"Are you really sure we need to go down here?" Amanda desperately asked Ryan as they neared the entrance to the tunnel that had appeared. While Avery seemed to be bold enough to enter the tunnel with Darkrai, at the mouth of the cave, she and Ryan remained behind due to her paralyzing fear. She desperately clung to his arm in hopes of preventing him from making a dangerous decision. "I mean, even scientific curiosity has it's limits."

Ryan nodded proudly. "We have to. If Terra is in here, I have to find him." He turned to her when he saw just how frightened she was. "You could just wait out here and let Avery and I keep going, if you want."

"Do you want me to get captured by Mewtwo or Courtney?" she shrieked. "Why do you give me such impossible choices."

"It's just a dark tunnel" Ryan promised her. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

I sense a great evil in that tunnel, Achilles warned as he stared down into the darkness beneath them. More shadows are down there than Darkrai. Perhaps it would be prudent not to continue, even if Terra is down there.

"Well I'm not going to sit around and guess" Ryan answered. "I'm going down there."

As you wish. Achilles took the lead and walked several paces forward.

Amanda frowned. "Entering a pit of evil sounds like a really really bad idea, but I'm not being left alone."

"That's the spirit" Ryan said jokingly. "Come on."

"But we go at my pace!" she demanded, yanking his arm backwards. "I won't have you doing any heroic charges on my watch! Not when there's all this dangerous stuff happening and Chris's just flying on and off of Mirage Island. So if I have to be dragged into the darkness, I'm going at this pace and this pace only." Her grip slid down from his upper arm and down to his wrist. "Deal?"

He rolled his eyes. "Alright. Just don't make us go at a Slugma's pace, okay?"

"You act as if I want to be going this slow anywhere" she shuddered.

"Just be brave and we can get through this" he encouraged her. "I'm not afraid of what the darkness holds."

Amanda sighed. "Okay. Lead on, then."

Ryan then carefully led Amanda deeper and deeper into the cavern. Despite her grip on his hand tightening the deeper they went, he persisted on traversing into the shadows to try and find Terra. If Achilles was right, and Terra was in fact down there, he would only need to find Sparks and Tusker after that to reunite with the rest of his team. He wouldn't be alone anymore. He could right the wrongs he did, if any, by those Pokemon. And perhaps give him a chance to take on Mewtwo if this was in fact his destiny.

"Can you feel for the walls?" Ryan asked her. He reached to his side with his free hand to touch the wall and paused. "Isn't this brick?"

"Is this a man-made cave?" Amanda wondered. "If this is some sort of Syndicate trap..."

"Achilles did say that there's evil in this cave" Ryan teased.

"And you have no problem with that?!"

"Why would I?" Ryan asked. "I'm supposed to be the White Mage, right? The one destined to stop Mewtwo and defeat evil?"

"Avery could be wrong. Before you arrived on the island, all we thought of was if Addison was the White Mage or not."

Ryan halted their forward movement. "Addy? No. It couldn't be her."

"Why, because women aren't capable of being heroes in your-"

"Don't make it about sexism" Ryan snapped. "That has nothing to do with it. It can't be her because I'm here. I should not be here at all. I should be getting fitted for a halo. But instead, I'm here in this cave on Mirage Island. Instead, I'm trying to find a way to stop Mewtwo, while also trusting a friend who I thought was my girlfriend but was really my enemy, but kind of my friend. And protecting you."

Amanda frowned. "Sorry. I just-"

"Let me put it to you this way" Ryan said gently as he reached for the wall once more, taking a step forward. "If Addison is the White Mage, I will do nothing to stand in her way if she is." He then tugged at Amanda's hand. "Now come on. We've got a long way to go." The two continued deeper into the cavern, the sounds of the outside world beginning to lessen, until they ceased altogether. As they approached the bottom of the long and winding tunnel down, the two bumped into Achilles, who was standing guard in front of them. "What's up?"

There is a darkness in the air. It's dense, but familiar.

"Is it Mewtwo?" Ryan asked.

