Addison woke up with a chill at the lowest part of her spine. Her senses were immediately on high alert, as if something had happened beyond her and Cole's escape from the Academy. Her breathing was labored, her heart beating rapidly and her mind a muddled mess of fatigue, fear and panic. The dream she'd had...

No. That wasn't a dream. That wasn't even a nightmare...

She recalled in her sessions with Countess Rosemary how the elderly Matriarch of the White Guardians would occasionally lapse into visions of things that had happened, were happening or things that would happen. And she also remembered clearly how the Countess had instructed her not to act immediately on any visions she might have. She'd had a few in her lifetime, but none of the magnitude of what she had just witnessed. She'd gone from having a listless and dreamless sleep to suddenly witnessing events she'd never seen before. She saw with heightened clarity how that monster Cassius Sinclair had experimented on Michael Kingston as a boy. She'd seen how Courtney had put her poor Ryan through torments no mere mortal could survive while he was a prisoner in Mirage Island. She'd witnessed a peculiar scene she could not explain, of two cloaked figures meeting on a pier in Paldea.

But at the tail end of her dream, she could only watch an enormous Bombirdier flying over an ocean, hear the cries and screams of several people including what she feared were Morgan and Annette and thought she could even feel an immense piercing sensation in her heart. She thought she could feel Matthew's pain. She heard his anger and felt his rage, but the stabbing pain in his heart no doubt came from the new level of strenuous pain her best friend was being forced to endure.

"What was that?" she asked herself quietly, hoping to not wake Cole. She took stock of their current situation. The home underneath the windmill was still being lit by the fireplace, but it would soon weaken down to a few embers thanks to the wood having been almost completely spent. They'd kept it as neat and tidy as possible for whomever would have the privilege of staying here the next time. And things seemed peaceful within the confines of their safehouse. But why did she have the feeling that things were going wrong everywhere else?

"You had a bad dream too?" a voice called to her. Addison had expected Galatea to be the one who mentioned things, but to her surprise, it was Cole, who was sleeping on the floor beside the couch she had been snoozing on. She peered down and saw his eyes wide open, as if he hadn't even slept at all. Or, as his tone had insinuated, he'd had a similar kind of nightmare to the one she'd had.

"Sorry if I woke you" she apologized, sitting up in the dimly lit room. "I don't usually have dreams like that."

"You didn't" he replied, his voice shaking nervously. "I've been up since my own dream spooked me."

Addison tried to smile off her concerns. "Aw, bad dreams happen, Cole. We just have to power through them-"

"I saw Paige" Cole explained to her. "I heard her crying. She was in pain. And I couldn't do anything to help her." He shook his head angrily and turned over in shame. "Why am I never strong enough to help people when it matters?!"

"It was only a dream" she assured him gently.

"How can you be so sure?"

She sighed. "Honestly, I'm not. I've had my own fair share of these before. But since I'm the White Mage, I kinda get used to it. My mentor once told me I had to expect these to happen from time to time. But I don't think that means every single dream is prophetic in some way. I mean, it can be, but I'm not sure how often they are or are not." When she realized Cole wasn't following her, she rose to sit up. "Alright, maybe we can help each other this way."

"How?"

"For starters, we need to make room to get ready." She quickly spun her legs around and touched the cold ground beside Cole. She took a step over her perplexed friend before sitting opposite him in a cross-legged position. "Sit up so we can clear our minds. The best way to determine if a dream is prophetic or not is for us to be able to see into each other's minds. The same way I saw what Annie and Jovi put you through before." When he made to voice concern, she shook her head. "I know you didn't like when Fateen went into your head, but this is the best way for me to help." Once Cole was sitting up and facing her, she nodded to him. "You trust me, right?"

Cole nodded. "Of course I do."

"Then we have nothing to worry about." She reached down for his hands and took them in hers before closing her eyes. "Take a deep breath and close your eyes." Both inhaled and exhaled simultaneously as Addison attempted to try and see into his mind the only way she could. Cole obliged as much as he was capable and did his best to do as she wanted him to. She appreciated his efforts, as otherwise she wouldn't have been able to delve as much as she wished into her friend's mind. As she opened her eyes, she found herself in the familiar void she would ordinarily frequent when she was meditating. The air was thick, little of what was around her or Cole was visible, shrouded by a dense fog obscuring their view.

"Is it over?!" her friend asked nervously.

"It could be" she admitted half-heartedly. "I'm not sure if it worked or not, though. Linking minds is a bit more complicated than I thought it would be." She rose to her feet and gently pulled Cole up with her. "Open your eyes and see for yourself."

