As the last standing Syndicate Administrator and the leader of the fledgling enterprise, Elezar now squared off against both Giselle and Michael in his chambers. His Hydreigon and Scizor both fought desperately to match up against his former flunky's Liepard and his archenemy's Dragonite. It did not matter how he did it, but he could not afford to fail to beat them. There was too much riding on this battle for him to give up. His freedom, his father's research and possibly his life were at stake, especially with how ruthlessly Michael and his Pokémon attacked him. The Champion was holding nothing back while they battled, but Elezar's attention was constantly being diverted. When Giselle hammered at his defenses, he would send his Pokémon to counter her, but the instant he did that, Michael's Dragonite was all over him. It was astonishing to see just how strong Michael had truly become since the Crimson Moon had shined above him.

While she battled for her own pleasure, two things surprised Giselle as she and Michael thrashed about the Syndicate Leader. The first was how well she and Michael were working in sync with the other. The two had not joined forces in battling in some time, but it seemed like the two had not missed a beat. But the second and more alarming trait was how Michael was holding nothing back. He wasn't restrained by his friends or his own thoughts. He and his Dragonite's attacks were powered by sheer hatred and malice. It was clear Michael, if not held in check by something, was more of a danger to Arcana than Elezar could ever hope to be.

Michael was becoming a machine of violence. He was not ready to relinquish the power of the Crimson Fury just yet. It was coming in handy. It had already destroyed Cassius for him, but now he needed it's power to ensure Elezar Aced never harmed another person in Arcana ever again. And if it meant that he would have to be stopped by his friends and loved ones and put down, so be it. So long as Elezar was gone and his loved ones were safe, to what levels did his life matter anymore? No matter how much it hurt his heart to make every step he took, it wouldn't matter. Once Elezar was dead, nothing else would matter. His friends would be safe.

"Liepard! Use Fake Out!" Giselle snapped. The Liepard leaped high into the air and swiped at the Hydreigon with it's tail, causing the three headed Dragon to stumble backwards, stunned by the unexpected blow.

The Dragonite, as if in sync with his trainer's thoughts, struck at the Scizor hard with a powerful Flamethrower. The Bug Pokémon was unable to withstand the blow and fell to the ground in the raging flames. With the Scizor defeated, the Dragonite turned it's fury on the Hydreigon. With a series of devastating blows, the Dragonite pummeled the dazed and exhausted Hydreigon into submission, smashing Elezar's ace into the ground and putting his foot on the lead head's throat, snarling in relentless fury.

Elezar could not fathom his defeat. "No. I won't submit this easily! Hydreigon! Use-" But before the trainer could complete his command, the Dragonite continued to stomp angrily on the throat of the Hydreigon, causing it to cry out in pain. Elezar, realizing he had no choice now, shouted to the trainers. "Alright! I surrender! Just let my Pokémon go."

The Dragonite flew back off of the Hydreigon and in front of Michael, who simply eyed the Syndicate Leader in utter contempt. Giselle came to Michael's side and called her Liepard back to her side. "It looks like your little crusade for power was always meant to fail, Elezar. And now, you'll get to spend the rest of your life in prison, like you condemned me to!"

Well done a voice echoed through the chamber. You both are quite exemplary trainers.

Elezar looked back into the darkness behind his throne. "Grand Master?"

Elezar was soundly defeated and you both deserve high marks for your actions. But the work is not yet complete. So long as Elezar Aced draws breath, he will continue to terrorize and inspire people just like him to keep mobilizing. You two must destroy him.

"But, Grand Master" Elezar pleaded. "We're allies! Comrades! Friends!"

In your own words, Elezar, you misjudge me. You and I were never equals. And you have constantly proven yourself too incompetent for your own good, Elezar. And I have no need for an alliance with a witless oaf like yourself. Giselle! Michael! If you value your freedom and those of your loved ones, you will destroy Elezar and ensure no other Aceds can haunt Arcana's shadows ever again.

Giselle stood over Elezar, her Liepard poised to attack, but she shook her head. "The Courts can deal with him. I've gotten to see Elezar whimpering like the frightened child he truly is. He isn't a threat to anyone anymore, not without his precious Syndicate." She looked down on her former comrade. "It is funny though, seeing you squirm like a frightened child when your friends turn their backs on you. You get what you deserve." She took a step back. "But not from me."

Elezar helped his drained and exhausted Pokémon back to it's feet and offered it a Super Potion to replenish some of it's health. He looked over towards Giselle. "That was quite honorable of you, Giselle." The Hydreigon, though still panting and breathing heavily due to the Dragonite stomping on his throat, was standing of it's own accord. He let out a low growl as he spied the Dragonite staring directly at him.

