"I can't believe you were the one Countess Rosemary has been searching for all these years" Morgan exclaimed as she and Addison made their way to the Countess's chambers inside the Castle. "I mean, it's incredible. And here I thought you were just a special Pokemon Trainer and Contest Queen."

"The universe works in weird ways" Addison answered, a touch of nervousness in her words. She had been trying to prep herself for this first lesson with the Countess. But she was certain that her new mentor would be deeply disappointed in her. For one thing, she hadn't taken the time to empty her mind, chiefly because she found out that the Queen and one of her most cherished friends was abducted and had lost all of her memories, including those of her own husband and children. She had also been unable to cope with the anxiety of being the one destined to make a stand against Mewtwo when she hardly had any idea how she had a mental connection to her Gardevoir. Soon, she would be expected to harness the same kind of gifts the Countess had. If it was even possible.

"I'm sure you'll do great" Morgan assured her. "After all, you are the White Mage."

"We'll just have to wait and see" Addison concluded as they approached Rosemary's domain.

"This should be good" her friend added. "She's set aside all other meetings just for you."

"Thank you, Morgan." She responded a bit harsher than she intended, but Morgan did not seem to notice this. She could not help it that Morgan was unable to see the torrent of emotions she was under. She nodded politely to her friend, took a deep breath to collect herself and entered.

The room was deathly quiet, with a ring of candles being the only light. Rosemary was seated on one side of the ring and gestured for Addison to sit opposite her. Unlike the last time Addison had met her alone, she was not in a trance. She was, instead, looking at pictures in an old album from her time in her youth. But upon spying her new apprentice coming in, Rosemary closed the album and put it to the side of her.

"Well, Miss Tenton" she spoke politely. "I trust you took the time needed to calm your mind?"

"Well-I uh..."

Rosemary smiled faintly. "I'll take that as a no. But I do not blame you for a moment, my dear. With all that's unfolded the last 48 or so hours, it's a little difficult to keep calm and relaxed. I have years of experience on you, which is why I don't panic or worry as much."

"Do you think the Queen-that Julia will get her memory back?"

Rosemary's smile faded. "There are some things that even I cannot see. From the point of getting you to become the White Mage forwards is blind to me. But I will say this. If she does not, this Kingdom will collapse as quickly as it's reformed. Michael may be strong, but he needs her temperament and her love. Without her..." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, time is not on our side, Addison. So, for the first lesson you and I will have, I am going to teach you and Galatea how to empty your minds."

"Empty them?"

"To not cloud your thoughts with outside distractions or worries" the Countess explained. "If you would be so kind as to call forth your Gardevoir, please."

Addison, knowing precisely where Galatea would be at this time, closed her eyes and reached out to her. "Galatea? Come to the Countess's chambers, please." In a flash, her Gardevoir teleported into the room and, upon noticing the situation, sat elegantly beside her trainer and dear friend.

"Now that we're all here" Rosemary began, "I would like for the two of you to concentrate on one another and just one another."

What does she believe this will get us?

"It's a way for us to hopefully stop feeling so down and in pain" Addison offered, her thoughts going towards the pain in her heart. "I know how much we want Ryan and Achilles to be here with us, but we need to focus on what we can do."

"And we have a very short window for us to be able to prepare ourselves for what will come" Rosemary warned.

Galatea nodded. I apologize for my-

"Don't worry about it" Addison winked.

"Take each other's hands and close your eyes" Rosemary went on. "This might help the two of you reach a state of internal peace, as well as to alleviate the heart of the fair Galatea as well."

Both Pokemon and Trainer complied, with the two sitting opposite each other. Addison could feel Galatea was getting a hang of this much easier than she was, but she pressed onward. She passed as much of her random and useless knowledge to her out of her mind, or at the very least replacing it with this idea of peace and tranquility. But her mind did not seem eager to cooperate and replayed the vivid nightmare she had endured the night Ryan had died. She found herself unable to continue and let go of Galatea, rushing her hand to her head as a swelling of pain forced her to stop.

Is everything alright?

Addison winced, but nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"I wouldn't say that" Rosemary responded bluntly. "We have a very long way to go and I fear you're going to need a bit more of a different approach to learning how best to wield your mind."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be" the Countess concluded. "You and I are not as different as you might think. I also needed a bit of a more practical approach in my own training underneath Master Tiberius." She stretched her long, thin arms before clearing her throat. "Now, Addison. If there is one thing I want you to take from this lesson today, it's about your inner energy. Do you know about energy?"

The young maiden shrugged. "Everything takes energy, right?"

"Most everything does, but the kind of energy we will be speaking of tonight is natural energy. Now, as you very well know, all things take energy in order to function. Life forms require their own kinds of fuel and other sorts of practices to be able to exert energies for all sorts of things. You were taught as a child that this means eating healthy, exercising regularly and educating yourself to become a well-balanced and fully functional adult in a modern Arcana." She looked to her scepter and let out a low laugh. "It will soon be time for you to forget these practices."

Addison was surprised at this. "Huh? You mean, I'm not supposed to do those things?"

"Following that system will allow you to become a normal adult along the same lines as your parents. But you are not of the same kind as them, especially if you're meant to oppose the growing power that is this devil on Mirage Island. Through my teachings and your own unique gifts, Miss Tenton, you will ascend to a level beyond that of an ordinary maiden of your age." She lifted her scepter to move the album she had been looking at moments ago back onto a nearby end table. "That alone will be but the surface of what you will be able to do by the time we are complete."

"But how am I supposed to use energy like that?"

Rosemary reached into her robes and called out the lone Pokemon she had ever had as a companion. An Alakazam appeared beside her, already in a state of deep meditation and floating in the air beside her. "Humans and Pokemon both use and require energy. Pokemon have it a bit easier, in that they are often born with deep stocks of energy. And as they grow stronger, those energy stocks skyrocket. Even Pokemon in old age, like my Alakazam here, have deep levels of energy humans can only dream of having." The Alakazam opened his eyes and Addison felt herself being lifted into the air with the Pokemon not even moving a muscle. Galatea attempted to use her own Psychic powers to counter it, but found herself unable to.

What manner of power is this?

"Your Gardevoir appears confused" Rosemary laughed. "And so do you for that matter." She eyed her Pokemon, who gently lowered Addison back down into her chair. "I see that you and Galatea are very much alike. Gardevoir can be very powerful Pokemon, but many of them do not come close to harnessing their power without the aid of a mate. You are very much in the same boat, Addison. You both believe you had power only through your feelings with Ryan and Achilles. These are bald-faced lies. You both have power inside of you. All it takes is reaching those levels and passing your own self-imposed handicaps."

Addison clutched the chair as she landed and took a deep breath. "It's not easy to-"

"I didn't say it would be easy to recover from the loss. Nor do I expect you to. What I do believe you are capable of, is being able to demonstrate power without either of them by your side." She rose from her seat, clutching at her scepter as she did. "At your age, I never thought I would be able to become what I am today. I believed all my best qualities came from my family and mostly my older brothers who always looked out for me. But if we truly only have strength because of others, when these others are gone, we ourselves become powerless and weak. Which is not the case. My brothers have both been long gone from this world. And yet here I am, eighteen years since James died and over fifty years since Roddy did."

Addison nodded. "But-but other people do give you power. They help you and encourage you. My friends are what I lean on in moments of doubt."

"Positive encouragement can do wonders, Addison. But it's only a placebo effect. It makes you feel better and thus capable of doing better. But everything you've ever done has to have been done with your own strength, your own mind and your own power. Whether you choose to surround yourself with positive reinforcement is your choice in the long run. I found it distracting, though you might find it stimulating."

"But how can a human possibly reach the same kinds of levels of energy as a Pokemon?"

The Countess pointed to her head. "The key is to enrich and enhance the mind. You do this through studying things, seeing things, experiencing things, but above all else, meditation. Many of our lessons will be strictly meditation. It will help you ease your troubled and muddled mind, which is arguably your greatest asset against that beast." She looked to the Pokemon at her side and smiled contently. "And I'm certain Galatea will be more than ready to assist you if the need ever arises."

Addison looked to her Pokemon. "Do you think you're up to it?"

The Gardevoir nodded. Helping you unlock your own hidden strengths could also assist me in pursuit of my own. I will gladly assist you.

Rosemary looked above the two of them and appeared to be in a trance. She shook herself out of it and frowned. "Well, that was an unexpected turn of events."