When Cole's eyes opened, he was initially caught off guard by the changing of their surroundings and almost panicked. But to Addison's surprise, he collected himself and took another look around, releasing her as he wandered around the nearby area like a kid in a toy store. "So, this is what it's like to be linked up with you telepathically? It's cool...and also super scary. I don't really know what I feel, to be honest."

Addison giggled. "You seemed super scared before. What changed?"

Cole smiled. "You. You changed me."

"Huh?"

"I've been a burden on everyone for so long, being so weak and all. But you saw something in me that no one else did. You make me feel strong, stronger than I've ever felt. I know I can do almost anything as long as I have you around." Cole gave her a bright and wide smile. The same smile that Ryan would give her when he was optimistic about something. The smile that used to make her knees buckle. A smile that was even making her knees buckle at this moment.

Addison returned a smile of her own. "Well...you know. I do bring out the best in people, sometimes." She looked around at the fog surrounding the area. "So is this what your dream is like?"

Cole scratched his head. "Not really. It was different. We were in Area Zero, not some foggy area like this. Maybe this was your dream?"

"No, mine was more of a disjointed one. I don't dream as much as I used to, ever since I found out about this gift. My dreams are visions. Things that happened, things that are happening and things that may still happen. I definitely don't remember seeing all this fog." She walked a few paces forward. "This would be a lot easier if I had my scepter."

"Your what?"

"Well, it was Countess Rosemary's, but she gave it to me. It helped me in my battle with Mewtwo and helps me harness my-" She jumped back when out of nowhere, the scepter shot out from underneath the ground and floated just inside her reach. She'd decided to leave it behind in Arcana, but somehow it was here for them as they needed it. She reached her hand out and took the scepter into her control. She waved it around and some of the fog began to clear.

Cole was mesmerized. "You just keep surprising me, Addy."

Addison did her best to ignore yet another of Cole's unintentionally flirtatious compliments, though found herself losing focus as she tried to focus their vision. The scream of a girl did attract both of their attention and Addison pointed the jewel of her scepter towards where the noise had come from. Cole ran in the direction and skidded to a stop. There was a girl with scarlet red hair, forcibly restrained by chains on her limbs and kept to a decrepit old mattress somewhere. Despite the struggles she was making, the shackles did not give her any slack.

"Let me go!" she snapped desperately. "You can't keep me here!"

"PAIGE!" Cole cried.

Addison stared at the vision curiously. At first, she wondered whether or not this was indeed happening, had happened or would be happening in the future. Was Paige in dire need of rescuing? Or was this something that would come to pass with their interference. Then, she recalled her training with the Countess and looked beyond what was initially visible. Paige herself was strikingly beautiful, with embers of red hair that reminded her of the late Olivia Novren or even her friend Annette. She had a vibrant shade of emerald in her eyes. And judging from her clothing, she and Cole definitely came from the same rough upbringing years into the future. And Cole's panic at her situation made her realize just how important she was to him, not only stoking the idea that this could be something they were not meant to see, but perhaps even the slightest twinge of jealousy.

But the more she stared and tried to comprehend the meaning behind her visions, the more something seemed...peculiar about Paige. Almost as if something about her was familiar in a way. Her somewhat pasty white skin and the absolution in her voice in fighting for her freedom...the way she didn't seem to care about her appearances like other girls their age might...

Any more observations had to be set aside once Cole leaped towards the vision, but it vanished as he made contact with the fog. He glanced around worriedly. "Paige?! PAIGE?! Where did you go?!"

"It was your dream, Cole" she informed him. "It's not a gateway to her, no matter how much you may wish it was." She paused before continuing, her mind moving quickly. But if I saw it, what does that mean? That I replicated his dream for me to see? Or is this happening right now? She looked to Cole in astonishment. Is...is Cole capable of premonition, too?!

"But it felt so real" her friend lamented. "I know she needs help. And somehow, I have to help her."

"We can only tackle one problem at a time, Cole" she reminded him gently. "And ours just keep on piling up, don't they?" She would have added more, but heard another scream. But instead of one of fear, this was one of anger. She spun around and waved her scepter. A vision from her own dream appeared before their eyes. As it had been before, it was Matthew. And her friend looked as if he were in absolute agony, the only solace from pain being his relentless anger.

"IF YOU GET FREE FROM THIS, I SWEAR TO ARCEUS I'LL-" he roared at someone.

Addison tried as she could to focus on her own vision, but found herself unable to. Her heart was aching for Matthew. Why was her best friend being forced into an incredibly stressful time without her? And what was going on back home to warrant such a response.

To her surprise, Cole was the one who tried to gauge this vision. "He looks..."