No. It's...it's strange, to be honest. I've never seen such a darkness before. I do not know it, yet I can tell I do.

"I don't like this" Amanda tensed.

"Don't get jittery" Ryan told her. "We just need to make sure that we can see what we're up against." He reached onto his belt and plucked Simba's Pokemon Ball off it. He called out Simba, who's fierce and burning mane glowed throughout the entire dark chamber they were in. It was a dense and cavernous domain, but there was certainly no sign of any darkness that caught Achilles off guard. "You see? Nothing to worry about." He went to gave Amanda's hand a squeeze of reassurance, but his hand closed completely. She had vanished. "What the-" He spun around, expecting Amanda to have run back up the walkway, but she had completely vanished. "AMANDA?! AMANDA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The darkness is swarming, Achilles spoke, his head tightening into a headache that forced him to his knee. I do not think I can progress further.

"Do you really think it's wise to venture this deep into the darkness?" a maiden's voice called out to them.

"Who's there?!" Ryan demanded. "Show yourself!"

"The deeper you walk into the darkness" the voice continued, "the more it tightens it's grip on you. It will consume you, swallow you whole. As it has every other hero who dared to venture into it's depths."

"Then I guess you've never met me" Ryan boasted. "Ryan Kingston, Arcana's great hero."

"Oh, I know all about you" the voice responded, unfazed by his arrogance. "He who tore his own memories apart in pursuit of power. The murderer of Claude Jacques. The hero who brought Arcana to it's knees. He, who will single-handedly bring the very people he loves their reckoning."

"You don't know what you're talking about" Ryan snarled, prompting Simba to let out a roar backing his trainer up. "I know who I am. And that's not some kind of despot. Show me who you are if you're going to make such accusations from the dark!"

A laugh came from the voice. "Oh? And what makes you think my accusations aren't fact?"

"The fact that I know who I am and you don't!" He looked towards Achilles. "Can you sense her? Where is this person hiding?"

She's...she's all around us.

"What?!"

"You should listen to your Pokemon when they give you warnings, little hero" the maiden mocked. "Especially one who can see into your heart far more clearly than you do. In your heart lingers a long dormant feeling. One that you try to keep hidden, as if it is not a part of who you are. Your hatred. Your scintillating anger. Oh, it's so ripe I can almost taste it."

"What did you do with my friends?"

"They're in here with you" the voice answered. "All you need do to go deeper in and pluck your precious friends out of danger is to do that very thing you're afraid of doing. Let your hate move you. Your anger command you. Only your rage will get you what you want. You know it. They all know it as well. Without that gift of fury, you're nothing more than a worthless urchin."

Ryan clenched his fists in anger. "You want me angry? Fine, you've got me angry. Now let them go!"

"Plunge deeper into the shadows and find a way to turn on the light" she giggled. "That is, if you remember how. Hahahahahahahahaha!"

As the voice echoed all around him, he began to seethe in anger. "I bet it's Courtney. She's onto us!"

Achilles rose back up from his massive migraine and tried his best to stand guard. There is no darkness I've ever encountered this evil. This is not Courtney. Whoever it is, they do not mean for us to return to the world above.

"I have no intention of doing so without Amanda or Avery anyway" Ryan answered. "Now let's go!" Simba leaped to the front of the party while Achilles remained guard in the back. Occasionally, the Pyroar would spit out Fire Blasts to illuminate the cavern more, but it did very little to locate their friends. Ryan glanced at every direction in the hopes of this shadowy presence revealing themselves, only for his frustration with this voice's cowardice to keep growing. Simba sniffed around the area, stopping when he spat another fireball in the distance. When it impacted against the wall, Ryan could see a shadowy figure floating about the chamber. Ryan pulled himself over a rocky crag and stood to face the shadow, but it vanished along with the remaining shadows into the deep and unyielding darkness.

Simba scrambled up behind him and spat out another Fire Blast, this time into the air, to illuminate the entire chamber. Achilles warped beside them and did his best to locate their quarry.

