After healing their Pokemon and preparing for a celebratory dinner for them, Ryan and Cameron made their way down the tunnel and towards the steps that would lead towards the Champion's Box, but found themselves being swarmed by the cheering faces of the other members of the Elite Four, Piper and Addison. Addison flung her arms around Ryan and kissed him on the cheek. After the young couple split apart, Piper also kissed him on the cheek and hugged him while Mark, Lizzie and Chris surrounded Cameron and hugged and high fived around her. Ryan and Cameron soon found themselves surrounded by their close friends and admirers, something neither of which seemed comfortable with.

"I appreciate your sentimentality" Cameron said, trying to get some breathing room for her and her cousin, "but let's get out of the stadium before we get mobbed by fans, right?

"We just have to wait for Michael and Julia" Piper told Cameron. "They're in a call with some guy from Kalos."

"Oooh, Kalos?" Mark asked. "What does that mean?"

Ryan folded his arms, excited to hear what Michael had to say about his successes in the Tournament so far. "Maybe he's trying to see if there are any awesome trainers to come in and replace you and Lizzie for the Elite Four."

"He won't have a say, though" Chris told Ryan. "It's gonna be you or Cameron who makes the final decision, depending on who wins." Chris put his arm around Ryan's neck. "And, not for nothing, you know you're my favorite cousin, right?"

"Better not tell Mike that" Addison laughed.

"You are going to have a spot in my Elite Four" Ryan assured Chris. "If I win, of course. You're a really strong trainer and I want you fighting with me like you have with Mike."

Chris put his hands behind his back. "Well, I don't know..."

Piper flicked him in the back of the head. "Just say yes, you plebe!"

"OW! Okay! Okay!" Chris looked back at Piper and made a face. "Why do you have to be so mean?"

"Because since Michael is stepping down" Piper insisted, "I want there to be no problems with transitions. I want Ryan or Cameron to have a nice handing of power over from Michael before they leave for Kalos."

This caught Ryan off guard. "Kalos? What do you mean?"

Piper gulped. "Uh, never mind. Forget I said anything."

Ryan wouldn't let the issue go away. "Piper, what did you mean?" Before Piper could explain herself, Michael and Julia came down the stairs with happy looks on their faces.

"We got the chateau!" Julia exclaimed.

"That's great" Lizzie said happily. "Where is it?"

"Coumarine City" Michael answered. "It will be the perfect place to rest and relax for a while."

Ryan looked at his cousin in shock. "You guys are leaving?"

Michael sighed. "Ryan..."

Julia tried to reach for Ryan. "Listen, Ryan..."

But Ryan pulled away from her. "How can you guys just leave like this?"

Addison tried to calm her boyfriend. "Ryan, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay, Addy" Ryan snapped, before turning his fire back towards the two people in the world that meant the most to him besides Addison. "I just got you two back and now you're going to just leave again!"

"Ryan" Michael tried to reason, "you have to understand..."

"NO! I DON'T!" Ryan clenched his fists angrily, doing his best to fight back his flowing stream of tears. "You know what? Fine! Go! See if I care!" Ryan burst out of the small hall and raced out of the Colosseum.

"Ryan! Wait!" He could hear Addison calling back to him, but Ryan felt he could not stop. He blitzed through the crowds and the moment he made it out into the open air, Ryan called out Marahute, climbed onto her back and flew off into the air, even as he could hear Addison and the others chasing after him.

How could they do this? Why would they want to do this? Don't they know how much they mean to us? Ryan drove Marahute for Titanio City and landed by the docks. Unable to take the pain inside of him anymore, Ryan pushed past dozens of people until he sat on the edge of the dock and sat down, with Marahute perching herself beside him. His concerned Pidgeot looked down on him and cooed sadly, but Ryan sat grumpily beside her as the sun was setting in the distance.

"Those stupid selfish jerks!" Ryan growled, hurling a stone he found beside him into the water. "We do all of this stuff to save Arcana from the Syndicate and this is how they thank us? By leaving us behind?"

Marahute lowered her head towards Ryan, who stroked her while doing his best not to take his anger out on her. She cooed softly again and nudged him with her beak.

