Once word had reached her that Julia had gone into labor at Titanio Hospital, Jenna Kingston made it her priority to find Michael and inform him of the news. Surely, even if he had a match coming up, he'd want to know about the impending birth of his children? She knew her cousin would be over the moon about it.

But when she came to his locker room to give him a preliminary checkup and to fill him in, he was not there. She became a trifle concerned and began to search the grounds for him. She would have called in Madeline to go into a full-blown search had she not found him walking towards his own spot in the arena. She came over to him, but her eyes widened at the look on his face. He was distressed. His face was pale and his eyes bloodshot. He did not even seem to notice her at first, prompting her to step in front of him.

"Michael? What's wrong?"

He simply looked at her and shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does" she reasoned. "Did something happen?"

"It's about something that didn't happen" he replied, his voice trembling.

"What's going on? You're starting to freak me out."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Jenna, I need you to do something for me."

"Only if you tell me what's going on" she answered in a panic. "Please. Don't you trust me?"

He took a deep breath and bit his lip. "This is going to be my last battle."

Jenna didn't understand his words. "You mean, you're gonna lose to Chris?"

"It doesn't matter how it ends" he replied. "This is going to be my final battle." He punched the wall in frustration. "It's my fault. It's always been my fault."

"What is?"

"Jane...Cameron...your father...Uncle Byron...Uncle Robert...Ryan...all of them..."

Jenna shook her head. "Whoever gave you that idea?! You didn't hurt any of them, Michael!"

"Tell that to our cousin."

"Who?"

"Cameron should be here and not me. His own words. And he couldn't be more right." He held his hand close to his heart. "I've been living on the borrowed time of others for long enough. It's time to do right by someone for once."

Jenna was horrified by what she was hearing. "Do right? Living on-what on earth are you talking about?" She remained in front of him and put her hand to his cheek, but pulled away when she felt an intense heat. He was burning up inside. "Michael, you're not feeling well. We need to get you medical attention. There has to be-"

"Jenna" he said sadly, "it's too late."

"If you think for a minute that I'm going to let you go out there" she threatened, "you're sadly mistaken. You aren't well. I need to take you to see a doctor." She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away, but he remained anchored to the floor. "Michael, don't make this difficult."

He turned around to face her. "Jenna, I need you to promise me something."

"I need to get you to-"

"Promise me you'll look after Julia" Michael explained. "I have a feeling when all of this is done, she's probably never going to talk to Chris again. But he's right. I do deserve to be dead. Jane would still be alive if it weren't for me. So would Cam. And I'm going to give Chris the two things I owe him: the battle he's been craving and my life."

Jenna was aghast. "You're out of your mind! Michael, I'm not going to-"

"I love you guys" he whispered. "More than you may ever know. And I'm sorry. Sorry for being a waste." He lowered Jenna's head and kissed the top of it. "I'm so sorry." He then slipped his hand out of hers and kept walking. Jenna rushed forward and grabbed him again.

"MICHAEL!"

He turned to face her and shook his head. "My mind is made up." He then pulled away and walked down towards the doorways that would lead to the arena. Jenna was dumbstruck. Michael was willing to die in battle? How would he accomplish...her eyes widened in sheer terror at what Michael's plan was. The Fury!

She made to pursue him down the hall he had gone, but security guards closed the doors behind him and shut her out. "I'm sorry, Miss" one spoke up. "But this is off limits until the battle ends."

"You can't be-UGH!" She desperately put her hands to her head to think of a plan to somehow stop Michael or at the very least save him. "You need to have emergency personnel stationed here!"

"Emergency Personnel?"

"The King is not well!" she pleaded. "Make sure you have people on standby if his battle does not go well!"

The guards looked to each other to try and determine if she was serious. "You mean to tell us that the King's life is in danger?"

Jenna growled angrily. "UGH! FORGET IT!" She then stormed her way back up the tunnel. She could feel her life flashing before her eyes. Michael had been a constant in her life from the beginning until now. He had been something of an idol to her growing up and someone she looked up to all her young life. But now, she felt powerless to do anything about it. The only thing on her mind was trying to figure out what had gotten into Chris to say such harsh things to someone he allegedly loved as a brother.

I am going to give Christopher a piece of my mind! She rushed up the hallway and was bound and determined to make her cousin answer to her, only to take a wrong turn and end up near one of the concession stands. As the lines were full and people walked around as if there wasn't a crisis going on, she tried to figure out which direction her cousin's own locker room would have been in. She only stopped when she thought she saw someone she hadn't seen in nearly five years. She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"Bridgette?"

Sure enough, it was Bridgette Duon in all of her glory, asking one of the concession stand vendors about any vegan options for snacks. She rushed over to the line and pulled Bridgette out of it. She was surprised, but not alarmed to see Jenna.

"Huh, oh Jenna! Hi!"

"Bridgette! What are you-forget it, I don't have time! Bridgette, I need your help!"

"What's going on? Are you okay?"

Jenna felt herself becoming lightheaded from her shouting, her panicking and all of the running she was doing, but did the best she could to collect herself. "Listen to me. I don't know what happened, but Chris and Michael had a fight."

"A what?" Bridgette seemed completely perplexed. "Why would those two-"

"Michael said something about him being the reason Jane and Cameron died" Jenna tried to recall.

"This makes no sense, why would-" Bridgette paused as her own face went white. "Oh no. Chris found out!"

"Found out about what?"

The surfer girl put her hands on Jenna's shoulders. "Jenna, where is Michael now?!"

"He's just gone into the Arena" she replied anxiously. "Bridgette, I'm scared. He said this was going to be his final battle. I think he means to use the Crimson Fury!" With no other recourse, Jenna felt herself beginning to cry.

Bridgette, upon realizing people may hear, gently led Jenna away from the crowds and into a quiet office near the concession stand. "Okay, I'll try to sum it up as best as possible. Uncle Jeice and Shannon were having an affair back when he was still married to Aunt Jane. Chris and Michael found out recently and were determined to make them resign from their businesses and the League on top of a soft banishment of some kind. Katrina called me to come and talk some sense into them and I convinced Michael to not think like that. I meant to find Chris after their battle, but-"

"Banish Uncle Jeice?!"

