"Am I wrong for saying she was a coward?" Matthew asked as he and a small group were gathered on the veranda of Kingston Castle as the sun vanished beyond the horizon. It had not sat well with him when he told it to Addison and now, looking back on it with hindsight, he could have handled it better when Addison was just looking for a shoulder to lean on. He slumped against the stairs leading down below to the field and gardens, wondering if he made a tremendous mistake.

"I say you were on point" Cameron told him, leaning back in her chair. "All of this hype and she's too much of a ninny to stand up when it matters."

"We can't be too harsh on her, though" Mark argued. "I mean, I'd be nervous too if I was going up against the most powerful being in the universe and all I had to go on was the words of a dead woman."

Chris, who had just arrived with a big grin on his face, had since sobered down into a more serious mood. "I just don't understand why she'd run off like that. That's never been Addy and we know it. Maybe she's going through something?" He nervously swished around a glass of soda in his hand as the others thought about his words.

Michael hadn't said anything to this point, but finally made his presence and feelings known. "We cannot depend on her. We have enough on our plates already. Praying that she has a change of heart will do nothing for us." Matthew could tell that Michael was downright livid about something, but he was keeping it to himself as he leaned on the railings that overlooked their grandmother's gardens and the soccer pitch.

"We have to go at this the same way we did before all this 'White Mage' nonsense" Cameron snapped. "Michael, you are our best option. The rest of us will back you up in whatever clash comes up with Mewtwo and the rest of his flunkies." She clenched her fists and her face contorted in anger. "Leave that bitch Courtney to me!"

"You're not the only one who has a score to settle with her, you know" Chris chimed in.

Mark sighed as he saw how much pent-up aggression was inside of his friends. "Come on, guys. What happens is going to happen. We don't need three people gunning for Courtney."

"Four if you think Piper isn't still ticked off about losing me for six months."

"Ugh. Fine. I really wish I had Lizzie here to back me up."

"Where is our favorite little guppy these days?" Michael inquired. "She kinda just up and vanished."

"She also vanished alongside a certain young nephew of Claude's" Cameron snidely replied. "I wonder how much canoodling she's been up to."

"Can we focus on the problem?" Matthew growled. "Lizzie can take care of herself, but we can't!"

"What did I just finish saying? Michael can take care of things and leave Courtney to me!"

"But what if he can't?" Those words prompted the rest of the group to quiet at Matthew's outburst. The frustrated, worried and clearly hurt Kingston twin knew he had to admit his greatest fears in front of them all. "Addison is the White Mage. She's the only one who can take on Mewtwo. But if she's not going to be here, how can we even hope to stand a chance?!" He glanced back at the King, expecting to be reprimanded for voicing his doubts in him. But to his surprise, the look Michael gave him was one of knowing sincerity and genuine doubt. "Huh? You're always the-"

Michael shook his head. "Just because I am the best option doesn't mean I can take him. To be honest, considering he's got a link into my mind, I'm thinking I might not be the one to use in this fight."

Cameron's jaw dropped. "What? But you-"

"You saw for yourself what Mewtwo can turn me into at his will. You and Matt both did. Thanks to Courtney, for all I know, Mewtwo could be listening in on what we're planning, being one step ahead of us wherever we go." He made a pained sound as he turned his back to the group. "Guys, I really do think this isn't a fight we're going to win. Even with Addy, the chances were very balanced. But now, with her gone, I think this might be our last ride."

Mark nodded. "Yep. Good thing we all got what we wanted to then, right?" When everyone looked at him inquisitively, the former Champion of Kanto shrugged. "Well, think about it. I always wanted a family and I sorta have one now with Greta. Cameron always wanted to be a Champion and to be in a good place with Cynthia. Chris, for all the time I've known you, you wanted what Michael had with Julia. Matthew always wanted forgiveness for his past actions. Lizzie wanted to know what it felt like to be one of us. The more that I think about it, if this truly is the end, I think it's a worthy closing chapter for our lives. Because deep down, I doubt Mewtwo will have anything written fondly of us."

Chris patted Mark on the back. "You know what? You're absolutely right. The end is coming? So be it. If I'm going down, I'd rather it be on my own terms. Side by side with you guys."

Cameron looked eager to say something, but kept silent.

Matthew was surprised his childhood heroes were so accepting of the end. "But you guys..."

"You can't run away from it forever, Matt" Mark informed him. "One way or another, this was going to happen." He looked up to the night skies as their time together wound down to one final day. "The only regret I have is that I never got to finish my work on Cinnabar Island. But that wasn't in the cards, I guess."

Cameron's frown only deepened, but she finally spoke. "I don't have any regrets. The only one I will have is if I don't get my chance at Courtney."

Matthew smiled sadly. "My only regret is letting Elezar trick me into joining up with him."

Chris scratched the back of his head. "I guess my only regret was never taking the chance to be Champion seriously."

The door opened behind them and Lizzie walked outside, a strange yet welcoming smile on her face. "What's wrong, guys?"

"Where've you been?" Michael asked.

