Pokemon: The Dawn of Arcana

by TheNMan64

The Final Clash with Mewtwo is upon us in the next chapter of the Crimson Fury Saga. With the forces of good pushed to their breaking point and on the brink of collapse, an unexpected chosen must rise to the occasion and oppose Mewtwo despite their fears and lack of confidence. Darkness will rise, light will fall and the end of an entire age of the world is coming...

2. Chapter 1: The Countess

How long has it been since I last woke from this trance? Perhaps only a few hours or longer. I never can tell with these kinds of immersions anymore. In all of the nearly eighty years I have been doing this, never have I seen such darkness on the horizon as I do now. These shadows have been long overdue, though. I saw them as early as back when we were all children. But never did I imagine that these forms of sinister origins would grow to such lengths. Arcana is reaching it's breaking point. It's heroes stretched to their breaking point. It's people cowering in fear of villains both known and unknown. Such things have been known to me for my entire life, yet I have been powerless to interfere. And even if I could, why would I want to stave off the wheels of fate for what might only prove to be a temporary balm? I have placed my faith in the Tome of the White Guardian for most of my life. Why change that now?

Arcana-no. Not just Arcana. Though my home has been through much in these past 30 or so years, I cannot bring myself to say just Arcana in such an instance. The entire world is approaching Armageddon at an alarming rate. The demons of evil are readying themselves. The pieces are all falling into place. The stage is set almost perfectly for them. A broken and divided family, a falling hero, an uneasy alliance and the hope of an entire planet hinging on the events that will transpire over the next three months.

Three months? Is that right? Or is it shorter? When I am in these moments of stasis, I cannot tell anymore. Time moves so slowly inside my own mind. Yet at the same time, time moves at unexpected rates outside. I recall Master Tiberius informing me of this when I first came on board. Time would change for us. We could not be in trance for long, lest we miss events occurring out of our control. Tiberius was a good mentor, but I outlived the need for his lectures not long after I began. He was only scratching the surface of the powers of a White Guardian. I am the one who has exceeded those expectations. Perhaps that's why he sought me out all those years ago?

{Sixty Five Years Ago}

"Why do Mother and Father want to see us?" a properly attired little girl asked as she followed her older brothers through the halls of Kingston Castle. She was a delicate little child, always seen in garments made of the finest silks and fabrics that her family's money could buy. Like her brothers, she had bright blonde hair and soft blue eyes, but hers was even brighter blonde, almost platinum. She was scrawny for an eight year old girl, but never had to worry about being either malnourished or underfed. Or worried about being attacked for that matter. Having a brother who was one of the top contenders in the Pokémon League and another who was right behind him helped.

"We're not the ones that were summoned" her older brother Roddy spoke to her. "Mother and Father want to see you, Rosie."

"Me?" Rosie asked in confusion. "What have I done?"

"I haven't the foggiest" her eldest brother James spoke gently to her. While Roddy was her closer brother in terms of age, Rosie always felt most personally close to James. He was the one who looked after her all the time. Who took care of anything she needed. Who would help her grow into a woman that could help him fulfill his destiny. James would be just the kind of leader the Kingston Family needed to get out of it's rut. Someone who put the needs of the Region before the needs of themselves. "But I wouldn't worry too much about it, Rosie. They didn't seem mad or anything. Just puzzled."

"You haven't been doing anything to upset them, have you?" Roddy asked snidely.

"Of course not" Rosie insisted. "With you two going out on your journeys all the time, when do I get any time to get into any mischief?" With James and Roddy out of the house, her parents were often peering in on her, checking to ensure she wasn't up to something. Why did they always accuse her of being in on her brother's mischief? Roddy was the one always getting into trouble.

The three siblings turned a corner as they made for the Dining Hall of Kingston Castle. James took the two aside when he heard voices being spoken inside. When he listened in, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "They're talking about some kind of Guardian."

"Guardian?" Roddy inquired. "Do you mean a Pokémon or something?"

"Or a Police Officer?"

James shook his head. "No. These Guardians are interested in something. But that's all I got." The three backed away from the door and stood at attention as they swung open. Obadiah Kingston and Mary Kingston, the Lord and Lady of Kingston Castle and parents to the three, gestured for them to enter. James led the way, followed by Rosie in the middle and Roddy bringing up the rear. James saluted his parents as well as the strangers at the table. "Mother. Father. I've brought Rosie."

"At ease, son" Obadiah responded bluntly. He was a puffed out and bloated man who's prime had shot passed him a long time ago. Rosie could remember hearing rumors that the family was fearing that he would not last much longer, but those talks were quickly quashed and any talk of it died alongside the sacking of those employees who questioned his health. Obadiah Kingston was a King in all but name, ruling over Arcana with ferocity that felt as if a Salamence was roaring over it's dominion, yet he had more in common in terms of health with a Snorlax these days. Mary Kingston was still as dainty and frail a woman as she had always been. Though a loving and tender mother, Rosie would overhear James and Roddy discussing how their mother was deeply unhappy with her husband these days. But why? After all, she was the wife of the most powerful man in the region. Then again, there were some things a nine year old girl was not supposed to know.

Rosie's attention was drawn towards the man sitting in a chair adjacent to her father. He looked like the ancient sage wizards that often appeared in Arcanan Fairy Tale books. He wore all white robes with a long and equally snow-colored beard. Atop his head was a strange crown like ornament that bore in it a single gemstone. As Rosie watched the man stroke his beard, she thought she could see the brightness of the gem in the turban fading slightly. Nevertheless, with a playful nudge from James, she made her way to the table and sat opposite this man beside her mother, while James and Roddy filed in beside her.

"Rosemary" Mary spoke softly to her daughter. "Boys. I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Lord Tiberius Duon of Magenta Grove."

"Lord Tiberius?" James asked in surprise.

"I thought he was just a myth" Roddy admitted, equally astonished.

"Moreso a trickster than a myth" Obadiah grumbled. "Alright you. Why did you come all this way just to ask for my daughter?"

"My apologies for this unexpected intrusion" Tiberius answered curtly, a voice that Rosie could tell was hiding a deep-seated anger towards the way her father was treating him. Rosie had to admit she was impressed with the way this man presented himself. "But I had to come as soon as I had come to my senses."

"Your senses?" Rosie chimed.

"A figure of speech" the old man chuckled, though Rosie could tell he was hiding something. She kept her thoughts to herself though, as her father was eyeing the man with enough contempt for one lifetime. Tiberius was simply staring at her, studying her, as if he could figure out exactly what she thought of him. "So, you are Rosemary Kingston?"

"I am" Rosie answered politely, before rising from the chair and curtsying before him. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Lord Tiberius?"

"With respect, My Lady" Tiberius eloquently spoke, "I am no lord. I doffed the mantle a long time ago. It is my brother who now sits as the leader of the Duon Family." He stroked his white beard and continued to look her over. "Tell me, my dear. I'd like to inquire something of you." He rose to his feet and displayed himself for all to see. "I'd like you to study me. Tell me what it is you see and think of me."

Obadiah was skeptical. "What are you asking my daughter to do, you senile codger?"

"It is a simple test of her cognitive function" Tiberius responded, before returning his attention to Rosie. "Do not feel hesitant to hold back, Rosemary. Tell me exactly what you think of me and who I am."