"I don't know how Chris found out, but this is bad, Jenna. Really bad."

"Why would he say those things?!"

"Chris is an emotional powder keg like his father. He probably said some harsh things he may not have meant, but Michael-"

"Michael doesn't want to live anymore, Bridgette!" Jenna exclaimed. "Please! We have to do something!"

Bridgette thought for a moment. "The last thing we need is this to become public knowledge, or worse if Julia finds out. She needs to have as painless a birthing as possible."

Jenna's eyes widened. "I never told Michael about Julia!'

"If he's already on the arena floor, it's too late." Bridgette formulated their next moves. "I need you to get medical services on standby, Jenna. Call in every favor you have. And if you need to, let them know the King's life is in jeopardy. I need to find Chris and straighten this out before their battle begins."

Jenna felt her heart breaking inside of her. "We've already lost so much, Bridgette. My father, Uncle Byron, Cameron, Olivia. We cannot lose Michael, not again!"

Bridgette smiled sadly. "And we have to hope we won't." She then rushed out the door of the office and left Jenna to fumble through her numbers and try to get in contact with every person she knew.

"This is Jenna Kingston with a Priority One Medical Emergency! I need Medical Teams at Arcana Colosseum immediately!"

{}

Chris would not have made for the Arena floor if he hadn't been told he needed to by the League Officials who came to speak with him. The words he had spat like venom towards his brother were ringing in his head ceaselessly from the moment their conversation ended. He had been left behind in Michael's locker room, asking himself not only what had gotten into him, but also why he took it out on the one person who understood him better than himself. Michael's shocked and pained expressions would be haunting him for a good long time, especially if nothing was done to mend the bridge he himself had burned. This was not a game where the two would get angry and then make up a bit after words. This was something far worse.

Chris's greatest fear was being the one who shouldered the burdens of the world by himself. Where those he loved were either incapacitated or removed from play. As had unfolded on Mirage Island, when Michael was Courtney's plaything and Cameron had been shellshocked by her own actions in unintentionally betraying her allies. Chris had done what he thought was right, only to be himself removed from the equation by Darkrai. He had returned and promised not to do anything reckless and foolhardy, not even going after his wife when the two were separated in battle, only waiting until the end to find her. But whereas on the Island, his action had caused problems, now his inaction had. Piper was relatively unharmed, certainly dealing with some sort of PTSD, but alive. Cameron, however, was gone. Struck down by Courtney. who in turn had fled the battle after Michael broke her spirit. Michael was wounded and Cameron dead. The feelings of uselessness only increased as he had to sit on the sidelines and watch Addison take on Mewtwo in his return trip to the island where everything went wrong.

He assured himself that this time, no matter what happened, he would make the right choice. He had to. Which was why he devoted himself to his training, married Piper and seemed eager to evolve into the man everyone hoped he would one day be. The right choices were being made and everything was coming up in his favor.

Then, he learned the truth from Shannon about their betrayal of his mother. How they had embarked on a secret relationship behind Jane Kingston's back and in turn helped drive machinations behind the scenes. How his mother, the symbol of purity and love in his eyes, had been wronged by her husband and the rest of Arcana, only to be abducted and killed by Cassius Sinclair and the Syndicate for her stance in protecting Michael from the wrath of their enemies. He had believed the correct choice would be to protect his mother's legacy. To remove the treacherous people from his life and salvage whatever he could of his past. And it seemed that Michael agreed with him. The two had loved Jane so immensely. Why would they see things from any other line of thinking?

Naturally, Piper and then his maternal cousin Bridgette fought in earnest to prevent this from happening. He had left on his own for the Colosseum to not discuss things further with his wife, suspecting his own will would crack. But in his quest to finish this dark chapter of his life, he learned from others that Bridgette had compelled Michael to see things differently. To perhaps even sympathize with his father and Shannon. He went after Michael in a fit of rage, but only now did he begin to truly grasp Michael's words and take them to heart. He had spat all of his anger and hate out at someone who agreed with him on principle but knew that following through on that would destroy their family. And not simply from a logistical standpoint. It would undermine everything. It would put the lives and well-being of every single member of the Kingston Family at risk. All that Michael had fought for to stop the Syndicate would be undone if he began to act as Cassius or Elezar might have.

Michael knew what was at stake and decided against banishing either of them. But Chris had only sought to know why Michael betrayed him instead of understanding where his actions would inevitably lead him. And in his vitriolic tirade against a man he adored with every fiber of his being, he said words he knew now he may never get to take back. He had compared him so venomously to Cameron and trying to rile up anger in his cousin, only for it to backfire when he suggested that Cameron should have been there and not him. The look Michael gave him struck him so harshly, it shook him out of his blinding anger and he tried to immediately make amends. But the damage was done and Chris was now going to have to answer for what was about to transpire.

In this long and agonizing hour since he and Michael had parted ways, he finally understood Michael more than he ever had before. Michael had taken up so many responsibilities and duties upon returning to Arcana, that he had never been able to let go of his own past. He still shouldered it all and put it on the back burner to ensure the needs of others superseded his own. He had never truly come to grips with anything. He blamed himself for the death of Icarus, the Pokémon his entire journey had begun with. He blamed himself for Jane's death, as their mother was only put in harm's way because of her staunch protection of him. He blamed himself for failing to save Ryan from Mewtwo's wrath on Waypoint Island. He blamed himself for Addison being ordained by the White Guardians to be the one who fought Mewtwo as the White Mage. And most agonizingly of all, he blamed himself for Cameron's death. Courtney would not have been a factor in their lives had he finished her off.

Michael was plagued by two curses his entire life. The Fury and the guilt of having to bear it. The times he allowed his Fury to overtake him, he nearly destroyed people, environments or even himself. He had mentioned in confidence to him years earlier about nearly bringing all of Meteor Falls down on top of Hunter to prevent him from hurting Lizzie or reaching the Shrine of Jirachi. He had confided in Cynthia regarding the death of Gabriel of Twinleaf Town, whose selfless aiding of Michael to reach the Spear Pillar meant that Dawn would grow up without a father. He had shamefully recalled to Cameron his first journey in Unova, where Ghetsis sought to use Michael as a weapon against his enemies and he nearly killed someone in his rage.

