Inside the remnants of Cassius's lab, Tommy and the ArcResistance Team set up their final objective. With the barriers and protections of the base now shattered beyond repair, the Crimson Stones vaporized and the Syndicate's Administrators falling by the minute, all that remained was for them to shut down the power to the entire base.

Corey finished downloading all of Cassius's notes and projects onto his Flash Drive and looked to the others. "It's time for us to wrap this up and get out of here."

"I agree" Amber said, content to never have to be in this place again. She looked towards Tommy and Dylan over by the largest generator in the room. "Are you two finished planting those ES Devices?"

Dylan nodded. "Yup. We're gonna make sure this base can never power up anything ever again."

Tommy placed the last one he had on him in the middle of the generator. "Yup. I'm finished."

Amber ushered them over. "Then come on. We have to get out of here before this place starts to fall apart on us." The boys hurried over to her side as Corey finished up on the computer. Then, the four friends hurried towards the exit, but paused. Amber looked back at the boys, who were still inside the room. "Aren't we supposed to be getting out of here?" she asked.

"We need to be in range of the triggering mechanism" Corey insisted her.

"We were like a hundred yards away the last time" she told her friend. "Besides, we need the elevator to get us back up to the Ground Level."

Dylan gestured towards a doorway where there was an emergency staircase waiting for them. "Do we really need it?" He reached out for Corey. "Come on, hand over the device."

"Hey" Tommy asked his friends. "Can I be the one to do it?"

Dylan was surprised Tommy would want to do this. "Are you sure, bud? It's a bit of a serious venture."

Tommy nodded. "I want to do this for Holly."

Amber shrugged as she kicked the door open. "I don't care who does it, but we have to go now!" Corey handed the device to Tommy and hurried up the steps first. Dylan followed his friend, without a moment's hesitation and both of the boys were up the stairs in a matter of seconds. Amber waited to ensure Tommy would get out of the place before it began to fall apart.

"THIS IS FOR HOLLY!" Tommy cried and pressed the button. The generator erupted into an explosion of fire and destruction. Amber grabbed Tommy's hand as the pieces began to fly all over the room and pulled him into the stair well. The two hurried up the steps as they could feel the destruction of Cassius's lab beneath them. Tommy dared a glance below and saw the flames blasting through the doorway. they had just escaped from, but Amber dragged him up the steps until they were in the main hallway once again.

Dylan and Corey were heaving after the destruction of the Cassius's lab, but Amber glared at the two while holding onto Tommy. "We're not finished yet. We have to get out of here before the entire bottom half of the base falls apart." The boys sighed but agreed to keep going and the quartet continued to make their way towards the Beach and to get out of the building. But as they made it up into the first floor, they noticed a woman frantically running past them.

Tommy freed himself from Amber and raced after her. "Professor Pines?" Where is she going? Did something happen? Professor Pines had not seemed to notice them and was distracted by something higher in the fortress. Was she going up to check on Ryan and the Elite Four? The boy could not know and knew he would probably never know.

Amber came up to his side. "Come on, Tommy. We have to get out of here."

The boy nodded. "Let's go!" The two followed Dylan and Corey out of the base and hurried down the steps, the explosions still shaking the volcano and the beach head. The four found the Kingstons and the Arcana Police Force rounding up all of the remaining Syndicate Peons and bringing in the surrendered Syndicate Admins into their custody and shipping them off towards Klefki Prison. Tommy recognized Victor and Nadine being led onto a boat by the Police, with Walter O'Hara, Archer, Lily and Lena also being taken towards the prison and signaling the end of the Syndicate's reign.

Jeice, who had assumed command of the battling Kingstons, gathered everyone around. "The battle is over" he declared proudly. "The Syndicate has been resoundingly crushed and Arcana is safe once again." However, nobody was cheering alongside him. The Kingstons were silent, reflective and concerned for those who had been harmed and more importantly, those who had still not returned from the fortress. Michael, Ryan, Julia and Giselle had still not returned and no word had been made of Addison's location either. The five were still inside the fortress and no one had heard from them since the Julia had rushed into the fortress after the eruption.