"That's my friend Matthew" she explained. "I know he seems a bit abrasive, but-"

"He looks scared." He walked over to Addison's side and seemed to gauge similar things to what she had done. "Like...he shows anger in his voice. But his eyes. Look at them." He gestured towards her friend's eyes. Addison looked where he was pointing and saw something she never thought she would see in Matthew Kingston's eyes. Genuine horror. Something awful was happening to him as they were sitting there. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"Matty..." she whispered.

"This is what you see every night?" Cole asked.

"Visions aren't always repetitive" she clarified. "This is the last one I saw before waking up." She held out her hand towards the vision, almost as if trying to will her strength to him, but as Cole's own dream had, it disappeared before she could make contact. She brought her hand close to her heart. "I need you to keep fighting, Matt. I'll bring Ryan home soon. Then we can stop all of this together. Like we always should have." She could feel the scepter waning in her hand and released it, allowing it to sink back into her dreams and out of sight.

"What can we do about this, Addy?"

Addison sadly shook her head. "Nothing. There's nothing we can do, Cole."

"But-"

"I wish I could, but like I told you, we need to take on one problem at a time. We're almost a hundred problems in at this point." She looked to her friend. "In the morning, you and I need to set up a plan for ourselves. Tackle each thing coming towards us on their own as we can. Worrying about what's going on away from where we are will only cause us pain. And above all else, we need to get into contact with the others. We can't do this alone. Not if we're going up against everything, including the Academy and our own dreams."

Cole seemed distressed by the finality in her voice, but relented. "You're probably right."

"Unfortunately, I've been right too much since I became a White Mage" she said, trying to add some levity to their situation.

"As long as you're with me, Addy, I think I can do this."

She smiled and sat back down in front of him. "I know you can. And you know I will be, right?" She gestured for him to join her and the boy acquiesced. Upon sitting down in front of her, she reached for his hands and grasped them. "You know that, right?"

"Know what?"

"I promise you I'll be there with you as long as you need me, Cole. I do my best not to let my friends down. I can't do much for some friends who are too far away, but I can keep this promise to you as long as you'll let me." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Take a deep breath and close your eyes. If we did this right, when you open them again, we'll be back in the room we were last in." As Addison and Cole simultaneously let out an exhale, she opened her eyes and found them back in the room they'd been spending the night in.

Cole followed in suit by opening his eyes and looked around as if to reassure himself of their surroundings. "We're back."

"We need to get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Addison rose and returned to the couch to recline and try to get some sleep, taking a moment to admire Cole as he made himself comfortable on the cold floor beside her.

She could not help but stare at him as memories of her past failures flooded into her mind. Of the many times she'd failed her friends. Of how she'd let both Matthew and Ryan slide down dark paths and become puppets of the Syndicate and Mewtwo. Of how she'd said harsh words she could never take back to people she adored, including Michael and Matthew. Of how she could only watch as Mewtwo fossilized everyone she cared for in battle, in the sole time her failure had been complete and absolute. Had Lucas and that Eusine fellow not figured out the Time Flute, that would have been the future she lived in the rest of her life.

As Cole seemed to drift off to sleep faster than she, she feared she would inevitably fail again. That she could not best this powerful foe from the future. That she was in over her head. That Cole was as good as gone, just like Ryan.

She tried to shake off these fears, but they persisted. She soon realized the only way to conquer her own doubt and fear would be to ensure to herself that she wouldn't fail. By doing the one thing she could do in a situation like this: simply do her best. She leaned down to Cole's sleeping form and kissed his cheek. "I promise you, Cole. I won't let anything happen to you. We're in this together."

{}

"If you think for a minute I'm going to let you go into the Academy on your own after tonight" Billy admonished his young charge as they returned to the hotel they were staying at in Mesagoza, "you've got another thing coming, kid. You'll be staying in either our hotel room or Bridgette's." The duo had just landed outside of town and were walking their way towards the Hotel where all of the chaperones were supposed to be situated. Tommy had initially hoped to get his own private time in his and Justin's shared dorm room, but Billy had other plans and insisted that things in the Academy were not safe at the present time. Now, as the elevator they were in climbed up to where Billy and Amanda's rooms were, Billy reiterated to the boy how dangerous things were becoming, especially if Lily and Lena had been the last ones to speak with Morgan before she was punished by the Academy.

"I just want to make sure-" Tommy tried to reason.

"You can talk to your girlfriends tomorrow" Billy snapped. "Right now, my job is to keep you safe. If things aren't rectified by tomorrow, we may have to leave for home."

"But what about Addy and her mission? Or our schooling? Or the borders?!"

