"Thousands fought for the privilege of being considered the Ultimate Pokémon Master" Dylan began ArcNet's broadcast of the Master Cup Finals. "Thousands had the dream of being considered the most powerful Pokémon Trainer in the world. However, only four contenders remain to settle the score once and for all! Who will triumph and be named the true Pokemon Master? Will it be the hotshot Leon from Galar, who's been shining like an unbeatable force for almost the entire tournament?!"
"LEON!" Hop exclaimed.
"Will it be the stouthearted Christopher Kingston, who's been dreaming of being the best since he was a little boy here in Arcana?" Dylan continued.
"GO CHRIS!" Corey shouted from behind the camera.
"Will it be the firebrand, Annette Fiveroux, who's absolutely dominated three former Champions on her way to the top?"
"Annette's gonna win!" Amber cheered.
"Or will it be His Majesty, King Michael Kingston, the hero of his generation and the most feared Pokémon Trainer since the days of his grandfather, James?"
"WOO HOO!" Daniel screamed. "GO MICHAEL!'
"Only time will tell" Dylan laughed as those around him openly proclaimed their own biases for everyone to hear. "Let's get this Semi-Final Round underway by giving you all a quick recap of how these four got to where they are today!" He signaled to Corey to play some highlights of the Tournament to their viewing audience all over the world. "Our first matchup consists of Leon of Galar and the local girl Annette Fiveroux. These two could not have come from more different upbringings. Leon started out as a hotshot young trainer from Galar hoping to be the new Champion, only to breeze his way through the Galarian Pokemon League and become an icon known all over the world. Annette was a girl troubled by illness until she became strong enough to raise her own Pokemon Team and showed a surprising amount of potential in her first Tournament, only to fall by the wayside in Michael's final term as Champion."
"But for all they don't have in common" Amber added, "the two do have quite a bit they've endured together, including being captives of the Syndicate on Mirage Island as part of the Pokemon World Tournament as well as escaping to provide pivotal roles in the victory over Mewtwo at the Crag Hills. And both will have their own share of fans rooting for them here in the stands. Their most well known fans being Professor Sonia of Galar and Matthew Kingston respectively. Hop, I should ask you. Are Sonia and your brother sweethearts?"
"Oh, I know she has a thing for my brother" Hop teased. "She's been by his side longer than anyone else, even me. If she's here, I suspect it's to root for my brother and her beau."
"We all know who Matthew is pulling for" Dylan joked. "Annette might have throttled him if he was the one who beat Lance, but she avenged him and now has the toughest fight yet ahead for her. Daniel, what's your take on this matchup?"
Daniel Kingston grinned as he scratched his face. "This fight is so interesting in so many ways. Leon has such powerful Pokémon at his beck and call, that I'd be shocked if he doesn't cleanly face anyone else in this tournament and be crowned the Ultimate Pokémon Master. But I have to admit, Jeremy not only got some seriously good shots in on him, but he might have also opened the floodgates for his childhood friend Annette to see ways to exploit his weaknesses."
"My brother doesn't have any weaknesses!" Hop interjected. "Jeremy just got a few lucky shots in."
"Leon's team is certainly formidable" Daniel continued, "but the last round definitely opened a lot of eyes. Leon isn't invincible and Annette might be just the opponent Leon wouldn't want to face in this round."
"Yeah, he seemed eager to match up with the King yesterday" Amber recalled. "But Annette isn't perfect either."
"Her physical health is usually her issue" Daniel agreed. "She's got asthma on top of overall just lesser quality health, but she proved that against Diantha and Lance that she's as cold as ice when she needs to be. I think Annette's biggest issue in this tournament is finding that one fatal flaw in Leon's design. If she can't, Leon might overwhelm her early."
"I mean, to take down three Champions in a row" Dylan remarked. "Our good friend Annette is a Champion Slayer. If she takes out Leon here, I think she's the clear favorite to win regardless of the Clash of Kingstons looming later this afternoon. So guys, what do you think is going to continue in this match? Annette and her streak of striking down Champions? Or Leon and his utter dominance of the competition?"
