News of Enzo's fate didn't take long to reach the higher ranking members of Team Flare. Monitoring the invasion from the laboratory were several scientists along with Lysandre. On another screen was Charles, who was on the second to last level of the base watching everything unfold. The blonde narrowed his eyes as he saw Jacqueline's blatant betrayal playing out right before his eyes. He'd taken her under his wing, taught her some discipline and even allowed her to accompany him to the ball and this was how she repayed him?

And then there was Seth. That man was of no threat to him from the start as far as he was concerned, and now he was making sport of agents he'd trained himself. Even with the expansion suits that his cohorts were wearing, somehow Seth was able to outmaneuver them and send them packing. What infuriated him further was that Jacqueline had dawned her expansion suit and was giving them an equally hard time. Couple that with the Pokémon they were using and it made for a frustrating scenario.

Lysandre looked over at the screen that displayed Charles' image and said, "he's approaching your area now. See to it that they do not leave there alive. The hour mark is approaching and soon the energy will be transferred to the Ultimate Weapon. Failure will not be tolerated, am I clear?"

"Of course, Lysandre. They will not make it past this point, of that I can assure you..." Charles said with a smirk.

"For your sake, you had better be right," Lysandre replied firmly, his eyes shifting to the other camera to see that Seth and Jacqueline had made it to the elevator that led to where Charles was located.

On another screen was a countdown that showed that there were fifteen minutes left within the hour before the process would begin. As eager as he was to begin, he was finding the process too enjoyable to rush. Charles was certain to delay them long enough to transfer power to the Ultimate Weapon and with any luck, get rid of them both. Should he fail-and the possibility was certainly there-Lysandre would have to destroy them with his own hands.

To Allie, this was torture. After having watched Serena be set on fire by the cursed flames of a Houndoom, and after seeing Seth send Enzo to meet his maker, she thought things couldn't get any worse. Her competition had turned from a dream into a nightmare within the span of a few hours. Now she would be forced to watch as Charles and Seth were pitted against each other in a match that was certain to end up with one of them being dead. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of this!

She would do anything to make it stop, but she knew that her pleas would fall on deaf ears. Lysandre was going to have his way whether she said anything or not. He'd made it perfectly clear from the beginning. Her attention was once again fixed on the camera as Seth and Jacqueline exited the elevator on the floor where Charles would be waiting.

The time had come at last. If Charles was being honest with himself, he would rather have faced Seth under a different set of circumstances-like the Lumiose Conference-to prove that he was the only one who was truly worthy of becoming Allie's husband. Now that he'd been exposed for his deeds and for his working with Team Flare, that all went up in smoke which further served as kindle to his already burning wrath.

"So you're finally here... Seth Da Silva. It's been amusing watching you plow your way through the ranks, but I'm afraid that this is as far as you will be allowed to go," Charles stated firmly, his eyes staring daggers at Jacqueline as she walked up beside Charles.

"So I was right after all. Lysandre really did leave everything up to you didn't he? He always admired your leadership capabilities and your drive to further the dreams of this organization. Then again you've always had that drive, even when we were kids," Jacqueline inputted.

"If you're trying to find a way out of this I can assure you that it won't work," Charles replied with a grin.

"I figured it wouldn't, but it was worth a shot anyway. So before things get messy I have a few things I want to get off my chest before I start pounding away at yours. I wanted you... Charles. I always have and when I heard that you were going to enter that stupid competition I was hurt. Just when I was finally willing to muster up the courage to tell you how I felt, you went after her." Jacqueline snapped bitterly.

"And why would I not pursue that which is of a higher value?" Charles replied bluntly.

"Higher value? So you think I'm not worth as much as her?" Jacqueline gasped, her eyes widening as the words left her mouth.

"With all due respect, Jacqueline, you were an adequate acquaintence. You followed my instructions to the letter and remained loyal to Team Flare even when you yourself didn't agree with all of their methods. I have to admit I'm flattered that you joined in order to pursue me, but the fact remains that you never had a chance with me to begin with," Charles responded, a grin twisting onto his face as he watched Jacqueline's countenance fall.

Jacqueline's heart snapped. Did he really just tell her that she never stood a chance? After everything she'd done to help him, he still saw her as nothing more than an acquaintence. Within seconds, she went from desiring him to wanting to beat him within an inch of his life. She clenched her fists and fired up her gauntlets.