"We can't jeopardize your safety just to appease what Michael wants. I doubt he'd be willing to risk your safety for this, anyway. Worse case scenario is Michael and the other leagues have to force Paldea to open itself to the world, but hopefully once we get in contact with Geeta and the rest of the Paldean Pokémon League, we can avoid that kind of calamity." The elevator doors opened and both walked out into the halls where the hotel room was supposed to be. Billy was about to casually lead the boy to their room, but paused when he saw several of the rooms having been broken into. Doors hanging just by their hinges or even on the ground, broken pictures and vases that had once littered the halls now on the floor in pieces and a clear sign that whatever had happened to Tommy wasn't an isolated incident.

"What the hell?!" Tommy yelled.

"Stay back. We don't know what's out there." Billy reached for his Poké Ball containing his Lucario, expecting a battle to break out, but to his surprise another of the Chaperones emerged with his own Pokémon, a Greninja, at his side. Billy and he locked eyes and tensed up for a moment, until realizing both were on the same side in this current situation.

"Calem" Billy said politely.

"Mr. Kingston" he replied.

"What's going on here?"

"Someone's been breaking into rooms here" Calem explained. "Mine was broken into as well, but no one took anything. They were looking for something. I'd hate to know what might have happened if Felice and I had been here. We were out in Levincia most of the day trying to meet with the Gym Leader while she was making her vlog." He looked to both Tommy and Billy and frowned. "I take it you guys have had a bit of a day yourselves?"

"Tommy was almost abducted by a few former Syndicate agents" Billy pointed out. "And apparently, Morgan was disciplined by the academy for something earlier, but who know if this actually happened."

Calem nodded. "Need some help in figuring things out? Because I have to report this to Diantha back home."

"Of course" Tommy insisted. "Three trainers is better than two."

Billy was reluctant to add more to their group, especially someone he wasn't one hundred percent sure he could trust, but knew there was little option. Calem was a former Kalos Champion. He'd be an idiot not to count on him. He added to Tommy's optimism. "Sure. But can you leave Felice to herself?" His question was answered almost immediately as Calem called for Felice and she came out of his room quickly. Without another word, she rushed towards Tommy's side and stood firmly beside him and Calem. Billy sighed, but knew he could take command of this situation. "Alright, Calem take the rear. Tommy and Felice, stay between us. No one leaves this line for anything."

Tommy and Felice both nervously nodded and stood right beside one another as Calem withdrew to the back with his Greninja, who stalked about trying to discern what this was all about. The quartet slowly made their way through the halls of fractured glass and broken doors until making it to the room he and Amanda had been staying in. And it didn't take long for him to hear that was where these thugs had gone next.

"Sorry, Miss Fouritz" a man's voice called from inside. "But I've got orders to bring you in."

"How many vases do I have to break over your head to make you realize I'm not going anywhere with you, you creep?!"

"See, I'm not giving you a choice in the matter!"

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

Once Billy heard a scuffle break out in the room, he motioned for Calem to get his back as he rushed into the room. Amanda, for all her effort, had certainly made being abducted difficult as possible by leaping and rushing as far and fast as she could from this assailant, all dressed in black and wearing a baclava over his head to conceal his identity. Despite this, a streak of blood was coming from the baclava that indicated his girlfriend had done damage. She saw Billy and lunged for him, but the man caught her ankle and threw her to the ground, leaping on top of her with malicious intent in his eyes. It took him a second too long to realize Billy had arrived and Billy rushed forward and kicked him hard in the head. Amanda skittered behind Billy as he and the attacker got into a brutal fist fight, with Billy being smashed into the vanity, breaking the mirror in the process.

The man grabbed Billy by the throat with intent to strangle him, but Billy punched him in the gut and then in the face to daze him before giving him a kick that sent him backwards, tumbling through the open balcony door. The man recovered and sent out a Ceruledge to guard his escape as he leaped off the balcony and onto a nearby roof.

Billy tried to call out a Pokémon, but Calem's Greninja used a swift Water Shuriken to knock out the Ceruledge. As the Pokémon retreated alongside his trainer, Billy looked back to the others. Calem was ushering him forward to pursue the attacker and Billy did just that. "Stay here!" he barked, before leaping off the balcony in full pursuit. The Ceruledge spat out Embers to keep Billy from pursuing them too much, but Billy leaped over the small fire balls and remained close enough to see which ways they were headed.

The attacker slid down the side of a roof, while his Ceruledge remained behind and tried to use a Shadow Claw to attack Billy. But Billy's physical training was already too much and he leaped right over the Pokémon to chase his trainer. He called out his Skarmory and sent it into the skies to continue the pursuit, making sure his foe couldn't escape in the skies without his knowledge. The chase soon landed both on the ground, with him bouncing off a nearby stall and landing on his feet gracefully and Billy nearly falling hard to the ground but recovering with enough grace to make the masked figure run faster to escape.