Rosie studied him for a good long time, though she was confused as to why this was necessary. "Well, I see from your long beard that you're a very old man."

"Rosie!" Mary cried out in surprise. "You should know better than to-"

"It is alright, Lady Kingston" the sage interrupted. "This is what I asked of her."

"Your skin is a little pale" Rosie continued, "so I take it you don't get a whole lot of sunshine in Magenta Grove. Your robes are clean and unstained, so I take it you take your personal hygiene very seriously. I can see from the turban on your head that you are a person of significant import."

"It's called a Mitre" Tiberius corrected. "Go on."

Now, Rosemary went deep into her own mind to make more direct assumptions of the man. "I can tell by the look in your eyes that you are tired. Not tired the same way someone who stays up all night would be. Tired in the same way a tree would look when it's weathered many long storms. I can see from the way you stroke your chin that you're inquisitive, but you already know the answer to the question you've asked." She let out a wry smile. "And I know that you know every word that is going to come out of my mouth because you can see into my mind."

"That's impossible" Obadiah growled. "No one can-"

"You are an astute maiden, Rosemary" Tiberius interrupted. "Indeed, I have gone many long years in this world. Eighty two to be precise. The day will come that I am no longer even capable of doing the few things left that I can." He chuckled slightly. "But there are somethings that will never be lost on my mind." To everyone's surprise, the chair beside Tiberius, which contained a satchel belonging to the elderly man, pulled itself out. One of the books within the satchel floated out of its holdings and into the old man's hand.

"WHOA" Roddy gasped. "You really are a wizard!"

"I don't think that's entirely accurate" James responded bluntly.

"You think some parlor tricks can fool me?" Obadiah snarled. "I want to know why you came here and I want to know now!"

"Rosemary" Tiberius began, completely ignoring her father, "I take it from your assumptions of who I am that I am not like any other person you have crossed paths with. And you would be correct in that judgment. There aren't many like me. At least, not since my order was created in this very castle by your ancestor." He cleared his throat. "Tell me. What do you know of Arturius Kingston?"

"The King Who Bowed?" Rosie recalled. "Well, over five hundred years ago, I know he surrendered the crown to allow the people of Arcana to govern themselves, serving as more of a figurehead than an absolute monarch. He did so because he feared the people would rebel and harm the family if he didn't surrender his power. But since he knew that the people of the world didn't know how to completely govern the region, he helped to establish the Thirteen Families and have them oversee things in Arcana. For many years, it was a Council of Thirteen delegates who debated and established law and order. Then, the power of the council waned as the Pokémon League rose to prominence. It soon became normal for the person in control of the Pokémon League to truly be in control of Arcana, like it is in regions around the world."

"Very good. But there is one detail you missed. One that is not often covered, though I do not understand why." He stroked his beard once more as he recollected his musings. "Arturius Kingston also was a man of deep and undying faith. He surrendered his crown, but he knew something that many did not. His chief counselor, Rupert the White, warned him of a time long in the future when Arcana would be in a time of great danger. When the region would again need a King to don the Arcane Crown to help ward off this tide of darkness. There is, of course more to unpack there, but I believe you understand the point."

"Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me" her father hissed.

"I'm surprised this doesn't intrigue any of you" Tiberius went on. "The Arcane Crown will again be worn by a King. There are some stipulations about it that Rupert the White mentioned in his writings, but a Kingston will likely rise to the throne once again, for the first time in over five hundred years."

"What would entail these events happening?" Rosie asked.

"The fulfillment of the Three Arcane Prophecies. Rupert the White wrote them down while in a trance. Three separate predictions about the future of our world. The first was that a King would rise from the fires of doubt and despair to lead Arcana into it's greatest battle. A second, that his champion would be one who carried his name and his power. And thirdly, that when all such events leading to towards the culmination of Dark and Light's fated clash were ended, the world would enter a new and unknown era."

"Rupert the White had no children though" her mother told the sage. "How could one who carries his name come to pass?"

"Arturius saw to this by naming a council of Prophets and Scholars known to all as the White Guardians" Tiberius explained. "The White Guardians were to exist and serve as guides and companions to those who would help bring about this change when the day inevitably came."

James folded his arms. "So, you believe Rosie is the one your prophecies have spoken of?"

"It is said that this being, whom Rupert referred to in his writings as The White Mage, would be born the same as the Arcane King was. That is to say, they would be born of a Queen and a man of the Earth. Unfortunately, the Head of the Order was not yet in power when Lady Rosemary was born, as we were going through a bit of a transition ourselves at the time. I do not believe that Rosemary is the child in question. But I do believe without a doubt that she is the one who will see the rise of both Arcana's King and the White Mage. She is perceptive and knowledgeable beyond her years. Something that she will carry well into her later life. Which is why I have come to Kingston Castle. I wish to bring Rosemary into the fold as my apprentice and the next leader of the White Guardians."

Rosie was speechless. All of her life, she thought she had just been a bit more perceptive than her brothers or their friends. She thought that her seeing things in people was just some little trait she had, like James's penchant for kindness of Roddy's for making trouble. But if she truly had a gift like this, a kind of second sight or foreteller's vision, she could perhaps find her niche in the White Guardians. Tiberius seemed to think this of her.

"What would her joining the White Guardians entail?" Mary asked. "I don't want our daughter to miss out on her own womanhood."

"Why are we even having this conversation?" Obadiah bellowed. "I have heard enough of this loon's tales. My daughter will not be giving up her life for some dingy cult!"

"If someone in your line is destined to wear the crown" Tiberius cautioned, "then a White Guardian must be in place to prepare for such a day. A stipulation Arturius agreed to when handing over his crown was that a King could not crown himself. They need to be bestowed the crown by the White Mage. The White Mage will not come to being until after the King has been born. The King must help nurture the White Mage to their position, but the White Mage must be the one who gives the King the chance to wear it."

"And you claim these lunatic visions you had can tell my daughter is going to be one of your little gang of tax evading thugs?"

"Obadiah" Mary tried to soothe her husband, but he ignored her words.

"If these events do not transpire" Tiberius warned, "the end of the world will become inevitable. The Twelve Truths Prophecy entails that a demonic twin would be born through the defilement of nature. And that time will be coming. No one can be sure when it will, but it will come. It always does."

"A demonic twin?" Rosie gulped. "That doesn't sound too friendly."

"The Demonic Twin will only be able to be thwarted by The White Mage. And the White Mage cannot come about without being nurtured to their position by the King, whom we will never know who it is unless someone is in the White Guardians capable of knowing. But this is all conjuncture. While I believe that you will be the one who sees this King born, we cannot be sure if you will live to see it. It might come in your waning days or it could come from one of your brothers. But in order to prepare you for such a day, Rosemary, I need to take you under my wing and educate you to one day assume my place." He showed the gemstone in his Mitre. "This Gemstone depicts the life force energy of the White Guardian. Mine is waning already. I am not long for this world. If I do not pass along my knowledge, all of the work of Arturius Kingston will be lost and our world will take a chance on this Demonic Twin wiping out all life on earth."

