The Faire was still waking up as Ryan raced through the fields, as giddy as a young trainer could be. And why not? For the first time in a very long time, his life was trending completely upwards. He had patched things up with his brother, he had been nominated for the Pokémon League by the Queen herself, was two badges shy of being able to make his claim to the title of Champion and he had just had the greatest night of his life the night prior with his best friend in the whole world. Nothing else mattered to him. Not the Syndicate, not the ridiculously huge files his Poké Gear was downloading and not even the doubts and pains he had tucked away. All that mattered to him was keeping this high going as long as he physically could.

In the King's Court, Jon and Annie were already having a quick breakfast between them before the joust was set to kick off. When they saw him, they called him over. He sat beside them as Jon called over a waiter to make sure they made some breakfast for the aspiring young champion. Seeing the absolutely doofy grin on his cousin's face, Jon couldn't help but laugh.

"Something funny, Ry?" Jon asked him.

Ryan looked at him, confused. "No. Did I laugh?"

Annie giggled. "Don't worry, Ry. Jon's a sweetheart, but he can be as dense as a brick."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jon snapped.

She kissed him on his nose. "Don't you worry your head over it. Let's just say I've seen the same face Ryan has on right now on you, mister."

Jon looked from his fiancé to his cousin, until it finally made sense to him. "Oh. OH OOOOH!"

"Like I said" Annie laughed, "dense as a brick."

Jon looked to his cousin. "Did you have fun last night, Ryan?"

"I had an absolute blast" Ryan remarked happily. "Can't say much more than that."

"Yeah. I never kiss and tell anyway" Jon said, not so subtly.

"Huh?" Ryan asked.

Annie slapped her fiance. "You're not good at this. Let me handle this and you go get ready for the joust." Jon shrugged and made his way out of the King's Court. Annie moved one seat over to her soon to be in-law. "So, which of them is it?"

"Who is what?"

"Is it Queensbury's daughter? Or is it Deidre's? Both are quite lovely girls, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was either, to be perfectly honest." Annie continued to pester him for an answer, but Ryan shrugged.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Annie. Sorry."

Annie sighed. "I guess it's a Kingston thing" she said, tussling the boy's hair. "Jon's always had a problem saying it too. I couldn't begin to tell you how often I hinted to him, but it took him almost a month to realize how much I cared for him. And it took him even longer to realize how much he cared about me."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Jon had a problem saying what?"

Annie laughed. "Ah, to be as young and naïve as you are." She poked him in the chest. "You, Ryan Kingston, are in love."

Ryan gasped. "What? No way! I'm not in love!"

"Ryan, nobody prances about the camps like you were this morning unless they were in love. You are showing all of the signs of being in love without you even knowing it." She pointed to his heart. "Doesn't it feel like it's skips a beat whenever she's near?"

"Well-"

"And what about that impossibly good mood you're in? There's no way you're always in that cheery of a mood."

"But I-"

"What was the first thing you did today when you woke up?" Annie pestered. "Was it think about her?"

"That's-"

"And where's your cape?" Annie asked slyly. "If I didn't know any better, you put it over her to keep her warm. After all, no one saw either of you in your tents last night."

Ryan's mind began to process this. "I can't be in love. Addy's my best friend."

"Sometimes" Annie pointed out, "best friends can make the best partners. Don't take my word for it. Just think about Michael and Julia. Those two were joined at the hip way before Jon and I were. Tell me something, Ryan. When she smiles at you, do you get to feel all weak in the knees? When she holds your hand, does your throat get dry?"

"These are all really specific things" Ryan said nervously.

Annie shook her head. "Oh, Ryan. You don't have to admit it for me. But you really should consider it for your own sake. And more importantly, to make sure that you both feel the same way." She then rose and followed Jon out of the King's Court.

Ryan was silent for a long moment, even as food was brought out for him to eat: four pancakes with a side of hash browns. His thoughts were all over his feelings. And they were tugging back and forth for him. So what if spending time with Addison made him happy? And so what if the first thing he did this morning was put his cape around her in the field they fell asleep in the night prior? And so what if whenever she smiles, he feels like he is going to melt like butter? And then, like a freight train coming into a station at 150 MPH, it finally hit him.

"I'm in love with Addy" Ryan said.

"Good Morning, Ry" Tommy called as he walked into the King's Court and sat in his chair. "Oooh, they're serving pancakes today? My favorite!"

Ryan shoved his uneaten plate in front of the boy. "Here. It's all yours." He then rose to his feet and hurried out of the tent.

Tommy looked back at him. "Where the heck are you going?"