Billy continued on foot, despite his exhaustion keeping him from being able to close the gap between the two. And yet, he kept up his pursuit. If he couldn't stop Lily and Lena from getting booked in, he would stop this one from being so or escaping. He needed answers and it was clear this guy knew something about what was going on. When the Ceruledge continued it's own pursuit, he knew he had no choice but to call out his Empoleon to deal with it, with his enormous Water/Steel type sending out Bubble Beams to knock the Ceruledge aside while he tried to keep up the chase.

The masked man took a sharp turn and raced into the usually busy square of Mesagoza, much to Billy's confusion. Billy whistled for his Skarmory, who soared down towards where the man was fleeing and sent a series of Air Cutter attacks to keep him pinned in the square. His Empoleon soon blasted back the Ceruledge and rejoined his trainer as they pinned the masked man in the center of town. A few of the locals quickly ran off the streets, with some seeming eager to call the Academy Security to stop this battle. Billy didn't care as long as he got what he wanted. Once the Air Cutter attacks stopped, Billy leaped at and tackled the masked man to the ground. The two resumed their struggle, with Billy receiving a blow to the head by the man's steel-toe boots and falling backwards. The man scrambled back to his feet and kicked Billy once more in his sides before retreating more.

Billy was exhausted and injured from the blows he'd received since the day started, with only his Pokémon able to keep him from falling backwards and passing out. He was dazed and dizzy, but tried to keep up the chase. It was only through a squawk from his Skarmory that Billy was able to fall to the ground as the Ceruledge had somehow recovered and sent a Fire Blast at their direction to protect his trainer.

The Empoleon and Ceruledge resumed their bout while Billy was being prodded back up with worried nudges from his Skarmory. He used his Steel Pokémon's sturdy nature to prop himself up. He pet her head but was clearly not capable of keeping up this pursuit for long. It didn't help that his Empoleon was blasted backwards by a ruthlessly strong Fire Attack from the Ceruledge and fainted. Billy knew his Pokémon were not capable of battling Fire Types and winced in pain as the Pokémon resumed it's desire to attack him.

"BILLY! DUCK!"

Billy did as he was told and within seconds, a Hydro Pump blasted out of thin air and struck the Ceruledge in the head. The attacker's Paldean Pokémon was pulverized in one shot as Billy knew Bridgette and Justin had finally returned to the city. Billy couldn't stand up on his own, prompting both Bridgette and Justin to help him standing.

"What the hell was that?" the surfer inquired.

"And why was that Pokémon attacking you?!" Justin worriedly asked.

Billy looked to the two anxiously. "Did you see a man rush off in your direction? Wearing a black mask?" When both shook their heads, Billy shook his head. "I should have been fast enough."

"What is going on, Billy?" Bridgette demanded.

Billy looked to Justin. "Justin, I need you to go to our hotel room and inform Calem and Amanda to bring the kids to us. We need to relocate for the time being." Justin nodded and raced over towards the hotel, allowing Billy to fall onto his sides and grunt in pain. "Bridge...there's something going on here. Two former Syndicate Agents are here and were the last people to talk to Morgan. And that guy with the mask tried to...kidnap Amanda."

Bridgette looked horrified. "What about the Academy? Why aren't they doing anything?"

Billy frowned. "I'm starting to think we can't trust anyone here besides ourselves and any other outsiders. We need a place to lay low for a bit. Got any ideas?"

The surfer was not keen to abandon their mission but knew that there had to be some truth to what Billy was saying and looked back towards where she and Justin had just come from. "Porto Marinada. It's a small port on the Western Side of the Region. We can lay low there for a bit. Lots of beach houses that aren't occupied. We can get Lizzie and Addison to meet us there as well." She helped Billy rest on a nearby wall and gave him a Fresh Water to drink. "You need to rest, kid. Take things easy for a bit. You've been rattled enough today."

"What is going on here?!" a voice growled. Billy and Bridgette turned to see Rika and Hassel arriving with several armed members of the Academy Security Force. While both word solemn and strict faces, it was Rika who broke first at seeing Billy's face. "What on earth happened here?"

"For one thing, this region has immeasurably bad security" Billy responded bluntly. "My charge, a student here by the name of Tommy Queensbury, was almost abducted."

"La Primera informed us" Hassel answered briskly. "Those two culprits are being interrogated for-"

"And what about Morgan?" Bridgette interjected. "One of our other students was last seen speaking to them after receiving 'disciplinary actions'. Last I checked, you had to consult with one of us, as their chaperones, before you could implement a punishment on them, yes?"

