me that my father's aptitude for making plans isn't as foolproof as he thinks he is. But I am not going there to rub defeat in my father's hands. On the contrary, I am going there to protect my father from the wrath of The Grand Master. Whatever this being is, he has got to be stopped before this nightmare in Arcana can end. And while I will be forever thankful to him for saving my life, I do not believe that Michael Kingston is strong enough to prevail in the end, not without the love of Professor Pines. Those taking part in the clash at Mt. Heatmor will need all of the help they can get and I am prepared to give them my share.
Perhaps one day, I will be able to repay my debt to you in one way or another, as well as the debts of my father. But until I can stop my father from further degrading the legacy of the Aced Family, I am afraid I must remove myself from your safekeeping here and defend the honor of the Aced legacy.
We will meet again, hopefully as friends instead of allies.
Sincerely,
Jocelyn Aced]
Amanda looked out the window, hoping to find Jocelyn just flying outside in the distance, but the young woman she had been caring for had likely left several minutes earlier, if not even before that. Amanda could only wonder what impact she was hoping to have in the final battles to come, but she hoped that Jocelyn was at the very least, smart enough to be able to take care of herself. She merely decided to message Piper that Jocelyn had left and leave it to that. She knew better than to have Julia worry over Jocelyn's disappearance, and Jocelyn would probably agree with her. There was someone else Professor Pines needed to worry about more.
{Meanwhile}
Michael and Giselle watch as Ryan aids Chris down the steps that had led to Victor's Chamber. Michael looked worriedly as his best friend looked completely drained from his injuries and subsequent battles. While Giselle snickered at Chris's misery, Michael ran over to his cousins.
Chris waved at him, as if completely delirious. "Hey, bud."
"What happened?" Michael asked.
"Don't look at me" Ryan shrugged. "He was okay up until a few seconds ago.
"I think I need to lie down for a minute" Chris said. "But don't worry. I'll be kicking up again in no time!" He freed himself from Ryan's grip and slowly made his way down the stairs towards the resting area.
Michael knew he and his friends weren't in the best of shape since Taghwan Hall burned, but this was particularly alarming to him. Three of the Elite Four had already dropped out of the remaining battles, with Lizzie and Chris seeming the most in tatters. I never thought I would see the day where these guys are on the brink of total collapse. It was breaking his heart to watch them crumble right in front of him. He lowered his head as his best friend departed out of his sight.
Ryan looked up to him. "Do you want me to go check on Cameron?"
Michael blinked for a moment before acknowledging him. "Uh, yeah. Only if you feel up to it, Ry."
"Of course I do" Ryan insisted. "You guys should be resting." He made his way over towards the Blue Doorway, but paused. "Oh wait. Before I forget!" Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a Purple Poké Ball and offered it to him. "This was a Poké Ball that is supposed to never fail at catching a Pokémon. Hunter stole the designs for it, but we figured you should hold onto the prototype."
Michael studied it, but his mind was racing over his concern for Chris and the others. He absent-mindedly chose to ignore what in the back of his head he was concerned would perhaps end up being one of the biggest discoveries of his life. "Well, Ryan, this is certainly quite a discovery. But for now, I think you'd better hold onto this."
Ryan eyed him in awe. "Really? You want me to keep this?"
Michael shrugged. "Sure. I trust you, kiddo. Just make sure you don't let the bad guys get it."
Ryan salutes his cousin. "No problem! I'll go help Cameron now." With that, Ryan raced up the steps to go and fight alongside his other cousin.
Giselle scoffed. "You're lucky that kid is as dense as the ocean."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Michael asked bitterly as he returned his attention towards her.
"You're petrified" she said. "The Four Bozos are completely and utterly cooked. Now, the entire fate of destroying the Syndicate relies on a Champion afflicted with a painful condition, an inexperienced little squirt and a good for nothing former Champion."
"You know, you're not particularly good at this whole 'motivation' thing" he replied.
Giselle folded her arms. "Mike, I'm not saying this because I enjoy your misery. You know how bad I am at this."
Michael shook his head. "You mean to tell me you don't enjoy it?"
"I can enjoy it" she corrected him. "But I'm not. You're afraid that someone's going to get hurt because of this. Someone close to you."
Michael looked away from her. "So what?"
"Mike" she said, as kindly as she could, "you can't save everybody. You can't protect everybody. And the more you try, the more you're going to just overstress your body. They all know what's at stake and they're giving it their all because of this. But the more you worry about them, the more damage you're doing to yourself. You are the last person Arcana can afford to lose right now."
Michael couldn't bear to look at her. Because no matter how right she was, he wasn't ready to hear it just yet.
