Pokemon: The Dawn of Arcana

by TheNMan64

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

57. Chapter 56: Legacy of Heroes

One by one, the days passed in Arcana and around the world. The doomsday clock Mewtwo gave his enemies of exactly thirty days continued to wind further and further down. And while these days progressed, Addison Tenton continued to train underneath the wise and mysterious Countess Rosemary. And the long and arduous task of trying to reach her potential as the White Mage was finally beginning to pay off. She now had the ability to read people's minds and auras with almost one hundred percent clarity. The Countess's scepter responded to her without her needing to call to it. The candles now illuminated and extinguished themselves at her command. She was gaining complete control of her inner powers and had expanded her own energy thanks to endless hours of meditation.

Indeed, there was only one area of her training that Addison had continually come up short in. That being the ability to come together with Galatea to form the Bond Phenomenon the Countess had taught her. It wasn't from a lack of trying, nor was it due to any lack of interest. Not even the Countess was completely sure of how or if her pupil could come to such an absolutely pinnacle accumulation of power. They had tried everything they could. Meditation, spiritual cleansing, tea with powerful herbs, even sparring in a Pokemon Battle with the Countess's Alakazam. But nothing had come of it. She was as far from acquiring the power to form that ultimate bond with her Pokemon as she was when she started.

After another day of exhausting training, Addison was relieved when she was dismissed. But it only lasted for a short while, when she was informed by the Countess that she had one last idea to help waken the power within her and it would be done tomorrow. She could only nod feebly and stumble out of the Countess's chambers, drained and out of energy. Morgan rushed past her to administer aid to the aged Countess as best as she could, while Addison herself felt like collapsing into a pile of bones and flesh herself. Galatea had been enjoying the meditation, allowing her to take her mind off of her child, Helena, who had gone off into the world to make a name for herself on behalf of her mother and father. When the two finally made it to her bedroom at the Castle, she shut the doors behind her and flung herself onto her bed, moaning as her head landed on her pillow.

I sense that you are fatigued, Galatea commented as she sat down elegantly in a chair. Might I recommend some tea to help you sleep?

"If I have one more cup of tea, I'm going to lose my lunch" she spat grumpily as she turned over in her bed. Zero the Rockruff, who had become affectionate with her mother, now saw his chance to snuggle with his own mother and leaped onto the bed and rested just above his trainer on her pillow. But, being the ever boisterous Rockruff he was, he could not help but lick her forehead. Addison pet her Rockruff under his chin until he calmed down.

"One thing's for sure" Addison sighed as she watched the sun set on day twenty seven of the current moon cycle. "If Mewtwo was bluffing this whole time, I'm going to be very very VERY upset."

A monster like him does not know the first meaning of the word, bluff. He will no doubt have some scheme planned. We must be wary of it.

"Like that Black Knight we keep seeing?" Addison could not get a distance away from this minion of Mewtwo. He was in every dream she had, as it had been with Ryan when Avery was haunting his dreams. She could only guess he was there to lull her into some kind of plot of Mewtwo's. Though she was unsure if she and Galatea could stand up to Mewtwo on their own without the Bond Phenomenon under their belt, she was eager to clash with this armored freak just to shut him up and get him out of her dreams.

Galatea frowned at the mentioning of this being. The darkness coming from him is almost...unyielding. And yet, it's almost alluring.

Addison turned in her bed at this. "Alluring? You don't mean you're into the dark power he has, are you?"

I cannot explain it. He is truly and unmistakably Mewtwo's newest lackey, but something about him is different than it was with Courtney or Hunter. As if the way into his heart is a bottomless chasm of evil. It is a shame. No one should be this cruel or malicious.

"He chose to serve, Mewtwo" Addison replied confidently. "People like that don't always deserve second chances." She would have said "don't" and left it at that, but her thoughts drew on Matthew, who was becoming indispensible to her in trying to overcome her grief about Ryan. She did not feel she could lose him too. "Some do, but most don't."

Courtney and Hunter both followed him willingly, yet they retained their senses of self and desire. This being has almost no desire or lust for power to speak of. He is merely a weapon to Mewtwo. One aimed directly at us.

"And we'll be the ones to face it and confront it" Addison assured her. "And we will win, even if this whole Bond thing doesn't work. To be honest, I'm really afraid of what the Countess has in store for us tomorrow." She slumped in her bed, only for her Poke Gear to go off on the nightstand beside her. She grabbed at it and shoved it underneath her pillow, only for the vibrations to shake the pillow several times. Fed up with everything in her world, Addison was about to hurl the Poke Gear out the window in a bout of fury. But she paused when she realized it was Holly calling her. She answered the call, hoping it was just an incorrect dial. "Holly? Is everything okay?"

"Addy, do you know what I just realized?" her friend inquired on the other line.

"Look, I know you mean well, but I'm just too exhausted for-"

"Tomorrow is your birthday" Holly exclaimed.

Addison paused. Had it really been that long? Was she truly about to turn fifteen years old? With all that had been going on, had she truly forgotten her own birthday was coming to pass? "Oh. I didn't know that."

"How did you not know it was your birthday?"

Addison let out a loud and squeaky yawn. "I'm so exhausted from the training that Countess Rosemary has put me through. I'm lucky I even remembered your name." A thought popped into her head. The Krabby Klub? What made me think of that?

"Considering all the hard work you've been doing, I think you deserve a day to enjoy yourself" her friend insisted.

"And it isn't just so you can avoid training hard?" Addison teased.

"I am still training" she proclaimed. "But when was the last time we had even a part of a day to ourselves?"

"I just don't know if I have the energy to do so."

"Awwww, come on, Addy! We've been planning this for a long time, now. Me, Tommy, Matt, Morgan, Jasmine, Dawn and all of us. We were planning on stealing you away for a day of fun at-"

"The Krabby Klub?" Addison asked.

Holly was silent on the other end. "How did you know? Did Tommy spoil it? That little stinker!"

