In the recently renovated Purification Chamber in the lab belonging to Professor Krane of Orre, Michael Kingston gently lowered the still violently shaking and shivering Holly Queensbury onto a medical bed. He sighed as he looked down on her twisted and decrepit state, recalling the cheerfully optimistic yet incurably shy girl he had met on a few occasions since the Pokémon League had reopened. But to see her now as she was currently forced to be by the machinations of Elezar and the Syndicate, it infuriated him that he was out of commission as long as he was.

As he took a step back from her, Professor Krane, a tall, scrawny man with thick bushy brown hair, approached him. "I don't know how you do the things you do, Michael."

Michael shrugged. "I won't until they kill me, either." The two old friends shook hands as they returned their attention to Holly.

"The poor thing" he said. "It's lucky for her that we've finally got this station up and running."

"What do you think it would take to mass produce these?" Michael asked the Professor.

"The machine itself should be simple" Krane explained, "but it's the chamber itself that can time consuming." He looked around the chamber. "To think, nine years ago, we had used this place to purify Shadow Pokémon. Now, we're converting it to help people harmed by this Crimson Brand nightmare in Arcana. This took my friend and I many years to work on."

"Do you still have the blueprints to work with?" Michael inquired.

"I don't see why not" Krane replied. "Do you have someone who is capable of building a room of this kind of technological heights?"

"I have a father who once built a garage out of some sticks and cement" Michael laughed. "I think we can handle building a surgery room like this. But we could always use someone who could come on board as a supervisor."

"Things in Orre have been remarkably peaceful since Cipher folded" Krane told his friend. "I think I could do with a bit of a business trip."

"Lady Kingston will accommodate you for your work."

"I'm sure she will, no matter how many times I say no" the professor chuckled. The two paused when Holly suddenly took a deep breath before shuddering in genuine terror of whatever nightmare she was enduring with the Crimson Brand over her. Michael fell to her side while Professor Krane shook his head sadly. "I can't believe there are monsters who would abduct a child and do cruel things like this to her."

"That's the Aceds for you" Michael responded coldly.

"The thought occurred to me, Michael" Krane suggested, "would it not be more prudent for you to take the first surgical procedure with this machine? I know how much you want to be free from this Crimson Brand of yours and it might protect little Holly here from any bad side effects."

Michael shook his head. "Holly needs it more than I do." He chuckled sadly to himself. "Besides, that drive to really get free from this and restart my life? It's kind of gone now."

"I guess traveling with Celebi all this time has made things easy on you" Krane pointed out.

Michael thought for a moment and reached onto his belt to call out his closest friend and compatriot. Celebi emerged from the Poké Ball and looked at Michael, happy that he had been called out not to have to heal him of any darkness. Michael smiled at the Mythological Pokémon and held him in his hands as Celebi landed gently in them. "So, Celebi. I have a favor to ask of you." The Pokémon nodded.

He pointed towards Holly. "You see her? Her name his Holly. She has the same problem I do with my...well, you know." Celebi floated down towards Holly and made a sad face. He then floated around her head and studied her closely. Celebi reached down with his small hands and touched Holly's forehead. As if by a miracle, Holly's shaking and shivering calmed down. As Holly's body began to take on a bit more color, Celebi perched himself on the girl's head.

"Simply amazing" Krane analyzed. "I haven't seen such strong bonds between a Pokémon and people in a very long time."

Michael looked towards Celebi. "Now, I need you to watch over her for me. Would you do that for me, buddy?"

The Celebi looked at Michael, concerned for him and floated back up to him.

"I know I need you, Celebi" Michael said sadly, "but she needs you a little more right now." The Mythical Pokémon reached out with his hand towards Michael. Michael lifted his finger up to his old friend and the two touched. "I know you'll always be in my heart, watching over me." The Pokémon floated back down towards Holly and perched himself atop her head. Michael turned to leave. Take care, my old friend.

Krane followed Michael out of the former Purification Chamber, realizing what this would mean for him in the upcoming clash with the Syndicate. "Michael, I understand you want to protect Holly and all, but you have to think about yourself, too."

"I have thought about myself" Michael said plainly. "And Holly needs to be protected more than I do."

"It's not the protection Celebi gives you" Krane countered. "It's the veil on that Crimson Fury. If Celebi is here while you're battling back in Arcana, he won't be able to make it to you in time. The Fury is taking a serious toll on your heart. If you let the Fury take control of you, you might not be able to return this time. It may completely consume you, or worse, it might even cause your heart to burst."