Michael had been carrying these burdens all of his life, without a break. So few people understood this about him. He, his alleged best friend and brother, had blindly thought Michael was carrying through the pain. But in reality, he was simply containing it. And it was finally dawning on Chris that the containing his best friend had done was now going to pour over and was going to inevitably destroy him. He would either choose to drown himself in his shame or he would force Chris to do the one thing he had wanted Cameron or Ryan to do on Mt. Heatmor: destroy him in his Fury induced stance. Neither was a feasible option to Chris anymore than it had been to him, but his own blind anger had assured the dumbest of James Kingston's grandchildren that he no longer had the chance to make things right. All that was between them was the fire of their final bout.

So when Christopher Kingston was summoned to take part in the second battle of the Semi-Finals, despite all of the shame and regret inside of him, he had no choice but to fight to save Michael. No longer for his own selfish desire, as he suspected he'd done too much damage to repair any sort of friendship between them. But for Julia and their children. For those who did deserve to have him in their lives. Mark, Lizzie, Addison, Matthew, his Aunts and Uncles, all of his cousins, Cynthia and so many more. He'd done too much to deserve any sort of forgiveness. It was too late. But if there was something he could do to save Michael for everyone else, he would take it. Anything to keep his best friend and brother from finally succumbing to the pain in his heart. Cameron's death was devastating for him. To lose Michael as well would be unbearable.

He looked to his team and realized for the first time in his life that he didn't care if he actually won. He didn't deserve to be a Champion. Not with how he had acted. All of his training, all of his accomplishments, everything that he had defined as a part of who he was, did not matter at all if he didn't have his friends surrounding him. And now, he entered the hellscape of his showdown with Michael, feeling completely alone.

The crowd noise for this impending showdown must have been deafening, because Chris could not hear anything. He walked past hundreds of thousands of spectators, who all seemed to be cheering for them and hoping for a match to end all matches. But in reality, it sounded like a ringing of ears after a bomb exploded nearby. Even as he approached the arena and saw the referee and Michael standing there waiting for him, all he could hear was the rumbling of thunder above them. The Referee turned to him and began to speak to him, but Chris only nodded. He felt dizzy and lacked concentration.

His only point to focus on was Michael and his cousin's face was pale and nearly unrecognizable. Half of his face looked as if he wanted to die and the other seemed only eager to wipe Chris away once and for all. Chris stepped in towards Michael, determined to at least give him the most heartfelt apology he could. But Michael lurched away, his face darkening to a look he had thankfully only seen sparsely.

"Mike!" Chris begged. "You need to listen to me!"

Michael did not respond and simply nodded to the referee and walked over to his own designated area. Chris rushed over towards Michael to try and stop him, only for his cousin to grab him by his shirt and throw him away. Chris landed hard on the ground and the ringing noise that surrounded him seemed to only grow louder. The rumbling of the thunder above and his own heartbeat being the only salvation from the ringing. Chris rose to his feet and scampered back to his own side of the battlefield.

The Referee made a cautious look to the skies, wondering if another day of storms would hamper this match from taking place, but he then whistled for the beginning of the match to take place.

{}

For those who were still inside of the Royal Box, the spectators had gone from being excited about the two best friends locking horns for what had to have been the fourtieth time at least, to being concerned. All of them saw what happened. How Chris had tried to talk to Michael, only for him to toss his cousin aside like he meant nothing. There was silence, where celebration should be.

Matthew, Holly and Jeremy had left to celebrate with Annette her thrilling victory over Leon, leaving Piper, Mark, Lizzie, Justin and Greta behind. And none of them were calm about what was unfolding below.

"What just happened?" Justin inquired. "Aren't those two supposed to be close?"

"Did something happen?" Greta asked worriedly.

Mark and Lizzie looked to each other, themselves knowing all too well what was about to transpire down there. They had seen it far too many times to be able to pretend the warning signs were invisible or meaningless. Years before, before he had found Celebi and it's strong effect on his heart, they recalled how Michael struggled to contain the Fury in battling. Mark had mentioned to Lizzie that was why only Mark was challenging the Gyms of Hoenn. Michael could not control himself in battle. Now, without Celebi to serve as a balm, something had been triggered inside of Michael to cause the Fury to grow to heights neither of them had seen since the Battle of Mt. Heatmor.

"Guys?!" Greta begged. "Don't leave us hanging."

Mark gulped. "Sweetie, I think Michael is going into the Crimson Fury."

Piper shrieked at this assertion. "There's no way, Mark! Michael isn't stupid. The two are just putting on a show!"

"When was the last time those two got into a scrap with each other?!" Lizzie reminded her.

"We're all just thinking too hard about this!" Piper assured them, but conviction was not behind her words and Mark could sense it.

The doors opened behind them and Bridgette returned. She rushed over towards the windows and pounded on them in frustration. "NO! We really are too late!"

"What's going on, Bridgette?!" Lizzie asked worriedly.

Bridgette's hands left imprints on the glass as she was as if trying to will the situation to stop, to no avail. "Damnit! Jenna, please don't let me down!"

"What happened?!" Mark demanded. "Don't leave us in the dark, Bridge."

Bridgette finally turned to face them, her eyes finding Piper's. "Chris knows, Piper. About what Katrina did to bring me back."

Piper's face went as white as bed sheets. "What?!"

Bridgette glanced back down. "He apparently confronted Michael before their battle and the two had it out. According to Jenna, he laid all of his anger out and lashed out. She said Chris even blamed Michael for Cameron's death."

"That's absurd!" Lizzie cried out. "No one wanted that, least of all Michael!"

Mark's face darkened. "But that doesn't mean Michael doesn't think about it." He stood beside Bridgette and looked down at Michael as the storms of war began to brew below. "Or even believe it. He's always blamed himself for Jane Kingston's death. If Cameron's gets flung at him, it shouldn't surprise me that he takes it to heart, especially if it's Chris telling him this."