"I know you understand, Mara" Ryan said, wiping tears out of his eyes. "But I don't. It just isn't fair! We lose Mike and all of the world falls apart. We finally get him back and we save Addy and everyone else and now he's leaving again!" He angrily pounded on the dock, causing Marahute to fly off into the air and circle above him. "Maybe I should have just let Mewtwo brand me and call it a day."

"Now that wouldn't have been smart" a voice called behind him.

He didn't need to look back and know who it was. "Leave me alone, Mike."

"Ryan, you need to understand something-"

"I don't need to understand anything!" the boy snapped. "It doesn't matter if I did or didn't anyway. You're just gonna go off and pretty soon everything I know is going to be changing! Don't you have a house to look at?"

"I do" Michael said. "But I also have a cousin who clearly needs me."

"Then go find him" Ryan responded bitterly. "I don't need anyone."

"Now you're just being a child" Michael retorted.

"What difference does it make what I'm acting like? What difference did any of this make?" Ryan lowered his head. "I set out from home looking for an adventure. If I had known what it was going to cost, I wouldn't have gone out in the first place. But what does it matter to you? You got what you wanted."

Michael was silent for a long moment. "Not everybody follows the same path, Ryan. Sometimes, we veer off on our own and do things differently from one another. But that doesn't mean that we stop caring about each other." Michael took a step forward and stood beside him. "You are like my little brother, Ryan. You know how much I care about you, kid. Just because we're going to be apart, it doesn't change a thing about that."

"I'm dropping out of the tournament" Ryan insisted.

"You're what?" Michael asked.

"I'm dropping out" Ryan repeated. "What's the point of being a Champion if everything is going to change? Let Cameron win by default. What does it matter. You're still leaving no matter what I do. And it all fall from there."

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.

Ryan rose to his feet, still refusing to look his cousin in the face. "First, you and Julia leave. Then Mark and Lizzie go home. Then, when I have to go off and be the Champion, Addison goes home and I don't see her anymore. Then, Holly and Tommy go, my friends at ArcNet go, then Mom and Dad and Grandma and all of you go! And I'm just going to be there, by myself, holding it all together because you all left!" He could feel the tears coming out of his eyes. "I can't do this alone. Everything I am came from you guys. All my wins came from Addy and Holly! All my courage came from you! All my heart came from Julia and Piper! Without you, I'm less than worthless."

"You don't believe that, Ryan" Michael said. "I know you don't."

"How do you know that?" Ryan growled. "I was so lost without you guys and you're all just going away again! I couldn't protect anyone. I couldn't stop Addy or Holly from getting hurt. Or my father! I couldn't even save Matt!" He wiped his tears onto his sleeve. "And just when I get you guys back, you're going to be gone again! And I'm going to be a hopeless nothing again!"

"Ryan..." Michael spoke to his cousin. "You aren't a hopeless nothing."

"Then what am I?" Ryan cried out, finally looking at his cousin.

"You are the single bravest person I've ever met, Ryan James Kingston" Michael told him. "Braver than me. Braver than Jocelyn. Braver than Grandpa."

"Everything I am came from you guys" Ryan insisted. "I'm nothing without you guys." He sat back down on the docks and watched as his tears fell into the water. "I don't have any strength of my own. I'm not brave. All of that came from watching you. I'm not smart, I'm not courageous, I'm not hopeful. All I am is just a mess."

Michael sat down beside his cousin. "Nothing lasts forever, Ryan. It may seem like a heartless thing to say, but it's a true thing to say. It's the most important lesson we need to learn. We may want things to last for all of time, but it just doesn't work like that. If it did, Grandpa would still be here running the show. You wouldn't be looking up to me, but him instead."

"But this is something that can be changed" Ryan reiterated. "This isn't losing someone. You guys are just leaving. Like everyone else will after you. What's the point of being the Champion if you don't get to make the decisions?"

Michael shook his head. "Being the Champion was never about the decrees, the power or the prestige. It's about protecting those without the means to protect themselves. It's about facing your fears and conquering them. And most importantly of all, it's about believing in yourself, so that others can believe in you as well. That part, right there, is the hardest lesson anyone has to learn."

"Why do I have to learn it, though?" Ryan pleaded. "Why, when you guys are still here? You can come and help me learn all of these things."

