Though he was already several weeks into the rehab assignment that Jenna was putting him through, Michael was more than eager to graduate to normal exercises and workout programs. The constant need for yoga was not as stimulating as his cousin had told him it would be and he found himself in more physical pain every single session. He would do as his Health Proxy advised, knowing that the women in his life seemed to know more about himself and the world he lived in than he did most days, so would continue until Jenna believed he no longer needed it. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

"I want to start you on a slightly more difficult path today" Jenna told him as the two made their way down to their usual yoga spot on the Veranda that would lead to what was once their grandmother's garden. "It isn't going to be easy, Michael, but I think with some more work on your core, the rest of your body will begin to recover more quickly. You've been making good progress the last several weeks and I don't want it to stall for any reason."

"I doubt it will" Michael told his cousin. "I just wish it could be over and done with."

"I know, just trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." As the two made it to the dining room, they paused when the saw the sights of what was unfolding on the soccer pitch below the stairway on the Veranda. Or lack of sight, as a powerful sandstorm seemed to be brewing. "What the hell? A sandstorm? What could have caused this?"

Michael frowned. "Either one of the Pokémon is causing issues down there, or there's some kind of Pokémon Battle." He was surprised when the door suddenly opened and his adopted son Little Michael and his sister Victoria rushed back inside, his sister clutching her newborn daughter Peighton tightly while her nephew held her other hand.

"Dad!" the boy exclaimed as he rushed to his father's side and hugged his leg. "Did you see that? All the sand and stuff? It was so cool!"

"What's going on out there?" Jenna asked as Victoria took a moment to check on her daughter. "Is there a Pokemon Battle going on down there or something?"

Victoria coughed out the last bit of sand and gently stroked her daughter's face before answering the question. "That stupid cousin of ours has a date. Brought her here for a Pokémon Battle." She looked from Jenna to Michael. "Honestly, all I wanted to do was have a peaceful day here and see my nieces and nephews, maybe my little brother if he wasn't busy. Why does Daniel constantly have to be a pain in the-"

"Daniel?!" Michael asked grumpily.

"Of course its him" Jenna frowned. "Since all of the rest of our male cousins are either married or like Billy and off in Paldea."

"Dad, do all Pokémon battle like that?!" Little Michael asked.

Michael chuckled, tussling his son's hair. "Sometimes they do. Now I need you to stay here with your Aunts, buddy. I need to stop this battle before the garden gets ripped up anymore than it already has." And maybe straighten Daniel out a bit more. He made to open the door, only for both Jenna and Victoria to stop him.

"On your own?"

"I can handle a little sand" Michael assured them. When neither woman seemed to back down from worrying, he relented. "Fine. Tori, keep an eye on my son until the battle's over. Jenna, come on." He and his cousin threw open the door and went outside, quickly shutting it to prevent the sand from building up inside the dining hall. Upon getting out onto the veranda, he could barely see a thing. He lost a step initially but regained his footing. Jenna, being much lighter than he was, seemed about to fly around in the air until Michael grabbed her arm and anchored her down. "You can go back inside if you want."

"Not if I get to miss you chew out Daniel for this" she joked as she tried to regain balance. "I'm fine. Let's go."

The two slowly began to make their way towards the steps leading down to the soccer pitch, but the winds that had been howling and kicking up stand suddenly stopped. In its place, another strange weather effect kicked in. This one a random rush of snowfall.

"This is definitely Daniel's kind of battle" Michael grumbled.

"At least we can walk on our own" Jenna added, letting go of Michael and making for the stairs, grabbing hold of the banister to prevent from sliding down should the steps grow icy and slippery. Michael followed at a distance until both made it to the bottom step to witness the battle at hand.

Daniel's Beartic was struggling mightily against an Excadrill, which was on a relentless war path. No matter where the Beartic attempted to flee to, the Excadrill was right there to intercept it with an Iron Head. Despite the Snowstorm giving Beartic a chance to disappear within the heavy frozen rain, the Excadrill always found it and with a final Iron Head, the Beartic tumbled backwards towards his trainer, knocked out cold.

"Not again!" Daniel groaned.

"I warned you that I was better than you thought" his date warned, her Excadrill growling in triumph.

Michael tried to get a good glimpse of Daniel's new date, but the snow was making visibility difficult. Jenna tried to join him in looking, but nearly slipped on the ice, prompting Michael to catch her and help her stand back up.

"I want you to keep up your end of our bargain" the woman continued. "I want my audience with the King."

"We're not done yet" Daniel insisted. "I've still got my ace up my sleeves."

"If the other five Pokémon I've beaten aren't your aces, Daniel, I can't imagine this one will be any better."

The snow slowly began to die down as she approached the young man who would have been her date. Michael finally got a good look at her and was confused. She was certainly not a local from anywhere in Arcana. She wore brown leather garb and despite the various weather changes, wore a pair of sandals. She had short black hair and walked with a poise, grace and confidence that radiated with her every movement. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about this woman that was familiar to him.

"Do you know who she is?" Jenna whispered to him.