Michael stopped where he was standing, but he didn't seem to be listening to what his friend was warning him about. "How long will the surgery take?"

Krane sighed. "A few hours, if I've done my estimates right. But you'll need at least a week to recover. And, of course, if there are as many Branded people as you claim there are, we might need to start work on these operation chambers immediately." He pushed up his glasses as they nearly fell off of his face. "And there's also the matter of Holly's parental approval."

Michael flung a business card back at Professor Krane. "I've already contacted the Queensbury Family. Her parents are on their way here."

"The Queensburys?" Krane repeated, almost in surprise.

"They will be more than happy to compensate your lab for taking care of her" Michael informed him. "They'll also be more than thankful for you caring for their daughter." With that, Michael walked out of Krane's Lab. As he reached the outer area of the Research Lab, he could see Rhaegar playing with a hyperactive teenaged girl with long blue hair. He shook his head. "He'll expect a berry if you keep making him run around like that, Jovi."

The girl turned back towards him and smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry. It's just been very boring here now that my big brother went away."

"It's not that" Michael said, making his way over to his Dragonite and patting him on his head. "This one's as spoiled as he is powerful. He really will demand berries for playtime." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an Oran Berry and tossed it at the Dragonite, who gobbled it up easily. "Eat it, you glutton."

"So, you're not going to stick around?" Jovi asked him sadly.

Michael shook his head. "I can't. There's still a bunch of bad guys back home I have to beat. I do have a favor to ask of you, though. When Holly gets out of that surgery, she's going to need someone besides Celebi to look after her. Do you think you can manage it?"

"Piece of cake" she said confidently. She looked above her and saw another Dragon Pokémon flying in. "Oooh! A Salamence!"

Michael looked up into the skies and saw Cameron making her descent towards the Krane Labs. His cousin's Dragon Pokémon hovered slightly before plopping himself beside Rhaegar. Though the two had been on the same side for basically all their lives, Rhaegar and Azure still treated each other with a cold indifference, simply sniffing each other and barking before returning their attention back to whatever they did. In Rhaegar's case, it was getting pet by Michael and in Azure's case, it was entertaining the highly excitable Jovi.

Cameron climbed off the back of her Salamence, a worn look on her face. "Do you want the good news or the bad news, first?"

"Surprise me" Michael said, taking his cousin away to talk in private.

"Mark and Lizzie are coming up dry" Cameron said. "They called me while I was in flight here to tell me. We aren't going to be getting much help from Hoenn or Kanto here. But on the plus side, Chris got the message out. The Kingstons will be showing up at the Ranch tomorrow."

Michael nodded. "Good. That means they'll finally be taking this seriously. Anything else?"

Cameron shook her head. "Nothing that would make your life any easier."

"Okay then." Michael looked out into the open terrains of Orre. "Without outside help, we're going to need as many people from Arcana who are willing to. And I think I'm going to have to call in a few favors from people I'd rather not."

"They'll understand" Cameron told him. "They know how much you've done for the region."

"I need you to be honest with me, Cam" Michael said to her, bluntly. "Do you think we can take Elezar and the Syndicate down on our own?"

Cameron was surprised by this, but shrugged. "I don't know. But if it comes down to it, I'm not afraid of them anymore." She put her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "We've seen what they're capable of and quite frankly, I'm unimpressed."

Michael laughed at that. "Thanks, Cam. I needed that." His smile faded as he began to introspect. "I'm not sure if we can, to be honest. Most of that talk I gave to Elezar was empty bravado. If I had battled him there and then, he might have stuffed me. I'm just thankful he was more shocked that we were alive than he was prepared for battle."

"Mike" Cameron replied, "I've watched you my entire life. You are the best trainer I have ever seen. I don't think anyone will ever be capable of beating you. At least not in a fair fight." She shrugged. "Even I can't, and you taught me everything I know."

"You don't have to flatter me, Cam. I know I've still got some flaws." He put his arm around her caringly. "But I do know that there's one thing I planned out right from the beginning of all of this."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Naming you as my successor" Michael told her.

Cameron fell back in shock. "Me? But, I've made so many mistakes-"

"True" Michael acknowledged. "But you know where you have to improve and how to get there. You have all the makings of a Champion, Cam. You just lack the title and the confidence. But the more I look at you, the more I see that if I had to trust my responsibilities to anyone, it would be you, Cam." He sighed. "I love your brother. He's been my best friend since we were kids. But I know I can't count on him to take things seriously enough. And I know Mark and Lizzie both want to go home. I can't keep them here forever, no matter how much I want to." He patted his cousin. "That's probably the toughest thing you ever have to learn as a Champion. Nothing lasts forever."