{Meanwhile}
Ryan watched in awe as Cameron and the old man named Claude stared at one another, their Pokémon heaving in exhaustion. Her Lucario and Claude's Tauros had seemingly gone several rounds of blows between them, but both Pokémon were clearly drained of all strength they had in them. Despite their complete lack of energy, the two had intense stubbornness between them and neither appeared to be the one willing to cave in first.
He eyed Cameron closely. She wasn't showing signs of fatigue as Chris and the others had, but he knew that their bodies could only take so much. He couldn't be too careful with her. And this old guy she was battling didn't seem to have the lack of energy problem she did.
"It would appear we are at an impasse" Claude informed her dryly. "I do not believe you have the capabilities of defeating me."
Cameron scowled. "And I think you should stick your opinions up your-"
"Cameron!" Ryan called, hurrying to his cousin's side. Unlike Chris and Mike, who had been both happy and surprised to see him, Cameron was not pleased to see her younger cousin coming to her aid. After her initial glance, she refused to even look him in the eyes.
"What are you doing here? I can handle this myself!"
"Perhaps you should take the boy up on his offer" Claude mocked. "It would be most unbecoming of a woman of your ill repute to continue to battle with the grace and civility of common street trash." Claude then fixated his gaze at Ryan. "And as for you, my boy, I'm afraid you have interfered with far too many of the Syndicate's plans for me to allow you to progress." He reached into his pocket and pulled out another Poké Ball. "Go! Starmie!" From Claude's Poké Ball appeared the Sea Star Pokémon, the same kind as had been the one that Piper had used to overwhelm Anthony's Banette in the Chateau all those weeks ago.
Cameron snarled. "We're not done yet!" she insisted and tossed her Lucario a Sitrus Berry. "And I don't need help!"
"You clearly need help for this inferiority complex you have, Cameron" Claude replied coldly. "As well as for many things that I just don't have the time to get into. But your time to face me has come and gone, child. Allow me to face your cousin here. He, at least, has the decency to not-"
"Lucario! Use Force Palm!" Her Lucario with one swift movement, smashed the Tauros in the face and knocked it out of the match, The Bull Pokémon took one last glance at the Lucario it had traded heavy blows with and ultimately collapsed. Cameron glared at Claude. "I'm owed restitution from you, Claude!"
"I owe you nothing, you immature brat" he taunted. "But, if you're going to flail around like an infantile toddler, I suppose I'll have no choice but to finish this now! Go! Braviary!" From out of Claude's next Poké Ball appeared a fierce looking Flying Pokémon with wickedly sharp talons and a screech as loud as a jet engine.
Ryan reached for a Poké Ball on his belt. "Go! Achillies!" His Gallade emerged onto the battleground, ready to throw down with whomever his opponent would be. The Dual Fighting/Psychic Pokémon eyed the Starmie in front of him for his target, while the drained Lucario faced off against the Braviary.
"Starmie! Use Shadow Ball! Braviary! Use Heat Wave"
"Achilles! Use Leaf Blade!"
"Lucario! Use ExtremeSpeed!"
The Starmie hurled a glob of spectral energy at Achilles, but the Gallade had become more than adept to combatting them at this point and sliced through the Shadow Ball with one Leaf Blade before slicing at the Starmie with the other. The aquatic Pokémon fell backwards, but recovered with a quick spin. Before the Braviary could even launch it's attack on Lucario, Cameron's Pokémon moved in a flash and smashed the Flying Pokémon in the head with a markedly fast attack. The Braviary squawked loudly and unleashed a vicious Heat Wave attack on the two Pokémon. Achilles remained largely unaffected, but the Lucario finally lost steam and fainted from the ruthless Fire Attack.
Claude chuckled to himself. "You seem to be down another Pokémon, my dear."
"I've still got more fight left in me" she insisted. "Go! Slaking!" She threw out her most powerful and dangerous Pokémon, a massive sloth Pokémon with muscles as thick as Ryan's entire torso, but the urgency of, well, a sloth. The lazy enormous Pokémon rolled on his side and yawned loudly as he realized it was his turn to engage in battle.
"Uh, what is that thing?" Ryan asked.
"My ace in the hole" his cousin proclaimed.
"That thing is a glorified sofa" Claude told her. "Go! Braviary! Use Brave Bird on the Gallade!" The Braviary poised itself to strike at Ryan's Pokémon, but this was the opportunity Cameron was waiting for.
"Slaking!" she cried out. "Use Giga Impact!" As if churning out some unknown scope of energy, the Slaking struck hard at the Braviary, devastating it with one colossal attack and knocking it out handedly.
Claude snorted. "Well, it seems you aren't so useless after all."
Ryan had heard enough from the old man. "As if you're of any use to anyone."
"I've lived a long life of being useful" Claude countered. "Now is the time for me to enjoy the simpler things in life, such as crushing the hopes and dreams of you Kingston brats."
