Renee would've entered into Kira's dreams to find out if she was the human-turned-pokemon she was looking for. In the dream, a froakie named Caroline and her partner, a charmander, started a rescue team, with the hopes of one day acheving the prestigious gold rank. A few weeks after entering in the guild, she is asked for help by a scyther that promises her she'll become famous by helping him out. He told her to meet him outside the city alone. The scyther told her he knows she's a ditto, but that he will train her to become stronger. He asked her to transform into him, and she began her training as a scyther with a leavanny her new client had found. She would do her rescue mission by day and would sneak up outside the guild at night to train with the leavanny. After a while, she began to fall in love with her partner. Slowly, she found out the scyther was hiding something from her, even though she had no idea what that was supposed to be.
One day, she arrived to the place they always met for training, and both the scyther and the leavanny weren’t there. Getting back to the guild, she heard a cry coming from the guildmaster’s room. Once she arrived, she caught the scyther and the leavanny red-handed. The scyther asked for her to join them to become an assassin, which she refused. The scyther asked for leavanny to leave the place, and Caroline and the scyther fought. She finally managed to avenge the guildmaster’s life by putting an end to his murderer. Right before giving his final breath, the scyther told her that she was going to suffer for what she had done to him. She turned back into a frogadier upon hearing footsteps behind her. It was charmeleon, her lover. Even after she explained herself to him, he still couldn’t fathom how she ended up that way. He started to think there was something shady about her, which ashamed Caroline, since she had been well-meaning from the very beginning . Upon further examination, he discovered that she was a ditto.
When he found out about that, he told her that even though he didn't care about that, he was disappointed that she had hidden that for so long. The charmeleon then found out that there was another pokemon that helped the scyther accomplish his deeds from Caroline. With the guildmaster's death, he was appointed as the new guildmaster, and once they found out that Caroline had unconsciously helped the guildmaster's assassination, she ended up being the scapegoat and the guild members wanted her to leave. In the last words the charmeleon and her shared, she told him she loved him, and that she would come back once the other guild members would have settled down. She also told him she would go on a journey in the hopes of discovering herself, and that she would come back to him once this was all said and done. She kissed him one last time and left.
This dream would've been cut to the moment where Caroline killed the scyther, since the guildmaster had been the one who had given her the chance to prove herself, and she felt as if she had betrayed his trust by indirectly helping the scyther. She would've noticed Renee was in her dream, and would have gained lucidity in her own dream. She would've told her that she didn't want her to know about that, and that she was with Matt to find the leavanny. She would've revealed that she was expelled from the guild after that, and that she had become a Warden, which was why she didn't want to tell anyone who she really was(she thought Aiden was part of the PLF).
Afterwards, they would finally go to sleep. Waking up the next day, Matt told them he was going to the laboratory to go see Guts, who had been healed during the night. While getting there, Renee wondered what Aiden being part of the PLF would mean for them, and she's left to wonder what this would mean if he was the human-turned-pokemon. After all, he was the most suspicious member of the team thus far, and with the events that happened yesterday, she's pretty sure that Kira isn't the person she's looking for. Once they get there, Matt whispered something to the scientist working there, and after doing so he went into another room without telling the others anything. Worried, Kira asked the man if Guts was fine, which he answered in the affirmative. He then decided to let him out of his ball, and Guts started looking around him, wondering what had happened after his defeat to Cicero(he was in stasis for the whole time, after all). They explained to his briefly that they had arrived to the Ranger's headquarters, so they were safe for now. At that moment, two pokemon entered the room: a gallade and a sableye. Guts immediately recognized them; it was Fresnel, his old friend from the theives guild, and Shade.
Guts greeted them, and he explained to the others that he had formed a team in the theives guild with Fresnel and Cicero. Shade, who was surprised at first to see Guts, explained to him that he was a Warden whose mission had been to spy on the PLF, hence why he had been there in the first place. He then asked him where Chen was, which is where Guts turned around to ask the others the same question. After an uncomfortable moment, Kira finally decided to spill the beans: Chen had died to protect Matt. On the other hand, Aiden told him that Chen's death could've been prevented if Matt had been aware of the shroomish's loyalty. Once asked for clarifications by Guts, the fennekin explained that Matt expected them to leave him to die, which was obviously a bad idea, as Chen would've never done such a thing.