Daniel frowned. "This is a tough call. I could honestly see either of them winning. But if trends show anything, I gotta say Annette pulls this one out. She's been methodical, precise and absolutely relentless against Hau, Diantha and Lance now. Leon will just be another notch on her belt."
"NO ONE'S WINNING THIS BUT MY BIG BRO!" Hop shouted. "NOBODY IS BETTER THAN HIM!"
"I'm gonna go with the hometown girl" Amber grinned. "Annette has shown so many people the door this entire tournament, from the preliminaries all the way to this round. She matches up with someone in the Title Match."
Dylan nodded. "Good observations, but I think Annette's streak ends here. Leon is going to refocus himself and show us why he's the toughest there is. Okay, we all know how that first match is gonna end up, or at least we hope. But now comes the big one. The clash of titans. Best friends turned sworn enemies."
"I highly doubt this has impacted their friendship" Amber laughed.
"You don't like me stirring up drama?"
"What are you, Walter O'Hara?"
"Fair enough. But in all seriousness, guys. Christopher vs Michael. These two have been by each other's side since the day Chris was born. Best friends, brothers to many. They've fought the Syndicate, Mewtwo and each other so many times that many have to wonder just how this match can pan out? Do we even need to go on about these trainers past legacies?"
"I will then" Amber joked. "Michael and Christopher both rose up in the same graduating class from Professor Maria Pines's school of Pokémon learning. They both got their first Pokemon from her and along with Julia Pines, wandered all around Arcana setting up their legacies. We know what they both endured at the hands of the Syndicate, with Chris losing his mother and Michael being tormented by them and given his Crimson Fury brand. But both overcame their woes and utterly crushed the evils of the Syndicate, rebuilding the region and the Pokémon League to their prime that we all grew up witnessing. Both were battle scarred and suffered more losses, most notably the loss of their sister Cameron. But they have persevered to make it into being considered far and away the best Pokémon Trainers in their generation."
"Very poignant" Corey complimented.
"Danny, you know these guys better than anyone" Amber went on, beaming at the compliment Corey had given her. "Let's start with His Majesty. What is it about Michael that makes him so tough?"
Daniel sighed. "He's a force of nature in a lot of ways. It's not just the Fury, though it also helps his Pokémon by giving them a bit of a power boost. It's his Pokémon's fierce determination to battle for him, going to the limits of their physical abilities every time and still loving him with every battle. He also has nerves of steel, is never truly intimidated by an opponent. He's found a way to overcome every opponent thrown his way. But I think the biggest thing about him is his strategic versatility. He trains his Pokémon to be different and fight in different ways every year to keep people from figuring out his strategies. It's why no one could beat him back in the day and why it took Ryan all he could just to barely edge him out a few years ago."
"But he's not invincible, right?" Hop nervously commented.
"Nope. Every trainer has their weakness. Michael's is his physical health, much like Annettes. But whereas Annette has shown able to overcome them all, Michael's Fury is draining him the more often he fights. Eventually, he has to retire or else his body will break down. And I don't think anyone wants to see him go through that."
"Not me" Dylan laughed. "He's the reason I'm still alive thanks to bailing us out at the Syndicate Compound."
"Me too" Amber added. "And while I would love to give him all of the credit, he didn't save us alone. Michael had the rest of his Elite Four with him. One of the biggest members being Christopher Kingston, Michael's opponent in this Semi-Final. Now, we all know Chris has had a rough road to get here today. Losing several major matchups in the Tournaments past, including to Michael himself in the title match several years ago as well as losing to Cameron and Giselle. But he's righted his ship by focusing more on his battles. Danny, do you think he's got an advantage?"
"The only advantage either of these two has over the other is that they know each other's Pokémon in and out" Daniel said ominously. "They have seen every strategy the other has concocted so far. They know each other better than their spouses do. The question is will Michael's longevity and history prevail or will Chris's raw power finally be magnified into something that the King can't overcome."
