"WHAT?!" Liligant yelled in frustration. She and Tyrantrum returned shortly after Greninja's conversation. Apparently, people just ignored them and the cult and assumed that when Torterra and Empoleon arrived with Infernape, someone they all knew tried to fight Donquixote, they were a part of the group the entire time. Naturally, the two were quite upset to find out that they were ignored. Tyrantrum signed,

"We were right there! How did they miss us?"

"I don't know!" Infernape responded, "Let me see the video."

Looking at the videos showing the battle between the Rainbow Nine and Donquixote, one thing grew increasingly apparent.

Your average everyday Pokémon was really shit at filming.

The videos all, in what could only be described as an act of god, somehow managed to completely miss Tyrantrum and Liligant. Some footage cut out right as they joined the fight. Others managed to conveniently hide the two behind rubble or the user's fingers. One fucker somehow managed to perfectly shoot everything else except for Tyrantrum and Liligant. It was almost impressive. Almost. Infernape decided that they deserved credit and approached some doctors and showed them the two neglected Senshi,

"Hey, these two were a really big help with the cult and Donquixote."

The two doctors blankly stared at the two before one of them snapped his fingers.

"I know you two!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're part of that cult, right?" Tyrantrum and Liligant fell onto the floor in disappointment. Infernape tried his best but the doctors kept cutting him off. Eventually, they decided that it was fruitless and gave up. Liligant bemoaned,

"I becometh a Senshi to save fair lives, yet I am completely ignored." Infernape patted the two on the shoulder,

"We'll help as much as we can."

Torterra piped in.

"Come on! This is just a setback. You'll get recognition." Infernape smiled warmly. He missed Torterra's infectious optimism. Ultimately, he made many mistakes in his life but one of the worst was pushing away the kindest man he ever met. Yet that was what happened, he was in a very stressful situation and as people do when their emotions are running high, he lashed out.

The grass type took notice and asked Infernape what was wrong.

"It's nothing," he insisted, "Just…I'm sorry. To you and Empoleon." Just at that moment, the water type walked in,

"Don't apologize. We've moved on."

"I know, I know, but I need to. I…I was so cruel to you two." Infernape said. Torterra and Empoleon elected to simply listen and let the fire type speak.

"I should've let you help me! I pushed you away when I needed you most. It's my fau-"

"Stop." Empoleon interrupted, raising a single wing. Infernape fell silent as Empoleon cleared his throat.

"Do not blame yourself for what happened. You were 17, most of us aren't even prepared for adulthood at that point. We've been over this." Infernape sighed. He needed closure. He let go of what happened to him, the murder, losing everything, but he needed one last thing to truly move on. He needed their forgiveness. And he wanted to hear it.

Torterra knew this. His smile lit up the room,

"We forgave you eight years ago, Lee." Empoleon grabbed Infernape by the armored shoulder,

"If it really means that much to you, then listen, I forgive you," he said quietly. Infernape finally grinned and embraced his closest friends once more. His heart pulsed with joy, like a truly powerful weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. With that, he could finally shut that door and explore the rest that he had closed off to himself. The memories flashed through his head, but he wasn't afraid anymore, and he never would.

Then someone popped into his head. Someone he owed an apology. Infernape pulled away from the two and asked,

"Where's Gardevoir?"

Gardevoir had separated from the group. There was something more important to attend to here. Her family. Her sisters, Tsumi and Fushigi. She hadn't seen them in hours. It would've been terrifying had they not been in a hospital. They were mostly likely okay, despite what her nerves were telling her. Her entire body felt fuzzy, like she was cocooned in a bunch of fur. Her mind had basically given up trying to feel emotion. Over these past few hours, every single ounce of emotion had been drained from her, leaving her feeling like an empty husk, maybe it was her own safety. All that mattered now was her family. Surely that would restore some life in her.

She entered the pediatric center where most of the children were placed. She was too jaded to mind the crying children that still had tears to shed. The entire place was packed with people, parents, doctors, children, dozens of them littered the center.

She asked for the Jigamasa's and she was asked to wait for a few minutes. Her eyes wandered to see a crying little girl fairly close to her. Her hand reached out on its own and patted the girl on the shoulder. The girl sniffed and looked up to Gardevoir, her tear-stained face staring up at her. She tightly hugged Gardevoir's leg, who returned the favor. The little girl cried into her legs,

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Gardevoir could tell by the shivering tone of the girl's voice that her parents were hurt. Badly.

That could've been Tsumi and Fushigi. They could've been crying into her legs. In the operating room could've been mom or dad or even herself. At that precise moment, Gardevoir realized that she was one of the lucky ones. The ones who didn't need to worry about their family, knowing that they were safe. The ones that stared true evil in the eyes and walked away to see another day. The ones that didn't suffer.

Time seemed to stop as Gardevoir simply let the girl cry, calming her down yet being careful not to invalidate her feelings. Perhaps the single most terrifying event in Nihonera's history had occurred here today. Everyone in the hospital deserved to be upset. Besides, the poor thing was all alone. Ideally for now, but one couldn't afford to be too optimistic. That world could be exceptionally cruel. Infernape, Aggron, Gengar, Garchomp and Lopunny were proof of that.