After that, Matt arrived with a mask on his face. The scientist gave him a letter, and Guts asked him why he's wearing a mask, to which he replied that some people from the outside might be looking for him. Shade then told Matt that he considers this as a challenge, and that he'll try to find out who he is. After that, he would have glanced at Fresnel and told him not to mind read him, as this would make the challenge somewhat harder for him. He then decided to read the letter, where he was asked to go on a patrol/diplomatic mission to a nearby pokemon city named Elistan. They would have to gather data on the whereabouts of influencial figures in the city, visit the guild and make sure the place wasn't falling in the hands of the PLF. Since Shade guessed they were new to this whole thing, he told them him and Fresnel would go with them, and he'd take another one to the task, as this mission was also somewhat dangerous for rookies like them. Matt suggested that Guts takes the lead of the team in his absence, as he would have to train with Elise for a while, but he would go help them later on. Since Renee knew that her cover had been somewhat blown off last night, she asked Matt if she could remain with him, as this would probably give her time to focus on figuring out who the human-turned-pokemon is. She thought that with some luck, Matt might even help her find out who it is. They decided to take the day to prepare themselves, as they would leave tomorrow morning.
The next morning, Matt and Renee waved them goodbye. Just as they were about to leave, Fresnel asked Guts if he could take his scarf, which he had no problem with. He told the rest of the group he had other matters to attend to, but that he would be there with them once they reached the city. As they went away, the gallade gave Guts' scarf to Matt, telling him that he would still mourn his friend's death as long as he wore that scarf. He also told Matt that this could give them away anyway, so it was better not to let Guts wear it in pokemon cities. He finished by telling him he was now responsible for Guts, which is why he gave him the scarf, and that he was surprised by Guts' decision to follow him along, knowing what he had lived through in the past. After Fresnel left, Matt stood there for a moment, staring at the scarf for a moment. When Renee asked him if something was wrong, he replied that it was nothing, but she guessed that it must have something to do with Guts.
After waving them goodbye, Matt followed by Renee wandered around, as he wanted to start his training as soon as possible. The misdreavus asked him if it was a good idea to even let them go by themselves, to which Matt answered that this was what had troubled him earlier. That said, he explained that he couldn't really force them to stay with him either, so that was why he didn't actually regret his decision. She then asked him why he decided to wear a mask, to which he explained that he suspected that his father Nathan could still be looking for him, and he didn't want anyone to recognize him too much, despite his ranger's license. During their search for her, Renee wondered if she should've told Matt about Kira's confession.
A few minutes later, they finally managed to find Elise, who was eating right outside the ranger's headquarter. Arriving to her, he asked for her to begin training him immediately, which she thought to be a good idea due to the urgency of the situation(with the PLF in the region, something bad could happen in the span of a few days). After learning about the mission they were given, she had them leave the city so that they could train without being interrupted. Elise then explained that she would go out and help him with his mission at Elistan, despite the fact that he was already receiving some help from others. Once they were outside, she told him that this city was fairly important, and that she would be closer to the action, which would give her the ability to react quickly in case something went wrong in the region. After her decision, she decided to begin by explaining the different manifestations of auras(explained in the ninth chapter's commentary). Elise then told him they would have to do different types of tests to determine which type of aura he had. Out of curiosity, Matt asked if everyone in the Rangers were like Keith, and if he would've to face more opposition. She explained to him that this was pretty much expected; most of the Rangers weren't really open-minded, which she somewhat blamed on the culture of the whole continent. From what she had heard, Keith had left the base today for a confidential mission very early in the morning, and he had told the people in the base that he had captured someone from the PLF, which he wanted them to interrogate to see if they could get any information.
Looking around her, she noticed that Matt's backpack had gone missing. As she heard Elise tell Matt that they would begin the tests right away to find out how his aura manifests itself, she saw Guts gesturing for her to follow him. She first wondered if she wasn't hallucinating this, as she had no idea why Guts would've decided to stay there, but she decided to go anyway. Following the krokorok for a few minutes, she ended up in a thicket, where she saw him transform into a zoroark with a poke ball in his hand. As Renee recognized him as Cicero, she was absorbed into the poke ball. When she finally got out of it, she was frustrated about getting herself tricked so easily, and wondered what would happen to her now. Going around, she found out she couldn't go through the cell's walls. Out of options, she found herself somewhat sleepy, so she decided she would find a way out of there the next day.
When she woke up, she was asked a bunch of questions by the zoroark, which was met with little cooperation from Renee. After a while, Cicero went out of the cell and came back with Serah and the bag he had stolen from Matthew. He pulled out the medicine case out of it, opened it and took everything out of it. Renee then saw that Matt had sneaked a canvas under the fabric. Looking at it, the misdreavus saw that it was a picture of Matthew and Palette sitting quietly by a lake. They then asked her who the smeagle on the picture was, and she answered that she had died long ago. Renee figured out that this was a way of motivating him to become a doctor and protect every pokemon he could. Disappointed by Renee's response, they decided to leave her in the cell. After that, a lucario entered into the cell. She recognized him as the one she had talked to in the staircase to the Ranger's Headquarters. He finally asked her who was the one human turned pokemon in their group. Since she hadn't figured that out yet, she decided to go with her best bet: Kira the yanma. Smiling, the lucario told her she was wrong, but that he would tell her his name anyway.