"Seth..." she said with a growl, "I'm going in first..."

Seth didn't say anything. After what he'd just heard, he couldn't deny her the first crack at Charles, even if he knew she was most likely in over her head. He could tell that Charles was different from the rest of the members of Team Flare they had faced prior to now. He too carried a sword at his hip and stood with a confidence that would unnerve any man foolish enough to oppose him. Jacqueline, from what Seth could tell, knew this all too well.

"You're really going to stand against me. You do know that I've been instructed to kill you both right?" Charles stated darkly. "You won't defeat me, but seeing as you're so determined to rush to your death I'll humor you..."

"Shut your stupid mouth..." Jacqueline snapped back.

Within mere moments, Jacqueline had closed the distance between Charles and herself, her fist pulled back as she wound up her signature haymaker. She swung her gauntlet with full force and connected with Charles' crossed arms, buckling his knees under the pressure. Jacqueline wasn't going to let up. In a flurry of punches and kicks, it seemed as though she had effectively put Charles on the defensive.

"You're as relentless as ever aren't you, Jacqueline!?" Charles grunted, grinning as she whipped around and slammed a spinning kick into his torso, pushing him back a few feet.

Straightening up, Charles cracked his neck and smirked. "It also appears that you've gotten a bit better. No doubt a result of my tutelage."

"Don't flatter yourself," Jacqueline spat as she rushed toward him again, gauntlets glowing with intense heat as she drew her arm back in preparationg for another heavy blow.

If Seth were to compare Jacqueline's fighting style to anything, it would have been that of a berserker. Every punch had enough speed and force behind them to crush rocks, and appeared to be thrown randomly in an effort to confuse her opponent. However, upon closer inspection, Seth could see that there was a degree of control behind it all, albeit some of her footwork was a bit sloppy. Still, even with all of that strength she was using, he could tell that Charles was simply biding his time and wearing her down.

His suspicions were confirmed the moment Charles parried one of her attacks and rammed a heavy fist into her gut. Jacqueline doubled over and stumbled backward while sucking in air. She'd taken punches before, but this one nearly knocked the wind completely out of her. It didn't take her long to figure out why it hurt as badly as it did. Charles was wearing a newly modified expansion suit that enhanced his performance several times more than the one she was wearing. The moment she realized this, she was face to face with Charles again who swung his leg and kicked her hard in the side before she could react.

Before she knew it she was put on the defensive, her arms in front of her body in a futile effort to prevent further injury as that kick had done more damage than she'd anticipated. All the while she was looking for an opening and every time she thought she had one, she was punished for falling for a feint. Off balance and dizzy, Jacqueline was now nursing a heavily bruised arm that she was sure would break any minute now if it was struck again.

"You see Jacqueline, this is just another reason why you never stood a chance with me. Your skills, while admirable, are only subpar at best. You could be better but you lend yourself to silly fantasies that will never come to light. I thought I could fix that but it appears that some people are just destined to stay as they are and never be anything more," Charles stated as he drew his blade and began walking toward her.

"You're an ass," Jacqueline snapped, her face twisting in anger as he drew near. "All these years I though we were friends! Was all of that just a lie too? Was I just some pawn in your little game just so you could move up in the world!?" Jacqueline roared, swinging her good arm around en an effort to land a decisive strike to his face.

Charles avoided the blow with ease and reached for her throat and held it in a tight grip as she began to gasp for air. Due to how heavy her gauntlets were and the condition she was in, she was in no shape to try to pry his hand off of her. Her eyes widened as he pulled held his sword at the ready. Was she really about to die here?

"I do believe you've answered your own questions. You've been a loyal cohort for as long as I've needed you, and now that I have no further use for you I think it's time to bid you adieu..." Charles responded, tightening his grip on her throat as he drew his sword back.

As he swung the sword point toward her abdomen, he was nailed in the side by a medium-sized blue sphere of energy, causing him to lose his grip on Jacqueline as he was send skidding on his side several yards away. Steam rose from Charles' body as he got up and dusted himself off. His eyes shifted over toward Seth whose hand was outstretched in his direction.

"My, my... couldn't wait anymore could you?" Charles laughed.