"We should start to evacuate" Jenna suggested. "The injured need to be taken back to the Ranch or to somewhere they can recover."

"We still need people to remain here in case something happens" Greg opined.

"The Arcana Police Force will remain on the island" Byron offered.

"So will I" Cameron declared.

"I'll stay too" Alison responded.

"Anyone who is still capable of fighting should stay" Jeice responded. "As for the others, we should begin to evacuate them." Daniel, Doug, Mark, Lizzie, Anthony, Chris, Junior and Jon were brought out onto boats bound for Pocus Town before they would be sent to back either to Kingston Castle or the Ranch to heal, as Titanio Hospital was still deemed unsafe. Jenna, Annie, Jasmine, Katrina, Morgan, Erin, Shannon, Jeice and Deidre all elected to leave the battlefield alongside them. There were a handful of those who wondered if and when they themselves would leave, but until such a time, Cameron and Byron would remain atop the command chain as the others departed. This left Cameron, Madeline, Billy, Renee, Tori, Greg, Alison, Warren Tenton, Tommy, the ArcResistance Team, Byron and a contingency of the Arcana Police Force on the island to protect the few still fighting.

While the ArcResistance Team took a moment to rest, Tommy noticed Cameron eyeing the situation above them worriedly. He approached the Elite Four and Michael's close confidant cautiously. "Are you worried about Mike and Ryan, Cameron?"

She noticed him and sighed. "I worry about a lot of things, kid. My brother, all of Arcana, plenty of other things."

"But something's clearly bothering you" Alison suggested as she came over to comfort her niece.

Cameron looked back as the boats departed from the island. "I don't think it's a good idea to withdraw so quickly."

"You think there's gonna be more fighting?" Tommy asked.

Byron walked over to the trio and voiced his support for Cameron. "This isn't over. As far as we know, Cassius, Elezar and Matthew are still battling up there. And then, there's the whole Crimson Brand Army. Why hasn't that made it's presence yet?"

Tommy gulped. "Another army?"

Cameron nodded. "Michael knew that Elezar and Cassius were branding people left and right. Where are they? Why has all we've been fighting been these scrub peons and Syndicate Admins?"

"Maybe Michael's intelligence was wrong?" Dylan suggested.

Cameron looked up towards the Syndicate Base. "If we heard anything from Mike, I'd be less worried. But it's been too quiet up there. Nothing from him, Giselle or Ryan."

"You don't think something bad happened, do you?" Tommy asked.

Alison took a deep breath. "Oh, Ryan...please be careful."

Cameron stared unflinchingly at the Base. "No matter what happens, I'm starting to think Ryan is our last hope."

Tommy joined her in looking up at the base, his own concern for his friends increasing by the second. "Ryan...Michael..."

{Meanwhile}

Ryan stood frozen in front of the doorway that was where his brother had run off to. This was going to be the battle that defined him and his team, no matter how close he was to becoming a potential Pokémon League Champion contender. None of that mattered to him anymore, at least for the moment. His brother, the fragments remaining of the Syndicate and above all else Addison's safety were more important to him than anything else. He had already used the remaining supplies at his disposal to restore his Pokémon back to full strength. Now, his entire team of Achilles, Sparks, Marahute, Cora, Simba and Terra were ready to go. But he was still unsure about himself. Would he be able to defeat his brother? Would his sore loser brother tell him where Addison was? Was she even here? What if she...NO! She's here. She has to be. If anything happened to her, Matthew would suffer the consequences.

Ryan kicked the door open and walked inside. The chamber was dark, no doubt due to the lack of electricity flowing into the building. The ArcResistance team had successfully cut the power to the Syndicate, all while he and his cousins had throttled the Syndicate Admins. He knew he would have to be careful, as his brother was always a fan of being sneaky and taking cheap shots. To protect himself, he called out Sparks to walk alongside him. The Jolteon barked in approval and the two walked into the chamber.