Eventually, a nurse separated the two, guiding the girl away. She wiped her eyes and waved goodbye. Gardevoir waved back and silently prayed for the girl's parents to be okay. Her name was called shortly after. She stood up to the emotionally drained face of the nurse. Unable to read her, Gardevoir could only imagine the news that was about to hit her.

Jean-Phillipe, Kakei, and Alakazam were standing outside a room somberly. Gardevoir's heart plummeted. Something had to be wrong here. Kakei saw her daughter and rushed towards her. She tightly hugged her daughter like it was the last time she was ever going to see her,

"Thank goodness, you're okay." Gardevoir stared into her mothers eyes, red and worn out. She had been crying for hours. Her face held a reserved somberness. As did Jean and Alakazam.

Jean-Phillipe stepped forward. He opened his mouth but the words simply refused to leave. He found himself with everything to say yet no way to let it out. Thankfully, Alakazam took over,

"Listen. Your parents and I have been talking. I've just done an analysis on your sisters….It's bad."

"What?!" Gardevoir yelled in fright. Alakazam raised a hand to calm her down, however, she wouldn't back down, "What's happening?"

"I've calmed them down, but I fear that this is only a temporary measure."

"Did something go wrong?"

"An attack of this scale does irreparable harm to a young mind. I fear…that the only way for these children to live a healthy life would be to go through amnesia therapy."

It was like her heart had stopped. The world froze for her. She should've been relieved. This was a chance for Tsumi and Fushigi to live a normal life, free from the trauma caused by the event. But Donquixote's words echoed in her head, like a memory you wish you could forget. Always there at the worst of times, eating away at your conscience, making your question yourself. Would letting them do this procedure be exactly what Donquixote wants?

This was all a part of his plan. He wanted people to forget, to erase their memories for some ridiculous philosophy. Then again, her sisters needed help. Alakazam was a psychologist She wasn't even sure herself why she was so conflicted; the choice seemed easy. Her mind spiraled in the confused soup of mixed feelings of a teens mind, only she was an adult, and this wasn't about makeup or that cute boy down the street.

As a psychologist, Alakazam could recognize what was happening in Gardevoir's head. Donquixote, whoever he was, wouldn't be leaving any time soon. He swiftly reassured her,

"This isn't the old 'to hell with it' science it once was. It is precision. We can remove the exact memories with no risk for a misfire." However, his words fell upon deaf ears. Gardevoir stepped back, looking forward yet not quite seeing. Jean and Kakei looked at each other with grave concern. Kakei reached out for her daughter,

"Chrona, are you-"

"No." Gardevoir whispered quietly, "You…You can't." Jean-Phillipe shook his head,

"It's not your decision to make."

Gardevoir found herself stomping away. Her mind screamed at her to stop and apologize, turn to her family and act like an adult, yet Donquixote, though he wasn't here, was pulling her along on invisible string. Her parents' protests were ignored as Gardevoir found herself at the waiting room. Why? Why was she here? Why couldn't she just talk to her family and accept the amnesia therapy, recognizing it as a tragic but necessary treatment? It was Donquixote. It was always him. That nightmarish grin was emblazoned into her mind, etched in as though it were burned into her soul with a branding iron. His human shape distorted into a contorted, emaciated, horrifying caricature of itself.

As her mind flooded with grotesque imagery, she forced herself to sit down on a hallway bench. It was completely empty, the loneliness only being breached by the occasional doctor or nurse briefly leaving their office. Gardevoir buried her head in her hands and softly weeped. Why wouldn't he leave? Why couldn't he get out of her head? He was somewhere, probably living it up, having the time of his life, but he never left her alone.

Some lights then flicked off. The power must have gone out. However, Gardevoir did not care. Donquixote got what he wanted. The past would be forgotten. This was his victory, his masterpiece.

"Chrona?" a voice called out. Gardevoir's tear-stained face looked up to see a very concerned Infernape staring back at her. His eyes filled with worry. Recognizing her pain through expression alone, Infernape sat down next to her,

"What's wrong?"

"Leave me alone." Gardevoir whimpered into her hands. A more venomous side of him wanted to laugh and rub it in her face, yet that Infernape no longer belonged. Now was the time for the Infernape that was lost to make his triumphant return.

"It's about your family, isn't it?" he asked. In truth, he knew the answer. With everyone else…well, it was an easy guess to find out who Gardevoir was worried about. That and her reaction. She remained a mess, struggling to catch her breath, crying tears she didn't know she still had. She needed someone now.

Infernape gently grasped Gardevoir's head and leaned it into his shoulder. Her tears stained his armor and fur, yet he paid no mind. Gardevoir then clutched onto his fur like a rag and fully broke down. The tug on his chest was quite painful. However, his physical pain didn't matter now, all that mattered was that Gardevoir was okay.