"I've seen what Chris does as a trainer" Hop spoke proudly. "He's good, I have to admit. But this Michael guy looks super tough. I can see why Leon couldn't beat him before."
"It's that time, boys" Amber chimed in. "Who's winning? Michael or Chris?"
Daniel shrugged. "My gut says Michael, so I'll go with him."
"Definitely Michael" Hop chirped.
"Michael for sure" Dylan grinned.
"No love for Chris despite Daniel's warning?" Amber sighed. "Very well, we're all expecting the King to win then. But we'll have to wait how this matchup goes for later this afternoon. Because our first matchup will be starting very soon. And it will be Annette vs Leon. Winner advances to the Master Cup Finals! Stay tuned to ArcNet News for all the breaking news and commentary for the matchups slated for you. As always, stay classy!"
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"Why can't you understand that I've got this?!" Annette complained as she made her way over towards the arena, with her brother Garret and her boyfriend Matthew following her anxiously. While Matthew was seemingly accepting of her decision to keep going despite fighting not only her debilitating asthma but also arguably the most powerful Pokémon Trainer left in the tournament, her brother needed more convincing, doing everything he could to get her to at least consider her health.
"You've been able to avoid it for a while" he declared. "But you can't control when you have an asthma attack. Why can't you just listen to someone who's looking out for you?"
"Why can't you listen to me?" she fired back. "I'm ready for this. And I'm going to fight Leon! This is the farthest I've ever made it."
Her brother desperately looked to Matthew. "Can't you back me up, here?"
"This is not my fight, Garret" he laughed. "Besides, I trust Annette. If she says she can handle it, I give her my full support."
"SEE?!" she growled. "How come my boyfriend supports me endlessly but not my own brother?"
Garret sighed. "It's not that I don't support you." He kneeled in front of her and put his hands on her shoulder. "Annette, I'm your big brother and I couldn't be prouder of how far you've made it, even if you beat Leon and make it to the Finals. You've overcome so much just to make it here and I am so happy for you. But you have to know your limits. If anything happens to you, my whole world would fall apart." He gestured behind him. "And I'm not alone, right Matt?"
Matt nodded. "I will concede that."
Annette smiled. "And I appreciate that. From both of you. But I need you guys to trust me on this." She picked up her brother's head and made him look her directly in the eyes. "I've got this. Even if I lose, I've got this." She gestured behind her. "I've got my inhaler on me. I promise you I will be okay. Will you promise to stand by me for this?"
Garret took a moment to think her words over and nodded. "I will. Just promise me you won't overdo it."
She nodded and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Nope. Only as far as I have to."
"That's not reassuring" he sighed, but patted Annette on her back and walked away. "May as well get to my seat so no one else tries to take it."
"You know you can sit in the Royal Box, right?" Matthew reminded him.
"These seats were our family's seats for years" he replied. "I'm holding onto them as long as I can afford them." He continued until he rounded the hallway and was out of sight from both Matthew and Annette.
"I'll admit I'm nervous" she admitted to her boyfriend. "But I know I can do this. If I want to be the Pokémon League Champion, I have to overcome my nerves."
"I know you got this" Matthew replied proudly. "If I didn't, I'd have been talking instead of your brother."
"Are you nervous for me?"
He shrugged. "Can you blame me? It's in my nature." He leaned against the hallway wall. "The only thing that kept me going in some of my darkest moments was protecting the people that mattered the most to me. If it wasn't Kayleigh or my Mom, it was Addy or Jocelyn. And now, my whole focus is on you. I know you're stronger than needing me, but I still feel like-"
She walked in front of Matthew and put her hand on his cheek, surprised by its warmth, but far less by the blush that came afterwards. "I do need you, Matt. To keep doing what you've been doing all this time. Be by my side and keep rooting for me. Two more insanely challenging matches are in front of me with Leon and whoever wins that battle between your cousins. But I've also taken on three other very difficult opponents to make it this far, not to mention that kid from Hoenn who kept trying to make me be his girlfriend."