"I was wondering when you'd show up" his brother's voice echoed through the room.

Ryan looked around, until he was surprised when the platform in the corner of the room burst into flames. The flames lit the room up a bit more and revealed Matthew right in front of the burning platform. Still in his Syndicate Admin garb, his former close friend and brother glared at him, his Flareon growling by his side.

"Matthew" Ryan called to his brother, "it's over. The Syndicate Admins are being rounded up as we speak and Michael is going to defeat Cassius. Just give up."

Matthew seemed uninterested in his brother's words. "Eh, I'm not impressed. Most of them were pretty weak anyway."

"I'm not here to impress you" Ryan spoke again. "I'm here for two reasons. For Addison and for your surrender."

"I have no intention of surrendering" Matthew told his brother defiantly. "But I will admit something, Ry. I used to think you were just a gutless worm who lucked himself into a few victories. But you've singlehandedly dealt with some of the toughest Trainers the Syndicate has to offer. I have to say, I'm impressed. And because I'm impressed, I'm willing to offer you the opportunity to join forces with me."

Ryan laughed. "Are you kidding?"

"Think about it" Matthew encouraged him. "The Kingstons will never harm us or put us in jail. Even Mike wouldn't do that. Once Elezar and Cassius are dealt with, it can be the three of us running the Syndicate, with you and I running Arcana by ourselves while The Grand Master goes around the world completing his goals. No one, not Mike, not Dad, not a single person would be able to stop us. What do you say, Ryan? You and me? Brothers fighting as one."

"Fighting as one?" Ryan asked. "For how long?"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"You seem to be fairly good at stabbing people in the back" Ryan observed angrily. "Me, Holly, Mike, our family, our friends, even your new friends here. There isn't a person who you wouldn't turn your back on, so when should I count on you betraying me again?"

Matthew smirked. "I'm gonna take that as a no. Yet another mistake."

"When did any of us deserve this, Matt?" Ryan demanded.

Matthew folded his arms. "I told you back in Titanio City. I've lived my entire life in your shadow. No matter how strong I got or what I did, you were always the one who got all the attention. From Mom and Dad, from Mike even from Addison and Holly. How would you like to spend all of your days making yourself tougher and stronger and watching your brother luck his way into success and friendship? How would you like to sit around and try your hardest to become strong, just for your brother to sweep your feet and take everything that you've ever wanted?"

"When did I take anything from you?" Ryan asked.

"How quickly you forget" Matthew responded harshly. "When we were in Taghwan City getting our Gym Badges. You were the one who made mistakes. You were the one who would have cost us the victory, but somehow you were the one still standing at the end. I should have been the only one who got that Gym Badge! Not both of us! I was the reason we were winning, but you and your stupid Cyndaquil had to get lucky!"

"We fought Daniel together" Ryan insisted. "And we both got our victories."

"And yet all Addison or Holly could do was cheer you on" Matthew said coldly. "I never even got an eyelash bat."

"Do you not remember what Addy told you in Trickton? We were supposed to travel together and do this whole journey as a team. But you ran off because you couldn't handle-"

"I couldn't handle living beneath you" Matthew replied. "Constantly seeing how you and your weak Pokémon were able to go farther than I ever could, no matter how much I trained. You never trained. You never got beaten by a Gym Leader! You've never felt the shame of knowing you and your strong Pokémon were still no match for a brother who never once had to work for something in his life!"

"You think I've never tried before? You think I have never had to work for anything? Maybe, if you weren't so jealous and thickheaded, you would have seen all the work we put in on this journey." Ryan shook his head. "Matt, you've been so blinded by your anger that you failed to see that there's something out there more than just power and winning."

Matthew snickered. "That sounds like something a loser would say, Ry."

Ryan, realizing his brother was too far gone, decided it was time to put an end to this. "Where is she?"