How could she explain to her close friend that she had just read her mind? Would it make Holly worry or doubt her? In the end, she elected to keep it to herself and Galatea for now. "It was a lucky guess. I haven't been there in a very long time. The last time we were there was when my Father and Robert Kingston got those girls to sing those romantic songs for Ryan and I." She giggled at the memory for a moment as she recalled how embarrassed she and her boyfriend were at their father's flaunting their relationship while drinking the night away. Her father usually never drank, but he was on vacation at the time and thus chose to let his hair loose. Though her heart still yearned for her father, Ryan and his own father to be back with her, she knew Holly was right in the long run. She was working herself ragged. And she could use a day off. To spend with her friends. To remind her of what she was aiming to get back to. Normality. "Maybe I could be there for a little bit, tomorrow."

"Great, let's meet up for the luncheonette at the Krabby Klub tomorrow" Holly answered giddily. "I think you'll be surprised with what we have planned!"

Addison smiled sadly. "Oh goodie. I just hope I have the energy for you." She then ended the call and laid back down on her bed. The playful Rockruff tried once more to get his trainer to play with her, only for Addison to scoop him up into her arms and lying down. Realizing that it was naptime and not playtime, the Pokemon sniffed curiously before burying himself into her arms and falling asleep.

Galatea let out a surprisingly loud sigh. I do hope Helena is okay out there.

"I'm sure she is" Addison replied, yawning loudly as she slumped on her bed. "If she's got her father's strength and her mother's mind, she can do anything she sets herself to." She looked up to the ceiling above her and echoed her Pokemon's depressing moan. "Daddy, Ryan. I hope we're going to be ready for this. I hope you two are going to be with me when this nightmare comes. Because I'm not sure I can do it alone..."

{}

"Kiara! Use Wild Charge!"

"Mufasa! Use Flare Blitz!"

Dawn could only look with waning confidence as her fatigued Luxray rushed with such tremendous force at the King's Arcanine. The feline Pokemon that was her heart and soul bared it's fangs angrily at the Arcanine and tried to show itself some force, but it was clear that she was outclassed by Michael's burly and mighty Pokemon. But the determination Kiara showed was enough for Dawn to think she might have a chance this time. It had been several weeks since she had been taken under the training wing of the King of Arcana, but she was still a bit of a way behind him. She needed to know what it was that gave him the edge over her. She had once rivaled Cynthia in sheer strength. But now, she was in an entirely different orbit than the most powerful trainer she knew. What was it that made him so much harder for her to match than Cynthia?

The clash between Mufasa and Kiara ended as predictably as their other clashes had. Mufasa was just a bit faster and just a bit stronger than her Luxray. And the impact from his Flare Blitz caused her Luxray to fall down and admit defeat, meowing in pain. Though Mufasa had been harmed by her attack, he simply licked his paw and barked in triumph.

Dawn rushed to her Pokemon's side and pet the weakened Luxray. "Aw, Kiara. You were so close. I bet you'll get him, next time." Kiara licked her trainer as her hand came up to the Pokemon's face and she meowed playfully.

Mufasa was back by his own trainer's side quickly. Michael happily gave him a Sitrus Berry before properly addressing Dawn. "Well, looks like I won again."

"Man, I feel like there's a barrier I have to break through" she exclaimed. "I know that if I have the opportunity to get better, I can. But I just can't figure out what's the gap between us. If I can just get through that, I'd be unstoppable."

Michael shook his head. "It's not about the gap in experience." He handed his pupil a Fresh Water to drink for herself while he sat beside his Pokemon. The two had been training by the King's Bay, often curtailing Cameron Kingston's plans to train, but she in turn would go with Cynthia to train on The Lonely Road. Day after day, when Michael had things he could delegate to his Grand Vizier, he would do so and take Dawn out for training, only for their sessions to end around dinner time so that Dawn could spend her evenings with Lucas and Michael with his family. This had been going on for weeks, now. Even as the alleged deadline for Mewtwo's doomsday came closer, the two were preparing themselves for what could lie ahead. Though he knew she was thankful for having the opportunity, Dawn was not capable of hiding her frustrations from the King. "You do have a great natural talent, Dawn. In fact, I'd daresay you have the capacity to become the greatest trainer in the world. But you lack something that makes the best what they are. And until you get that, you're going to be the eternally fizzing bottle of soda pop."

"But what is it?" Dawn pleaded. "Your Highness. I have to know."

"You need to ask yourself one question and one question alone, Dawn" Michael told her. "Why is it you want to be the best?"

Dawn slumped back on her rear end. "How can I know why? I just want to be the best."

"But why?" The two sat in silence for a long time, before the King continued with his next line. "Dawn, your mother is Johanna, right?"

Dawn froze. "You know my mother?"

"No. But after speaking with Cynthia, I'm almost entirely sure I knew your father."

Dawn's eyes lit up in excitement. "You knew my father?"

"Gabriel of Twinleaf Town" Michael recalled. "One of the bravest men I ever met."

The girl was in awe. "Wow. No one ever talks to me about him. Not even Mom."

"I had recently come to Sinnoh during my exile" he began. "It was sometime after we had prevented Hunter from getting Jirachi. I was looking for a way to prevent the Crimson Fury from reaching deep into my heart and eventually killing me. In my travels, I found myself in Celestic Town, which was where I met Cynthia and her Grandmother for the first time. At the behest of those in the village, I was told to seek out the Spear Pillar at the top of Mt. Coronet. Cynthia was eager to go, but her Grandmother forbade it. But it was in the middle of the winter. And nobody would dare try to climb the mountain in the dead of winter. Well, nobody with the sense not to. But I felt I had to and so did someone else." He kept a soft smile at the thought of an old friend. "Your father was just the kind of person I needed to help me navigate the mountain. But what I remembered most about him was just how determined he was. He wasn't afraid of the danger, not even in the face of an avalanche."

{}

High up on the slopes of Mt. Coronet, with the winds whipping at their faces and the snow burying down on them, a fourteen year old Michael Kingston and his twenty-two year old traveling companion continued to scale the rock face. Despite the hardy and dangerous conditions, Michael could not help but admire how enthused Gabriel was to continue their journey despite the gruesome conditions. He himself had nothing to lose, so he was unafraid of the danger of their situation. But to Gabriel, it was almost as if his entire life was hinged upon this mission as well. His determination to see Michael to the top was surprising and strong. He took to moving higher and higher up the slopes like a Gogoat scaling the hills of Kalos. Michael's inexperience in climbing proved to be a bit of a hindrance to him, but he found himself impressed and in awe of his new partner.