Rosie looked towards everyone at the table with her. Roddy was doing his best to avoid making eye contact with everyone, the tension at the table proving too much for him to bear. James was lost in thought, as if he was trying to figure out if what Tiberius was saying could be true. Her mother was keeping her head down, unable to motivate herself to argue more with Obadiah. Her father was stewing in his chair, muttering and cursing to himself about the intrusions Tiberius was making. The sage who had told her of her destiny simply sat in silence, waiting for her answer about her involvement.

Before Rosie could give an answer, her older brother spoke up first. "I think this is a choice only Rosie can make. We cannot make it for her."

"She's a child" Obadiah fumed. "I won't have her mind warped into some blithering buffoon!"

"I'm afraid that your son is right, Obadiah" Tiberius answered coldly. "This is Rosemary's choice."

Rosie took a deep breath. "Before today, I didn't know what my life had in store for me. Mother wanted me to become a Contest Queen. Father wanted me to join James and Roddy in the Pokémon League. I haven't known what I want to do with my life at all. But I think that you came to seek me out for a reason, Lord Tiberius. And I don't want to be someone who would willingly spit in the face of fate." She nodded. "I will join the White Guardians."

Obadiah rose from the table and went out onto the Veranda to brood. Mary lowered her head into her hands, either in relief or sorrow. Roddy stared at his little sister as if she had gone insane. James, the big and lovable brother he had always been, patted her on the shoulder and kissed her head. Tiberius nodded and rose to his feet to collect his belongings. "So be it. I will come for you in three days time, Rosemary. Be ready to depart for Magenta Grove by that time. Your Uncle Stefan has graciously allowed the White Guardians to use Magenta Castle as our base for some time. When I return, you will begin your journey from a child with a gift, to becoming Arcana's chief Prophet."

{}

After Master Tiberius departed for Magenta Grove, father would not say a word to me. And I wouldn't speak to him again in my life. He would die three years later of a heart attack and leave James and Roddy to pick up the pieces of his legacy. Roddy also seemed to become a little distant with me. Though he never said it to my face, I can sense in his mind that he blamed my choice to join the White Guardians for our father's death. He would die young as well, sadly. He was only twenty two when he met his end during a War that took place in Kanto that he had elected to serve in. This, unintentionally granted me the full inheritance of Magenta Castle and all of it's titles and fortunes when Uncle Stefan died. I have since used those resources to continue to fund the White Guardians and to grow my core of followers and bookkeepers, all while awaiting the preparations for the White Mage.

Fortunately, I kept in contact with Mother and James after I left. They showed to me that our family had a chance to take what my Master said to heart. Mother would go on to live for another fifteen years after father died, even getting to see James marry and father some children. And James would go on to become Arcana's Champion and the Head of the Family. He had all of the makings of being the King that the Prophecies spoke of, but never once did the Master tell me James was the one, no matter how many times I inquired.

Over the next several years, I was trained in both body and mind to follow in the path of the White Guardians. It was not easy, for my mind was not fully developed around that of a Pokémon. I had taken a liking to an Abra that I met in my meditation and he has since become my faithful friend and ally. Thanks to my connection to him, I was finally able to make some significant strides in my studies. Master Tiberius would tell me that the White Mage would already have a strong connection to Pokémon when I discovered who they were, as the King would instruct them to bond with and care for Pokémon. Though I again wondered if James could be this King that was spoken of, I was not allowed to make my thoughts known. I simply lost myself in books and meditation.

When I was but a twenty year old woman, some eleven years after I had agreed to join the White Guardians, I had a vision of my brother preparing for his wedding. I had intended to ask Master Tiberius to allow me to go, but he surprised me by saying I needed to be there. I didn't think of why I was needed, until that day came and I returned home for the first time in all of those years...

{Fifty Four Years Ago}

Having forgone her elegant and silky clothing years ago in order to don the robes of the White Guardians, Rosie could not help but feel awkward when the people who had come to Kingston Castle for the wedding of her brother James to Bonnie Novren were all dressed in fine gowns and tuxedos. It reminded her of a world long ago that she was no longer a part of. A lifetime ago, she might have been expected to help her mother prepare for the wedding. But her new Sister In-Law had taken things to a new level.

Though she did not recall knowing Bonnie Novren well back in the day, she had seen much of her in her visions. She was everything the Guardian in Training detested about the ruling classes of Arcana. Snide, conceited and downright dismissive of the lower classes. But James seemed to be smitten with her, so Rosie did her best to hold her tongue while in his presence. Fortunately, the Groom was not the first she recognized upon arriving in Kingston Castle. His Best Man and another who had been a brother to her in her youth was. He, like her, seemed deeply uncomfortable in a suit, though he preferred lab coats to the gowns of an almost religious denomination that she was a part of. He was lank, yet also neatly trimmed, as if he only allowed certain aspects of his look to be altered. His snappy attire was only met with women who would love to be with him.

Of course, Rosie knew better. This man had only ever truly had eyes on one person. And she was certain the women of Arcana would be crestfallen if they knew the truth about their idol. Any fears of their different paths causing derision or doubt quickly evaporated when she was greeted warmly by this man who was essentially holding her place at the table for her brother.

"Rosie!" he bellowed, his black goatee shining in the sunlight. "Glad you could make it, sweetie!"

Rosie rushed forward and happily embraced him. "Balthazar. It's been too long."

"James was worried you wouldn't be coming" her brother's best friend admitted.

"He needn't have worried" Rosie winked as she took Balthazar Aced's arm. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"You sure are" Balthazar laughed. He eyed her as they walked arm and arm into the Castle from the Courtyard. Balthazar certainly hadn't changed much since the last time Rosie had seen him. He was always dashing and robust and now a very popular scientist and the heir to the Aced Family fortune. But one thing Rosie had always noticed about her brother's most loyal friend was that though he was an icon and heartthrob to many in Arcana, he never seemed interested in pursuing any relationships. His devotion was entirely towards the Sciences and to the young Lord of Kingston Castle. It would be one thing if Balthazar had any brothers or sisters, but his mother died young in childbirth, and his father never remarried, making him the only one to carry on the Aced Family name. But perhaps Rosie was looking at things too politically. After all, he seemed to be in the prime of his health and had adoring women fawning over him. Even if he wasn't interested now, perhaps he might be in the future.

The handsome man eyed her the same way her brothers would, with a look of both pride and reverence for what she was becoming. "Look at you. It seems like yesterday you were trying to smuggle yourself into our journey throughout Arcana. Now, you're all grown up."

"Fortunately, some things never change" Rosie spoke up. "I'm content to see you're as jovial as ever."

"Why shouldn't I be?" the scientist laughed. "My best friend is marrying the love of his life. All seems right in the world for once. Yes. Rosie. James and Bonnie are going to be a powerhouse couple in Arcana, mark my words."

Rosie frowned. "Does Bonnie treat him well?"

Balthazar nodded. "Of course she does. James wouldn't be marrying her, otherwise." He sighed. "It's not her James would have to worry about."

"Does she not get along with Mother?"

Balthazar shook his head sadly. "It's not that, either." He was about to answer her, when a raucous argument poured out from the Ballroom. The two rushed inside, only to find the situation playing out before them. James was adorned in a tuxedo worn by the Kingston Kings for such formal occasions, but he seemed forlorn at the person he was feuding with. To Rosie's surprise, it was the last person she thought James would ever be arguing with, considering how lengthy their friendship had been.

"Claude?"