Matthew looked behind him. "She's here. With me."

Ryan listened as the sound of footsteps echoed behind his brother. His heart quivered inside of him as he prayed that Addison would be alright. Please. Please, Addison. Just be okay.

From out of the shadows came Addison. She was wearing the outfit of the Gardevoir she had purchased in Trickton, including her green wig. But her arm was heavily bandaged and her eyes shined with the same color as the Crimson Moon. Her face was expressionless and she appeared as if she were under some kind of trance. She slowly made it to his brother's side and wrapped her arm around him.

"It is good to see you, Ryan" she said, her voice as lifeless as the rest of her body looked. "But you have come for no reason. I am happy being with Matthew. He is the hero of my story."

"Addy..." Ryan cried out, overjoyed to even see her safe and sound. "I've been so worried about you."

"Your worries are misplaced" she continued. "I am happy here with the one I love. Please, leave me with him. You wouldn't want to upset me, would you?"

Ryan eyed her, deeply alarmed by what she was saying to him. "Addy? I've come to save you, like I promised I would."

"I don't need your protection" she said, her voice becoming colder and more distant. "I have my hero. Matthew is my hero."

Ryan glared at his brother. "What did you do to her?"

"Thanks to Cassius" Matthew explained, "I reminded Addison of which of us she's supposed to be with. Not the worm who got in between us."

Ryan stepped towards her. "Addy, please. I'm here for you. And I'm not leaving without you."

"Then you're not going to leave" she said, her hand trembling as it moved over her bandaged arm. "And you will sink into the power of the Crimson Fury!" She plunged her hand into her wounds and screamed out in pain.

"ADDY!" Ryan cried, about to race over to her, but his brother's Flareon stepped in between them.

"Take one step forward and I can't guarantee your safety" Matthew threatened.

Before Ryan even had to call on his Pokémon, Sparks charged into the Flareon and the two former siblings from the same litter were now viciously biting and clawing at one another. When Matthew's bulkier Flareon got on top of the Jolteon, the Electric Pokémon rained Thunder from the skies, including a blow which struck the Flareon in the head and forced it to tumble backwards as Sparks was freed and able to attack. But before Sparks could take advantage, a geyser of water came his way and he was forced to retreat. Ryan looked up and saw Addison had called out her Vaporeon, Ariel, who's eyes also shined with the power of the Crimson Fury.

"Addy" Ryan called to his best friend and the girl he loved. "I'm not going to fight you."

"Then you'll be crushed" she warned him. "I will fight beside my champion."

Ryan's anger turned on his brother. "I'll never forgive you for what you've done to her."

"Somehow, I'll get over it" Matthew declared. "So, which will it be? Two on One or Two on Two?"

Ryan knew he stood no chance of winning while fighting off two Pokémon at once. He would have to at the very least throw some light jabs at Addison's Pokémon while fighting with all his might against Matthew. He reached onto his belt. "Go! Marahute!" His Pidgeot shined as she hovered over the rest of the battlefield. Though she was at first concerned about fighting Addison, Marahute was intent on battling for her trainer's honor.

Addison's Vaporeon was the first to move. The Vaporeon was moving as if not being controlled by her trainer, but her own frightened rage. She spat out another Hydro Pump, this one geared towards Marahute, while Sparks showered the Flareon in Thunderbolts. The Flareon spat a Fire Blast at Marahute to double team on the Flying Pokémon, while she countered by using a Mirror Move after taking the Hydro Pump to the stomach and sending the Hydro Pump back at Flareon, who was struck by both the Mirror Move Hydro Pump and Sparks's Thunderbolt simultaneously. As the Flareon collapsed, Matthew quickly sent out his newly evolved Feraligatr into the battle. The enormous Water Pokémon roared at the battlers.

Sparks shot a Thunderbolt at the Feraligatr, but was struck hard by an Ice Beam from the Vaporeon. As Sparks recovered, Marahute sent an Air Slash at the Vaporeon, striking her in the head. Addison let out a squeal of pain and fell to her knees in response.