He started telling her the story of a young human emperor who wished for eternal life, as this would give him the power to bring peace and prosperity to the whole world while also keeping the power for as long as he wished. He went on his journey only to find misery, as he was turned into a pokemon and deemed "impure", a monster. After his death, he gained eternal life in another world: the distortion world, ruled by Lord Giratina. He told her he was that emperor, and that he was known as Adon Eiwett. He asked her to go look for his heir, who would be the only one capable to bringing him back to this world. Renee then ask him who was the human turned pokemon in their team. He told her she was the one, and that she would gain back her memory once she brought his heir back to him. He also told her how to leave the cell and escape without being seen.
Meanwhile, the group of pokemon was still heading to Elistan(from Aiden's point of view). Guts told Aiden Fresnel's decision to go ahead and tell the Rescuer's Guild about their arrival is getting him nervous, as he wasn't particularly trusting of most people left in their group. They arrived in a clearing where the last member of their team was waiting for them. The whole gang was quite surprised to find out Zack the buizel was there, playing a song on his flute. He tells them he has just been told by Keith that they had an additional objective: find Lily the kirlia, who has been found in the city they were heading to. She could be a potential prisoner for them, as she is the only child Serah has. This seems to deeply trouble Guts, and he ends up telling them that Lily was Fresnel's daughter, who he loved so much he would do anything for her. He remembered that they parted ways after the PLF's raid on their hideout, but he would always remain by her side. The gallade always acted as if she could be in danger at any moment, which Guts didn't understand at that time. He now understood that finding her is vital, and that they must press on. For all they know, she could be in great danger, as the city could have his share of PLF sympatizers.
As they were about to leave the clearing with Zack, Aiden asked him about a tattoo he had noticed on the buizel's back, and he learned that it was depicting Lugia, the lord of the sea. Seemingly upset by this answer, the fennekin turned on the krokorok and told him that they couldn't remain in the group with someone like him in their group. Zack asked him if he was a follower of Ho-Oh, to which he responded by the affirmative. This irked Aiden, who insisted for Guts to get him out of their group. The builzel attacked the fennekin, and then told Guts that Ho-Oh's followers are condoning the PLF behaviors, which probably means that Aiden has been an agent for the Fronters since the very beginning. Zack then threatened to kill Aiden if he didn't run away. On the other hand, Aiden believed the buizel was up to something, since he knew the grand priest, the xatu, would never support the PLF. The fennekin then noticed Guts whispering something to the sableye, which looked quite surprised by what he heard. He then whispered something back to the krokorok, who decided to step up. Guts decided the best course of action was to let Aiden leave at the next village they would arrive to, but the fennekin replied that he would leave right now, as he suspected something was up. After he left them, he was somewhat disappointed in himself, as he had always tried his best to make them stray away from Matt(which he believed to be an heretic after the book incident(The book entertained the possibility that no gods existed, which went against Aiden's beliefs)) and to convert them. He decided to go back to his home: the temple dedicated to Ho-Oh.
After a good day of walking, he finally arrived to his destination without any trouble. However, he still feels ashamed after the events that happened yesterday. He felt like the buizel had tricked them into getting him out of there. For all he knows, they might be wrongfully led into a trap. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to fight him, so he decided to go off on his own. He entered in the temple and met the quilava who happened to be his old mentor. He welcomed him back to his home and told him about the xatu's death, which clearly made him upset. The grand priest was the one who told him about how he was the messiah due to the flame on his foot, and that he had a purpose to fulfill in this world for Ho-Oh. The quilava then explained to him that his death was necessary, as the xatu was a false prophet. Aiden then saw a bunch of other pokemon coming into the temple, probably looking to pray to Ho-Oh. His mentor asked for him to follow him in his apartments, which he agreed to, despite being taken aback by the quilava's revelations.
In the small room, there was a small bucket full of water and a charmander, who seemed by the looks of it to be the quilava's new apprentice. His old mentor then explained to him that the mark he had wasn't some gift of Ho-Oh, but a seal to contain his powers, which is why he had this bucket with him. This had confused the fennekin, as he remembered xatu had ordered them to never bring water in the temple. After that, he demonstrated that the seal was indeed not eternal by dropping water on it, which made a part of the mark disapear and caused great pain to Aiden. He further explained that the process would need to be gradual. He then went on about how they had been wrongfully led by the xatu into not joining the PLF, when in fact they were the ones who would be fighting for the pokemon's freedom. His death was only a punishment by the gods for his disobedience.
