Chapter 1: Backstory
In the far off region of Arcana, once every fifteen years, an anomaly
with the moon can be observed. The moon becomes a crimson color
and from the mysterious aura it emits, humans and Pokémon
become immeasurably powerful and aggressively violent towards
one another. Many scientists and studious members of society have
hoped to discover what it was the set off these changes within, only
to succumb to the power of the moon and be forever changed
themselves.
One such man was one of Arcana's most revered scientists,
Professor Balthazar Aced, head of Pokémon Research in the region.
Together with his lifelong friend and Champion of the Arcana Region,
James Kingston, Balthazar hoped to find a cure for the maddening
"Crimson Fury" and allow both people and Pokémon to go out and
live their lives without fear of becoming unstoppable killing machines.
According to legend, however, the Professor was corrupted by the
power of the moon and sought to use it to dominate over all of the
region. James was forced to turn his back on his closest compatriot
and bring an end to Balthazar's studies, permanently. While
Balthazar was stopped and his reputation ruined in Arcana, this
made a powerful enemy of the people in his equally ambitious son,
Elezar. Continuing his father's research in a remote location, Elezar
and his own colleague in outcast Dr. Cassius Sinclair sought to find a
way to make the effects of the "Crimson Fury" permanent. Knowing
that James would seek to destroy their research if word leaked to the
rest of the region, the son of Balthazar would enlist the aid of a group
of miscreants from the Hoenn Region to cause the long dormant
volcano of Mt. Heatmor, not far from the village of Parlor Town, to
erupt. James hurried to rescue his family from the wrath of the
molten lava, but was unable to save himself in the process and he
and his Pokémon were forever fossilized in the caverns of the
volcano.
With his main detractor out of the way, Elezar Aced would be free to
continue his research until they could find a way to weaponize the
power of the Crimson Moon for themselves. They found, through
their work, that the Crimson Moon seemed to most affect humans
and Pokémon that possessed strong bonds with one another and
had virtually no effect on those who abused or neglected their
counterparts. Using a piece of fallen meteorite that had been
discovered and studied by his father, he and Cassius would discover
that simply being exposed to what they had coined to be the
"Crimson Stone" would cause the outbreak of aggression and rage
within those exposed to it. Direct contact was even more successful
for them and the two agreed that they would need a subject to
officially complete their work. While they continued their
experimentation, the two would also form the organization known as
The Syndicate, with which they would drastically enhance both their
financial and political power over all of Arcana. The Syndicate would
soon recruit many from around the world who hoped to advance their
own agendas forward using the power of the "Crimson Fury" and
build up an army of supporters. While they enlarged their numbers
and became more powerful, they waited in the shadows of Arcana,
hoping to find the perfect specimen to experiment on.
After the passing of James, the Kingston Family found themselves
unable to keep peace and order in the land. The Pokémon League,
with which James had once ruled justly and fairly, now became a
dangerous place where uncouth and dangerous trainers would rise
to power. Even James's children were more interested in bickering
amongst themselves over titles and inheritance instead of acting on
their father's knowledge and fears. But hope did lay in the next
generation of the Kingston family, the grandchildren of James and
his wife Bonnie. The eldest of this new generation were Jon, Victoria,
Katrina, Michael, Madeline, Christopher, Jenna, Renee, Cameron
and Billy. Each set off from their family's estate lands surrounding
either Parlor Town or Terra Town with their Starter Pokémon (each
was given an Eevee) and followed their own paths. Many showed
potential to be nurses, breeders, bakers and even Gym Leaders, but
only three truly showed the potential to be champion that no
Kingston had had since James: Michael, Chris and Cameron. The
three would travel together, along with Michael's best friend and
neighbor, Julia Pines, taming any challenge that came their way.
Michael in particular mowed his way through Arcana's Gym Leaders
with his trusted Espeon by his side and was soon taken under the
wing of the beautiful champion of Arcana, Giselle Odelia (much to
Julia's jealousy). Giselle and Michael would soon join forces to quell
a rising danger in Arcana that could be posed by the gangs that had
sprung up in Arcana after James's death.
But after Michael had obtained the final Gym Badge he needed to
qualify for the Arcana Pokémon League, Giselle revealed herself to
be one of the Syndicate's top Snatchers and and kidnapped him to
be used as the prime subject in Elezar and Cassius's experiment.