"What happened?" Addison inquired.

"I have seen a glimpse at the future" Rosemary cautioned.

"Is it bad?"

Rosemary shook her head. "Forget I mentioned anything, Addison. I'm afraid I'm going to have to call this lesson to a short end."

"Is there anything I can do to help better prepare for the next one?" Addison asked.

"One thing that can help you focus, my dear, is for you to discover the one thing in this world that means a great deal to you. I know you both lost loved ones recently, but there are other things you can focus on. My master encouraged me to write to my brothers, or to keep a diary so that I could keep my thoughts focused and my mind open. I am certain Galatea already knows what's important to her, given how quickly she departed."

Addison blinked and looked to her side, only to find that her trusted Gardevoir had gone off, no doubt to keep watch over her and Achilles's egg. "I guess so."

"Perhaps, given your desire to draw in some strength from others, you should spend some time with these friends of yours. While I help you to stand on your own, they might be there to, as my brother always loved to say, show that you didn't have to stand on your own."

Addison bowed to her mentor and turned to depart, but paused at the doorway. "Countess...those visions..."

"You'd better get used to them, my dear" Rosemary replied bluntly. "Because you will also be having them, the more your mind is opened."

"How do you keep yourself from acting on your visions?" Addison asked.

Rosemary raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"I never acted on mine, because I couldn't fully understand them" the girl went on. "If I had, I might have been able to warn Michael or Ryan of what was coming. Like when I saw Archer's body and then Claude's. But I didn't do anything."

"Go on."

"But I have a feeling, the more experience I get and training you give me, that I am going to be able to understand them. And I just wanted to know, how do you keep yourself from acting to prevent your visions."

Rosemary's eyes twinkled for a moment, before she nodded courteously. "Well, I think we'll cover that in an upcoming lesson. Until then, simply jot down what you can remember whenever you have one of these visions and bring this information to me in the future. Now, run along. I have...my own affairs to attend to."

"Thank you, Countess." Addison departed from the chamber, surprised to find Morgan sitting in wait.

"That was quick" her friend replied.

"It was more of an orientation" Addison winked. "Have you seen Dawn or Lucas anywhere?"

"I think those two went off somewhere together" Morgan revealed.

"I could try Holly, then."

"I think she and Tommy are helping their Dad in Taghwan City, I'm afraid."

Addison was surprised at this. "Oh. Okay. Then, did you maybe want to do something? Maybe catch a movie or something?"

Morgan politely turned her down. "As a rookie member of the White Guardians, I have to remain by the Countess's side and assist her anyway I can. And before you ask, my sister is on a date tonight."

The young maiden frowned. "I guess I'll have to go see Matthew, then." A thought that did not truly endear itself to her. While she was on amicable and speaking terms with him, she could not bring herself to call him a friend or to forgive him for his past transgressions. And now, just even thinking about him got Addison thinking of his twin brother and she only grew sadder.

And yet, even this would prove to be out of her reach. "Matthew went off with Mark and Lizzie for some top secret operation. The Contest Queen is with her Royal Highness in the infirmary and no one knows where the King is. Unfortunately Addy, I think you're on your own for now."

Addison smiled. "Nope. I'm never on my own. I have people of all shapes and sizes I can count on." She then waved to Morgan before departing. There was still one person here she could talk to or even consider a friend. The two of them were both in the same boat now, after all. Missing a loved one and powerless to do anything to help them. She made her way around the corner and found herself outside of Rui's room. She knocked on the door. "Rui? It's Addison."

"Hi, Addy" Michael's old friend replied cheerfully. "Won't you come in?"

Addison opened the door and entered. Rui was looking herself over in the mirror. Though she did not appear to be too dressed up or anything, Addison could tell that she was definitely headed off somewhere for the evening. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Rui playfully shook her head. "It's never a bad time for the White Mage. But Cynthia told me that I should take Michael and Piper out for the evening. Oops. I mean, I should take the King and the Contest Queen out for the evening. To keep them out of the gutters, if you know what I mean." Her smile faded a bit. "I feel so bad for them. And for Julia too, obviously. But it seems like only yesterday that she and Michael got together. And now, they're being torn apart by this crazy girl from Hoenn."

"I wish there was something I could do" Addison admitted. "But I'm lost enough as it is myself."