"THERE!" Ryan declared, spotting someone in a strange robe floating just to the left of where they were standing. Ryan leaped and grabbed at the shadow, dragging them down to the floor beside them. When both fell to the ground, Ryan made sure he landed on top of the shadow. But before he could try and identify who this maiden was, he was blasted away by a powerful Shadow Ball attack. He landed hard as the maiden cackled.

"Did you actually think it would be that simple?" she mocked. "You are just pathetic. Everything they say about you is true."

Ryan pushed himself to his feet as both Mufasa and Achilles leaped in front of him to protect him. "What are you? A Pokemon?"

"I am evolved" she responded coldly.

Achilles studied her silhouette in the shadows. It's a...it's a Gardevoir.

"Half correct, gallant twit" the maiden answered. "I am the true evolution. I have the power of a Pokemon and the unyielding passion and desire for power of a human. I don't have any of the weaknesses of man or Pokemon. I'm not cursed with a disposition to being kind towards others, nor am I bound by the simple powers of a mortal being. But if you don't believe me..." She stepped out of the shadows and stared the trio down. Though her eyes glowed with a chilling blue, it was her appearance that shook both Ryan and Achilles. It could have been a complete fusion between Addison and Galatea. But without their hearts. This one was pure evil.

Ryan glared at his opponent. "And what sick experiment did Mewtwo put you through to get to this?"

"None whatsoever" she laughed. "Mewtwo doesn't even know this chamber exists. Because it was made for you, oh Hero of heroes!"

"Stop mocking me!"

The shadowy specter fired another Shadow Ball at the group, but Simba leaped in front of his mentor, the ball dissipating upon striking him. "And why would I do that? When you deserve so much more than I'm doling out?" She folded her arms and scowled. "Man, you're just pathetic. No wonder they gave up on you so easily."

"What are you talking about?"

"Who out there thinks you're a hero worth his salt? Not as many as you think. Even your friends and loved ones in Arcana have moved on from you. You, who allegedly held such a strong place in their hearts, reduced to little more than a memory."

Ryan shook his head. "Nice try. But they would never forget about me."

"Oh the truth hurts, doesn't it? Well, you can't escape the truth. A sad fact, but one you need to know, nonetheless. None of them miss you. Holly misses her precious Jeremy more than you. Michael and Cameron miss Chris more. Julia and Piper miss Amanda more. Even your closest friends aren't batting an eyelash for the memory of you. They may have even found replacements for you."

Ryan laughed at this. "How weak do you have to be to think my resolve could be changed like that?"

She shrugged. "All you have left are the shadows of those who truly remain loyal to you. Even Amanda and Avery won't stay that long. All you have are the ghosts of your Pokemon." She pointed at Achilles and Simba. "You wonder why those two are with you? Why Simba was here of all places instead of out forming a pride of his own? Because of you! Mewtwo's spell over his mind broke when you died. His heart shattered when the boy who had saved him met his end. Your Pokemon joined you here, because they are the only beings in this world who couldn't live without you."

Ryan gasped. "What? No! Simba can't be-Simba!" He looked to his Pyroar, who kept growling at the maiden in the dark.

"The others are here too" she laughed mockingly. "Terra, Tusker, Sparks, all of the ones who abandoned you. You'll meet with them soon enough." She gestured all around them in the vast emptiness of the chamber. "But do you know who isn't here? People. Why would people care about a waste like you? Someone so afraid of his own power that he hides it away and pretends to act all tough when confronted about it? You're just a frightened little boy in a world where no human will remember you." She grinned as her message was beginning to wear down on his resolve. "Good. You're starting to realize. I'm not telling you this to hurt you. I'm doing it for your own good. No one in Arcana misses you. No one on Mirage Island cares if you live or die. They're just using you to get what they want. Amanda wants you to protect her until she gets back to Arcana. And Avery? Well, when hasn't she used you?"

Ryan's fists opened and he was left stunned. Achilles and Simba looked to him in worry.

"Do you really think they mourn you in Arcana?" she continued. "You couldn't be less missed if you wanted to be."

Ryan's face drooped. "No one misses me?"