After a moment of silence, the voice of The Grand Master echoed throughout the room again. But what does he deserve, Michael? Remember what this man has done in his times of irrational hatred. Your Grandfather died because of him.

Michael remained still, staring intently at the Syndicate Leader.

He targeted you to be the first to be branded, when you were just a young boy. He watched as you were tortured and experimented on by Cassius Sinclair, his only true friend in the world. He mocked your precious Espeon for dying when he tried to save you. And when you were driven from your home, he gloated over his victories. He encouraged your enemies to torment your family and friends. He turned your family against you, not once but twice.

Michael's arms began to shake, his eyes darkening in the color of blood. Giselle took a step back, her Liepard joining her out of range of what might come from the Champion.

He has cost you everything you've ever held close to your heart. He endangered the boys, Matthew and Ryan. He tried to have your friends killed. He branded Addison Tenton and Holly Queensbury. And he put the wedge between you and your precious Julia.

Michael's face contorted in unrelenting rage, his Dragonite growling at the cowering Syndicate Leader.

You have lost her, forever. Soon, she will have moved on, I foresee. Marriage and a family await her. She will be happy all of her days, while your heart sinks into the abyss created by the very man who stands in front of you.

Elezar looked back at the Grand Master's looming presence. "What are you doing?"

What mercy does he deserve? He, who took everything you hold dear and used it against you? When Julia is with the man she loves, where then will your life be leading you towards? All you have now is the Crimson Fury. Why not thank him for this curse afflicted upon you? Break him, crush him, destroy him. Bring him towards his own demise. It is the only way you can save the last bastions of light in your life. Otherwise, Elezar will find your cousins and destroy them for interfering in his plans. Would you rather his blood be on your hands, or Ryan's?"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Michael roared, his eyes completely devoid of life. His Dragonite bellowed in fury as he rushed forward and slammed the Hydreigon into the ground, stomping and biting him fiercely.

"Michael! Stop this!" But Elezar's pleas were falling on deaf ears. The Dragonite grabbed the Hydreigon and launched him against the wall and thrust himself towards him, breathing fire all over the Hydreigon. The trio of Dragon Heads cried out as Rhaegar ripped at them and tore at them. Elezar rushed to his Pokémon's side and to try and reason with Michael. "This has to stop, Michael! Please!"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Michael fumed. The Champion grabbed Elezar and threw him to the side. Elezar tumbled to the floor and looked up at the sapphire eyes of The Grand Master.

"What is this?" he asked. "Is this why you wanted Michael alive? To destroy me?"

No, Elezar. Not to destroy you. To succeed you. To lead my forces in the Crimson Branded army you fools helped me to create. Speaking of which. The sapphire eyes of The Grand Master shined brightly. I think it's time I dealt with Arcana's remaining defenders.

{Meanwhile}

"What is going on up there?" Cameron thought aloud as she and the remaining defenders looked on at the Syndicate Base as light and fire exploded from the highest tower in the entire complex. The entire base was seemingly collapsing right in front of their eyes, but there was still no sign of Julia, Michael, Addison or Ryan. With the volcano erupting and a battle for the ages taking place within the building, those that remained behind could only assume the worse.

Alison walked up to her nieces' side, holding her hand to her heart. "Ryan..."

"He's going to be fine" Cameron assured the boy's mother.

Tori joined the duo in front of the base. "It's not Ryan that I'm worried about. What if Julia doesn't make it to Michael in time? What if it's too late?"

"We have to keep faith in those guys" Billy told the women. "They're all we've got left to cling onto."

Cameron was about to agree with her cousin, when something drew her attention. There was a faint noise, as if a massive doorway was opening somewhere on the island. She kept her eyes peeled to the sides of the beach where they had previously fought off the Syndicate Peons and her hand over her Poké Balls hanging on her belt. She gulped. "I think this break was only halftime."

Billy gulped. "You mean to tell me there's more?"

Tommy looked towards where Cameron was looking and ran behind the trainers. "It's them."

"Who's them?" Dylan asked.

Cameron watched in horror as dozens of trainers began to march on them, each brandishing thick bandages on their arms and eyes that were crimson red. Pokémon of all shapes and sizes suddenly appeared out of their Poké Balls, they too powered by the might of the Crumson Fury and the Crimson Moon that still lingered above them. She reached onto her belt and sent out her Lucario. Billy sent out his own Lucario to join her while Tori called out her Vileplume and Greg his Flygon.

"These are the Crimson Brand soldiers?" Greg asked as he reached the sides of all the other trainers.

Renee nodded worriedly. "Does anyone have a way to contact the others?"

Cameron shook her head. "We're on our own here!" She didn't want to have to fight all of these enslaved people, but they didn't have a choice. They needed to hold the line. "Lucario! Use Force Palm on that Lairon!" The Lucario did as she commanded and struck at the Lairon with all of his might, but the Steel Pokémon not only seemed unharmed by the move, it had tanked the hit and rammed the Lucario backwards with the force of it's head. Cameron was petrified. "That should have done something."