"How have you been holding up?" Rui inquired. "I know how much Ryan meant to you."

"I'm doing the best I can. To be honest, the Countess is helping me to focus on other things, so I don't become too mopey or sad." She sat on the foot of Rui's guest bed and looked at her hands sadly. On her finger was the ring Ryan had given her, promising himself to her and only her for the rest of his life. "That's kinda why I wanted to come and see you."

"Me?"

"I mean, you and Wes-"

Rui nodded as she fluffed out her favorite jean jacket. "Oh. Well, the Countess has helped me to keep my mind off of him, too. But one of the things that has kept me going through all of this, is knowing that Wes wouldn't want us to leave a friend out to dry. Which is why I'm helping Michael. He's been such a good friend to us. Wes looks at him like a little brother. Heck, we both do. Seeing him in so much pain reminds me of when we first met. He was so different back then. You probably wouldn't have recognized him if you did."

"Do you think there's a chance that we can get to Wes?"

"Of course I do" the red-haired woman declared proudly. "The only difference between me when I first got here and now, is that I'm keeping my mind on other things. I will see Wes again. And I bet you'll get to see your father again. But right now, we can't do anything but the best we are doing to help them."

Addison nodded. "Thank you, Rui."

"My pleasure" Rui winked, spinning around and standing in front of Addison. "Don't think I just gave Michael credit for saving me from those thugs on Mirage Island. You were also a key contributor. As were little Tommy and even that Giselle woman." She took Addison's hands and pulled her to her feet. "You're my friend, too. And I can't wait to be able to properly thank you all, once we get my Wes back!"

{}

In his darkest moments of doubt and woe, Michael could only find solace with his children. Both were blissfully unaware of what was going on with their mother and were just very happy that their father was coming to spend some time with them. While the future king in James was happy just to be bounced on his father's lap, the little hurricane of a princess darted around the room like a hyperactive Pokemon, calling for her father to play dress up, then spinning around and wanting to play tag in their nursery.

Michael simply nodded and agreed with whatever Arya wanted to do. He didn't have the heart in him to tell her the truth, yet. How could he possibly address it? How could he tell two tiny and impressionable children possibly react when they find out that their mother not only had no memory of them, but was likely to leave them behind and never think or love them again? How could they possibly pass along their love from the mother who always got them to smile, to their Auntie Liv, who was not only slated to become the next Queen, but their stepmother? How could any of the three of them just let go of the most important part of their family?

The bouncing baby James finally slumped into his father's arms and fell asleep, allowing Michael to take his son up to his crib and tuck him in for the night. Once James had fallen asleep, Michael took his wild daughter up for her turn and the two sat in his rocking chair as he read her a story from her favorite book of fairy tales. But Michael could tell something was wrong. Arya would always interrupt the story with a string of endless questions and alternate situations in the stories she was read. But this time, she was quiet, calm and almost immersed completely in the story. She would occasionally look up from the book's many pictures to her father and let out a cheery smile before returning to the images in front of her.

"And after all of that, the little Phanpy finally made his way back to his Mama and the rest of his herd" Michael read from the book, seeing the tiny little Phanpy getting embraced by the trunk of his mother. "No matter how wide the plains were, no matter how many dangers there were, the brave little Phanpy could not be denied his return to his family." He turned the page and found a picture of the Phanpy with both of it's parents and did his best to fend off a tear falling from his eye. "And they all lived happily ever after in the savanna. The end." The tear fell from his eye and landed on the book page.

"Book get wet!" Arya cried out, looking up to the ceiling in confusion. "But no rain from sky."

Michael cleared his throat and put the book to the side. "No. No rain comes from the ceiling, Arya." He lowered Arya into her own bed and tucked her in for the night. When she was all snuggled up in her blankets with her plush Teddiursa by her side, he bent down and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep, Princess. I've got to meet with Auntie Annie tomorrow, but after that, it's just going to be the three of us."

"Where Mama?"

Michael frowned. "Mama...Mama is a little tired, right now. She needs to sleep."

Arya squirmed her tiny hand out of her blanket and patted her father's. "Daddy no be sad. Mama wake up soon!"