He shrugged. "No idea. Her outfit is reminiscent of the Native Tribe that Tori and I came from on my father's side. She's from Lentimas Town, for sure."

"Is that why she wants to meet with you?"

"I can only guess." He took a step closer, hoping the battle was over. To his surprise, Daniel didn't bring out the ace Pokémon he had been boasting about, which Michael had to assume was his Lapras. He simply remained on his knees as the girl who had beaten him gave him a dressing down.

"You judge only by the eyes, Daniel" his date warned. "Had you not been so gung-ho to flirt with the first pretty face you found, you might have seen I'm a master Pokémon Trainer from Unova. I trained under the likes of Clay, Elesa and Skyla, not to mention have had several offers from Iris to join her Elite Four."

Daniel frowned. "Man. This bites."

"I guess we're not going on that date you insisted we go on if you beat me" she teased. "Now I want my end of the bargain."

"I guess you'll get it" Michael answered as he walked out onto the soccer pitch, the snow now completely gone and the normal summer breeze kicked back into gear. The two made eye contact and the confidence with which the woman had once walked slid from her now that he'd seen her. The Excadrill scurried up to him as if he were a challenger, but curiously sniffed at him. Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a Tamato Berry.

"A Tamato Berry?" Jenna asked. "I don't know many Pokémon that like those."

"We'll see" Michael replied. He handed the berry to the Excadrill, who took it up and sniffed it before eating it. Once he did, the Pokémon rolled over onto his side and barked up at Michael to pet him. Michael chuckled and pet the Pokémon on his belly.

"I never would have thought that-" the woman began.

Michael eyed her and kept the smile on his face. "You think I'd forget little Ató:ken?"

She gasped but tried to echo his smile to the best of her ability. "You always had a soft spot for Pokémon."

"Unlike certain members of the Hakoda Tribe, Pokémon are some of the least judgmental things in our world. Then again, it's almost the same here with the Kingston Family." He winked at the woman. "Honestly, Willie, I doubt I'd have recognized you with the new hairstyle. Last time I saw you, it hung down to your ankles." He finished petting the Excadrill and rose to his feet.

"Well, it's been almost ten years" his paternal cousin replied. "A girl has to change some things about her, right?"

Jenna and Daniel both looked from Michael to the woman and wore looks of immense confusion. Daniel in particular was perturbed. "Wait, Mike. You two know each other?"

"I'd hope I know my own cousin" Michael told Daniel. "In any case, Daniel. Jenna. This is Willow Skye, the youngest of my cousins on my father's side."

Willow bowed to the two respectfully. "It's a pleasure to properly meet you all."

"Hello" Jenna replied courteously. "Welcome to Arcana."

"Yeah" Daniel grumbled.

"I'm sorry I misled you, Daniel. But I needed to speak with the King immediately."

"You could have told me you were his cousin."

"I meant about the whole flirtatious banter thing" she winked. "There's a reason I'm one of the Black Wooloos of the Hakoda Tribe and it's not because I like men." Daniel seemed eager to retort but felt humiliated enough and simply lowered his head in defeat.

"Go clean yourself up" Michael told Daniel. "You could use a bit more training before the League opens up again." As Daniel collected himself and his exhausted Beartic before heading off, the two Skye Cousins finally welcomed each other in a proper embrace. Willow had certainly grown up quite a bit since the last time he'd seen her. As the youngest in the Skye Clan (at least before Simon had been discovered), Willow had grown up as the baby that everyone coddled and protected from the moment of her birth. Everything about her was fawned upon and treated as if no baby or child had ever done before, which was both somewhat welcoming yet also suffocating for her. But Willow, or Willie as Michael and Victoria had always called her, always looked up to and loved her cousins and hoped to make her own way in the world like them. She was the only one who was ever truly close to them, and it was one of the reasons why she paid the price when they stopped returning to Lentimas Town following their parents divorce.

"I heard about what happened from Daniel" she said as the two came apart. "The Fury is still inside you?"

Michael nodded. "And it will be forever, sadly. But I try to manage it."

"Not something you can do alone" she replied sadly.

"That's why I'm here as his health proxy" Jenna assured Willow. "I take good care of him."

Willow leaned forward and pecked her cousin on the cheek. "Good. There are a lot of people who would be upset if they didn't have him in their lives anymore."

"No kidding. We were about to start his daily yoga lesson, actually."

"This shouldn't take long. I just need a word with him before-"

"WILLIE!"

The trio turned around and saw Victoria, baby in her arms, rushing down the steps to reach and hug her cousin. Peighton apparently didn't like the idea of being rushed around and started to get fussy. Little Michael didn't like getting abandoned either, as he slowly followed his aunt down to reach the side of his father. As Willow and Victoria hugged and talked about the newest bundle, Michael's son began to tug at his pant leg.

"Dad? Who's that?"

"That's your Aunt Willow, son" Michael said, scooping the boy into his arms.

Willow managed to untangle herself from Victoria and found her way over to her young nephew. "Hello there, young man."

