While the nurse was busy giving their grandmother some much needed medication, both Julia and Piper paced nervously outside of what would very well be the last place that Maria Pines would ever rest in. The two were so worried about the state that she was in, fearful that whichever moment they last spent with her would be their last with her. Neither took a moment to even think of anything else, though both were getting updates from Cynthia about the state of the trial in Taghwan City. None of that mattered at this moment. If there was to be any celebrating or worrying, it would have to come later, when the two had seen the last member of the Pines Family besides the two of them.

"Why won't they let us in?" Piper demanded. "We're the only family she has!"

"They don't want us in there when she's being medicated" Julia defeatedly answered. "No matter how much we want to be in there, it's just not to be."

Piper grumbled in frustration until the nurse finally appeared in the doorway. Before she could even get a word in, Piper rushed in front to speak with her. "What happened? Is she alright? Will she be able to see us?"

"Miss Pines" the nurse said calmly. "Please calm down. The last thing she needs right now is to be riled up by you two. She needs her rest. We've given her her medication to allow her to rest for the rest of the day. But she said she has enough energy for you two." She bowed to the two women before hurrying along to her next patient.

Julia and Piper walked into the quiet and pale-colored room. They both were petrified at the thought of their grandmother hooked up to IV equipment and a respirator to breathe through. Maria Pines had been the strong rock they had leaned on all of their lives, since both sets of their parents perished on the same plane crash on their way home from the Alola Region for a business trip. She had raised the two of them, Piper especially, all of their lives and was their bastion of knowledge, wisdom and love. To find this superhero of theirs on her deathbed was something neither of them wished would ever come. Maria looked to her two granddaughters and smiled weakly through her respirator.

"Nietas" Maria coughed. "I am blessed to see you."

Julia and Piper each flanked one side of their grandmother and knelt down beside her. Julia did everything in her power to keep herself from crying then and there. "Abuela. We're here for you."

Piper was significantly less reserved. "And we're going to get you home and out of this place."

Maria weakly shook her head. "No, my nieta. I have been away from my family in heaven for far too long." She reached for Piper and feebly grasped her hand. "I have been so proud of you, my dear. You and Julia. You are the apples of my eye. But I haven't seen my boys or my beloved in many years. I am ready to see them again."

Julia gently rubbed her Grandmother's leg. "Abuela."

"Is that my Julia?"

Julia came over to Piper's side. "Of course it is, Abuela. I'm here."

She winced, but still smiled a toothless and tired smile. "Ah, mi nieta."

"Is there anything you need, right now?"

Maria coughed and shook her head. "No. What I need now is my Nietas and I have them." She looked to the both of them as she wheezed out her words. "Mi nietas. There isn't much time. And there isn't much more I can give to you. But the Lab and all of it's lands will pass to the both of you. Use them for whatever you will."

"That doesn't matter" Julia cried out. "We'd rather you healthy than worry about what we get if you're not."

"There isn't anything we can do to keep you going?" Piper wept.

"Arceus has whispered to me in my sleep, mi nieta. It is time for me to meet him." She coughed again as Piper and Julia helped her rest more comfortably on her bed. "But I worry for you two. When my time comes and I pass to be with our familia, you two will be the last of the Pines Family." She took a deep breath. "I know you and little Jaime and Arya, but you two will be the legacy our family has. I know you two would have made my sons very proud padres."

Piper frowned. "It's not fair. We still had so much to experience together."

"Piper" Maria said weakly. "You both have each other. Primas? No. Hermanas. I raised you two to love and support each other, for I knew this day would come. Mi Nietas will have to go on without me."

Piper shook her head. "No, Abuela! You were supposed to be there when I got married, too. And to meet my children!"

"I will be, nieta" Maria promised her. "As will tu padre y tu madre."

"But it's not the same" Julia admitted, her fight against her tears failing. "Seeing you there in the Chapel for my wedding, or getting to see you hold Arya. We'll never get to see it again."

"I have lived a good and long life, Julia" her Abuela responded. "I got to see my dream job in two different regions. I got to marry the man I loved. I got to see my sons become men and marry, giving birth to two wonderful daughters between them. I got to see my nietas grow up into two accomplished and beautiful women. I even saw one nieta find and marry the love of her life and have children of her own. I believe the life I have lived is as complete as it can possibly be." She looked with soulful eyes to Piper. "Nieta, though I will not be there when you marry, I will be there in spirit. I want you to share the love you have always shared with your husband as well as Julia and Michael. So long as you live your life for love and happiness, you will never lose me."