"Man, do I love the sights of my home!" Gabriel boasted.

Michael eyed his partner and smiled faintly. "Nothing ever gets you down, does it?"

"Kid, I've gone through the worst and best of terrains in Sinnoh. Even a snowstorm like this is small potatoes compared to what I've endured!"

Michael could feel himself shivering in the cold, but did his best to hide it from his guide. "How far is it to the summit?"

"The Spear Pillar is almost beyond the summit. Hardly any trainers have the stomach to make it there." Gabriel climbed onto the ledge and grabbed a compass out of his pocket, which pointed them in the direction of the left. Michael scrambled up the ledge behind him, resting his weary legs as his partner got a gauge of where they might head next. Gabriel pointed towards a very narrow walkway and patted Michael on the head. "One way to rest your arms, at least." The two sat down for a moment, with Gabriel taking a drink of water from a flask and handing it to his younger climbing mate. Michael took it and drank a small amount before handing it over to the elder. "You sure you don't need more?"

"I've learned to live with less" Michael responded solemnly. "You need it more."

"I'm not climbing this mountain for myself, Michael" the man replied.

"I'm already keeping you from getting home" the boy guiltily answered. "The least I can do is not be a pest."

"You're not a pest" Gabriel insisted. "Besides, I've got plenty of time to make it back home. Johanna is taking a break from her Contests. She hasn't said why yet. But I'll get my answer once you get yours."

"How do you keep a marriage to a Contest Queen when you're out doing things like this?"

"Oh, she knew what she was getting into when she married me" he laughed. "I'm an adventurer first. Always have been. Maybe I'll settle down if we decide to have a family, but who knows?" He took another swig from the flask before putting it back into his pocket. "But one thing is a guarantee for me. Once we get to see the Spear Pillar, I'm going to find out what kind of adventurers a fourteen year old vagabond like you has been on. I mean, you came all the way from Arcana just to see Mt. Coronet? What could have made you leave Arcana and come here?"

Michael frowned deeply. "It's not something I like to talk about. Let's just say there isn't anything left for me back home."

Gabriel shrugged. "Well, one day I'm sure you'll tell your tale."

"How do you know?"

"I've been in your spot before, I think. Probably not as direct, but I left home at young age. Never looked back. In fact, I don't even think I've been back to Solaceon Town in ages. Mom and Dad could be worried, but so long as they're okay, I'm okay. Same with Johanna. If anything happened that made me need to stay home and look after her, I would."

"She must really be something if you'd give up your adventures for her" Michael observed.

"You'll find that person for you somewhere, kid" Gabriel assured him.

"I thought I did, once." Michael recalled how he had been fooled by Giselle into thinking that she cared about him. She led him on, away from his friends and loved ones, making him feel special and powerful. Only for her to blindside him and kidnap him, handing him over to a mad scientist who tortured him and branded him with a curse that fueled an inner reservoir of hate inside of him into actions he could not control. Had it not been for the bravery and sacrifice of his Espeon named Icarus, he might have been killed by this mad man. But he escaped, only to be exiled from home and cast out by his family and friends as a murderer and a traitor. He had since done everything to contain his anger, only for him to lose control of himself constantly and even nearly killing a man in battle. Now, he was determined to find a cure so that he might find life for himself outside of what he had left behind in Arcana.

"We all do" Gabriel recalled. "But you'll know it when you get that one moment of complete nirvana."

"Nirvana?"

"A state of total bliss. Your heart and mind are in complete agreement for the first time ever. You know that this person, the one right in front of you, is the one for you. That was with me and Johanna. I'm sure you'll get yours too, champ." Gabriel hoisted Michael to his feet. "Now come on. We've still got a long way to go and the last thing we want is to run into some of the local wildlife."

"What kind of Pokemon live up here? Ice Types?"

"The worst kinds of Ice Types" he warned. "Weaviles, Mamoswines. Glalies and the ever deadly Abomasnow Unless that Arcanine of yours is ready to fight in this chill or my Houndoom can scorch the snow off these cliffs, I think we should steer clear from them as long as possible." The two gingerly and patiently moved along the narrow walkway as high as Mt. Coronet would let them go. Michael was hugging them mountain as best as he could. If he hadn't, he might have spotted what Gabriel had and reacted in kind. Instead, Michael bumped into Gabriel and looked around for the source of why they had stopped. To his bewilderment, it was the sight of a Staravia flying a blonde haired little girl up to their level of the mountain.

"What the hell?" Gabriel replied in shock.

"You guys left without me!" the girl snapped angrily.

"We left without you because you're not supposed to be here" Michael argued. "Go back, Cynthia! It's too dangerous!"

"You left without me being able to warn you" Cynthia insisted. Though she was far from the intimidating and knee buckling beauty she would grow up into, the twelve year old Cynthia was as fiercely proud and stubborn as ever. She climbed off of her Staravia and blocked their way. "You guys can't summon the Pokemon of Time and Space! They can only be called by the Pokemon of the Lakes!"

"Pokemon of the what?"

Gabriel frowned. "Lake Acuity is impossible to get to this time of year. The whole pass is blocked by snow."

"You guys should have stayed with us in Celestic Town!" the girl scolded. "Grandma could have warned you that-"

Michael looked past Cynthia and cried out in horror as he spied an Abomasnow staring down at them from a nearby ledge. He summoned a shard of ice and sent it directly at the group. Michael rushed past Gabriel, grabbed Cynthia and threw them both down into the snow. Gabriel also dodged the shard, but it crashed into the mountain. The entire cliff they were on began to shake wildly. While Cynthia tried desperately to free herself, Michael kept her and him pinned to the ground. "What's going on?"

"Avalanche!" Gabriel cried. "We have to get to higher ground!"

"Higher ground?" Cynthia argued, finally managing to get out from under Michael. "It's safer below ground."

Gabriel pointed to a ledge above them. "There's a cave on the ledge above us. If we can get in there, we'll be safe!" Gabriel called out his Houndoom, who spat a stream of fire at the Abomasnow hurling ice blocks at them. "You two get a move on! I'll keep this Pokemon distracted!"