Piper was distressed. "NO! NO! This can't be happening! Not now! Not when Julia is about to give birth!"

"The last thing she needs is to find out this is going on" Greta worried.

"We've made sure there aren't any televisions or radios broadcasting the match near her" Bridgette said to try and ease their fears. "But it won't take long for things to reach her in the aftermath."

"Can we go down there and stop the match?" Justin inquired.

"Not without getting arrested by the security detail." Bridgette punched the glass in frustration. "I guess we have no choice but to watch it unfold like this."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Piper screamed. "I'LL GO AND STOP THAT FIGHT EVEN IF I SPEND A YEAR IN PRISON!" She tried to rush out the door, but both Mark and Greta rushed over to restrain her. "LET GO OF ME! I NEED TO-!"

"Piper!" Mark insisted. "There's nothing we can do."

"I AM NOT GOING TO WATCH THOSE TWO TEAR EACH OTHER APART!" Piper cried. "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME DO IT!"

Mark looked towards Greta. "Can you take her somewhere she can calm down a bit?"

Justin hurried over to their side and took up Piper's arm from Mark. "I can help." Despite her squirming and anger, Piper was eventually hauled out of the Royal Box, leaving Mark, Bridgette and Lizzie to look on in horror as Michael and Chris's battle seemed about to begin below them, fearful that any conversation they had with their dear friend would be the last.

{}

Chris was not in a position to think of a strategy to overcome Michael in battle, much less even to try and survive. He had no strategy, no plan, no way of thinking about anything but perhaps making sure Michael did not succumb to the same hatred that had nearly destroyed him before. He pretended to look over his team, but instead called over to Michael.

"Michael! We have to stop this!"

Michael did not respond. Instead, he was entirely focused on his team. He held one Poke Ball in his hands in particular, as if cuddling it out of love and shame for what they were about to endure.

"MIKE!"

Michael finally made eye contact with him. "You want to destroy me more?! Go on! I'm sure there's a part of me you haven't broken, Chris!"

Chris shook his head. "There will never be any words I can say that will take away what I said to you, Michael. But if not for my sake, please, think about your family. Julia, James, Arya, Olivia's Son, whatever comes after! Can you really say that losing them is worth it?!"

Michael scoffed at this. "I should think you'd be elated. After all, you think I probably stole Julia from you."

Chris was aghast. "What?!"

"Well, now that I won't be around, you can have your chance. Though I doubt she will be much accommodating considering what's about to happen."

"I don't want Julia! I want-"

"YOU WANT YOUR BATTLE, RIGHT?! FOR ME TO NOT HOLD BACK?!" Michael's anger shocked the crowds and the referee. "SO YOU CAN FINALLY AVENGE YOUR MOTHER AND SISTER?! THEN FINE, BUD! HIT ME! FINISH ME!" Michael's right hand rose up towards the brand on his left arm. "Let's make sure I give you that battle you crave so badly!"

"I don't want a battle! I want you to live long enough to see your kids grow up! If you do this, you may not!"

"One less wretch in this world!"

"You are NOT a wretch!"

"That's where you're wrong, Chris. I am. I don't deserve to be here. This should be you and Cameron fighting here, instead of me. We both know it. And that's why you blame me for her death, right?!"

Chris felt his heart shattering inside of him. "That's not true at all."

"I've heard enough!" Michael reached onto his belt for his first Poke Ball. "Let's settle this, once and for all!"

"I'm not going to battle you, Michael!" Chris looked over to the referee. "I am going to con-" Chris turned around to see a Lucario appear out of Michael's first Poke Ball. The Referee gave him a pained look back and gestured for him to counter. With no other choice, Chris called forth his first Pokémon to battle Michael's: his Gyarados. Before he could prepare a preliminary action, he gasped in horror as Michael's hand fell on his brand. He let out a scream of pain and fell to his knees. Chris made to rush to his side, but the Lucario shot out a pulse of energy as it called in much of the power from the Fury his master was channeling. Michael rose, his face paler than before and his eyes turning the similar crimson they always did when the Fury took him.

His Lucario moved like lightning and struck his Gyarados with a Thunder Punch. The blow struck so hard his Gyarados was throttled backwards and crashed hard into the wall. The Gyarados struggled to regain strength before it's head landed back on the ground, Chris already down his first Pokémon.

The audience was suddenly nervous. Some were trying to muster some kind of support for either trainer, but the mood was quickly becoming grim. Chris recalled his Pokémon and saw his score drop by one.

"We need to stop this, Mike!" Chris begged. "I didn't mean what I said."

"Your words are less than meaningless!" Michael snarled. "Give me the battle you want! FIGHT ME!" His Lucario's aura shined blood red as the Fury continued to plague it.

Chris shook his head. "I can't keep this up. I have to go onto the defensive." He looked to his second Pokémon. He then called out his Dusknoir to try and protect himself from blows. In reality, it was his Zoroark under a guise, hoping he could find a way to reason with Michael before any more damage was caused. Lightning flashed above them as the sky grew darker and darker.

Any hope Michael would buy into the lie was dashed as soon as Michael looked to his Lucario. "You're too predictable, Chris! Wipe that stupid Zoroark out of here with an Aura Sphere!' His Lucario charged up an Aura Sphere of such tremendous power that Chris feared it would cause untold damage to his Pokémon. He tried desperately to recall it, but Michael's assault struck him with full force. Chris was forced to dodge as his second straight Pokémon was slammed hard into the wall behind him. The guise of his Zoroark faded immediately and left Chris down two points as Michael's breathing was slowly becoming labored.

Michael was shaking, hardly able to stand on his own, but somehow managing to through sheer force.

Chris was about to say something, but his Zoroark, who had somehow managed to survive the blast, struggled to make it back into the fight. Chris tried to recall his Pokémon once more and take another point loss, but the Lucario appeared in a flash and proceeded to use Close Combat to utterly obliterate any bit of strength it had. With one final blast, the Zoroark was slammed into the ground, creating a crater the size of a car. When the dust cleared, Chris was finally able to recall his fainted Dark Type.