While their prisoner, Michael was exposed to the power of the
Crimson Stone, ultimately branded with it to become the first super
soldier for Elezar's planned conquest of all of Arcana. With the
immeasurable courage and bravery of his Espeon named Icarus,
Michael was able to escape their clutches, but would forever be
under the influence of the Crimson Stone thanks to his branding.
Icarus, who had been mortally wounded in it's attempt to save his
master and friend, soon died in Michael's arm. Under the influence of
the "Crimson Fury", Michael and his Dragonite obliterated the Elezar
and Cassius's laboratory, though the two had managed to escape.
But when he returned to his family after days of being missing, he
found himself charged with the crimes of destroying private property
and even the death of those in the facility he and his Dragonite had
destroyed. When he tried to tell everyone what had happened, no
one was willing to believe him about the Syndicate or Elezar. Unable
to defend her grandson from the laws of the land, Bonnie is
compelled by Giselle and the evidence against Michael to find him
guilty and banish him from Arcana. Devastated by his own ordeals
and now his family betrayal, Michael took what little belongings he
had and left Arcana behind, with even Julia doubting him. With
Michael gone and the Kingston Family torn apart by his exile, Giselle
took the opportunity to take complete control of Arcana for the
Syndicate, making the Kingston Family essentially puppets to her
regime and giving Elezar and Cassius the opportunity to experiment
freely and without consequence. Soon, Giselle was the uncontested
ruler of Arcana, outlawing the Pokémon League and contests in the
process.
Michael would spend the next few years wandering around the
regions of the world, unable to find himself welcome or at home
anywhere he went. One day, he found himself in the Kanto Region,
where a new champion named Mark had just been crowned. The
two would ultimately take part in a Pokémon Battle, where Michael
soon fell under the influence of his "Crimson Fury" and trounced the
new champion. Ashamed of his actions, Michael ran off with his
Pokémon, prompting Mark to pursue him, as he was determined to
rival him. However, once the two had gotten to know each other
better, Mark put aside his rivalry and the two became friends. After
helping Mark save the Mythical Pokémon Mew from the clutches of
the remnants of Team Rocket, Michael departed from Kanto, unable
to find himself home in this new region. Mark would resign his title as
Champion and follow his new friend to the Hoenn Region. There, the
two became embroiled in a complicated plot involving a poacher
named Hunter and another Mythical Pokémon named Jirachi. Hunter
raided and burned down a Pokémon Day Care Center in pursuit of
Jirachi, killing one of the caretakers in the process. Determined to
keep her family's legacy alive and protect Jirachi, the caretaker's
granddaughter Lizzie insisted on joining Mark and Michael in their
pursuit of Hunter. Eventually, the three would defeat Hunter with the
help of League Champion Steven Stone and recovered Jirachi.
Lizzie was soon appointed as the protector of Jirachi and she and
the others returned home to celebrate their victory. Despite wanting
to join in the festivities with his new friends, the feelings of love and
family he saw from Lizzie and her loved ones tore at Michael from
within and he would soon depart on his own once more. Confused
as to his abrupt departure, Mark and Lizzie would set off in search of
their friend.
Four years after Michael's exile, Julia Pines found herself, her
grandmother Professor Pines, and her cousin Piper as the only three
people who were intent on fighting the tyrannical reign of Giselle. On
the verge of giving up their pursuit of justice, Julia soon found
evidence corroborating what Michael had claimed happened to him.
She quickly took the news to her Grandmother, hoping she would be
able to spread the word that Giselle and the Syndicate had
organized a coup and taken over Arcana. But Professor Pines is
soon arrested by the Syndicate for her treasonous actions and Julia
and her younger cousin were placed under surveillance. The two
would escape their house arrest and find sanctuary at the home of
Chris and Cameron Kingston. Their stepmother, a former Gym
Leader and paralegal, learns that even though Giselle had outlawed
the Pokémon League, anyone who still had an active entry pass
could not be refused a challenge of the Champion and encourages
Julia to seek out a trainer somewhere who was strong enough to
oppose Giselle. Leaving Piper in the Kingston's care, Julia leaves
her home on the back of her Altaria in pursuit of someone who could
save her grandmother and her region. Chris and Cameron soon
agree to join her, hoping to increase her chances by traveling as a
team once more.
Alone once more, Michael soon finds himself in the desolate region
of Orre, which was cleaning itself up from a violent clash between a
lone hero and a group of thugs that had been artificially sealing the
hearts of Pokémon in order to make them fighting machines.