"Not a soul" she responded. "Which is why they've all went on with their lives? Who wants to even try to bring someone so inept and weak back?"

The pity inside of him bottomed out and was left with an unyielding rage, which exploded inside of him. He glared up at the shadow, seeing little but a dark shade of crimson in front of him. "You're wrong! I know who I am! I AM NOT WEAK! I AM NOT INEPT! AND IF I HAVE TO DESTROY YOU TO PROVE IT, SO BE IT!" Simba howled in pain before letting loose a stream of fire from his mouth. The flames scorched everything in front of them, except the shadowy Gardevoir hybrid. Achilles took a step forward and unleashed a series of Vacuum Wave punches, but all of them missed as the shadow dodged and weaved.

"You really think this little tantrum of yours is going to prove anything to anyone?" she cruelly ridiculed.

Ryan's nostrils flared and his anger only grew, overflowing into a total and unyielding explosion of fire and hate. "Grrrrr. GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Ryan could no longer see what was going on around him. Like a bull who saw nothing but the color red, Ryan's sole focus was on the specter belittling him and calling him weak. He didn't notice he himself was slowly becoming a ceaseless bastion of rage and hate. One so strong that it was even drawing in Simba and Achilles. Both of his Pokemon leaped towards him to try and shake him out of it and vanished. Ryan's body twisted and contorted until it let out a furious eruption of fire and darkness. When the flames parted, Ryan looked himself over. He seemed to have changed into his costume from Trickton. He now donned armor that reminded him of Achilles. Only the blades that made up his forearms seemed to be sharper than the plastic ones he had previously. And they seemed to be on fire.

"Isn't the Realm of Dreams wonderful?" the shadow laughed, still toying with him. "When you give into your fury and your power, it lets you do incredible things! You truly are one of us!"

"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Ryan bellowed, rushing forwards and slashing at the Spirit with his burning scabbards. His attacks missed, but soon he felt the same power he did when he had his showdown with Claude atop the Grand Titanio Hotel. "SHADOW CLAW!" he roared. With one ferocious swipe, he finally struck at the spirit. The scream she let out proved to him he did considerable damage. But he wasn't into savoring this. He was going to make her suffer. And suffer intently. He grabbed her by the throat and tossed her casually a few feet into the air before impaling her with both of his scabbards.

"UGH!" she coughed out.

"I-am-nothing-like-you" he hissed, glaring up at her before slamming her down on the cavern floor.

"You are...you are everything like me" she laughed weakly, coughing up a shadowy substance Ryan could only assume was some sort of blood. "You've proven it. And I've proven my point already."

"And what point was that?"

"It's-it's too late-too late for you" she cackled, which turned into a cough. "You and I-we're exactly the same. Except for one-one thing. My soul is free on the other side. You? You're trapped here. Destined for one purpose and one purpose-only." She then let out one final breath before the shadow dissipated. Ryan punched the ground violently where she had vanished, causing a crater in the cave to open up. A sharp and ear-splitting sound went through his ears as he crumpled to the floor. Within seconds, his armor was gone and he was back in his street clothes. Achilles and Simba reappeared as well, with Simba hurrying over to try and tend to his trainer, while Achilles was shaking nervously a few feet away.

That power...

Ryan looked over to him as he lay on the ground. "What?"

That power you used...what was it?

"How should I know? The only thing I know...is that it took care of that freak! Whoever she was!" He pet Simba's snout and lay on his back.

"Are you just going to leave us sitting here?" a voice called down from below. Ryan flipped up and looked down. Avery and Amanda were both in the crater his fist had created, looking up at him with cross looks. "Or are we supposed to just sit here until you join us?"

"Where did you guys go?" he asked as he offered Amanda a hand back up.

"We got separated" Amanda replied, letting Ryan pull her out of the hole and up to the platform he was standing on. "I wasn't expecting you to let go of my hand, Ryan."

"I didn't" Ryan insisted. "You just slipped out."

"I highly doubt I let go of you that eagerly" she snapped. "But, bygones are bygones as long as we're okay."