Tori held her Vileplume back from contributing. "You mean, we can't do a thing to these Pokémon?"

"We have to keep trying" Greg declared. "You guys make a beeline for the Fortress. I'll try to hold them off."

"But Greg!" Tori argued.

Warren Tenton made it to Greg's side. "You all should head for the base to hold the fort down. We can't let these soldiers reinforce Elezar! Go!" Warren Tenton sent out his Staraptor to fight alongside Greg's Flygon.

Cameron reluctantly led Tommy, Alison, the ArcResistance Team and the remnants of their fighting force into the base itself, while Greg and Addison's father fought as hard as they could to give them a cover. She watched as Greg's Flygon shook the entire island with a massive Earthquake, but that did little but hinder their progress. She pushed the others inside and called to the two. "Come on! Let's go!"

After a few more attempts to break through their lines, Greg and Warren withdrew their positions and fled into the fortress. As they made it inside, Cameron and Billy sealed the gates shut as best as they could and tried to find a way to reactivate the locks, but failed without the power. "Without the power, we're sunk."

Tommy gulped. "I think that was our bad."

Dylan followed in suit. "We may have been a little too trigger happy for our own good."

"We're sorry" Amber apologized.

Cameron shook her head. "You guys did your job. Who would have thought we'd be so undermanned right now?" She shook her head angrily. "I should have warned Dad that the battle wasn't over yet."

"There's nothing we can do but hold them off" Alison cautioned the group. "We need to give Michael more time!" As the doors shook as the oncoming mass of Crimson Fury soldiers tried to burst into the base, and their Pokémon did whatever they could to hold them off, Alison looked worriedly back to the top of the base. "Ryan. Michael. Please hurry!"

{Meanwhile}

Ryan, Julia and Addison came to a stop when a stream of fire narrowly missed burning them. They peered up and looked on in horror at the absolute carnage Rhaegar was delivering on Elezar's Hydreigon. The exhausted Dragon was doing all it could to keep him and his trainer safe from the incoming rampage of Rhaegar and his furious trainer. Michael's Pokémon was too powerful for even one of the strongest Pokémon in the world to defeat.

"Mike" Ryan remarked sadly. "We're too late."

Addison looked on, horrified. "Is this what I was like?"

Julia was unable to say anything as she watched Rhaegar utterly crushing the life out of the Hydreigon, while Elezar watched on in horror and Michael goaded his Pokémon to continually move on. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I did this. This is all my fault."

The Dragonite grabbed the Hydreigon by it's throat and launched it with all of its might against the wall. The three-headed Dragon was completely out of energy, but Rhaegar's attacks kept coming, endlessly. Rhaegar smashed his skull into the Pokémon's ribcage, making it unable to even stand any longer. Elezar's Pokémon slumped to the ground, completely bereft of energy and strength to fight back. Rhaegar seemed eager to attack more, but Michael halted him. The Champion, completely under the control of his own rage, walked over towards the exhausted beast and stood beside Rhaegar. "I think it's time we finished this. Don't you, Rhaegar?"

Ryan cried out. "Mike! You can't!"

Elezar stumbled to his feet. "Michael, please. I beg of you."

Michael looked towards the groveling Syndicate Leader. "I begged too, but you didn't listen. You let them torment me. You sat by and did nothing! And now, you'll sit back and do nothing after I've taken something you care about from you!" He pointed towards the Hydreigon. "Finish this thing with a Draco Meteor!"

"Michael!" Addison cried out.

Julia was about to rush into intervene, but someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She seemed in utter shock at who it was. "Giselle?"

She shook her head. "There's nothing you can do, Julia."

"Let go of me!" she hissed. "I have to get to him!"

"Mike's not in there anymore" Giselle argued. "All that's inside him is his hatred."

"There's got to be a way to reach him" Ryan insisted. "I got through to Addy. I know something can get through to Mike. I can't see him like this anymore."

As the Dragonite charged up his most powerful attack, Elezar rushed to protect his Pokémon and fell right into the line of fire of the blast. The Syndicate Leader screamed in agony as the Draco Meteor struck him full force in the face. When the smoke cleared, Elezar was critically wounded, covering most of his scorched face with his hands, crying out in pain as Michael and Rhaegar descended upon them again.

Now, a haunting voice called out to Michael. Save your friends. Protect your loved ones. Destroy him, now and forever.

Michael's eyes were expressionless and looked as if they were blood soaked. "It's over, Elezar. Make sure you greet Cassius when I've sent you to meet him!" Elezar, unable to mount a defense, simply braced himself for whatever was to come.

"NO!" Ryan cried out, running towards Michael.