"Seems our old friend is a touch miffed at the whole thing" Balthazar spoke up, leading her towards a table to avoid any outbursts from either party.

Claude Jacques, a well dressed and fiercely aristocratic lawyer from the wealthy and powerful Jacques Family, had his back to James and his arms folded. Rosie could tell of a deep and well planted hatred for her brother inside of the man that had once been as close to James as she and Balthazar were. If their friendship wasn't already in flames, it was about to spark into it's last grounds.

"Why should I have expected any less from you?" Claude snarled. "After all, this is all you've ever done, James. Take what you want, without regard for anyone else, least of all your friends."

"You and Bonnie haven't been together since you left for Law School" James insisted. "She missed you dearly. How was I supposed to know that we'd fall in love?"

"You wasted no time in spitting on our friendship by linking with her" the lawyer hissed, tossing his hand in a casual yet threatening manner. "Spare me the indignity, Lord Kingston. It's clear to me now that you value your relationship with Bonnie over one of your closest friends."

"Claude, you know that's not true" James winced. "You cannot control who you fall in love with."

"Have you considered all of the ramifications of your spurning of me?" the infuriated aristocrat warned. "Because it seems you're content to let bridges burn so long as you have a moment of temporary bliss. I honestly do not know why I even bothered coming here. Consider our camaraderie no longer existent. And I condemn this entire ceremony as little more than a political stunt that I'd expect from that drunken old father of yours!" He prepared to storm out of the ballroom doors that Rosie and Balthazar had just entered. Balthazar rose up to stop him.

"Come on, Claude" Balthazar pleaded. "This wasn't anything deliberate."

"You of all people should understand my feelings on the matter" Claude scowled. "I have no further business here for this farce of a wedding. Why would you want to stay here and be spat on by our former friend?"

"James invited us to attend" their friend stuck between them insisted. "Wouldn't you think it rude to spurn him? We've been friends for so long."

"I could care less what this excuse for a man has to say on any subject, nor anything about that wretched tramp he's married to! Now get out of my way!" He pushed Balthazar aside and strode for the exit.

"Don't you speak about my wife that way, Claude!" James growled, the shadow of Obadiah echoing from his voice.

"I will speak candidly about whatever it is I choose" his former friend spat out. "I do not take orders from a faux King. You turned your back on me, James. Now, allow me to do the same." The lawyer made for the ballroom doors, but James moved quickly. His Armaldo was out, it's pincers clanging together to threaten Claude with a battle. Rosie could see little but fierce anger in her brother's eyes.

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE?!" James roared.

Claude did not move for a moment, though his hand hovered over a Poké Ball on his belt. But instead of engaging the groom, Claude simply laughed it off coldly. "Why waste both of our times on a clash we know will end harshly? No, James. I will not stoop down to your level. But I will not allow this indignity to go unpunished or unavenged." Claude turned to face James one last time. "Look to your sins, James. Otherwise, you'll see your world erupt in the flames of your own arrogance!" Claude eyed Rosie briefly for a moment before departing from the ballroom in a huff.

Rosie stood up from her chair and made her way over to her brother as Balthazar hurried to do the same. The Best Man did a momentary grooming of his friend before calming himself down. "Oh, James. I'm sorry about that."

"It's nothing" James said sadly as he recalled his Pokémon. "I wasn't expecting Claude to take things so personally."

"He's just a bit moody" Balthazar tried to reassure his friend. "I'm certain this will all blow over soon."

"Those words didn't seem like someone who was eager to let things blow over" Rosie warned. She could sense a great deal of resentment and jealousy fueling Claude's words. A great pit of anger and hatred the former friend of her brother was drawing from. And his threats were not the veil kinds one could just ignore. "There was a great deal of darkness in his words."

"It's Claude, Rosie" her brother insisted. "He won't stew for very long."

"You were at his throat" Rosie countered. "You two could have gotten into a battle in the ballroom! And you're just going to dismiss it as just another row with the boys?"

"It's something you'd understand if you were one of the guys" Balthazar joked. "Now come on. We've got a wedding to get along with."

As the Best Man rushed out of the ballroom and for the Chapel, James and Rosie finally eyed one another and embraced. "I'm glad you could be here, Rosie. And mother is, too."

Rosie could not help but smile as she embraced her older brother. "It's good to see you again, James. But I don't want you to ignore my warnings. You need to make amends with Claude. There's anger in his words. It could prove dangerous to keep him on as an enemy."

James sighed. "Perhaps you're right, Rosie. But for now, I've got a wedding to get to." He took his sister's arm and the two walked out of the ballroom together and towards the Castle Chapel, where James would be married to the love of his life.

{}

James liked to think he had made amends with Claude over time, but I knew better. The hatred between the two would only grow from Claude's end, but my brother seemed to delude himself into believing Claude would never rival or seek to undermine him. Being the all knowing eye that I am now, I know that Claude was moving against my brother at every turn, syphoning money and power away from him and further driving a wedge between him and Balthazar. I suspect he's also the one who was behind that son of Balthazar's contempt for James. Claude was and remains a menace to our family, his shadowy fingerprints on all of it since this day. He will answer for his actions, but whether or not we're all around to see it remains to be seen.

Master Tiberius died not too long after James and Bonnie's wedding, leaving me as not only the Countess of Magenta Castle, but also to serve as the Head of the White Guardians. With all of the knowledge and wisdom of the White Guardians now on my mind, I was free to pursue my life's purpose for the first time: seeking out the member of my family who would don the Arcane Crown. But this task proved to be rather fruitless. After all, Roddy never got to have any children and we had no male cousins to speak of. This meant that the only way for a Kingston to be the one spoken of in the Arcane Prophecy would be a child of James and Bonnie's or at the very least a descendant of theirs.

James Jr. was not a fit at all for the position. He possesses too much of his mother in him. A bureaucrat over being a leader. The same can be said of Douglas. Too focused on unimportant things to see the bigger picture. Erin, his daughter, could not count as she was a woman. After years of studying the Arcana Prophecies, despite my belief in the equal treatment of men and women, they clearly depict the Arcane Crown being passed to a male heir. So she is out of the running. And a good thing, too. If both Douglas and Junior were Bonnie's children, Erin was irrevocably her daughter. The only thing she had in common with James was looking like him.

Byron and Jeice could have been candidates, but when she ran her studies on them, both failed to meet the expected traits a King would have. Byron was courageous and strong, but was more of a good soldier than a leader. He seemed to long for justice to be served, but was content to allow the bureaucrats of our family continue on with their scheming. Jeice was a rebellious one, often defying both Bonnie and James constantly and going through various phases of adolescent rule breaking. He could not and likely would never take the mantle of being a King seriously. As for Robert, he too shared some similar flaws with his elder brothers. He had more of a desire to be a Pokémon Champion than he did being a King or leader of the family. But, unless James and Bonnie were to have a myriad of grandchildren, the Kingston Family would soon fall in the hands of Bonnie's children, a feat that terrified me. No, I needed to ensure that their children married correctly.

Oddly enough, my brother seemed to agree with me and did most of the work for me. Despite his duties as Champion constantly keeping him from home, he was there for his children when they picked their lovers. Junior married his University sweetheart Lauren. Douglas married a young law student from Claude's practice in Janine, though a part of me is skeptical about this union. Fortunately, it has since grown into a marriage of both love and devotion. Byron would marry Joy, a Queen of Arcana contestant who rivaled Erin. And while Jeice and Robert remained youthful and avoided weddings at first, they too would both mature eventually.