"To find Addy or Matt" Ryan said. He needed to tell someone, preferably not Addy until he was sure she loved him as well. He knew he would have to find his brother to straighten all of this out. Or at the very least, know what he would do in his shoes. He then skidded to a stop. His brother? Matthew was quite possibly the last person to talk to about this. After all, hadn't Addison flatly turned him down back in Trickton? But surely he was over that by now, right? He was himself involved with Jasmine. But his brother might still like Addy, so it was probably best to not involve him in this just yet.

Talking to Tommy was completely useless. The boy may be smarter than his age would say, but he was still as knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. Maybe Holly could help? But he hadn't seen her since the feast and she was likely flirting with whoever the next poor soul she would have a crush on would be. That left only Addison. But before he could look for her, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Ryan jumped in fright.

"You're a little jumpy today" Matthew remarked behind him. "Everything okay, Ry?"

Ryan turned to face his brother. "Oh, Matt. Sorry. Yeah, I'm okay."

Matthew eyed him curiously. "You sure?"

Ryan grunted. "I don't know, Matt. I woke up and everything felt perfect. But now, after talking with Jon and Annie, I'm beginning to have doubts."

"Come on, Ry" Matt said, patting him on the back. "We can talk to each other. We're brothers."

"I know" Ryan said, "but that's just the problem."

"That we're brothers?"

"No, that-ugh, never mind."

Without warning, Matthew tackled his brother to the ground. "Alright. If you're not gonna tell me, then I guess I'll be having a good sit down."

"Don't you dare!" Ryan snapped. Before he could react, his brother parked himself on top of his brother and sat down, going through his Poké Gear for any special messages, all while Ryan kept trying to push him off of his back. "Come on, Matt! You're bigger than me!"

"You gonna tell me or not?"

"Okay!" Ryan cried. "Just get off of me!" Finally, Matthew jumped off of his brother as Ryan pushed himself up to standing. The pluckier twin took a moment to catch his breath as Matthew awaited an answer. When he realized he was going to get tackled if he didn't answer, Ryan sighed. "Okay, okay. Annie told me she thinks I'm in love. And, after thinking it over, I'm inclined to believe her."

Matt cheered. "HEY!" He nearly tackled his twin brother and tussled his hair as Annie had. "I should have known."

Ryan tried to free himself from his brother. "I'm happy that you're happy."

"Oh come on, Ry" Matthew laughed. "Can't always be the one who makes the moves. Now, tell me. What did Holly say? Come on. Spill it out!"

"Holly?" Ryan asked.

"Uh yeah, Holly Queensbury. You know, friend of ours. Kind yet abrasive."

"It's not Holly" Ryan assured his brother.

"You sure?" Matthew inquired. "I could have sworn you two were-"

"It's Addy, Matt!" Ryan confessed. "I'm in love with Addy. Okay?"

Matthew was silent for a moment, possibly reflecting on what his brother had just admitted to. But he shrugged. "I mean, I can see it. We've all been friends for so long. And she's definitely got that extra pizazz about her."

"Pizazz?" Ryan asked.

"You know" Matthew tried to explain. "That extra thing. Something special about her."

She does have something special about here, that's for sure. Ryan waited for his brother to continue before he went for the heart of his issue. "And you don't have a problem with it?"

"Problem?" Matthew asked. "Why would I have a problem? Sure, she basically ripped out my heart and stomped on it in front of my friends and my brother, but I've got Jasmine, Ryan. She makes me happy. And what I want out of this world is for both of us to be happy." He put his arm caringly around his brother's neck. "Have you said anything to her?"

Ryan gulped. "Where would I even begin?"

"Wherever you want" Matthew explained. "Look, if I've learned anything these past few days, it's that the more you teeter around a subject, the more aggravated she'll get with you. Just go right for the heart. Tell her how you feel. No metaphors, none of that other nonsense. Look at Jasmine. When we met again, I told her flat out that I liked her and we she start dating."

"That's easy for you" Ryan said, pushing his brother's arm off of him. "Jasmine was already crazy about you. But Addy's-Addy's my best friend. I don't want to push her away. But at the same time-"

"Ryan" Matthew said in a very serious tone, "look, the best advice I can give you is this. It's better to have told her how you feel and have her reject you than it would be you never telling her and she just finds some other guy. Go to her, Ryan. And tell her how you feel." He looked around as he heard the blaring sounds of trumpets. "But later. Right now, we've got to go get ready for the joust." Matthew turned to head towards the lists, but Ryan stayed behind him.

"I have to tell her" Ryan said. But what if she says no?

"Ry?" Matthew asked. "Are you coming or what?"

Ryan shook his head. "Uh, yeah. I'm coming!" Ryan then chased after his brother as the two headed for the stables.