Meanwhile, Aiden was staring at his mark, struggling to remain standing. He thought about all of the things he had done in the name of Ho-Oh. Every single breath he had taken was in his name, as he had thought he was his messiah. He had thought all of his actions were righteous, as he believed he was the chosen one, the one who had been chosen by Ho-Oh, the only god worthy of being worshipped. The quilava then asked him if he was going to join the PLF and fight for this righteous cause. At that moment, he started sensing something in his body that he hadn't felt in a long time. His flame, which had been sealed away by the mark, had rekindled. He knew at that moment that his old mentor had been right about the mark. This made him figure out he had been wrong about Matt all along, as the mark had been the only thing convincing him of his own righteousness, or of any god's righteousness. In this moment, he had never been this skeptical of the existence of Ho-Oh, the one who gave him a sense of purpose. What he knew was simple: he wasn't going to join the PLF, not after what they did to the old xatu, and certainly not after what they did to Chen.
In the bottom of his heart, he knew the grand priest didn't deserve to die for lying about the mark. After all, he never treated him badly, and he was the only one here who would ever look after him, as he knew the quilava had only looked after him to please the xatu. He knew that the only way he would leave the temple was by erasing his mark, which would awaken his flame and give him an ability to fight. Without it, spitting fire would leave him hurt, he was sure of it(which is what happened earlier on, in chapter 7). He went and quickly reached for the bucket, plunging his foot in the water. He felt excruciating pain flow through him, and passed out from it. The last thing he saw was the quilava rushing out of the place, yelling words he couldn't decipher before passing out.
When Aiden finally woke up, he found out that the entire building was burning and that his mentor and his apprentice had left the room. He walked to the window and broke it to escape the temple. Still in great pain, he walked to the forest and ran as fast as he could from the village. Looking at his own hands, he found out he had evolved into a braixen. Despite his injury, he continued on his way, knowing that the PLF could jump on him at any moment. Multiple thoughts were appearing in his mind. He had always thought the temple couldn't be burned, according to what the xatu had told him. Aiden had no idea what he had to think of this. After all, he had always relied on the grand priest to learn about matters like this, but now that he knows he had already lied to him, he didn't know what was real or fake anymore. For all he knew, he had lived his entire life for a lie, and he was now left alone, with no past, no home, and no grand goal or destiny to fulfill.
After walking for a while, he heard a voice in the forest calling his name. Following the sound of the voice, he found Renee, who was now a mismagius. Seemingly surprised to see him by himself, she asked him why he wasn't with the others. He explained that he had been kicked out of the group due to a silly disagreement. She then asked him if something was wrong, as he didn't seem quite the same. Even know he might have been somewhat antagonistic in the past, he had at least been somewhat passionated about it, which wasn't the case anymore. Aiden then outright asked her if she thinks that the gods exists. Renee then explained that there could be one, seeing how so many unpredictable things happen all around them. He answered that this might be the case, but he didn't know why gods were needed for this to be the case, as it could be all natural. She then told him that god is everything, in some kind of way. "After all, she said, even humans wonder about that all the time." She explained that she would sometimes see Matt and Nathan talk about it, but they didn't seem to mind the uncertainty of it all. She continued by saying that for most people, god seemed to be connected with some form of bigger purpose. The mismagius explained to Aiden that maybe this is the thing that separates them from humans: their sense of purpose.
After that, she asked him what he was going to do now, and the braixen told her that he would go back to the group and ask them to enter back in. Renee then asked him what he would do if they refused him. He answered that he would try to find a way to join the Wardens, as he found this could be his way to both avenge the grand priest and Chen, and to continue his fight against the PLF. He had figured out that he had been blind to Matt's words for too long(he didn't try to understand his way of viewing pokemon), and he found in him a warden worth fighting for, and he knew that such people didn't deserve to die. When he asked her what she would do, or what she was there for(as he thought she was by Matt's side), she explained she had been asked by Matt to go on a secret mission, and that she sadly couldn't give any more details. Aiden chose not to ask her about it and they both went on their way.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group arrived to Elistan(from Guts' point of view). As they were going through the city gates, Guts' phone rang. When he answered, he found out that Matt was coming with Elise to Elistan and that they were going to be on the field to help them. Going in the alley, he explained to Matt that things might end up being tougher than they already were, as the PLF was looking for someone in the city. Guts told him that if he found a kirlia named Lily, he must make sure that she doesn't fall in the hands of the PLF. The krokorok then said that he had to go, as him talking to the phone might raise suspicions. They followed the buizel to the rescue guild and met a breloom inside the guildmaster's chamber. She explained to them that the guildmaster had decided to leave for the day, and that she had been tasked to watch over the guild during her absence. When asked about the PLF, she gave them her words that the guildmaster would help them in their fight, as he had a few friends amongst the Warden. However, she told them the rest of the guild might not share this opinion of hers and would gladly join the PLF if they ever stepped in.