"All this because James and Balthazar left you behind" Cameron laughed, making a mocking tear face. "Boo hoo. Get a grip, Claude. I sometimes feel left out when my brother and Michael spend time together, but unlike you, I can get over it and make myself stronger and stand out without living in the shadows of people far greater than myself."
Claude thumbed his nose. "Hmph. You actually believe that I felt left out by James and Balthazar?"
"Well, it's either that or you're just a sad old man without a heart" Ryan said bluntly. "And not sad as in sorrowful. Sad as in pathetic."
The elderly gentleman laughed. "You have some nerve to accuse me of these things, boy."
"Prove that it's not true then" Cameron challenged him. "Who exactly were you useful too all these years? Grandpa didn't even trust you with what was inside the Golden Chest. Grandma thumbed her nose at you like the common trash you are."
This provoked Claude's anger. "I will not be spoken down to by two clowns!" He reached into his pocket for his final Poké Ball. "Go! Kommo-o!" A Dragon made mostly of large silver and gold scales clanged into the scene, it's eyes fixed on the Slaking that had obliterated the Braviary. "Kommo-o! Use Close Combat! Starmie! Use Recover!"
The Starmie regained it's health by simply absorbing in the light from the room, but Achilles was instantly all over it with another ferocious series of Leaf Blades. With both blades devastating the Starmie, there was little it could do to defend itself and soon, the Starmie had fallen out of the match. Before Ryan could relax, he sent Achilles forward to deliver the final blow to the Kommo-o, who was doing his best to pummel the Slaking, who just seemed to be tanking the hits as if they were nothing.
"Achilles! Use Psycho Cut!"
Achilles intercepted one of the Dragon's many fierce blows, and the two clashed with each other, exchanging blows left and right until the Gallade slashed at Claude's Pokémon's face with a ferocious Psycho Cut, draining it of significant power. As the Dragon stumbled backwards and Claude watched on in stunned disbelief, Cameron sent her Slaking in for the kill.
"Now! Use Hammer Arm!" The Slaking propelled itself forward and smashed the Kommo-o in the face before causing it to collapse, it's scales clanging together like cymbals to demonstrate it's ultimate defeat.
Claude growled bitterly and pressed a button on a remote in his pocket, which caused the roof above his chambers to open. "While I will commend you for your exemplary training, Ryan, I cannot say the same for Cameron. And I will not be going into prison anytime soon."
"What the-" Cameron snapped.
"I must be going now. It has been a riveting ride, but we'll just have to catch up the next time I'm in town."
A hovercraft floated down towards the elderly gentleman, who showed surprising dexterity for any old man by leaping into the craft and having it take off into the skies above. As Claude disappeared out of sight, Ryan was about to call out his Pidgeot to pursue him, but Cameron held her arm in front of him. Ryan looked at her in stunned disbelief. "What are you doing?"
"There's no need in wasting your energy" Cameron declared. "Let him go."
"But if we don't catch him-"
"Who is he going to turn to?" Cameron asked him. "He has no one else to turn to in Arcana. The Police have seized all of his assets, the Kingstons know him as a traitor and if the Syndicate somehow survives, they'll mark him as a deserter. The only place he can go is into hiding. And if he does, what harm can an old man like him be?" She pointed in front of her cousin. "He even bailed out on his Pokémon."
Ryan looked back on the field in shock. The Starmie and Kommo-o were both fainted and Claude had not bothered to even recall them. "How could someone do that?"
"Someone who never truly valued what Grandpa said" Cameron said bitterly. "We'll have to find these two Pokémon good homes." She looked to her cousin. "In the meantime, I should thank you for coming over here to fight with me. That took guts to intervene, even when I didn't want you to."
"I promised Mike I would back you up" Ryan said proudly.
"And you did good, Ry' she nodded. "Unfortunately, my team is a little busted at the moment, so I'm going to have to go and heal them at Jenna's little base camp." She looked towards Ryan. "Are you okay to keep going?"
Ryan looked over his team. "I should have enough supplies to keep backing up Mike and Giselle if I need to."
Cameron nodded. "Okay. Just make sure you keep an eye on Giselle, too. I don't want her getting any second thoughts about her place here."
Ryan gave his cousin a thumbs up. "No problem."
As Cameron went to go check on Claude's fainted Pokémon, she looked back at Ryan one last time. "One more thing."
Ryan looked back at her as he was about to begin descending the steps. "Yeah?"
"We've beaten Nine of the Twelve Syndicate Admins" Cameron counted, "and only three are left. One of them is bound to be Matthew."
Ryan lowered his head. No one had said anything about Matthew yet, but he knew his brother had to have come here after being outed as a Syndicate Admin. He was here, somewhere. And so was Addison. If he found Matthew, he would find Addison. "I know."
"Show him no mercy" Cameron cautioned. "Because he won't be showing you any."
Ryan nodded. "Thanks, Cam." With that, the boy scurried down the steps and left Cameron to her own devices.
