Ludger finished up everone's personal insecurities, including Jude helping Celsius go down memory lane and found out that Celsius is acquainted with Dr. Howe, who laid the foundation for spirit artes 500 years ago, which led to the fundamentals of spirit channeling, and a breakthrough finally made in Jude's spyrite project, Milla finding out more about Milla Kresnik, Leia finally realizing what it means to be a reporter, Alvin invited Ludger for drinks for his efforts, Gaius got exposed and unfortunately let the Elympion authorities arrest Kyle to prevent a universal incident, Muzet trying to get the group to be friendly with her, with her attempts mostly ending in disastrous results, Elize dealing with a fractured Jiao and reconciling with Chancellor Marcia, and the group rescuing Rowen and Sectonia from Elympion extremists, the abduction of which, Rowen preapared for in advance. The group then met up with Sectonia at Xian Du.

Sectonia Episode 4- A Queen's Resolve

"Hey, Ludger." Sectonia said, getting Ludger's attention. "Did you run into David at all today?" Ludger shook his head. "That's weird. Where could he have gone?" It was at that moment that Ludger's GHS rang.

"Vera here. Is Sectonia with you?"

"Here."

"Good, because I have just received word. David Ishihara has set up a match at the Xian Du coliseum."

"What?" Ludger asks.

"He did?" Sectonia asked. "But why?"

Vera answered. "When asked about the subject, he said that he wished to test Sectonia's resolve, as when she goes through the Dimension Mirror, she might end up fighting mirrored versions of her comrades. Mr. Ishihara has set up this match so she can understand everyone's strengths and weaknesses."

"I can't believe that David did that without telling us."

"He probably didn't want you to worry." Ludger told Sectonia.

Vera continued. "Whichever the case, he's not completely merciless about it, as he'll allow her to fight as a group of four. Please proceed to the coliseum when you're ready." Vera hung up at that.

"Can I ask for your support on this, Ludger?" Sectonia asked. Ludger nods at this. "Thank you. I feel as though I've been asking too much of you lately."

The two of them make their way to the coliseum registration desk.

"Are you Queen Sectonia?" asked a woman behind the desk. "We've been expecting you."

"Really?" Sectonia asked.

"Yes. I have been informed of the situation. Please tell me who you wish to be partners with."

Sectonia thought about this. No matter who she picked, she'll fight everyone else one way or another. "I'll take...Lloyd and Sheena."

The receptionist nodded at this. "Alright then. I will let them know. Please make sure you're well-equipped before the battle starts." After a while of preparing Sectonia went back to the receptionist. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. This way, please."

Sectonia, Ludger, Lloyd, and Sheena arrive at the arena where everyone else was waiting.

"I had a feeling you'd come." David said. "Like I told, Vera: Think of this as a training exercise in case you fight mirror versions of us. Sorry for not telling you before."

"You probably should've. I didn't think I'd be able to handle this." Sectonia said.

"Well, nonetheless, we're ready to face you." Lloyd said.

"Good to know." David said. "However, Jude, Milla, Leia, Gaius, Muzet and I will be a separate fight. You'll need to beat everyone else first."

"We'll handle it." Sectonia reassures him.

"Very well." David jumps back to the stands. "Let's begin!"

Alvin, Ramona, Rowen, and Colette appear as their first opponents.

"So, you guys are first?" Sectonia asked.

"Yep." Alvin said. "But don't think of us as some sort of warm-up."

"Colette..." Lloyd said, seeing her on the other side.

"Lloyd, I thank you for looking out for me in our last two journeys." Colette prepares her chakrams. "But I can't just sit by and be the damsel-in-distress anymore. Lloyd... I won't hold back!"

Lloyd smiled at Colette's statement. "I won't expect anything less, Colette." Lloyd brings out his twin swords.

{Cue Song: Mortified- Anarchy Reigns}

Looking over their weaknesses, Ludger can see that Alvin resists darkness, but is weak against water, likely due to his lingering feelings for Presa, Rowen resists water and earth, but is weak to fire and wind, Ramona resists earth, but is weak to darkness and slash attacks, and Colette resists light but is weak to darkness and strike attacks. Alvin shot to deliver the first blow.

"Don't hold back, Sectonia." Alvin said. "Give it everything you've got!"

"We're going to come at you full force." Ramona said. readying her hammer.

"Time to see if you're resolve pulls through." Rowen said, preparing a spirit arte.

"I won't hold back, Sectonia." Colette said. "Lloyd, Sheena, neither should you."

"As you shouldn't, Colette." Lloyd said.

The group begin the battle, where after a few powerful hits, Alvin goes down, and Zelos gets pulled in. He doesn't have any weaknesses, but resists wind, lightning, and light.