{Some Time Later}

Eight boys and young men soon gathered around and inside the stables in the Faire Grounds to sound off on this year's jousting tournament. Most were still unarmored as the joust would not happen for a few moments, but two figures were already clad in armor that Ryan noticed. The first was Jon, who naturally enjoyed the spectacle of the joust as much as he did everything else about The Faire his beloved Annie had organized. Decked out in the armor only a King of old would wear, the host of the Faire stood proudly at attention as the others filed in. A second man, decked out in plain silver-colored armor, stood in the corner of the room and said nothing to anyone. Ryan couldn't help but be uneasy at the sight of the man, but he kept his focus on the rest of the competition taking part in the joust.

Jeremy Lockhart, whom Addison had nearly been swept off her feet by at the Kingston Ball, was the first person besides his brother or cousin that he recognized. Ryan clenched his fists at the sight of this pompous powdered pretty boy who likely still was plotting to steal Addison's heart. Ryan was determined to thrash him at the first opportunity, if they should match up in the tournament with one another. Matthew stood beside him, standing as if he had been a veteran of countless jousts, simply observing the rest of the competition. The other three contestants were boys Ryan may have seen at a passing glance somewhere in Pocus Town when all of this had first begun weeks ago. Ryan was content to simply match up against Jeremy, his brother and finally Jon before he would be crowned he winner of the joust, should he prove lucky enough to prevail.

Jon called for everyone's attention. "Okay boys, okay. This is the day we've all been waiting for. The Joust is one of the most important events here at the Arcana Faire. For those of you who are unaware, each of us will be riding on the backs of either a Rapidash or a Zebstrika, depending on the class we're sorted into. Then, as we mount our steeds, armored and armed with only a lance and this Pokémon bred for the joust, we will ride at our opponent through the lists and hope to knock them off with the lance we clutch to ourselves. Remember, we are only doing this to disarm or dismount the opponent. I don't want any funny business."

The boys all nodded, but the man clad in silver armor remained silent.

"The last one standing will win a fabulous prize of their choosing" Jon continued, "as well as the Champion's Purse of 80,000 Poké Dollars and of course, the opportunity to crown their own preferred candidate to win the Queen of Arcana Contests among the few that are present here, or quite simply, for a knight to profess their affection towards the maiden of their choice."

The boys each looked to themselves as if wondering who they would each do this for, but Ryan kept his gaze focused on Jeremy, intent on trouncing his rival for Addison's affection before he ever even got the opportunity to profess his feelings to her. No one was going to beat him to the punch again.

"The Joust has been divided into two separate brackets" Jon explained, "similarly to how the Pokémon League Championships are held in Titanio City. The East Bracket Contestants will fight one another and then the winner of that bracket will face the winner of the West Bracket based on the same rules and practices. The East Bracket riders will be atop Rapidashes, while the West Bracket riders will take onto the Zebstrikas. Now, when I call your name, please move to the right or left side of me, based on which Bracket you appear in." Jon pulled out a parchment that had seeded all of the Joust Riders in place. "On the East Bracket, we have the following riders: Kingston, Jon. Inger, R. Lockhart, Jeremy. Kingston, Ryan."

Matthew patted his brother on the back. "Nice, you get to take on Jeremy!"

"Now, on the Western Bracket, we have the following riders. Kingston, Matthew. Clarke, Ethan. Fourtiz, Adrian. Tress, Kevin." With that, Jon rolled up the parchment and addressed each of the riders. "With that, we're readying for the first round of the Joust. Jeremy Lockhart and Ryan Kingston will be the first two to square off, so they will be the first two to select their choices of Rapidashes." Jon then ushered all but Ryan and Jeremy out of the stables, pausing when he saw the silver-plated warrior staring him down. "So, you must be R?"

The warrior was silent.

"Is that a foreign name?"

The warrior remained as silent as the grave.

Jon shrunk away. "I guess I'll see you on the lists." With that, Jon walked out. The armored warrior looked at Ryan before heading out of the stables and leaving the first two contenders in the joust behind them.

To Ryan's surprise, the first words Jeremy spoke to him were complimentary ones. "You're Ryan, right? Best of luck to you today."

Ryan eyed Jeremy curiously. "Uh, thanks. Same to you."

Jeremy offered a handshake to Ryan. "It is my honor to be jousting against someone of your stature."

This caught Ryan off guard. "Well, whichever of us wins, I know there will be a maiden waiting for us." The two boys shook hands.

"Speaking of which" Jeremy said, somewhat nervously. "You're a friend of Miss Queensbury, aren't you?"

Another surprise. "Yes. We've been traveling together since Alchemiburg."