Michael gave her the best smile he could. "I hope you're right, sweetie pie. Now, good night. Get some sleep." He kissed his daughter on the head before closing the door behind him. On his own for the night, he found himself wandering aimlessly throughout the quiet halls of the Castle. His doubts and worries filled him from head to toes. The inevitability of their crisis was finally dawning on him. He was going to lose her. All of the work they had put into their friendship, their romance and their family would be washed away when she woke up and chose the memories Courtney had forcibly planted inside of her. When she left, would he ever be able to feel the same? Could he ever love again? Would James and Arya ever understand? Would he be able to care for Olivia and her son the same way he did for his wife? Would he even be able to stay on as King for her?

He found himself near the same balcony he and Julia had reconciled on and walked out onto it alone. He leaned on the walls and overlooked the domain that was his. The domain that should have been theirs. But that lavender-haired witch had taken her from him. If he hadn't already promised Cameron the opportunity to take her down, he would gladly kill her. But every time his mind thought of vengeance, his heart longed for his wife. Would Julia want him to take vengeance? To let that inner beast inside of him take over? To give into the rage of the Crimson Fury, even when he still had their children to look after? How could he justify his actions? Unable to come to terms with either his vengeful mind or his broken heart, he slumped on the banister overlooking the gardens and began to shake.

"After what she did to you" a voice called from behind him, "I wasn't sure I could trust her with you, again."

Michael turned around to face the new arrival. "Cam?"

Cameron walked slowly over to him, a worried and sad look on her face. "I mean, she walked out on you in a moment of doubt. But, then again, so did all of us. We all doubted you. And it is a mistake that still haunts me to this day." She stood beside him and looked out over the nighttime skies. "But that's why you went back to her and forgave us. Because you love us. And because you love her."

"The last time I lost her, I was willing to let the Crimson Fury destroy me" he recalled. "If I didn't have her, what was the point of living?" He shook his head and looked up to the skies above them. "Am I going to do that again? Is feeling like this making me weak?"

"After everything you've gone through" his cousin told him calmly, "I wouldn't blame you for thinking you were weak. But you aren't. You're the strongest person I know."

"And how can I possibly tell the kids?" he cried out.

"I wish I had an answer for you. You were always there for me when I was in doubt. I hate that I can't be there to help you, now." When she saw how shaken he was by all of this, she spun her cousin around and hugged him tightly. "Shhh. Shhh. It's okay, Michael. I don't know how, but I am going to help you make this okay."

"I don't know what I'm going to do" he admitted to her. "Cam, I have no idea how anything will go, from now on."

"Then let us do some of that figuring out stuff" she offered.

"How can you all help?"

Cameron pulled away and winked. "Well, let's just say coming to comfort you wasn't the only reason I came to the Castle."

Michael did his best to give his prodigal sister anything positive, but folded his arms in contemplation. "Alright. What's going on?"

"Well, we think we have a lead" Cameron offered. "It's faint, but it might just work."

"If this is about Courtney..."

"It's about Hunter."

This caused Michael to react in surprise. "Hunter?"

"He may have slipped his way off of Mirage Island" Cameron explained. "He's after Shaymin and Victini if he did. Which means he's going to be coming after Matt and me."

"Do we know for sure if Hunter is off Mirage Island?"

"That's why we're setting up a feint" his cousin went on. "If we can snare him up in a trap of our own, we could get the Mythical Pokemon back. Lizzie thinks that there would be no way someone as egotistical as Hunter wouldn't want to rub our defeat in our faces. He's going to have them with him."

"And having them with him makes him dangerous enough" Michael cautioned. "Not to mention all of his weapons."

"Michael, if we don't do this, we're going to be leaving this upcoming fight with Mewtwo to chance. I have every faith that Addison and her training with Aunt Rosemary will do the trick to help us, but I don't think we can do much if Hunter has some of the most powerful Pokemon at his mercy. Him, Courtney and Mewtwo make a powerful team. As does the fact that they have all the advantages. If we take out Hunter and get our friends back, this could be the thing we need to turn the tide against Mewtwo." She was practically on her knees, begging Michael to allow it.

The King sighed. "Cam, I'm in no emotional state to help you or stop you at this rate."

The interim Champion's eyes lit up. "You mean you'll let us do it?"

"I just want you all to be careful" Michael pleaded. "And keep the knowledge of this plan to a minimum. We don't know if Courtney or Mewtwo have sent Hunter to act on their behalf."