"Some things you have to learn on your own, Ryan" Michael explained sadly. "Believe me, you don't know how many times I wish Grandpa was here to fix all of the world's problems. But this is one of those things that you need to figure out for yourself, kiddo. I can't teach you how to believe in yourself, anymore than Grandpa could have taught me to believe in myself."

"It's easy for someone like you to believe in yourself. Look at you. You're the best trainer in the world!"

"You really think it was easy for me?" Michael asked.

"Why wouldn't it have been?"

"Did you forget I spent four entire years in exile?"

Ryan's eyes widened. "Oh, right. I should have remembered."

"It's not something I like to remember" Michael told his cousin. "But during those four years, I discovered the things about myself that have made me the person you idolize. It helped me grow into the man that's sitting by your side right now, doing his best to keep you from falling apart, Ryan."

Ryan looked up towards Michael. "When did you figure things out for yourself?"

Michael took a deep breath. "During those four years, I went around the world, trying to find a place I could call home and not hurt anyone. I went from Kanto to Johto, to Hoenn and all around the world. But no matter where I went, I couldn't find a place I belonged. Because of the Crimson Fury, I didn't want to hurt any of the people that I met. I left Mark and Lizzie behind and found myself in Orre one day. I heard of this Relic Stone in Agate Village that had helped purify Pokémon that had had their hearts sealed by dark powers. And I hoped that it might help me overcome the Crimson Fury. When I stood before the Keeper of the Relic Stone, an old man named Eagun, he let me sit in front of it to try and clear myself of dark thoughts. But how could someone like me overcome the darkest thoughts in my head?"

Ryan shrugged as his cousin looked down on him. "I don't know."

"I knew I couldn't. I lost everything when I was banished. My family, my friends, everything I owned and possessed except for the clothes on my back and my Pokémon. I even lost my best friend in the whole world."

"Julia?"

Michael sighed. "Someone closer to me than Julia. I lost Icarus. My Espeon. He gave his life to save me from Cassius and Elezar. You never truly get over the death of someone that close to you. And I was completely broken by his death. Part of what Eagun said to me was that part of my heart was so black because I had some unfinished business with someone close to me. I thought he meant someone in our family, so I just ignored it and kept sitting with the Relic Stone and living with Eagun and his wife as their guest. After a few weeks of this, I ran into Julia again. She tried to tell me about all that had happened under Giselle here, but I couldn't help her. I didn't believe that I was able to stop her or face my fears here in Arcana again. When I refused to leave, so did she."

"Julia told me" Ryan told him. "She said that's when she told you she loved you."

Michael nodded. "She did. But even having her by my side in Orre did nothing to change me. In fact, it only made things worse for me. I felt I was keeping her away from her Grandmother and Piper. And that ate away inside of me, so much so that I was considering just pushing her away so that she could go and be with them, no matter how much I loved her back." He looked down into the water below them as the sun began to disappear over the horizon. "I made my way for the Waterfall in Agate Village to make my final decision about her..."

Beside the waterfall of Agate Village in the otherwise desolate Orre Region, a much younger Michael Kingston sat and looked into the reflecting pool that came from the waterfall. He had spent so much time alone, fighting this tough battle for himself, that he had forgotten what it was like to have someone who wanted to spend time with him. It had been just under two years since he had left Mark and Lizzie to continue on his own, but now it was Julia coming back into his life. And she was in love with him. He didn't know how to take such positive reception from people, after four long years of the pain of exile and the burdens he held in his heart. While his mind and heart battled over whether or not Julia was going to help him improve himself, he thought he could hear the cherubic laughter of a child nearby. He looked around for the source, until he spotted a shiny golden ball descending from the skies and floating in front of him.

"Hello there" the orb called out to him, in the voice of a child.

Michael sighed. "Well, after four years, I've finally snapped. Now there's a talking light ball."

"You haven't snapped" the orb responded. "I was sent to find you."

"No one was sent to find me" Michael assured the ball. "Definitely not some kid in an orb."

"I'm not a kid" the orb insisted. "I've been around far longer than you, mister."

"Fine" Michael relented. "You're not a kid. But that doesn't mean you were sent for someone as worthless as me."