"Addy!" Ryan cried out.

"You...will...pay...for...this!" Addison rose back to her feet and sent an Ice Beam at Sparks to finish off the Jolteon. As Sparks was barely able to stand after the freezing blast, Ryan opted to recall his friend.

"Go! Cora!" His Kingdra emerged from the next Poké Ball and immediately began to use Dragon Dance to boost her own power.

The Feraligatr came at Cora, bearing his claws to do some colossal damage, but Marahute intercepted and used a devastating Hurricane, which picked up both the Feraligatr and the Vaporeon before smashing them hard into the ground. While the Feraligatr slowly recovered, the Vaporeon fainted and Addison let out another yelp of pain.

She seemed on the verge of crying. "It hurts..."

"ADDY!" Ryan cried out to her. "You've got to fight it! I'm here for you!"

Matthew growled. "Then I'll just have to fix that! Feraligatr! Hydro Pump!" The Feraligatr launched a colossal torrent of water at Marahute, knocking her out of the match and forcing Ryan to make another Pokémon change. He called out Terra to support Cora, who unleashed a devastating Outrage on the Feraligatr, knocking him out in kind. Matthew shook in anger as his second Pokémon fainted. He recalled his fainted Feraligatr and summoned his Hitmonchan into battle next.

Addison recovered from her bout of hesitation and sent out her newly evolved Altaria. The Dragon Pokémon loomed in the skies above Cora, who defiantly spat a Hydro Pump her way.

Terra instinctively burrowed underground and came up and struck the Hitmonchan hard as it was concentrating a Focus Punch on Cora. But Ryan was unable to enjoy the brief success as the Sandslash was soon struck hard by a Dragon Pulse from the Altaria, who was coming to the defense of the Hitmonchan. As Terra tumbled out of sight into a dark corner of the room, Ryan was left with one Pokémon left to fight until his Sandslash recovered. Cora and the Altaria lunged for each other and clashed with devastating Dragon attacks in Outrage and Dragon Pulse, which left both Pokémon gravely weakened.

Addison yelped in pain as she too felt the pain of her Pokémon and fell backwards. "Please" she weakly called. "I can't take it anymore."

"End this!" Ryan demanded to his brother. "Matthew, we have to stop! Addison is hurt!"

"THIS DOESN'T END UNTIL YOU LOSE!" Matthew bellowed. He glared back towards Addison. "Get up! Keep fighting!"

Addison was breathing heavily. "I...will...do as you command, my hero!"

Matthew scoffed at this. "See, Ryan?"

"You've enslaved her!" Ryan countered. "And I won't let you live this down!" His Sandslash finally recovered and struck hard at the Hitmonchan, pinning it in the same burrow he had earlier created. With the Fighting Type Pokémon unable to move, Cora launched a Hydro Pump directly into the head of the Hitmonchan, thus knocking it out of the fight.

Matthew growled. "This is ridiculous!" He called out his Noivern next, who sent a Dragon Pulse directly at the Kingdra, knocking her out. Down to only a few Pokémon left, Ryan realized he needed to make a final stand here and now to stop Addison from sinking any further than she already had.

"Go! Simba" His Pyroar now stood in opposition to the Altaria and the Noivern. But rather then let his newly called out Pokémon make he next move, he knew he would have to get that Altaria out as soon as possible and thus sent Terra to finish the job. "Terra! Use Crush Claw!" The Sandslash raced toward the drained Altaria and took it out of the match.

Addison screamed in pain. "No! Please!"

Ryan's heart fractured with every cry from the girl he loved. He was barely able to withstand Addison's cries a moment longer. He looked towards his brother for help one final time. "If you really care about Addison, you'd stop this fight right now. She's in pain, Matt! Please!"