"I promise I won't let you down!"

Michael lowered his head. "Now if I could just return the favor."

Cameron wrapped her arms around him again. "Stop it. You've always been there for me and Chris. Let me return the favor and be there for you guys." When they came apart, she patted Michael's cheek and smiled up at him. "So stop all this sulking. I promise you we are going to be okay and I will do everything in my power to make sure things are set right between you and Julia, too." She then turned and left Michael alone with his thoughts once more.

Despite his cousin's confidence and her faith in him, Michael felt truly alone. As he had been when he was exiled. As he had when Julia walked out on him. But instead of having the Fury inside of him, he simply felt as if the number of people he had failed was continually climbing higher and higher. His Grandfather, his prodigal mother, his prodigal siblings, his wife, his children, friends and family from all over the world and even two who had never done anything but look up to him as their hero. And this continued to make his emotional state deteriorate.

But, as he was the King of an entire region, he knew he could not dwell on his own misery forever. He had to continue his journey. Until the end, be it glamorous or bitter.

{}

The longer and deeper Avery led him into the woods of Mirage Island, the more Ryan began to doubt and mistrust his old friend. She would not tell him precisely where they were going, nor would she even tell him who would be there waiting for him at this secret base of hers. She simply made Ryan have little choice but to trust her to lead him blindly into whatever he could expect. But every time he would voice these concerns, Avery would promise him that he'd get more clued in when they arrived. He figured it was just an excuse for the girl to keep holding his hand, but he relented so long as it actually got him some place closer to where he felt he needed to be: back in Arcana with his friends and family. Achilles kept him tempered by remaining close and reminding him of the promise he had made to Addison, as if he needed to.

Finally, Avery stopped and pulled Ryan to the side, urging him to wait there. "This will only take a second. I have to make sure no one has broken the seal, yet."

"What seal?"

"The shroud of darkness I've been using to hide the rest of our little team" she insisted. Avery faded out of existence and reappeared as Darkrai. The Pokemon's eyes flashed and soon, what appeared to be nothing but a simply grove of trees transformed into the small bridge that would inevitably lead to the village Ryan recalled from his last time here. Where Avery had lied and said her family had been. The pathway's only light came from the moonlight above them and the glow of a campfire somewhere up ahead. When she had finished, Darkrai reverted into shadows and Avery's apparition reappeared.

Avery offered Ryan her hand again, but Ryan brushed past her. "I can walk by myself."

"As you wish" she replied, almost sadly.

The trio walked through the entrance Darkrai had opened and Ryan walked halfway over the bridge. Avery remained behind, using Darkrai's power to reseal the entrance and protect them from the prying eyes of Mewtwo or his associates. He pressed on with Achilles at his back, until he found the heart of the village. Three figures were seated around the fire. The one who was in direct line of vision with Ryan saw him and gave a smarmy laugh.

"Well, our chances for success were just decimated."

Ryan drew back. "Elezar?! How are you still-"

The other two heads spun around upon hearing his voice. His cousin Christopher was up in seconds, though it was Amanda that Ryan was the most surprised to see. Chris brought him into a near back-breaking hug, patting him on the back and peppering him with questions about Piper and what was going on in Arcana. Amanda took a more reserved approach, simply embracing him and being far less obnoxious with her own questions. While Chris finally calmed down from the excitable reunion, Amanda led Ryan over to their little ring around the fire and put him down between her and Chris. Achilles remained at a distance, communicating with Elezar's Scizor standing guard.

"I'm still at a loss over this whole 'not alive' thing" Amanda admitted. "It's a good thing you're just as confused as I am, Ryan."

"Avery told me about it, but I'm still trying to figure out why I made it all the way here when Hunter sent me and Achilles to our deaths."

"I should think it's obvious, boy" Elezar snapped. "It would seem the world isn't quite done with you, yet. Welcome to the club. We have three members, now. Six if you count Pokemon."

"But why me?" Ryan inquired.

"Avery seems to think you're this White Mage" Chris explained. "Someone with the power to defeat Mewtwo. It could explain why you made it here." He patted Ryan on the back and grinned. "And here I thought it was going to be Michael again or something."