Wondering if there was a correlation between his condition and what
these Pokémon had been put through, he seeks out the hero Wes,
but finds himself unable to find him. He is soon pointed in the
direction of Agate Village, where he was said to take the "Shadow
Pokémon" he had rescued to save them. He ultimately tracks Wes
and his friend Rui down to the home of Rui's grandfather, Eagun.
While Wes and Rui are puzzled by his dilemma, Eagun takes
Michael to see their fabled Relic Stone, which Wes had been using
to purify the many tainted Pokémon he came across on his journey.
He touches the Relic Stone and soon begins to feel his dark and
depressing thoughts fading away from him. Eagun suggests Michael
remain in Agate Village until he feels cleansed of his foreboding
feelings of aggression and pain and Michael ultimately agrees. Over
the next several weeks, he spends most of his time around the Relic
Stone, trying to push all of his dark thoughts and hopeless feelings
away. One day, to his utter shock and joy, he reunites with Julia and
his cousins, who had finally come to Orre in pursuit of a trainer who
could topple Giselle. Despite the sincerest apologies and pleas they
could muster, Michael doubts himself and cannot bring himself to
return with them. Dejected, Chris and Cameron decide to return
home with their search a failure. Julia, however, unable to lose her
best friend again, chooses to stay with Michael, revealing her
feelings for him. She also decides to accompany Michael in one of
his sessions with the Relic Stone. But when the two arrived there,
they found the Mythical Pokémon Celebi waiting for them. The green
sprite flies around the two, surrounding them with a mysterious light.
The small green Pokémon then kisses Michael on his forehead and
lands in his hands, smiling up at the trainer. Eagun is surprised to
learn that Celebi appeared before a trainer and suggests that Celebi
could be the key to helping Michael recover from his trauma. Celebi
agrees to leave the Relic Stone to be with Michael and continue to
help heal him. As the Mythical Pokémon shows him a light he had
never seen in himself before, Michael surprises everyone by
deciding he had to go back and face Giselle once and for all. Before
he could leave, Mark and Lizzie catch up to their friend after weeks
of searching for him and promise to fight by his side. The four
trainers then hop aboard their Flying Pokémon and set off for
Arcana.
Michael returns to Arcana to find the land deathly quiet, as Giselle
had enacted strict curfews and allowed only her thugs to catch Wild
Pokémon. Knowing now what he would have to do, Michael heads
for the Arcana Colosseum to show that he was a valid challenger (as
he had never technically registered in the Pokémon League. Despite
him being signed up, the clerk warns Giselle of Michael's return to
Arcana. Giselle is stunned that Michael was not only still alive, but
back in Arcana. She plays down his return as him eager to cause
more trouble for their region and reminds others of his crimes.
However, the Kingston Family chooses to defy Giselle's orders for
Michael's arrest and stand beside him. Giselle decides to accept
Michael's challenge, but reveals that she has Julia's grandmother as
a hostage and threatens to kill her if Michael doesn't immediately
surrender. Upon learning that Michael had returned, Chris and
Cameron had uploaded their knowledge of Giselle and the
Syndicate's plot to all of the internet. Realizing her grip on control
was fleeting, Giselle orders that Professor Pines be killed. The
Syndicate and the Kingston Family soon clash in Titanio City as Julia
desperately tries to find her grandmother and Michael chases Giselle
through the city. Giselle contacts Elezar and Cassius to assist her,
but they abandon her and leave her to hold her crumbling regime
together. Michael and Giselle finally have their colossal battle in the
skies above the city on the backs of their Pokémon. Using the power
of the "Crimson Fury" to his advantage, Michael defeated Giselle
and had her imprisoned in Klefki Prison, never to torment anyone
ever again.
Despite Giselle's defeat and the Syndicate's evil being revealed to
the world, Michael is still deeply hurt by his family's actions towards
him and tries to leave Arcana once more. But his victory over Giselle
prompts many in Arcana to call on him to become the next
Champion. As over a million people across Arcana call for him to
succeed Giselle and his Grandfather as the Champion of the Arcana
Pokemon League, Michael cannot help but accept their nomination.
With Julia, Chris, Cameron and his new friends by his side, Michael
sets about to correct the years of mistakes made and restore Arcana
to it's former glory. Even as he succeeds in restoring the Pokemon
League and the Contests, he cannot help but fear that so long as
Elezar and Cassius were on the loose, that his war with the "Crimson
Fury" was far from over…
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone