Chris grew up with a rather stern belief that there's more that could be done for himself and his brother, Zach. His mother was always busy. She worked tiring shifts, barely having any time to spend with her two children. But as time went on, Chris would often play with Zach to keep him happy. Their father fought in the Afghan War, and ever since he was discharged from service in 2020, things sort of felt like they were going to keep on track. In Chris' mind, it was like they finally had someone to return to after school every day.

Of course, it was there that the hell they've endured truly started to manifest.

Chris' father, Gideon, was a traumatized war veteran. He would often have panic attacks at night. And Chris' mother, Elanor, was often the one who had to comfort him. He hardly had a chance to know his family that well, having fought in the war ever since Chris was just a small kid, and when Zach was only a baby. Chris would think his father was a war hero, but Zach had never put the thought of war in mind.

Then, in 2023, Gideon started getting rather abusive verbally. Some days were better than others, but the verbal scolding he gave out to Chris, and especially Zach, were harsh, unjust, and horrible. Often, he would neglect looking out for them, prompting Chris to take care of Zach on his own, to help him out in these trying times. They would often sneak out of the house and into their little private clubhouse, pretending to be in places like an old kingdom, fighting together as knights against dragons to rescue damsels in distress.

But it was then that Zach brought something up one day. "Chris. Why does Dad have to be mean to us?"

"Huh?" Chris sat down to listen to his brother, and asked "What do you mean?"

Zach was rather lost in his own world, looking around the clubhouse because he was a little distracted. However, Chris chose to wait for Zach to finish his train of thought.

Zach had a sad look on his face, though. Chris was quick to take notice, before asking "Did Dad say something? What is it?"

Zach looked over at Chris, and mentioned "Dad said he wanted to speak with me in private. He said I was too frail. Too delicate. That perhaps I could never be strong enough for him."

In Chris' mind, he knew what this meant. He's heard it all before. Chris knew that Zach wasn't particularly strong-willed. But then again, he's always been rather soft-spoken and quiet. Chris felt like a comfort and luxury compared to Gideon.

"Don't take what Dad said seriously, Zach," Chris tried to reassure. "He's just trying to get to you."

"No, you're wrong," Zach said, averting his gaze. "Because Dad…" Tears soon formed in his eyes, and soon enough, he confessed "He hurt me…"

Soon enough, Zach rolled back the sleeve on his shirt, showing that his wrist had a rather large bruise on it. Just the sight of it was enough to make Chris gasp in horror.

Later that night, as Gideon was sitting down, watching a war movie, Chris walked over to him, angrily yelling out "What did you do to him, you bastard?!"

"Oh? Is there a problem?" Gideon asked in a condescending tone of voice, glaring at Chris.

"That bruise on his arm didn't just happen out of nowhere!" Chris argued. "If Mom finds out what you've done to him, I'll…"

"Mom will find out, eh?" Gideon soon got up from his seat, standing tall, staring down at Chris. "And what are you going to tell her? That Zach is hurt because of me? Need I remind you that I am in charge of this house until your mother returns from work every night. You have no authority here."

"I will tell her tomorrow morning!" Chris argued. "She will see you for what you are, and she will discard you like trash!"

Gideon didn't take that well, and gripped Chris' shirt, before pinning him to the wall with a forceful push. "You call me trash? ME?! The only trash I see is the likes of the both of you! You both are nothing more than weak and pathetic miscreants who don't even understand a goddamn thing about the real world!"

Gideon soon slapped Chris across the face, knocking him to the ground. Chris looked up at his father immediately afterward, all the while Gideon cracked his knuckles. "If you say a word about this to you mom, I swear I will make your life a living hell. And what will Zach think then? How would he feel, knowing that you are willing to take the punishments that he would usually sustain?"

Chris gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more than to beat his father to a pulp for even considering this. He hated his father. More than any other person in the world.

This was the life that Chris had to live with for years. Chris had to toughen himself up, constantly having to protect his brother from the cruel treatment their father would often subject them to. Any bruises either of them sustained, Gideon would be the one to twist the narrative, saying they got hurt while playing in the clubhouse. Before long, the both of them lost that very clubhouse when they both became too old to play in it.

Then, the year 2026 happened. After so much cruelty from their father, any form of escape would be beneficial. So, Chris opted to pick up the latest means of doing so. A video game.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Online.

Chris and Zach made their avatars. Chris always liked Scyther, so that was the one he went with. All the while Zach went with Wurmple, ironically enough. His reasoning was that he didn't see himself much as a fighter, and often thought he'd make a great support. But then, things changed when Chris realized he also had to keep their little chamber secure from their father, who thought that wasting their time with video games was only going to make them weak.

However, Zach said he didn't mind if Chris protected him in the real world. To him, he finally had a team to work with. To escape from life's problems. Chris allowed this, and soon enough, Zach seemed to be getting much braver and more confident.

And then…things only got worse.

Chris was struggling to do his homework one night, mostly due to his mind wandering to wishing to keep Zach safe. He wasn't exactly able to do it well, and soon enough, as he stayed at school to try and get it done, his teacher walked up to him, asking "Aren't you going to head on home, Chris?"

Chris shook his head, mentioning "I need to get this assignment done soon. Otherwise there's no telling what my parents would think."

"I think they'll appreciate it if you don't push yourself too hard," the teacher said. "Besides, they'll be worried if you end up running late."

If only you knew… Chris felt shame for keeping his living situation a secret for so long. He wanted to be a hero to his little brother. But unfortunately, he can't exactly do that if he can't also prove he's got the intelligence to back it up.

The teacher smiled, seeing that Chris was hard at work, before mentioning "How about I give you some pointers, and I drive you home?"

This surprised Chris, and he looked at the teacher, seeing her smile as he realized that he wanted to help him. But stubborn as ever, he insisted "I can handle this myself." However, deep down, even he was still struggling to keep up with the homework.

Eventually, though, he relented, and got some pointers from the teacher. He eventually got the homework done, and as he thanked her for the help, she soon decided to drive him home. He kept quiet to himself, staring out the window. But before long, the teacher said "Chris, sometimes there's problems that you can't handle alone. That's just how it is. You can't expect to take the burden by yourself. Asking for help and having good people support you is just as important."