"My daughter sacrificed herself to save you whelps" Elezar hissed. "You had better deliver on your end of the deal and finish off that beast, Mewtwo!"

"Did we forget we're all on the same side?" Avery pointed out as she returned to the group. "No more bickering. We can't afford it. Not with Ryan stuck here with the rest of us." She sat down beside Amanda and Elezar and looked over everyone in the group. "Five is a better number, but Ryan needed to be in Arcana for his showdown with Mewtwo. I guess we're just going to have to improvise."

"And how do you propose we do that when you're keeping us caged up here?" Chris asked frustratingly.

"Yeah, and no cellular service means I can't contact anyone to let them know I'm okay" Amanda added.

"The cell service thing is a Syndicate issue, not mine" Avery defended herself. "And I've been keeping you here out of hopes of replenishing some more of our numbers. But it's clear that Mewtwo means to make his move against Arcana. He's going to hit them with everything he's got. Syndicate soldiers, Courtney, the cloned Pokemon, everything. And unless we can find a way to prevent him from making it back there, we're going to be utterly helpless to try and aid them. We need to destroy Mewtwo before he gets off of the island."

"He can phase dimensions" Elezar reminded her. "It's not like we can just keep him in a net or anything. And I suspect that Master Ball he was trapped in before was vaporized when Claude was killed." He flashed a grin over at Ryan. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. That self-important blowhard deserved to die for abandoning our cause in pursuit of his own goals."

"You're not even the slightest bit remorseful?" Amanda fumed. "Thousands of people were hurt or scarred for life because of you and Cassius!"

"I would have succeeded in my exploits if-"

"What did I just say about us being on the same team?!" Avery cried out.

"It's clear there is a long list of doubt and mistrust for everyone here" the former Syndicate Admin retorted. "I doubt you'll get your perfect little team to function together for very long."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Then maybe it's time we parted ways."

"Are you out of your mind, Ryan?" Avery gasped. "If you leave this veil I've created, Mewtwo and Courtney will find out you're still a threat!"

"We have to depart from here anyway to make sure he can" Chris pointed out. "Why keep us here?"

Elezar rose to his feet. "For once, Kingstons, we're in agreement. My business with you all is done." He whistled over to his Scizor, who floated over to his side and fashioned his claws like swords. "I brought for you, Miss Frost, three able bodied trainers and the power source needed for that infernal Dream Harvester Mewtwo had built. And all I have to show for it is scorn and derision."

"Elezar, we need to stick together!" Avery argued.

"What I need is to find my daughter and break her out of whatever dark power Mewtwo has her under! Once my daughter is safe and unharmed, I can finally die in peace and be rid of you cursed Kingstons and the sycophants that follow you." He turned on his heel and clapped his thigh. The Scizor followed him out and the two disappeared into the shadows.

"That's what we get for trusting a man who wanted all of us dead for a while" Ryan grunted.

"You said it" Chris echoed.

"Now, we can finally get some planning done" Amanda insisted.

Avery was silent for a moment, looking out towards where Elezar and his Scizor had gone. She shook her head in frustration and returned to the group. "Elezar's departure means that we're going to have to get a move on. I can protect you all as Darkrai and serve as a guide, but it's going to need to be the three of you who do most of the footwork. Once Elezar leaves, the veil will break and Mewtwo can begin to track us if he learns you're all awake." She then sat where Elezar had and waved her hand over the fire. An Ominous Wind from Darkrai wiped the flames out and left the quartet in the darkness of the evening. "But we need to work together. You guys need to trust in me and I need to be able to trust in you."

Chris grabbed both Ryan and Amanda and pulled them aside for a moment. "What do you two think?"

"I don't think we have an option but to trust her" Amanda cautioned. "But at the same time, blindly trusting her was what helped Mewtwo escape in the first place."

"Ry?" Chris asked him.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Part of me wants nothing to do with her ever again. But another part of me realizes we don't have a choice. If we don't trust her and go about on our own, we'll end up getting captured or killed in the long run." He looked at his own hand, which was beginning to show signs of paling. "And I'm already on borrowed time."

"How can we fix this?" Amanda asked. "I mean, Avery said that she was able to be human for a time, right?"

"Because Mewtwo granted her this power" Chris reminded her. "It's not like Mewtwo will just do that for Ryan, especially if he is right and Ryan is this White Mage everyone's talking about."