"You're Michael Kingston?" the orb asked.

"I was. But not anymore."

"Why's that? You pretending to be someone else?"

Michael rose to his feet and walked away from the orb. "I don't have time to get into it."

"All you and I have is time, Michael" the orb called to him. "But other people don't have it. Like those people in Arcana."

"Arcana isn't my problem anymore" Michael bitterly said to the orb. "And this conversation is over!" Michael continued walking away from the orb, which flew right in front of his face. He tried swatting at it, but it simply flew out of his reach and flew about him. "Will you stop following me?"

"Not until you listen to me" the orb cautioned. "I've got all the time in the world!"

"Well, I don't" Michael grumbled.

"Man, he was right. You are stubborn."

"Are you done rambling?"

The Orb flashed in front of him. "I was sent here to help you. But I think you need far more help than I could possibly provide." The Orb flew too close to Michael for his comfort and he backed away. The orb sighed. "I was afraid of that. You're heart is almost completely black. It seems like I should have been sent to find you a long time ago."

"And who sent you to find me?" Michael asked sarcastically. "The Tooth Fairy? The Djinns of Legend?"

"Icarus of course" the orb told him.

Michael stopped in his place. "What did you just say?"

"Icarus" the orb told him. "He told me that would be how you recognized him."

Michael laughed sadly. "Sorry, but I don't know any people named Icarus."

"Icarus is no person, Michael. He's the Espeon that you befriended, isn't he?"

"And how did you know Icarus?"

"I'm friends with all Pokémon who live in this world" the voice explained. "You can say that I'm a Guardian of all Pokémon and people. And Icarus told me to come and look for you."

"Sorry, Orb-thing. But Icarus died a long time ago. He died saving my life from some bad guys."

"Pokémon don't fade from existence that easily" the orb assured him. "Especially one with such a big and strong heart like Icarus. Icarus has been waiting for you for a very long time, Michael. He said you two had some unfinished business."

Michael shook his head. "Icarus is dead and I'm having hallucinations. I need to go to bed." He reached for his backpack to get a water bottle to wipe his face clean, but found that his entire bag was gone. He looked back by the waterfall for it, but it wasn't there. "Where did my bag go?"

The Orb flew over towards a small shadowy figure in the darkness below him, which was carrying his bag. "If you want your bag back, you have to come and find us!"

"I don't have time for this" Michael insisted.

"All you have is time, Michael" the orb giggled. "Let's play!" With that, the orb took off for the darkest corners of Agate Village. Michael grunted as he pursued the light orb and the shadowy creature all throughout the dark and sleeping Village. As he passed Eagun's house, the door opened and Julia came out to see him.

"What are you doing, Michael?" she asked him, still half asleep.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" Michael told her. "Go back to sleep, Jules. Something just stole my bag."

"Don't you need help?" Julia asked him. She reached for his arm. "Michael, I made the mistake of not believing you once. I won't do it again."

Michael sighed. "Some light ball told me to chase it because he stole my bag. Go ahead and laugh."

"A light ball?" Julia asked. "It goes against all that science has taught me, but so does what Giselle and her friends did to you. So, I believe you."

"And now, I don't even know where to look."

Julia looked down the cliff that led towards the Pokémon Center of Agate Village. "You said it was a Ball of Light?"

Michael nodded. "I know it sounds-"

"Where is the lightest place in the village?"

"You mean the moonlight?"

She shook her head. "Where is the place that is the most pure and bright?"

"The Relic Stone" Michael suddenly realized. He took Julia's hand. "Come on, let's go!"

Julia blushed as the two headed down the path and towards the Relic Stone. The two thought they could see the light heading through the tunnel that led to the Relic Forest. Michael and Julia pursued it, dodging tree branches, ponds and the occasional boulder that might trip them up until they skidded to a stop by the entrance to the Relic Forest. Despite it being the middle of the night above them, the Relic Stone seemed to be shining as if the sun was beating down on it. The entire chamber was luminous and bright. Right in front of the two was Michael's bag. Michael grabbed his bag and quickly thumbed through it. When he found what he was searching for, he pulled it out and sighed.

"What is that?" Julia asked him.

"These are where Icarus's ashes are stored" Michael told her, displaying the urn for her.

