At the Syndicate Compound in Titanio City, Elezar stood high on an observational platform, watching as Cassius conducted his experiments on the many captive subjects he had to submit to the Crimson Stones. He watched as Cassius performed the entire procedure, from securing the trainer onto the bench with restraints, wiping down the trainer's arm with an alcoholic wipe and beginning the heating procedures to heat the Crimson Stones to their appropriate levels for the perfect branding. He saw that as Cassius, with a twisted sense of professionalism, brought the brand closer and closer to the restrained patient, before raising the brand high above the mark where he'd place it, before driving it with tremendous force into the young man's arms, causing him to scream in absolute pain. Despite the cries and screams, Cassius kept the brand in place until it was fully complete in making it's mark on the boy, before he plucked it off to let it recharge. The subject, who had since been forced to deal with almost limitless amounts of pain, had slipped into a state between those of comatose and the mentally fit. The Grand Master and The Crimson Fury would take it from there.

As he watched the procedures taking place beneath him, Elezar soon found himself joined on the platform by Courtney, who had urgently sought an audience with him since he split the teams up and left for the Compound with Cassius and Nadine. The two would stand there in silence until Elezar decided he had seen enough of Courtney's observing face for one day and sought to cut right for the point.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" he asked her.

"Quite" she remarked, almost emotionlessly.

"We will soon have an army of rabid and aggressively violent Pokémon Trainers at our disposal" Elezar continued. "And when that day comes, all of Arcana will be ours."

"Will it?" Courtney replied ominously.

Elezar turned towards her. "You doubt me?"

"Not you, Elezar." The former Team Magma Admin seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Of this entire situation. I fear that our plan will soon be compromised by outside forces. Or perhaps, inside ones."

Elezar scoffed. "And here I thought you were actually going to make a point, Courtney."

"The Grand Master and I have sensed ripples in the universe" she told him. "Ripples that were made not from outside forces, but those from within the boundaries of The Syndicate itself. We have a traitor in our midst."

"Such confidence you have in your mental prowess" Elezar said coldly. "Did you forget that you could barely control them when we first met?"

"The Grand Master has welcomed me to open my eyes and see a vast universe unfold right before my eyes" she said to him. "And it is with this newfound power I possess that we came to notice the ripples in the world . All is not as it seems for us. And I believe you know very well where we are going with this."

Elezar remained silent.

Courtney continued. "We were at first suspicious when we believed that there was more to the story of the Golden Chest than first met the eyes. There was little real malice in Jocelyn's words. Either she has grown unbearably soft in these times of crisis, or there are severe holes in the web of stories she created."

"Those are very serious accusations, Courtney" Elezar said sternly. "I do hope you are prepared to defend yourself if these charges prove false."

"I have more than enough evidence, Elezar" Courtney proclaimed. "It turns out that someone has been leaking Syndicate information to Professor Pines for, quite a while now. And I have documented proof that someone has been using our mainframe to distribute many of our secret files to the enemy. We're just lucky that Professor Pines hasn't taken any of it seriously yet. Unless, of course, she has. In which case, we can basically kiss any chances of a swift transition of power goodbye. It will become a war of attrition, which we're not in the best shape to win right now."

"We have some of the finest trainers in the world as our Administrators" Elezar told her. "War is not something I fear."

"Then you're a fool" Courtney said bluntly. "If she is in fact the one responsible for leaking this information, she could be in league with the Kingstons and Professor Pines in working against us."

"The Kingstons do not concern me, Courtney. And they shouldn't bother you, either. Without real leadership, they don't have the gumption to take any true stance against us. And thanks to our attack on Robert Kingston, that will certainly make their bark far worse than their bite. But, I suppose I'll humor you. Tell me, Courtney. What is the codename of this alleged hacker in our systems?"

"Whoever it is goes by the name of Deep Jade" Courtney responded.