Both Rika and Hassel looked to one another in confusion, with the Dragon Master taking charge, somewhat unnerved by what Bridgette and Billy had said. "Miss, we know of no such punishment being doled out by the Academy. Director Clavell handles those and he's been out of office most of the day."

"Geeta said it herself" Billy spat out. "To me and Amanda here in the city a few hours ago. And now Amanda was almost abducted by a man wearing a black ski mask. I was chasing him, but I'm not in the best shape to continue the pursuit. They ransacked the hotel we were staying in as well." He pushed himself to stand on his own, though Bridgette stood at standby in case he collapsed. "This is an outrage. Our regions are going to demand answers."

Rika nervously tried to calm the situation. "Settle down. We understand things are serious and we'll be investigating this immediately." She signaled for men to chase in the direction where Billy indicated the masked man had fled to. "We need to know everything that has happened. Please, tell us."

Billy sighed. "I will. But in due course. I need to speak with La Primera immediately. Until she is able to see us, we'll be relocating to a safer location. One where no one will find us, if need be." He recalled his exhausted Pokémon as Bridgette gingerly led him away from the crime scene. He'd had a long enough day already, but it seemed it was about to get even longer.

"But you need medical attention" Rika insisted worriedly.

"And surely you can understand the need for promptness in this investigation" Hassel added.

"I'll get my medical attention elsewhere" he replied without looking back in their direction. "And if it is so important for her to do something beyond investigating the reason why my girlfriend and Tommy were almost abducted, then I don't think it's safe for us to spend the night in Mesagoza. Inform her to contact either myself or Bridgette here to meet up when she's available." He looked to Bridgette, who continued to walk him away from the crime scene, leaving both Rika and Hassel baffled by their bluntness.

Even Bridgette seemed shocked at Billy's words. "Wow. Didn't think things were going to be this crazy."

Billy frowned as he leaned on his friend. "I did. Something's going on here. And if what Addy told you is true, I think we're in for more trouble down the line."

The surfer looked ahead nervously. "Should we tell Michael?"

The two came to a stop at that thought. Michael would not tolerate anyone he cared about being in any sort of danger he could prevent. And them being inside a den of Arboks here in Paldea definitely would constitute his older cousin getting involved. But that could undermine everything they'd been working on in reopening the borders and helping Addison reach her dream of finding White Island. The involvement of Arcana's most famous hero would ironically be the last thing they could afford at this point.

"We can't involve him" Billy concluded. "We need to handle this ourselves."

"And if things get too hard for us?"

He winced in pain as they picked up the pace in their walking. "Then we can always have Chris light fires around here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Poké Gear, dialing as fast as he could to Tommy. Once the boy picked up, he spat out his orders. "I need you to bring Amanda, Calem and Felice to the entrance of the Hotel. We're flying some place safe for the night."

"We're already waiting outside" Tommy answered. "But what's going on?"

"I wish I knew, kid. Once we're airborne, we have to contact Lizzie and make sure she doesn't walk into any sort of trap here in the city. Mesagoza is not safe for us at the moment. And until Geeta makes sure it is, we're not setting foot in the city again." He then ended the call and allowed Bridgette to slowly lead him up to the hotel where the others were waiting.

{}

Locked up inside a holding cell in the Pokémon League, Lily and Lena fidgeted nervously as they awaited whatever kind of punishment they'd be given for their illegal entrance into the forbidden Paldean Region on top of the attempted kidnapping of Tommy and Morgan. They expected to be shown no mercy, especially given how utterly livid the region's Champion was when she found them. Both tried in vain to find some way to slip their wrists through their handcuffs but remained trapped in their chairs. They'd been in tough binds before, but this one didn't seem like one they'd escape very soon. And they wouldn't have a Claude Jacques to exploit or a naive Ryan Kingston around to bail them out of trouble. This time, things truly seemed like the end for the duo who'd been through much since fleeing Arcana.

"With the benefit of hindsight" Lena whispered nervously to break the silence, "coming here was not the best idea I had."

"Humility is finally reaching you" Lily giggled. "Twenty years too late, but still. I'd much rather us be free than stuck in some holding cell."

"I don't know much about Paldean Prisons, sis. But I doubt we're going to be given lenient sentences, especially if Billy Kingston sees fit to tell Geeta all we've done outside of the region. And barring some miracle, I think Brick is going to let us rot in here. The Tri Drago doesn't usually offer second chances to failures like us." The door in front of them opened up and both twins gulped nervously as Geeta entered, a cross and angry look on her face.

"I trust you two had your fun tonight" La Primera hissed.