Chris realized now that the only way to perhaps reach his cousin was to fight him. He was already down two Pokémon. But perhaps now he had a chance to at least compel his best friend and brother to accept his surrender. He called forth his trusted Alakazam, Jafar. The Lucario, without prompt or warning, lunged forward to attack, but Jafar instinctively teleported away. It reappeared and used one powerful Psychic attack to slam the Lucario to the ground.

Michael let out a pained cry and fell to his knee, the Fury affecting both through the pain they felt.

"MIKE!" Chris cried out.

But his prodigal brother pushed himself to his feet and he scoffed off the pain he was enduring. "Just a minor setback! DARK PULSE!" His Lucario sent a wave of immensely powerful dark energy towards Jafar, who again warped away to avoid the blow. The Lucario kept pursuing, but Jafar continued to dodge. The Alakazam was waiting for the opportune moment to use another Psychic attack, if it could even get one in. The Lucario punched at Jafar and missed, causing the second crater to appear in the ground. He then let out a vicious howl of frustration.

Chris was amazed at Jafar's resilience. The Psychic Pokemon finally stopped appearing and struck back with a relentlessly strong Psychic attack, one that slammed the Lucario backwards repeatedly until it was finally out of energy. He would have kept going to prove a point, but stopped when he saw Michael writhing on the floor in pain.

"End it!" Michael cried. "END IT!"

Chris was about to rush over to his cousin, but the Referee whistled him down. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

"Stand down, Sir! No trainers on the field of battle!"

"MIKE CAN'T EVEN STAND AND HERE YOU ARE-"

"Who says I can't stand?!" Michael slowly staggered to his feet, looking even worse. His face was scratched from his fall and he was bleeding from his a gash on his cheek. "We're not done, yet!'

"Michael! We need to end this!'

"I WANT YOU TO END THIS!" Michael snarled, his hands opening as if accepting his end. "End me! Finish this!"

Chris shook his head. "I won't hurt you, Michael! You mean too much to-"

The King's face contorted into relentless hate. "THEN YOU CAN TAKE THE FALL!" Michael called out his next Pokémon, Mufasa the Arcanine. His ferocious Fire Type lunged at Jafar with such speed, even a powerful Psychic type like him was caught off guard. One Crunch was all it took to render him drastically weakened.

Realizing Jafar needed an out, Chris altered his strategy. "Jafar, Teleport back!" His Alakazam disappeared into it's Poke Ball and allowed Chris to call forth a Pokémon he knew could go toe to toe with Mufasa: his Garchomp. The ferocious Dragon Pokémon rushed forward and slammed itself hard into Mufasa with a Dragon Rush. Michael was blown back alongside his Arcanine, but this only angered both trainer and Pokémon. Mufasa stood up and growled defiantly at the Garchomp before letting out a wicked Roar that scared his Garchomp off and forced out Chris's Dusknoir.

Chris hardly had time to prepare his defensive minded Ghost Pokémon for a defense when his cousin's Arcanine descended on him with a Flare Blitz he wasn't sure could have been seen by a naked eye. His Dusknoir was struck so hard it that it almost phased out of existence completely. It recovered, only to faint right in front of him. Chris recalled his fainted Ghost type and sent out Jafar once more. The Arcanine lunged forward again to pounce, but Jafar snared him in a telekinetic grasp. With all of the power it could conjure, his Alakazam slammed the Arcanine into the ground and caused a massive dust cloud to surge around Michael. But both the Arcanine's pained screams and his cousins. shattered any hope Chris had of resolving this with any peace.

Chris desperately looked to the referee once more. "Are you not seeing this?!"

"Until he says he cannot battle anymore or his Pokémon faint" the referee sadly warned, "I am powerless, Chris."

"He's going to destroy himself!"

His Alakazam cautiously moved towards where the Arcanine had been slammed down, only to be greeted by a sight both Pokémon and Trainer knew would be one that might scar them for a long time: the most hateful and enraged Dragonite either had ever seen. Jafar could not move fast enough before Rhaegar grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground. And without rhyme ore reason, Michael's ace utterly demolished Chris's Alakazam. Headbutts, scratches, tail slams and every single move it could possibly conjure in it's Outraged state. Chris could not even bear to look. When Rhaegar's onslaught was finished, his Alakazam looked utterly broken, in both body and spirit.

Chris desperately recalled his injured Jafar and saw nothing but rage coming from Rhaegar, the dust still obscuring Michael from view. When it finally cleared enough, Michael's hand was now resting on his brand.

"Where's the fight, Chris?!" he hissed. "Where's that determination?!"

"My only determination is to stop you from destroying yourself!"

"And all I want to do is die! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!"

Chris sent forth his Garchomp to fight again, despite knowing deep down that no Pokémon he had could possibly muster the power of Rhaegar. "I am not going to let you die, Mike. Not now, not ever!" He sent his Garchomp forward and both Dragons began a clash more violent and ferocious than any seen so far in the Master Cup. The Garchomp took savage bites out of Rhaegar, who would proceed to utterly slam his opponent into the ground. Before it could recover, Rhaegar showered him in Ice Beams and Dragon Pulses.

When it became obvious that he could not take Rhaegar on head-to-head, Chris's Garchomp attempted to escape, but was grabbed by its tail and slammed into the ground until it was buried several feet under rubble. With one final act of defiance, his Garchomp managed one successful Iron Head, that knocked Rhaegar back. Michael's roar of pain managed to temporarily shake Rhaegar out of his rage. The Dragonite hurried over to check on his trainer while Chris's exhausted Garchomp struggled back to his side.

"Hang in there, buddy" Chris told his Pokémon. The Garchomp slowly munched on it's Leftovers, hoping the battle's lull lasted a bit longer.