This, Elezar had not been expecting. Deep Jade? Deep Jade! That was a name he had not heard in a very long time. From almost a different age in his life. Such a long time ago. He began to calculate the possibility that perhaps Courtney was in fact telling the truth and not hiding some sinister agenda. "I give you permission to follow your leads and prove your suspicions. But know that I am still aware of your plot to overthrow me with help of a certain Pokémon League Champion. You had better be absolutely certain that your leads are fact, or else I will personally see to your permanent erasure from history. Am I clear, Courtney?"

Courtney glared at him. "How will I know you'll actually believe my findings? Perhaps you'll think that your daughter's actions are justifiable because of your love for her. I certainly would not want The Grand Master to worry about your convictions, Elezar." She turned and walked away from Elezar. The Leader of the Syndicate stood in place, continuing to observe the latest works of Cassius. Though now, his fearless beliefs were clouded by doubts and concern. Fear, that not only would Courtney prove to be right about Jocelyn, but that he knew exactly why his daughter was doing this.

{Meanwhile}

Those who remained at Kingston Castle were utterly speechless at all that had just transpired inside the very walls of the fortress. Not only had they uncovered one of the deepest and darkest secrets in the history of modern Arcana, thanks to what they had discovered inside the chest James had left to his Grandson upon his passing, but they had also learned that the daughter of their most hated enemy was in fact on their side, serving as the one who has been leaking all of this crucial information to the team about the experimental procedures Cassius was undertaking, as well as any political and socioeconomic links that tied the Syndicate to anyone else in the region. All this time, Deep Jade had turned out to be none other than Jocelyn Aced.

Julia was still trying to wrap her brain around what she had learned from her faithful ally within the Syndicate. Even though it had been some time since Jocelyn had departed to continue performing her dual roles, the Professor could still see what unfolded between the group as if it was only a moment ago:

Jocelyn, having recently disposed of Big Mike's rage filled attack on her, turned towards Julia and her team and gave them a steely-cold look. "We have some business to discuss." She took a step forward, but Piper's Starmie was poised for the attack.

"If you take another step closer" Piper threatened.

"Why are you here?" Amanda demanded.

"I should think that's obvious, Miss Fouritz" Jocelyn said coldly. "I'm here for the Chest."

Julia clutched to the chest with all her strength. "You won't be taking it from me, not while I'm alive!"

Jocelyn's eyes flashed. "I said, I'm here for the Chest."

"And my cousin said, you're not getting it" Piper reiterated.

Jocelyn looked past the four and saw the computer monitors still running in the background. "You didn't have to take it all down, you know. All the information on the Syndicate you have. Quite honestly, it would have made things a whole lot easier."

"We have no idea what you're talking about" Julia lied, knowing it was as flimsy a response as she could give.

"You should" Jocelyn said, folding her arms. "Seeing as how I was the one who sent it all to you."

Julia paused. "What?"

Piper recoiled. "What just happened?"

"Then you must be-" Amanda spat out.

"Deep Jade" Jocelyn answered. "It's about time you realized this."

"But you're Elezar's daughter" Julia said, unbelieving. "Why would you turn your back on the Syndicate?"

"My Father and I don't see eye to eye on every matter" Jocelyn explained. "We have our disagreements, but the reasons are mine and mine alone. We both have a common enemy. And sometimes, common enemies require common solutions to overcome. The Grand Master is the real evil behind The Syndicate. And I believe that whatever is contained inside that Chest is proof of it."

Julia still held the chest close to her. "No, you can't take this. This is the only thing I have left that-"

"I'm taking the chest with me to The Syndicate's Base" Jocelyn insisted. "The contents of the chest are right where they need to be, with the only person I know who can use the information inside to benefit everyone. But I need to take that Chest with me, otherwise the truth will be revealed far sooner than it needs to be."

Julia looked from the chest to Jocelyn. "I need to know something, before I can be certain you won't turn your backs on us. What do you hope to accomplish by acting as Deep Jade? Do you mean to thwart your father's ambitions? Or those of this Grand Master you spoke of? Or are you planning on using us to take power from both of them and take it in your own name?"