"Hi" the boy replied before shyly burying his face in his father's shirt.

"He's so cute" Willow laughed, patting his head playfully before returning her attention to his father. "I'd like to meet all of your little angels, but I need to talk to you first, Michael. And it's probably not going to be a pleasant talk."

Michael nodded. "Okay." He lowered his son back to the ground. "Go with Aunt Jenna back to the castle. We'll have lunch together later." As the boy went back with Jenna up the stairs towards the veranda, Michael gave Willow his full attention. "Well, what's up?"

"You two aren't the most popular in Lentimas Town" Willow explained.

"Like we care?" Victoria shrugged dismissively. "Not like anyone but you were really welcoming to us."

"Skyla and Molly care about you. but even they keep their distance from home. I was hoping to make it here a few weeks ago, but a lot of things have been going on back home that needed my attention." Michael walked both women a bit further into the garden to avoid peeping ears, knowing what Willie needed to say was serious. "My mother is planning something."

"Bleu?" Tori asked. "What could she be planning? We haven't even spoken to her since-"

"Julia and I did" Michael replied. "She'd been trying to contact people in Arcana for a long time. Wasn't a particularly happy reunion when we talked. Went right to mocking my wife and saying I ruined the bloodline." He angrily looked over to Willow. "She didn't come with you, did she?"

Willow sighed. "No, but she was supposedly booked for the plane behind mine to get here. She wants answers for what happened to Leonard and his son. She probably also bought some story about Uncle Mike dying in unknown reasons too."

"For your mother's information" Victoria fired bitterly, "Leonard and Simon betrayed the human race for a genetic freak of nature like Mewtwo. They deserved what happened to them. And Daddy died fighting in the Battle of the Crag Hills."

"He was protecting me after the Fury took over" Michael lamented.

"Be that as it may" Willow counseled, "she's still going to be here soon. I don't know what she has cooking, but she means business. I just want you guys to be prepared for something, should it start. She hasn't been the most stable person since becoming Matriarch. I don't think she wanted the role after your father died, but she's using it to bully anyone who doesn't support her. Skyla flew off to Sinnoh last time I checked and Molly and her boyfriend are off in Undella Town soaking in rays. I'm the only one who gets to deal with my mother on a daily basis."

"Well, thank you for warning us" Victoria said earnestly. "We'll be ready in case she starts anything." As Peighton continued to fuss in her arms, Victoria gently consoled her daughter and quickly followed Jenna and Little Michael up the stairs. "Sorry Willie, we'll have to catch up later."

"Did she say anything about what she wanted from us?" Michael inquired.

"She's been meeting in secret with people" Willow warned. "Some kind of special group. I don't know if they have ties to the tribe or not. I tried to warn Iris about keeping her in Unova, but she said she was powerless to stop her from coming here. She did say that if my mother does do something here, she won't cause any problems in trying to extradite her." She rubbed her arm nervously. "But I'm worried, Michael. She's definitely not doing anything good if she refuses to share it with the only family she has left."

"I won't make a move unless she does first" Michael offered. "But you do understand that the safety of my people has to come first, including over any family squabbles."

"I can accept that" she responded, before stretching her body out. "I'm a bit pooped from rushing here. So if you'll excuse me, I need to find a hotel to check into."

"Why?"

"So I can be-"

"Willie, you're family. You don't stay in a hotel unless you want to. You're more than welcome to stay here or with Tori and her husband in Terra Town. If anything, Terra Town is more like Lentimas Town in those regards if being in a place like this every day isn't appealing."

Willow seemed surprised before nodding. "I guess. It's just-"

"What?"

"It's been a long time since I've had family to truly lean on" she smiled sadly. "Thank you, Michael. I'd actually love to stay with Tori and her husband if I can."

"Well, we'd better catch up with her before she goes too far" Michael gestured. The two then followed the others back towards the soccer pitch and towards the veranda.

{}

With their sudden flight and escape from the Academy having been hair raising enough for a dozen or so lifetimes, Addison brought herself, Cole and Morgan to a quiet and secluded area near the watery moat that surrounded Mesagoza on the western side of the city. There were a hundred questions filtering through her head that she needed answers, but for now, just ensuring they weren't being followed by either of Cole's would-be kidnappers was assuring enough to her. While the Cyclizars lapped up water in the nearby moat, she decided to take stock of their situation.

She herself was wound up, especially given how much she had just witnessed going on in Cole's mind. There was something dark and ominous about the comings and goings of Uva Academy now. Perhaps it had been that way for a long time. Her mind, though still not up to its usual snuff, was beginning to pick up clearly "off" signs regarding the events since their arrival in Paldea some nine or ten weeks earlier. First the sudden falling star that had a Pokémon now in the care of Lizzie, then the splitting headache she'd endured for a few days after coming, now Cole being the target of some kind of conspiracy. There was something evil going on throughout the region and she and her friends seemed to now be embroiled in it. Despite knowing she made a promise to keep themselves out of trouble, she could not simply abandon Cole to whatever fate they had meant for him. He needed her protection and she was keen to give it, at least as long as she could. Eventually, the school and especially the Pokémon League would need to be told. But for now, they would do things their own way. She grabbed a handful of water and washed her face with it to cool down from the surprising Paldean heat before looking back at her friends.