But their hopes were dashed when Rhaegar snarled back into battle. Chris was determined to recall his Garchomp, but the Dragons rushed each other one last time. With both Outraging towards the other, it would come down to whichever was more physically strong. Unfortunately, the Fury was just too much for Chris to overcome and he could only watch as his Garchomp was punched hard in the skull before being picked up and slammed down into the ground once more. To finish it off, Rhaegar used a ruthless Body Slam to complete his domination of the match.

Chris was forced to recall his Garchomp. He was now down 2-4. But he did not care at all about how the match ended, so long as his cousin was alive and well. But neither victory, nor that outcome, seemed likely now. He lowered his head in shame, blaming himself for everything that was unfolding in front of him.

I did this...this is all my fault...

As he stood there, frozen in his own mind, images played themselves before him in his mind. Scenes from his life that he would think back on fondly from time to time. Times when the two had truly been inseparable. Times when they had nothing dividing them but beds...

{}

Five-year-old Christopher Kingston woke up from his bed to hear his cousin whimpering in the night. He threw off his blanket and walked over to his cousin's side. Another bad dream, maybe? Mommy said he was having lots of them. He gently nudged Michael until he woke up. Michael's eyes fluttered open and he glanced up at Chris.

"What time is it?!" the boy asked him.

"You were having another bad dream!" Chris told him gently.

Michael lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I can't help it."

"I can, though" Chris exclaimed, before leaping into bed beside his cousin and best friend.

"What are you doing?!" Michael laughed quietly. "Mom's gonna get super angry!"

"Well, I'm not letting my big brother have anymore bad dreams!" Chris insisted. He glanced up at the ceiling over their heads and whatever was in the stars beyond that. "You hear me?! Bad dreams, go away! Come again some other day!"

"I don't think it works like that" Michael sadly responded."

"Then we sit in bed together until we both have the same bad dream! Then, like everything else, we take it on together!" The boy wrapped his arm around Michael. "And that's my promise!'

Both boys were silent for a long moment before they were soon beginning to drift to sleep. As Chris's eyes began to close, he thought he could see his mother open their door and eye the two with such reverence and love. He did not care if he got in trouble and simply slept by his brother's side until the morning light would wake them...

{}

Several years later, when the two were on their own Pokémon Journey, the two had to naturally rival one another, but that did not mean their brotherhood would ever be threatened. Even when Chris began to realize the gap between them wasn't getting any shorter, when they matched up again outside of the Arcana Safari Zone while Cameron and Julia slept.

"WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!"

"Why what?" Michael asked curiously as their battle reached it's conclusion.

"Why can't I beat you?!" Chris recalled his fainted Combusken and frowned. "We were supposed to be going into this evenly. But you're so much better than me!" Chris folded himself up and fell to the ground.

Michael walked over to him. "What's this all about? We have the same number of badges and the same kinds of Pokemon."

"But you're always better! Why do I even bother going on?!"

"Because you want to be the Champion! Champions don't quit!"

"Well, I'm not a Champion and if I can't beat you, I won't ever be!" Chris shook his head in sadness. "I should just go home."

Michael thought for a moment and sat beside him. "Well, then I guess we're both done, then."

"Why you?! You're so good! I'm just-"

"Going on this journey means nothing if I can't share it with you guys" Michael assured him. "You, Cammie and Julia. We're best friends and I won't have it any other way. But if you're done, Chris, then we both are."

Chris was astonished. "You'd give it all up for me?!"

"Of course, bud. You're my best friend. If we don't do this together, we don't do it at all." He rose back to his feet and held out his hand to Chris. "Come on. We've got to make it to Trickton before Cammie wants us to go Trick or Treating."

Unable to sway his cousin from leaving him behind, Chris took his hand and both were up. Michael pulled him into an embrace and Chris reciprocated it. "We're best friends, right?"

"Now and always, bud" Michael assured him.

{}

Christopher couldn't believe it. After four years of thinking his best friend in the world was dead, here he was. Michael was swimming through the river in Agate Village, scooping up the curious young Poochyena that had tried it's paw at swimming. Sure, Michael didn't look exactly like he thought he would, very thin and sporting a mullet, but it was undoubtedly him. Who else would dive into cold water just to save someone else's Pokémon. Chris scrambled down the side of the hill as Michael climbed out of the water with the Pokémon to give to it's owner.

"Here you go, M'am" Michael replied, his voice cracking thanks to the onset of puberty affecting them all.

"Thank you, Skye!" the woman replied as she cradled the Poochyena. "Bless you for having such a good heart." The woman and the crowd of panicked onlookers began to disperse, allowing Chris his chance to say his piece to him. Michael was busy wringing out his hair and trying to dry himself off and hardly noticed the newcomer.

"Mike?! Is that you?"

He stopped immediately at the assertion and rose to his feet. "I think you have the wrong guy. I'm not-"

"Mike, it's me! Chris!"

He spun around in complete shock. "Chris? Wha-how-huh?"

Unable to contain himself anymore, Chris rushed forward and hugged him. "It's you! You're here! I can't believe it! Where have you been?!"

Michael seemed hesitant to hug him. "Chris, I don't...I don't...what are you doing here?!"

"We all came looking for you and...wait a minute! CAM! CAM COME HERE!"

"Chris" Michael responded as he tried to untangle himself from his cousin. "What are you guys doing here? You should be back home with-"

"...me all the way down here for another dumb rock, Chris, I swear I'll-I'll..." Cameron froze in place as she slid down the hill and locked eyes with Michael. The normally hard and often not emotional Cameron Kingston broke immediately upon seeing Michael and rushed over and hugged him. "Mikey! It's you! It's really you!"

Michael seemed genuinely perplexed, but when both of his cousins embraced him as one, he finally broke down and wept, holding the trio of them together and enjoying this most unexpected and welcomed reunion...

{}

"Chris?! CHRIS?!"

Christopher blinked himself back into consciousness as the Referee stood in front of him. "Huh, what?!"

"You must make your move!" he warned.

Chris tried to gauge his situation once more. Despite his memories being fond and full of their friendship and brotherhood, all he saw in front of him was that same love and compassion erupting in flames as their Pokémon did battle in front of thousands of onlookers. Michael was still drained and exhausted, the Fury taking it's toll on his health. And yet, his best friend's words about wanting to die stung him deeply. He could not lose him. He refused to. But the only way to reach him seemed to be to fight him and Chris had to engage in battle once more.