When Kira asked her what she thought of this, she said she wouldn't side with the humans, as the trainers had took everything from her: her home in the wild of Vastwood and her only child. She explained that the humans came outside with their pokeballs and captured pokemon from that region, which rarely had visitors in the past. Most of them were experienced trainers that would gladly choose not to keep a pokemon with them if they needed. However, the new trainers, she noted, didn't have any such moral code and they would gladly enslave a pokemon. Due to that, her family couldn't be safe, so they had to leave this haven. She remembered the days where most pokemon in these woods would collaborate as best they could, as this had been the best course of action. Now, with the humans, this haven had been destroyed, and living in the woods had been impossible. At least, she explained, the PLF tried to do something by sending some people to the region. This is her reason for siding with the PLF, alongside her husband. Guts felt something bad was going to happen, as he saw Zack backing off to the door. At that moment, the krokorok thought he should've trusted Aiden's judgement on that one.
Shade told her that the Fronters were the ones who actually caused her son's death. Understanding that she wes Chen's parent, Kira added that Cicero was actually the one responsible, but the buizel still laughed at what he thought was their pityful attempt at getting themselves out of trouble. Guts saw that the buizel had adopted a battling stance, meaning he was about to fight them(Guts deduced he might have been with the PLF all along). He told the sableye that he knew too much, and that now he had to die for betraying the PLF's trust. Zack explained that, as an member of the Warden, he had protected Vastwood for all his life. He felt like he never gained anything from that relationship, and he ended up betrayed by the humans, who destroyed what he had vowed to protect. He said he didn't have anything against the Wardens, but he wasn't going to condone protecting the humans any longer. Now that they knew about his secret identity as a double agent, they had to die(For him to keep his place in the Warden as a spy). He also told them that separating them from Fresnel had been so easy, and that he would be found by Cicero soon enough. Shade explained that this wouldn't end well for the buizel, as they were outnumbered and the breloom didn't seem that experienced. Zack replied that he shouldn't underestimate her, and that his two allies didn't seem all that experienced. "Besides," he said as he opened the door. "You might not have the number advantage." He opened the door for Diana to enter and closed it behind her, locking it. Smiling, she looked at the sableye and the krokorok, telling them that she left them alive for too long, and that their carelessness had made them weak.
Kira looked at Diana and said that she had been waiting for this moment for years. She landed and transformed into a scyther before swiftly leaped on Diana. Not seeing that coming, her eyes widened and her smile faded as she was struck by her blades. Wounded, the leavanny fell on the ground, and Zack attacked the scyther with an aqua tail. She dodged it easily and bashed her arm on the buizel, putting him down. Kira walked up to Diana and told her that the same could be said about her. However, she saw the gazing leavanny turn into a zoroark, finding out she had only barely scratched the zoroark. Cicero said he was simply there to distract them while Diana was taking care of Fresnel. This time, they would have him join Serah's side or die, and as he couldn't think of murdering an old friend, he decided to let Diana chase after him. Kira decided to deal the fatal blow, but she ended up discovering it was only a substitute. Turning around, Guts found out that Shade had already taken care of the breloom with a single shadow ball. The krokorok decided to call Matt at that moment, telling him that he had to find the gallade and to tell him he was in great danger. After Kira finished Zack off(They left the breloom alone as she was Chen's mother and a civilian), they opened the guildmaster's door and left the rescue guild and found out that the PLF had already broken into the city, and that pokemon were already picking fights in the city. However, it clearly seemed like the Fronters had the upper hand, as they were much more numerous. They decided to take advantage of the confusion of the battle to find Fresnel.