"Why did you look for them?"

Michael lowered his head. "I should have known it was too good to be true. The Orb told me that Icarus sent it to find me."

"What's going on down here?" a voice called out to them. Still in his pajamas, Eagun made his way down to see them with his trusted Pikachu by his side. "Michael? Julia? What are you two doing down here at this time of night?"

"There was some light that was calling me here, Eagun" Michael explained.

This caught the old man's attention. "A light? Calling to you? This is amazing!" He quickly sat down with his Pikachu in his lap. "This I want to see. Go on, Michael, touch the Relic Stone."

"Have you lost your mind?" Michael asked.

Julia nudged him forward. "Come on, Mike. There's nothing you have to lose."

Michael, still clutching onto the urn that contained Icarus, walked over to the Relic Stone and placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he found that the urn had disappeared. Before he could look for it, the ball of light appeared in front of him again. Michael looked behind him and saw that Julia and Eagun were frozen in time. "What is this?"

"The Power of the Relic Stone" the light told him. "We can help you get back to the person you were meant to be, Michael."

"There's no helping someone like me" Michael insisted. "Not the way I am." He felt something nudging into his leg. He looked down and collapsed onto his rear end in complete shock. By his feet was a small lilac colored Pokémon with wide triangular ears and deep violet eyes. The Pokémon looked up to him and let out a soft mew. "Icarus?" he asked, almost unable to breathe. He reached down to pet his Espeon, who jumped up into his hands to accept the pet. He let out a squeal and took the Espeon into his arms, cuddling his best friend in the world as tears streamed down the side of his face. "I never thought I'd see you again." The Espeon licked his cheek playfully as his trainer wept.

"The light in your heart is what drew Icarus to me" the ball of light said as it came down to their level of view. "Icarus came here because he's a pure hearted Pokémon. I can only help Pokémon that are pure of heart, and Icarus said that he needed to see you one more time."

Michael cradled his Espeon in his arms, laughing happily as his face bore a great deal of emotion. "Oh, Icarus. I missed you so much."

"The bond you share with Icarus" the Ball of Light continued, "I can tell you have similar bonds to all of your Pokémon."

Michael nodded. "I love all of my Pokémon. But Icarus was the most important thing in the world to me." He looked down towards his Espeon, who looked up at him with his soulful eyes and let out another mew. Michael lowered his head. "This isn't real, is it?"

"Icarus is here" the Light affirmed, "but he's also not here."

"What does that mean?" Michael asked.

"Icarus isn't really in your arms, right now, but Icarus is still in this very room." The Light floated down towards Michael's heart and glowed as he touched it. "In here."

"In my heart?"

"Icarus never left you" the voice continued. "He's always been there in your heart, calling to you whenever you were in your darkest places. Icarus hasn't left you since the day you met. Neither has the light inside of you. It's still in there and all you have to do is reach out to it."

"I can't" Michael said sadly. "I'm not that person anymore."

The Ball of Light flashed brightly for a moment before it transformed into a different shape. A portly yet broad shouldered man with thick glasses and a receding hairline appeared in front of Michael. "We've never left you, Michael."

Michael looked up in genuine surprise. "Grandpa?"

James Kingston looked down on his grandson. "Michael, we've been with you every step of the way."

Michael shook his head. "No. I don't deserve it. I'm not like you both. All I am is...darkness."

"I was never more proud of anything in my life than I was being a Grandfather to you and your cousins" James confirmed to his grandson. "You kids were everything to me. And that pride is everlasting.

"You wouldn't be proud of me, Grandpa" Michael said sadly as he clutched to Icarus, refusing to let this moment end for him. "Not after what I've become. Not after what I've done."

"Somewhere, deep inside of that young man that's full of woe and dark feelings, there is a little boy that made me perk up in happiness whenever I saw him. You are my Grandson, Michael. And no amount of self-loathing is going to change that."

"That was a long time ago."

"No, Michael. That is forever."

Michael looked up to the spirit of James Kingston and let out a soft whimper. "Grandpa, I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go or what to do with my life. I'm so lost. I need your help."