Ryan shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to live with this for now. And that goes the same with Avery."

Amanda nodded. "Alright. That makes it 2-1."

Chris sighed. "Fine. Then I guess it's the four of us."

The trio rose back and walked over to Avery, with Ryan speaking for them. "Alright. We're in."

"Okay" Avery nodded happily. "Then I guess we'd better get a move on."

"Where are we headed?" Amanda puzzled.

"The Temple of Dreams."

"What are we gonna find there?" Ryan inquired.

"The Temple of Dreams was here long before I was" Avery revealed. "If there's anything on this island that knows more about what this could mean, it would be there." Avery's facsimile disappeared and reverted back into Darkrai. "Come on. Follow me."

As Darkrai hovered in the nighttime sky above them, Chris eyed his cousin one last time. "Still thinking this was a good idea?"

"No. But I don't think it matters."

{}

Though she was supposed to be assembling her team of seven for their next move in planning the ambush of Hunter, Cameron found herself unable to get into it. The utter devastation and pain Michael was feeling had shaken her to her core. No one, least of all him, deserved to feel the way he did. He had been through enough already. Why did some benevolent deity still find fit to torment him for crimes he never committed?

She had long ago questioned if Arceus was nothing more than a myth. She had prayed to him as a little girl to save her mother, but had only learned that she was dead weeks later. But now, seeing all of the devastation being caused by the evil forces of the world, she knew that even the idea of Arceus existing was nothing but a useful illusion. A trick to keep the masses in line. After all, if Arceus did exist and was as powerful as the world claimed him to be, why did he just let Mewtwo become more powerful? Why did he let Courtney and Hunter survive? Why did he continue to let their side degrade and suffer loss after loss? If Arceus even existed, how could they be sure he would be on their side?

These philosophical questions led Cameron down a path she never thought she'd go down: alcoholism. She took drink after drink from the bar inside Kingston Castle, only for her to be completely smashed within about 35 minutes. Once she had been cut off, she stumbled her way out onto the soccer pitch where she had once almost been at Daniel's throat about the Pokemon World Tournament and found the deep running bad blood between her and him. She walked sloppily along, until she came across the mausoleum where her grandmother and grandfather were buried. She had never been up to their burial by herself. But now, she had no reason to hold back.

"YOU!" she cursed, hardly able to keep herself standing. "YOU DID ALL OF THIS!" She first gave a lewd gesture to the etched name of their grandfather. "You for making him feel he owes the world something!" She then did the same towards Lady Bonnie's name. "AND YOU FOR MAKING HIM COME BACK!" She grabbed a clump of dirt and threw it on her the names of James and Bonnie Kingston. She tried to grab another one, but failed to pull it out without her falling to the ground in front of their graves. She was prepared to push herself up and try again, when a shadow fell over her.

"What is desecrating the graves of your grandparents going to accomplish, Cameron?" Cynthia demanded.

"Oh, give it a rest" Cameron fired back, rolling onto her side. "If you cared about my brother, you'd be cursing these two out as much as I am!"

"Of course I care about Michael" Sinnoh's Champion argued. "I also care about you. And you destroying this sacred place is something neither of you would want if you were in the right mental states. Michael is worried sick about Julia and you're drunk." She grabbed Cameron's arm and hauled her to her feet. "You will regret doing this in the morning. Now come on. We need to get you to bed." Cameron tried to wrench herself free, but found Cynthia's grip on her arm tightening on her like a vice. Fed up with Cameron's struggling, Cynthia spun her around and kept her in place. "Cameron, I know how much this hurts you. Michael is my friend, too. Him losing Julia is going to be devastating to him. But instead of helping him deal with this, you're just taking your anger out on your grandparents."

"I'd take it out on Cassius if he was still alive!"

Cynthia put her hands on Cameron's shoulders. "Stop it! I need a healthy, strong and committed Cameron Kingston to help me save Michael as well as the Mythical Pokemon from Hunter. The more you lash out like this, the more prone to weakness we will be. Now, I want you to-"

Cameron pushed herself at Cynthia in a drunken attempt to kiss her idol. She could not tell if she had made contact or not, but pulled away after a moment. The last thing she saw before passing out was a surprised look on Cynthia's face.