Jocelyn took a deep breath before she explained herself. "I admit, I still have some semblance of loyalties to my father, as any daughter should. But when The Grand Master arrived and took the reins, I knew just how dangerous our situation is. I had hoped that by warning you all of The Grand Master, that you could take quicker and more drastic actions against the Syndicate. I was unaware of how rapidly The Grand Master would enact his plans, including the death of the Champion. Though that now is water under the bridge. The only thing that matters now is that The Grand Master does not get what he wants. And so long as my father is intent on serving him, then I cannot bring myself to serve beneath him any longer."

"What should we know about The Grand Master?" Julia asked.

"What I know about The Grand Master amounts to this: you should be as mortified of him and his powers as I am."

"And what does The Grand Master want?" Amanda questioned.

"From the way he talks about the world" Jocelyn said nervously, "it sounds like genocide."

Julia gulped. Piper's eyes widened at the word. Amanda nervously wrapped her arms around herself.

"This isn't something we can debate ethics over" Jocelyn insisted. "If we don't take action soon, there will be nothing left to stand between them and giving everyone in Arcana the same brand they gave to Michael Kingston fourteen years ago."

Julia took the contents of the chest out of it and held it before her. "So long as you are being truthful, the chest is yours."

Jocelyn took the chest and the key for it from the Professor. "Do you have anything else I can put into it?"

Amanda looked through cabinets until she found a bunch of childhood drawings from James's Grandchildren, as well as handwritten letters to their Grandfather. The work came primarily from Jon, Tori, Michael and Madeline, though there were a few from both Chris and Jenna as well, the few who would truly remember their Grandfather and unlike Cameron, Billy and Daniel, were old enough to even recall what he looked like. Amanda gave the papers to Jocelyn, who stuffed them inside the chest and turned to leave. When one fell from the pile, Amanda was about to give them to her, but Jocelyn waved her off.

"Keep it. This will do."

As Amanda held the letter in her hands, Julia took a step forward to ask one final question of their mysterious friend. "What do you want us to do with these?"

Jocelyn paused by the entrance to the elevator, her Dragapult floating just behind her. "Transcribe them into data and send them to me via the same links I've been contacting you with. Make sure it's in a secured file, so no peeping eyes can access it." With that, Jocelyn Aced, one of the bravest young women Julia may ever meet, vanished in the elevator with her Pokémon and the chest in hand.

It had been over 24 hours since Jocelyn had revealed herself to them and now Julia was even more confused about what was unfolding around her than she had been at any time before this. Was Elezar just a puppet to this Grand Master? Or was Jocelyn being a dutiful daughter and protecting him from what would no doubt be the wrath of her and the Kingstons? Her brain was so dizzy from all of the twists and turns she had been through, that she knew that she was likely completely fatigued. She hadn't slept in some time, but she couldn't bring herself to. Not until she had done right by the memory of Michael.

It didn't get any easier for her. Each day, Julia found herself longing to find herself back at the Ranch, only to come downstairs and find him asleep on the couch as he had been the day she sent Ryan and his friends out on their Pokémon Journey. But the cold reality would settle in that she was a guest at Castle Kingston, fighting the same battles he had fought so desperately to make only his own. Never again would he be on the other side of her bed or giving her all of the love in his heart. And it was that feeling that would haunt Julia whenever she did take a minute to close her eyes. The boy who had befriended her, the best friend she could have ever asked for, the man who loved her unconditionally, was now nothing but ashes beneath the monument the people of Taghwan were constructing on behalf of him and the Elite Four. Even the comforting words of Piper and Amanda did little to lift her spirits. Because they had both known how close she and him had been all their lives. And what words could they say when their own hearts were heavy with his passing.

And now, she didn't have him when she had in her possession of what was without a doubt the most colossal and history altering information Arcana has had in the past fifteen years of darkness and sorrow. Something that would have made all of the years of pain and suffering he had endured worth it. Little did either of them know that only a few feet behind them as they slept every night, was the truth behind all of it. Behind the Crimson Fury, behind the fall of Balthazar Aced and all that has since transpired in Arcana. In their possession, lay the journals of Arcana's most revered scientist and once one of her most proud sons: Professor Balthazar Aced.