Chris sighed. "I wish that was the case for me," he said. "After all, Zach wants me to be there for him. I place myself under quite a burden."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Chris winced a little, looking away from his teacher. "I can't say, otherwise…" He sighed, feeling defeated. "Never mind."

The teacher was clearly worried for him. She gave a slight glance to him as they pulled into the neighborhood. But as they were approaching Chris' house, they saw police vehicles and an ambulance present. Chris gasped, and as soon as the car stopped, he got out and ran over to his house. There, by the front step, he saw his mother was worried, and that Zach was being brought over to an ambulance. His body was covered in bruises, and his arm looked broken.

Pure horror started to hit him like a ton of bricks. And off the corner of his eye, he saw his father being questioned by the police, all while wearing handcuffs. He immediately connected the dots, and grew angry.

He walked over to his father, the police taking notice. "Young man, do you live here?" an officer asked.

Chris ignored the officer, however, and as soon as his father, he grabbed his shirt, asking "What did you do?! What have you done to him?!"

Gideon could only look on at Chris with an attempt to play off as a tragic figure. "Chris… My boy… Can't you just tell these cops that I did nothing wrong? After all, Zach is rather clumsy at points. He fell down the stairs and got hurt because he tripped."

This riled up Chris. The lies his father said. It pissed him off. Out of anger, he screamed and punched his father in the face, yelling out "You liar! It's all your fault! It was always your fault! You hurt Zach! He would never fall down some stairs, you son of a bitch!"

"Chris!" his mother, Elanor said, pulling her son back. "Don't hurt him!"

"This man is a liar, and an abuser!" Chris argued. "The bruised that I sustained were because of THIS MAN'S abuse! But just because I was gone, you could go and do as you please?!"

"Chris!" Elanor yelled, managing to pull him away successfully. She was at a loss for words, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.

However, it was there that Gideon started laughing. That haunting laugh, which finally revealed his true colors, giving Chris' mother a wake-up call. All that Gideon could do was smile as he looked at Chris, his nose bleeding from the punch Chris gave him. "Good, Chris," he said. "You are truly a hero, aren't you?" Gideon gave a wicked grin as he stared at Chris, telling him "But a hero isn't without sacrifice! All of the pain I gave you. All of the harsh words. It was to build you up! You are a soldier now, Chris. Embrace it."

Gideon was placed under arrest, pleading insanity, but it was through here that the trial would lead to custody of Zach and Chris would be taken by Elanor, thanks to a jury vote. After that, the family were able to reunite under different circumstances. With one final talk between mother and father, Chris saw the look of disbelief on her face, before she then shed a few tears, saying her goodbyes to the man who tried to seize control of the family through fear and intimidation tactics.

Chris and Zach were free from the abuse, but as Elanor hugged the two of them, she cried, apologizing for not being aware of their situation. She promised that they were going to live a better life together. But that night changed them all forever. And as Chris looked over at Zach, he clearly looked the most traumatized. Zach felt fear for the first time in a while.

They all moved away. Having to start fresh. Their new home was in Minnesota… And while Chris seemed to recover somewhat, Zach wasn't so lucky, and began to exhibit traumatic night terrors. His screams often making Chris scared for him.

Those long nights, he would try to keep him sane by hugging him. "It's alright, Zach," he said. "I'm here." He felt his brother sobbing as he gave him a hug in return, and Chris tried his best to comfort him. "Shhh. I'm here."

This living arrangement only lasted for a month, before Zach vanished. Vanished, and died the following morning.

Chapter 61: Butterfly Effect

An Audino nurse approached me as I sat there next to Adam on the bed. She had with her a clipboard, containing all of Adam's vitals. I awaited to hear the news, and sure enough, she smiled as she appeared to have good news on hand. "You were very lucky," she said. "If the shot was just a couple of centimeters to the right, it would've hit his heart and killed him instantly. Thanks to your efforts, his recovery period should progress a lot smoother."

"When do you think he's going to wake up?" I asked.

The Audino looked over the clipboard again, before mentioning "We believe that he'll be back on his feet tomorrow morning."

"Have you told Josh about this?" I wondered.

The Audino nodded her head. "He was the first person we told, in fact. He's currently in the mess hall." She then gave me a concerned look, asking "Do you want me to go and get him?"

I looked away from the nurse for a bit. Deep in my thoughts, I recalled what had happened not too long ago back at Mount Sanda. How Adam got injured in the first place. Just the fear of losing him was enough to make me shudder. But I think Josh had it worse. He genuinely had no idea that Adam was going to be alright until he heard the good news. But it was what he told Norman before we left. That scary look in his eyes.

"You are only lucky that my brother is alive."

It made me think that perhaps, deep down, Josh was likely just as much a horrifying monster as he was a genuinely kind person. It scared me, and it made me worried about what would happen if Chris knew what occurred three years ago.

I shook my head, trying my best to give a brave smile to the nurse. "No. I think he just needs time to process what happened, that's all. It's for the best we leave him alone."

The nurse nodded at my request, finding my attempt to try and seem chipper a little bit odd. But regardless, she accepted that we need some space to ourselves, and left us alone. But before she left, I began to worry about how Hatori was doing, and asked "About Hatori… Is he…?"

The Audino nurse gave a reassuring smile. "He's just got a broken arm. Recovery time should be close to a few weeks. If we're lucky and pull in all our resources, he should be fine by the start of July. But for now, he needs to take things easy. We wouldn't want him to push himself too hard."

That news was definitely reassuring, but it still made me worry. I knew nothing about Hatori, and yet he went out of his way to protect Adam when nobody else could. I always thought of him as a shady character. But to genuinely see how selfless he was made me start to question if he really was as bad as I thought he was.

"Hatori's a strong one," the nurse continued, trying to cheer me up. "If anything, I think the reason he went out of his way to help you was because of Cereza."

"Cereza?" She helped him? In what way?

"I'll be honest, knowing that we were going to harbor a player with a criminal record was a shock to us all," the nurse said with a slight laugh. "When I first saw him two years ago, he had these nasty cuts on his face. He told me that he tripped and accidentally injured himself, but I didn't buy that." She sighed, giving me a smile. "No. What I think happened was that Cereza clawed him in the face out of spite. But over time, she trained him. Gave him a place to stay. Offered to protect him. Even when he comes back here after a particularly tough mission, he always said that Cereza would risk it all to keep him safe. And that he would do the same for her in a heartbeat." She winked playfully. "I think that they're in love with each other."