"I WON'T LET YOU TELL ME HOW TO LOOK AFTER MY GIRLFRIEND!" he snarled, already lost in the depths of his own denial. He glared back at Addison, who was clutching at her head and weeping. "GET UP AND FIGHT!"

Addison struggled to her feet and called out her most powerful Pokémon, her Gardevoir Galatea. The Gardevoir's eyes shined the same color as her trainer's, even as Addison Mega Evolved her into Mega Gardevoir. "I...must...fight..."

Ryan suddenly got an idea. This may be the one chance he has at saving her. He recalled Simba and sent out his ace Pokémon and the compliment to Addison's. Achilles the Gallade. His fierce knight stood in strict defiance of the Noivern. Ryan called out to Addison again. "Please, Addy. You have to fight it. I'm here for you! You can stop this right now. Please. Listen to me!"

Matthew looked back towards her. "Don't you dare listen to him! You are mine, Addison!"

"I...am...Matth...ergh! STOP IT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Addison doubled over, weeping uncontrollably.

The Gardevoir prepared to attack the Gallade, but when she realized which Gallade it was, she paused. Achilles showed no sign of interest in fighting her and lowered his arms. The Gardevoir, as if desperate not to join in the fight, struggled with her own internal conflicts. Finally, Galatea let out a soft cry and fell into the Gallade's arms. As the two lover Pokémon embraced, Ryan heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's just like Holly said: True Love Conquers All" he recalled, a tear dropping out of his eye.

Matthew was revolted by the idea of those Pokémon as lovers. "It's disgusting! I'm sick of this!" He looked to his Noivern. "Noivern! Use Flamethrower!" The Pokémon looked confusedly back at her trainer, as if she wanted to know who to attack. Matthew turned a twisted smile towards his brother. "On him!" The Noivern raised her mouth and spat a wave of fire directly at Ryan. Sensing his trainer was in danger, Achilles let go of his embrace of Galatea and rushed in front of the blast, taking the blow squarely to the face and falling to his knees. Matthew shrugged. "Fine. See if I care. Torch them both!"

Ryan, unwilling to let his Pokémon take the fall for him, stepped in front of Achilles. "Enough, Matt! Only me!"

Matthew clenched his fists in fury. "Fine! Get rid of this scrub, once and for all! NOW!" The Noivern rushed forward and slashed at Ryan with it's hindlegs, slashing at him and cutting through his shirt, before slamming him aside with its tail.

"Ugh!" Ryan groaned, struggling to get back to his feet. Addison and her Gardevoir were desperately trying to fight off the Crimson Fury and whatever held their minds locked away, but it seemed to be in vain. Achilles, sensing that his trainer was in danger, rushed once more in front of him and stood in front of Matthew's Dragon Pokémon. The Noivern spat out another stream of fire at Ryan, but before it could reach him, the flames were sent like a rocket back into the Noivern's mouth, causing the Dragon to choke on it's own attack.

Ryan was stunned. "But how?" He looked over towards Galatea. Addison's Gardevoir had done this! She had redirected the Flamethrower back into the Dragon's own mouth, as she had when Ryan and Matthew squared off in Trickton. Galatea made her way over to Achilles, pulled her gallant knight to his feet and the two stepped in front of Ryan. She looked back towards Ryan and winked. Ryan couldn't contain his joy anymore. "Galatea?"

Matthew snarled. "NO!"

Addison was struggling against her own body and mind, screaming and flailing about to try and free herself from the Crimson Fury. Without her control over Galatea, her ace Pokémon had been able to make it through the ordeal and now stood firmly on Ryan's side.

Ryan looked towards his brother. "It's time we finished this!"

Matthew shook his head. "NO! I WON'T LOSE LIKE THIS!" Matthew reached onto his belt for another Poké Ball, realizing he only had one left. "Go! Steelix!" His enormous Steelix emerged and loomed over the rest of the battlefield.

Ryan was prepared and this time, he would end the battle. "Galatea! Use Moonblast! Achilles! Use Close Combat!" The two former Ralts lunged forward. The Gallade unleashed all of his power, plus an added boost from the Life Orb he had received from Annie in Cauldro City, and obliterated the Steelix in one move. Galatea moved next, using the full power of her Fairy Attack to overwhelm and annihilate the Noivern. As the Dragon Pokémon collapsed, Ryan took a deep breath. The battle was over.

Matthew was livid. "No. Not again!"

"It's over, Matthew! Just give it up!"

Matthew let out his rage. "No! I'm not losing to you again! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Ryan watched as his twin brother rushed at him, prepared to thrash his brother in an actual fistfight, but he was suddenly tripped up. Terra had burrowed underground, grabbed the vengeful Syndicate Admin's legs and dragged him into the hole, trapping him in the burrow, unable to move. Matthew fought with all of his strength to be free from the hole, but he was failing to move even his arms. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

Ryan looked over towards Addison and hurried over to her side, sliding down to her as she collapsed onto the ground. He picked her up into his arms and held her. "Addy! Addy! It's okay! I've got you." Seeing that Addison was shaking violently as Holly had been, Ryan hugged her as Tommy had done with his sister. He could feel his own body shaking alongside hers. "You're gonna be okay, Addy. I promise. I don't know how, but I will make this okay."

"Pr-promise?" she asked, her mental capacities still lost to her.

Ryan nodded. "That's right, Addy. I promised I'd keep you safe." He could feel himself ready to burst into tears. He clung tightly to her as he finally allowed himself to weep. "Addy. I was so worried about you. And I was so lost without you. But I found you. I finally found you!" Ryan watched as his tears fell from his face and landed on her back.

"R-rr-Ryan?" she feebly chimed. "Ryan?"

"Addy!" he cried as he held her. "I found you."

"Ryan?" she repeated. "Is it really you?"

Ryan nodded. "It's me, Addy. I found you."

Addison rested her head on his shoulder. "It's real. This is real." She flung her arms around him. "You're really here, Ryan. You came for me!" She broke down in his arms. "I was afraid you'd never get to me."

"I promised you, didn't I?" Ryan reminded her. "Come hell or high water, I will keep you safe. I said that after my Dad was hurt."

"Even when the darkness comes in and creeps up on me" she recalled, shaking in his arms. "You're here. You're really really here." Ryan turned and saw that their Gallade and Gardevoir had also embraced each other lovingly as their battle had come to an end. Addison raised her head and saw it as well. "Look at those two. They're really in love."

Ryan pulled Addison to her feet, glancing back at the two. "They're glad they found each other. Just like I'm glad I found you." He looked at Addison's face for the first time since she had left him at the Faire Grounds. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, even as her Gardevoir wig was slipping off her head to reveal her chestnut colored hair. Her eyes were red, but with tears instead of the Crimson Fury. She tried to smile as they looked at each other. But she simply buried her head into his body.

"I was so afraid. Afraid that they were too much for you. Afraid that you'd never find me."

"I promised you I would find you" Ryan reaffirmed himself. "I promised you. And I never break my promises."

Addison laughed sadly into him. "Well, there was the one to Mike..."

"Okay, you win" Ryan laughed as he embraced her.

Addison looked at the wounds that Matthew's Pokémon had made into Ryan, seeing some blood dripping from his chest. "You're hurt."

"Don't worry about me, Addy" Ryan told her. "I'm just glad your safe."

"Don't tell me not to worry" Addison insisted. "Of course I worry about you!" She tried to use some of his torn clothing to tend to his cuts, taking a moment to wipe away her tears as she did.

"I'm gonna be okay, Addy" Ryan promised her. "We have to get out of here before-" He paused when he realized that Matthew was still in the room. He looked back towards his foe, but he could do little more than to pity him. The boy he had once called his brother glared up at him with utter contempt, but he had lost all of his power over him and Addison. His Pokémon were beaten, his reputation destroyed and no one standing behind him, there was no other feeling he could possibly have for him outside of pity. The two reunited friends made their way over towards he who was once the third part of their best friends trio. Now, irreparably damaged.

Matthew snorted as his brother stood over him. "You going to rub it in, now?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. You dug your grave on this one, Matt. And no one is going to protect you from what you've done. Not Mom, not Dad, not Grandma and definitely not me. As far as I'm concerned, you're no brother of mine." He was about to leave, until he saw that Addison had turned her own glare onto Matthew.

This stare, Matthew could not bear as he looked away. Addison took a step towards him. "I loved you, Matthew. I really did. You were one of my best friends in the world. But I didn't love you the way you wanted. I'm sorry that my feelings aren't the same as yours. But that's not my fault. No one chooses who they fall in love with." She took a deep breath, clutching at her arm. "But you took my love and turned it into this. You are just as responsible for what happened to me as Cassius was. There's plenty of thoughts I've had since you betrayed me about getting back at you. But now, looking at what you've become, you're not even worth my hatred."

Matthew lowered his head. "Not even worth your hatred..."

Addison recalled her Gardevoir and came to Ryan's side. "Come on, let's go home."

Ryan nodded as he recalled Achilles and Terra. "Yeah, let's go home, Addy." The two made one last glance at Matthew squirming in the burrow Terra had trapped him in, and left Matthew's chambers. But as soon as they arrived in the atrium that would lead to the other rooms, the two could feel the shaking of the volcanic eruptions as they made their escape from the base. Addison clung to him as Ryan tried to figure out what was going on. He didn't know why, but he could feel that something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Something's not right" he said. He reached into his pocket for his Poké Gear, but the two lost their footing as another volcanic eruption began to tear at the very fabric of the base. Ryan pulled Addison back to her feet. "What's going on? Where's Mike? Where's anyone?"

"Mike?" Addison asked. "What are you talking about?"

Ryan realized how out of the loop she had been. "You were captured before anyone found out. Mike and the others are alive. They helped orchestrate this whole rescue." He looked around for any sign that his cousin or Giselle was out of the base, but he would have thought at least one of them would have come for them. "But one of them should have been here by now."

Addison looked around for an answer, but was still too weak from her injuries to move on her own. "Maybe, if we can-"

Ryan looked at her and shook his head. "No. You need to get to the infirmary below. Then, I'll go and-" As Ryan was about to head up into Elezar's chamber, Addison grabbed at him. He looked at her and saw her trembling again.

"No" she cried. "Please. Please don't leave me again!" She fell onto her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. "Please don't leave me alone! I can't-"

Ryan fell to his knees. "No, Addy. I promise I won't ever leave your side." He flung his arms around her.

"I can still hear him" she cried as she clung to him. "He's whispering in my ears. Please! I can't do it, Ryan. I just can't. I can't be alone. Please."

Ryan shushed her as he held her close to him. "We're together now. And I'm going to keep you safe, no matter what. Because I lo-"

"Ryan!" a voice called from the staircase. Ryan and Addison looked over and saw Julia, heaving as she reached the top of the staircase. She looked at the two and held her hand close to her heart. "Ryan. Addison. You're safe."

Ryan and Addison rose to their feet. Addison sheepishly approached the Professor. "Professor Julia." She was surprised when Julia raced over to her and embraced the girl. Addison lowered her head and hugged her back.

"You're safe, Addison" Julia replied. "That's what matters." She eyed Ryan and opened the embrace to include him. "You both are." Ryan raced into Julia's outstretched arms and the trio embraced together. After another quake shook the ground beneath them, she pulled away. "But we're not done yet. We need to find Michael."

Ryan was surprised. "So you are here for him."

Julia nodded proudly. "Michael is everything to me. I lost him once and I refuse to lose him again. I'm taking him home with me. And then we can all put this nightmare behind us." She looked towards the middle of the three doors. "So, that's where Elezar is hiding?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Let's finish this together." He put Addison's arm around his neck and helped her walk forward, as Julia led the way.