After walking for a while in the city without seeing the gallade, he got a call from Matt who told him that he had seen Fresnel near the city hall, and that he's going to land there to stop him from going anywhere. The group quickly went on their way to the city hall, where they found out Diana and Serah had also just arrived. They were holding the incapacitated gallade down on the other side of the town square(in front of the city hall), while Matt and the others were on his side. He also noticed that Kira had turned back into a yanma. The gardevoir threatened to kill Fresnel if the pokemon decided not to join their cause, and she said this would be their last chance. She knew they were trapped due to the PLF overtaking the city, so she told them to see this as a way to let them live their own life away from trainers, instead of dying with them right here. Guts stepped up and Matt asked him what he was doing. Not answering, he stopped and told Serah he knew this was an empty threat, as he knew she loved the gallade. He also asked her what her daughter would think of her, once she learned what had happened.
At that moment, the gardevoir whispered something to Diana and quickly teleported away with Fresnel. Matthew shouted that the PLF seemed to be quickly arriving to the town square, and Diana attacked them with leaf storm, which they dodged as best they could. Nonetheless, the pidgeot had one of its wings hurt and couldn't fly the humans back to safely. Transforming into a greninja, Kira told Guts to lead them out of harms way as fast as possible, as she had her own vendetta against the leavanny. Seeing this, Diana smiled and readied herself for battle while Guts stepped out of the town square with the group.
[From Kira's point of view, we see the fight undergoing. She changes her form to a scyther and thinks about how this went to be. We learn the last bit of story about her(the one missing from the dream) before she deals the fatal blow to Diana. She then transforms back into a greninja, and swears to never use that form again before walking out of the town square.]
Meanwhile, Aiden had just entered into the city, looking for Guts and the others. Looking at the destruction in front of his eyes, he felt horrible. Due to what happened at the temple, the braixen knew he was just as guilty of murder as the perpetrators of this onslaught. He stumbled upon his old mentor who had evolved into a typhlosion. Enraged by his presence, he immediately attacked Aiden with inferno. Trying his best to dodge, he was hurt nonetheless and fell to the ground. As the typhlosion was walking towards him with the intention of finishing him off, a greninja appeared and attacked his old mentor, startling him. The greninja grabbed him and lead him away from the typhlosion, where he was safe. As she was about to leave him there, Aiden stood up and thanked her for saving him. She turned back and told him she was only doing her job as a Warden. The braixen responded that he wished to also be a Warden one day, but that he would have to better his reputation in order to do so. Kira asked him who he was, and she found out who she was talking to: it was Aiden. After learning about that, the greninja told him she would bring him back to Matthew. Wondering who he was talking to, he asked her who she was, to which she responded that her name was Caroline, but that he knew her as Kira. Curious, he asked her why she protected him, despite all that he had done to her. She answered that he didn't seem the same as he was before(he didn't reject going to Matt like he once did) and told him to follow her to Matt.
[This is the time where the reader learns about the backstory with Palette and the circumstances of her death.]
Once they arrived outside the city and found Matt, Aiden apologized to Matt, telling him that he wanted to join their group once again. Seemingly skeptical, Matthew asked him how he would know he isn't a ditto or a spy for the PLF. As an answer, the braixen quoted The Modern Warden: "Even though the Gods might have forsaken us, we will continue our fight against the enemies of peace." This led Kira to tell Matt that this has to be Aiden, since he's the one who burned his book. Despite his fondness of the book, the man didn't seem to care all that much at that moment, since they were already in big trouble with Fresnel being caught and Elistan being taken by the PLF. He decided to trust the braixen on this one and they went as far away as they could from the city, knowing that they couldn't take it back from the Fronters. When they were finally far enough from the city, Kira tells them that she'll be the one saving the Fresnel, as she had the ability to spy as a ditto. She also told them that this could take a while, considering how the PLF now knew about her secret after their encounter with Cicero. The greninja added that they shouldn't wait for her reutrn, as she said her plans would be to go back to see a few of her friends before coming back to battle the PLF. Everybody said farewell to Kira, before she disappeared into the shadows.
Since Guts felt down from being reminded of Fresnel's situation, Matthew took off his scarf and gave him back his scarf, telling him to stay strong. He took his phone out and tried to call the ranger's headquarters, without success. Guessing the Fronters had something to do with that, he decided to sit down and evaluate what they should do moving forward. He knew they were days away from going to the headquarters, and that in the current situation, going back there wasn't an option due to the number of PLF members in that region. While Matt was thinking, Aiden saw that Shade was slowly walking towards Matt, which lead him to believe something was up(After all, the buizel he had gone with was missing, giving him the idea he had died there protecting them, as he didn't know he was with the PLF). Suspicious, he stood up and asked him what he was doing. Shade asked for confirmation on Matthew's name, which lead the braixen to believe there had to be something shady about to happen. When he answered by the affirmative, the sableye hugged Matt, taking Aiden off guard. He whispered something in Matt's ears, which surprised him. He then hugged Shade back. Aiden found out that Shade had lived another life beforehand, since he was a ghost pokemon, after all. In his previous life, he was once a pokemon known as Palette, the smeargle who Matt bonded with as a child. After this uplifting event, they all went to sleep, taking turns as usual.