Yet my visions kept drawing me to Erin for some reason. Though she was deemed unfit by the word of the Prophecy itself, I kept having visions of James's daughter fulfilling some kind of role in the world going forward. It did not take me long to theorize that perhaps she would give birth to one in line, but I remained skeptical. After all, six children were bound to have many grandchildren for James and Bonnie. How was I to be sure that it would be linked to Erin so directly? I remained at a distance from James, only seeing my brother once a year or so and usually for business related to the White Guardians or if he sought some prophetic answer I might be able to divulge to him. James was seemingly becoming a believer in the Arcane Crown Prophecy at least. I don't know if Bonnie was the one fueling this, but James remained curious enough to keep focusing on the Prophecy and perhaps wondering if Master Tiberius had been right all along. Could the Arcane Crown be passed down in our lifetimes? Only time would tell.

I had been summoned to James twice before to inspect his Grandchildren as they had been born. Jon was his first grandson and James paraded him like the universe had never seen a baby before. While he was certainly a good and well behaved child, he didn't meet the criteria we had from the Arcane Crown Prophecy. Nor did his first granddaughter Victoria when she was born. Erin's daughter by some construction lunkhead would likely carry much on from Bonnie and become a Contest Queen. She had potential, but none of the criteria met for her either. So, my expectations were rather mixed when James wrote to me, imploring me to come and see his third grandchild and second grandson. Erin had given birth to another child by this "Salt of the Earth" man, a son that was named for him as well. I rode for Kingston Castle on a stormy night, eager to alleviate my brother's hopes that a King would come soon...

{Twenty Eight Years Ago}

As James's new butler Gerard took her cloak and umbrella from her, a forty six year old Rosemary Kingston simply stood awkwardly in the foyer of Kingston Castle as a celebration was held in the ballroom to commemorate the birth of the newest Kingston. Though the memories of her childhood in the castle were still embedded into her mind, she was content to see that James was at least updating things in the castle that their father had done. Obadiah Kingston had been a bit of a brute and a fiend, and his taste for art and décor had shown that. James saw fit to make Kingston Castle all his own and Rosemary could appreciate that.

She turned towards the doorway as more rain-soaked guests seemed to be arriving. James's fourth son had arrived with his girlfriend of a few months. Jeice Kingston wiped the rain water clear from his thick and curly blonde mullet and walked into the foyer. When he saw his Aunt, he was surprised. "Aunt Rosemary?"

Rosemary turned and greeted him cordially. "Hello, Jeice."

"I didn't know Dad called you in" Jeice went on as his date slowly gathered herself in the walkway. "I'm glad you're here, Aunt Rosie. I wanted to introduce you to someone."

"Ah, I see you have a new girlfriend" Rosemary teased. "Well met, Jeice."

The woman shyly made her way into the foyer. Rosemary's eyes immediately noticed the similarities in her looks to that of a younger Tiberius Duon. Could it be possible that this was a relative to her master? She was a pretty and delicate young woman, not very outspoken, but had big and soft eyes. The eyes of an angel to go along with soft, chestnut-colored hair. She bowed graciously in front of Rosemary. "It's a pleasure to meet you, My Lady. I'm Jane Duon."

"The same Duon Family that my Master Tiberius came from?" Rosemary inquired.

"The very same" Jane giggled. "Tiberius was my Great Uncle."

"Isn't she just perfect?" Jeice proclaimed, "Beautiful and kind."

Jane blushed a deep red. "Oh stop it, Jeice."

Rosemary curtsied to her nephew's newest girlfriend. "Well, it's all the same to me. It's an honor to meet you, Jane." As Jeice led Jane to the Ballroom to meet the rest of the family, Rosemary studied her carefully. Whether it was because of her closeness to her former Master or some kind of Prophet's Intuition, there was something different about Jane Duon. She was inordinately kind and sweet. Almost angelic. Almost like she was meant to be here...willed by the work of Arceus himself to be a part of their family. But for what purpose?

Any hope for an answer to that was dashed when she saw her now fifty one year old brother making his way over to her. "Rosie!" James had taken one some weight in his older years and lost much of his golden hair, but he still remained the jovial and loving brother he had always been to her. The two embraced and James planted a kiss on his little sister's cheek. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come."

Rosemary shrugged as she held her bag with her. "I'll always come when the Lord of Kingston Castle calls. Especially when it's my big brother." She looked towards the balconies above. "Is the boy sleeping upstairs? I'd rather not perform any tests with his parents fluttering about."

James nodded. "Little Mikey is upstairs. Big Mike and Erin are already boasting about him."

"That's not a good sign" Rosemary scowled. Big Mike was a construction meathead and Erin was the Queen of Arcana. Both were certainly not ideal parental figures, yet the two were now onto their second child. She was surprised by this, as she had thought she had foreseen a divorce on the horizon, the first in the Kingston's entire family history. Perhaps it was still there, but not when a baby was just brought into the world. Rosemary followed James up the steps towards what she assumed would be one of the many guest rooms that had been made readily available for all of those who would come to bless the birth of her brother's third grandchild. She was surprised when James stopped in front of the bedroom that had once belonged to Roddy and shushed her.

"This is where we're keeping him" James whispered. "He's probably asleep, the little tyke."

"You used Roddy's bedroom for this?" Rosemary asked quietly.

"Roddy's not with us anymore" James frowned. "I wasn't going to keep this room open forever. I have a feeling the Kingston Family is about to grow soon." The two silently entered the bedroom and came over the crib where the infant was sleeping away. James was gushing at the sight of his grandson. "Isn't he just the most precious thing in the world?"

Rosemary was decidedly uninterested in the look of the baby. "When you've seen one baby, you've seen them all. And I've seen eight of our line so far and left emptyhanded."

"You wouldn't say that if they were your grandchildren" James insisted. "This one is such a little stud."

Rosemary opened her bag and shook her head. "Again, babies are just babies, James. Talk to me when they have something interesting to say." She looked around at the bedroom that had once been her brothers and then down towards the sleeping form in front of her. Michael was remarkably quiet for a baby. He seemed to process that people were in the room as his eyes fluttered open, but he made no inclination to cry or make noise. He simply looked up at her and his Grandfather before letting out a yawn and falling back asleep.

"When was he born?" Rosemary asked as she pulled out a notebook to jot down information in.

"Sunrise, two days ago" James recalled. "He was born here in the castle. Our Nurse birthed the baby." He smiled as he looked down at Michael. "The first Kingston born in this castle since you, Rosie."

Rosemary nodded. "Sunrise. That checks out. How big is he?"

"I think Augusta said he was seven pounds and eight ounces?" James guessed.

"Good. Good." She was scribbling down the information, but she was fully expecting another rejection. "Does he take formula or does he feed from his mother?"

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"It's a simple question. But if you don't know, that's fine. Now, is there anything I should know about the baby before I run a test?"

James thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, be careful around his foot."

"Why?"

"I think he has some kind of birth mark on his foot. Erin thought his foot was bruised when he was born, but it seems more like a birth mark than anything."