"Would you be able to put in a good word for me?" the blonde haired boy asked nervously. "Holly is quite a lovely young woman and I intend on professing that to her if I prove capable of winning this joust and it would be nice to know that I have the approval of a friend. I tried asking her little brother last night, but he didn't seem too interested in listening to me."

Ryan laughed. "That's Tommy, for you. Sure, I'll be glad to put in a good word for you." He lowered his head and smiled. "Of course, I also have someone I mean to speak to as well."

"Then I say we put our best foot forward" Jeremy insisted.

"I agree" Ryan affirmed. Maybe I was wrong about him. If he's interested in Holly, that means my road to telling Addy how I feel just got a little less bumpier. He made his way for one of the Rapidashes in the stables. The Fire Equine Pokémon was at first a little flustered to see someone different approach her, but Ryan held out a calming hand to her. The Rapidash pressed her face against his hand and realized she could trust him, opting to calm herself. Jeremy did the same with his Rapidash of choice and mounted her back gracefully.

He looked back towards Ryan before galloping off. "Good luck, Ryan." With that, the boy and his steed galloped out of the stables.

Ryan climbed onto the back of his own Rapidash and gently pet her mane. "Come on, girl. Let's go win this for Addison!"

{Meanwhile}

Addison, Holly and Tommy were surprised to find that Jasmine and her sister Morgan had saved them all seats in the front row to watch the jousts. Addison sat beside Matthew's girlfriend, with the Queensburys filing in after her. Having woken up to the scent of the wildflower Ryan had picked for her, she had the flower placed into her dress so that the orange-colored blossom stuck out of her dress. The smile on her face all but gave away how she was feeling that day.

Morgan, Jasmine's sister, picked up on this. "You certainly seem to be in good spirits, Addison."

Addison nodded. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm at one of the most extravagant events in Arcana and I get to watch two of my closest friends in the world take part in the Joust. I'm one of the happiest people in all of the land."

"That's not what I meant" Morgan said softly. "You have the same look on your face that Jasmine has." She leaned backwards and showed that Jasmine was, like a girl waiting to see her favorite pop star perform, eagerly anticipating the arrival of her dashing suitor.

"I do?" Addison asked.

Morgan nodded. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love."

Addison gasped. "In love? Don't be ridiculous. We're just friends."

"Who is just friends?"

"Like I told you" Addison insisted, "he and I are just friends and that's how we want to keep it."

"I never brought up someone" Morgan giggled. "You just thought that I did."

Addison looked sheepishly at Morgan. "Is it that obvious?"

Morgan shrugged. "Well, who knows what will happen today? For all you know, when the knights come to profess who they are riding for, perhaps he'll choose you."

Addison took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. Calm down, Addy. So what if he makes you happier than you've ever been in your entire life? So what if he promised he would do anything in his power to protect her? So what if he looked at her the same way he used to look at Piper and...

Her eyes shot open. "Oh my Arceus. I'm in love." She watched as the eight riders, now clad in their armor made their way and had no trouble at all spotting Ryan riding out at the front of the pack. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She nervously waved at him as he rode past. She watched as Jasmine did even worse as Matthew rode past her, blowing kisses and cheering like a fanatic.

"WIN IT FOR OUR LOVE, MATTHEW" Jasmine cheered.

Addison looked to her left and saw a rider making his way over towards them. Oh no. It's Jeremy. What do I tell him? Jeremy trotted his Rapidash up to where they were sitting and appeared to have his eyes fixed on her. To her relief, his gaze shifted towards Holly.

"M'Lady" he said stoically, "though I hope to have the honor of winning this entire joust for you, I would just like it known that to even ride for the favor of a maiden like you is an honor that I will never be able to top."

Holly was completely flabbergasted. "I-I-I-"

Jeremy held up his hand to her. "Never fret, Lady Queensbury. I will prove my valor by unseating my opponent with quick haste."

Holly looked completely petrified by this turn of events. She was mouthing the words to herself: Is this happening?

Addison looked towards Matthew, who made his way over to Jasmine to make the same kind of speech to her, but was interrupted when she practically leaped into his arms and kissed him, prompting Morgan to pull her sister back into the stands.

"Can you control yourself for one minute?" Morgan snapped.

Jasmine, who acted as if she had cartoonish hearts floating over her head, stared lovingly at her suitor. "Hmm? Did you say something, Morgan?"