{Meanwhile}
The injured and wounded continue to pile up for Jenna and her little team of nurses. Jenna, Julia, Annie, Jasmine, Morgan and Alison were hurriedly tending to the numerous of their friends, family and allies who were in need of medical care. The battle was still taking place outside, with it becoming more and more of a rout despite the mounting injured. The Syndicate Peons were no match for the combined strength of the Arcana Police Force and the Kingstons.
Julia looked over the exhausted Lizzie and Mark as she noticed another familiar face collapse just outside of the stone tent that Greg had created to house the infirm. She gulped nervously at his current physical condition. "Oh, not you too, Chris." She raced over to him and helped the completely exhausted Elite Four Trainer into the tent.
Jenna sighed worriedly. "This is getting bad."
"Tell me about it" Alison said, equally uncomfortable with the amount of people in the infirmary. Now, it was Mark, Lizzie, Chris, Daniel, Anthony, Doug, Renee and Junior who had been forced to sit back and let the others deal with the remaining Syndicate Peons. With Junior and Doug out of commission, it was up to Jeice and Erin to lead the remaining Kingstons and their friends into battle. "We're running out of room. We may need to consider evacuating some of the trainers back to Pocus Town."
"Where are we going to be able to look after them?" Annie asked. "It's not like we have Titanio Hospital easily accessible to us."
Jasmine and Morgan gently tended to Chris as they helped the exhausted Elite Four member into a cot. As she placed a washcloth on Chris's forehead, Jasmine looked up to the other women in the room. "Who's still left in the fortress?"
"Michael, Giselle, Ryan, Cameron and the ArcResistance Team" Jenna answered. "We're just going to have to hope they can hold the line."
"Well, those hopes just decreased" Annie commented. "Here comes Cameron."
Julia hurried to the entrance and saw Cameron, thankfully walking of her own free will, into the area. She heaved a sigh of relief. "At least you're here in one piece, Cameron."
Cameron walked past Julia and handed her Poké Balls to Jenna. "I need you to heal them. Her eyes fell on her brother and she hurried to his side, nearly knocking Morgan and Jasmine over. "What happened to him? Who did this to him"
"He's exhausted, Cameron" Alison told her niece gently. "You guys haven't properly recovered from your injuries yet."
Cameron shook her head. "I need to get back in there, before anyone else ends up in here."
Jenna nodded as she brought her cousin's Poké Balls into the Healing Machine. "So, did you guys manage to beat the Admins? We have Walter O'Hara in custody already."
Julia came over to Chris's side. "There's probably still a few left." She sighed as her friend slept on the cot. "We're asking too much of you guys."
"We don't have a choice" Lizzie coughed herself back into consciousness. "There's too much at stake here. The Crimson Moon is in full force above us. And if we can't stop the Syndicate here and now, we may not get to see our friends and loved ones ever again."
Alison walked over to the front of the Infirmary and looked at the Syndicate Fortress that loomed above in the volcano. "Ryan..."
"Mike must be having a heck of a time with that" Cameron remarked sadly.
"He's going to be fine" Julia said confidently.
"And you would know this, how?" Cameron asked bitterly. "When was the last time you even talked to him?"
"In case you haven't noticed" Julia snapped back, "we're in the middle of a battle."
Lizzie rolled over to look at Julia. "But have you talked to him recently? Julia, he's only holding together now because of us."
Julia shook her head. "Michael is strong. He's going to find a way to overcome the Crimson Fury. He always has. After that, he and I can talk about where we are."
"And you're the expert of all things Michael" Cameron replied harshly. "Especially since you stomped on his heart!"
Julia got in Cameron's face. her own temper flaring. "How loyal you are to a cousin you sold down the road for a plea deal with Claude Jacques!"
"I care enough about him to own up to my mistakes!" Cameron hissed. "Can you say the same?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"Mike could have used you before this!"
Alison sighed and stepped between the two feuding women. "There's enough fighting going on outside. Let's keep things peaceful in here."
"Did you know that Mike's already named me to succeed him as Champion?" Cameron growled, ignoring her Aunt's request. "Is that the sign of someone who's ready to find a way to overcome the Crimson Fury? Because it doesn't sound like that to me!"
"Who are you to say anything about Michael?" Julia fired back.
"Julia!" Jenna chimed in. "This isn't the time for this. If Cameron is right, then Michael might be in serious danger. The Crimson Fury is poisoning him on the inside, making him fight harder than he should have to. It's literally killing him to fight. He wouldn't want us fighting among ourselves."
"He's going to be fine, Jenna!" Julia declared. "We have to have faith in him."
"Those words don't sound like your confident" Cameron whispered angrily as she sat beside her brother.
Julia looked toward where Alison was and held her hand close to her heart. Oh My Michael...