Cynthia looked to her Staravia. "We can fly up there if we-" Her sentence was thwarted when her Staravia, shivering in the cold, flung itself into their group to keep warm. Reluctantly, she recalled her Flying Pokemon and looked up at the next ledge. "How are we going to get up there now?"

"We have to run" Michael answered. He looked to Gabriel and frowned. "Do you think we can make it by running?" To his horror, Gabriel did not have an answer and looked away guiltily. Knowing this was going to come as close as it came, he took deliberate action. He pushed Cynthia in front of him and the two moved through the deepening snowfall in front of them, trying desperately to keep from sliding backwards or falling as the cliff quaked more and more. Cynthia took one bad step and the entire ledge fell from beneath her. Michael grabbed her body and hauled her back up before she could fall and held her close to the wall. He did not notice, nor was he that interested in the fact that the girl he was doing everything to protect was either embarrassed or enthralled by the danger they were in, as her face had gone pink.

Gabriel's Houndoom finally managed to knock the Abomasnow off of the cliff it was on and he hurried along after the group and paused when he realized their predicament. He looked above them. The first endless tide of snow descending from the mountainside was about to fall on them. Thinking quickly, he had his Houndoom spit a tremendous Fire Blast at the wall of the mountain, causing much of the snow and ice to melt until it made a makeshift sanctuary from the storm. He was about to give another command, when another Abomasnow appeared on the ledge above them, stomping angrily to cause icicles to plummet down on them. "Keep moving!"

"How do you expect us to-" Michael began.

"Just do it! We can debate ethics later!"

Michael, wanting to make sure the makeshift cave would be safe enough, leaped towards it and pulled himself up. To his surprise, the snow seemed to have uncovered a tunnel deep into the side of the mountain. The icy path was a little worrying, as one misstep could cause them to slide deeper into the mountain than they had ever been, but he promised himself to keep his footing. He called out to Cynthia. "Come on, Cynthia! Jump!"

The girl squeezed her eyes shut and leaped. She missed the ledge by nearly a foot, her feet slipping on the cliff below. Michael dove to the ground, sliding nearly off the ledge himself, but managing to barely anchor himself in place. He grabbed Cynthia's hand before she could fall, struggling to bring her over and to safety. The shaking became far worse, adding more peril to their crisis. He could feel the girl's hand slipping, but he grabbed at it with his other hand.

"DON'T LET GO!" Cynthia pleaded.

"I won't!" Michael vowed to her. He looked down at the edge he was sitting on and gulped as the ice beneath him began to crack. Either he would have to summon the strength to pull her over, or the both of them would take a long fall off the mountain to their deaths. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his partner's Houndoom leap to their side and take a firm grip of his pants with his teeth, pulling him backwards as much as he could. Gabriel was out of sight for the moment. Finally, he and the Houndoom managed to pull Cynthia over onto the ledge. But the Houndoom slipped down into the tunnel behind them. Michael held the shivering and crying Cynthia in place. "You're okay, Cee. You're okay."

He could not understand what she replied to him with, as she was whimpering into his jacket as her arms tightly wrapped around him. He simply held the girl in place, doing his best to console her.

"KEEP MOVING!" Gabriel roared.

"What about-" Michael pleaded.

"GOOOO!" Without warning, Gabriel's newly called Lucario sent a powerful Aura Sphere at the ledge the two were on. Michael and Cynthia fell backwards, the two sliding after the Houndoom and going deeper into the tunnel. The ice soon became a chute of sorts, with the two sliding along down what had to be the fastest water slide either of the two had ever been on. The chute dropped the two onto a long stream that was moving with such a strong current that the two could not get out of the middle and try to pull themselves out. The Houndoom had somehow been able to pull himself out of the water and was angrily shaking the water off of it, before realizing the two were still in the water. He ran up and down the riverbank, barking at them to try and find a way out, as if they could.

"Uh oh!" Cynthia cried as she pointed dead ahead of them.

Michael's face went white as he saw the stream preparing to spit them out over a long fall towards what could be the base of the entire cavern. He tried to anchor his feet on the riverbed, but the current kept pushing them forwards towards the abyss.

"This is it" she screamed. "We're going to die!"

"We're not going to die!" Michael promised her. "But we're going to have to really hope there's water below this."

"I should have told you before!" she whimpered. "I should have-"

"We're going to get through this!" he encouraged her.

"HOW?!"

"Do you trust me?" Michael asked her.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?!"

"Uh...yes?"

"Then we're going to get through this" he proclaimed. "Give me your hand!"

She struggled to get closer to him through the water, but finally the two were within reach of each other. She desperately tried to grab at his hand. Michael managed to connect to hers as the two were pushed over the edge and down the long and dark pit. Cynthia's scream echoed throughout the entire cavern, so too did the barks of the Houndoom. Once the two had gotten out of the water and into the air, Michael pulled her closer to him and took hold of her other hand. He squeezed his eyes shut as their fall accelerated more and more and more. A strangely familiar opening sound came from his pocket. He opened one eye and saw Rhaegar flying just below them and allowing the two to land on his back. Though a bit more clumsily than either they or the Pokemon had anticipated, the trio managed to turn their certain doom into a gentle glide down to the misty reflecting pool at one of the lowest points of Mt. Coronet. Rhaegar playfully dumped the two into the pool of water and landed on the shore just to their left, howling triumphantly.

Michael and Cynthia lost their grips on one another as they landed in the water, allowing Michael to swim over towards Rhaegar and pull himself out of the water. He pet his Dragonite affectionately as Cynthia came up slowly behind them, herself shaken from what could have been their certain deaths.

"How did-how did we-"

"Thank Rhaegar here" Michael laughed. "But we can thank each other as soon as we figure out just where we are." He made it over to the water's edge as she swam up to his side. He held out his hand to her and once she had taken it, pulled her up and onto the dry ground beside him. "I just hope that Gabriel can get himself back to Celestic Town. I know he can take any Pokemon that comes his way, but avalanches might be a whole other animal."

"We should be worried if we make it there" Cynthia insisted as she wrung her blonde hair dry to the best of her ability. "I don't know what part of Mt. Coronet this even is."