She and Ryan locked eyes as Ryan and his Rapidash stood at attention. Addison could feel her heart quivering, her mood brightening and her smile widening the longer she kept gazing into his eyes. She thought she would lose it when he made a motion to ride out to talk to her, but Jon trotted in front of him to address the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" Jon said proudly. "Welcome one and all to the Arcana Faire Joust." After a moment of polite applause, he continued. "Today, for your pleasure, eight gallant warriors will be riding for the honor of perhaps eight lovely maidens in the stands watching. Only one will walk away as the winner of the lists! So, without further ado, let the Joust commence!"

Annie, who sat in the Royal Box, made the call for the first two contestants to match up. "The first matchup will now take place. Jeremy Lockhart opposed to Ryan Kingston."

Addison gasped. "GO RYAN!"

Holly, who sat beside her, seemed torn on who to support. While she grappled with what might very well be the most defining moment of her young life to that point, Tommy was eager to see some action take place in the stands. "LET'S GO!"

Addison watched as Ryan and Jeremy reached their positions opposite one another. The two raised their heavy lances and lowered their helmets, waiting for the trumpet to give them their call to charge ahead. The Rapidashes that held the two whinnied and snorted angrily. Addison folded her hands and pled to whomever was there for Ryan to just be safe. If anything happens to him...

The trumpet sounded. The two horses charged at one another, with their riders fixing their lances into attacking position. Jeremy made a move to deke out Ryan, which succeeded and he thrust his lance into Ryan's chest, nearly knocking him off of the steed as they connected, but Ryan clung on with sheer determination. The horses turned around as the crowds cheered. Jeremy reined in his steed and stretched out his arm while he rested his lance on his leg. Ryan, who had clearly had the wind knocked out of him, tried to recover, but was still dazed.

Addison was expecting Holly to be cheering for Jeremy after his display of affection towards her, but she looked as nervous as she herself was. Was she also hoping Ryan would win? But then why would she be conflicted about the situation? Unless...

The Trumpets blared again, causing Ryan and Jeremy to charge one another a second time. This time, however, it was Ryan who caught Jeremy off guard by having his Rapidash use it's Flame Charge move to pick up speed at the last second to catch the rider off guard and allowed Ryan to smash his own lance into Jeremy's shield, splintering it completely and causing Jeremy to slip off of his steed and nearly get trampled by the Rapidash. The audience cried out, but Jeremy's quick recovery made them applaud.

"Ryan Kingston is the winner!" Annie declared, to the delight of everyone present.

Addison stood up and cheered wildly for Ryan. "GO RYAN!"

"WAY TO GO, RYAN!" Holly echoed. Addison turned toward her and it all suddenly came together for her. She likes him too...

"That's Ryan?" Morgan responded. "I barely recognized him."

"The brother of my gallant prince is also quite capable with a lance" Jasmine pointed out.

Addison watched as Ryan rode his Rapidash over to the stables and climbed off of his horse, still winded by the blow he'd received from Jeremy. She decided now would be the only time she had to tell him before it got too chaotic, but Morgan stopped her. "I have to get over there."

"Only riders are allowed near the stables" Morgan reminded her. "Otherwise, Jasmine would be over there giving Matt a bunch of good luck kisses."

"But-" Addison tried to argue, but she knew it was no use.

"Trust me, Ryan will be fine" Morgan promised her.

"He's the best" Holly said admiringly.

Addison glared at Holly before the next match began. Jon would be racing against someone by the name of R. Inger. The armored warrior did not address the crowd as he rode to the lists, while Jon hammed up his performance by bowing to each of the spectators and blowing a kiss to Annie. When he finally assumed his position, Jon was already looking towards his next match with Ryan in the Semi-Finals. The Trumpets blared and Jon and R. Inger charged towards one another. But while Jon rode gracefully and majestically, R. Inger rode with precision and marksmanship. With one perfectly aimed lance shot into his gut, Jon was unseated and thrown from the saddle of his Rapidash and fell into the dirt. Annie let out a scream, but Jon quickly leaped to his feet to show he was fine. The mysterious knight rode off for his next match as Jon shrugged off his easy loss.

"I had a gut feeling I wasn't going to win that one" he laughed, prompting the stands full of his fans and patrons to join in on the procession. Jon slowly made his way towards Annie in the Royal Box, who warmly embraced him

Addison looked on nervously as Mr. Ringer rode to the corner of the field and sat in the shadows. Her fears were amplified immediately as she worried that he was planning to put the next Kingston he faced in a body bag. And with Ryan already winded from his blow he got from Jeremy, she simply clasped her hands together and awaited their coming clash.