Seth said nothing as he knelt down and helped the injured Jacqueline to her feet. She could barely stand as it was due to the damage she'd taken from multiple blows to her legs and abdomen. She was a mess to say the very least. As Seth brought her to a stand, she said nothing as well, knowing she didn't deserve his help. As she was brought to a corner of the room, Seth motioned for Cerise to show herself. After giving her specific instructions to keep a barrier around Jacqueline, Seth turned and silently stood across from Charles.

"I don't see what you stand to gain by helping her. After all, she and I orchestrated the attack on the ball," Charles revealed, a look of smug satisfaction at the distraught look on Jacqueline's face. "If anything, it ought to be you who disposes of her."

Jacqueline began to tear up in anger. As much as she hated to agree with that bastard, he was right. She had contributed to the ball incident as well as the second attack on the palace. Seth had a plethora of reasons to bash her skull in and yet he just stood there, silently listening to Charles sell her out. She was about to brace herself for the worst when Seth spoke up again.

"If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it," Seth retorted coldly as he drew his blade from its scabbard and pointed the tip at Charles in a challenging manner.

"So the pauper is challenging a champion to a duel... this should be very amusing," Charles snickered, pulling his sword from its sheath.

Before Charles could ready himself, Seth was in front of him in a flash, his sword thrusting into the armor. Due to the plating being as strong as it was it only pierced it slightly, but it was enough. The force from the thrust sent Charles slamming into the wall on the farthest side of the room.

"I don't remember giving you permission to call me that..." Seth growled, his blade still trained on Charles as he picked himself up from the ground.

Lysandre looked at the clock as the two fought on. It was nearly time to begin the first phase. With one minute remaining, he turned to Allie and gave her a knowing smirk. Allie's eyes widened in terror as she caught the sinister look in his eyes. Her eyes darted up to the countdown to see that she had a very short time until he put the next part of his plan into action. She watched as he reached for his holocaster and opened it up to send out a new message.

"Citizens of Kalos! As all of you know, the countdown to the end has reached a crucial point, meaning that it is time to begin the first phase of this world's demise," Lysandre began with a sinister smile.

Xerosic took that as his cue to step over to the main switch that powered the devices in the center of the lab that were hooked up to the platform where the tree stood. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of the handle of the switch and yanked it upward. The device that Allie was hooked to began to light up as power was sent to it. The same occurred with the shackles that the Eternal Flower was linked to. Allie began to sweat as her shackles lit up and began sparking with electrical energy.

The pain was so sudden that Allie didn't have time to brace herself for it. She screamed at the top of her lungs and then forced herself to grit her teeth and try to endure it. Every now and then she shouted in short bursts, the occasional Kalosian swear. At the same time, the energy from her device was being transferred to the Ultimate Weapon along with Floette's and the dormant form of Xerneas. Looking upon his work with satisfaction, Lysandre turned his gaze upon his broadcast once more and continued speaking.

"Now that the process has begun I have one more important announcement to make. I have decided that it is too risky to allow the filth of this planet exist for even one more hour. I know that I promised you all at least three, but I regret to inform you that I will be retracting that statement! At the rate that the Ultimate Weapon is being charged that time will be up before the remaining two hours is complete. That being said, the new deadline for this world's destruction is thirty minutes!" Lysandre declared after changing the countdown clock so that all who were watching could view it.

"To those of you who have chosen not to join our cause, I sincerely hope you've taken time to say your final goodbyes to your loved ones..."

Satisfied with what he'd said, he switched off the holocaster and turned toward Xerosic who was now reading the power meter. A wide grin was spread across his face as he saw the percentage of power steadily increasing at an alarming rate.

"We're at seventy-nine percent now! Just days ago we weren't anywhere close and within minutes we're nearly there!" Xerosic exclaimed. "All that remains is for us to be rid of Seth and his troublesome friends and we'll be in the clear," Xerosic replied, his gaze shifting to another screen that showed Seth's friends struggling through the base to reach the exit so they could help Serena who was being carried by Tierno.

Charles lunged forward, his blade just shy of its mark as Seth parried it with relative ease and then countered with a strike of his own that grazed Charles' shoulder as he attempted to avoid it. Pressing his advantage, Seth began lashing out at a much faster pace, each thrust targeted at specific points on Charles' body, each of which—with the help of the expansion suit—Charles was able to narrowly deflect. As Seth lashed out again, Charles was able to carefully read the motion as it came and successfully parry it and strike back, his blade grazing Seth's shoulder as he avoided the counter strike.