"I needed to sort some things out between me and Justin" she admitted, before quickly guarding her slightly red cheeks. "But it's entirely my business. So I won't have you guys butting in!"

Chris nodded. "So be it. Katrina already told me everything anyway."

"SHE WHAT?!"

"But it doesn't matter. We've been sitting out here for a bit trying to mull things over. Now, we're at the point where we're labeling out our last regrets. So, Miss West, got any to share with the class?"

Lizzie smiled and shook her head. "No. I've gotten to see what the world is like from so many perspectives in my lifetime. The best times in my life were when it was the three of us in Hoenn and later when I came here to serve in the Elite Four." She walked over and put her arms around Chris and Mark, pulling them into an embrace with her. "I know I will never take my friends for granted. You guys are my family."

"Weird and totally awkward" Cameron acknowledged, "but then again, what families aren't?"

As Lizzie came around to hug an extremely disinterested Cameron, she looked around to the rest of the group. "So, here we are. The Six Guardians of the Six Mythics. I mean, we were like this before, but we had Piper subbing in for Chris and stuff."

Matthew sighed. "Ryan's not here, though."

"Shaymin chose you as his new Guardian" Chris pointed out. "And it would seem Ryan subconsciously did too. You know, not for nothing Matt, but your brother had nothing but good things to say about you when I ran into him on Miraqe Island. So I think he passed you the torch in a way."

Not knowing how to react to this, Matthew simply nodded. "Thanks, Chris. I think I needed that."

"So who hasn't gone yet?" Lizzie asked.

"Just the big guy" Cameron replied as Lizzie finally let her free of the embrace. "So how about it, Your Majesty? Any regrets?"

Michael looked to the group and gave them his best smile, though Matthew knew immediately that his cousin was not feeling particularly strong at the moment. "No. I lived a long and painful life. One of loss, betrayal, hurt, torment and misery. One where at many times, I could have just as easily given up and not done anything. A girl I was emphatically bewitched by betrayed me. Most of my family turned their backs on me and my enemies sought to destroy me." He paused for a long moment of reflection, where many were eager to insist that they were on his side, but the King continued. "Yet here I am. I made some of the closest bonds I've ever had with friends from all over the world. I came back home and stopped Giselle. I chased the Syndicate into hiding. I saw the reconstruction of the Pokemon League, for better or for worse. I watched all of the people I see before me right now mature into people I am happy to call friends and loved ones. I rekindled a relationship with the only woman I am sure I will ever love. I am a father to two wonderful children and perhaps a third in the future. I was a Pokemon League Champion, then a Lord and now a King. The only thing I ever wanted to do when Grandma begged me to stay as Champion was to serve people. And I feel like I have done that. I guess the only thing I could possibly regret is not being able to see the fruits of my labor if we don't make it out of this."

Lizzie walked over to Michael and hugged him. "Even if things end the way we think they might, I am so proud to have been your friend."

Mark echoed Lizzie's actions and shook Michael's hand before doing the same. "I have to concede it, Michael Kingston. You truly are better than me. But I would much rather fight by your side than as an opponent any day of the week. Especially if this is the end."

Chris leaped to his feet and came over to Michael's side, patting him on the back. "Do I even need to say anything?"

Michael smiled. "Not really, bud."

Cameron, realizing she would be kowtowed into doing so from peer pressure, rolled her eyes and joined their group embrace. "Alright. I've grown attached to you guys too. Especially the two big doofuses in the back. You guys are truly the only family I've ever known and I'm proud to fight with you guys."

"Even if it kills us, right?" Matt asked as he made to join the growing group.

"Even if it kills us" Mark echoed, dragging Matthew inside.

Though Matthew knew it would probably make more sense for Ryan to be in this than him, he accepted this as something he needed. It was therapeutic to be with his childhood heroes, in particular Michael, Chris and Cameron. Those three were his idols growing up and he always wanted to make them proud. But his actions all but made them enemies for a time and he wasn't so sure he had made up for what he had done. He made eye contact with the King, who bobbed his head down towards the pitch. It would seem the King had something to say to him. Matthew left the group and trotted down the stairs. To his surprise, Shaymin was bouncing about the field, chasing after the Volbeats in the garden.

"You have more of Ryan in you than you do me" Matthew remarked as Shaymin leaped up to him and licked his face. Shaymin continued to bound up and down the pitch, yipping at the Bug Pokemon that darted through the skies.

"Shaymin has taken after you, though" Michael observed as he made it down after him. "It's subtle, but he has changed. Very much like you, kid."

"I just did what I had to do" Matthew admitted.

"You've gone above and beyond" the King countered. "Just with your sister alone, I've seen a complete change from the one note boy who turned his back on us years ago. I guess Jocelyn really did make an impact on you."

"Do you think there's a chance? To go to Mirage Island and get her back?"

"I don't trade in sheer dumb luck. It could be possible, but it could also be possible that a meteor wipes out life on earth before we even make it to the battle." He patted Matthew on the head. "That's why I trade in what I can accomplish before I go out to try and do the impossible." He looked up to the skies. Despite the Pokemon dancing in the skies above them, there was a deep and long silence in the air.

Matthew noticed it as well. "It's so quiet. Do you think they know?"

Michael's face tightened. "I'd be surprised if they didn't. Pokemon are so much more in tune with nature than we are. They know something is coming. And it's going to be something they want no part of. Because in the end, there is going to be blood lost. The only question is how much."

"Why is it so quiet?"

"It's the deep breath before the plunge into darkness. There is no more waiting or planning. No dodging or avoiding. Everything will hinge on what happens on the field of battle. Our lives, the lives of the non-combatants, human and Pokemon alike. The entire world will need us to carry on the weight. If we're not up to it, we'll end up like the Prehistoric Pokemon: extinct."

Matthew looked to his arms and felt his arm hair sticking up, his skin covered in goosebumps. "Is it okay to be scared, Michael?"

The King kept his attention on the abyss of night above them. "I am. I am horrified that I am going to leave my children in a world that's literally on fire. I am horrified that I won't be able to protect Arcana from the terrors Mewtwo and Courtney will inflict upon it. And I'm afraid that when all is said and done, Addison is not going to come back." He grunted angrily before sitting down on the stairs leading back up to the veranda. "I'm disappointed in her."

"You looked really angry before" Matthew spoke up. "I was afraid you hated her or something."

"I couldn't hate her. Nor did I hate you when you defected or your brother whenever he did anything reckless and dumb. But I can be disappointed in you. And you three haven't been able to escape my eye that way. Your brother in his reckless abandon of what I warned him when I said to steer clear of the Syndicate, you when you literally joined them and now Addison with this." He smiled sadly. "Matt, I was so concerned about the Fury when it gripped my heart, that I was afraid I would never be able to have children with Julia. I thought you three were the closest things to children we would ever have. Which is why I don't take James or Arya for granted. So when I see you guys doing things that are so out of character or are just plain idiotic, I can't help but be disappointed. But if you're willing to make things right, I can't stay upset or mad. Ryan and you have both made me proud in your own ways. Addy has too, but I don't think I can accept her leaving like this."

"She really means that much to you?"

"She's part of a life I could have had" Michael revealed. "Before I was Branded, it was the worst kept secret in Arcana that Deidre Setenn and I were betrothed. Even Dee and I were suspicious of something when we were kids. Our parents kept organizing play dates and insisting we play together, same with Victoria and Warren Tenton. If I was never branded or exiled, part of me thinks that we would have obliged by Grandma's wishes and married. Deidre might be the Queen instead of Julia." He shook his head and raised his finger containing his wedding ring to eye level. "When Julia and I got together, I still cared for Deidre. Not enough to leave Julia, mind you, but enough to want her well being looked after. When I saw Addy, barely a year or two old when I met her, I knew then and there that Warren was taking good care of her and that she and Dee would both be taken care of. Which is why it frustrates me seeing Addison run off from something like this. We would do everything in our power to protect her, but she still ran off."

Matthew sat beside him. "Maybe I should have helped her to see."

"There's nothing you or I can do now" Michael replied sadly. "It's up to her to see the light. If she does, I will gladly fight to protect her. If not, then so be it."

"This is going to be where it all ends, isn't it?"

Michael patted Matthew's shoulder. "If it is, then we'll make it an end worth remembering."

{}

"I swear to you, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Dylan exclaimed to his 'kinda-sorta' girlfriend.

"I TOLD YOU TO SHAVE AND YOU REFUSED TO LISTEN!" Amber argued.

Lucas massaged his head delicately. The two had been going at it for several long moments. While they awaited the return of Justin Jacques from his date with Lizzie West, he and Eusine were now the only two working solely on their Time Flute experiment. Corey was almost complete with his extraction of the stolen Pokemon from the external hard drive and ArcNet's ambitious and downright belligerent co anchors had been at each other's throats for some time. He was begging for some kind of distraction of his own coming from Dawn, but she had messaged him about going to train with Cynthia, but swore she would set time aside for just them. At least, until the doomsday clock wound down to zero and she went off to war.

Progress with the Time Flute was again becoming stagnant, with Eusine's wonderful playing of the instrument being the sole positive thing coming from this entire cataclysm of failure that was the last month of his life. The Queen had eagerly replaced the one flower they had experimented on with another, but Eusine's playing was struggling to make it work. This time, the flute played the tunes that allowed time to move backwards and forwards. It was clearly working, but those who were working on it could not help but wonder if it was time well spent. Lucas felt a deep level of guilt that was busy down in the lowest pits of Kingston Castle, when he could have perhaps trained himself and made a difference. But he had to let his big brain do the thinking and now he was woefully unprepared to not only fight in a battle, but even more emotionally petrified that this would be the last time he would ever see Dawn.

The last thing Lucas needed on his mind was the bickering coming from ArcNet's power couple. So much so that while Eusine continued to ensure he was playing the song to it's fullest potential, Sinnoh's rising star acolyte finally snapped. "YOU TWO HAVE BEEN SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER NON STOP FOR HOURS NOW! GIVE IT A REST!"

While Amber was caught off guard and startled by Lucas's outburst, Dylan kept his argumentative side up. "No way! Not until she admits I did shave!"

"Why do you have that stub of beard hair?" she demanded, immediately flipping the switch back to her combative nature.

"I DID! YOU WANT TO SEE THE RAZOR?!"

Lucas slumped in his chair. "I've literally wasted an entire month on this stupid project!"

"It has to be the way I'm playing the song" Eusine insisted to himself. "Maybe I'm not in the correct key? Or perhaps my fingering needs work? Tempo seems in order, but I can't seem to comprehend what we're doing wrong."

Corey rose from his chair in frustration! "UGH! I've had enough! This stupid thing had been stuck on 99% for hours now! I'm supposed to give the King and Queen an update soon and here I am with nothing yet again! WHY?!"

Lucas closed his notebook in defeat. "Guys. I'm closing up shop. I give up."

"You what?" Amber gasped.

"Look, this was a good attempt, but it's clear we can't get this done right now. All I have to show for my work is all the notes I have for the reverting flower and nothing. I failed." He slumped into his closed book. "I failed Professor Rowan. I failed Cynthia. I failed the King. I should have just let Mars and Jupiter keep me as a hostage so I could be out of the way!"

"Why would you give up now after such progress?"

"Amber's right, son" Eusine encouraged the boy. "If we put our heads together, I'm sure we can figure all of this out."

"Yeah" Dylan sheepishly agreed. "I'll put aside my stance with Amber if it means getting some work done."

"HOW DOES IT GO DOWN TO 98%?!" Corey cried in frustration.

"What's with all the yelling?!" a voice called from near the elevator. The group turned to see Justin Jacques return, waving happily at them. "I leave you for a few hours and you're all at each other's throats? What kind of friendships are these?"

"We're stuck, Justin" Eusine admitted. "Completely at a dead end. No progress has been made since I first played that song."

Justin looked over the group in sorrow. "You mean, all of that work was for nothing?"

"Afraid so" Lucas sighed.

"Maybe there's something we've overlooked." Despite not having much of a place in this group, Justin went through another of Lucas's notebooks, trying to decipher what had been written to the best of his ability. "I did not just have one of the greatest days ever just to come here and find our little team in these kinds of dire straits. I got to do things I've never done before, met one of my idols and spent time with a true friend for the first time in my entire life!" He cocked his head when his eyes fell upon the vase. "Hmm? What happened to the flower?"

Lucas glanced at the vase and gasped. The flower was gone.

"None of us even touched it" Dylan recalled. "I mean, I know I didn't."

"Did someone throw it out?" Amber inquired.

"A flower can't just get up and walk off on it's own, guys" Corey admonished. "Come on!"

"It didn't" Eusine cried out. He took the vase up in his hands and yelped. "It's in there." He moved the vase slightly in his hand and a small seed rolled out and into his outstretched glove. "It's a seedling. The Time Flute worked! Perhaps better than we thought it would." He then looked to Dylan. "And I remember you going into the latrine to shave yourself. But your patchy facial hair is back as if nothing happened."

"PATCHY?!" Dylan screamed, looking at himself with the camera on his Poke Gear.

Lucas looked over his notebook again. "What the-how? A few of the notes I took are gone!"

"This is scary, guys" Amber worried.

"You mean to tell me all of you were affected by the Time Flute's music?" Justin asked.

Corey dared a peek at the computer. "There's no way that affected the computer too...right?"

Eusine placed the vase down and picked up the Time Flute, examining it carefully. "Everything that heard the Time Flute's song has reverted back in time. Some things only a few moments. Others hours. This flower on the other hand, has gone back maybe months." The eccentric man from Johto gulped. "Lucas, I think your theory holds more water than even we have the power to comprehend."

"You did it" Dylan gaped. "I can't even believe it."

Amber was at his side in a moment. "You proved that Time Travel is real."

Lucas was staring blankly at the Time Flute in Eusine's hands. His nose twitched every now and then to indicate to the others that he was still with them, but he was in complete awe. Forget his previous work. This was what he could be remembered for. Proving that the Time Flute's capacity extended beyond reaching the hearts of the Shadow Pokemon in Orre or cleansing the heart of the Crimson Fury addled King. It had reversed time for everyone affected by it. He was ecstatic about his discovery, but at the same time horrified.

"I just broke one of the laws of nature" Lucas uttered. "I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it."

"We have to report this to the King" Amber told him.

"This was the kind of thing he was warning me would happen" Lucas shuddered. "He's going to lose it if he finds out we can do this."

"Your research could change everything, though" Justin reminded him. "It could revive Countess Rosemary or even undo what was done to-"

"How am I going to explain this?!"

Realizing Lucas wasn't going to take action, Amber grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chair. "Come on. We need to see the King and Queen! They at least reserve the right to know."

Dylan blocked the way to the elevator. "Hold on a sec, Amber. What if he's right? We all got affected by this. What happens if we're exposed to natural time again?"

"Natural time is occurring as we speak" Eusine pointed out. "I haven't played the Flute in some time."