Michael, you mean everything to me. It's always been you and me against the world. And I intend on keeping it that way. Now and always.

"If battling is the only thing that I can reach you with, so be it!" Chris called out his next Pokémon, his Charizard. Though not a Dragon Pokémon directly, Chris had the ability to make him Mega Evolve. But doing so would also cause him to gain a Dragon's weaknesses as well as it's strengths. Instead, he would fight Rhaegar on open terms. His Charizard would out speed Rhaegar and do as much chip damage as he could. Both the Charizard and Dragonite took off into the skies to begin their own titanic clash, allowing Chris to try and reach Michael one last time. "I am sorry, Mike. Truly, sincerely sorry."

"What does it matter?!" Michael replied coldly. "Sorry won't change that I am-"

"You didn't hurt Mom or Cam!" Chris pleaded. "I can take the entire world hating on me and thinking less of me. Even my wife or Julia. But not you. You are without a doubt my best friend in this whole damn world and I cannot and will not watch you die. We have been through too much together for it to end. Remember a promise you made me? When we were kids?!" He recalled their conversation well enough. "This whole world means nothing unless it's you and me, bud. We're in this together or out of it together!"

Michael's attention was drawn above, as was Chris's. The two watched as their Pokémon clashed violently above them. Chris's Charizard tried to pepper Rhaegar with Flamethrowers, only for Rhaegar to truck through them completely unscathed and retort with Ice Beams of his own. The two Pokémon were unable to hit one another, though, as Rhaegar's sheer bulk and Charizard's speed proved unable to be overcome.

"You have a family, Michael" Chris continued to beg. "A beautiful wife, three children with more on the way and plenty of cousins and relatives who would be torn apart if they lost you, not to mention friends and family. Piper, Bridgette, Mark, Lizzie, Cynthia, Diantha, Lance, so many others." He held his hand close to his heart. "Bud, I'd be lost if I didn't have you. It was supposed to be the three of us. And Courtney killed Cameron, which means it's just us. If you go..."

The clashing continued as lightning flashed all around the skies above the Arcana Colosseum. One bolt of lightning missed the Charizard by mere feet, causing him to be temporarily blinded. Rhaegar took the initiative and grabbed the Charizard, dragging it deeper and deeper down back towards the ground of the Colosseum. Their descent kept increasing in speed until the two crashed hard into the ground, creating a much deeper crater than either of the ones they had created earlier. The dust was hardly even settled when Rhaegar and the Charizard continued their battle, but with Rhaegar utterly dominating it. The Charizard my get a few lucky bites and slashes in, but Rhaegar was simply too powerful to take head on.

Michael's silence might have been welcome if it was a normal battle, but Chris was desperate for anything that Michael might say to show his words were reaching him. But all he got was silence.

His Charizard managed to successfully bite Rhaegar's snout and force him backwards. Rhaegar was taken off guard so badly, that his Charizard saw fit to attack him and finally get a few blows in. The Charizard began it's onslaught, but Chris's attention was drawn to Rhaegar. He seemed disinterested. If his Charizard was not trying to throttle the Dragonite, he was curious to see what Rhaegar might be thinking or doing. He whistled for his Charizard to stop. He at first attempted to ignore the order, but finally relented.

Chris looked past the smoke and his eyes widened in terror at the sight of his cousin. Michael was coughing violently and holding his hand to his heart. The two locked eyes one last time before Michael fell onto his side, motionless.

People in the crowds screamed. The PA Announcer tried to settle the frantic crowds. Chris hurried over to Michael's side. Rhaegar made it there first and growled at Chris to keep him away. Chris obeyed the angry Dragonite, who cradled his trainer in his arms and moaned worriedly. A team of emergency workers was there in a matter of seconds, only to themselves be scared off by Rhaegar, who would not allow anyone near his trainer.

Chris was nearly bowled over by his cousins, Bridgette Duon and Jenna, who rushed over to try and convince Rhaegar to hand him over. While Rhaegar seemed hostile towards Jenna, he calmed down a hair as Bridgette came over to him. Bridgette held out her hands to Rhaegar to soothe him. "Easy, easy. Rhaegar, it's me. Bridgette." She held out her hand for the Dragonite to sniff. He moved slowly, growling if anyone attempted to come near his master. He finally let Bridgette touch him and fell onto his side, whimpering nervously as Michael was still motionless in his arms. She kept eye contact with Rhaegar. all while checking Michael's body for any signs of injury. When she felt his heart, she quickly unstrapped his jacket and went white.

"What is it?!" one of the emergency workers asked.

"The entire area around his chest is black" Bridgette explained worriedly. "The King is having a heart attack."

Chris tried to get closer himself but was ordered back sharply by Jenna. "Stay back!"

"Jenna, I can-"

"HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH?!"

Chris was shaken by Jenna's words and stepped backwards, standing in silence as Bridgette tried to reason with Michael's highly protective Pokémon. Despite all precautions needing to be taken to ensure Michael would make it past this day, Rhaegar refused to allow anyone to touch his trainer. Realizing this was a battle they were not going to win, Bridgette took command of the situation.

"We need to let Rhaegar take him to the hospital" she insisted. "Or at the very least get an ambulance that can carry the both of them."

"We have a deluxe ambulance waiting outside."

Bridgette put her hand up to Rhaegar's deeply worried face. "Rhaegar, take Michael with you to that ambulance. No one is going to take him from you. I promise." The Dragonite nodded nervously and floated away, Michael's hand flailing at his side, lifeless. As the trio watched Michael being carried away, Chris's elder cousin shook her head. "This is all my fault."

"No" Jenna assured her. "You did the right thing."

"If I hadn't-"

"I did this" Chris interjected. "This was no one else's fault but mine."

Jenna shook her head in disgust. "Do you ever think before you do things, Chris?!" She seemed eager to rail into him, but stopped herself when she received a call on her Poke Gear. She stepped away to take it, leaving Bridgette and Chris alone to talk for the first time since her return.