"RYAN!" Addison cried out.

"What are you doing?" Giselle snapped.

Ryan rushed over towards his cousin and grabbed his arm. "Mike! It's over. You have to stop."

Michael did not look at him. "Let go, Ryan."

"Mike, please" Ryan pleaded with his cousin. "It's over. They can't hurt anyone anymore. Please. No more pain!"

Michael ripped his arm free from the boy. "I'm doing this to protect you."

Ryan jumped in front of Elezar and the exhausted Hydreigon. "How is killing someone going to protect us?" Ryan held his arms in front of Elezar. "He's done horrible and evil things. But if you kill him here, you're proving you aren't better than him. Let the justice system decide what's to be done with him. Not you. You're not a monster, Mike."

"Stand aside, Ryan" Michael warned. "I-I-I don't want to hurt you."

"You don't need to" Ryan encouraged. "Not if you let Elezar live. Please. Just end this."

Michael hesitated as he looked from Ryan to Elezar. He then gently put his hands on the boy's shoulder. Ryan took a deep sigh of relief. He had reached him. There was finally a chance for peace. That is, until Michael gripped his cousin his expression returned towards rage. "I am going to end this." With one swift movement, he tossed Ryan aside and looked towards Rhaegar. "End this! NOW!"

The Dragonite began to charge up another Draco Meteor. Ryan could only watch on in horror as his plan to try and free Michael from his own rage failed.

"Michael" a voice called out towards the Champion. Ryan looked over and saw Julia approaching his cousin, a look of determination in her eyes. Her call had seemed to pause Michael's actions, as well as those of Rhaegar. Julia kept moving closer to the man she loved with all of her heart. "We can end this. We have ended this. It's over, Michael. You did it. You stopped Elezar. We can go home, now."

Michael's hate-filled face began to soften, though he still refused to keep his furious gaze off of his target. Elezar took the opportunity to recall his Pokémon and scramble to a safer distance.

"It's going to be okay, Michael" she promised him. "I'm here for you. Like I've always been. Like I'll always be. You don't need this. You've never needed this, Michael. You're stronger than this. You've been stronger than this. And if you're feeling like you can't be strong anymore, let me be strong for you. I promise you, Michael, I won't leave you. Not now, not ever."

Michael's clenched fists soon relaxed themselves. He was shaking in both pain, sorrow and anger, all wrapped up in one concrete emotion.

"Michael" Julia continued as she reached his side. "I love you. And that will never change. Let me be the strong one. Your battle is over. After fifteen years, it's finally over."

Finally, Michael fell to his knees, so too did Rhaegar. Elezar backed away from Michael as the Champion finally broke down. He fell to his hands and feet, breathing heavily. He put his hand to his heart and looked over towards Ryan. His eyes flashed back towards their original blue, before he smiled weakly at the boy and collapsed. "I'm sorry. I failed."

Ryan hurried over to his side. "Mike. You didn't fail. You did it. You stopped yourself."

Addison made her way over to her hero's side. "Oh, Michael."

He eyes the girl before he fell over in pain. "Addy? Ryan, you saved her."

Ryan nodded. "And now, we've got you back too, Mike. Come on. Let's go home." Ryan and Addison took the Champion into their arms and pulled him to his feet. As they did, Michael's eyes fell onto the broken Syndicate Administrator.

"Elezar" Michael replied coldly.

"No, Mike" Ryan pleaded. "You don't-"

"It's okay, bud" Michael assured his cousin. "I'm fine." He then pushed himself up to his feet and returned his gaze towards Elezar. "I've carried so much hatred for you. For all that you've done and for all that you've harmed. My Grandfather, my cousins, Piper, even your own daughter. While I would like nothing more than to stomp your face in right now-" Michael nearly collapsed in exhaustion, but Addison caught him and helped him back up.

Elezar slowly rose to his feet. "So then, you'll spare me?"

"I want you to leave Arcana, Elezar" Michael ordered weakly. "On the next boat out of here. And I never want to see your face in this region, ever again."

Elezar nodded. "Yes. Of course I consent."

Fine, the mysterious voice echoed through the chamber. I'll deal with this myself! Elezar's body began to float in the air, as if being manipulated by an unseen force. Before the Syndicate Administrator could even know what was going on, he was flung out the window of the chamber and into the abyss of volcanic magma below. Elezar screamed in horror as he plummeted out of sight.

"What the-?" Julia cried out.

"It's him!" Addison cried out, burying her head into Ryan's arms.

"I don't think we're done yet" Giselle insisted.

You disappoint me, Michael, the voice continued. I thought you had the power to be the leader of my forces. But you're too soft for it. And for this insubordination, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer consequences. From out of the darkness of Elezar's former chambers, two sapphire eyes shined high above the others in the room.