I had to really consider that for a bit. It was something that I found particularly interesting. It was there he brought up his Beauty and the Beast analogy. Maybe he wasn't just talking about me and Josh. Maybe…he also thought of himself and Cereza? It was difficult to say. Hatori's always been rather fickle from the moment I first saw him. His actions and words seem to feel worlds apart. He was an enigma. What was going through that head of his?

Hatori was up at the terrace, staring up at the sky. His arm was in a sling, kept inside of a cast to try and mend the broken bones. He was there with his team, who all gave their apologies for their failure in stopping Zeraora. (The following discussion will be translated from the original Japanese).

"Forgive us, Hatori," the team all said at once with a bow.

"Relax, all of you," Hatori said dismissively with a wave of his functioning arm. "Nobody expected the day to be as crazy as it was."

"But because Zeraora got away, BlazeTiger got injured," Kai mentioned with concern.

"Not to mention your broken arm," Toru said, staring at Hatori's injury. "If we were just a little stronger…"

"Or maybe you guys are concerned for my well-being, given that Adam almost died," Hatori said softly. He was relatively laid-back about this, trying to be as encouraging as humanly possible. He stood up onto his feet, looking at all of his teammates. "You guys are not at fault here. I didn't plan out every contingency. Not to mention, Sakura-chan…" He averted his gaze slightly, taking a deep breath, thinking deeply about what Cereza's reaction would be if they saw each other again. Regardless of that, he was ready to face the consequences, whenever they may happen.

"I will accept whatever punishment is heading my way," Hatori told his team. "You guys must be tired. Return home, get some rest, and we'll discuss this later."

The team all collectively bowed their heads, giving a collective "Yes, sir!"

Hatori smiled, and softly spoke "At the very least, we did what we could. Zeraora is out of the mountain. Now all that's left to do is track him down. That shouldn't be a problem now, should it?" He gave a bow to his team, and said "Thank you for your help, everyone."

The team all smiled back at Hatori for how he was able to keep his cool under pressure. Without another word, they all collectively accessed their menus, and logged out of the game. The moment that they all vanished from sight, Hatori saw Cereza standing by the entrance of the terrace, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. (Thus concludes the translated portions).

Cereza scoffed as she looked on at Hatori and his blank expression. "You seem to take the news rather well. But now, look where we are. We're both being punished. Your arm being broken was bad enough, but I got an earful from Spectro." She looked away, lowering her arms as she stood up straight. "He told me that what I did not only endangered everyone, but almost got you killed. That if we worked together in the first place, none of this would've happened." Her body trembled a little, as she clenched her fists in frustration. "And now, my team is no longer allowed on any missions until you fully recover as punishment."

Hatori refused to say any words, and listened attentively to her as she vented out her emotions. Cereza turned to face him, walking over to him, the look of resentment clear to see on her face. "My only real question is 'Why?' Why did you have to go put your life at risk like that?"

Hatori looked perplexed, giving a small smile to her. "I thought it was obvious, Cereza? I knew you wouldn't agree to the idea if I told you."

Cereza didn't like being proven she was wrong. Even Hatori's little smirk there ticked her off. And yet, deep down, she knew that he was right. She lowered her gaze from him, her lips trembling as she felt completely humiliated yet again by him. "For years, I've been trying to keep you safe. You often act like an idiot and make decisions that prove you still have that roguish personality. Toying with my emotions. Preying on my performance. Almost like you were enjoying my turmoil." But as she said all that, she knew that deep in her heart, it's not true. She was lying to him to try and level the playing field. She knew that he never did anything of the sort. She wanted to insult him further, but realized she was going nowhere fast.

Cereza began to start crying. "Why must you be so stupid? 'Never agree with your ideas.' What a sick joke… Ever since we met, you've used that excuse. Every day, I'm reminded of how you wrap me around that finger of yours, toying with me and my emotions. This was supposed to be my moment! My chance to prove to you that I had everything under control! But you kept on pulling the shots! What were you even thinking? WHAT'S RUNNING THROUGH THAT STUPID HEAD OF YOURS?!"

Cereza sobbed, fearful of the day's events, and how she almost lost her former partner. Her gaze was at the floor. She didn't even want to look him in the eye. However, it didn't take long until she saw Hatori's hand gently lift her chin up. She was expecting him to bite back. She was expecting him to be angry with her.

Instead, Hatori had retracted his tongue, his face scarred from the slash she gave him when they first met, and gave a rather gentle smile to her. "That you are just as beautiful as the day we met."

Cereza was at a loss for words. She had expected him to be mad at her, and instead, as she saw his face clearly for the first time, all he gave her was a gentle smile. The scars on his chin was something only she knew about, and as such she chose to keep quiet about it. She didn't want to come off as rude or hostile when she took him in initially. And yet, as he smiled at her, she couldn't help but give a smirk back at him.

Hatori noticed this, and looked away embarrassingly. "I'll admit it, Cereza. Initially, I did find you rather attractive. Not because of your looks, mind you. I'm not attracted to people because of beauty. I'm only fixated on potential. Strength. Courage. And I thought you exuded all of that when we first met, and…" He blushed, giving a partial glance back at her. "And I figured that you and I would understand each other if I tried being nice to you."

Cereza gave a chuckle, tears lining down her face, as she too started to blush from embarrassment. "I hate to break it to you, but I don't see us working out. We're too different. You're far too laid back for your own good."

"And you're far too uptight and feisty," Hatori replied. However, his tone of voice showed no hints of malice. Rather, he was being genuinely sincere with his words. "But you know what they say: opposites attract. And if I were to find some way to fix things from today, I would've told you about our plan in a heartbeat."

"Heh… Yeah," Cereza said as she looked at Hatori with a cocky grin. "I would've given you crap for even suggesting it in the first place. You were right about that."

"Yeah, but there was something you yourself were right about, too," Hatori said with a smile. He was as sincere as he could be, and tried to say the words he's been wanting to admit about himself that she knew. However, he stifled a laugh, looking away out of embarrassment, and admitted to her "You were right about me being an idiot."