"Sorry, Sheena. But I won't hold back." Zelos said.

"Seriously, Zelos." Sheena said. "In a place like this, that's the last thing I expect you to apologize for."

"This won't be like the time I turned against you and brought Colette to the enemy. This time, I'm fighting for real!"

"That's the most committed thing I heard you say the whole time here. Alright, let's do this!"

While Lloyd fights Colette and Sheena fights Zelos, Ludger and Sectonia turn their attention to Ramona and Rowen. Ludger takes out his sledgehammer and battles Ramona while Sectonia and Rowen face off. After a while, Sheena manages to knock out Zelos.

"That was...a good fight." Zelos said before he passed out, much like Ramona after Ludger won. Scott and Regal are pulled in. Scott has a weakness to slash attacks and is resistant to fire and light, while Regal resists strike attacks, but is weak to wind.

"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you." Scott said.

"Let's begin." Regal said.

Colette was soon defeated, in which Genis pulled in. He's weak to strike attacks, but is resistant to fire and shot attacks.

"Lloyd... You better be ready!" Genis said, charging up.

"I am. Give us all you've got, Genis!" Lloyd exclaimed.

After a bit, Scott and Rowen got knocked out, making Presea and Raine tag in. Presea is resistant to earth, but weak to light due to Exsphere exposure and Raine is resistant to light, but weak against water, ice, and darkness.

"Normally, I'd advice against striking your teacher, but for this, I'll make an exception. Prepare yourself, Lloyd." Raine said.

"I won't hold back, Professor." Lloyd said.

"I am well aware that this is for Sectonia, but I wish to test your strength for myself!"

"Prepare." Presea said blankly.

After a bit of a scuffle, Regal was knocked out, forcing Elize to step in.

"Sectonia... I won't hold back!" Elize declared.

"Get ready!" Teepo said, determined.

After a long bout, Genis, Raine, Presea, and Elize were finally defeated.

{End Song}

The defeated cast got back on their feet.

" resolve seems to prove true." Rowen said.

"It's clear that we're no match for you." Alvin said. "But don't think you're out of the woods yet. Now, you'll be facing some very heavy hitters."

The others left the arena, prompting David, Jude, Milla, Gaius, Muzet and Leia to come in.

"That was impressive work, Sectonia." David said. "I honestly thought that you wouldn't handle it, but I see you became Floralia's queen for a reason."

"Now you'll be facing us." Gaius said. "And we're not going to make it easy for you either."

Jude and Leia proceeded to heal Sectonia's group.

"We figured it would be best for you to come at us at your full strength." Jude said, as he got into stance.

"Yes. This battle will be sure to prove your worth." Milla said, drawing her blade.

Everyone else got into stance as well.

"We may be friends, Sectonia, but don't think for a minute that I'll hold back!" Leia said.

"Yes. As you shouldn't." Sectonia said.

"This will be interesting, I can tell." Muzet said.

"Sectonia..." David draws his blade. "Prepare yourself!"

{Cue Song: Clenched Fist and the Sword Dances- Tales of Berseria}

Ludger scanned everyone but Jude's weaknesses, as they fought before. David resists water, ice, and strike artes while being weak to lightning and wind, Milla resists light and is weak to darkness, Leia resists wind and earth like Jude but is instead weak to shot artes, Gaius is the same as Milla except he also resists fire, and Muzet resists darkness but is weak to light and strike artes.

"I expect nothing less than your best, Sectonia." David said.

"Ask, and you shall receive." Sectonia said as both sides face off.

Sectonia started with Muzet to make it an aerial battle while David goes for Ludger, Milla and Gaius facing off against Lloyd as a test of their swordsmanship. and Jude and Leia facing Sheena. However, Muzet's weakness to light makes her easy for Sectonia to take down. Sectonia takes David off Ludger's hands while he goes for Leia. Lloyd's twin sword style gave him an edge against Milla and Gaius, promptly defeating them. Ludger, Lloyd, and Sheena focus on Jude and Leia to let Sectonia focus on her duel. With it being three-on-two, it was easy to take them out, and by the time they were finished, David was already defeated.

{End Song}

"We... We've lost." David said.

"There is no shame to that." Gaius said. "It just proves the strength of Sectonia's resolve."

"Hey, Ludger... If you had refused to kill Julius and went after us, would you have gone through this?"

Ludger nods. "Yeah, except I would've fought all of you."

"That would've been very bloody." Sheena said. "I'm somehow glad that didn't happen."

Milla nods. "Yes, he would've gone down the same path that Victor did."

Jude comments. "Which wouldn't have been much of a surprise, since you two are one and the same."