Lucas glanced over to the vase and gasped. "Oh no!" He pulled Amber back over to the table and the others surrounded it. The flower was growing back. At an alarmingly fast rate. Before he could grab his pen to write, the flower blossomed, wilted and evaporated into broken dust particles in a matter of seconds. Amber screamed. Eusine leaped backwards. Corey fell over in his chair. Justin and Dylan both looked around in complete terror. The particles landed gently on the table and Lucas touched them with his finger.

"What the hell was that?" Corey asked as he staggered back to his feet.

"Did that plant just relive it's entire life?" Amber quavered.

"It's birth, it's life and it's death" Lucas faltered, the dust particles sliding off of his finger.

"Is that going to happen to us?" Dylan screeched worriedly.

Eusine lowered the Time Flute into it's case and backed away from it. "Everyone. I think the King and Queen must never know what we just witnessed. If we tell them, this will only add to their plate of worries. But there's more. No one outside of this room must know. Not even our closest friends or loved ones? Agreed?"

Amber nodded nervously. "Agreed."

Justin loudly gulped. "Yup."

Dylan said nothing, his eyes not leaving the dead plant's remains in front of them.

Corey winced and returned to his work on the computer, which had gone back up to 99%.

Lucas could say nothing. His entire perception of reality had changed in less than two minutes. He had discovered Time Travel is potentially possible, only for the greatest source of their experiment to experience a painful life and death cycle he had never seen any living being endure. This would be a sight and fact that would haunt him for the remainder of his life. And what made things all the worse was that the person he cared for more in the world than anyone would never be able to know his greatest discovery. The power was too great...especially for mere mortals.

Dawn...

{}

Alone with her thoughts in the deep and cavernous darkness of her hideaway, Addison Tenton attempted to meditate on her fears and doubts, but found her emotions and every single thing that was on her mind preventing this from becoming a reality. Her harsh words for Michael and Matthew's decision not to run off with her was causing her perception of the world to fall out of balance. The Countess's Alakazam as well as Galatea urged her to be more calm and open-minded, but nothing was working for her. She simply sat on the most painful rock she unintentionally discovered and tried in earnest to remember what Rosemary had taught her. Her two Pokemon were deep into their own meditation to help her, but she felt utterly alone.

She was drowning in a sea of terror, sorrow and self-pity. Terror that they would have made her go up against Mewtwo and his forces without the unique power that she and Rosemary spent weeks trying to master. Sorrow that she would undoubtedly feel for all of those who were going to die because of her terror. Self-pity because no one was seeing how much this faliure to master the Bond Phenomenon was eating away at her. They were all ready to die at a word's notice. She was not. She needed help. She needed guidance. She needed love. But the people capable of giving that to her were out of her reach or she had spurned them in her own ways. People who had just wanted to help and protect her, she ridiculed and said wicked things to. She ran off from her friends and utterly destroyed the man she always thought of was a father to her.

She even tried to manipulate Matthew's feelings of her to make him do her bidding. An utterly barbaric and evil thing to do to someone who did not deserve it. Matthew was willing to die for his world. She wasn't even going to be present when that happened. And it sickened her to no end that Rosemary had chosen her to don the mantle of the White Mage.

She did not choose this for you, Galatea reminded her. Fate did.

"Well maybe fate was wrong!" Addison angrily barked.

Fate is never wrong, the Alakazam insisted. It appears before us in mysterious and often inexplicable ways, but it is never wrong.

Addison glanced at her side. Rosemary's scepter was on the ground beside her. She picked it up and waved it around mockingly. "Oh yes. The almighty White Mage, Addison Tenton. So powerful that she lasted half a second against Mewtwo before he flicked her aside for a more interesting opponent. She truly deserves to be recognized and beloved by all, including those she spoke awful to in their last meetings." She slammed the bottom of the scepter on the ground. Several sparks shot out of the staff and the rainbow of lights swirled around her. "What's going on?"

You are having a vision. Your clearest yet.

"Why would I have one now?"

See what lies ahead for you, Galatea urged her. Go on, friend. We will be here when your vision ends.

Addison looked desperately to where her last friends were, but they disappeared from her view. She appeared to still be in Iron Cavern, but she could not tell when this was taking place. She glanced down at a small, makeshift campsite being tended to by a cloaked man. She bent over and studied him. She did not know him immediately, but sensed that there was something familiar about him. He was a man in his twenties, but acted like a man in his forties. He had a thick beard covering the lower half of his face and sorrowful blue eyes. He simply poked at the fire in front of him and making glances over towards the entrance to the cave.

"They won't be coming back for some time, James" the man told someone in the distance.

A boy, no older than Tommy Queensbury was now, shuffled his way back to the campsite. "I want to see them when they come back. They may need help."

"Not the kind you or I can provide, son" the man answered sadly.

"What can we do?" the boy asked, his voice dripping in equal amounts of sorrow.

"You're too important to the future of this world, James. My sister and yours both know this. They and their Pokemon can protect themselves enough. And it's my job to keep you safe above all else." He sighed as the fire still showed signs of dying despite his work. "I promised your mother as much."