Cereza stifled back a laugh as well, giving a genuine smile to him for finally admitting that about himself. She sighed, mentioning "I guess we both have problems, don't we? And because of our idiocy, we made things worse than we were expecting. And…" She gulped nervously, before admitting to him "I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for doubting you."

Hatori gave a nod, gently rubbing his hand to her cheek. And with a smile, his own eyes starting to water, he mentioned "Apology accepted, Sakura-chan."

Hatori and Cereza smiled longingly at each other, the pair genuinely wanting nothing more than to patch things up between the two of them. And soon enough, without hesitation, Cereza leaned in closely to Hatori, the Greninja taken completely by surprise, as the pair soon locked lips and kissed. Hatori could feel his heart race, but it was somewhat in a good way. And as Cereza wrapped her arms around him, he would then wrap his free arm around her, and he would just let the moment pass by without worry.

Their kiss lasted for a short while, before the pair soon parted lips and stared at each other with smiles on their faces. This was a moment that they were going to remember for the rest of their lives.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!" the collective noise of Cereza's entire team echoed from the terrace entrance. And as Cereza turned to see the rest of Team Sakura, she blushed profusely, embarrassed that they were caught. The knowing glances of the team members indicated that they all suspected something like this was possible, given their history together. And yet, despite it all, Cereza cursed herself for letting herself feel vulnerable for the first time.

Meanwhile, Hatori just gave a dumb smile, waved to Team Sakura, and simply said "Hey, guys!"

Cereza groaned as she slapped her face at Hatori's idiocy. Or…maybe her own idiocy? Either way, she was massively embarrassed, and something like this wasn't going to be forgotten any time soon.

Chris and Nolan sat down in the mess hall, playing Super Explorers to bide the time away. Josh sat there in quiet contemplation, head hung low, and a look of regret plastered on his face. Nolan and Chris didn't know what to say, so they just played their game, feeling truly sorry for him.

Chris sighed, breaking the silence, before mentioning "You know, we could've placed him under arrest for attempted murder."

"Herr Chris," Nolan stated begrudgingly. "Drop it. Now's not the time."

"I'm just saying that Adam didn't do anything wrong, and that bastard still attempted to kill him," Chris said matter-of-factly. "And yet he's still out there." He turned his attention to Josh, quietly asking "Why did you let him go?"

Josh didn't know how to answer that. He looked scared, but more importantly, he had no idea if he could face me or Chris again after what happened. Even as we returned to Esther, Josh couldn't stand being in close proximity to me, feeling truly awful for how he lost his temper and terrified Norman into surrendering. He saw how scared I was, but he also saw that I was also rather upset. He didn't even feel like talking, considering how close he was to losing it when his brother's life was at stake.

This, sadly, manifested in the form of reliving that fateful day, three years ago. The day that Josh would never forget about. The day that Zach died, Josh's own opportunities for the future being dashed along with him. Josh was regressing into sorrow again, only this time, he felt like he truly had no idea where to go now. The word "Monster" kept on repeating in his head; flashes of the battle he had with Volt played on repeat; and the sight of his friends in battered states before arriving in Esther haunted him.

Just then, as he was thinking all of this, Cross arrived, patting Josh on the back, sitting down next to him while carrying a cup of warm tea. "Hey," Cross said softly, grabbing Josh's attention. "Are you alright?"

Josh looked over at Cross silently, before he then started to tear up, returning to sulking after what happened.

Cross recognized Josh's sorrow, and set the cup of tea down in front of the Lucario. Trying to be reassuring, he said "I got you some tea. It's your favorite, too. I asked if they had any rose tea, and they did. So…"

As Josh stared at the tea, seeing a few rose petals inside of it, his mind immediately returned to thinking about me. About how he set a poor example of what a hero was supposed to act like. His eyes started to water as he reached for the tea, pulling it close to him. Josh stared at his own reflection, and immediately, he began to close his eyes out of disgust at himself, a single tear dropping down into the liquid.

Josh started crying, his body trembling, before he turned towards Cross and gave him a hug. Josh felt like the biggest idiot, but also realized his biggest faults within himself. He could never let go of the guilt he felt back then, and as he tried to go on this path of redemption, to prove that he could still be a hero and save others, he's become the very thing he's despised. He hated it. He hated himself.

Cross tried to reassure Josh by gently patting him on the back of the head, giving his best smile to help alleviate the situation. "Shh… It's alright, Josh. Adam is safe. It's alright."

Josh whimpered, before he muttered out "It's not that, Cross…"

"Hm?"

Josh soon stopped his hug, turning his attention towards the tea on the table. "I'm just frustrated that I couldn't do anything. How my first instinct was to go on the attack the moment Adam was shot. I just…" He lowered his gaze, tears coming down his face, as he felt truly awful for everything.

Cross realized then and there that his usual approach wasn't going to work, and he told Chris and Nolan "Uh… Why don't you guys go somewhere else for a second. This might take a while."

Chris sighed, realizing that trying to get an explanation out of Josh was going nowhere, and he soon stopped his game with Nolan. "Fine. Nolan, want to check on Adam?"

"Of course," Nolan said with a nod, putting the game away. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if there are any florists around here," Chris suggested, taking a small glance at Josh, feeling sorry for him. "Try to give my condolences when I can."

Nolan was surprised by the suggestion, and gave a nod. "Ja. That would be nice."

Before long, both Chris and Nolan exited the mess hall, leaving just Josh and Cross sitting there alone. Chris even took a brief moment to look back at them from the exit, seeing just how devastated Josh was feeling. With a sigh, he left the room, and started to make his way to the entrance of the guild, alongside Nolan.

As they were about to part ways, Chris said "I feel so sorry for him. I understand the pain he must've been going through all too well."

"Ja. But at least Adam is safe. That's the good news."

"Yes, but Josh still let Norman go after what happened. Why, though?" Chris stopped in his tracks, taking a small glance back down the hall. "Norman deserves to be reprimanded for his actions, shouldn't he? Why let a criminal like that go?"

"He was just angry that his brother was gone, Herr Chris," Nolan added. "Norman is just as frustrated as you were when we first met."

Chris couldn't help but feel a little bit torn by that response. Looking back at Nolan with concern, he asked "Did I seriously look that way back then?"

Nolan nodded, only to avert his gaze out of pity. "Tragedy is something that cannot be reversed, no matter how much we may want it. Even if we think we can find a scapegoat for it all, a personal tragedy like this is not something that will ever be forgotten about."

Chris felt a little bit unnerved by what Nolan was saying. Curiously, he asked "What do you think would happen if Adam didn't make it?"

"I don't even want to think of the possibility," Nolan answered. "Herr Josh has gone through so much pain already. I'd hate to see him fall from grace when someone close to him does perish."

Chris understood what he was saying, and he couldn't help but be reminded of just how angry he felt when he saw his father verbally and physically lash out at him and Zach long ago. How Chris tried to shoulder all of that torment and pain for the sake of his brother, whom he cherished so much in his life. He knew of the pain that he felt when he learned that Zach died. It was almost unbearable for him. And in a way, he understood how Josh was feeling in this exact moment. How dangerously close Josh was to losing himself to the anger and resentment he felt towards Norman.

Chris nodded, and gave a deep sigh. Lost in thought, he tried to be reassuring, telling Nolan "I'll go get some flowers. You go check on Adam, and be there by his side. I won't take long." He gave a faint smile, before he then waved at Nolan as he soon began to fly off towards the town to find a flower shop.

Nolan, meanwhile, just stayed there in the hallway, watching him go. As such, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sorrow for what two of his friends ended up going through. It's true what they say. Grief is the price we all must pay if we love those around us.

I sat there in the med bay, looking over Adam as he was resting. I went out of my way to send a reply message to Chloe after what happened, wanting to thank her for giving me that positive feedback from those fans. I sent her the following message:
Hey, Chloe. It's me, Rose. I just wanted to tell you that I saw you letter earlier today, and I wanted to thank you for giving me such a positive message. It gave me the courage that I needed in that moment, and I couldn't have been any happier.

Sadly, we were unsuccessful in capturing Zeraora. He got away from us, and Adam ended up getting injured. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, and he should recover in due time first thing tomorrow morning. As a matter of fact, I ended up being the one to tend to his injuries, and you know what he told me? He told me that I was a hero to him. I'll be honest here, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that.

So, we're simply resting up in Esther until tomorrow morning. After that, we're going to track Zeraora down again. Last I saw, he ran north. I know that you guys are still up there, so if you have any luck in finding him for us, I would appreciate it. Tell Serena that I am alright, and let her know that once we head north, we could probably meet together and team up like the old days. After all, the more help we have, the merrier.

I know it's such a sudden request, but I'm serious. I would greatly appreciate a meeting spot so that we can team up again. I'll bring Team Inferno and Team Calibur along. They are such amazing players, and I cannot wait for you to meet them. If you have any plans for a meeting spot, be sure to let me know.

BlossomBelle, the Green Flame

I meant every word in that letter. I really wanted to see my old team again. It's been so long now, and I definitely felt like that with their help, it could bolster our chances. Serena and Chloe both can Mega Evolve, meaning they have a distinct edge in combat compared to someone like me. Chloe was always able to move quickly on her feet, and has such a strong commanding air about her when it comes to taking action. Serena, meanwhile, is quite resourceful and knowledgeable, and much like her namesake, she's usually the one who resonates positive vibes when it comes to dealing with others around her. In terms of personality, Chloe is more outgoing, and Serena is more dignified. But the both of them are some of my closest friends, and I genuinely think they are good people.

My train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Nolan, as the Aegislash came to check up on us. I smiled at him, and greeted with "Hey."

Nolan hovered over to us, and looked over at Adam. "It's a miracle that he's still here. Gut. He needs his rest." As he returned his gaze to me, he asked "How are you feeling, Fräulein?"

"Alright, I guess," I answered honestly. "I'm still just trying to shake off what happened." As I looked over at Adam, seeing him sleeping peacefully, I just had to ask "How's Josh?"

Nolan's reaction was enough. He looked glum, eyeing Adam carefully as he gave his answer. "Herr Josh is still feeling miserable. He came so close to snapping your friend like a twig, and it's plain to see how much he hates that it almost came to it."

Yeah. Norman was legitimately horrified. I wouldn't blame him. Josh was like a completely different person for a second. I never would've imagined what would happen if he snapped. He was like a trained killer… I stopped my thoughts, and immediately began to piece together the current problem. The problem of how Josh supposedly killed Chris's brother, Zach. And all at once, I began to start having doubts. Wait. If Josh snapped when his brother was near death, then what if…? Was I mistaken that Josh was innocent? Did he actually kill Zach in cold blood because he wanted to keep his brother safe? All of this time, I thought that there had to be a way this isn't true. But now… I don't think there's any denying it. This might just be the worst-case scenario.

Nolan could tell I was lost in thought, seeing just how scared I was all of a sudden. "Rose? What's wrong?"

"What if I made a mistake?" I asked, looking over at Nolan. "What if my theory was wrong, and Josh did kill Zach?"

Nolan was surprised by that response, and he quickly started to argue back "Fräulein! What do you think you're saying here? I thought you said there was no possibility of that being true?"

"But what if I made a mistake?" I retorted. "What if I can't get any answers to what really happened? You know Chris! If he finds out about this, what do you think is going to happen?"

Nolan hesitated, seeing how scared I appeared to be. In truth, he was also quite scared. He didn't want Chris to lash out at Josh, either. He's seen how friendly Josh actually is. Even his own doubts were something he didn't know he could overcome.

Nolan sighed. "I don't know, Rose. Please understand, as much as I wanted to help Chris, even I don't know what will happen if Josh is revealed as Zach's killer. You were hoping that Adam could unlock those memories, to understand the truth. But the harsh thing about the truths of this world is that they are more often than not incredibly difficult to comprehend. We can't guarantee every possibility."

This was not exactly the news I wanted to hear, and I lowered my head out of shame. Looking back at Adam, I felt sorry for him. But I had to work with the low chances of success here. I didn't want Josh to suffer needlessly. Josh wanted to keep his brother safe. He had no idea that Zach would appear at the school that day. So what if…?

I decided to take on this approach at a different angle. Josh felt miserable, but perhaps there was some way I could help him. I steeled my resolve, looking back at Nolan, telling him "I'm going to keep trying."

"What? B-but Rose…"

"I made a promise that I would never let Josh and Adam perish, even if it costs me everything," I said. "They need my help. And if Adam can't do it, then we'll have to try asking Josh."