Ryan then reached down and pulled Avery up. As she reached the others in her group, she let out a sigh of relief. "When I saw all of that dark power, I grew a little worried. But I knew better. I knew you'd be the one to overcome it."

Ryan frowned. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"Well, I've had enough spelunking for one lifetime" Amanda insisted. "Let's find some place to camp."

"What about Terra?" Ryan asked.

"If he's still here, I doubt he'll leave" she answered.

While Amanda went off a few feet to try and scope out a place to rest, Ryan and Avery lingered behind, his thoughts on what the specter had told him. "Avery? Is it true? Are my Pokemon really dead? Just like me?"

Avery sighed. "I was hoping they wouldn't be. But it's the only explanation as to why they would be here, when you haven't seen them in months. Simba, Terra, Sparks, Tusker. For all we know, they all could be."

"That...that shadow I fought" Ryan said sadly. "She told me that the Pokemon were all I had left that cared about me. No one in Arcana misses me."

"You know that's not true" she said gently. "You know Addison would be over the moon at the thought of seeing you again. And Michael and the others all would do anything they could to bring you back. I just don't think it's possible." She took a step closer to him and smiled up at him. "And you know I care about you. More than anything else in this world."

Ryan's head drooped sadly down. "I just...I don't think I can believe in myself anymore."

Avery caught him as he tried to fall to the ground. Simba and Achilles were also at his side in seconds. "No. Maybe you don't have the strength. But you don't need to bear the burden alone. Let Amanda and I shoulder it for a bit. You've done enough, already. Just get some rest." She shrugged. "Who would have guessed that Amanda was right about resting? We'll pick up from here later." She took his arm and put it around her, with Simba doing the same, even letting his mane's temperature cool down enough to help carry him.

Ryan looked to both of them and gave them a half-hearted smile before they went after Amanda. He looked behind him at where he had struck the shadow down and felt himself becoming angry again.

Looks like the Fury is in me still. And it's going strong.

{}

Why on earth would I ever need a Champion to fight for me? Mewtwo scoffed at Elezar. Does Courtney really think that I'd rely on some worthless human to do my dirty work?

"Her predictions decree that a champion would be the one to rival your great enemy" Elezar recalled. "A Black Knight to counter a White Mage. Rather amusing little rhyme of hers, if I do say so myself."

Mewtwo glowered as their discussion continued. This cursed Mage thinking they would get the better of me!

"With their prospective White Mage already on the island, though, it could be already too late for you to name a Champion. Or worse, be forced to stick with either Courtney or that halfwit imp that followed Hunter around." Elezar took a sip of his tea and grinned as the cup was empty. "But I know where they are headed. You could very easily head them off if this little imp doesn't finish him off, which I very much doubt Kage will be able to. Which is why I never brought him into the Syndicate. Even Hunter thought nothing of him back then."

Why inform me of this, and not Courtney?

"What use to I have for that lavender haired harlot?" Elezar scoffed. "You are the one who's power will win out in the end. Why even bother approaching a sycophantic peon like her?"

Still thinking too highly of yourself, Elezar.

"Call it however you wish, I just want to ensure my desires are met through. I don't care who wins out in the end. As long as my daughter's future is secured."

I wonder if the years of being a terrible father have hardened her heart towards you. As your heart has hardened against the Kingstons.

Elezar's thoughts lingered on Jocelyn, but only for a moment. "My fate was sealed when I found my way here. Hers isn't. She does not deserve to spend her life as an ornament of evil."

Keep on supplying me with information I need and I will uphold my end of our bargain. Your daughter shall never leave your side.

"The Temple of Dreams" Elezar revealed. "They believe they'll find some sort of power to destroy you there."

Mewtwo smirked at this. The Temple of Dreams only explains the powers of Darkrai and Cresselia. A foolhardy mission indeed. Kage should buy us enough time to prepare a bit of a trap for Arcana's Great Hero. The question is now, whether or not I'll destroy him or break his mind. I'll admit, both are fascinating concepts to me.

Elezar rose to his feet. "Now, Master, if you'll be so kind as to release Jocelyn, I'll move on with my life and let you go on with your plans for revenge and conquest." He stood there and waited for Mewtwo to move. But the Pokemon did not. He simply floated above him, staring down at him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Uphold your end of our deal and release my daughter!"

Mewtwo laughed. Hahahahahahaha. Is that how you interpreted our deal, Elezar?

The once haughty and arrogant Aced watched his skin pale. "You swore by your own word that-"

I told you that your daughter would never leave your side. And she will not. He raised his hand and forced Elezar to be standing beside the frozen form of Jocelyn. Because you, you wretched little fool, are going to join your daughter right here as one of my trophies of war.

Elezar could not move a single bone in his body. "Ergh! Let me-let me go!"

A shame I couldn't get the complete set. One from each generation. But, then again, your father was always the only one of you that deserved to exist. You and your daughter were nothing but rogue pawns that got a little too antsy. I did spare you one indignity though, almighty son of Balthazar. When I destroy the entirety of Arcana for it's insolence, you can rest assured, knowing that you won't be trapped beside any Kingstons. Just a Kingston lover.

With one last defiant move, Elezar tried to call upon his Scizor to defend him, but Mewtwo casually tossed him out of the throne room. As the doors closed behind him, Mewtwo's powers focused entirely on him. And at once, the arrogant and power-hungry son of a scientist who only ever loved and cared for others, knew his life had truly ended.

{}

Addison was not surprised to receive an invitation to the soft reopening of Titanio Park, as she and Ryan had been frequent guests there when he was Champion. What did surprise her and sadden her to a degree was that she was given five additional invitations. Their original group that often went to Titanio Park was herself, Ryan, Holly, Tommy, Jeremy and Annette, and the owner of Titanio Park likely expected it to be the six of them making this trip. She was sure the owner was out of the loop of what was going on, being from a separate region altogether, so there was no malice in sending the six invitations when half of their group was unable to attend. With Ryan gone and both Jeremy and Annette still prisoners on Mirage Island, she would have to compel others to join her. Especially with her schedule opening up with the sudden cancellation of her training session for that day.

Matthew was an obvious choice, given how Countess Rosemary had tasked her with rebuilding some kind of friendship with him. But the other two tickets proved to be tough sells. Justin Jacques had been interested, but declined when Madeline Kingston offered to be his 'personal bodyguard' on all the rides and thus hid for his young bachelor life. Rui and Piper were both not interested and focused on other things, Mark and Lizzie were busy bonding with the Pokemon that were beginning to return to them, no one had heard word of the King and Queen since their reunion and both Cynthia and Cameron respectfully declined. Which was, of course, when she remembered Dawn and Lucas.

Finding the two after they had parted ways from the library was harder than she thought. But when she heard from Cynthia that the two were contemplating a trip to the park themselves before departing, she knew she had to find them before they spent their money getting in. She looked everywhere on the Castle Grounds for them, but wondered if they had ventured off to the park on their own. The only place she hadn't checked was the place where Cameron usually trained and where Ryan was a bit intimidated to go in his lifetime: the Bay of Kings, a massive lake on the outskirts of the grounds of Kingston Castle where hundreds of Pokemon were said to roam. Together with Holly and Matthew (Tommy being too distracted by his own Pokemon returning to him, in his own case his Ivysaur and Charmeleon), they hurried down to the shores of The King's Bay to hope that both of their friends (whom most already knew had just formed a couple) would be there.

This was the first time since the funeral that either Matthew or Addison had spent any time with the Queensbury children. They had been busy doing their own thing as a family, with Holly in particular trying to find ways to focus on matters that did not make her think about Ryan or Jeremy, both of whom she loved dearly. This would equate to both personal training with her Pokemon and building a better relationship with her little brother. Of course, no one felt slighted or hurt by this. Friendship had to mean more than just spending every waking moment together, especially in dark times like these. Things may have been on the upturn since the defeat of Hunter and reclamation of the Mythical Pokemon, but Mewtwo still had plenty of advantages at his disposal. They needed to be ready for whatever came their way. But that did not necessarily mean they couldn't just spend a day enjoying each other's company.

And so, when the trio arrived at the shores and noticed that neither Dawn or Lucas could be seen at first, Holly let out a sarcastic sigh. "Oh well. I guess we'll just have to look somewhere else." She eyed Addison curiously. "How hard is it to find two people who'd want to go to Titanio Park at this time?"

"Harder than you'd think" Addison replied. "I tried the Augustine Girls, but they also got invitations to go and are going."

"Do we really need to fill all six spots?" Matthew wondered. "It's not like they'd be insulted or anything. It is a soft opening."

"What does that mean?" Holly asked the duo.

"It generally means that it's a test day" Addison answered. "We're going to be the first people who go to the Park since it closed during the war." She looked around their surroundings, but didn't see any trace of either of their friends from Sinnoh. "I guess my hunch about them being here was wrong." Before she could determine their next move, she felt a spray of water land in her hair and get her upper body drenched. She glared back at Holly and Matthew, who both seemed completely oblivious to how she had gotten wet. She decided to wring out her hair before finding out which of them doused her. But another came and got her head a second time. And with her own eyes laying fixed on both Matthew and Holly, she had to realize something else was causing her to get wet. She flipped around and looked at the King's Bay, only to get a third Hydro Pump that launched her a few feet back. Holly caught her quickly and held her in place until the water receded.

"What the hell was that?" she asked Addison.

"Some kind of Water Pokemon in the Bay, probably" Matthew answered.

Addison wiped her face clean. "I don't care what it was. I just want to know why I keep getting hit with geysers of-" She paused. "Wait a minute. I thought Cora was lost when Claude stole all of the Stored Pokemon." She pushed herself back to her feet and tried to dry her shirt before investigating. The once calm lake water began to stir. Waves began to grow in the depths, becoming boisterous and dangerous. Finally, one wave, bigger than all the others, roared into the skies above the trio. Matthew and Holly ran several feet back, but Addison was distracted by what she thought she could see on top of the wall of water. "Is that-"

"ADDY!" Holly cried. "RUN!"

Matthew attempted to rush in and help her, but the wave strangely died down almost immediately. Addison was shocked to find, as the waters calmed once more, a Vaporeon sailing across the waters and right for her. She wagged her fin-like tail at her and let out an almost melodious bark.

"Ariel?" Addison gasped. She had not seen her Starter Pokemon since she had run off after Mewtwo's proclamation to free all Pokemon. Though she wanted to show that she was hurt by the departure, Addison gladly took the elegant and caring Water Pokemon into her arms as Ariel licked her face. "Oh, Ariel! I missed you so much! What brought you back?"

"Probably the same thing that brought Tommy's Pokemon back" Holly observed, "whatever it was."

"And what brought Lizzie's Salamence and my Primeape back" Matthew commented. "Someone must have-" He seemed to be eager to say something, but kept tight-lipped about it. "It was about our trip to the Celestial Plains, that's all."

"The Celestial what?" Holly asked.

"It's a long story" he dismissed.

Addison pet her Vaporeon lovingly, doing her best to exam each and every part of her to ensure her beloved Vaporeon wasn't hurt. "You've been taking care of yourself? No hurt fins or ruptured scales?" Nearing the verge of tears, Addison took her Vaporeon into her arms and showered her with kisses. "Oh, I don't care if you're in contest shape or not. I'm just so glad you're here."

"Why are all of these Pokemon suddenly returning?" Holly demanded. "Matthew, what do you know?"

"I can only say what I think" Matthew admitted, "and even that may not be right. Maybe these Pokemon just realized they were wrong."

Ariel looked back at the lake and let out another melodious growl. The waters once more shifted, but another massive aquatic Pokemon came out of the water. A familiar looking Blastoise crawled out of the lake and nodded to Ariel, before slowly making his own way back to Kingston Castle. Ariel then wagged her fins at Addison playfully before leaping out of her arms and splashing about in the water. For Addison, who's life had been an intense struggle since her father was fossilized by Mewtwo, this was a rare moment of bliss. Her beloved Ariel had returned to her. Something she had previously thought impossible was possible now. Did that mean other impossible things could be forthcoming for her?

{}

Though still mentally and physically drained from all that she had been forced to endure by her captor, Julia was determined to spend as much time with her children as possible. After reuniting with her husband, she made him take her to see her sickly baby boy. She and Michael relieved an overjoyed Piper of her duties and peeked inside to see if their son had woken up. But James was still fast asleep, allowing Julia to move lightly across the nursery to check on her son in ways only a mother could. She put her fingers up to his cheek and smiled. The fever was being fought off. Her son would be fine, after all.

"Good thing you caught it when you did" she whispered to her husband as he stood beside her. "Our baby boy doesn't need anything like that."

"No he doesn't" Michael replied. "Not when he's got a whole life ahead of him."

"Until he becomes King" she sighed somberly.

"You're under the impression the reprieve Garret gave me fully reinstalled a monarchy here?" Michael teased.

"When they realize you weren't behind all of this, I doubt anyone in Arcana will be there to say you aren't deserving of being a King forever."

The door opened behind them and April came in to check on her youngest patient. "And how is the little lord doing?"

"Still sleeping" Michael told her quietly.

"If you don't mind me saying, Your Majesty" April commented, "it should be about now when he should be fed."

Julia looked down at April's hands and noticed her medical file was there. She reached in and picked up her son. James's eyes fluttered open and he seemed about to cry, but when he noticed who had been the one that picked him up, happily settled into his mother's arms. Michael, already one step ahead of her, went into the small refrigerator by his crib and pulled out a bottle of formula for him to drink. As she settled down with her son and fed him, her attention returned to April. "Well, now we can get some more good news? Is that drug out of my system?"

"Whatever antidote His Majesty gave me worked to perfection, Your Grace" April explained softly. "There was no real indication that the drug still reigns inside of you. Apart from that, Her Grace is in excellent shape. Just in time, too. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the bun in the oven."

"The bun in the-" Michael began, before his eyes widened.

Julia was slow to the uptake. "Bun? What's going on?"

April put her hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh. You didn't know? I thought you did."

Michael knelt beside Julia and smiled brightly. "Jules, we don't have to worry about any special nights anymore. You're pregnant."

Julia beamed, feeling a tear slide out of her eye. "I am?" She looked down at her son. "You hear that, my love? You're going to be a big brother."

"I'll let Your Majesties enjoy this moment" April bowed, quickly exiting the nursery.

Julia found herself crying. "This is...it's almost too good to be true. How I wish Abuela could be here to see this." She then looked up at Michael worriedly. "Which reminds me. Did you end up recovering her?"

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Recovering who?"

"Abuela" Julia answered, a twitch of fear in her voice. "Peter or Courtney or whoever it was stole her urn. I accepted being captured because they threatened our children if I didn't cooperate. I wanted to get her back, but-"

Michael sighed heavily and mournfully. "Honey, she's gone."

Julia closed her eyes at this and took in a deep breath, as if exhaling all of the pain out of her as her son coughed up a bit of formula before eyeing her with all the love a baby could. "It's probably for the best. Maybe this will help her find my parents, soon." She reached for her husband's hand and held it. "Besides, so long as I have you, I don't need to worry about her."

"And you always will have me" Michael promised her. "And even if-"

"MAMA!" a voice screamed from down the hall. Michael moved quickly and took James from her as their hurricane of a daughter burst into the Nursery and jumped onto Julia, nuzzling her stomach like a Meowth. "I Mowth!" she exclaimed. "Mama like Mowth!"

Julia laughed. "I love Meowth, my little princess!" She hugged her toddler tightly. Arya kissed her mother's cheek several times and Julia responded in kind. "And I will always love my little princess, Arya."

"Arry happy Mama wake up!" Arya exclaimed. She looked up at her father and tried to wink. "Daddy worry when Mama sleep."

Julia beamed up at her husband. "He didn't have to. I wouldn't go away that easily."