"But he didn't." Sectonia said. "Because he knew that there was something else worth protecting more than him."

"Yes... Elle." David said. "Don't worry. No matter what it takes, we will save her. We won't let Bisley have his way. If he does succeed, his influence could spread all across the universe. If he knew about the Universal Core, who knows what else he could've known about?" David then looks to Sectonia. "Sectonia, the fact that you completed this challenge shows your resolve is true, that you really are willing to change for the better. And you don't have to fight this battle alone. We'll help in any way we can."

Sectonia smiles at this. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"Hey now! That's what friends are for, right?" Leia asked.

"Exactly." Muzet said. "You don't have to carry this burden alone. You've got us if anything."

Sectonia nods. "Thank you, everyone. Now that I know that I'm not alone in this, I feel as though there is nothing to fear."

"That's right." David said. "Once we find the entity that controlled you, we'll give them what for. Count on it!"

Character Episode End

After the events at Xian Du, Ludger managed to pay off the rest of his loan. Nova celebrated the occasion by bringing the group and Vera to the hot springs, which was swell for the ladies, and...not-so-swell for the guys. After the trip to the hot springs, the group went to their rooms at the resort after dinner. At David and Sectonia's room...

"I can't believe you helped the ladies stuff all of us guys inside Teepo!" David told Sectonia. "I mean, Alvin, Zelos, and maybe Scott, I can understand, but why the rest of us?"

"They didn't want to take any chances." Sectonia said. "Besides, Teepo let you all out, right?"

"Yeah, there's that...but I'm still going to have nightmares for weeks." There was a knock at the door, and David opened the door to see Jude, Leia, and Vera. "What's up, guys?"

"Mr. Ishihara... Sorry, I have to stop being formal to Ludger's friends. David, is it okay if we talk to you about something for a minute?" Vera asked.

"S-sure. Come on in."

The five then gathered onto a bed.

"So... What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"How much do you know about a man named Amadeus Flux?"

"Not much... Only that he was one of Victor's victims back in his dimension. Victor himself said that he's trying to raise an evil empire or whatever."

"Well, after the matter with the Universal Core, one of Amadeus' plans tore open rifts throughout the universe, deeply affecting the timeline."

"Trying to conjure up an evil empire, I bet."

"Coincidentally, one of the biggest rifts is in the Pokemon timeline, which since everyone in your group has Perfect Links already, you're already aware of."

"Where is it hitting?"

"All of the regions except Alola. The biggest one is in Sinnoh."

"Figures. So, what's that got to do with us?"

Leia spoke up. "That's specifically why Vera brought us. She wants us to travel to the regions and mend the timeline."

Jude spoke up. "However, since a few of the regions have events occurring at the same time, we're forced to pick which regions to tackle."

"Okay, so Sinnoh is already established." David said. "However, we might end up messing up the timeline even further ourselves if we're not careful."

Vera spoke up. "I am aware of this fact. That's why I'm asking to let me come with you."

"You, Vera? I don't mean disrespect, but once the fractured dimensions are dealt with, Spirius won't have a purpose anymore. Even worse, we'll have to fight Bisley. Doesn't that concern you at all?"

"Exactly. Should the event occur that Spirius will be in shambles, I will accompany you for mission control."

David chuckles at this. "Always one step ahead of the game, huh? But what about the others? Don't they deserve to know about all of this?"

"Once the terms have been established, they will be informed."

Leia sighs at this. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my boss..."

Jude kept a good head, though. "I for one am elated about this. By traveling to different regions, I'll have new ideas for spyrite models."

"Seems you two are already settled on this." Sectonia said.

"By the way, Vera. There are two different timelines for Hoenn and Unova. Which one are we taking?" David asked.

"For Hoenn, the one where Groudon and Kyogre have their Primal forms. As for Unova, when Team Plasma first struck." Vera said.

"Good to know. I'm heading for Hoenn. I have something I need to talk to Kyogre about, anyway."

"I'm heading for Unova." Leia said. "The theme there is truth and ideals, and I feel I might get a good scoop out of it."

"That's leaves me with Kalos." Jude said. "We'll reunite in Sinnoh, at which point we'll be ready to tackle that tear."

Vera nodded. "Very well. Once we get back to Trigleph, I'll start preparing a ship for you all. It should be ready by the time you finish up in Canaan."

"Alright then. Now that the matter is settled, what do you say we get some sleep?"

"Yeah. Good idea." Leia said. "We've got a long day ahead of us, so we'd best rest up so we'll be ready."

"Good." Sectonia said. "Same goes for us, too. Good night, everyone."

The group went back to their separate rooms and headed to sleep, with a big day ahead of them.

A/N: Inspired by Jexi the Hunter and Hope the Victor