James slumped against a boulder. "I don't even remember her."

"The only thing that matters is that you and your sister were her entire world" the man spoke gently. "She may not be alive to see you two now, but she would be proud nonetheless." He smiled sadly. "Remembering those who are gone is not all it's cracked up to be, you know. I remember them all. Friends, family, people I once thought as enemies. All gone. Now, we're the only ones left, forced to live in the shadows while the powers that be run over our homes." He looked past James and sighed. "The girls seemed to bit off a bit more than they could chew, I see." The man rose to his feet and nodded.

Addison turned and noticed a Marowak shuffling over towards the entrance to Iron Cavern. As two girls raced inside, the Marowak pushed a massive boulder in front of the entrance with all of his strength. She made to study the girls. Both looked equally familiar to her, but in different ways. The darker haired girl looked so much like Julia that it was harrowing to say the least. She had a gash in her cheek, but a crooked and cheery smile all the same. The other was much harder to pin down for her. She was familiar, but only in so far as she may have seen her in a passing glance or so. She was far more bitter and angry at their present situation than she would admit. Addison pitied them both for the world they lived in, but knew she could do little but observe.

"There isn't enough sunlight to grow more berries" the dark-haired girl almost Addison's age answered. "We didn't get much." She revealed to all a bag of berries that Addison recalled Ryan's Sandshrew Terra would have devoured in an instant even in his baby days. It was paltry if one wanted to feed a group of four beyond one meal, especially three growing kids.

"We can't survive on berries alone" the second girl grumbled. "When are we going to be able to go out there and find some real food?"

"The last time we tried to go up and get real food" the man told the girl, "we lost a friend. Do you really want to risk another one of us falling?"

"Anything has to be better than this!"

"You sound as if you're asking for death."

The girl spat angrily. "IT'D BE BETTER THAN THIS! THIS ISN'T LIVING!" She paced angrily by the fire. "I thought things couldn't get worse than when Dad and our brother died. But now, we're basically already dead!"

The man shook his head. "Death means that our world will be torn apart. Or worse for James and Arya if they're discovered."

Addison gasped. James? Arya?! Now that she got a much better look at James, he was the spitting image of his father. Michael and Julia's kids were grown and alive, but what had become of their parents? Why was this man saying things about losing friends and watching people die? She needed to know more. This was eating her up inside not knowing.

"You can't think she's still looking for us?" Arya asked.

"You underestimate the desires of a mad woman" the man answered. "Courtney has done horrific things to people all this time. All to pursue what she wants. And now, all she wants are you and your brother." When he noticed James shamefully looking away, he altered his tactics. "But I promised the Queen I would keep you two safe and I hope I've done that."

Arya sat beside her little brother and put her arm around him. "Don't you worry, James. I'm going to help protect you, too. I think my Growlithe and I can fight better now."

"Thanks, Arry" James responded, taking his sister's hand in comfort. Addison could tell his words were oozing with shame and sadness.

"I will make sure that doesn't happen" the man assured them. "I may not have ever been the best trainer in the world, but Courtney won't get past me so easily."

"It's not Courtney that worries me" James admitted. "It's the Black Knight."

The man sighed. "I shouldn't have let you see him in action. I thought Tommy and I could hold him off. But that's why we're here and not still ducking and hiding in more dangerous places. There are some things no one should ever have to see." Addison thought she could see a deep scar on the side of his face showing when the fire crackled enough to glow on his face.

Addison was utterly devastated. How did it come to this? How did these four endure these nightmares of lives? If the man was to be believed, even Tommy Queensbury hadn't been spared the devastation of the war. These four might be the only people left fighting Mewtwo and Courtney.

As if echoing her thoughts, Michael and Julia's beloved daughter spoke up. "How did it come to this?"

The other girl broke her silence. "Oh, I can tell you clearly what happened, Arya!"

"Not now" the man argued.

"Then when?!" She pointed her finger angrily at the man. "I never trusted her from the moment I knew her! What did any of us expect in putting the fate of the world in the hands of a gutless coward?! Why do you keep insisting on shielding her from any criticism?!"

"She didn't want this" the man answered harshly. "No one wanted this for us, least of all her."

"Then why did she run off on us?! Don't you think she at least deserves to answer for that?"

The man rose to his feet and towered over the others. "The fact of the matter is she's gone. No one has seen her in years. Would you give up your vendetta against Addison already?"

Addison gasped. Me?

"You still love her, don't you? Just admit it, Matt!"

As if the stars finally aligned for her, Addison's puzzle of the situation was complete. Matthew, his sister Kayleigh, James and Arya were all that was left of the resistance battling Mewtwo and Courtney. She felt such immeasurable shame for leaving them all in this state. All four of them, homeless, orphaned and on the brink of starvation. She stared longingly at Matthew, hoping against hope that he felt the pain she was keeping deep inside for his plight.

"Addison isn't the one who brought this on us" Matthew declared. "Mewtwo is."

"Wasn't she supposed to be the one to beat him, though?" Arya asked.