Matthew smirked. "Told that little wuss off, outright."
She giggled. "Glad to know I have a knight in shining armor protecting me."
"As long as I have the champion looking out for me if someone tries something funny" he grinned.
"I trust you" she winked. "It's the other ladies I don't." The two had a long moment of silence before the fanfare began to blare, signaling the true beginning of the Semi-Finals. "Well, this is it."
"Good luck" he replied. "And please. Please be careful."
"Oh come here!" she chided, grabbing his had and pulling him into a kiss. Upon coming apart, she tapped his nose with her index finger and walked away towards the arena. As she left Matthew behind, she finally began to let the nerves sink in. Facing Diantha, Hau and Lance had been tough enough. Leon was in a whole other stratosphere compared to them.
In the grand scheme of things, Pokémon Trainers could be divided into several categories. The first being set for the green trainers and those who don't put too much effort into it. The second for more experienced trainers, but not exactly the best. Mostly focusing on one type for choice or for mimicking other better trainers. The third is for the veterans and ace trainers, those that are constantly in competitions trying to prove their mettle, just being outclassed by those higher than them. The fourth is for Gym Leaders, who often have to either go all out or hold back depending on the situation. The fifth is for the weakest of the strong trainers, where she would put both Holly and Tommy Queensbury as trainers. The sixth is for the strong and ruthless trainers. She would put herself, Lance, Matthew, Jeremy, Diantha, Hau, Wes, Steven Stone, Giselle and many of her fellow competitors in this Master Cup.
The seventh tier was for the most elite trainers of them all. And she only figured that four trainers existed in that tier. Cynthia, Christopher Kingston, Michael Kingston and her opponent in this round: Leon. Cynthia had fought with all her might against Michael and failed to overcome him. The other two had made it to the Finals alongside them. She felt like a Magikarp out of water, but she knew she had to prove here and now that this was the time the true legend of Annette Fiveroux began.
As she approached the entrance, she was surprised to find Leon there waiting for her. He eyed her approaching and nodded. "Miss Fiveroux. I hope you're prepared. I intend on going all out. I saw how you took care of Lance and Diantha. I can't pull any punches with you."
She nodded, hoping to mask her nerves. "I intend on giving you everything I have." She had a strategy, thanks to how Jeremy had exploited some of Leon's weaknesses previously. But this strategy was not foolproof. In fact, if she didn't utilize her team properly, Leon could sweep her out of the match, even with the number of useable Pokémon rising to six for this round. She'd made some crucial and critical changes to her team, swapping some new Pokemon in for others and hoping for the best. Leon was going to be the highest mountain she'd ever overcome to this point. But to be the best there ever was, as the Trainer's Creed always read out, she needed to beat the best.
She eyed Leon, who was trying to pump himself up for this fight. Had she struck a chord with him? Was he nervous about this? Could she be underestimating her own chances in this match? No. I can't afford to get cocky and lose focus. We need to get our strategy in order, otherwise he'll crush us early on.
"I wanna be the very best" she whispered to herself. "Like no one ever was!"
Leon smiled and made eye contact with her again. "To catch them is my real test. To train them is my cause."
Annette blushed. "You know the Trainer's Creed?"
"It's taught to everyone" Leon explained to her. "Even back in the day when I started out." He leaned back on the wall. "My best friend drilled the Trainer's Creed into me when we were traveling in Galar. I didn't think it really mattered to me, as I knew I was going to be the best. But you really have to understand the meaning behind those words before you truly can become the best. Not just one line, either. All of them. Only when you've seen the best before your very eyes, do you realize what those words truly mean. I have seen the best. And if I'm able to beat you in this match, Miss Fiveroux, I hope to get one last chance at beating the very best."
While the fanfare continued, both trainers simply stood in silence, waiting to be called out for what would be one of the most thrilling matches of their lives.