Michael looked at their surroundings and saw nothing, as the mist shrouded the entire area of where they were supposed to be. "I don't like this. Who knows where the exit might even be at this point." He looked to Rhaegar. "Any signs which way goes where?" His Dragonite hovered in the air and looked for a way out of the cave. To just the north of where they were, he shook his head angrily. Just to the south, he barked approvingly and gestured for the two to follow him. But as he began to move, the trainers lost sight of him after he barely moved three paces.

"This fog is so thick!" Cynthia worried. "I can barely see a foot in front of me."

"Looks like we're going to have to make it out of here the same way we made it in" Michael answered.

"You're not thinking about going back up that way, are you?" she gasped.

Michael chuckled. "No. Not like-oh never mind. Just hold my hand." He was surprised with the speed with which she clung to him, but welcomed it nonetheless. Despite the danger the two were in, they both saw it as far better to be together in this mess than separated. While Rhaegar flew above them, barking out directions for them to move around in, the two young trainers continued along their way. Knowing that they would, at the very least, make it through this, Michael took the time to get a better grip of their surroundings. "Strange. The fog seems to die down the higher up we go into the mountain. The lower we go, the more dense it gets."

"Those waters we were in must have been ancient springs of some kind" Cynthia answered.

Michael could finally fully see his Pokemon as Rhaegar waited for them at a viewpoint high on the path they were currently on. Michael tugged Cynthia along after him and the two made it to where Rhaegar was waiting. The trio suddenly felt the cavern shake wildly. Rhaegar propped the three of them up, while Michael kept Cynthia balanced. The two finally fell onto the ground after slipping on the still moist walkway they had both stood on. When the shaking stopped after almost an entire minute, Michael looked around for the source. "What was that?"

"The rest of the avalanche?"

Rhaegar barked at the two, gesturing above them. The cavern was more open than they had expected, with the darkness being illuminated by a sudden burst of sunlight. The snows that had once been sturdy and keeping up the roof of the cavern was being pushed down towards the waters of Sinnoh.

"The Avalanche opened up the cavern?" Michael asked in surprise. "Well, that means we can fly out of here if need be."

Cynthia did not respond with such enthusiasm. "I put you guys in danger."

"Unless that Abomasnow was yours" he replied cheekily. "It was not your fault. If it weren't for you, this whole trip would have been for nothing. Gabriel and I would have been wondering why those Pokemon of legend didn't appear. Now come on. Let's get you back home and catch up with Gabriel." When she did not jump at the idea, Michael stood in front of her and did his best to cheer her and cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Cynthia. I'm not going back to Celestic Town without you. Now, are you with me?"

Cynthia turned away, shaking herself loose from his grip. "Wouldn't you be better off-"

"Cee."

His young friend finally relented and winked at him. "Okay. But you'd probably get lost without my guidance. Just keep close to me and I'll get us out of here."

Michael pointed towards the hole in the ceiling. "I figured we'd fly now."

Cynthia slapped his hand almost as if scolding him. "No! Rhaegar won't last in the chilled air above us. Sheesh, I thought you knew all about Pokemon or something!"

Michael looked to his Dragonite, who despite Cynthia's warnings, seemed determined to try flying in the frigid air. Deciding to trust the wise beyond her years girl he had met but recently, he recalled Rhaegar. "If you say so."

"I know so" she replied boastfully, before taking his hand once more. "This way. I'll get us back to Celestic Town."

Michael looked back up towards the ceiling of the cavern. "I thought they'd be able to help me. But I guess I got ahead of myself."

Cynthia smiled up at him. "No. They might still be able to help. You just have to do things properly. Listen to me. I know what I'm talking about." She tugged his hand again. "Let's get going. Grandma will be worried sick about me if I'm not home before the sun sets." When Michael didn't move fast enough for her, she grabbed his other hand and yanked him forward. "I'm not rescuing you again!"

"You rescued me?" Michael teased before allowing her to continue walking them down through the dark cavern ahead. "Funny, that's not how I remembered it."

Cynthia paused as she noticed an exit to the cavern a few twisting pathways ahead. "Michael, one day, I'm going to be the person who watches over Sinnoh. Just wait and see. And when that day comes, I want them to see someone who's not afraid or fearful of anything. Someone all the kids of Sinnoh can look up to and think, 'wow isn't she a great hero?' and all that stuff. Not someone who has to be saved by their friend all the time or something!"

"It's not shameful at all to have doubts or be afraid" Michael encouraged her. "It takes guts to admit you're afraid of something."

She turned towards him. "But you're not afraid of anything."

Michael shook his head. "No. I'm afraid of a lot. I just mask it better than you." His thoughts fell on Mark and Lizzie, wondering if the two of them were okay wherever they were. Part of him wanted to reminisce more about what he had lost in Arcana, but he shook his head. That was the past. And he could never go back. His only way was forward. "But it helps to know I have people I can count on to help me be brave."

Cynthia eyed him, her cheeks reddening. "Like me?"

Michael nodded. "Like you. There aren't many people I have in my life that I can talk to. But knowing I have you to depend on, make me feel a bit better. How about you and I make a deal, Cee. You and I will have each other's backs. If you need to be strong and brave against something you fear, think of me and I'll help you get through it. And I'll do the same with you."

The girl frowned. "You make it sound like you're getting ready to leave."

Michael winced at this. "I can't stick around. I still have my own battles to fight. And they won't end until I find a way to conquer my fears."

"Let me come with you!" she insisted, once again pulling at his hands. "We can learn how to get strong together and everything! That way, you don't have to leave."

Michael shook his head. "How can you be the one who watches over Sinnoh if my travels take me far away from here?"

She lowered her head in sadness. "But when will we see each other again after this? What if you never come back?"

"I promise you I will come back. One day, maybe when I've figured out how to take care of what's wrong with me." He took her hand and put it up to his heart. "Do you feel that?"

"Your heart?" She let her hand stay in place, gasping when she realized just how powerful his beats were. "It's so powerful."

"It's so painful" Michael corrected her. "It's why I'm so strong in battle, but why I can't stay in one place for too long. I'm dangerous."