Cole and Morgan sat together beneath the overhang of a nearby cliff. While Morgan was practically latched to her crush's side, Cole was himself completely shaken by the events of the day so far. This was supposed to be the start of a fun adventure they could go on to find a special treasure and all they had found was trouble. He wasn't even trying to get out of Morgan's grasp, her arms wrapped tightly around his and her head resting on his shoulder. Something this boy had just witnessed had terrified him to the point that he was almost desensitized to Morgan's unyielding flirtation.

After washing her face and ensuring she had calmed down enough, she decided now was the time to approach Cole. As she did, he looked pale and frightened. "I know this is probably the least pleasant time to be asked so many questions, Cole, but we need to know what is going on. All I saw when I tried to give you calming energy was a bunch of fragmented things that you had seen."

Cole looked at her with anguish. "I don't know. I promised I'd-"

"You can trust us, Cole" Morgan assured him. "We just want to help you."

Addison nodded. "We can't protect you from whatever's become of Jovi and Angie if we don't know as much as you do." She sat beside Cole on his right side as Morgan did on his left. "Cole, please. We're not going to let anything happen to you."

Cole sighed in defeat. "The reason I'm so nervous...is that I don't know if you're going to believe me. You had issues believing me when-"

"And I was wrong to doubt you" she apologized. "But this is something that we need to know. Especially if I'm right in assuming now Morgan and I might be targets of them soon." She continued to sense fear coming from her roommate and friend and patted his shoulder. "There are some things I could tell you about why I'm here that might cause you to think we're crazy too, Cole. That's why I think we can depend on each other from this point forward. Not as kinda sorta friends. But as real friends."

"Okay. I'll tell you." He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm...I'm...I'm from the future, okay?"

Addison blinked in confusion. Morgan glanced at her just as baffled as she was. "Is that all, Cole?"

Cole looked flabbergasted. "I just admitted that I come from a different time and-"

Addison smiled sadly. "In a way, so do I."

This caught him by surprise. "Huh?"

"I and a few friends of mine traveled in time as well" Addison explained. "It's not one of my proudest moments, but I did break a law in time to save the people I love. Using the Time Flute and my will to save the people I care for, I went back a few moments in time and corrected my mistakes. But if I know time travel as my friend explained it to me, we moved into someone else's place in another timeline. Branching paths, I think Lucas called it."

"Dawn really netted herself a genius there" Morgan joked.

"So you see Cole?" Addison tried to assure him. "We know a bit about what you're going through. So you can trust us."

Cole nodded. "The rest is still kinda hard to believe. I have a hard time doing so myself. But here goes everything. So, I was...well, I guess I still am an assistant to Professor Turo and Professor Sada in a time far from this one. Me and Paige both are, but Paige is the better one of us. Turo and Sada can depend on her for anything, but after I got this scar-" He took a moment to let his hand touch the scar on his left cheek. Morgan reached up and took his hand, prompting Cole to continue. "-they kinda sent me up to one of the higher research stations in Area Zero. I didn't hear word from them for a long time, not even when they discovered some things. The only people I had to talk to besides my Pokémon were Paige and Professor Sexton."

"He's from the future too?" Morgan inquired.

"That's why you two knew each other when class started?" Addison asked.

Cole nodded to the both of them. "Yeah. I got this scar from a Pokémon that sprouted from the Time Machine that the Professors were working on."

"Wait, Turo and Sada?!" Addison gasped. "Aren't they-"

"Arven's parents. But these Pokémon that come from the machine are either from the long distant past or the even longer distant future. They have power beyond any you normally encounter. The one that did this to me looked like a Donphan, but its tusks were huge and it rampaged so much more powerfully than a normal one would. Because I was hurt, they sent me up and kept Paige with them since she beat that thing. Professor Sexton and Paige were the only ones who I could talk to. I don't know why Turo and Sada rejected me like that, but I guess it makes sense. They can't be burdened by me."

"No one could think you're a burden" Morgan insisted.

Addison, however, sensed that Cole's self-confidence issues ran much deeper than that and knew Morgan's nice words would do little to convince him otherwise. "Keep going, Cole."

Cole took a deep breath. "After that last Pokémon attacked us, Turo and Sada said they weren't going to turn on the machine again. But they weren't the ones to worry about. Because Professor Sexton had this assistant he took care of named Natalya. She's bad news, Addy. Like, seriously dangerous. She wanted to turn the machine on and flood the world with more of those Pokémon. But those Pokémon had already caused enough damage on the surface of Paldea, so she was turned down. But somewhere along the line-"

"She turned it on by herself?" Morgan shuddered.

"That's all I can guess. So she turned the machine on and hurt Turo and Sada in the process. We tried to stop her, but she made some weird speech about finding the truth to answers she wanted and stuff like that. She even mentioned something about someone who had once traversed time and her desire to find them. Paige seemed to think this person was the famous White Mage." His eyes found Addison's. "You."

"Me?" Addison gasped. "How did Paldea find out about-"

"Natalya and Professor Sexton would sometimes go on journeys to find things for Turo and Sada" Cole went on. "But when Natalya made her move, she leaped into the machine and vanished without a trace. The Professor went in after her and Paige and I didn't know what to do. Well, I didn't. Paige always has the answers. She told me we had to find two people for Turo and Sada's sake. She was going to look for the White Mage while I was supposed to find Arven. This might be the only way to save the future from Natalya's ambitions."

"But Paige never found me" Addison admitted.

"I don't recall a Paige coming to us in Arcana at least" Morgan added.

"Which means either she's missing or Natalya has her" Cole lamented. "I thought I could do this on my own, but if I was almost so easily taken by that Fateen woman-"

"How does Fateen factor into all of this?"

Cole shrugged. "No idea. But I know what's she's after." He reached into his shirt and pulled out a strange looking crystal shard. "This was how Paige and I were able to end up in the same time and not get flung around after going into the machine. It's a Tera Crystal."

"Like those you use to Terastalize Pokémon?" Addison asked.

"Kinda, but these don't have that same power. Professor Sada explained it to us. She said that these crystals are formed through years of bonding and some kind of geological action. They can transport anyone who holds one through time without much effort. Natalya, I imagine has one and I think Professor Sexton has the other half of hers. If she has Paige, she may be trying to gather as many crystals as she can for something." He lowered his head. "Fateen must think they're super valuable or something. I can't imagine how she could be involved in all of this..." His head suddenly rose. "Unless she's in league with Natalya."

"It's kinda dangerous to make assumptions" Morgan warned. "But do we have any other choice?"

Addison thought for a moment. "Well, the only thing we know for certain is that there's someone in Paldea causing problems and is after not only Cole, but me as well. And by proxy, anyone who might be working alongside us." She nodded in affirmation. "Then that settles it. We're in this for the long run." She took a deep breath, knowing she was about to defy a direct order from her father and the King. "We need to help Cole stop Natalya."

"But Addy" Morgan cautioned, "if this problem is just Paldean-"

"It's not" Cole interjected. "It's a worldwide problem. If the region can't contain those freakish Pokémon, the rest of the world will be impacted as well."

"How strong are these Pokémon?" Addison asked.

"The one that attacked us was said to have power similar to a Legendary Pokémon, like Groudon or Dialga."

Morgan gulped. "Then...we can't really do much alone, can we?"

Addison sighed. "The three of us may not be able to do much. But we do need to contain what Natalya and Fateen might be up to in the meantime." She looked to Morgan and then at their Cyclizars, who now began to wheel over to them. She noticed each of the Pokémon had collars on them and her eyes widened. Further analysis showed they had small blinking lights at the center of each collar. "And we can't use them to go any further."

"Huh? Why not? They were so fast."

"And the School probably tracks them with those collars. I know we should be able to trust Director Clavell or the other teachers, but if Fateen was freely able to use her power to nearly kidnap Cole, the school isn't safe for us. We need to steer clear of the Academy for the time being. I don't even think Professor Sexton will be able to help us here."

"I looked for him before we found each other" Cole recalled, "but he wasn't anywhere to be found. He might have found something and left the school, but I'm still worried."

"Then we need to get into contact with him" Morgan asserted. "What's the plan beyond that?"

"We need to find a place to lay low should those girls still be after us" Addison concluded. "Unfortunately for those Cyclizars, they may lead the problem right to us. One of us is going to have to get back to Mesagoza and return the Cyclizars. Then, that person is going to need to get into contact with one of the four adults chaperoning us and tell them what's going on, preferably Bridgette or Billy."

"Who's gonna be the one who goes?" Morgan asked, not initially aware of the fact that Cole and Addison were both looking at her. When she caught on, she grew nervous. "What? Me?! I can't leave you guys behind!"

"We need to lay low for a while" Addison told her. "And I'm not sure if Galatea and I have the power to keep all four of us off the grid. Besides, someone needs to get in contact with one of the adults to clue them in. Morgan, if it's not you, we're just sitting Duckletts for Fateen or Natalya to pick us off." She tried to give her friend some courage. "Trust me, you're the only one who can do this for us. We'll get into contact with you once we've found a safe place to hide."

Morgan seemed eager to argue, but caved. "Oh, fine. I get it. But I don't like doing this all by myself."

"Then why don't you go after Tommy?" Addison offered. "Instead of going to Mesagoza, you can follow him on where he's headed." She pulled out her Poké Gear and activated the tracking system for their group. "He's actually just made it to Cortondo. Go with him and you two can stick together for a bit. Then you both can get in contact with Bridgette or Billy to warn them."

Cole frowned shamefully. "It's probably safer that way, with me dragging you guys into this."

Morgan seemed motivated by Cole to finally accept. "I am willing to do anything for a friend." She released Cole and leaped to her feet. "Besides, I think if Tommy is on our side, we'll have an extra set of eyes to keep alert in case some unwanted friends start snooping." As Cole and Addison joined her on their feet, Morgan rushed forward to hug the both of them. "Please be careful, guys." She then looked away for a moment, hiding her blushing face, before leaning up and kissing Cole on the cheek. Without another word, Morgan came over to the Cyclizars and whistled them into action. Both leaped at her whistle and while Morgan climbed atop one, the other followed her at a quick speed and both took off. They swerved around the bend and out of sight in less than five seconds. Cole's hand brushed at where Morgan had kissed him before returning to matters at hand.

"What will we do in the meantime?"

"We need to get into contact with Professor Sexton so he knows we're on your side and about what Fateen did" Addison told her friend.

"How will we get anywhere without those Cyclizars?"

She winked playfully. "Don't you worry about that. I have alternative means of transport for us." She then plucked Galatea's Poké Ball in her hand and called out her Gardevoir. The Pokémon emerged and looked around at her surroundings in confusion.

Hmm. I was not expecting to be outside of the Academy. Did something happen?

"You didn't sense anything going on?" Addison asked nervously.

Her Pokémon shook her head sadly. That powerful Psychic Force is not just inside the Academy. It is spreading. So too is that noise we encountered some weeks ago. It is faint, but it is still there, weakening us. I don't even think we'll be able to Bond as well as we did before.

"Can we still use your powers to get to someplace?"

It will require us all to link minds, especially since most of Paldea is still unfamiliar to us.

"You can understand her?" Cole asked.

"It's a gift I have" Addison explained. "Three people I know have this gift. Myself, the King and Ryan. We can communicate with our Pokémon telepathically as if they're speaking like humans."

"That's so cool" Cole remarked.

"We're going to need to see if we can link as a group instead of just the two of us. Otherwise we're going to need a different way of transportation around the region." She looked to Galatea, who began to draw in psychic energy for herself. "While she's doing that, you and I need to be a conduit through which she can let her energy freely flow."

Cole looked nervous. "I'm not sure I like all this psychic stuff."

Addison giggled. "I'm definitely not Fateen. Your crystal is yours and doesn't interest me in the slightest. We need to work together though, Cole. Because your problem is now our problem." She put her arm on his shoulder. "I promise you we've got your back, Cole. We're friends now. We're in this together. Got it?"

This seemed to placate him slightly. "Ye-yeah. Thanks Addy."

I think I am ready.

"Do you have any idea where we can lay low for a bit?" Addison asked her friend.

Cole frowned. "The only place I know for sure is Area Zero, but I'm pretty sure that place is severely off limits. We may need to try a local town." He thought for a moment and then looked out into the distance, as if visualizing something in his head. "I know the place. I just hope it will still be there for us to lay low in." He looked to Addison, who seemed to be eager for him to share his new knowledge. "Alfornada."

"Is that place safe?"

"I don't know. But it's far enough away from Mesagoza that Fateen may not be able to track us to so quickly and it's close enough in case anything comes up. Besides...it's kinda important to me. I grew up there."

Addison nodded. "Alfornada it is." She looked to Galatea and her Gardevoir nodded in affirmation. She then reached for and took her Pokémon's arm.

"Now what was that about being a channel or something?" Cole asked.

"Trust me" Addison told her friend. "Give me your hand."

Cole seemed hesitant to at first, but after Addison extended her hand, he let her take it. Once they had joined hands, Addison sent a wave of calming energy his way. "Clear your mind and visualize Alfornada to the best of your memory. Galatea will take the rest from there." She could tell Cole was trying his hardest and Galatea was getting the message. Serving as a conduit wasn't ideal, but it was the only way for them to elude their potential enemies. Addison closed her eyes. "Close your eyes and clear your mind Cole."

A small whirring noise followed by what appeared to be a slide whistle being played underwater all but confirmed to her that the trio were at least teleporting away from their initial area. She dared not open her eyes for a few seconds until the whirring noise had ceased. When it did, she opened her eyes and noticed they were in a small, abandoned graveyard on a hill that overlooked the city of Alfornada. A few of the local Pokémon, such as Sinistea and Bronzor were floating around, but left the group be upon arrival. When she was certain their plan had succeeded, she looked to Galatea and then to Cole.

While Cole seemed to be okay, Galatea looked fatigued. While her beloved Gardevoir might pretend to be alright, Addison could tell that teleportation had weakened her. Addison patted Galatea on the shoulder and gave her a brief hug before recalling her. Cole seemed to be in shock as he got more alert to his surroundings.

"How did-"

"I told you we had other means of transport" Addison smiled.

"You keep getting more amazing, Addy. Those legends were right about you."

Addison couldn't help but blush brightly at the compliment but returned to focusing on her Gardevoir in its Poké Ball. "Take it easy for a bit, Galatea. We can handle things from here."

"Is she going to be alright?" Cole asked.

"She just needs to rest. There's some kind of messed up energy going around all of Paldea. But a bit of rest and she should be fine in no time." At least, Addison hoped. The last thing she needed was for Galatea to begin to lose her confidence and energy, and by proxy her power. But knowing she needed to be a bastion of confidence for her exhausted Pokémon as well as for her unnerved friend, she remained optimistic. "Let's go see some of what this town has to offer. You gonna be okay?"

Cole nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"We'll keep a close eye out for any of your-sorry. Any of our enemies more clearly if we stick together. Don't run off on me, now."

"I promise, Addy. And thanks."

Addison gave him a warm smile. "That's what friends are for, right? Now come on. Let's see this town of yours." She took his hand and the two made their way out from the graveyard and down the road towards the bustling streets of Alfornada, hoping the worst of their day was behind them.

{}

Tommy was surprised that of all people to come and find him on his way to the Segin Squad's base that it was Morgan. He knew something was going on when she came alone to find him and grew even more suspicious when she handed him a Cyclizar to ride instead of walking it the rest of the way to his first installment of Operation Starfall. But once she began to fill him in as they more slowly made their way up the hill outside of Cortondo, did he realize this was as serious a situation as they'd been in since Mewtwo's defeat.

"The future, huh?" Tommy reflected. "I kinda got a weird vibe from Cole that he didn't fit in, but this is something even weirder."

Morgan frowned. "This isn't funny, Tommy. There's some psycho chick from his time that's after Addy, too. This is all too weird. But we need to help Cole."

"Count me in" Tommy declared. "Anyone who hurts Addy gets pummeled by me!"

Morgan giggled. "Still care about Addy that much, huh?"

Tommy brought his Cyclizar to a halt, prompting Morgan to ride past him a few feet before stopping herself. He frowned and took a moment to prepare himself. "Of course I do. And I always will. Just because I'm friends with Nemona and Penny doesn't mean I don't care about her." He looked to Morgan solemnly. "Honestly, keeping my distance from her has been helping. But I still like her, you know?"

"Why would you keep your distance, though?"

"It's easier this way. I won't get in the way or get hurt if she does succeed in getting to White Island and finding Ryan. And it will help me move on too." He put his hand on his heart. "It hurts to see her in so much pain. But it's not my place to be her hero. She doesn't need me. My other friends do, though. And I'll be helping them as long as they do. But if she ever asks for my help, I'll be there for her in a heartbeat. Just because I don't want to be with her every second of the day doesn't mean I don't care anymore."

Morgan pulled up alongside him and smiled. "You know something, Tommy? I think you and I are in the same boat."

"Huh? Don't tell me you like Addy too."

She laughed at this. "Okay, maybe not the exact same. But I know what it feels like to not be loved back by someone you care about. Addy and your sister weren't the only girls who crushed on Ryan back in the day, you know. A part of me felt obligated to help Addy because of the Countess and another part because of our friendship. But deep down, a part of me is doing it for Ryan as well. He loved Addy with every part of himself. I wish I could have been that girl, but it's not in the cards."

"You've got Cole, so things worked out in your favor, right?"

Morgan shrugged. "We can hope. I did kiss him today."

"Lips or cheek?"

She sighed. "Cheek."

"Those don't count."

"And how would you know about that, mister?"

"Because Addy kissed me!" he boasted playfully. "And I kissed Nemona on the cheek this morning, I'll have you know. So that didn't exactly count either." He revved his Cyclizar. "But I may get lucky one day. And I think you will too. Now come on."

"You do know we passed the Gym a mile or so back, right?"

"We're not going for the Gym" Tommy told her. "We're on a mission to stop Team Star. And it starts a base to the North of us."

Morgan seemed eager to remind him of his promise to stay out of trouble, but given their current circumstances, simply relented. "At least I can keep an eye on you this time around." She also revved her Cyclizar. "Let's go." Both took off on their Dragon Cycles up the mountainside and towards the Segin Squad's Dark Base.

{}

With most of the Elite Four having been reassembled following Chris and Piper's return from their lengthy honeymoon in Alola, Matthew was able to find some sense of normality returning to his life since the affair with Mr. Sartori and Giselle's soft warnings had left him shaken about his future in serving alongside the others. It helped to have another member of the team to bounce off of besides the eternally pessimistic Giselle or his eternally optimistic girlfriend. Chris was something of a regular to the Pokémon League, having served under three separate Champions now, but this time he was at the helm as its de facto leader. But this didn't stop him from being the same laid back cousin he'd always known. If Jeremy could convince Holly to shorten her tenure in Kalos so he could return, they'd have their whole group ready and Matthew could finally relax.

But despite the normality coming back in the weeks since, he still felt out of place. Chris may be a "lay about" as Giselle called him, but there was no denying he was as heroic as they came. He'd been that way since he, Michael and their friends all stopped the Syndicate the first time they tried to seize power and were instrumental in the second time when Ryan was the victor over Mewtwo. Giselle had completely reformed from a despotic dictator to someone who was in the close circles of not only those she had wronged, but Annette as well. Jeremy and Annette didn't have black marks on their records either, having been almost eternally good guys.

He felt lost. A Goldeen that was struggling to swim upstream while all the others around him seemed to be flourishing. It wasn't easy having so many eyes wandering towards him, whispers fearing he could snap and go back to being a rogue at any time and potentially endanger Arcana or his own girlfriend. He felt a crushing pressure building on him and while the others tried to understand him, few ever could. In fact, there was only one person who did truly know what he was going through. The one who had saved him from his own anger and pride: Jocelyn.

But even she was at a distance, with her blossoming relationship with Annette's older brother Garret keeping them occupied so often. And now, he'd heard they were going to take their own break for a while, going on vacation as a couple for the first time to Kalos. Annette and Matthew agreed to see them off, but for different reasons. While Annette simply wanted to wish her brother off, he needed to speak to Jocelyn for reassurance. His inner strength continued to waver and he feared doing something stupid without someone there to guide him.

And so, while Garret and Annette teased each other as they approached their terminal in Titanio Airport, Matthew and Jocelyn took a slower approach and walked around the waiting area, giving one another a much more solemn and tender farewell.

"I highly doubt you're going to do something reckless and stupid, Matt" Jocelyn tried to assure him. "You're not that guy anymore."

"I just feel so frustrated all the time" Matthew lamented. "It's like, knowing the world is always against me even though I'm trying my hardest to get over it."

"It's a price to pay for what we've done" she admitted sadly.

"I don't see you getting any backtalk."

"You don't look in the right places. You made your own bed by joining the Syndicate, but are a part of the family that has protected Arcana from danger for centuries. I'm the daughter of the man who almost plunged the region into catastrophe. It took a while for even Julia and Amanda to warm up to me, and I was the one who told them what the Syndicate was up to in those days. I've seen the same looks from time to time. Giselle has. And now you have too. But we have to simply endure them and move ahead."

"You know I can't do that."

"Of course I do" she smiled. "I think I know you better than you know yourself, Matty."

"That's why I didn't want you to leave. It's why I still don't."

Jocelyn stopped their procession and made Matthew face her. "Look at me." When he did so, she put her hands on his cheeks. "If I didn't think you were strong enough to get through this, I'd have cancelled on Garret immediately. Just because we're dating now, doesn't mean my feelings for you grow any less. Garret is my boyfriend. You are my family, Matthew. The only real one I've got. So believe me when I tell you that you can do this. You're not that angry boy who would have lied through his teeth to get a rematch with your brother anymore. And you're not the guy that people like Mr. Sartori believe you are. I am and always will be so proud of the man you're becoming."

"How can I be sure?"

"The biggest step of turning a new leaf" she explained gently, "is to believe in yourself. Otherwise, you'll always doubt yourself. Always fear that a relapse is right around the corner. You need to be the one who fights those bad thoughts off and wins. I can help you, Annette can help you, Addy can, and Michael and all the others can help guide you. But you need to be the one who makes that final decision to believe. I can't make it for you and neither can anyone else. It has to be you."

"If you say so" Matthew accepted. "But I'd feel better if-"

"You just need to learn to believe" she repeated. "The rest is easy after that." Matthew could tell him doubting himself this much hurt her to see, but he couldn't help himself. He would doubt himself as long as his own past haunted him. She sighed and dropped her hands from his cheeks. "I wish I could make you believe, Matty. Really, I do."

"Maybe I do just need to accept who I am" Matthew offered, taking his mentor's hands in his own. "At least I know you'll always be in my corner."

She smiled. "You know it." She leaned forward and kissed him, to his surprise, on his lips. He was completely caught off guard by this, but accepted all the same. Once they came apart, she gave his hands a tender squeeze before letting go and leaving to be with Garret. Matthew remained where they had parted, but did see Jocelyn whisper something to Annette before she and Garret went, arm in arm, into the tunnel that would lead to their airplane and their vacation.

"You know you've got this, right?" Annette reminded him as she approached. "If I believe in you, no one else matters."

"Yeah, I do" he replied earnestly. "Just need to learn to accept it myself."

"I keep telling you that we're behind you" his girlfriend reminded him. "And I'll keep telling you until the end of time if I have to, Matt." She walked over and the two hugged it out for a long time. Matthew, despite her reassurances, continued to recall that nightmare he'd had. Of the completely impossible choice he might have to make to keep the people he loved safe. And of course, his sister's own nightmares about a "big bird" that took her and Annette away. So while they stood there, arms wrapped around one another, he made the vow to himself that nothing would happen to them on his watch. And if it did, he would never rest until those wrongs are righted once more.

"Chris and Giselle are going to do some late shifts tonight" Annette told her boyfriend flirtatiously. "Which means it's just you and me today after our patrol. And tonight."

Matthew chuckled. "Good, because I'm babysitting again tonight."

Annette smiled and rested her head on his chest. "Good practice for helping protect Arcana. Even if the one in question still isn't too fond of me. Have you figured out who your Mom is dating yet?"

Matthew grinned. "I have an idea, but I'll let her be. No need to get involved in her love life when she lets us be."

His girlfriend leaned up and pecked him. "Excellent choice, Matty."