"Oy vey…" Nolan could see me heading for the door of the med bay, and asked "What are you going to do if Josh doesn't know?"

"Simple," I said as I reached the door. "If he doesn't know, we try therapy."

"A simple idea, but one founded on foolish logic," Nolan reasoned. "Fräulein, Josh is convinced he killed Zach. This is not going to be an easy fix for him."

"Which is why I need you to make sure that Chris stays out of it," I said. "As long as he doesn't know, we'll be fine."

I opened the door, ready to make my way to the hall, only to soon stop in my tracks. Nolan and I gasped as we saw the last person we were expecting to run into. He held a bouquet of flowers in his arms, but the moment that the door opened, and he stared at us, he dropped the flowers entirely. Chris looked rather tense.

"What do you mean Josh killed Zach…?" Chris said in disbelief, staring at us with an intense glare in his eyes.

My voice caught in my throat. Fear started to overtake me. In my eyes, Chris was just as scary as Norman was back in that mountain. But what made it worse was that Chris appeared to be rather upset, refusing to let go of the past. All of the caution we took. All of the ways we tried to avert him from this path. All of the planning to avoid further complications. Gone.

"Herr Chris…" Nolan said nervously, trying to alleviate the situation. "How much did you hear?"

Chris stared at the both of us with unease. "You guys were talking. I heard raised voices behind the door. But you mentioned that Josh killed Zach?" He scoffed. "Did I hear you right? Is that really true?"

Nolan and I didn't know how to answer that. We both gave these scared glances towards each other, realizing that because this was a dead end, we couldn't find a counterargument that would be considered believable. We were stuck. And because Chris demanded answers, our inability to provide said answers was enough to convince him that we had nothing to argue against him with.

He lowered his head. Muttering out "I see. I get it." Chris trembled, as he was struggling to process everything. "You guys have any idea that you were harboring a murderer this entire time? Not to mention harboring the man who took my brother away from me."

"Chris, no!" I pleaded, desperate to try and reason with him. "Please understand, we want to help!" I tried to reach out to him. "We were trying to learn the truth!"

But the moment that I walked towards him, Chris swiped at me with his blade arm, forcing me to step back out of fear. Tears were forming in his eyes as he expressed pure and utter hatred towards us. "Don't you DARE come near me!" he yelled. "How long have you known, huh?! How long?!"

Nolan and I froze as we both stared at Chris in a way we never saw before. He was furious with us. Like he hated working with us now that he knows Josh's secret. Nolan was the first to speak, mentioning "We first found out…back on Mount Ebbot. We didn't know it was Zach who died, however, until we made our way here. We're sorry."

Chris lowered his blade arm, staring coldly at us both. I tried to speak up. "But we have reason to believe that Josh didn't actually kill him. There has to be some other explanation."

"Where's your proof?"

What Chris said caused me and Nolan to tense up. Chris waited for our response, wanting to hear our explanation. But because we had nothing to work with, this was a losing battle. Just as soon as he said those three words, he single-handedly shut our case up, and we were left at his mercy.

Chris averted his gaze from us out of anger, sadness, and regret. "Then I guess there's no reason to argue anymore." Tears soon fell down his cheek, and as he turned to us, he bitterly said "We're through."

And before we could argue back against him, he flew off towards the direction of the mess hall. Nolan and I quickly ran after him, wanting to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life. However, the Scyther was way too fast, using Agility on himself to increase his speed and rush down the hall at a blinding speed.

"We need to stop him!" I told Nolan as we ran. I don't want Josh to die! Please, don't let it all end like this!

Josh sipped the rose tea to try and relax his nerves, all the while Cross patted him on the back. He tried to be reasonable, mentioning "Look, it's clear that you made a rash decision under intense fear. It happens. But the fact that you spared Norman back at the mountain shows clearly that you do not value death. You wanted him to live. To change for the better, right?"

Josh sighed, having to think hard about what Cross was saying. "I don't know… I mean, sure, I didn't intend for things to escalate like they did. I just lost myself in the thick of it."

Cross smiled at him. "Just because you almost killed him because of Adam doesn't mean you're a heartless person, Josh. I know you. I've seen how you saved Volt from himself during that tournament. I heard about your trails on the Zero Isles, and just how inspiring it was to overcome those dangers to save people you genuinely care about. You're not a monster, Josh."

Josh turned his gaze away from Cross briefly, still looking a little glum. "But I could be, Cross. There's always that fine line. Especially when–" He stopped, his eyes going wide with fear, as he stood up suddenly, taking Cross by surprise. But the fear on Josh's face spoke volumes. "Oh no…"

"Josh?" Cross asked worriedly, standing up to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Without warning, Josh gritted his teeth and reflexively conjured up a Bone Rush staff, swiftly turning behind him, deflecting a sudden attack that was heading his direction. Cross, meanwhile, was shocked at what it was that he was seeing. He recognized what was going on almost immediately.

Chris was attacking Josh.

Josh was pushed back towards the table by Chris, as the Scyther pinned him down, tears in his eyes out of pure blinding rage. Cross was the first to speak up. "Chris! What are you doing?!"

"You damned mutt!" Chris yelled out. "My brother trusted you! How could you take his life away?!"

Nolan and I entered the room not too long afterward, but we were not ready for the scene that was unfolding. I gasped as I saw Josh being pinned to the table by Chris, and quickly rushed over there in fear. "Josh!" I screamed.

Josh took notice of us approaching, seeing how concerned we were in that moment. With a little bit of strength, he kicked Chris off of him, forcing him back towards us. However, Chris was eyeing Josh like a hawk, and tried to charge after him again, only for Cross to stand in between the Lucario and Scyther, blocking Chris's attack with his blade arms.

"Chris! Stop this!" Cross tried reasoning. "I thought I told you that you shouldn't be pursuing this?"

"Oh yeah?" Chris questioned. "And what about him, huh? What about Josh? He took my brother away, you guys found out about it on Mount Ebbot, and you didn't tell me?! I knew that there was something off with that Lucario the moment that I laid eyes on him!"

"That doesn't matter, Chris!" Cross tried to argue. "Josh isn't a murderer!"

"OH! So you're taking THEIR side now, is that it?!" Chris yelled angrily.