"You don't need me, Michael" James assured him. "But you'll always have me. Your answers are in your heart. You know what you have to do. Protect the people that matter the most to you, just like I taught you. Return to Arcana and set things right. Not for yourself, but for your cousins. For those you care most about. For her."

"Julia" Michael said softly. He could feel Icarus being pulled out of his hands. He tried to cling to him, but his Espeon leaped out of his hands and began to float away into the light. "ICARUS! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN! DON'T GO!"

"You've never been alone, Michael" James's voice echoed as he and Icarus began to fade into the light. "And you never will be. We are always with you." Icarus looked down upon his trainer and let out one final mew to his dearest friend. With that, James and Icarus vanished from view and Michael was left alone with the Ball of Light.

Michael looked up to the mysterious orb as it fell down into his hands. "I can help you, Michael. I want to help you."

"How can you help me?" Michael asked.

"I have the power to protect Pokémon who have lost their ways and fallen into darkness" the orb explained. "Because of your heart and the kindness you show towards others, I think I'll be able to help you too." The orb began to take form in front of him. Into a small Green cherubic creature with a fairy's wings and two big soft blue eyes. "I trust in you, so you can trust in me."

"You're-you're-"

Celebi floated in front of him and gestured to his heart. He placed his small hands over Michael and the boy could feel the darkness and shadows being purged from his heart. He looked around himself and saw his body being covered in a mysterious white aura. "So long as you need me, I'll be here with you. You don't have to fight the darkness by yourself. Because you'll never be alone and you've never been alone." Michael closed his eyes as the light completely surrounded him.

"Michael? Michael?"

Michael's eyes fluttered open and he found himself once more in front of the Relic Stone, with Julia and Eagun beside him. His best friend and the elderly man that had looked after him floated around him curiously.

"Are you okay?" Julia asked.

"What happened?" Eagun chimed in.

Michael sighed. "I'm okay." He looked above him as Celebi floated down to the trio of them. Julia and Eagun were speechless. Celebi flew in front of Michael's face and gave him a sweet kiss on his nose before disappearing into a Poké Ball that Michael had kept empty in his party and allowing himself to travel with the boy.

"Was that Celebi?" Julia asked.

"This is astonishing" Eagun remarked. "I know Celebi helped my granddaughter and her friend stop Cipher, but I never imagined Celebi would appear before someone."

Michael held the Poké Ball that Celebi had disappeared into and took a deep breath. "I've never been alone. They were always here with me."

"Who?" Eagun asked him.

"Icarus and my Grandfather" Michael answered. "They were always here with me, even in my darkest moments."

The trio looked behind them and towards the tunnel. A faint light was shining behind them. It was dawn. Eagun led the way as Julia and Michael followed the former great trainer out to look upon Agate Village in all of it's splendor as the sun rose to begin another day.

"The Dawn is beautiful" Julia said happily, hugging Michael as she did.

"It is" Michael responded.

"Celebi is your personal guardian" Eagun told the boy. "With him by your side. I don't think you need to be here anymore. You're free to continue wherever your heart wants to go, Michael."

Julia took his hand. "Wherever you want to go, I'm going to be there with you."

Michael squeezed her hand. "There's only one place we can go, Jules. We're going home."

As Michael concluded his story, Ryan was deeply reflective. His cousin's story was deeply moving to him. Even in his darkest of moments, he knew that his Espeon and their Grandfather would always be with them. But while the boys sat on the edge of the dock, one part of Michael's story still troubled him. "You learned how to believe in yourself because of Grandpa and Icarus though. You didn't get it yourself."

"Anyone can tell you how to gain some faith in yourself" Michael explained to the boy. "But you have to be the one who accepts it. And I believe you already have that faith in yourself as I did. After all, you couldn't have made it this far without some kind of faith in yourself. Am I right?"

Ryan shrugged. "I guess."

"And everyone in our family and all of our friends have faith in you, Ry" Michael assured him. "Your parents, Chris, Cam, Grandma, Mark, Lizzie, Addy, Julia, Piper, Me. All of us have faith that if you're destined to be the Champion of Arcana, you'll be as good as Grandpa and I, if not better."

Ryan frowned. "I still think I'd do better if you stayed to help me."

Michael laughed sadly. "Ry, how did you guys go on after you thought we had died in the Taghwan Hall Tragedy?"