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Alone in what was his own locker room, Michael Kingston made sure everything was prepared. He had every Pokémon equipped with the items of their choice, himself dressed in the Champion's tunic he had worn back in the day and that his whole team would be prepared for whatever came of his matchup with Chris that would be coming soon. Once he had fitted himself with everything he needed, he knew he had to give his team one final pep talk. One by one, he called them out.
First came Rhaegar the Dragonite, who appeared eager for the battle, but when he realized it was just them, plopped on his rear end and regarded his trainer with adoration. Second was Aether the Espeon, who leaped into his hands immediately and nuzzled him. Third was Mufasa the Arcanine, who shook his mane briskly and let out a growl before sitting on his rear end and panting happily. Fourth came Koopa the Blastoise, who stomped around before sitting himself when realizing there was no opponent directly in front of him. Next came a new addition to his team, another ode to Cameron that he had been raising in private the last few months: a Lucario he was calling "Cam". The Lucario seemed to sense that the battle was incoming, but not immediate and so sat beside his trainer for more words. Lastly, out came Michael's Gengar named Reaper, knowing that Chris was all too familiar with how he trained his Nidoking to allow him to be in the matchup. The Gengar giggled mischievously before floating around the locker room while listening to his trainer.
"Okay guys" the King told his team, "we've got a really tough match ahead for us today. Chris is someone we've battle plenty of times before, but he's been showing how strong he is. If we want to beat him, we've got to be tight, fast, and precise. No weaknesses, no showboating. Chris won't want us to show any holes in our strategy and I don't want him to do it either. Ya hear?" Once all of his Pokémon howled their responses, he continued. "Okay, we know how to break Chocobo, right? He gets faster and more dangerous the deeper the match goes on. What do we do?" He tapped onto his Blastoise's cannons. "Marksmanship is critical, Koopa. I expect you to blast that flaming chicken out of the match, capiche?"
His Blastoise nodded and was highly receptive to scratching underneath his chin that his trainer did.
"Now, for his Garchomp, I think brute force is what that one needs" Michael went on, his eyes finding Rhaegar. "Ready to make sure you're the last Dragon standing?'
Rhaegar growled and spat a few embers onto the ground in response. "Grrr."
"I got you, buddy. I won't question you." He then thought for a moment. "But brute strength won't even come close to touching Jafar. We need to out think him and out maneuver him." He scratched his Arcanine behind his ear, prompting the canine Pokémon to scratch his side with his leg in delight. "That's my boy, Mufasa. Keep him on the run." He paused as he thought for what the next Pokémon would be. "I can't make too many assumptions about his team, but I think I have a way of outthinking him at every turn. He has hundreds of Pokémon at his disposal, but he's gonna want to show me all he's got. Man, though I gotta be frank. Thinking like him is gonna give me a headache."
"And that's why he doesn't think usually" a voice called from behind him.
Michael was startled that someone would just walk right into the locker room, unaware that it was closed off or that he might have been indecent. He rose to try and see who would dare to speak to him and was astonished. It was a face he hadn't seen in ages. She was thin, perhaps a bit thinner than he would have preferred she be. She was tall, had long platinum blonde hair that hung down to the base of her spine and wore a blue sweatshirt that reminded Michael of the oceans he knew she frequented. The sweatshirt only covered up to her midriff, allowing her belly button to be shown to all, as well as leading down to a sleek pair of shorts that no doubt covered a bikini suit for swimming in the ocean. But her face was what rang the most with him, reminding him of the aunt they shared and the love that she had for both of them. She also wore a warm and friendly smile for him, almost tearing up at the sight of him.
"Bridgette!"
"Mikey!"
The two raced for each other, with Michael catching Bridgette Duon in his arms and twirling her around until the two embraced. Michael felt as bright as he'd felt in a long time seeing another old friend from his past. "I haven't seen you in ages."
"Not since Malcolm and me broke up, right?" she replied, her arms hanging on him endearingly. "I had some soul searching to do and where better to do it than the open waters? Oh, I missed you guys so much. How is everybody?" Michael was about to reply, but she stopped him. "Before you do, though, I should let you know that even though we haven't been in contact, I do know about what happened to Cammie." She stopped hugging him and looked into his eyes. "How are you doing?'