"Dad fought in her place" James whispered sadly.

Addison's hand flew to her heart as more realizations took form. Michael? He fought for me? She could only assume the King did not survive that battle.

Kayleigh's tirade was not finished. "Even when she was with Ryan, I knew she was no good! We lost everything and everyone we've ever known because of her being too scared to fight!"

"And I'm sure she's feeling the pain we all do."

"All while hiding in her paradise of an island somewhere out there!"

Matthew glanced all around them. "This was the last place I saw her. There's clearly no sign of her here after all these years, but I suspect she's out there. Lamenting what could have been. But it's too late for that, now. What matters now is-" Matthew stopped and glared at the blocked off cavern entrance. His Marowak was calling to him and shuffling slowly over to him.

"What's going on?" Arya asked worriedly.

"They followed you here!" Matthew revealed. He kicked some dirt on top of the fire and rushed in front of them, his arms wide open as if to guard them from whatever would come. "We're in too much danger, here. You three need to run deeper into the cave!" The boulder shook violently from the other side. "Like we practiced. GO! And don't look back!"

Not needing another word, Arya took her brother's hand and the two fled deeper into the cavern than Addison had traversed with Michael in their training. But even though they had vanished from sight, Kayleigh did not budge.

"No!"

"Kayleigh, that wasn't a request!"

"AND YOU CAN'T REQUEST I GIVE MY BROTHER UP!" she argued, tears streaming down the side of her face.

Matthew took her up into an embrace, kissing her head. "I wish I could protect you. Teach you more. Remind you of just how much you meant to both me and Ryan. But now is not the time to argue. Let me do what I need to. I won't watch you and the others get captured. PLEASE!" Kayleigh clutched at his hand for a moment, before the second quake caused the boulder to begin to fall out of place. She let go of him and followed Arya and James into the darkness that remained.

The Marowak made his way to his trainer's side and held his Thick Club to him. Matthew took the Club in his hands and began to shake violently. "This could be the end, big guy. But let's make it one worth remembering. For Michael...and for Jocelyn..."

Addison was about to try and do something for them, but a strange light took both Matthew and the Marowak within it. She quickly shielded her eyes from the light and stared in complete shock of what was before her. The being in front of her was neither her dear friend, nor his Pokemon. It was the perfect blend of both of them. He grunted angrily and raised his Bone high in the air.

"He did it!" Addison exclaimed. "The Bond Phenomenon!"

The boulder was blasted backwards. More than a hundred armed members of Courtney's new armored guard burst into the cavern. As they had been with Team Magma, they wore thick red armor. But instead of being focused on expanding landmass, these men were dutifully bound to carry out their twisted mistress's bidding. One of the leaders made a declaration to anyone hiding in the shadows. "Surrender to the Infernal Magma Guard! You traitors cannot hide forever!"

"So let me end you, forever!" Matthew roared. He slammed the Thick Club on the ground. Addison watched in sheer shock as the cavern shook wildly all around her. The entire cavern roof shook, with stalactites falling and crushing a few of the Magma Guard immediately. The ceiling collapsed afterwards, destroying the rest and giving Matthew a much needed victory. But he remained on guard. Addison was curious as to why, until he spoke to himself. "Show yourself, bucket head!"

As if appearing on command, a dark presence cut through the piles of debris and corpses Matthew's actions had created and tossed them aside as if they were nothing. Addison stared on in horror as The Black Knight walked past the ruins as if they were nothing. His immense powers blasted the bodies and rocks all across the chamber, leaving nothing between him and his quarry.

"There you are, bucket head!"

"Ah, Matthew Kingston" the Knight called to him. "At last, we meet on the field of battle."

"Something you'll regret" he boasted. "When I'm through with you, you'll have wished Michael destroyed you!"

"Your hero wasn't strong enough to best me, and neither are you." The Knight's fists glowed with the power of Fire. "I am the ultimate being of power and hatred. And all of my rage and fury is angled directly at you!" He leaped forward. Matthew did the same and the two came to blows. Matthew's Thick Club blocked the Fire Punches, while he countered with a Bone Club attack of his own that staggered the Black Knight. He recovered quickly and teleported away, reappearing on a rock above Matthew's position and calling upon the boulders he had cleared before to assist him.

The boulders flew in the air and came hurtling down towards Matthew, who batted them away as if it were a game of Baseball. The Knight attempted to use a Shadow Force attack to sneak in and do damage, but Matthew anticipated this and smashed the Knight aside with one swing of his club.

The Knight rose to his feet and cackled. "Impressive. Now I remember why I hate you so much!"

"Because I'm so good."

"Because of how hard you are to kill!" He lunged again, this time with a Vacuum Wave punch, but the Marowak withstood the blow and smashed his head into the Black Knight's torso, before slamming him to the ground with another swing of the Thick Club. The Knight recovered once again and lunged forward. Matthew swung angrily at the ground to cause an Earthquake, but he moved too slowly. It was a feint! The Knight used a powerful Low Sweep to knock him off his feet and then slammed his arm down into the Marowak, prompting the Thick Club to tumble out his hands and out of sight. "Without your precious Club, you won't last much longer!"