Piper put her hand on her cousin's arm. "Hey, Jules. You gonna be okay?"

Julia smiled. "Yeah. I just wish he could have been here to see this."

"I know" Piper remarked sadly. "But soon, everyone in Arcana will know the truth. And hopefully, when Jocelyn learns of this, it may change her father's mind about all this unneeded pain and suffering."

Julia thought for a moment. "I don't think we should send it to her first."

"Didn't she say to-"

"I know she means well" Julia said, "but I'm not full keen on turning my back on all that I know. I don't trust her enough." She shook her head. "No. In all of Arcana, there's only one person I know I can trust with this information. Because I know that Michael meant just as much to him as he did to me."

"Isn't he going through enough, already?" Piper asked. "He's still just a kid, Julia."

"Unfortunately" Julia replied solemnly, "Arcana has a way of making kids have to grow up much earlier than they should."

{Meanwhile}

"Lord Elezar might be in danger?" Nadine gasped as she discussed Courtney's findings with her.

"We can't be too sure" Courtney told her as the two made their way through the halls of The Compound. "There were more than enough holes in Jocelyn's story to make both myself and The Grand Master suspicious. If Jocelyn proves unfaithful, then that could mean the entire operational order of The Syndicate could be in jeopardy. Elezar will be back to being on the run, or worse. And you don't want that now, do you?"

"Never" Nadine proclaimed. "I'll squash that little pest before she makes a move!"

"Jocelyn is quite a powerful trainer, Nadine" Courtney warned her. "You'll probably need backup before you ride out to fight her. Where is Victor?"

"He's watching over The Faire and I can't count on Lily and Lena to be much more than meat shields."

"I'd nominate myself, but Elezar already thinks we're working against him" Courtney lied. "Jocelyn is poisoning him against us. And if she succeeds-"

"I will never allow that to happen!" Nadine snarled. "I warned Elezar that trusting his daughter was a mistake. She's too much like that simpleton mother of hers. Where is the little shrew hiding?"

"She's likely out somewhere on patrol" Courtney told her. "If you're bold enough to go and try to take her into custody, I recommend you take her immediately. Because if she catches wind of you coming, she will lash out. Best to get her with the element of surprise."

Nadine nodded. "I'll seek her our and confront her."

Courtney waved her off. "You do you, Nadine. Just make sure you come back in one piece. The last thing you want is to figure out this grand conspiracy against Elezar only for Jocelyn to flatten you like a bug."

Nadine nodded and hurried down the hall, leaving Courtney alone to snicker. "Everything's going according to plan. I get rid of two pests for the price of one if I'm lucky."

{Meanwhile}

A series of notifications on his Poké Gear woke Ryan up just as the sun was peaking out over the horizon, signaling the second day of the Faire. Ryan yawned and looked around. He was still in field of wildflowers where he and Addison had perched with Marahute to watch the fireworks. He looked beside him and saw that Addison was sound asleep next to him. Taking the cape off of his suit, he wrapped it around Addison, who turned away, still content in the world of dreams.

Ryan took a few steps away to read the notifications that had come in. They were all from Julia. Julia? Hopefully she has found some useful information for me to read about the Syndicate. He tried to open the message, but found that his phone was immediately downloading several massively large files. Apparently, it wasn't too important if his phone was going to be taking a millennium to want to actually download, as it said it would take over 18 hours to download. He rolled his eyes and stretched himself for the rest of his day.

The joust was prepared for today. And since his brother and he were enlisted, he was determined to prove himself. He looked back and saw Addison still sound asleep in the field of wildflowers. Beaming as he looked at her, he took a flower from out of the field and tucked it into her hands, before bending over and kissing her on the forehead. When he turned to make his way and leave, he didn't know why, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Nevertheless, he was determined to keep riding this emotional high for himself as long as he could.