Lily gulped. "Well, you see...the thing is-"

"Oh shut up" Geeta snarled. To the surprise of both twins, Geeta's voice began to sound as if it were not entirely her own. "I've had enough failure for one day, I don't need groveling from the help."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Geeta reached into her jacket and pulled out a Tera Crystal and examined it. "I found a whole hoard of these the last time I was in Area Zero. These crystals have more power than you could possibly fathom. It can allow one to traverse time in the Time Machine. It can help you harness the power of Paradox Pokémon. It can project energy beams that could blast through walls. And even now, I can be safely hidden inside Uva Academy and control the mind of La Primera at the same time." She then returned a cold look towards both of the prisoners. "Give me a reason not to incinerate you two for failing so spectacularly!"

Lily, for once, got the message faster than her somewhat smarter twin. "Nat-Natalya?"

Lena laughed as beads of sweat dripped down her face. "Miss...uh, Mistress Natalya! Why didn't you say it was you?!"

"I've had to deal with an endless line of failures today" Natalya's puppet growled. "My failure to take Cole's Crystal Shard, Cole linking up with that insufferable brat Addison Tenton, you two failing to abduct a twelve-year-old and even Brick for almost getting caught and failing to bring us Amanda Fouritz. Thanks to this, all of my plans have to be pushed back! If it weren't for our successful apprehension of Morgan and Simon being successful in Arcana, we'd be completely screwed." She pointed the Tera Crystal at the twins as it began to glow with the power of fire. "I have a mighty need to blast something clean through! Give me a reason for it not being you!"

"We can still be helpful to you!" Lily spat out anxiously. "We underestimated the kid, but surely we can trap someone else for you, right?"

"Yeah, you still need us!" Lena added. "The Tri Drago never breaks a contract. We're Tri Drago, remember? We can still help you!"

Geeta's grip on the Crystal tightened. "You're lucky our plans aren't as developed, otherwise I'd be splattering your guts all over the walls and feeding your bodies to the Paradox Pokémon below." She then redirected her Crystal towards the wall on the left side, causing a massive bolt of energy to strike, blasting a hole through the wall of the Pokémon League building. "There. Make your way down to Area Zero and await further orders."

"What about our handcuffs?"

Geeta smirked. "I'll gladly shoot a blast in your direction if it would help. It might rip a hole through your torso as well, but-"

"Point taken" Lily interjected. "Come on, sis. We need to make it back to base." Neither twin could look their Mistress in the eye as they raced for the hole and leaped their way out, their hands still behind their backs. Once they had made it through the wall, they wasted no time in rushing towards the secret mountain passages they were taught to sneak down to the lower levels of the Great Crater. Hopefully, they'd find ways to break their restraints down there.

{}

The only benefit to days as stressful and emotionally draining as theirs had been, was that after dinner and tucking in their entire flock of adorable children in for the night, Michael and Julia could easily sit and cuddle with the other in their room. No matter how aggravating or painful the day, the two would always find comfort and solace in one another's arms. Even now, as their two youngest slept only a few feet away from either side of the bed (Celina Jane by her father's side and Sora Christopher by his mother's), the two found the inner strength to persevere any and all strife by being in the same proximity as one another. They didn't need to talk or passionately comfort one another. Just sitting there, arms wrapped around each other as the night grew longer and darker, was enough to buoy them towards a night's sleep.

Julia had her eyes closed, lovingly rubbing her husband's chest as he had an arm around her body and seemed to finally be drifting off to sleep for the night. She would not be able to fully sleep, as her maternal instincts were on high alert given what had transpired today on top of her tiny son's own health problems. But she didn't mind if Michael slept. One of them needed to be ready and eager for parental duties at any time.

But to her surprise, Michael was awake. He let out a yawn and looked down at his wife and smiled warmly. "I forgot someone."

"Hmm?"

"I doubt it's been on your mind for a while" he explained, "but when the whole Peter thing happened, we talked about all of the people in life we'd been with. Mostly kisses and the like, but still." He gently stroked his wife's cheek with his hand. "I forgot someone who had kissed me."

Julia giggled. "Honey, you've been holding out on me, even when I wasn't asking." She pecked his cheek before resuming her tender stroking of his chest. "Alright, spill the beans. Who was it?"

"You could say it was another one stolen from me" he recalled. "I have to give her credit. She was a tenacious and determined kid."

"Who?"

"Cynthia."

Julia was surprised but not upset. "Really? Cynthia? When was this?"

Michael sighed. "When I was in exile and I came upon Sinnoh, I met Cynthia in Jubilife City. And after I helped her find shelter for the night from a winter storm, I promised to escort her to her grandmother's in Celestic Town. And from that day on, she wouldn't leave me alone. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without her right by my side."

"She didn't have any Pokémon?"