"I'm fine" he lied, the pain of losing Cameron still feeling fresh inside of him.
She put her hands on his cheek and shook her head. "No you aren't. You don't need to hide your pain, Michael. Least of all when it's just you and me."
He shook his head and took her hands off his cheeks. "I can assure you I'm fine, Bridge. Hard to take that loss sitting down but-hang on a sec. Where have you been? No one's heard from you in years!"
Bridgette sighed. "I know. I have a lot of catching up to do, Mikey. But that's what I intend on doing now that I'm back." She looked past him at his team, who all seemed to be slowly piecing together who had returned. His Blastoise in particular hopped over to her and grumbled with delight until she pet him on his head as only she had when he was a little Squirtle. "Ah, good ol Koopa. I see Rhaegar and Mufasa are still around, the old lay abouts." Both Pokemon happily nodded at the mentioning that Bridgette remembered them.
But Michael did not want to lose track of where they were. "What happened, Bridgette?"
She nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I should get to that." Using the moment that she was doing to collect herself, Michael recalled his team and came over to comfort her more. She sighed deeply before taking a seat beside him on the bench. "Malcolm and I were doing all sorts of fighting for a while. You were well aware of that, I'd imagine. It's why he resigned from the Gym in Iron Village for a reason. That's why you basically had to beg Junior and then Billy to take it over. When we broke up, it was still not what I wanted. I loved him, Michael. But I knew we needed some time apart."
"You walked away from us when we needed you" he recalled sadly. "I could have helped you if you'd clued me in. I needed to find a replacement for Titanio's Gym Leader and it was a nightmare until Renee stepped up her training."
She nodded shamefully. "And I am so sorry I didn't trust you or Chris or Cam with that. But I felt that it would just bring drama into this. But I think it hit Malcolm harder than anyone else when I left. I needed to clear my head. And that's when I decided to surf around the world. See what the Pokémon in all the regions of the world looked like. You know, as long as they were sea farers."
"Titanio missed you as it's Gym Leader."
"I know, Mikey" she continued. "And I have a lot to explain for, but I just couldn't bring myself to come back, especially after what happened to Malcolm." She bit her lip at the mentioning of her old flame's death. "We spoke just a few days before you guys set that rocket ship to launch in Taghwan Space Station. He told me how much he missed me and that he couldn't get me out of his head. Annie even said in a message that he was going to ask me to marry him. I knew we were far off from that, but I was looking forward to the time he'd come home and-and-" She then squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head on Michael's shoulder.
"I'm sorry" Michael whispered, putting his arm around her.
"After he died, I just wanted to put Arcana far behind me" Bridgette went on. "I know I should have said something, but I felt alive on the open water. I missed so much, it would seem. I would have loved to have been here to see you guys stuff Cassius and Elezar. And I cried when I found out that you and Julia got married. Jon and Annie too. And it was only when I talked to Jack that I learned about Chris and little Piper too." She kept her head on his shoulder as she continued her long tale. "But I had to come back, not just to beg for an apology, but-"
Michael stopped her. "You kidding? I'm just overjoyed to know you're okay."
She beamed at this. "We really were cut from the same cloth as Aunt Jane, weren't we?"
"I like to think so. So few of us got to see her true depth of feeling."
"You were another son to her" Bridgette recalled. "She loved you as much as her own. It's why when I used to babysit for you, she used to make sure I treated you three equally. It's why I was so overprotective of you three. But once we got to face down the Toymaker at the Northern Outpost, I knew you didn't need me to hold your hand everywhere you went." She shook her head in sadness. "Maybe if I had, I could have-"
"No one would have expected Giselle to pull what she did, least of all me. But things have changed, Bridge. For the better."