This caught Rosemary off guard. "May I see it?" She rose over the baby and watched James slowly lift the infant's booty off of his foot to show a birthmark on the sole of the boy's tiny left foot. It seemed to resemble the shape of the sun. When Michael showed signs of fussing, James quickly put the booty back on and gently rocked the baby to sleep.

Rosemary was startled. "That's...different." She reached into her bag for the Tome of the White Guardians to find where the Arcane Crown Prophecy was written. She thumbed her way though most of Rupert the White's writings until she came across the line she had been seeking and read it carefully.

[A King born of Labor and Light, Raised by a Leader and an Angel, blessed with a Kiss of Sunlight on his Heel]

"This can't be real" she cried out. She reached into her bag for a brass bowl and then into her a small and cold part of the bag for what she had been looking for: a small egg. She cracked open the egg and let the contents drop into the dish. Not only did the egg possess two yolks, but as the whites ultimately moved about on the dish, they were taking the shape of a crown without either her or her brother's involvement. She gasped as she dropped the saucer on the floor. Michael stirred in his bed, but did not cry at the noise. The eggs contents seemed to be solidifying in the form of a crown.

Rosemary was in utter shock. The time that Tiberius had warned them of was coming to pass. This boy, the son of a drunken construction oaf and a pompous pageant queen, was going to be the first Kingston in almost six hundred years to wear the Arcane Crown. He would be Arcana's first King in generations.

James picked up the saucer and studied it. "I think these eggs are a little busted."

"They're not busted" Rosemary insisted. She took up her bag, grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him out of the bedroom. "This is it, James."

"What is?"

"Michael is the one" she told him. "The King."

James looked back at the bedroom in awe. "You mean, all that Tiberius had told us almost forty years ago is true?"

She nodded. "Michael is going to be the first King Arcana has seen in centuries." She frowned as she recollected some of the more darker elements of the Prophecy. "And he is going to suffer through the darkest times any Kingston has ever seen." The two looked down below as a drunken Big Mike celebrated with an equally drunk Jeice Kingston below. "That drunken oaf and your snobbish daughter have somehow been the ones who would birth a King. It's simply astounding."

"Erin is still my daughter, Rosie" James reminded his sister. "I'd rather you not talk about her like that."

"You don't understand, James" Rosemary insisted. "There's so much planning and preparations that need to take place, brother. The boy needs to be raised and nurtured properly. And it all starts with the line of the Prophecy I read. Those two may have helped bring Michael into the world, but they aren't fit to tie shoes, much less raise a King. He's going to need different parents."

"Are you suggesting I take my daughter's son from her?"

"Of course not" Rosemary argued. "You're missing the point, James. In order for Michael to fulfill his destiny, he's going to need to look to others more than he does his own parents. It says so in the Arcane Crown Prophecy. A Leader and an Angel must raise him. Show him the way to becoming an adult. And I'm sorry, but Erin and her husband will not fit that criteria." She and James stood on the balcony above the foyer, Rosemary gripping the railing as she contemplated the future. "He's going to need you, James. To show him what it means to be a leader. And he's going to need someone to nurture him as well."

"Bonnie and I will look after him" James assured her. "We're grandparents now. It's our job."

Rosemary snorted at that assertion. "The day Bonnie is an angel is the day I hang up my robes for good, brother." She looked down as her brother's butler took a picture with a camera of Erin, Big Mike, Jeice and Jane. "No, I feel someone else will rise to the occasion. Someone who will nurture and care for Michael like a true mother would. But it must be seen if your son can retain such a positive relationship." She turned and prepared to descend the staircase and return to Magenta Castle. James followed her as both of the future king's parents eyed her descending the stairs.

"We make beautiful children, don't we Aunt Rosemary?" Erin giggled.

"My son is such a stud" Big Mike boasted, slapping his beer belly as he did.

Rosemary nodded. "I would have it so that you two will help raise him to be an upstanding young man. The family needs more like James and less like my father."

"Definitely won't let Michael become like Grandpa" Jeice laughed. "At least from what you've said about him, Dad."

"We would be glad to help anyway that we can" Jane asserted.

"Come on, Jane" Jeice said as he took his girlfriend's hand. "Let's go meet my little nephew."

As the two made their way up the steps and Erin and Big Mike left to continue to regale of the birth of their son, Rosemary made briskly for the exit to Kingston Castle. James was behind her immediately. "Rosie? You're not seriously leaving, are you? You just got here!"

Rosemary took her cloak and umbrella from her brother's servant and quickly prepared to enter the stormy night. "Alas, brother. There is much for me to do at Magenta Castle. I need to consult with my tomes. I have a great-nephew to watch over now and a Kingdom to ensure makes it to that point." She flung her cloak on and picked up her belongings. "I meant what I said, James. You need to be there for him." She looked past James and towards Erin and Big Mike, who despite showing signs of extreme delight and infatuation with one another, showed an aura of a future yet to come of quarreling, mistrust and perhaps divorce. "Theirs is a marriage not fated to last. And a King will need someone to teach him what it means to be one. A father like you and a mother like-well, I'd rather not jinx it."

James sighed. "I was hoping you would stick around longer, Rosie. It's been so long since we last spoke."

Rosemary bit her lip. "James. There are dark clouds gathering on the horizon. The Prophecies that Master Tiberius spoke of long ago will be coming to pass soon. The Demonic Twin he spoke of will rise. And Michael will need to be ready for when that time comes. We cannot waste a single moment of the boy's life."

"And I will be there to see him to manhood" her brother confirmed.

Rosemary shed a tear. "Oh, James." She flung her arms around him, which surprised the usually prepared older brother of hers. "You won't get to see him reach manhood."

James seemed to take the news of his impending demise very well. "Well, then I will be there as long as I can be. Perhaps I'll be able to show you that Erin and Big Mike are parents worthy of a King."

The Countess gently sighed. "I look forward to it, James. Take care, my brother. Goodbye." Rosemary collected her belongings and made for the courtyard, knowing her brother would never get to see her vision fulfilled...

{}

I was more right than I could have imagined. Big Mike and Erin's marriage did not last a few years longer. The oaf seemed to have a sense of inadequacy that he needed to make money for the family independent of the funds the Kingstons had or his wife had accumulated. He chose to fulfill his career ambitions at the expense of a relationship with my niece and their children. Victoria spent most of her time with Bonnie and James at the Castle. As for the future king, James took my words at face value and believed he needed to be nurtured as well as raised. With the boy's parents busy bickering and focusing on their careers, he needed someone to help him reach the manhood that would be expected of him. He needed a mother. Not just any mother, though. An angel.

Luckily, my nephew did not botch things with his girlfriend. My Master's niece would marry into the family and bear for Jeice two children. Though I deeply desired and hoped the children Jane would have could become Michael's lifelong companions, I knew that it would not matter if he didn't have someone around him to give him the love he needed while growing up. James had arranged for Michael to spend much of his time with his cousins, Christopher and Cameron, becoming almost a third child to Jeice and Jane. Of course, they would never turn away their nephew. But I needed to see for myself just how the boy was progressing. So, under the guise of wanting to check in on my Master's precious niece, I paid Jane Kingston a visit some time after Michael's birth...