Keeping his momentum going, Charles pressed his advantage aggressively, backing Seth into a corner before thrusting forward again, his blade being met with Seth's as he deflected the strike away from him. Charles was then met by a heavy open palm strike that caused him to stumble backward. Sensing the followup strike, Charles was able to avoid it once again and then counterattack with a harsh punch of his own that slammed into Seth's jaw, making him stagger backward a few paces.

Charles wasted no time going for the kill. In a flash, Charles shot forward and thrust his sword forward, his aim directed at Seth's heart. Seth sidestepped the strike as Charles overextended. Gathering aura, Seth drove his knee straight up into Charles' abdomen, effectively breaking through the armor and exposing the softer layer beneath. Charles coughed as he fell to his knees, his hand over his stomach as he gasped for breath after the wind had been knocked out of him.

He looked down at the armor he'd been wearing to find that there were pieces of it on the ground in front of him. How he, a world class champion, was losing to a no-name upstart was beyond his ability to comprehend. Up until a moment ago the two had been evenly trading blows, each having landed a hit or two on the other as evidenced by the slash marks both of them bore, and yet Seth had somehow managed to gain the advantage completely. Charles pulled himself together and stood back up to face Seth once more.

"It would appear that I've greatly underestimated you," Charles huffed. "A mistake I don't plan on making again..."

"Are you finished?" Seth replied with a stern look.

"Oh I'm finished alright, and so are you," Charles stated as he pointed his blade toward Seth in a challenging manner. "So why don't we put it all on the line with this last strike. Think of it as the final point to score to win the match. The winner walks away victorious and the loser... well... dies," Charles stated with a smirk.

Seth knew what Charles was trying to do. It was obvious by the way he suddenly became more confident. Though he knew he was being lured, Seth wasn't one to back down from a challenge that was issued. In this particular case, however, he knew he couldn't avoid it even if he wanted to. Without a word, he placed his sword in its sheath as a sign that he'd accepted the proposition made by Charles.

Charles grinned triumphantly and slide his own sword into its scabbard and took a stance, his hand at the hilt of his sword as he prepared to unleash everything he had on Seth.

The fool has no idea what he's ageed to. This expansion suit is able to accelerate the speed of my thrust in an instant. I've allowed this to go on long enough and while it was fun, I think it is time that I returned to prepare for the main event.

Seth was no fool. He knew Charles was trying to lure him in and that's exactly what he was counting on. As the two faced each other, Charles' expansion suit began to light up, improving his strength and speed exponentially. "Prepare to die, pauper!" Charles shouted as he drew his sword and charged. Within seconds, Charles had closed the gap between Seth and himself, his sword piercing through the air as it honed in on Seth's chest.

A gasping cry went was heard as steel pierced through flesh. The sound of a blade being ripped out of a victims chest was heard along with the collapsing of a body to the ground. A sword sang as it was slid back into its sheath by its owner. Cerise, seeing that her duty was over, released the protect shield from Jacqueline who slowly managed to bring herself to a stand to face Seth.

She didn't speak as she looked over at the lifeless form of Charles on the ground. She had hoped that it wouldn't have come to this, but with the way things had been going it was inevitable that something like this was bound to happen. It was all she could do to keep herself from breaking down. The very man she had pursued for so long was now forever gone, and the sad truth was that it was his own fault.

"I'm leaving," Jacqueline said finally, her eyes glued to the ground as she spoke. "The lowest level is just down those stairs. You'd better hurry... there's only fifteen minutes left," Jacqueline finished as she turned to make her exit.

"Thank you for your help," Seth called after her, causing her to stop and turn to look at him, confusion written on her face. "I mean it," he said, a brief smile crossing his features as he spoke. "Go take care of yourself... I'll handle it from here."

Nodding in understanding, Jacqueline gave him a thumbs up before saying, "Be sure to kick Lysandre's ass for all of us. I didn't help you out so you could lose you know so you better win."

"Don't worry... I plan to," Seth said grinning, returning the thumbs up before turning to head toward the stairs that would lead him down to the lower level where Lysandre was waiting.