"Chris, when all of this cools down, I need to talk to you. Something I would have told you a long time ago if your parents hadn't sworn me to secrecy."

"As if I deserve to hear it now" Chris remarked as thousands of spectators now stood in complete silence and shock at the fall of one of their idols.

"I should have told you this before you found out from Shannon the truth" she admitted. "I won't take full blame, but I do take what's definitely my responsibility."

Jenna returned after her conversation on the Poke Gear concluded. "Julia's infection came back."

"Infection?!" Bridgette asked worriedly.

"When Julia had James" the nurse explained, "she had an infection sprout up inside her that made the pregnancy about 75% more painful than it had to be. James is a happy and healthy boy, but Julia was bedridden for weeks after his birth. It eventually went away, but it was always a fear it might return when she became pregnant again. Now, with twins, they're...they're fearing she or one of them might not make it." Jenna bit her lip at those words. "If Julia finds out what happened here, it will only exacerbate the issue. No one can tell her what's going on until we know for sure what's going to happen to Michael."

Bridgette lowered her head. "Poor Julia..."

Chris was shaken at this news. In one sudden act of cruelty and unnecessary stupidity, Arcana could lose it's King and Queen. But more than that, three or five kids could perhaps lose their parents. All of them would lose a dear friend, cousin or brother. His shame only grew as he realized all of this could have been avoided if he had kept his mouth shut and discussed things after the match or at least thought things through before confronting Michael with the news. Now, there might be more pain and suffering in Arcana.

"I can't-"

"OH SHUT UP!" Jenna snarled.

"Jenna, please!" Bridgette mediate. "You can't honestly think Chris wanted this."

"I know he confronted Michael and what he said drove all of this to happening!" Jenna was within inches of slapping Chris, but shook off her anger. "There are more people in this world that love Michael, Chris. And thanks to you, they may not get to say their goodbyes!" She ran off after the emergency workers and Rhaegar.

Chris wasn't sure there was much else that could be said to destroy him inside more than his own actions and Jenna's words. But then his eyes found another infuriated and hateful face marching her way over towards him. He had expected Piper to have something to say, but did not expect to be slugged in the cheekbone. Bridgette fought in earnest to keep the two apart. Piper was snarling and cursing in 'the old language' that she and Julia had learned from Maria Pines, barely fighting off the anguish and despair of what had just unfolded moments earlier. Chris finally caught Piper's hands and brought her into an embrace to try and console her, which worked for a moment. She was sobbing relentlessly, and he found himself about to break.

"Why?!" she cried. "Why?!"

"I wish I knew" he admitted. "I'm a stupid effing bastard, Pipe."

She lifted her head but could not look her husband in the eyes. "Why? Why would you ever think those things?!" She was expecting some kind of answer, but he had none to give her. He simply allowed his rage to control him. And now, he would suffer more than when his mother had died. More than when Courtney had taken his sister from him. Because this time, there was no Syndicate Thug to blame. It was his own actions. All of it...every single facet of this...was him.

"Piper..." he whispered.

She let go of him and stood her ground in front of him, glaring at him with more contempt than Chris had ever remembered on her face. He used to think Piper's face was too beautiful to show contempt or hate for anyone. But now, he was the lone person to endure it. "Chris, I've seen you do stupid things in the past. I've watched you make an ass of yourself on so many occasions. But this tops them all. I can't even look at you, right now." She began to walk away. Chris grabbed at her hand.

"Please, Piper. You know I didn't mean for this, right?!"

She squeezed his hand as if trying to reassure herself, but began to whimper. "If he doesn't make it through this, Chris, I can't possibly fathom how we will." She then let go of him and ran off to be alone.

Chris tried to call out to her or to pursue her, but did not have the voice in him to speak or the strength in him to move. All he could do was lower his head. For the first time in his life, he finally felt what Michael did all those years ago. Now, he felt completely alone. As Bridgette ran off to try and mediate further between them, Chris found himself walking in a daze until stopping in a tunnel leading out of the Colosseum. He then slumped against the wall and shed every last tear his body had, fearing his best friend was truly dead.

{}

"Well, what happens when she asks for Michael?!" Amanda wondered aloud as a few of the King and Queen's most trusted associates gathered around in the Titanio Hospital's maternity waiting room. She, Billy, Cynthia and Victoria Kingston were gathered, hoping to hear anything but the news they had been getting so far. Julia's infection flaring up one minute and Michael collapsing on the field in another. The only good news was that Annie and Jon's son was a happy and healthy baby boy. No one else knew anything about the Prince and Princess, even if they had been born or not. The doctors were not responding to anyone besides the King or the Grand Vizier, neither of whom was available.

"Who is Michael's health proxy?!" Victoria asked.

"I would imagine Jenna" Billy responded sadly. "She and Piper are headed that way now."

"We can't just keep Julia in the dark" Amanda worried. "What if she asks for him?!"

"Then we tell her the truth" Cynthia answered plainly. "Don't sugarcoat it. He's here in the hospital."

"And if he-"

"He's not going to die, Amanda" Sinnoh's Champion hissed. "I already lost one person I cared about. Michael isn't going anywhere."

"What about Bridgette?" Victoria pleaded. "Can she come and help in any way?"

"She was with Piper until Chris vanished" Billy recalled. "Now, I suspect she's looking for him."

"How did it come to this?" Amanda worried.

Cynthia folded her arms and sat outside of the waiting room. "Julia doesn't need all of us here taking care of her. Victoria and I will remain here to give you guys any updates they care to show us. Or hopefully until Annie arrives. Amanda can go and relieve Piper in case any legal things need to be done about Michael. Piper can go to Kingston Castle to look after the kids and give Erin and Anthony a chance to come if needed. Billy needs to go with Bridgette, find Chris and drag him here, kicking and screaming if necessary."

"Why would Chris not come?!" Billy asked. "I know he feels guilty, but-"

"I said only if necessary" she replied bluntly. "Now we get to see if he truly is cut from Michael's cloth or just another pretender."