{Twenty Two Years Ago}

Rosemary Kingston, now fifty two years old and hopefully as sage-like as her mentor had been, sat at the kitchen table and watched as Jane Kingston washed the bottles her youngest child, a daughter, had drank from. Even though Jane had a great deal of work ahead of her despite having put her children to rest, the Countess noticed that Jane did not have a care in the world. She was contently scrubbing bottles and plates as if she was the most cheerful woman in all of Arcana. She was humming the tune with which she had danced with her husband at for their wedding, "The Field of White" and casually looking up to the ceiling above them as if their couldn't be a happier maiden in all of Arcana than her.

"You seem rather content with life, Jane" Rosemary examined. "I assume Jeice is treating you well."

"More than so" Jane responded as she wiped one of Cameron's bottles clean. "Why shouldn't I be happy? After all, I'm married to a wonderful man and have two precious children. Christopher is just starting to be able to catch up to his cousins. And Cameron will hopefully not be too much farther behind her brother." She let out a wistful sigh as she put aside the last dish she had cleaned and turned to play a more proper host. "Can I get you anything, Countess? A cup of tea, perhaps?"

Rosemary waved her off. "No thank you, Jane. I simply came to make sure my nephew is treating you well. My Master wished for his descendants and relatives to be well looked after when he died." Though this was a lie, she did get a small bit of joy knowing that the Duon Family would go on through her and her nephew's children.

"I couldn't be happier" Jane revealed. "As I said, it's an exciting journey being a mother. Chris and Cam are work, but it's a work only a mother can do and only a mother can love doing."

A part of The Countess secretly longed to know what it would have been like to become a mother. But she knew her mind could not afford such distractions. She needed to be devoted not just to a child or two. She needed to devote her entire essence to the preservation of Arcana, by any means. Rosemary noticed the pile of dishes in the drainboard and let out a wry smile. "Isn't Jeice supposed to be at the Gym in Titanio City? The three of you make an awful lot of dishes for two toddlers and a mother."

Jane smiled. "Well, it's not just us, exactly." She turned to face Rosemary and sat at the table opposite her. "I'm sure you've heard about the rough patches that Erin and Big Mike have been going through."

Rosemary pretended to play dumb. "I'm afraid I don't play into the tabloid drama, my dear."

"Well, their relationship is on the rocks" Jane confided. "And poor Victoria and Michael are being caught in the crossfires. James and Bonnie have brought Victoria to be with them, but James made a request of us that we look after Michael for a while. So, it's the four of us."

The Countess shot a glance up towards the floor above them. So James took my words to heart. This is the place he'll need to grow. But there was more for her to inquire on. "How has the boy been taking this?"

"I can't tell exactly. I don't believe he knows fully what's going on. He's only six, after all." Jane paused when she thought she could hear something in the other room. "Oh no, is that Cameron? I really hope she hasn't gotten out of her crib again. We really don't have the means to get a bed for her until the end of the month." Jane made her way for the staircase that led up to the bedrooms that the three were kept in. Rosemary noticed a surprised look on her face. "Michael? What's going on?" Jane hurriedly raced upstairs after the boy.

Rosemary closed her eyes and began to see if she could sense the thoughts of the future king. I can sense the boy had a nightmare. I suppose this will be as good a test as any to ensure he will be brought up right. She opened her eyes as Jane returned, carrying a sniffling and crying six year old Michael Kingston in her arms. She gently placed him on the countertop and looked him over.

"What happened, Michael?" Jane asked him.

"I had a bad dream" the boy cried.

"What kind of bad dream?"

"I was all alone in this big scary place" the boy stuttered as he spoke, clearly trying to fend off the horrors of what he had just seen. "And I saw Mommy and Daddy. I kept calling for them, but they wouldn't talk to me. Mommy-Mommy-Mommy said I wasn't her son!" The boy cried into his aunt's shirt.

Rosemary was surprised. I took those two for being bad parents. But if this boy's dreams prove prophetic, those two are monsters for abandoning their son. She tried to read into the boy's future, to try and detail for herself exactly what horrors lied in store for Arcana's only chance for a future, but seeing the future is not an exact science. She was surprised to learn when she left for Jeice and Jane's home in Parlor Town that James had not yet perished, though she knew that he and Balthazar were discussing plans regarding the upcoming Crimson Fury, a time when the Pokémon and Trainers of Arcana would become vicious and coldblooded killers with no control of their actions. So the end she saw, at the hands of Balthazar's deeply troubled son, could not be too far off.

To her relief, though, the Countess watched as Jane lovingly embraced her nephew. "Oh sweetie. It was just a bad dream. You know your Mommy would never say that about you. A mother's children are the little leppas of her eye."

Any mother besides Erin Kingston, Rosemary thought to herself, but kept her thoughts clean as she watched Michael cling to his aunt for some kind of moral support.

"She said that-"

"It was only a dream, sweetheart" Jane assured him. "Now come on. Let's get you back to sleep." She carried the boy over to the couch and laid him down there. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a strangely familiar looking trinket. "Do you know what this is, Mikey?"

"It looks like a piece of wood" the boy replied bluntly.

Jane giggled. "You could say that it is. But to my family, it's something very special. It wards off bad dreams and dark thoughts. My mother gave it to me so I could chase off bad dreams. And I want to give this to Chris or Cam one day, but I feel you need it now more than them. If you promise to help me look after Chris and Cam as they grow up, this will help you chase off those scary dreams. I promise you." She pressed the trinket into his hands and gently patted him on the head.

Michael looked from the trinket in his palm and into the eyes of his Aunt. "I don't think I can see that dream again, Aunt Jane" the boy wept. "Mommy doesn't want me."

Jane shook her head. "Any mother would be honored to have you as their son, Michael. I know I would."

"Can I call you Mom, then?"

This caught Jane off guard, but she let out a smile and nodded. "Whatever helps you sleep, sweetheart." She bent down and kissed him on his head. "Now, you get some sleep. We've got a fun-filled day lined up for you kids tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to miss it all." She sat by Michael's side until the boy finally calmed down and fell back asleep. She took the blanket she kept on their couch and gently used it to cover the boy. "Sleep sweet, Michael."

Rosemary stepped back into the kitchen as Jane returned to being a host for her. But it was clear to Rosemary that the boy's fears of Erin no longer wanting her son had shaken her to her core. Rosemary needed to affirm that Jane would be ready to step up. "Jane?"

"I hope those were just dreams of his" Jane answered worriedly. "It's not his fault anything happened between Big Mike and Erin."

"But it's a good thing that he has someone to look to in moments of fear."

Jane was quiet and reflective for a moment. "There's something special about him, isn't there?"

Rosemary nodded. "Quite. You could almost say that the whole future of our family rests on this boy's shoulders. James and I believe this of him." She wasn't sure exactly how much could be revealed to her at this point, so she chose her words carefully. "And in moments like these, he's going to need someone there looking after him. James won't be around forever, Jane. And when his time comes, Michael will be more vulnerable than ever before."

Jane nodded. "I thought as much. James has always been so protective of him. I was afraid he was unhealthy or something. But he's just...I don't know. There's something pure about him. Almost as if there's no hate in his heart. Why would someone wish harm on a boy like him?"

"Then that means my brother has been doing his job." The Countess took a deep breath before continuing. "Jane, I will not try to deceive you. My Master and I have long believed in Prophecy. And one of them, we believe, speaks of this boy. And if we are correct in our assertions, Michael will suffer horrors and nightmares in his life that no ordinary person would be able to overcome. James can only do so much for him. He is going to need someone else there to protect him. Do you love the boy?"

Jane looked back towards the couch, where her nephew turned over in his sleep and let out a heartful sigh that Rosemary knew only a true mother could make. "With all my heart. Like he's my own child."

Rosemary nodded. "Then I am certain Michael will overcome these trials in his future." She walked over towards Jane and placed her hand on the woman's shoulder caringly. "If, in the event something should transpire for you and make you unable to fulfill this promise you make to yourself, do you believe that your children or my nephew will step up for him?"

The angelic Jane Kingston nodded. "Christopher and Cameron love having him here. It's like having an older brother. He dotes over Cameron when I can't and Chris and he are glued at the hip. If Michael has to endure any hardships, I know they will be there for him."

Rosemary smiled faintly. "That is all I needed to hear."

{}

Jane Kingston was better than her word. Though Michael's time with them would become constantly shifted over the years, she was always a mother and confidant to him. And her children more than made up the difference for her if she could not be there. Part of me clung onto hope that perhaps Jane would not suffer a fate similar to my brother's and that my fears of both of their demises would not come to pass. But of course, when you try to ignore fate or change it, it only comes to pass more quickly or more brutally.

James, my brother and one of my most trusted and dearest loved ones, would die a few years later. Balthazar would die as well, having inadvertently aided in the rise of the Demonic Twin. And without James, the family splintered into arguing and political power grabbing. They willfully allowed Elezar Aced and his flunkies to establish themselves. They are as guilty for what happened to Michael as Elezar, Cassius and Giselle Odelia ended up being. I foresaw it happening weeks before it occurred. I knew it was coming and what my nephew would endure, but I could do nothing to alter the designs of fate. Michael was put through horrific experimentations and forcibly made to suffer from the bouts of the Crimson Fury for the next fourteen years of his life. And to add insult to injury, that black-hearted menace Claude aided in sabotaging Michael's chances for a fair and just trial after he escaped captivity. Michael was exiled from his home and Jane suffered for her attempts to protect her prodigal son.

Of course, Michael would do as his heart guided and return to Arcana. The day I had a vision of him being alive despite Giselle's reports saying otherwise, I also was told after exiting my trance that I had mentioned while in slumber that another shift in the balance had transpired. The White Mage had been born. I don't know if it was that day or a few days prior, but the pieces of my master's vision were falling in line as he had predicted. But the White Mage could not come into their own without the King being there to guide them. And with several young candidates being in line to assume the role of the White Mage, I needed to bring Michael home. Through some admittedly shady and underhanded tactics, including influencing both Maria Pines and her granddaughter to act in accordance with what I wanted, I eventually brought my nephew home. He defeated Giselle and began to uproot the Syndicate and those who had murdered my brother.

But it has been so long since that day. More than a dozen years have passed to that point. The one I believe is the White Mage is coming of age very soon. They will be ready for the nightmare that is coming to pass. The Demonic Twin has resurfaced again, thanks to Claude and his cronies. The King is injured and weakened by a crazed lunatic from Hoenn. And Arcana is on the brink of annihilation. All hope now rides on the White Mage coming into their own and rising to challenge this sinister evil, whenever it presents itself.

{Present Day}

Rosemary's eyes fluttered open as her vision came to a close. Her chambers were dark and quiet, as she preferred them to be. Using her scepter, she rose to her feet to try and learn what was going on in her time ensconced in her vision. She looked at the jewel inside the scepter and frowned. It's glow was dim.

I do not have much longer in this world. The jewel shines less and less every time I see it. Soon, I will join James and Roddy in the afterlife. But before that day comes, I must get in contact with the White Mage. The Prophecies will come to pass, lest that monster Balthazar and James helped to fuel wipe out all life on earth.

She made for the door to her chambers, when the doors opened. Her youngest pupil and assistant, Morgan Augustine, entered the chamber, almost surprised to see the Countess had woken of her own accord. "Countess? You're awake?"

"My mind has a fully functional biological clock of it's own that can wake me" Rosemary insisted. The Countess felt every moment of her seventy four years of walking the earth. She was tired, drained and felt as if she was more worn than Lord Tiberius had been when they first met. She nevertheless cracked her fingers and stood listening to Morgan as she explained what was transpiring in Arcana to this point. Apparently, her visions had once again been spot on. Claude Jacques had resurfaced and was terrorizing Arcana in pursuit of ruling it with an iron fist, likely seeking to destroy the reputation of the Kingston Family in the process. The Demonic Twin, whom many were referring to as Mewtwo, was also at large, having abducted most of the world's best trainers and using his immense Psychic powers, had compelled the Pokémon of the world to abandon their trainers, with only a few stragglers remaining behind. Rosemary chuckled weakly. "You leave Arcana to it's own devices for a few months and all hell breaks loose."

"But the Kingstons have been fighting back" the redheaded young maiden spoke up. "They recently took back Trickton and our Grove. Now, all that Claude controls in Arcana is Titanio City. He should be captured within the next few days, if Lord Kingston has his way."

Rosemary shook her head. "Claude will be dead within the next twenty four hours" she predicted.

"But the former Champion has made it clear he wants Claude alive."

"My nephew will not get his way, unfortunately" The Countess surmised. "Claude Jacques will elude the hands of justice once again. The Twelve Truths Prophecy foretells of this. A Traitor's End By a Falling Star."

"Is there anything we can do to prevent this?" Morgan asked.

"My dear" Rosemary responded sadly, "those who seek to avoid what lies ahead often expedite it's journey. Claude's fate is out of our hands now. But the White Mage's is not."

"Is it time?"

Rosemary looked into the fading light on her scepter. She took a moment to recall everything that she had accomplished in her lifetime. More than sixty years of preparing for this moment. Decades of meditation and practicing the forbidden arts of prophesizing and channeling a mind's own energies into power. Many years of watching her loved ones suffer and pass on when she knew her abilities could have prevented them. The curse of her position being able to see things happening before they do, but being forbidden from interfering in what was not fated to be. Her father's health issues, her brother Roddy's death in the war, her dear friend Balthazar dying to prevent an all powerful Pokémon from wiping out mankind, James's death at the hands of Balthazar's son, the torment and anguish Michael would endure, the death of her master's niece and Michael's guardian angel, the tyrannical reign of Giselle Odelia and the entire unfolding of the false Tournament to be held on Mirage Island. She had seen it all, but was bound by her oath not to prevent what was fated to occur. That was not her duty. Her duties were to see the rise of the White Mage through to their task of saving or destroying the world they all lived in.

Though she had been preparing for this day to come for a very long time, she could not help but fear that the end days of their world were upon them. Could she be instilling a kind of false hope into the people of the world, should this Mewtwo prove unbeatable? What would happen to the legacy of her family or her master? To those who's lives needed to endure pain and strife? What would happen to those trainers Mewtwo had at his mercy? Or to Michael and his family? Or to the White Mage, whomever it turned out to be?

The only answer she had was the one her mentor had given to her when she herself asked this question as a little girl. What's fated to be cannot be undone or altered for the sake of selfish interest. She looked to her assistant and nodded. "It's time. The White Mage must rise."