Just hearing Chris say those words "their side" was heartbreaking. I was determined to try and help Josh, but Chris was only seeing red here, and the fact that he gave us all this look of utter betrayal was devastating.

"I'm not taking sides, Chris!" Cross argued, pushing Chris back, as the Scyther just stood there glaring back at him. "I know what Josh went through was rough, and I know you want the truth regarding the death of your brother. But this isn't the way to do that! Josh isn't the reason your brother died, Chris!"

"Ja! Josh has no reason to be a killer!" Nolan argued. "What would his motive be?"

"Motive? Who the hell cares about motive?! Zach is dead, and it's all his fault!" Chris yelled back towards his team. "This mutt is a monster that deserves what's coming to him!"

"But Josh cared for Zach, didn't he?!" I tried to reason. "Josh and Zach were friends! He wouldn't do anything as cruel as that!"

"Ja! That school attack he went through! He was trying to protect his brother!" Nolan argued. "You are no different! How you shielded Zach from the cruelty of your father. How you knew how dangerously close he was to destroying your family."

Chris winced at the mention of his own father. A man he clearly despised with every fiber of his being. He could never forgive him. Not after everything he subjected him and Zach with. But despite it all, he blamed himself for not being there for his brother that day. He hated his father. He hated how powerless he was in that instant. He hated himself.

But refusing to show weakness, he bites back with vitriolic drivel. "Don't compare me to the likes of him! I am NOTHING like Josh!"

"But you wanted to help him after learning of the Zero Isles Incident," Cross argued. "Why?"

"What does it matter, anyway! He still killed my brother!" Chris soon gave a glare towards Josh, pained and intense as he clearly hated the Lucario at the table.

Josh didn't want to look at Chris being fueled by all of that rage, and he looked away out of fear, turning his glance away from the argument.

"But Josh would never go through with something like that!" I argued. "He would risk everything to help people, not take their lives!"

"Yeah, like with his brother, Adam?" Chris retorted. "How do we know that he's innocent in this?"

All at once, the room felt colder than usual. Cross, Nolan and I all stared at Chris as he made that remark, all the while Josh looked away, his body trembling. Chris saw their silence, and continued to spew out his rant.

"I know my brother! He couldn't even fight back in the real world! He was so quiet, timid, not to mention pure." He tried to be reasonable here, attempting to give his point. "My father never got the chance to know his family all that well. Not until he was discharged from service. But then he went to hiding from his own problems with booze, becoming a drunken man who was obsessed with trying to make us strong! But he clearly did so by making our lives a living hell! My father is a has-been who had his time, and chose to throw all decency away because he thought we were weak! He refused to see us as nothing more than failures!"

My mind raced as he said this out loud for all of us to hear. It made me suddenly recall what his reactions were like in the past. How he ranted about Josh's deception tactics in battle. His reaction to seeing Josh almost lose himself the other day. The way that he could tell that Norman, a person I once thought was a genuinely troubled man, was gaslighting things to serve what he thought was the truth. Every one of those instances told me that what Chris experienced back in the real world must've been so rough for him. But that was no excuse to be lashing out at us for this. Not that he was letting us do so, anyways.

"You have a point, Chris," Cross said bluntly, trying to reason to his teammate. "But trying to blame Josh for something he had no control over is out of the question."

"Oh, and you suppose that Josh is completely innocent, is that right?" Chris argued. "My brother still died that day. Through what I found out, he lashed out at him. I only knew about the person being a player in the game. His former teammate, no less. And to think…" He pointed his blade arm towards Josh threateningly. "This bastard did so because he was 'trying to protect his brother.' Well newsflash, Cross! How do we know he had no ulterior motive in this? What if he had malicious intent? What if he planned to kill him just so he could justify having his own brother serve as a replacement!?"

"ENOUGH!" Josh barked out, his aura spiking, as he slammed his fist onto the table, breaking it clean in half.

The sight of it ended up silencing everyone in the room. We all stared at him, as he had his back facing all of us. Before long, Josh took a deep breath, and as he calmed himself down, his aura soon calmed in turn. "That's enough, Chris," Josh said.

"No! I demand that you answer yourself, Josh!" Chris tried to argue. "I won't rest until I either see you in jail, dead, or confess what really happened! So, what's it going to be?"

"Herr Chris!" Nolan said out of shock.

"No, he's got a point," Josh said, holding up a paw to silence us. He turned to the four of us, a stoic expression on his face, trying to repress how much this pained him deep down. "Chris deserves justice for what happened. Who am I to judge him?"

"No, Josh…" I uttered worriedly. "You have no idea what…"

Josh looked over to me, seeing how nervous I was. However, even though he too was not sure of what to happen, he decided to do the one thing in his mind that could work out. He closed his eyes, placing a paw to his chest, and told Chris "I took your brother away, Chris. You have every right to judge me for what happened. However, leave my brother out of it. He's innocent. He doesn't deserve such treatment from you."

Cross eyed Josh carefully; Nolan was at a loss for words; I felt nervous about what Josh wanted; Chris simply glared in Josh's direction. A wide range of emotions, Josh thought. Fear. Shock. Anger. Grief. You are a good man, Chris. But even someone like you must realize that there's a fine line that even you can't cross, right? Because even I can see that you have frustrations to vent out. If that's the case, I'll do what I must. He looked over at me, seeing how worried I was, and looked pitiable. I'm sorry, Rose. This is all I can do.

Josh soon stared at Chris, raising his bone staff his direction, as he made a declaration. "You and I have been chained by darkness for far too long, Chris. And if it means I have to fight you, so be it."

A fight?! "Josh! What are you doing?!" I asked out of fear.

"This fight isn't going to work out, Herr Josh!" Nolan warned. "Don't do this!"

Josh simply ignored our warnings, and continued. "You and me, Chris. Tonight. We'll settle things in the forest outside of town. A fine place for a duel between warriors, right?"

Chris huffed out of anger, glaring daggers into Josh's eyes. "Fine. I've been meaning to face you in combat, anyways. We'll settle the score tonight, won't we?" He soon pushed the bone staff aside as he walked toward Josh, the pair showing their resolve for this battle. "I will avenge Zach, one way or another. It's the least I can do, after all."

Josh nodded to him. "I've already made my peace. If I'm to die as punishment, it's best that it's by your hands."