At some point in the night, Matt wakes Aiden up, telling him they must leave immediately. Despite being extremely tired due to his own guarding shift, the braixen stood up and followed the group running into the night, wondering what was going on. After all, his human friend didn't tell him what the threat was, and others seemed as puzzled as he was. He then stopped and hid behind a bush, pointing to the two pokemon on the other side. It was Leon and Kite, the pikachu and the nuzleaf they had met previously(in chapter 4). They decided to ambush them and capture them, as they could give them information on the PLF members in the area or act as hostages. After capturing them, they start questioning them on what the Fronters are planning on doing. Ignoring their questions, they told the group the PLF had been right all along, and that they've seen humans enslave pokemon with their very own eyes. During that time, Matthew received a phone call. Guessing this was coming from the Ranger's Headquarters, he answered the phone. Seeing how they aren't getting anything out of talking with their captives, Aiden decided to turn around and ask Matt who he's on the phone with. The braixen noticed that he seemed sick, as if something wasn't right with Matt.
Visibly terrified, the man dropped the phone and muttered, "It's him." before crumbling on the ground. Aiden quickly alerted the rest of the group, who quickly figured out his heart was still beating. The sableye quickly concluded that he had been victim of a perish song attack, and that he would soon die if they didn't do anything about it. This was the moment where Guts suggested that they go into one of the theives guild secret base close to their location. From there, they would be able to figure something out, he hoped. However, reality quickly settled in, knowing that Matt had very little chance of surviving this. As the krokorok transported Matt's body, he quickly found out that his heartbeat had stopped. He tried his best not to alert the others of this though, as he knew they had other things to deal with. He decided to tell them when the time would be right, probably after they'd settled in the secret base. He knew this shelter hadn't been raided, as this was a secret the raichu had given to him(The theives guildmaster thought about having Guts be his successor.)
When Matthew woke up, he found himself in the middle of a desert, with a crumbling castle in front of him. Not knowing what to do, he decided to enter inside. Looking around, he wondered if this was where he was supposed to meet his ancestor. He figured his father had been right about the curse his family had all along, but now he was trapped here, hoping he would not be giving his mad ancestor his own life. Walking a bit further into the hall, he saw at the back of the room a list of names that seemed all crossed off. Looking a little closer, he saw that the two names at the bottom were his and his father's name, and that both of them were the only ones untouched. Turning back, he saw that the door behind him had been closed, so he decided to go upstairs.
This led him to a corridor which he went all the way through. At the end, he saw a large door which was barely open. Pushing the door, he finally entered inside the throne room, where a lucario was sitting proudly on his throne. The lucario spoke, "Matthew Eiwett, I've been waiting centuries for this day to come. I'm Adon Eiwett, your ancestor. Please give me what I need to rule the Earth once again." The man knew what he had to give away: his life. However, Matt wasn't willing to give the lucario what he wanted, so he stepped back from the throne room.
"Your fate has been sealed the moment you answered the phone," Adon continued. "You cannot escape from me now."
The lucario stood up and walked towards Matt, a smirk forming on his face. "I will make the Wardens bow down to me once again and restore my empire, it is my destiny. I will make sure everybody trembles in fear upon hearing our family name. Isn't that what you always wanted? To be respected by your fellows? This is what I will grant you."
"The monster never rest. My dad told me about you, about your descent into madness. Your search for immortality wasn't a quest for prosperity or peace; it was a quest for an eternal reign, for power. As a Warden and as an Eiwett, I cannot let you build an empire that would lead to the enslavement of humans and pokemon alike."
(He had left his empire to crumble while he was searching for immortality, leading in his downfall after he became a human, as both his citizen and his warriors had lost all faith they had placed in him.)
Suddenly, Matthew heard someone's voice and recognized it immediately. It was Renee, who told him to run away, as she had cursed Adon. She decided to believe her, despite the fact that she was the one that brought her there in the first place because it seemed to be the only hope for him to stay alive. After running out of the castle, he heard the lucario fall behind him. Looking back, Matt saw the lucario reaching for him with his hand while his body was slowly fading away. Backing away, the human watched as his ancestor faded away just like his feeling of dread. When Adon finally disappeared, a portal appeared behind him. However, he wasn't going to leave this place without Renee, since she was the one who saved him in this dire situation. Calling our for her, she appeared after a few seconds later, seemingly happy by the turn of events.