Ryan thought for a moment. "I-I don't know. I used to ask myself that sometimes."

Michael shook his head. "You knew, deep down, that you never lost us." He pointed towards the boy's heart. "So long as you hold us in there, no matter how far away we are, we'll always be together."

"In my heart" Ryan asked.

Michael tussled the boy's bandanna. "In your heart, just like you all are in mine."

Ryan leaped into his cousin's arms. "I'm sorry, Mike."

Michael patted the boy. "There's no need to be, Ryan. I'm proud of you, kiddo."

Ryan squeezed his cousin in a loving embrace. "And you promise you'll always be with me?"

Michael nodded. "So long as you promise the same for me, Ry."

Ryan nodded as he felt the last of his tears drop off of his cheek and land on Michael's shirt. "Then I think I'm going to be okay."

Michael patted his cousin's back. "Besides, it's not like we'll be gone forever. Julia and I have a family of our own to make, Ryan. We'll be back, someday. And I want to know everything you've been through since this day when I get back. But so long as you keep us in your heart, we'll always be with you, no matter what barriers keep us apart."

"Mike? Was Grandpa really that great?"

Michael nodded as a tear dropped from his eye. "Oh, Grandpa was one of the greatest men in the world." As the two rose back to their feet, Michael let out a soft laugh. "It's funny. The more I've seen you grow up, the more you remind me of him." He ruffled his cousin's hair. "And he would have loved you, Ryan. More than you could ever know."

"There you boys are" Alison called over to them. "We've been looking all over for you."

Ryan looked back towards his Mom and saw that she, Julia and Addison were standing behind them at the other end of the dock. He made his way over to his Mom. "We're okay, Mom. Mike needed to teach me something. One final lesson before he leaves for Kalos."

Julia sighed. "Listen, Ryan. If it's going to hurt you that much-"

Ryan shook his head and hugged Julia. "No chance. Michael told me. You guys are going to love it in Kalos."

Julia smiled. "Thank you, Ry." She bent down and kissed his head. "That was very noble of you, sweetie."

"You impress me everyday with how much you've grown up, Ryan" Alison told her son.

"You're sure you're going to be okay?" Addison asked him.

Ryan nodded and put his arm around her. "Of course. I have reasons to keep fighting and going on past this."

Michael nodded as he made his way over to them. "We just needed to remind ourselves of what was most important."

Ryan kissed Addison on the cheek, causing her to blush. "And that's something I know I'll never forget."

{Some Time Later}

Later that night, as he drifts to sleep in his Hotel Room before the biggest day of his young life, Ryan is woken up by an unexpected message appearing on his Poké Gear. He yawned loudly before he grabbed his Poké Gear to look at who could have contacted him at this time of night. The display on his device did not tell him who had sent it, so Ryan had to log into his Poké Gear to look and see who had sent him this message. It didn't take him too long to discover who it was that had reached out to him"

[Ryan,

I heard from Julia that you might need a little confidence boost, so I figured I would message you before you go off losing to someone like Cameron or to Michael in the Final Match. I could go off on a tangent based on how many good and wonderful things you've done as a trainer, but I don't think that would be proper. No, I think you need to hear this from the heart. In your defiant stands against The Syndicate and The Grand Master, you saved more lives than you can possibly imagine. I know you managed to rescue Addison from their clutches as well as Michael from the darkness inside of him, but I was specifically referring to three alternate lives your kindness and good heart have helped.

Firstly, when you and I met near Trickton, you saved me. After learning how ill my mother was and what my father expected of me, I could feel myself sliding down a dark slope that could only end in myself causing more pain and misery on Arcana. But through your kind words and encouragement, I was able to see the world in a new light that I never thought possible to see. I saw that even when my father's ambitions were covering much of Arcana, that there was some good left to oppose him and the Syndicate. For that, I will forever be in your debt.

So too, is my father. Your compassion in facing Michael and encouraging him to spare my father despite all he had done to you proved to my father that all he had believed of the Kingston Family to be a lie. The Aceds and Kingstons were once the strongest and most closely allied families in Arcana, but as there are only two Aceds left in the world, it will take some time for both myself and my father to atone for what we've inflicted on you and your loved ones.

But most importantly. you saved your brother's life. Matthew was going down a steep and dark path that would have likely sent him following in my father's footsteps. But instead of letting his own pride and arrogance destroy him, you and Addison showed him that love and compassion were in fact real and strong enough forces in the world to never be trifled with. And the kindness and pity you showed on your brother as well as a certain stranger you met in Trickton allowed me to take your brother out of the toxic environment of Arcana and some place where he could one day redeem himself. He still has many hurdles to climb as we both head off on the next steps of our journey, but I'm sure one day he will return to you and your family a better person than he was when you defeated him on Mt. Heatmor.

I find the fact that you will be facing Cameron and Michael for your final two matches in the Arcana Pokémon League to be easily the most compelling matches for you. While Cameron is a strong and virtually fearless Pokémon Trainer, she will serve as a fiercely loyal lieutenant to you should you be able to overcome her ferociously powerful Pokémon. As for Michael, his heart and faith in his Pokémon would serve as the perfect final opponent for your quest to become the Champion. Even if you don't manage to overcome him, the fact that in your first ever journey that you've made it this far is something worth commending. And should you prevail over him, I know Arcana will be saddened by the departure of Michael and his wife to a new region, but you will show them that you will not only continue the legacy of Michael and your Grandfather. but will improve upon it.

We will be rooting for you from abroad. Hopefully one day, we can both return to Arcana to give it's new Champion a truly honorable battle.

Good Luck, Kiddo

Jocelyn Aced]

Ryan felt himself smile at the knowledge that not only was Matthew actually in exile, but under the watchful eye of Jocelyn. He knew that if there was anyone who could turn his brother back on the right path, it would be Jocelyn. He put his Pokémon Gear back down and slumped back into his bed to get some much needed rest, because in only a few hours, the title of Champion would be up for grabs between him, Michael and Cameron.

{Meanwhile}

Michael stood out on the balcony of his and Julia's Deluxe Suite in the Titanio Hotel, just down the hall from Piper's Penthouse Suite. He looked out onto the still sprawling and busy nighttime streets of Titanio City, with hundreds of people still partying in the streets below them. He wondered if his cousin was still partying about despite his unceremonious defeat at the hands of Giselle.

Julia had been reading some messages from her friends abroad before closing her laptop and walking over to her husband's side and kissing his cheek. "You okay, Mike?"

Michael nodded. "I am. After all this time, it's finally coming to an end. It'll feel strange not having to worry about Arcana for a while."

Julia rested her head lovingly on his shoulder. "Soon, your only worries will be me and the baby,"

"And I'm looking forward to that" Michael admitted. "Just the three of us and our Pokémon in Kalos." He looked down towards her. "Any ideas?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I painting the baby's room blue or pink?"

She laughed contently. "Does it matter?"

"Not in the slightest to me" Michael responded, somewhat sadly. "I'll admit, it will be strange leaving Arcana in someone else's hands, even Cameron's."

Julia sighed. "Mikey, sweetie. If you're having any doubts about leaving..."

Michael shook his head. "This is something I owe to you and to myself. Just to be able to live our lives, doing whatever we want. Leave the heroism and scientific breakthroughs to others. I just want to spend the rest of my days with you and the baby, plus more if we want."

Julia gently kissed his arm. "And after the Title Match, it will just be you and me, Michael, no matter what happens."

"I wonder if she'll be able to control Chris" Michael asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm sure she will" Julia giggled. "She has that way about her."

"She's been that way our entire lives" Michael remarked. "Though, I suppose having someone like his sister be in charge would make things easier."

"You're talking about Cameron?" Julia asked.

Michael laughed. "Who were you talking about?"

"Piper" Julia smiled warmly. "I don't want to play matchmaker, but-"

"Don't give my Grandmother any ideas" Michael cautioned her playfully. "She'll consent to it immediately."

"But just imagine" she thought. "In the span of a year, you and me, Tori and Greg, Jon and Annie, and then Chris and Piper. Your grandmother wouldn't be able to complain about matchmaking for a while."

Michael shrugged. "Let's see how much he ticks me off in the next 40 hours or so." With that, Michael picked his pregnant wife into his arms and carried her back to their bed for the night.