"You're not dangerous to me!" she insisted. "I can help you so you don't have to leave me ever again!"

"You're missing the point." He took her hand off of his chest and held it again. "I'm a danger because I can't control myself in battle and neither can my Pokemon. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you on my watch. I care about you too much, Cee. Which is why I need to keep searching for a way to make sure I'm not a threat to anyone who doesn't deserve it." Though he was two long years into his exile already, he didn't have it in his heart to lie to someone who wanted him to be happy. "I don't know if I ever will, but I have to keep trying." He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze, and did his best to make himself believe his words as much as he did her. He hardly even noticed her blushing as this happened. "I swear to you that I will come back, Cynthia. And when that day comes, I want to see just what kind of woman you've grown up into. I'm sure you'll be the hero you want to be, or at the very least well on that way. Until then, I know you can count on me as your friend and nothing will change that. Right?"

Though she still felt somber at this news, she shook her head and then giddily laughed. "Of course! Best friends!" Michael turned to continue their trek back down the pathway, but was anchored in place by Cynthia. He turned back towards her as she still grasped at his hand.

"You okay?"

"Michael..." she began, but she seemed to lose the words she wanted to say. Her cheeks seemed to be pink again, but she seemed unable to come up with the reasoning for why. Michael stood there for a moment until she smiled at him endearingly. "I promise to make you proud."

"I'm sure you will" he laughed back. "Now come on. We need to get you home and meet up with Gabriel."

Hand in hand, the two continued into the zigzagging pathways below them to escape from the puzzling Mt. Coronet.

{}

Dawn cocked her head in confusion, absolutely astonished that Michael ended the story there. "I don't get it. Why end the story there? What happened when you reunited with my Dad?" Michael's hesitation to answer that question gave her all the answer she would ever need. She felt a strange pain in her throat as she slumped backwards and sat beside her Luxray. Kiara sat down beside her and nuzzled her lovingly. "Oh."

"They sent search parties up the mountain for weeks" Michael explained. "I even went up with the first two myself. But no matter how many times they went up, no one ever found him. He sacrificed himself for us. And that makes him the bravest man I've ever met." The King sat down in the grass opposite Dawn, his Arcanine lowering his head and laying beside him. As Michael pet his Pokemon, he concluded his story. "Cynthia's Grandmother and Professor Rowan thought it was best if I simply went on from there. Cynthia departed to learn with Professor Rowan on a trip around Kanto and I set off for the next step on my journey. Cynthia contacted me when I was just making it to Unova that they had found out that the surprise your father never knew was that your mother was pregnant. With you. I wanted to go back and make sure your mother was okay, but Cynthia insisted she would watch over you. Which was why I continued on from Unova to Alola and finally to Orre, where my own story took off."

Dawn was silent for a long moment. "My Dad...he really was a great Pokemon Trainer. And a hero."

"And it would explain why Cynthia cares about you so much" he pointed out.

Dawn leaped to her feet and gave the King a determined look. "Then that settles it. I am going to become the world's greatest Pokemon trainer. Not just for Cynthia and you, but for the guy who kept you guys around long enough to mentor me: my Dad!" She shouted to the heavens. "Do you hear me, Dad? I'm going to make you more proud than ever thought possible!"

Michael could only look at the girl and smile respectfully. "And I have a feeling you'll get there one day."

{}

As the days of arduous work continued, Professor Wong saw less and less of the clones of Mew that she had been brought there to specifically make on behalf of Mewtwo. Instead, she was being ordered to focus on the less important clones, namely those of the Pokemon that belonged to Mewtwo's slumbering hostages. With these Pokemon, she was told the only thing that mattered was that they were built with more ferocity than their original counterparts. She did the best of her ability to clone each and every one she could, with Mewtwo himself delivering the final work on each pod by pouring as much of his own inner hatred and contempt into them as they could possibly handle. When that was done, Helen was free to do as she pleased for what little time she could before her complete exhaustion would prompt her to drift along back to her lab and fall asleep any way she could. But even this was momentary, as Mewtwo's other guests were being tortured to such a horrific degree that their screams would wake her and haunt her every thought. The only solace she had in this time was knowing that Mewtwo was not using any of these torturing methods on her.

She simply went about her days as she always would: taking some of the DNA from one legendary Pokemon Trainer's ace to another, replicating it and using a newly created cloning device to scrounge up multiple copies of every Pokemon. Lances's Dragonites, Steven's Metagross, Wes's Espeon, Iris's Druddigon, Leon's Charizard and many others. Mewtwo's army would be complete, though Wong shuddered at the idea of what he would do with this. Once she was done for the day, she would return to her lab, praying for Mewtwo or Courtney to develop some semblance of a conscience and stop tormenting poor Amanda and Ryan before it was too late.

But one morning in particular, the screaming ceased completely. Helen had slept longer than she had in months of being a hostage. She woke up in her lab and found herself alone for the first time in as long as she could remember. She glanced over at the pods containing Mewtwo's clones. They had grown a bit since she last thoroughly examined them, with the makings of similar traits to Mewtwo sprouting out. But they had yet to reach out to her telepathically as Mewtwo claimed he had with her father. Perhaps they were just coming to the forefront of sentient thought? She was afraid she would never know, as the silence and solitude of her lab was broken almost immediately.

Mewtwo and Courtney entered her chambers, the two seemingly having patched up their shoddy relationship over the time Wong was being forced to work on the army of Cloned Pokemon. Courtney was laughing at something the Master had said, before she became the first to address her. "So, Helen. Any updates on the Cloning Projects?"

"See for yourself. Courtney" Helen answered carefully. "They still need more time, but I hope those other clones I made will suffice."

"The Master doesn't have time to-"

I thank you for your continued service to me, Helen, Mewtwo declared. These clones will no doubt be the finest work the Wong family has done in twenty years. And your clones of the other Pokemon have been nothing short of impressive. They will be at the forefront of my army. We are close. So very close.

"I'm surprised you've chosen to wait the full thirty days since your warning, Master" Courtney acknowledged.

I will not have it be said that I am not a Pokemon of my word. One full moon cycle was promised and that is what they shall have.