Cameron nodded sadly. "Thanks for seeing the best in me, Mike."

Michael shrugged. "It's what I do, Cam. Well, we'd better get back to Arcana."

"So soon?" Cameron asked.

Michael nodded. "There is a part of my job that I have to do when we get back. A part I really don't want to have to do."

"You mean with Ryan?"

Michael didn't answer. "Come on, future Champion. Let's go home."

Cameron sighed. "As you say, Current Champ." She then hurried along after him.

{Meanwhile}

After Chris told them he would be sticking around Parlor Town to await the arrival of the remaining Kingstons and keep an eye on both the ArcResistance team as well as Ryan and Tommy, Lizzie and Mark returned to the Pokémon League HQ to try and contact support from any of their friends. After they had split themselves up from Chris to long into the next day, the two were working the phones with all of their friends and contacts in Hoenn and Kanto, hoping not to come up empty when their friends needed them the most. But as the day dragged on, the more disappointed they were. Not in their friends, but themselves.

Lizzie sat on her bed in the League HQ, petting her Umbreon while trying to get into contact with her old friend Steven Stone to try and get some help. But Steven, who was well on his way to taking over the Devon Corporation for his father, was unable to offer much support beyond offering to send some help via his own contacts, two best friends from Littleroot Town named Brendan and May. She thanked him for trying, but told him that they would need more than two trainers for an undertaking this massive. When Steven ended their call, she gently stroked Jazz in her arms, sighing to herself.

"I guess I'm the only help from Hoenn we're gonna get" she thought aloud. The Umbreon rubbed himself against her and she picked him up in her arms. "You know, you can offer helpful words at anytime, Jazz." The Umbreon licked her nose and she laughed to herself. The Umbreon slipped out of her arms and sat gently in her lap again.

Mark knocked on her door. "Anything?"

She shook her head. "I'm coming up empty. You?"

"Same here" he replied sadly. "They're in the middle of a massive rebuild of Cinnabar Island right now. They couldn't send help in Kanto even if they wanted to." He rested on her door frame. "I wish we could offer more, but I think this is the best we're going to do."

Lizzie shrugged. "We did the best we can. And I already told Cam that we're probably not going to be able to help more than we already have."

Mark looked down at her in her bed. "Do you think you can handle taking on Hunter again?"

Lizzie frowned. "Hunter being here means that I have even more work to do than I thought. I know exactly what he's after, too." She reached onto her belt and took out Jirachi's Poké Ball. "I stopped him from getting Jirachi once, but who knows how much more powerful he's become since then."

"If he has the backing of the Syndicate" Mark suggested, "we're going to have to be ready for anything when it comes to him. What about Courtney?"

Lizzie put Jirachi's Poké Ball back and looked sternly at Mark. "Courtney is just going to have to be another one we tread lightly around. She's also had all this time to become stronger. If she really had Mike wrapped around her little finger before, what else might she be capable of?" She paused before addressing Mark again. "I don't think we should broach this topic with Mike when he gets back."

Mark nodded. "Absolutely. Whatever comes of our clash with Courtney and Hunter will come to pass."

Lizzie looked at her Umbreon and then at the rest of her team. "I just hope we all will be enough to stop them. The Syndicate has more numbers than I could have imagined. Mike looked kinda shaken when he found out too."

"What's gonna be is gonna be" Mark replied. "We have to fight them to stop them from terrorizing Arcana. And if we fail to stop them now, what's to stop them from heading out to Hoenn and Kanto and the rest of the world? We have to trust in Mike, like we always have."

Lizzie nodded. "Like always." Her Poké Gear began to ring and she let Jazz hop off of her lap so she could answer. "This is Lizzie."

"Mike and Cam are on their way" Chris informed them on the other line. "You guys should get back here."

"Alright, we'll be at the Ranch before he gets there" she replied, before ending the call and turning towards Mark. "We're on, Mark."

Mark nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?" The two hurried for the exit, though Lizzie paused and looked at her room, wondering if she was ever going to be able to come back to this room ever again after whatever transpired in the final battle to come.

{Meanwhile}

In the bunk beds he had once shared with his brother, Ryan sat on the top bunk, staring listlessly at the ceiling, while Tommy sat on the bottom bunk spending time with his Pokémon. It was the only way the two could cope with their situations. Tommy was immersing himself with his Pokémon to distract from his worries over Holly, while Ryan...he was inconsolable. He didn't even have it in him to explain to his parents all that had befallen him since arriving in Titanio City. From meeting Jocelyn and the ArcResistance team, to getting the Titan Badge and getting abducted by Victor and Nadine. He hadn't even had it in him to impart on his parents about Matthew. Someone else would. What difference did it make who told them? Right now, the only thing that could come out of his mouth was how much he had failed his friends when it mattered. How he had failed Holly, Addison, Mike and everyone else who looked to him when it mattered the most. He had his moment to shine and he failed them all. Now, Mike was left to clean up the mess he'd made, but who knew what would happen to either Holly or Addison? Just the thought of the two of them being alone and afraid in the darkness made him feel even worse than he already did. His sorrow was only drowned in his anger at both himself and Matthew.

Two small vines wrapped around the top of Ryan's bunk and Tommy's Bulbasaur swung his way up to the top. He tried to cheerfully get Ryan to join in on the fun, but soured when he saw the look of misery in the boys face. He hopped onto Ryan's stomach and with his vines, he tried to turn Ryan's frown into a smile. Ryan sighed to himself and pet the Bulbasaur on his head.

"Is Bulbasaur up there?" Tommy asked him.

"He is" Ryan replied glumly. "Did you want him to come back down?"

"Oh no" Tommy said. "I sent him up there before."

"Why?"

"To cheer you up?"

Ryan took the Bulbasaur in his arms and climbed down the ladder to the ground floor. "Thanks, Tommy. But I don't think that's what I need right now."

"Well, what do you need?" Tommy asked, as his Pokémon ran amok on the bottom bunk.

"Do you have a way to change the past?" Ryan asked.

"Uh...no" Tommy replied. "I think that's beyond my control."

Ryan sat on the ground beside the other Pokémon. Tommy was holding onto his Eevee and Heliolisk, while Ryan pet his friend's Bulbasaur. The Charmander was studying all of the things that Ryan and Matthew had owned, while the Mudkip and Phanpy were play wrestling underneath the covers of what would be Tommy's bed until his parents returned from wherever Michael had taken Holly to.

A knock on the door got both boy's attention, as well as those of Tommy's Pokémon. The door opened and Alison walked inside. "How are you boys, doing?"

"I think we're okay, Mrs. Kingston" Tommy answered politely.

Ryan turned away. "I'm okay, Mom."

Alison lowered her head. "Ryan, we need to talk downstairs. Tommy, you too. Come on, boys."

Ryan helped his friend collect all of his Pokémon, put them back into their Poké Balls and the two made their way downstairs after his mother. The boys walked from the staircase and into the Living Room, where Robert was still resting his injured leg and Alison sat on the sofa, looking sheepishly over to the corner of the room. In the Grandfather Chair, where Robert usually sat when he was home, sat Michael.

Ryan immediately looked down at his feet, trying to find the right words to say to his cousin, but was surprised when Tommy jumped in to the defense. "You can be mad at us and yell at us if you want. We deserve it. But before you do, Mr. Mike, I want to know if my Sister is gonna be okay!"

Michael looked at the boys for a moment, studying them carefully. Alison and Robert were shocked that Tommy would jump to say something like that, but held their breath when Michael looked there way. He turned his undivided attention to the boys. "There's no reason to lie to you boys. So, I'll be honest with you. I don't know, Tommy. What Holly has is something that not many people have had to go through. But if there was one place in all of the world for her to be, that place needed to be Professor Krane's Lab in Orre. There, after the experimental surgery they give to her, we hope she'll be back to normal."

"I wish I could be there with her" Tommy said sadly. "I miss her."

"You're exactly where you need to be, Tommy" Robert assured the boy. "Safe and sound."

"And that's what matters" Michael told the boys. "You two are safe from danger."

Alison took a deep breath. "Michael" she chirped up. "I know we're not hear to talk about this, specifically. But as a mother, I need to know."

"Know what?"

Alison looked to Robert, who continued for her. "Chris told us that-that Matthew -"

Michael lowered his head. "Matthew is one of them."

"Oh my god" Alison held her hand to her mouth. "Why? Why him?"

"It's my fault, Mom" Ryan opined. "He even told me. He always felt like he was in my shadow."

"That's no excuse for what he's done" Robert said bitterly. "When we get to him, he's going to be grounded for-"

"Uncle" Michael interrupted. "Matthew is a criminal now. When he's found, I don't even think being a Kingston will be enough to wipe his ledger clean. He's going to go to jail for a very long time."

Robert was taken aback by this. "He's just a boy, Mike."

"A boy who has done vicious and evil things" Michael responded. "It doesn't matter what his rationale was behind his doing of these things. He still did them willingly and that's why he has to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. And I'm sure when she learns this, Grandma will know she won't be able to protect him."

"Mr. Mike" Tommy chimed in again. "Everyone's been talking about this whole 'branding' thing. But I don't understand what it is or why it is. Why is this such a terrible thing?"

Michael sighed and rolled up his left sleeve, revealing his own Crimson Brand. "Perhaps this will enlighten you kids to this."

Ryan was speechless. Tommy was shocked. "They did that to Holly?"

Michael nodded. "Not just Holly. That's what they did to Addison Tenton and tried to do to Ryan." Michael's eyes caught Ryan's for a moment, but the boy quickly looked down. Undaunted, Michael continued. "When I was a 12 year old boy, fourteen years ago, I was on top of the world. I had gotten all ten of Arcana's Gym Badges, I was traveling the world with my best friends. Nothing could have possibly prepared me for what would happen, when I went to go meet the Champion that night."

"Michael" Alison said sweetly. "You don't have to-"

"I do, Aunt Alison" Michael responded. "I wish I didn't, but they need to know." He then turned back towards the boys. "I thought I was being groomed by Giselle Odelia to be the next Champion of Arcana. What I didn't know, was that she was a Syndicate Snatcher, the best they've ever had. She kidnapped me, that night, once she was sure that I had come to meet her alone. She brought me to a Lab, somewhere in the Mountains outside of Terra Town. I was the first person to be used in Elezar and Cassius's experiments. They took a scorching red moon rock and pierced my arm with it. But not just any rock. A Crimson Stone. I'm sure you boys have heard the scary stories about the Crimson Fury, right?"

"I think I did" Ryan tried to remember.

"I haven't" Tommy explained.

"Every fifteen years" Michael explained, "for one night, the moon above Arcana shines the color of blood. When that happens, human and Pokémon alike become vicious coldblooded killers. Before the work of Balthazar Aced and then his son after him, this was only happened once in a generation. Thanks to the Aceds, however, there has been a way that the Crimson Fury can be felt by someone for the rest of their lives. If they are exposed to the Crimson Stone from the moon itself, it will instill them with the ferocious fighting instincts of a killer." Michael lowered his head. "And, I've killed while under it's influence."

"We forgave you for that" Robert told his nephew. "We know you didn't mean to-"

"I still did" Michael said, not excusing an inch of his behavior. "I can't eat, dream, think or sleep without this brand haunting my every movement. And this happened fourteen years ago. If it weren't for my Espeon, giving it's life so that I could escape from them, I would have been a minion of Elezar." Michael then lowered his sleeve. "After that, my story goes where you'd expect it to."

"How you were exiled?" Tommy asked.

"And went out into the world until you came back?" Ryan added.

"And kicked Giselle's butt?" Tommy chimed.

Michael nodded. "Basically. But that doesn't mean that this no longer affects me. Even right now, when I'm surrounded by people that I like and care about, I still feel this uncontrollable desire to harm people. And if I'm feeling like this, you can only imagine what it's doing to your sister and Addison now."

Tommy lowered his head. "Holly."

"I had no idea, Mike" Ryan remarked.

Michael's eyes found him once again. "Do you understand now, why I'm so disappointed in you, Ryan? Why I told you and your friends to steer clear from them? These people aren't cartoonish bad guys. Not even the smaller fry. They all have no qualms or trouble harming little kids like yourselves. They've done it before and they will do it again until they are stopped."

"We should have listened to you" Ryan insisted. "I should have listened to you."

"Your actions put all of your lives in danger" Michael continued. "If it weren't for Jocelyn and my father, who knows what would have happened to you kids." Seeing the distress in his cousin's face, the Champion sighed. "If they had fully branded you...I don't know what I would have done."

Robert's eyes found the mark on his son's arm and looked over to his nephew. "Is he like them?" Robert asked. "Or is Ryan going to be okay?"

"From what it appears" Michael told his Uncle, "Ryan wasn't fully branded. But, we won't know how it's affected him until he battles again."

"Mike" Ryan said sadly. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean for this all to happen. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Shouldn't you be asking for our forgiveness too?" Robert asked.

Ryan's eyes watered. "I'm sorry to everyone. To you guys, to Tommy, to Holly, to Addy. Everyone."

"Oh sweetie" Alison cooed.

"Would you mind if I had a moment alone with him?" Michael asked his aunt and uncle, after watching his cousin weep over his own mistakes.

"Not at all" Alison said sweetly.

Michael rose from his seat. "Come on, Ryan. Let's head outside." Ryan followed his cousin out the door and into the front yard where when they were younger, he and his brother used to play and spend time with each other. Sometimes, Addison or Holly and Tommy would join in and they would all enjoy their lives. Back when things were easier. Back when things made sense.

"I'm sorry, Mike" Ryan whispered. "I really am."

"I never wanted this for you, Ryan" Michael said, in a deep and sorrowful voice. "I never wanted any of this for you. I wanted you to be able to enjoy yourself on your journey. Have a bit of action, drama, adventure, romance, but never this. I wouldn't wish this kind of journey on my worst enemy."

"I guess luck isn't in our genes?" Ryan asked.

"I suppose not" Michael spoke softly. "I know the pain that's driving you, right now. Sure, you feel like you let me down. And your parents. But more than anything else, you're afraid. Afraid of what's happened to Addison since she was captured."

Ryan looked away from his cousin. "I-Jon and Annie helped me to see it."

"See what?" Michael asked.

"To see that I love her" Ryan said, rubbing his upper arm where Cassius had burned him, beginning to feel a painful sting in his arm. "To know that I would have given myself to the Syndicate just to know that she was okay. If there was anyone who deserved to go through this, it wasn't her." He sniffed away some of his tears and peered back at his cousin. "I would give up all I have right now, just to see her okay again."

Michael nodded. "That's what it means to be a hero."

Ryan shook his head. "You don't have to make fun of me."

"I'm not, Ryan" The Champion assured him. "You and Matt always used to tell me that I was a hero because I beat Giselle. And yes, doing the right thing is a part of it. But the reason why you do it is just as important. If you do it all for glory, then you're not really being a hero. If you're doing it for revenge, that doesn't exactly help either."

"Then why do heroes do what they do?"

"To protect the things that matter to them. When I was your age, almost everyone I knew and cared about turned their back on me. I left Arcana and wandered the world for four years. That's how I met Mark and Lizzie. After I started trying to better myself with the power of the Relic Stone and Celebi, I realized something. What was the point of becoming stronger if there wasn't something worth protecting? I always thought that the person worth protecting was somewhere out there. But it ended up being closer to me than I would have guessed. And if it weren't for her, I would never have come back." Michael sighed. "And now, at least until the Syndicate is gone, I have some others worth fighting for."

Ryan nodded. "The person who you came to protect. Was it Julia?"

"What matters now" Michael reiterated, seemingly unwilling to talk about Julia, "is figuring a way to save Addison."

"What are you going to do?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, you're not getting off the hook that easily" Michael told him. "As far as I'm concerned, there may only be one real way to save her. And that's going to come down to you, Ryan."

Ryan looked up to him, his heart beginning to rise again. "Do you mean I can come along?"

Michael put his hand on the boy's head. "They know you, now. They know your fears, your hopes, your dreams. They know what drives you. This is your fight now, Ryan, just as much as it is mine. And you know what? It's also Tommy's, the ArcResistance Team's, the Elite Fours, and even our whole family's fight. This started between Grandpa and Balthazar Aced. This has to end with us and Elezar."

Ryan smiled for the first time in days. "Thanks, Mike."

"Of course, kiddo. You mean a lot to me, Ryan. Sometimes, I think of you like my own son."

The two stood in silence for a moment, before Ryan started to giggle to himself.

"What's so funny?"

"I know it may not be the best time to bring this up" Ryan said, an uncontrollable amount of joy coming out of his voice. "but I just remembered how Matthew looked when he saw you come back!"

Michael laughed. "Almost like he saw a ghost."

"It was so funny seeing him be so scared of you."

Michael picked up his cousin and put him on his shoulders. "Do you know why? Because nobody messes with the Champ!"

Ryan cheered. "I missed you, Mike!" Ryan warmly embraced his cousin as the two made their way out onto the lawn. When his eyes caught sight of the moon, the Kingston boys looked up to the heavens above and Ryan's thoughts once more returned to Addison. "Now, I just have to find a way to save her."

"We will, Ryan" Michael assured him. "Even it takes all the strength I have in my heart, we will save her."