"I know" she replied solemnly. "But not everything." She jumped to her feet and stood in front of Michael. "A part of the reason I came back so quickly was because I got a message from Katrina. I know that you and Chris know what happened between Uncle Jeice and Aunt Jane." Before Michael could respond, she held out her hands to calm him. "I know what words were said, but you can't expect me to sit back while the whole family explodes."
"How can you of all people justify-"
"I'm not. But Jane wouldn't want this to destroy Chris or Cam's relationship with Jeice. Look, I think what he did was sickening and I also wasn't happy that he tried to make me stay away from them after Jane died. Jane wanted those two, and by proxy you too, to have a normal upbringing."
"We all missed that boat by a lot."
"That's not the point, Mikey." She reached down and took his hands. "You can hate Jeice all you want for it. But Jane also wanted to keep you safe from the truth. She had her reasons, but the biggest being she wanted you three to understand that at the end of the day, family is what matters." She pulled him to his feet and looked into his eyes tenderly. "It's why I'm going to ask you to reconsider banishing them."
"I'd hardly call it banishing" Michael responded. "They're retiring to enjoy the rest of their lives."
"That's not how Katrina said it went down."
"Katrina and Renee have nothing to worry about. They didn't goad this into happening."
Bridgette shook her head. "I don't want to see you two go through anything else. You two are two of the most important things in the world for me. And you've been through enough to not let this destroy you."
"If you're looking for something to not destroy us, you should have gone to Chris first" Michael told her.
"I tried, but no one has seen him since last night. Katrina mentioned that Piper found a note saying he was going to do some soul searching before this battle you guys have." She looked him deeply into his eyes. "Michael, I need you to promise me that you won't let this destroy you."
Michael nodded. "You have my word, Bridgette."
She rested her head on his chest. "I knew I could count on you."
"But I want something in return."
"What would that be?"
Michael took a moment to make his request. "I want you to do four things for me. In the name of our friendship and the love we have for one another, I want you to do these things for me and I will uphold my word that Jeice and Katrina will not be exiled from here. This is as important to me as this was for you."
She nodded. "Sure. What would His Majesty ask of me."
"I want you to take up your position as Titanio City's Gym Leader again" he began. "You were the best gym leader that aquarium has ever seen and I know you can revitalize it into the show it used to be."
"What about Renee?"
"She's going to take up Trickton's Gym, with Shannon able to assist in the transition next season. So long as you agree, we won't have to close that gym after all and can keep the League as it's always operated. The second thing I ask of you is to take over Jack's position of on my Royal Council. I was going to ask him about staying long term, but he seems keen to return to Hoenn."
"My big brother has loved Hoenn since leaving for it all those years ago" she giggled. "Of course."
"You'll be on my council alongside the League Champion, Elmont Queensbury, Jocelyn Aced, Warren, Rebecca Eighern and Garret Fiveroux."
"Sounds like a plan and I will obviously take up my role as Titanio's Gym Leader again."
"Number three, and this one is important to me and Julia, I want you to take up one of Cameron's duties for us."
"Which one was that?"
"You are going to be the godmother to my son James" Michael concluded. "If the day should come, he will one day take my place as King of Arcana. And I know I would want him looked after. Who better to dote over a Kingston than a Duon maternal figure?'
Bridgette cooed at the idea. "Of course I will, Michael. I can't wait to meet him or the little Princess Arya."
"And the last thing is..." Michael lowered his head, almost in tears at this reunion with a dear friend. "Promise me you won't leave, this time."
Bridgette squeezed his hands and smiled down at him. "I promise you, Michael. I will never abandon my family again." She flung her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "And like it or not, we're family." The two held each other close until coming apart after a long moment before Bridgette could finally speak again. "So tell me, what does a Lady of the Duon Family have to do to get a ticket to the final matches of this Master Cup? I want to see you and Chris duke it out like the good old days."
Michael smiled. "You can watch it in the Royal Box with Julia and the others." He reached down and took her hand again, envisioning himself the same little boy who looked up to her as one of his heroes who held his hand and led him on so many adventures, both imaginary and real. "Come on, this way." He then led her through the locker room and out the door.