Though Piper seemed to be comforted by those words, they only seemed hollow and empty to Julia. Her fear of losing Michael now amplified with her Abuela magnifying how happy she was that they had gotten together at all. She looked to Piper and tried to insinuate for her to leave the room for a moment, but Piper didn't get it, too ensconced in the love of their grandmother. Realizing this wasn't going to happen, she took a deep breath and went to her grandmother. "Abuela, I think I've made a horrible mistake."

"How so, Nieta?"

Julia held her hand close to her heart. "Michael-he found out about Peter."

Piper, who had been kept in the dark about what had happened, looked from her Abuela to Julia in confusion. "Who's Peter?"

Maria frowned. "Oh, Nieta. I told you that you should have confessed to it. What did I tell you about relationships?"

"They need to be transparent and honest for them to work" Julia recalled guiltily. She lowered her head. "There's nothing I can do, Abuela."

"Am I missing something?" Piper asked.

Maria tried to sit up, but was unable to do so and had to have her pillow fitted behind her by Piper and Julia. "Nieta, your cousin made a mistake a very long time ago. And unfortunately, it has risen to the surface." She looked to Julia, as if she wanted to be sure if Piper was free to know. When Julia sighed and nodded in approval, she went on. "When she was in university, you recall that she went to the Sinnoh Region? She had no one there to depend on or to lean on. Professor Rowan may have genuinely cared for her an nurtured her, but he wasn't someone like you or I. While there, she was a housemate with a young man named Peter. He was a handsome young man and the nephew of Professor Rowan."

Piper was very slow to the uptake, simply nodding and listening to the information as it was dispensed. But Julia could not help but realize that if she was afraid of Cameron or Victoria finding out, Piper finding out could damage their relationship because of how much they both cared for Michael. She simply held her tongue and waited for the rest of the story as Piper did.

"The two worked together and got along very well. A little too well for young Peter, as he became quite fond of her. One weekend, just before the two were supposed to head back home for their vacations from school, the two had a night together." Maria coughed and had to lean back on the pillow, resting weakly.

Piper was at first eager to say something, but then began to put the pieces together. Her eyes widened with shock and she looked to Julia in shock, hurt and disgust. "For all the talk you said of the media wanting him and I to be together-"

"I didn't have anyone to turn to in a moment of weakness!" Julia cried out. "You and Abuela were thousands of miles away. Michael was busy rounding up the remnants of Giselle's followers. It happened and I immediately regretted it." She let out a squeal of misery as tears flowed from her eyes. "I was so scared about it and ran to call Abuela. She told me I had to tell the truth, but told me she wouldn't say anything. I was so afraid of losing Michael that I vowed it would never come up again. When I returned from break, I asked Professor Rowan to let me switch dorm mates and he approved." Julia shook her head in frustration. "Until Peter showed up at the Ranch a few months later with flowers and an engagement ring. He ran smack into Michael and high-tailed it out of there. Bless Michael's heart for never picking up on it. Until now."

"The sins of the past will fall on your children if you allow them to" Maria warned her granddaughter. "James and Arya do not deserve to suffer for something that could have been already spoken of and forgiven." She took as deep a breath as she could to continue. "Julia, there are those in Michael's family that will not hesitate to sew seeds of doubt in him."

Piper cursed underneath her breath. "Still looking at us like we're street trash."

"Until Michael and Julia fell in love" Maria admitted, "I always thought coming to Arcana was a mistake for you two. You wouldn't be able to gel well with this kind of society. They are ruthless and cutthroat." She let out a weak smile. "But, for the sake of James and Arya, you must earn his trust and keep his love, Julia. Michael has a good heart, mi Nieta. He has forgiven you for mistakes before. He will do so again. But you must tell him this affair meant nothing to you. Remind him of your love and remind him of your devotion. If you do not, the distance between you two will only increase." She began to violently cough, prompting Piper and Julia to fix up their Abuela's resting place. At the conclusion of her cough, the two noticed a small bit of blood coming from her mouth.

"Abuela" Piper pleaded.

"My time is coming. I don't wish to be a burden anymore. Piper. Julia. Never forget that I love the two of you with all of my heart. Please, let me rest." She fell back on the pillow to what Julia and Piper could only pray was to get some sleep. With the heart monitor still registering a heartbeat, the two granddaughters of Arcana's beloved Pokémon Professor rose and left her to her slumber. Julia's thoughts were a muddled mess. She wanted desperately to reconnect with Michael, but wasn't sure how to address him. Could she walk right up to him and ask him? Would she have to do it through ulterior means? There wasn't a great deal of time for her to act.

"She was supposed to see me marry him" Piper frowned as she sat outside of the hospice room. "Now, I'm not even sure if I'll even get him to the altar."

Julia smiled sadly. "Come on, Pipe. Let me treat you to lunch. I've got some soul searching to do and could always use your input."

Piper snorted. "You wouldn't want my advice, Julia. I love you, but you know who's side I'd be taking in this. No, I'll be staying here. You focus on keeping your husband. Let me focus on making sure Abuela will be there to see it through."

"Very well." With Piper hellbent on making sure their Abuela would live longer than expected, Julia made her arrangements to go back home and speak with her husband once and for all.

{}

"Man, I have never seen him look that seriously" Dawn commented as she, Lucas and Cynthia sat on the veranda of Kingston Castle and saw the Lord of the Castle standing on the soccer pitch, brooding. "He must be really mad about something."

"What could it be?" Lucas wondered aloud. "Lord Kingston has rarely shown anger in front of anyone."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that" Cynthia replied, licking a spoonful of ice cream as she did. "He just knows when to restrain himself. I've seen him much angrier than he is now. If anything, this is child's play."

"How well did you know him back in the day?" Dawn inquired.

Cynthia leaned on the railing as she studied her old friend. "I saw the sheer power he had as a trainer and was fascinated by it. But I was more intrigued about why he wouldn't go and make something of himself? Why would someone like him be so strong, but have no interest in being a Champion? After he flattened me in a battle, I did my research on him and found out all too well why." She sighed. "He's been through more hell than anyone else I know. Misery, suffering, loss, darkness. He's seen it all, and yet he still emerged triumphant over it. He conquered everything, including his most dangerous opponent: himself."

"How can someone be their own worst enemy?"

Cynthia grinned and patted her young protege's head. "You've still got a lot to learn, Dawn. Let's hope that the show here teaches you what I want you to learn."

"Show?" Lucas asked.

Cynthia raised her hands to feel the breeze of the wind around them. "Feel the tense air around us?"

Both Dawn and Lucas did as Cynthia did, but seemed to be fruitless in their efforts. "Huh? I don't feel anything."

"There's going to be a battle. A big one." Cynthia studied Michael intently. "I think Michael still has an important lesson to impart on a certain Champion of Arcana."

Dawn was mesmerized and rushed toward the railing. "Wow. Michael vs Ryan? This is the stuff of legends!"

"Why would they battle?" Lucas asked. "Aren't they really close?"

"Close enough for Michael to realize his cousin may end up going down the same path he did, if not worse" Cynthia revealed. "Cameron mentioned Ryan was acting strange before and during the trial. And what's more, is that Michael was even more frustrated with him than usual. Not even Champions know everything, Dawn, Lucas. Make sure you remember that when we return to Sinnoh."

Dawn frowned. "Home? We're leaving so soon?"

Cynthia shook her head. "I don't intend on leaving until I've repaid the debt I owe Arcana for dragging them into this. I can send you kids home, if you'd like."

Lucas was hesitant to answer, but Dawn proudly shook her head. "I don't leave friends behind when they need me." The three simply stood at the ready, awaiting the arrival of Ryan onto the battlefield.

{}

Ryan followed Holly and Tommy throughout the halls of Kingston Castle, still too depressed to enjoy the feeling of finally never having to worry about facing criminal charges because of Claude's death. Because he knew deep down that this feeling of fear and woe was going to haunt him for the remainder of his days. His parents were going out to dinner for the evening, Matthew would be watching over Kayleigh and Addison and her mother had plans for the evening, leaving him alone in his guest bedroom with Shaymin and Achilles to think over all that had finally come to an end and what he still had to worry about. Claude was gone and the war to drive him and his flunkies out of Arcana had finally come to an end. But he was still far off from being able to call this nightmare over. His friends and loved ones were still trapped on Mirage Island. His Pokémon were still missing. His relationship with Addison was still on thin ice. And for some reason unexplained, Michael was now deeply angry at him. With no immediate answer to any of these problems, Ryan decided to sit alone in his room and perhaps drift off into a dream to forget all about this for at least one evening.

That is, until Holly and Tommy dragged him out of his loneliness and made him follow them down towards the Veranda of Kingston Castle. He very reluctantly followed them, unable to find any joy or delight in what was going on around him. After finally reaching the veranda, he stopped his friends to get some answers to what they had in mind.

"Okay, what is going on?"

Tommy shrugged. "How should we know? We were just told to come and bring you down."

"By who?"

Holly wouldn't look him directly in the eyes. "Maybe you should go outside and find out."

"I don't have time for these kinds of games, Holly" Ryan insisted.

"This isn't a game" she replied. "He said you needed to come down and stand up to him."

Ryan gulped. "You mean-"

"You'd better not keep him waiting" Holly replied. She looked him over for a moment and leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck, Ryan. I think you're going to need it." She then took her brother's arm and stepped aside, allowing Ryan to pass through and out onto the Veranda. Lucas, Dawn and Cynthia were casually sitting by the lounge chairs, while Matthew had Kayleigh bouncing up and down on his thighs. His toddler sister looked over to him and smiled.

"Broboo!"

Ryan made to go greet her, but he saw his brother give a head nod down towards the pitch below them. Ryan slowly made it down onto the soccer pitch and found Michael was standing there waiting for him, his arms folded and a truly cross look on his face. Ryan shuffled his feet slowly as he finally stood at attention, gazing towards the one person in the world who's approval meant the most to him, feeling as if he had already let Michael down over something.

"Michael?" Ryan asked, fidgeting nervously.

Michael didn't answer him. In fact, his cousin wasn't even looking at him. His eyes were closed and he only tensed up slightly at the sound of his cousin's voice.

"Won't you talk to me?"

Michael finally opened his eyes and glared down at him in anger. "You said you intended on resigning as the Pokémon League Champion?"

Ryan sheepishly nodded. "What else can I do? If I battle again, I'm just gonna hurt someone. I don't have a choice, Michael. I'm sorry I let you down."

"You mean to tell me that I lost to you because of a fluke?" Michael snarled. "Not because of your skill or talent?"

Ryan was unable to answer. His own doubt was feeding him these very same thoughts for a long time now. Had he deserved to make it as far as he did? To defeat Holly, his father, Mark, Giselle and Cameron and make it to the Title Match with his idol and the man he loved like an older brother or a second father? To see how angry his decision had made Michael only fueled Ryan's doubtful thoughts more. "I guess so."

Michael scoffed at this. "Pathetic. I guess I put too much expectations on you."

Ryan was shocked at Michael's cruelty. "Michael?!"

"The title of Pokémon League Champion cannot be bestowed upon someone too weak to face up to their own fears. It requires someone who isn't just strong as a trainer, but strong as a person. And I won't have it be weakened by someone who is too scared to even look straight into the unknown."

Ryan lowered his head and shuffled his feet again. "Maybe I am too weak for the title. Maybe I'm too weak for anything."

Michael's nostrils flared. "You're not fit to be Champion. At this point, you're hardly even fit to be considered a Pokémon Trainer."

Ryan felt his heart breaking inside of him at these harsh words, but he didn't have the strength in him to argue against them. "I guess so."

Michael turned his back to his cousin. "I guess everything you've ever done has come from dumb luck instead of being talented?"

"Probably." Shaymin, sensing his trainer and guardian was upset at this news, yipped at him as if trying to motivate him, but Ryan simply patted him on the head.

"Get lost, then!" Michael began to walk away from him.

"Huh?"

"I don't know who you are, kid" Michael spat out in anger as he made his way towards the garden where their grandparents were buried, "but you sure as hell aren't Ryan Kingston. My cousin would never shrink from a challenge. He would never be afraid of his own shadow. He especially would never succumb to any doubts about himself. He would find that inner strength inside of him to combat anything he was feeling or fearing. Maybe Claude wasn't the only one who died that day in Titanio City. Ryan Kingston is gone. And whoever you are impersonating him, you're barely fit to even bear his name." Michael continued to walk away from the pitch.

"Wow" Cynthia remarked in surprise. "That was harsh."

Ryan fell to his knees and stared blankly into space. Michael was right about him in more ways than one. But his most recent stings were the more troubling to him. My cousin would never shrink from a challenge. He would never be afraid of his own shadow. He especially would never succumb to any doubts about himself. He would find that inner strength inside of him to combat anything he was feeling or fearing. Maybe Claude wasn't the only one who died that day in Titanio City. He wasn't being himself. Holly had mentioned it. Now it was Michael's turn. And Michael was giving him the harshest treatment of anyone whom he had confronted in the past few days.

"Ryan!" a voice shouted from behind him. Matthew's voice was the last he wanted to hear, but his words were those he needed the most to hear. "He's right about one thing. You aren't being the person I plan to rival. The one who would do anything for a friend. The one Addison fell in love with. All you're being right now is a pile of mush that bends and breaks more easily than a piece of wet clay. Stand up! No way anyone should get away with calling you pathetic! Get up and make him take it back!"

"Don't waste your breath on him" Michael replied coldly as he made it back towards the pitch. "Ryan's already given up. Just look at him. Nothing anyone can say will change his mind. He's not even man enough to stand up for himself. He has to have his brother do it!"

"I am man enough" Ryan muttered.

"What was that?" Michael demanded. "Speak up, kid."

"I am man enough!" Ryan declared, rising to his feet.

"Then prove it, kid." Michael reached onto his belt and pulled out the Poké Ball containing Mufasa the Arcanine. "Show me that you aren't afraid. Let me see what it is that makes you get out of bed in the morning, kid." Mufasa emerged from the Poké Ball and let out a tremendous howl, before standing at attention in front of his trainer. "Just don't waste my time."

Ryan nervously reached for Achilles Poké Ball and sent his Gallade out. "Come on, Achilles." His Gallade emerged from the Poké Ball, showing the same signs of doubt and worry that his trainer bore.

Are we to battle once more?

Ryan nodded. "I know I said we shouldn't be battling again, but I can't take what Michael said lying down!"

Do you mean to use the power I now wield? The dark power?

This caused Ryan to hesitate. "Uh..."

"Mufasa!" Michael proclaimed. "Use Flare Blitz!" His Arcanine slammed into Achilles with such tremendous force, it nearly caused the Pokémon to become engulfed in a brush of fire. Achilles recovered, but was winded by the blow.

I do not think we can defeat Lord Kingston this way. I feel weak and sluggish. Perhaps we should tap into that well of power inside of us?

Ryan frowned. "I'm not sure if I can, Achilles."

Mufasa jumped off of his prey and growled at his opponent. Michael folded his arms. "What's wrong? Chickening out?"

"No" Ryan countered.

It's strange. I cannot sense Lord Kingston's thoughts. His Arcanine is only slightly confused as to what is going on, but he will not respond to my probe. If Lord Kingston means to go all out against us, we must meet him.

Ryan tried to get himself into the match, but simply shrugged his shoulders. "Is it really bad if we lose another?"

"Mufasa! Use Crunch!" The Arcanine rushed forward and took a massive chomp into Achilles, causing him to tumble back over and fall onto his backside. The Arcanine, content with his move choice, hopped back in front of his trainer.

"Fight back!" Michael ordered. "Where is that fire you used to have? That passion for battling?"

Ryan was beginning to lose his patience with his cousin's taunts. "In case you haven't noticed, we've been going through a lot!"

"Some have been going through a great deal" Michael countered. "Some more than what you have."

"You don't know what I've been going through!"

"That's the thing. You aren't going through anything. You're bottling it all up and hoping it just goes away. I've got a newsflash for you, Ryan. It's not going away. The Fury inside of you, the looming shadow of Mewtwo, none of it. So I suggest, you stop living like you're afraid of your own shadow, stand up and fight back! Or else you'll lose more than just a Pokémon Battle to me."

Ryan turned to Achilles. "Achilles! Use Stone Edge!"

Achilles dug into the ground and picked up a sharp and jagged stone and fired it at Mufasa, who simply leaped out of the way of the blow and barked proudly of his evasion.

"What do you mean I'll lose more?"

Michael shook his head. "Does it matter? You seem to have given up on more than just the battle. You didn't care at all if Cameron and I got you out of that hearing an innocent kid or not. You haven't cared about anything else but bottling up your emotions and fears. And I'm not going to lie, seeing someone like you do this makes me feel sick inside. You're not weak, Ryan! You have power. You have resolve and above all, you have the determination. But for some reason, you're too afraid to use it. And the battle is where it snowballs. First comes your title. Then may come your friends or family. Maybe Cameron or Matt. Your parents or Kayleigh. Addison or me. You can bet Mewtwo won't hesitate to take them from you!"

"I'm trying!" Ryan pleaded, on the verge of tears from his cousin's tirade.

"Sometimes, trying isn't enough" Michael concluded. "But it seems as though I'm talking to a wall right now. So I'm done with this farce. Mufasa! Use Extreme Speed!" His Arcanine moved like a flash and slammed itself into Achilles, causing him to stumble backwards and flat on his back in front of Ryan.

Once he felt the stinging pain Achilles did from the blast, he saw things in his head as he had in his match with Holly. He saw Addison being swallowed up by a hole somewhere on Mirage Island, Christopher being put to sleep by Darkrai, Michael being lashed by Courtney, Daniel and Warren being frozen in place by Mewtwo and all of his Pokémon abandoning him once more. Sparks made one last guilty look at his trainer before disappearing out of sight. It was all too much for Ryan to bear. The taunting, the realization that Michael was right and above all, the fear of not being strong enough to protect the people he loved. He had failed. He had failed everyone he ever cared for. Jeremy, Annette, Giselle, Cameron, Chris, Michael, Addison, Holly, Julia, Piper and even his own parents. And with this final revelation, Ryan found his vision going red. And as he had when he had his exhibition match with Holly, he embraced it.

"Shut up" he muttered as Achilles rose back to his feet, his own eyes flaring with a newfound passion for fighting.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Ryan snarled. Achilles disappeared into a shadow and reappeared, having struck at Mufasa with a wickedly powerful Shadow Claw. The Arcanine tumbled onto his side, howling in pain.

Michael whistled for his Arcanine, who got back up and spat out a wave of fire at his opponent, but Achilles simply batted it away. The Arcanine went about trying to increase his speed to overwhelm the Gallade, but the moves didn't seem to faze Achilles. When Mufasa made a feint to move one way and then another, Achilles kept track of him and struck him hard in the nose. The Arcanine fell backwards as Achilles proceeded to use an even more ruthless Close Combat technique than he usually used at this time.

"Everything I am came from you!" Ryan hissed. "All of it! All of my drive, all of my passion. All of the things I've endured and suffered!"

"What?"

With every word Ryan spoke, his Pokémon's attacks became faster and more powerful. Michael's Arcanine, one of the most powerful Pokémon he had ever trained, was reduced to being little more than a rag doll. And Ryan saw no reason to stop fighting. If anything, he was getting as much of his anger out in this rematch with Michael than he ever had in his life. And he had more that he needed to say.

"EVERYTHING I'VE EVER DONE WAS DONE SO I COULD MAKE YOU PROUD!" His Pokémon continued to ramp up it's attacks. Even if Mufasa had fainted already, it didn't matter to him. He and Achilles, so long as they had this rage inside of them, had an axe to grind. "I never cared about being Champion! I never cared about being a hero! I never even cared about being the one who stopped Mewtwo! All I ever did want in my life was for you to be proud of me! You! The Hero who saved our home! The one who stopped Giselle! The one who came back after all the crap Grandma and the rest of them all put on you! The one who I've idolized and loved ever since the day I met you! ALL OF IT WAS FOR YOU AND YOU DON'T EVEN CARE!" Achilles leaped upwards and unleashed a ruthlessly powerful attack he didn't normally learn: Dark Pulse. The pulsing energy wave staggered Mufasa and engulfed him in a billowing cloud of darkness. As Achilles darted through the darkness at his foe, the darkness suddenly cleared and Rhaegar the Dragonite emerged, slamming himself into Achilles with his own vicious Dragon Rush attack. This surprised the raging Pokémon, but only slightly as he landed back in front of Ryan, his and his trainer's eyes still burning with hate.

Michael finally let out a chuckle. "Good. You're starting to realize it."

"You're laughing?!" Ryan nearly snapped.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP?!" Achilles rushed again, but this time, Rhaegar met him blow for blow. Somehow, the Dragonite was not only keeping up with him in terms of speed, but was also shutting him down with his sheer power. But while Achilles and Ryan were being pushed to the very brink this rage was putting them, Rhaegar was taking this as if it were nothing more than a warmup. His eyes seemed to be redder than usual, but it seemed to Ryan as though the most legendary Pokémon in Michael's arsenal was enjoying the fun of this instead of taking it so seriously.

With one ruthless Skull Bash to the midsection of Achilles, he and his Pokémon suddenly broke from the rage they had induced themselves into. Achilles tumbled backwards and fainted from Rhaegar's attack, while Ryan fell to his knee, the sharp pain in his heart causing him to fall to his knee. As he finally managed to calm himself, he came to an unexpected realization about the battle.

"I didn't hurt you?" Ryan asked weakly. "I thought I was going to clobber you." He lowered his head. "I wanted...I wanted to."

Michael walked over to him and stood over him, the angry veneer he had been putting on sliding away like it had never been there. "Kid, I've done more clobbering to myself than any person I know. It would take a lot more than that to hurt me."

"But-"

"You fought again" his cousin reminded him. "And you didn't hurt your opponent. You didn't cause pain to yourself or your Pokémon. Well, apart from the actual battle. Mufasa needed a good sparring session anyway." He tossed his exhausted Arcanine a Sitrus Berry, which he devoured and quickly hopped back up, as giddy and excitable an Arcanine as he had ever been. "What matters is that you finally understand something about yourself. Battling is inevitable for someone like you. It's who you are. In battle, whether you have this rage inside of you or not, chances are someone can get hurt. You have to deal with it and move on."

Ryan shook his head. "You don't understand. How could anyone understand? This feeling...this fear...it's not normal for me. I could have-"

"Ryan, you're talking to the one man in the world who does know what you're going through." He sighed. "Maybe that's why what you said in the courtroom upset me so much. I saw more of you in me than I ever wanted to see in anyone." After casually tossing Mufasa another Sitrus Berry to eat and recover health with, he bobbed his head to the side, towards the more tranquil gardens. "Come on. We need to talk. On the level." Rhaegar floated alongside his trainer as Ryan slowly made it to his feet. He turned to see the small audience that had gathered outside for his and Michael's bout.

"Wow, you almost had his number" Dawn remarked. "But I guess Lord Kingston was just too much for you."

"Were you even paying attention?" Cynthia shouted at her pupil.

"This battle wasn't supposed to be about winning or losing, right?" Lucas asked.

Ryan turned and his eyes locked with Matthew, who was holding a crying Kayleigh. It had been Kayleigh's first true battling experience and she was naturally scared of the outcome. He recalled the fainted Gallade and slowly made his way towards his brother and baby sister. "Kayleigh. Hey, Kayleigh?"

The toddler looked from Matthew to Ryan. "Broboo?"

Trying to rear back to her younger days, Ryan stuck out his tongue and made a silly face at her. This brought the toddler to laughter and managed to soothe those who feared Ryan was still locked within the Crimson Fury. Matthew nodded to him as he brought Kayleigh back to the table.

With his sister placated, Ryan left to find Michael, who had made it farther into the gardens than he had ever thought he could. He found his cousin kneeling in front of the mausoleum that was holding the final resting places of their grandparents. Rhaegar, strangely enough, was doing the same thing, only he was plopped on his rear end and was moaning to himself quietly beside his trainer. Ryan awkwardly waited by the entrance until Michael rose to his feet and finally turned to address him, scratching Rhaegar on the back of his head as he did.

"How do you feel?"

Ryan shook his head. "I'm more confused than anything. You said all of those things to try and rile me up. But when I lost it, you didn't seem worried or afraid or anything. You just took it in stride and just rolled with it."

Michael nodded. "I've been dealing with the Crimson Fury since before you were born, Ry. It's only natural that I too, went through what you did."

Ryan was surprised. "But, I've never heard that."

"Why would anyone know? Why would I go out of my way to tell someone I was afraid to relive those first few years when I was afraid of hurting someone? Why I chose to be alone instead of making a life when I was in exile? Why, until people got to know me, people just thought I was running out on them. It's not a story I like to tell, because it's not a time in my life I like to revisit." He sat down on the stone walkway beside Rhaegar and encouraged Ryan to do the same. When the two were seated, Michael began. "Mark was the only person in the world I trusted myself to be around when I had the fury. And it's actually because of him that I was finally able to stop being afraid."

"Mark told us when we were on our way to Taghwan City" Ryan recalled. "About how you guys met."

"Part of me always used to think that it was because I thought Mark was only following me because he wanted a rematch." Michael chuckled again. "Well, it was only partially the reason why he actually was. Mark was following me around Kanto and halfway around the world from there, because he wanted to be my friend. And I subconsciously welcomed him into my heart as a friend, at a time when all I wanted to do was be alone."

"But you were that way because you lost Icarus. Why would I feel that way now?"

"You think you losing your Pokémon hasn't affected you? You think your strained relationship with Addison hasn't made you feel more nervous and stressed?" He sadly shook his head. "Ry, fury and anger are born through stress, pain and fear. Your stress came from the war we were fighting and your desire for things to return to normal. Your pain came from losing your Pokémon, the danger your friends were in and what's been going on between you and Addy. Your fear, stemmed from the idea that this would be the new norm for you. Add all of that together and you felt and saw yourself with the Crimson Fury for the first time. It petrified you. And only fueled more fear inside of you that you might just snap and hurt someone you love. It's a ceaseless cycle. You constantly try to avoid conflict, but it will inevitably find you. Which is why running from it and avoiding it whenever it comes is not an option."

"Then what do you do?"

"You face it" Michael said proudly. "You look it straight in the eye and you remind your fear of the fury that you control it. It does not control you. We decide when we give into the Crimson Fury, not our fear. Not outside circumstances. We choose it. It's not an easy ask, kid. But it's the only way people like us can get over it and move on with our lives."

"But there's a difference between you and me" Ryan insisted. "I'm worried about things all the time. You're not scared of anything."

"You're wrong there. Just because I'm not afraid of the Fury, doesn't mean that I'm not afraid of anything."

"What could you be scared of?"

"Mewtwo terrifies me" Michael admitted. "Knowing that unless something changes, we're at his mercy. He can wipe us out whenever he pleases, but he's content to wait it out." He patted his knees. "I fear what that will do to our family. To Julia, to James, to Arya. I fear that I will never get to see my best friend again." He then patted Ryan on the shoulder. "And both at the Syndicate Compound and on Mirage Island, I thought I was going to lose you too. That thought was one of the scariest of them all."

Ryan was shocked. "Wow. I guess even you can be scared."

"Yet I don't let the fear stop me from doing what's in my heart. I can't just run away from Mewtwo, when he wants to destroy the world we've worked so hard to build. I can't just duck and cover when that monster is threatening my family. I can't just hide when he has my best friend in his clutches and could have had you and everyone else on Mirage Island as well." He poked Ryan in the heart. "For all the fear you have inside of you, there's still that heart that wants to do what's right, Ry. Let it do the thinking for you when you're afraid, and it won't let you down."

"I didn't think going with your heart was particularly brave. It seems so reckless sometimes." Ryan frowned. "I let my heart do the talking when Avery was luring me into Mewtwo's trap and it almost got us all killed. To be honest, I'm scared to trust my heart again. Especially now that it's so muddled." Muddled with everything. Fear of losing Addy, longing for my Pokémon and some kind of normality, new feelings...

"It's real bravery when you admit you're scared. Only fools and liars claim they have no fear."

Ryan sniffled as he looked up to Michael. "Then, I don't have to be afraid of disappointing you?"

Michael put his arm around his cousin. "No. You've never had to have that fear. No matter if you were a Pokémon Champion or some scrub Bug Catcher. Ryan, I have always been proud of you. And I always will be." He held out his arms. "Come on. You need it."

Ryan, without hesitation, flung himself at his cousin and wept. For the first time since making it back from Mirage Island, he felt relief. As long as he didn't shy away from his fears, but faced them, he would be fine in the end. He took in a long and deep breath and finally exhaled, hoping to get as much of those dark thoughts as possible. "Mike?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Thanks for being there for me."

"And that will never change, Ryan." He then playfully tussled the boy's hair. "I will always be there for you."

Ryan nodded. At least in one thing in his life, he had some reassurance.