Michael shook his head. "Nope. All she had was the egg that held what's now her Garchomp. And there's not much an egg can do to protect you through the wild anywhere, much less Sinnoh. Either way, after everything happened with Gabriel, I left for Snowpoint City on my own to avoid causing anymore trouble. It didn't take long for her to realize I was gone and she followed me all the way there. I promised her I'd return, but she was afraid I wouldn't and wanted to come with me. I reminded her she had a job to do in her dream of protecting Sinnoh. She seemed to agree, until I offered her a handshake goodbye. She insisted on a hug and when I gave it to her, she...well..."

Julia nodded. "I can see it. You were so much to so many people, even when we all turned our backs on you. She was probably head over heels for you." She recalled how she had arrived in Sinnoh to study at Veilstone University with Chris and Michael helping her relocate, and how outright Cynthia had dismissed Chris's affection, but how her eyes had sparkled when seeing Michael. And finding out about their past made Julia feel uneasy until she got to know her roommate and close friend. The same woman who had since become the godmother of her baby girl.

"I guess it's why I ultimately got to meet Celebi in the long run. No matter what happened or where I went, I couldn't stop helping people. Cee, Mark, Lizzie, Giselle's friends in Unova, even Leon and Sonia." He remained reflective. "But as bad as it was, I wouldn't trade what I went through for anything. Because I wouldn't have what I do now."

Julia beamed up at him and let out a content sigh. "I wouldn't either. But there are some nights where I do think."

"About what?"

She thought for a moment before responding. "Do you ever think about Olivia?"

Michael eyed her curiously. "I mean...sometimes. But not often. Why?"

Julia inched her way up until she sat beside him and their eyes were able to fully connect. "She didn't get to live her life. She was going to help Little Michael reach adulthood and now she won't. Now he's our son and I know we shower him with so much love, but I can't help but feel no matter how much we try, we can never be what Olivia was to him."

"As long as we give him all of the love and affection we can" her husband theorized, "there isn't much else we can do."

"I guess you're right." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I wish she was here now. We never got to talk."

"You still had things to talk about? I thought she apologized."

Julia shook her head. "No, not that, honey. About what would have happened if Courtney had won."

Michael chuckled. "She didn't win, though. And she won't ever win again. Thanks to me and a bit of help from Mewtwo and Cameron, she's long gone."

"When I lost my memories" she recalled, recoiling in fear of what Courtney had done to her through her former lover Peter as a puppet, "I know I might not have been able to realize it, but my heart would have been destroyed if I ever had to lose you or our babies. But knowing Annie and your sister had a plan in case things didn't go back to normal-"

Her husband looked sad at the sound of the word "normal". "Nothing would have been normal. I would have taken on someone else as my wife only because James and Arya needed a mother. Not out of obligation. Not out of love. And definitely not out of desire. If you were gone or you'd died, honey, I don't know if I'd have been able to endure all of this."

"I think Olivia would have been a good queen. Her heart was in the right place. And more importantly, she was doing it for the right reasons. She didn't want to see you in anymore pain than you were." She sat up and looked down at her husband. "I want you to promise me something, Michael. If the day does come when I can't be there anymore, I want you to move on. Not right away, but find happiness elsewhere. Yours is a heart that I can't bear to see alone."

Michael eyed her with a curious look. "I'd have our kids. Our Pokémon. Our family."

"It's not the same and you know it."

He put his hand on her cheek and nodded. "If it means so much to you, Jules, I will. Probably not until the twins are adults, but I promise. And in return, I want you to promise me the same thing."

"Nuh uh. Not going to happen." She latched onto him. "You're not going anywhere and I will never love another person like I do you."

He gently picked his wife up and placed her on top of him. "Well, I guess we're at an impasse then. Because I won't make that promise if you won't." The two stared at each other until both wore the silliest smiles ever and Julia rested on her husband's body. Michael took her into his arms and held her close. "We're just two idiots in love, aren't we?"

"Hopelessly devoted" she whispered before kissing his cheek .A knock on the door brought their tender moment to an end. Julia sighed and rolled off her husband's body and let out a moan. "Oh fine. The door's open."

"A thousand pardons for interrupting" a guard called from the other side of the door. "But we received an urgent call Lieutenant Madeline Kingston. She needs you to come to the Precinct in Titanio City immediately, Your Grace."

Both husband and wife looked to one another and rose out of the beds. Michael quickly threw some of his robes on, but waved Julia off from following in suit. She was eager to protest, but he pulled her into a kiss which silenced her. When they came apart, he gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs before releasing her. "Keep our bed warm for me. Let me handle this and you handle our bundles of joy."

Julia nodded in defeat. "If you say so, baby."