Seeing now as her only time to ask the question that was most frequently bugging her, Helen made her move. "Master, have the torture programs you had for Amanda Fouritz and Ryan Kingston come to an end?"

Courtney giggled. "You bet they did. We got everything we could out of them. Poor baby Ryan didn't have the fortitude to last very long."

Ryan Kingston will not be missed. He was a wretched little thorn in my side for too long.

"You destroyed him?" Helen shuddered. "I thought he was basically dead already."

Courtney flaunted her victory in Helen's face. "The purpose of our torturing of poor Ryan was to break him. In mind, heart, body, all of the things that mattered. How was I supposed to know that two of the three were already on the verge of complete collapse? If it were up to me, I would have put the poor little wretch in a ditch somewhere on Mirage Island and let him drift away to the afterlife, but that's why I'm not in charge."

Helen looked to Mewtwo. "What did you do to him?"

Mewtwo did not make eye contact with her. We broke him. In every possible meaning of the word. Ryan Kingston is gone. All that remains are the painful memories left behind by his passing and those left inside of him when he was broken.

"You don't seem too celebratory."

"No reason to be" Courtney scowled. "Our greater concern is in Arcana. It would seem the White Mage is getting stronger. Or at least who the people of Arcana believe is the White Mage. She'll always be little Princess Addy to me." She giggled at this. "Ordinarily, we'd be worried greatly over what she and my precious Michael would be concocting in Arcana. But, as always, the Master is one step ahead of everyone. Even me." She looked admiringly towards the Master. "Oh, by the way. He's ready."

Helen gulped. "Who's ready?"

Mewtwo chuckled evilly. For once in my existence, I must thank that worthless Elezar Aced for something. Informing me of what Courtney foretold in her prophetic vision has given me the key to our victory. The ultimate counter to anyone who dares don the mantle of a White Mage. He then glared down at Courtney. Summon him. I want to see if he truly has become one with the Singularity.

"Certainly, Master" Courtney replied eagerly. She then whistled. "Come on out, Knight."

Helen looked on in horror as a being of pure darkness stepped out of the shadows from behind Mewtwo and Courtney. He was entirely covered in what Helen could only discern was jet black gladiatorial armor, with a razor sharp head crest at the top of it and razor sharp tonfas on both of it's forearms. An elegant black cape hung from his backside. A mask of iron shrouded his face, with only two piercing red eyes appearing through slits in the helmet. Helen could not tell if he was looking at her or if he even had the ability to see anything the Master did not want him to.

"Who do you serve, Knight?!" Courtney demanded.

In a voice that was distorted and as heartless as a demon's, the armored being responded. "I serve the Master."

"So, he doesn't need to be broken in after all" Courtney responded giddily. "The tin toy is an obedient weapon of war, after all."

Helen drew back as Mewtwo inspected his Champion. Something about this being of the darkness was absolutely horrifying, but she did her best not to demonstrate her fears directly towards him and simply stood awkwardly in silence. Though from a distance, she could tell Mewtwo was elated with the work done on this...monstrosity.

Impressive. And you're certain you got everything right, Courtney? One slight mistake could jeopardize everything we've set forth.

"All I ask for is a little bit of credit" Courtney pleaded. "I studied all I could on this little phenomenon out there. And I'm certain I didn't make a single mistake. And unlike Michael Kingston when he was your puppet, I'm certain this one will respond to your every command. Mine as well, if needs be. I didn't carve that Mark of the Singularity onto him for nothing, you know." She cleared her throat to address the Black Knight once more. "Knight. Answer. What is your purpose in life?"

"To serve The Master" the being spoke without a shadow of doubt or malice.

"And how will you do this?"

"I shall destroy the White Mage" he proclaimed.

Courtney proudly displayed her latest creation. "You see? Obedient and powerful. No one will be able to stand against him. No one except you, should he go rogue."

And will he go rogue?

Courtney giggled. "I don't know. Will you?"

The Knight shook his head. "I live to serve the Master. If I do not serve him, I am nothing."

Mewtwo nodded. That you are. Without me, you are as worthless as Avery Frost's ghost. Hopefully you will not spurn the gift with which I once bestowed upon her, Knight. At daybreak, exactly two days from now, we shall have our destiny. No one will stand in our way. Not Michael Kingston, not Addison Tenton, nor any of their friends or loved ones. All of them shall be purged into the abyss and made to serve the new order.

Helen looked to the Master. "What became of Miss Fouritz?"

Whatever did become of Miss Fourtiz, Courtney?

"I used the information she had to our advantage while I was torturing Ryan. I've basically left her be since then. I can go finish her off now if you'd like, Master."

Helen's eyes went wild. "Master! You promised! You said you would let her go when she was no worth to you!"

"Why on earth would the Master let an enemy go without wiping them out first?" Courtney derisively snarled. "I'll go and-"

You will do no such thing, Courtney. I am a Pokemon of my word. If we have extracted all we can from Miss Fouritz, then I have no further need of her. Set her free. One human needs to be alive to catalog the next age of the world. Why shouldn't it be a scientific mind like hers? Courtney seemed eager to argue, but bowed to Mewtwo and walked off to do his bidding. The Master then turned his full attention towards Helen. Soon. We will soon be able to complete our father's dream and my greatest ambition. The World will be remade anew. Humans and Pokemon will no longer have a master/servant relationship. They shall finally be equal. Once we have destroyed my enemies and purged those who think differently, we will restore the world to what it is meant to be. One of natural order and eternal peace. Mewtwo then floated out of Helen's chambers, leaving Helen and the Black Knight alone.

Helen nervously eyed the Black Knight. "Aren't you going to follow him?"

"You have a strong heart, Professor" the Knight responded strangely. "You use it in a perfect equilibrium with your mind. I expect you shall use it in the greatest service to our world." He then turned on his heel and departed from her chambers.

Helen now scratched her head in complete confusion. "The greatest service to our world? What did he mean by that?"

{}

Amanda's heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest when she heard someone unlocking the doors of her prison cell. The shackles that tightly bound her to the bed were the only things keeping her from hiding underneath the slab she was being forced to sleep on. That and the intense wounds she had suffered to both body and mind. And she was far too certain that if she ever had to go through what she had again, she would not survive it. She felt herself hyperventilating and shaking in her bed.