I was shocked by Josh's words. I knew that he was resigning himself to death. No! I can't let this happen! "Josh… You need to reconsider! You have to turn him down!" I stepped forward, begging "Please, Josh. What about Adam? You promised that you were to protect him, right?"

"What do you think I'm doing, Rose?" Josh asked, still looking at Chris with confidence. "I'm placing him in your hands now. Just promise me one thing: that you will never lose sight of your goal. A true hero fights for truth and justice. Never forget that."

I was on the verge of crying. I don't think I could take any more stress after everything that's happened. This was all too much for me to bear anymore.

Chris smirked as he looked on at Josh. "Such noble words from just a mere killer. You are going to regret facing me. I know how you fight. You won't last long, Josh."

"We'll see." And then, Josh walked past Chris, the pair locking eyes at each other briefly, before they soon turned their gazes away. Soon enough, Josh ended up leaving the room altogether, leaving the rest of us standing around in silence.

Chris huffed as he was about to walk off in a different direction. Cross grabbed his arm as he was about to leave, however, and as Chris was about to argue to be let go, Cross said "You are making a mistake, Chris. Josh is powerful. He'll snap you like a twig."

Chris pulled his arm out of Cross's grip, refusing to look at his own teammates. And as he was about to walk off, Nolan tried to speak up. "Herr Chris… Don't do this. Bitte…"

He lowered his gaze, his face grimacing as he tried to hold back his emotions. "Leave me alone. All of you." And as he took a small glance back at us, he uttered out "This is between the two of us. I'd hate to get you involved." He then took off and bolted for the door, fleeing the room altogether.

Nolan and I were horrified by the implications of this sight before us. However, to our shock, Cross was the one who was mostly being the mature one. He crossed his arms, lost in thought, as he said "Chris and Josh… They are both so similar…"

"Argh! Enough, Herr Cross!" Nolan stated in frustration to his leader. "Don't you realize what's happening here? Things have gone out of control! Herr Chris might actually get destroyed out there!"

"No," Cross said as he shook his head. "That's not Josh's style. I've seen the way he fights. He's strong, but he won't destroy his opponent outright. His fight with Volt is proof of that."

"With Volt?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that Josh would rather prove his point by resigning himself to defeat," Cross added. "He's testing Chris, much like with Volt."

"A test?" I questioned.

"What are you talking about, Herr Cross?" Nolan added. "What test?"

Cross's only response was this: "Josh sees the good in him. He is willingly going to destroy himself so that Chris can back down."

But…that's only going to make Chris a criminal for killing Josh, banning him from the game. That's not going to work…! My concern only made me more anxious, as I looked in the direction where Josh was wandering off to. I didn't know what Josh was planning here, but I knew only one thing.

If nothing is done, Josh is going to die.

I rushed out to the hall, wanting to see if I can talk to Josh. However, Josh was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I ran into Cereza, who saw me frantically looking for where Josh went. She could tell I was concerned, and immediately said "I recognize that face. That's the face of realizing that some idiot is going to get himself killed to prove a point, and you want to stop him from doing so." She smirked, and mentioned "Is that correct?"

I just had to know if she saw him. "Where's Josh?"

"If you're looking for LucarioTrainerJ, he's not here," she said. "I ran into him, and he demanded to find Hatori, preferring to keep his location a secret."

"Hatori?" What in the world does Josh want with Hatori?

Hatori was sitting by the waterfalls, humming "Answers" to himself. He was simply meditating on a rock as he had the song play in his head on repeat. And as he was humming the melody, he soon began to start silently singing the lyrics as the calming water put his mind at ease.

I close my eyes, tell us why must we suffer

Release your hands, for your will drags us under

My legs grow tired, tell us where must we wander

How can we carry on if redemption's beyond us?

His singing soon comes to a stop, however, as he stares up at the sky. The sun was already about to set. And he was having to contemplate what he should do regarding the next stage of his life. Zeraora was out of the mountain at long last. However, as he sang that song, memories of his own brother started to flood back into his head. He sighed deeply, thinking to himself Well, Nagi. If you're still out there, root for me.

Suddenly, that was when Hatori soon started hearing someone singing as he approached the Greninja. He turned to the sound of the music, and found the one singing to be Josh, continuing the melody that he sang earlier.

To all of my children in whom Life flows abundant

To all of my children to whom Death hath passed his judgement

The soul yearns for honor, and the flesh the hereafter

Look to those who walked before to lead those who walk after

Josh soon pulled out a leaf whistle, deciding to play the melody on it. Hatori smiled, standing up on his feet as he continued singing the somber tune.

Shining is the Land's light of justice

Ever flows the Land's well of purpose

Walk free, walk free, walk free, believe…

The Land is alive, so believe…

Josh put down the leaf whistle, and soon enough, to harmonize with Hatori, they both sang the next part of the melody together.

Thy Life is a riddle, to bear rapture and sorrow

To listen, to suffer, to entrust unto tomorrow

In one fleeting moment, from the Land doth life flow

Yet in one fleeting moment, for anew it doth grow

In the same fleeting moment thou must live, die and know

With the completion of them singing that haunting melody together, Josh smiled as he had managed to gain Hatori's attention. The Greninja respected Josh with the fact that joining him in a chorus was rather important. Curiously, he asked Josh "So, what do you wish to see me about, J?"

Josh took a deep breath, ready to accept what he was getting himself into. Staring at Hatori, he showed a look of determination in his eyes, silently giving his resolve to try and reach out towards Chris. "You said that in order for me to control my aura, I need to hold on to a focus, correct?"

"Hai. Your point being?" The Greninja was curious, awaiting what Josh what Josh was going to say. "As you can see, I'm not going to fight you, given my arm is broken."

"I'm not here to fight," Josh demanded. "I'm here to better myself. To train under your tutelage."

"Interesting…" With an eager grin, he asked the Lucario "What's the challenge?"

Josh knew what needed to be done. He pulled the Lucarionite from his scarf, holding it out in front of him for Hatori to see. "I'm tired of regretting the past," Josh said. "If I'm ever going to master this power, I need to know how to channel it. Only you can show me how to do that."

Hatori grinned. "How much training are we talking here?"

To that, Josh's response was "I have one hour. By the time that sun sets, either I'm going down a hero, or as a raging monster."