The Marowak leaped forward, smashing his head into the skull of the Black Knight, stunning him. As he fell backwards, the Marowak let out a roar of unrelenting fury.

"Then I'll bury you and I together!" Matthew declared. The Marowak used a Rock Slide attack. Addison desperately attempted to dodge the rocks, but when one phased through her, she knew she was still in a vision despite the heart pulsing encounter. She tried to locate where Matthew and the Knight were underneath the rubble. Both were hurt and winded from the blows, but capable of still fighting. Matthew emerged from the wreckage first, his Bond Forme sliding down the pile of rubble easily. He picked up the Thick Club and prepared to end their union, but the rocks once more exploded.

The Knight emerged from the pile and moved with such blinding speed that Matthew could not react in time. With a well placed and timed Leaf Blade, Matthew's fight was over. The blow was so strong that Matthew was flung from his Bond Forme and both Trainer and Pokemon were separate bodies again. Matthew's back now had a deep cut in it, far worse than the blow Hunter had given him many years earlier. The Knight used another Leaf Blade to strike down his opponent's Marowak before grabbing Matthew by his throat and slamming him to the ground.

"This fight is over!" the Knight roared. "Surrender now or die!" As Matthew squirmed in his grasp, the Knight used his telekinetic powers to strangle Matthew in the air. "Stubborn until the very end, aren't you?"

"Kill me!" Matthew spat out, before being slammed on the ground repeatedly. Addison could not bear to see the brutality being done to Matthew's body. She only heard the rest of their confrontation as Matthew's screams died down.

"I am not here for you, scum! Inform me where the Prince and Princess are being hidden and you shall be spared!"

"I'd rather die!"

The Knight did not react immediately. "You would rather die than accept your defeat?"

"Courtney will never have what she wants as long as I live!"

"So be it." With a surge of energy, the Knight's arm glowed in dark power and was then thrust through Matthew's torso. Matthew grunted only once before losing the ability to breathe. The Knight casually tossed him aside and looking around curiously for his quarry. Addison pleaded for him not to be able to see anything. For those children to escape this nightmare. But the Knight's mask did not turn to their location, but hers. "I trust the sight was an enjoyable one, Miss Tenton!"

"How do you-"

"Probing your mind is easy to me" the Knight responded coldly. "You are rife with fear and doubt."

Addison scowled. "What happened here? In this vision?"

"This is the future you see. One where there are no second chances. No hope for success. One where you did the smart thing and fled like the vermin you are. Your cowardice allowed my Master to succeed. The King sought to fight in your place and would have destroyed me, had his poor tormented heart not given out at the last moment. As their hero died in front of them, your friends were slaughtered or driven into hiding. No one was spared."

Addison was in stunned disbelief. "All of them?"

"Christopher, Cameron, Mark, Lizzie, Billy, Madeline, Dawn, Cynthia, all of them. We hunted them down like the beasts they were. Some died without our help. Julia's hysterics following her husband's end caused a miscarriage and a panic attack that shut down her entire body. A few took their own lives. But some eluded us. Namely, the two Courtney wanted with Michael no longer accessible to her. The Prince and Princess." He began to laugh evilly. "I do thank you, Addison. With our victory assured, I do not even need to worry about putting up a fight against your hero. I'll let him wear himself down and the rest will be too easy." The Knight then walked away from the ruined Iron Cavern. "Do enjoy your shame in exile, Miss Tenton. Perhaps it will allow you to rethink your actions. All of them."

"COME BACK HERE!" Addison cried. But naturally, she was left alone until both Galatea and Rosemary's Alakazam reappeared in the cave with her.

That was the future you saw, Alakazam warned. A future where you do not confront the Black Knight or Mewtwo on the field of battle.

"So the world's ending is just inevitable?" she frowned, slumping against a rock in the cave. She looked to the scepter in her hands and with the memory of what she saw fueling her every thought, Addison knew she could not let that fate happen. But was it already too late? Was her dodging the battle inevitable?

Nothing is set in stone, My Child. Remember, the future is what you make of it.

Galatea sat beside her friend and trainer. We shall do this together, Addison. You and I. You have never been alone, nor will you ever be. She placed her hand on the scepter, which caused it to glow.

Addison looked to the heavens and finally cracked a smile. "Dad...Ryan...all of you out there. I need your help with this. But I was a fool to think you would abandon me. And I was a bigger fool to abandon my friends and loved ones. So long as I know you all are by my side, I'm sure there's nothing we can't do!" She felt a light gathering around her and Galatea. In her mind's eye, she thought for a moment that she could see through both her eyes and Galatea's, but chalked it up to the power of their bond. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she saw that it was only her and the Alakazam in the cavern.

Alakazam eyed her, his bushy eyebrows furrowing in delight as he nodded. You are ready, My Mistress.

"I am?" Addison asked. She cried out. Her outfit had again become that of her Pokemon Contest and Halloween costume. A Gardevoir. The Bond Phenomenon was inside of her after all.

We are, Addison. Let's go to war.