The next two matchups were similar to the previous two. With some unneeded cheering and praise coming from Jasmine, Matthew throttled Morgan's preferred, Ethan Clarke, with one clean thrust into the boy's chest that sent him careening off of his Zebstrika and crashing into one of the walls. The boy recovered, but was clearly unable to walk off on his own, resulting in him being brought to the Medical Tent for his own safety. While Matthew progressed easily, the next match between Annie's little brother Kevin Tress and Adrian Fouritz was a back and forth affair that ended when the poor Fouritz boy was flung off the back of his agitated Zebstrika and he also ending up in the Medical Tent with a broken collarbone.

With the conclusion of the first round, Annie rose to declare the second round of the Joust. "And now, I am pleased to announce the commencement of the second round of the joust. Will Ryan Kingston and R. Inger please report to the lists." Jon seemed to whisper something to Annie, but she dismissed whatever he said.

Addison paused. Wait a minute. R. Inger? Ringer? RINGER?!

Ryan rode towards his assigned position, as did his opponent. Addison was eager to leap onto the field to warn him about his opponent, but knew she would probably disqualify him. She squeezed her eyes shut as the trumpet blared to commence the joust. She could hear the beats of the hoofs galloping, a burst of speed from both racing steeds and then: CRASH! One of the riders was flung from their steed and crashed into one of the wooden dividers, splintering the wood in two. She opened one eye and saw that the Ringer she had been fearing was knocked completely off his steed and was nearly skewered by the broken wood. Ryan heaved a sigh of relief and trotted his horse around as the audience clapped for his victory.

Addison echoed his sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"That was too close" Morgan remarked. "It's a good thing that Ryan's horse seemed faster."

"Ryan is the best!" Holly cheered. Addison looked back at her, but said nothing more.

Ryan turned his horse back and saw Addison. He rode his Rapidash up to her. His face bore as determined a look as she's ever seen on him. "Addison, before anything else happens, I have to talk to you."

Addison gulped. Oh my Arceus. This is it. "And I need to tell you something. Ryan I-LOOK OUT!"

Before Ryan could react, he was struck in the face by the lance being held by R. Inger. His Rapidash panicked and flung Ryan off of her back and she nearly trampled him as she fled in fright. Ryan tried to recover, but was kicked violently in the stomach. The warrior then pulled him up to his feet and bashed him in the face multiple times, much to the horror of those present. Jon tried to intervene and demand they stop, but some figures in black robes appeared in front of him and threatened him and Annie with their Houndours. Ryan was left at the mercy of his attacker, who flung him to the ground. As he made his way to stomp him out more, Matthew burst onto the scene to challenge his brother's attacker, his Rapidash riding rapidly. The knight reached onto his belt and took out a Poké Ball. He then called out a Gyarados, who launched a Hydro Pump at the Rapidash, flinging Matthew from his steed.

As the Gyarados loomed over two of her friends now, Addison had seen enough. Leaping from the stands and onto the field, tearing her dress in the process, she rushed to the aid of Ryan and Matthew. Her Gardevoir was out of her Poké Ball in an instant. With one powerful Psychic attack, she flung the Gyarados back towards his master. The warrior turned and faced her. But before he could react, Jon took the initiative and called out his Tyrantrum to drive off the Houndour that surrounded him and Annie in the Royal Box. As the Pokémon and their trainers scattered the robes fell from them and revealed their true loyalties with the uniforms beneath.

"The Syndicate!" Addison shouted.

Matthew leaped to his feet, with his lance still in hand. "What's your damage, guy?"

"Scoring a victory for The Syndicate" the knight told the boy.

"I know that voice" Jon growled. "Show yourself, coward!"

The knight removed his helm to reveal that he was an older man with sleeked back blue hair and a crazed look in his eyes. He gave a mocking salute towards Jon and Annie. "Ah, Jon and Annie. You know, for a moment, I figured you two wouldn't hold this historic Arcanan event, what without the Champion to hide behind in case something went wrong. But you two proved me wrong. And I thank you for allowing the Syndicate to score another easy victory against you."

"Archer!" Annie gasped.

"Why did you come here?" Jon demanded.

"Simple" Archer explained, as he kicked Ryan once more, causing the boy to cough up blood. "To teach this little vagabond a lesson for trifling with The Syndicate. Many of my colleagues want far worse done to this one, but I suppose this will have to do."

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Addison screamed, sending her Gardevoir onto the attack.

"Or what?" he glared back at her.

"Or you'll deal with me!" Matthew proclaimed.

Archer laughed at him. "Ah yes. The hapless brother."

Matthew fumed as he approached Archer. "You guys took my cousins from me. You took down my Grandfather. You even went out and hurt my father! But I will not let you hurt my brother!"

Archer looked down at the bedraggled boy before him. "A little late for that, isn't it?"

"Psycho!" Holly cried from the stands.

Jon's Tyrantrum bellowed as he charged directly at Archer. Archer mounted his Rapidash, recalled his Gyarados and fled the scene. Jon mounted his Dragon's back and the chase was on.

Addison fell to Ryan's side. She held her friend in her arms, even as he coughed more blood onto his armor. He looked at her weakly. He tried to speak to her, perhaps to say what he had meant to earlier, before passing out in her arms. Addison cried out in absolute horror. "Ryan? RYAN!"

"He'll be fine" Matthew promised her. He took his brother and put his arm around the boy to keep him from falling over. Addison quickly followed in suit as both propped him on their shoulders. "We've got to get him to the Medical Tent!"

Addison clenched her fist. "I refuse to let anyone else get hurt by these sickos!" She looked back towards Ryan as he slumped onto her. "Ryan was nearly killed by that freak and it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault" Matthew assured her. "But we have to get Ryan some help, or else something worse might happen."

Addison nodded, clinging to Ryan with all the strength she had. Together, they brought the beaten and bloodied trainer towards the Medical Tent."

{Some Time Later}

Ryan stirred in his medical bed a few hours after he had blacked out from his opponent's attacks. He could barely move his body, which was bandaged in several parts, including his midsection, his arm and his leg where the Rapidash had nearly trampled him. He looked around for someone to talk to, but only saw others recovering from their own injuries. He was in a severe amount of pain. He seethed as he tried to reach a glass of water behind him, ultimately failing around the same time his body did. As he rested over, the nurse made her way to him.

"How are you feeling, Ryan?" she asked him.

"What happened?" Ryan asked, coughing up a bit of dried blood.

The nurse took an anti-bacterial cloth and tended to the cut on his lip. "You took a pretty nasty blow there. It's good that your friends got you here, though."

"Where is that guy who attacked me?"

"Jon chased him off" she informed him as she finished cleaning his face. "He won't come back, again."

"When-when can I ride again?"

The nurse shook her head. "You have a light concussion, Ryan. The Doctor had you removed from the lists. And your brother withdrew when he went off to hunt for that attacker. So, Miss Annie's brother won the Joust."

Ryan was disappointed, but understood, as he could still barely move any of his body. "Are my friends here?"

"I can go and get them for you" she offered.

"Thank you" Ryan thanks, struggling to make himself more comfortable in the bed. As the Nurse departed, Ryan tried to reach his backpack, which was brought to his bedside. He had wanted to see if his mother knew about what had happened to him. But he failed to reach for it, ultimately deciding that Matthew would be the one to tell his mother and father what had happened.

"RYAN!" Holly shrieked as she raced inside. Tommy was right on her heels. The two were clearly panicked about the whole situation, but relieved to know that their friend would be okay. Holly fell to his side and took his hand. "We were so worried about you. When that guy hit you-"

"How are you feeling?" Tommy asked him.

"Like a million bucks" Ryan sighed, wheezing in pain. "I figure I'll live, but it won't be pretty for a few days."

"Ryan" Holly said nervously. "I have to talk to you. I've put it off for far too long and I have to say something." She looked towards her brother. "Would you give me a minute?"

Tommy stayed in place for a second until it suddenly dawned on him what was about to happen and he skipped out of the tent quickly.

"He could have stayed" Ryan said. "Come on, we're all friends here. What could you have to say that he couldn't be-"

"I love you" she confessed.

Ryan was dumbfounded. "Wait. Holly? You love me?"

Holly bit her lip. "Ever since we danced at Kingston Castle" she revealed. "I thought it was just a crush or something, but the more we've traveled together the deeper my feelings have grown for you. And I just can't hide it anymore."

As she looked at him the same way she had whenever they were alone all this time since the Castle, it all finally clicked for Ryan. All of the time she would want to spend alone with him, perfecting her craft of dancing with him and constantly trying to be alone with him. Holly had been in love with him this entire time and he didn't even notice it. This feeling of shame that he didn't pick up on it was only further compounded by his guilt that despite how much he cared for Holly, it was only to the extent of friendship. Besides, he was pretty sure who he was in love with.

"Holly" Ryan spoke up, wincing in pain. "I don't know what to say."

Holly smiled. "You don't have to say a word." She leaned forward as if to kiss him, but the sounds of shouting could be heard from outside the tent. Holly pulled away, frustrated. "Oh, NOW WHAT?!"

"-was attacked and you're not going to do a thing about it?" Jon yelled at someone.

"What can I do, Jon?" a voice replied. "I'm not the Chief of Police anymore. I'm retired." Ryan watched as his cousin Jon and his Uncle Byron entered. Holly moved away as the two came up to his bed. His Uncle was the first to address him. "Hey there, Ry? How you feeling?"

Ryan shrugged. "Oh, you know. I'm alive, I guess."

"We tried to find him, Ryan" Jon told him. "But Archer got away. Matthew's been hunting the lower areas, but he hasn't found much either."

"It's okay" Ryan assured his cousin. "Does my Mom know?"

Byron nodded. "She wanted to come by, but I told her it wasn't as serious as she thought."

"Dad" Jon snapped, "your own nephew was attacked, barely two days after his father was. You know, YOUR BROTHER?"

Byron rolled his eyes. "How many times do we have to go over this? I am retired, Jon. I can't just burst into the precinct now and lead an investigation."

"These are the times where we need to show the best leadership that we can" Jon countered. "Mike's gone. Chris and Cam are gone. In the last 48 hours, Syndicate Agents have attacked Ryan, Kingston Castle and Uncle Rob and no one is doing anything about it! This is where the rest of us have to step things up and help out wherever we can. I know you want to retire, Dad, but this isn't the time for it. We have to act and stop the Syndicate before anything else happens!"

Byron shook his head. "It's someone else's fight now, Jon." His aging uncle looked down on him and sighed. "Keep recovering, Ryan. We're all rooting for you." With that, Byron left the tent. As he made his way out, Addison and Matthew burst in to check on the situation.

"What did he say?" Addison asked Jon.

"He's not going to come out of retirement" Jon said bitterly.

"How can he say that?" she shrieked. "This is his own nephew."

Jon sighed. "I'll do what I can to talk to my Mom or Madeline. Maybe they'll have better luck with it." Jon patted his cousin's bed and left the room. Addison hurried to his side, as did Matthew. Holly, who had been remarkably close to kissing him, stood in the corner, her arms folded.

"How you doing, Ry?" Matt asked.

"In a lot of pain" Ryan said to him. "But I'm alive, I guess."

Matthew grunted. "Those rats are going to pay for this. I let my guard down for a few seconds and this happens!"

"There's nothing we can do" Holly told him. "We should all just go and get some rest before the-"

"There may be nothing we can do" Matthew warned her, "but I'm going after them."

"It's too dangerous" Ryan tried to convince his brother. "Besides, Jon couldn't find him."

"Jon doesn't know where to look" Matthew replied. "I've been chasing after these guys longer than he has. I'm the only one who might have a chance at stopping this from happening again."

Ryan spotted Addison simply staring at him silently. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but was keeping herself from doing so.

"Matt" Ryan tried to reason with his brother, but Matthew would have none of it.

"No, Ryan" his brother said. "I'm going to hunt them down and you can't stop me. None of you can."

As he turned to walk out, Addison finally spoke up. "Then take me with you, Matt."

Everyone was caught off guard by this. Matthew especially looked confused. "Addy? But why?"

"Too many people have been hurt because of the Syndicate" she reasoned. "And I can't live with myself if anyone else gets hurt while I sit around helplessly. Not anyone here." She sheepishly looked away from Ryan. "Especially not Ryan."

"No way, Addy" Ryan said. "You can't! It's way too dangerous!"

Matt thought for a moment. "Addy, I can't guarantee what will happen if we do go to hunt them down. I have to side with Ryan on this one."

Addison shook her head. "I don't care. You guys mean too much to me to let me just sit by helplessly like I did after Taghwan Hall burned down. This is something I absolutely have to do."

Ryan tried to get up, but was too weak and simply slumped into the bed. "Addy, please. You can't go."

Matthew looked between the two of them. "Look, I'm going to be heading out in a couple of minutes. If you guys need to hash anything out, you've got until then." Matthew walked outside of the tent, leaving Addison, Holly and Ryan.

Addison knelt down to Ryan's side. "After Mike died, you promised we would shoulder the pain for each other. And, after your father was hurt, you promised you would take care of me. But how can I trust you to take care of me, if you won't trust me to take care of you?" She took his hand in hers. "You've already done so much for me. Now, let me return the favor." She leaned forward and kissed him, this time on the lips. Ryan felt completely calmed by her kiss and when the two pulled apart, Ryan's fears seemed alleviated.

Addison smiled. "It won't take long." With that, she let go of his hand and followed Matthew outside of the tent. Ryan saw as Addison climbed up on the back of Matthew's Noivern with him and the two took off into the skies. As Ryan fell back into his bed, he suddenly realized Holly was still in the room.

He looked over to her. "Holly?"

Holly lowered her head and rose to her feet. As she turned to follow her friends out, she paused at the entrance with her back to him. "Your heart answered the only question I had. Thank you for letting me know, Ryan." The took one proud sniffle with her nose and left him alone in the tent.