When Matt first thanked her, she told him this was the least she could do for leading him here. She explained to him she had also died from the perish song she used, and with an incantation, she arrived here with him. The mismagius also told Matt that she learned she was a human-turned-pokemon, and now she had restored back her memory as a human. Renee also explained to him that only one person could go through this portal, as this was supposed to be the one Adon would've used once he had killed Matt to get back to Earth. After she asked for him to be the one to get out of here, Matt told her he wouldn't go in without her. The mismagius answered that he needed to go back to help the others, and that she was indebted of him. When asked why that was the case, she explained that she had been the source of this disaster, and he wouldn't be in this trouble if it wasn't for her. She told him she would act as his guardian angel up here, just like she always did beforehand. Before he could reply to her, she pushed him into the portal while saying, "Your mother will always remain by your side, Matt. I will always remain by your side."
Meanwhile, Guts led the group to the shelter he had told them about with the prisoners. He received a call from Keith, telling him that a raid against the PLF's base was coming and he urged all of the Wardens to join the battle. Since they were in no position to help on the raid, he told the man they wouldn't join them in the battle, which infuriated Keith, who told him it was an order and that his refusal would be considered treason. He hanged on the phone and decided not to tell the others about it, since he knew joining this raid was suicidal(They were very likely to die trying to join the Wardens). Upon entering the shelter, he found out that some of the guild's last members were inside with some civilians, waiting inside for the whole ordeal to die down. After putting the PLF members in the prison and Matt in his own chamber, Guts told the others that they should wait here until the PLF forgets about them, as this would give them time to make a plan. On his way to Matt's room, he got stopped by Elise who asked him what the phone call was about, and he decided to tell her about Keith's plan, which made Elise dubious. She didn't see how raiding one of their base would be very risky and leave the city almost defenceless. He also told her that Matt had died from the perish song, and that now was time to tell the others about it. He wanted to bring Matt's corpse to the others so that they could see for themselves.
When they finally arrived to Matt's room, they were surprised to see that a lucario had taken his place. Upon talking to him, they discovered that Matt had somehow been transformed into a lucario(From that point on, Matthew will always feel down for looking just like Adon, the one he despised so much for making Renee sacrifice herself for him and forcing him to live a sheltered life for so long). They stayed in the hideout for a few days so that Matt could get used to his new body and to train each other for the upcoming fights against the PLF. Guts made the heartbreaking decision to leave the group to become the new guildmaster, as he knew his friends would need someone like him in these dire times. Through the radio, they heard from the humans that the Rangers(Wardens) had been overthrown by the Renegades, a part of the trainers that thought the Rangers were trying to stop the humans from claiming their rightful place as superiors to the pokemon. They also found out that they had created a new type of pokeball that could enslave pokemon and make them do as you wished, confirming what the group had learned from the Fronters. They finally learn who the leader of the Renegade is: Keith, the old unofficial leader of the Wardens.
[Now from Cicero's perspective, he remembered why he had entered the PLF: for love. He had been in love with Serah, and she knew it. Despite all that, she had always lied to him about Fresnel being his lover, and now that he knew, he was heartbroken. He had given up all he had for her: his friends, his honor and his dignity. After finally finding her, he talked to her for a bit before asking her to hug him. He told her he wanted to be with her forever, and just before the hug, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her, surprising her. When she fell on the ground, he continued stabbing her body until she finally gave her last breath. During that time, he felt something he had never felt before: the feeling of being liberated from any burden. This was something he had never felt as a theif, and this was the feeling that led him to remain in the PLF, and to become their new leader of the insurgence in this region, as he had learned a lot from being with Serah. He framed Serah's death as a assassination committed by one of their enemies, and asked for his fellow Fronters to remain vigilant.]
This is pretty much what I had planned for the story. After that point, they would have most likely fought off the Renegades and found a way to counteract their device(since they were all already captured, they could've acquired such a pokeball that they would've reverse-engineered to find its weak point). After rendering their technology useless, the Fronter, who would've lost a lot of members to this pokeball, would've come back and joined the PLF once again. This whole ordeal will have strengthened the PLF in the region. Once he defeated Keith on a mountain, he would've seen from there the Renegades being slaughtered by the PLF members. At this moment, he knew that this place was doomed and that, no matter how strong one is, he cannot change the world alone. He knew that his friends would be here to support him in this fight, but nonetheless, they weren't strong enough, nor numerous enough, to make this a place worth living in again. He decided that they would travel to the old continent, in search for their Warden allies. He would've ended by saying something like: "The monster never rests; that's why we must remain both vigilant and empathetic, so that we do not become monsters ourselves."