"I can't escape him." Gardevoir cried, her voice broken and sore as she erupted into an anguished scream, "What have we done to deserve this?!" Infernape found himself holding back tears. He had never heard anyone this viscerally upset since that fateful day eight years ago. To think that in a few short hours, that normalcy would be granted to them only to be stripped away in an instant. He didn't have a satisfying or truthful answer to her question in him.

Many minutes passed as the two sat still. Infernape gently rubbed his friend's head, comforting her in this dire situation. Finally, after weeping her eyes out, she told Infernape everything. He simply listened to her. He knew how it felt to be alone, and this time, he wouldn't leave her behind. However, he couldn't remain quiet, he would have to talk eventually and when he did, he had to choose his words very carefully, lest he hurt Gardevoir more than that bastard Donquixote did. She had tried to be the hero most of her life and now someone had to save her.

"You did nothing wrong today," began softly, "You did everything in your power to become a better person than you were eight years ago. Was I right to be mad? Back then I was. But it's been nearly a decade and I pointlessly held onto a grudge, just so I didn't have to admit to myself that it was my fault that no one came to help. For so long, I couldn't bring myself to do this…but now I can."

Infernape then stood from his chair and fell to his knees in front of Gardevoir.

"I forgive you…for everything."

That was it. It was simple and to the point. But it was what Gardevoir needed. Nearly a decade of regret and self-loathing flipped on its head as the simple truth of the matter finally revealed itself. Yes, It was no one's fault that Infernape was framed, and yes, both he and Gardevoir were responsible for their own failures. However, eight years had passed. The time for grudges and mud-slinging and blame-throwing was over. They both had to move on.

Gardevoir wiped her eyes, yet refused to let Infernape bear the whole weight.

"I should apologize as well. For everything." Infernape smiled warmly at the gesture before standing up straight and outstretched his arms. Gardevoir accepted the silent offered and the two embraced once more. Any remaining tension between the two faded away like a long-forgotten memory. Infernape found himself shedding a few tears. Finally, he could move on. But he wouldn't forget what happened. Like the end of a chapter in a novel, he had to turn the page eventually. He had to see the next chapter, and with a new family by his side, and an evil stone man planning to destroy the past, this was gonna be one helluva book.

Gardevoir closed her eyes shut. It was time to move on. It was that simple. Just move on. She repeated this to herself in her head. Reason returned to her; she shouldn't be upset about Tsumi and Fushigi's amnesia surgery. She would have to apologize to her parents as soon as she could.

Lopunny emerged from a nearby hallway. She looked at Infernape and Gardevoir and remained quiet until the two separated. This was clearly a moment and she trusted Infernape. Once the two were finished, Lopunny told them what was happening,

"Something's up with Grandpa. He's in the ocean!"

The group rushed out of the hospital to see a crowd staring out into the beach. They rushed in front to see the ocean had been parted. The roaring sounds of the waves deafened all ears. The white foam surrounded the edges of the path like snow after a snowplow pushed it to the side. Fish, eels, sharks, even a whale all swam at the very edge of the water, peering into the empty space that was once part of their vast home. On the ocean floor, stood Blastoise facing away from the crowd.

He wasn't a selfish man. He knew that he couldn't do much to change how today's events unfolded. He knew that he had tried his very best and that no one was asking more from him. But his concerns lie with what could've happened. That battle with Electivire was too close. Had he made one mistake, had he hesitated for a split second, he'd be dead. And Electivire wasn't even that strong and he struggled. If he fought Donquixote, he would be turned into a bloody paste.

The image of his entire platoon being slaughtered before his very dies flashed before him. He balled his hand into a fist. He wished he had his stress ball right now. Blastoise wasn't the man to abandon the people when they needed him most, but how could he fulfill their need when he wasn't strong enough. However, he knew that the newly dubbed Rainbow Nine needed direction. So he gave a simple message.

He raised his hand into the air and raised three fingers. In three years time, he would return, stronger than ever.

That message carried It's way across the nation, from the Rainbow Nine right there on the shore, to the ex-cult members in their holding cell. Everyone knew what they meant. The group all collectively had the same thought. If they were going to fight Donquixote, they needed to get stronger. Three years until Blastoise came back, three straight years of non-stop training.

Suddenly, Lopunny sprinted out before being caught by Infernape. She screamed out,

"DON'T GO! PLEASE!" However, her protests fell on deaf ears. Infernape wasn't even sure if he even wanted to stop her. Losing her parental figure for the third time in a row must've been devastating. Lopunny fiercely fought against Infernape's grip, demanding that Blastoise stop. However, she never shed a single tear. Eventually, perhaps realizing that her effort were fruitless, she gave up, falling onto her knees as Infernape tightly embraced her from behind. Infernape knew that she needed him now more than ever and he would be there for her.

However, Blastoise wasn't going to leave the group without something.

He called in every favor he had.

(A/N): That's right, how could I call a story I have explicitly stated was an homage to shounen battle anime and manga without featuring a timeskip. Don't worry, these last handful of chapters will be the end of this part. After that, I'll be taking a much needed break from writing fanfiction. I've got a book to work on, but fear not! I promise, that one day, whether it be in a year, or in a hundred, Pyrophant will reach its definitive conclusion. I'll see you soon!