"No. No more. Please! PLEASE! NO MORE! I CAN'T-"

"Oh stop your whining, Amanda" Courtney hissed. "I'm done with you."

Amanda, not at all trusting of Courtney, recoiled at her words. "No. I won't fall for it! I can't!" The sharp pains in her back only paled in comparison to the roars of hunger coming from her stomach. If she was malnourished before, now she was truly starving and desperate. She was truly aware that if she had to go through one more moment of torture, she would die.

Courtney came over to her side and, to Amanda's confusion, unlocked the shackles restraining her to the bed. "I don't have time for your whining, Princess. The Master gave me orders to free you and that's precisely what I'm going to do!" When Amanda was slow to move, Courtney yanked her hard out of the bed until she landed on the cold, hard ground by Courtney's feet. The Syndicate leader's fierce grip on her only made Amanda moan more. She was hauled to her feet and slammed hard against the walls of her prison cell. Once she was pressed against the freezing metal walls, her arms were pulled behind her back and she felt handcuffs slapped onto her wrists.

"What are you going to do to me? Please. Just let me go!"

"If you'd shut your mouth and cooperate, I would" her captor insisted bitterly. "I'm setting you free, as far away from our base as possible! I won't have you making any brainless plans to try and stop us, Amanda!"

Amanda, not believing a word Courtney said but also unable to combat her strength in her reduced and weakened state, simply obeyed and allowed herself to be trussed up. A thick black blindfold was wrapped tightly around her eyes, blinding her to where she would be brought. She was then forced to walk through the series of endless tunnels and pathways that made up the Syndicate Base on Mirage Island. Her feet ached with every step, but she was forced along by Courtney's tight grip on her arms and forceful pushes.

"Where's Ryan?" Amanda asked.

"Shut up" Courtney growled. "I don't need to hear any more of your drivel."

"Please just answer me!"

Courtney cursed. "You little-fine! Mewtwo and I broke him. He's gone and you're never going to see him again. There, you happy?"

Amanda gasped. "You mean-"

"Look on the bright side, he won't be alone for much longer. Once his little soul makes it to the Realm of Arceus, I'll be sure to send the rest of those worthless Kingstons up there with him! Including your precious...what was his name? Bobby? Barry? Benjie?"

Despite every bit of deductive reasoning she could muster telling her it was a horrible idea, Amanda scoffed at this. "You couldn't beat Billy on your best day, let alone Michael or Chris."

Courtney slammed her up against the wall, Amanda howling in pain as Courtney pushed harder on her back and her grip on her wrist tightened. "You listen to me, you wretched little tramp! By the end of the next few days, I'll have made sure everyone you've ever loved and cared for is either buried in a ditch or is waiting on me hand and foot! I'll find your precious little Billy and I'll do the same thing to him that I'll do to Michael Kingston! Make him mine! I'll bring him back here as my lover, just to watch you squirm and cry your eyes out. Then, I'll pit him against Michael in a battle to win my heart! And when Michael has finished killing his own cousin, I'll be sure to make you be the one who buries him! Just because the Master told me to let you go, does not mean I'm done with making you suffer!"

"You'll never control Michael or Billy. Not while Julia and I are alive!"

Courtney giggled at this. "Oh, you've figured out the rest of the plan." She then dragged her off the wall and pushed her forward to continue walking. "Maybe I'll make you dig the grave of Julia too, while I'm at it."

"You can't do-" Amanda began, but Courtney's hand flew over her mouth, silencing her.

"I'm done chatting. Let's go!"

Amanda could do little more as she was prodded and pushed along every corridor. After several long and silent moments of the two scaling the entire Syndicate Base, Amanda felt the metal flooring beneath her changing to solid rock. A rush of wind made Amanda realize that she was finally above and on the surface of Mirage Island. Once they were there, Courtney removed her hand from Amanda's mouth and a few clicks made Amanda figure out her restraints were being removed. Before Amanda could reach up and pull off her blindfold, Courtney yanked her wrists behind her back. "Would you stop that?!"

"Make one wrong move, Miss Fouritz, and I will split Billy's skull open right in front of you!" She then gave Amanda forceful push.

Amanda could not retain her footing and tumbled down a tall, grassy hill. As she fell, her blindfold unraveled and Amanda was able to see where she was. Her tumbling concluded harshly at the bottom of the hill, landing hard on her back and allowing her to look up at the skies above her. They were about as black as night, but Amanda could tell that it was because of the power of Mewtwo. It was clearly daytime.

"No" she whispered weakly. "No. I have to...have to...have...stop..." She felt herself about to pass out, her heart secretly hoping this would be the end for her. "Billy...my Billy...maybe I'll see you soon..."

"Not if I have anything to say about it" a familiar voice called out to her.

Amanda's eyes opened up and she was surprised to see who had found her. "Avery? But...but how?"

Ryan's childhood friend winked at her. "Courtney really should have made sure she got rid of me when she had the chance." In the girl's hands were a few Revival Herbs. "I had to grow these in Elezar's old hovel. But once we get these to Darkrai and find Cresselia, we can mount our rescue of Ryan and everyone else."

Amanda squeezed her eyes shut and wept. "It's too late. We lost. Ryan's gone. Mewtwo broke him. And now-"

"It's never too late, Amanda" Avery assured her. "Ryan's still here. And you and I are going to find him." She then revealed she had also stocked up on berries and a few leftover supplies from the various bases from the Pokemon World Tournament, including food for Amanda. "How can we call ourselves their friends if we're going to give up on them so quickly?"

Amanda wiped away her tears. "You...you really think there's a chance?"

"There's always a chance, Amanda" Avery promised her. "But I can't do this alone. I need you, Amanda." She held out her hand to the exhausted and weakened young woman. "Are you with me?"

Though her mind, body and soul were irreparably damaged by what both Mewtwo and Courtney had subjected her to, Amanda knew she could not give up. Her friends needed her. Her mentor in Professor Pines needed her. Her loved ones back home needed her. Ryan needed her. Avery needed her. Billy needed her. And she would not let them down again. She clasped Avery's hand and let out her best smile. "Let's do this!"