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Start Notes:
Hello, hello!! I am *very* new to this forum and excited to be here! This intro/overview first post in the thread will be edited heavily as I start understand the layout and such better. I aspire to have a pretty overview post like every other fic on this forum has. You guys have set the bar high, and I will eventually clean this up to hopefully look a fraction as good as some of your's do!
Update: OOOOO I finished some art for the fic, and now my intro post begins to get pretty!!! WOOOO!!! I have also added art to a few spots in the chapters, and I'll probably continue to update with art as I finish more. I have a lot more art in the works, so hopefully you guys enjoy the visual accompaniments! I am having to physically stop myself from making this whole fic into a comic, because that would eat just way too much time, but I'll be making a few mini-comics as we go!
My fic is cross-posted on AO3 here, so you might have seen it there, but is new to the forums! I'm working on porting over the rest of the existing chapters to this site.
I'm working on finishing up some art for the fic, so that will be coming soon as well!
Feel free to share any and all thoughts you have on the fic! I'm a person that will unashamedly admit I LOVE getting comments on fics and hear reactions, thoughts, feedback, things you enjoyed, etc lol. They never fail to make my day!
Hope you enjoy!!
Additional note: All art for the fic is done by myself unless specified otherwise!
International Celebrity Ruins Everything
Legends: Z-A, Pokemon XY
Pairings: Urbain/Serena
Content warning: Strong language (putting this to be safe!)
(I know tags like AO3 aren't really a thing here, but I'm just gonna put the tags here anyways) Tags:
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Spoilers, one of the 10 views Urbain’s video got was Serena, when you’re terrible at marketing but also excellent because your video found the most famous person in the region, Urbain is a Precious Gullible Idiot, Urbain is Effortlessly Charming, Urbain’s 100000 Blood Money Video, Serena is not a fan of the new construction-chic Lumiose look, Serena has that Clark Kent disguise but it WORKS, Serena has excellent fashion taste and bad taste in everything else, Serena is a fancy mess, Serena and Urbain are 18, AZ is like Serena’s grandpa, Trigger Happy AZ’s Floette, Serena is the Pokemon Y Protagonist, Pokemon Y Version, previous game protag is the new game protag, Serena is Seika | Harmony, Pokemon Have Abilities, Ghost-type Pokemon, Dark-type Pokemon, Sableye is a Menace, Crack Treated Seriously, AU - alternate universe, AU - Canon Divergence, the most chaotic attempt at revising the PLZA plot, featuring me adding mechanics and story beats that should have been there, and the power plant, let me go into the power plant you coward, Social Media, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Fluff, Found Family
Summary:
At 13, Serena became the Kalos League Champion, rocketing her into stardom, fame, and glory. Unable to settle down permanently in Kalos just yet, possibly (probably) due to trauma, Serena heads to Hoenn under the guise of studying the origins of Mega Evolution, only briefly returning to Kalos to handle Champion affairs when absolutely needed.
Five years later, after seeing a very odd promotional video for Hotel Z, Serena is stunned. AZ, the 3,000-year-old giant homeless senile war criminal who interrupted her Champion parade, owned a HOTEL?! Serena decides that a stay in Lumiose is in order immediately. What was supposed to be a drop-in visit quickly spirals into another massive undertaking, featuring a wide array of new and fun colorful megalomaniacs, and training a brand new team.
At least this time, it was just the fate of Lumiose on the line, not the destruction of the entire world and every life form on it. Small victories.
“...No order is too tall when you have our esteemed owner at the helm! Choose Hotel Z for your next stay in Lumiose!”
“Hotel Z is the best hotel in Lumiose! No order is too tall when…”
“Hotel Z is the…”
“Hotel Z…”
Serena let the video that had randomly popped up on her feed loop continuously, unable to tear her eyes away as she failed to comprehend what she was seeing. After about the 15th time the video had played, Serena scrambled to check the profile of the poster, nearly dropping her Rotom Phone in the process, and accidentally knocking her coffee cup off the counter. It shattered on the ground, hot coffee and porcelain spattering everywhere, but Serena didn’t even glance at it.
The username was “hotelzlumiose” with the display name “Hotel Z - Lumiose City.” The account had several other short promotional videos, all only racking up single digit views, though one notably stood out for having a whopping 25 views. However, now that Serena thought about it, that was the video she’d been letting play over and over again.
She promptly watched every other video on the account, eyes glued to the screen. Each video featured an admittedly very cute boy who had light blonde hair with red tips, some shots of the supposed Hotel Z, and a few Pokemon, usually some combination of a Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig. But sometimes, and most importantly, the videos displayed the toweringly tall owner of said hotel and his Floette.
Serena had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
There was no WAY!
The hotel owner, who looked very dapper and put together, dressed nicely in a button-up vest, slacks, and a bowtie with his hair cut, tamed, and arranged in a long braid… was AZ!!
AZ, the 3,000-year-old giant homeless senile war criminal who interrupted her Champion parade, owned a HOTEL?!
The AZ Serena had to DRAG into a clothing store to buy bespoke clothes for while he refused to accept anything “too nice” the entire outing and swore he’d never wear a suit.
The AZ who wouldn’t even WALK into a hair salon with Serena and vowed he’d never touch his hair.
The AZ who REFUSED to let Serena purchase him an apartment because he didn’t want to settle down, claiming he was a life long wanderer.
The AZ who, no matter how much Serena begged him before her departure, wouldn’t get a Holo Caster to keep in touch with her, stubbornly declaring that technology was out of his depth.
THAT AZ?!
OWNED A HOTEL?!
Serena had to see this for herself in person. Because there was NO WAY she’d accept that this was real until she saw it with her own two eyes.
She’d stayed away from Kalos, as far away from Lumiose as possible in the last five years, but this was more than worth breaking her Lumiose-ban for. Serena immediately bought a ticket to Kalos for the next day.
Now, all she needed was a disguise.
Z • ──── ᒡ◯ᵔ◯ᒢ✧ ──── • A
Urbain’s Rotom Phone popped out of his pocket and floated in front of him. “Okay, ready to record! Now all we need is a tourist fresh off the train. Hope you three are ready for the spotlight again!”
Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig all made noises of agreement. They were more than ready for the spotlight! They were born ready! They wanted to be stars as much as the actual stars hung in the sky above!
“If we’re gonna protect Lumiose, we’ll need a bigger team!” Urbain resolved. “So let’s keep spreading the word about how great Hotel Z is. And once we get a guest who has what it takes, we’ll recruit ‘em to the cause! Now we need someone with a real “I’m a tourist” look.” Urbain watched the crowd of people exit the station, and that’s when he caught sight of her.
There was a girl who appeared to be about his age. She doesn’t look exactly like a tourist per se, but she didn’t fit in at all with the people around her. She stood out, and caught Urbain’s eye immediately. She was practically sparkling with how put together she was. She wore a long open tan trench coat, a short red plaid dress, knee-high heeled brown boots, and a maroon felt hat. Her long, honey-colored hair was tied in pigtails and her blue-gray eyes were tucked behind a pair of slightly cat-eyed rounded tortoiseshell glasses.
Something tickled in the back of Urbain’s head that she didn’t look quite right with glasses, but he waved it off. She was very fashionable and beautiful, sure, but there’s also something magnetic about her that’s drawing him in, and if Urbain thought that, the camera would think that too!
Plus, she did have a rather huge old-fashioned travel bag that did seem very touristy on its own. However, the overly large leather bag didn’t even look out of place at her side. She somehow made it work perfectly with her look.
“Hey, you there!” Urbain called out to her. Attention successfully caught, she looked a bit startled at being singled out. Oops! He shouldn't have been so loud. Getting randomly screamed at in a crowd was bound to make anyone uncomfortable. Urbain walked over to her. “Just pulled into the Gare de Lumiose, am I right?” he asked lightly, with an easy smile, trying to compensate for the shock he’d given her. Urbain really wanted her to be in the promo video, so hopefully he hadn’t scared her off.
It seemed like his worries had been unfounded because her alertness melted away and her eyes widened slightly in recognition. “Oh, hey! You’re the guy from the video!” she identified.
“Y-you saw the video?!” Despite the multitude of videos Urbain had put out, being recognized on the street like this had never happened before! He’d always wished it would happen though. It would be proof that his PR ads were working. But it finally happened! And the fact that this really pretty girl was the one who did?!
“Chika?! Chik, chik!!” Chikorita disbelievingly poked Totodile and Tepig, who were equally as shocked.
“Te, pig.” Tepig muttered, overwhelmed. They were finally reaching the heights of fame they knew they were destined for! All of their secret midnight practices the three of them had while Urbain was sleeping were worth it!
The girl smiled radiantly. “Yeah! I came back to Lumiose just to stay in Hotel Z because of it.”
Urbain’s heart fluttered, and he couldn’t help himself from impulsive shouting, “REALLY?!” This was one of the best days of Urbain’s life. It wasn’t even that she was planning a trip to Lumiose and happened to see his advertisement. No. She came to Lumiose JUST to stay in Hotel Z because of HIS video!
“TOTODILE?!” Totodile screeched, eyes practically popping out of his head.
“Yes, really,” Serena confirmed playfully, very much enjoying how excited he and his Pokemon were. His joy was contagious. “I couldn’t find anywhere to book online, so I figured I’d just show up. Hopefully you’re not booked…?”
“NO!” he frantically exclaimed, reaching out his hands like he was ready to stop her as if she was about to run away. Urbain coughed to try to cover his blunder and returned his hands to his sides, attempting to somewhat look more casual. “No. We have plenty of room!!” He had to shoot down the idea that she should look anywhere else to stay but Hotel Z! “Hey, actually, I was just about to film another promo video for the hotel, do you want to be in it?”
“Sure, sounds like fun!” Serena loved being on camera, and she was completely okay with endorsing AZ’s hotel de war crimes. The mental image of the towering AZ bumbling about with a flood of guests and struggling to do customer service was too good to pass up on. Serena would absolutely slap her face on whatever ad Hotel Z was putting out.
Score! Urbain really lucked out! “I need you to look into the camera and say, “Hotel Z’s the best stay in Lumiose!” Easy, right?”
Serena tilted her head, confused. “Oh, that’s it? You don’t want to spice up the promo with camera angles and effects? Sparkle cannons are always a good addition. If you don’t have that on hand, Dazzling Gleam works well instead.”
Serena might not be a director, but she’d made enough Trainer PR videos and been in countless brands advertisements and photoshoots to know a little bit about filmmaking and marketing. Serena being in the Hotel Z ad would do wonders on its own, but the video would reach even greater heights with a higher production value to snag viewer attention.
Overwhelmed customer service AZ was on the line here!
“Nah,” he waved off her suggestion, “simple is always better! We’re going for authenticity.”
“Alright, if you say so,” Serena agreed, albeit skeptically. “Though, I really do think a Dazzling Gleam behind me would really improve the shot.” If somehow the video didn’t go viral, Serena would step in and find another way to make her very important new dream a reality.
Urbain delightedly laughed, enjoying her clear enthusiasm for his video. “I love the passion, but Hotel Z is good enough to bring in customers without all the bells and whistles. Okay, lights, camera…”
Loud music unexpectedly blasted from the nearby billboard, dominating the entire intersection and train station courtyard. The volume ensured that no one would be ignoring it.
Urbain grimaced, energy deflating, and tucked his Rotom Phone away. “Ah, shoot. We can’t film with that ad blaring in the background!”
On screen, the video opened on a middle aged woman with bleached blonde hair in a clean cut work-dress. “Welcome to Lumiose City, where people and Pokemon flourish together. My name is Jett, and I’m the CEO of Quasartico Inc. Pokemon are mysterious…”
Serena was overwhelmed by the unpleasant jarring interruption. “I can’t believe they’re allowing ads to be playing that loud in the streets! It’s ruining the city's atmosphere. What is the new mayor thinking?!”
“I’m guessing you’ve been to Lumiose before, huh?” Urbain observed.
“Oh, yes,” Serena confirmed, trolling through the multitude of memories she had in Lumiose, the good and the bad. “Many, many times. I lived here briefly about 5 years ago.”
Urbain scrunched his eyes in a half-wince, half-smile. “Yeah, the city has changed a lot since then, especially with this new urban redevelopment plan Quasartico is rolling out. The mayor is really on board with it.”
“Ugh, that mayor,” Serena groaned. “I bet Clemont is more than happy to let the mayor run amok. He’s probably loving all the technology updates.”
Tuning back into the ad, Jett continued, “…that we’ve begun setting up wild zones where they can live comfortably alongside us…”
Serena stared aghast at the images on screen. “Arceus, please don’t tell me that company is wrecking any of the historic architecture to make their little habitats?!” Lumiose’s aesthetics and architecture were sacred!!
“Well…” Urbain weakly trailed off, not wanting to finish, knowing she’d hate the answer.
“That’s not a no,” she noted briskly, clicking her tongue. “The damned mayor is probably revoking the historical status of the structures just to let them do whatever they want! Oh, Lumiose, what have they done to you?” Serena wallowed in grief at the fate of this beautiful city.
Urbain hadn’t expected her to be so opinionated on it. She really didn’t seem like the type to be anti-Pokemon. “You’re really against the wild zones. Do you not like Pokemon in the city?”
“Pokemon in the city is wonderful, they should be allowed to live wherever they like, here or otherwise,” Serena huffed. “Just don’t let companies purposefully destroy history to make that happen! It’s like replacing all of the mirrors in Parfum Palace’s Hall of Mirrors with TVs because mirrors are outdated. This is blasphemous!!” Serena will admit that she had some destruction-related trauma, but regardless, the integrity of Lumiose’s old architecture should be preserved!
Urbain nodded, understanding her argument now. What a relief! She wasn’t anti-Pokemon, that would have been terrible! “Ah, I see what you mean. I agree with you on that one, actually.”
“They better not have touched any of the fountains or obelisks!” Serena protested fiercely, turning her attention back to the stupidly loud video to pour over the visuals and scan for crimes against history.
With a flourish, Jett announced, “We’ve now employed our patented holo-tech in all corners of Lumiose so our interactive guides can teach you more about your surroundings…”
‘Holo-tech… Wait, did they buy out Lysandre Labs’ patents? They were allowed to do that?!’ Serena faltered, her disgust over design choices quickly fading into extreme suspicion of Quasartico. Her eyes widened, horrified. ‘Oh no, their technology is already everywhere in the city!’
As if the woman had prepared her next words specifically for Serena, Jett declared, “A city even more beautiful than before awaits all of us.”
Serena felt like this CEO– Jett was looking directly into her soul, her eyes now filled with a heavy presence far greater than any pre-recorded billboard ad should have been able to convey.
‘Not even 10 minutes back in Lumiose and there’s another charismatic CEO trying to change the world to make it more beautiful with a holo-tech agenda.’ Serena had seen this play out before. It haunted her every night. It was why she couldn’t find it in her to stay in Kalos.
Serena wished she wouldn’t get involved, but she knew that she couldn’t just leave Kalos to suffer a horrible fate again. No way. She refused. Serena didn’t want to keep playing the hero, but she’d be damned if she didn’t take action when she knew she could do something.
Especially since this only happened in the first place because Serena left Kalos and fled to Hoenn. Serena had been ignoring her league duties, just doing the bare minimum to keep her title, enjoying the fame without the responsibility, and had purposefully abstained from being involved with Kalos’ affairs. Had Serena been more watchful and present, she could have stopped this mess before it was approved.
Before it was everywhere in the city.
This happened because of her negligence. Because Serena couldn’t cope with what had happened to her and had to leave to get away from all the reminders, especially in Lumiose. Because Serena couldn’t get over having the fate of the world rest on her shoulders. Couldn’t rationalize the many, many attempts on her and her Pokemon’s lives at the hands of Team Flare.
With knowing that if she failed or made one small mistake, all life on the planet would end.
And it would have been her fault.
Because she wasn’t able to deal with seeing a man and his Pokemon crushed to death. Because of her.
Serena had only been 13. She shouldn’t have been expected to cope or be responsible for any of that! She was just a child! The adults in the region should have stepped up and taken care of it like they were supposed to!
Diantha, Sycamore, the gym leaders, everyone! They all failed her.
No. Serena refused to be just another oblivious Champion who thrust their responsibility onto some unsuspecting, hopeful child.
Serena would deal with her mess herself.
It was time to step up and start taking her role as Champion seriously.
Wrapping up the advertisement, Jett politely concluded, “We hope you’ll bear that in mind and pardon our construction work.” The screen faded into Quasartico’s logo. “The Mega Evolution of Lumiose City is coming, brought to you by Quasartico Inc.”
‘Oh, I’m bearing that beautiful future you want in mind greatly, Quasartico. Message received loud and clear, don’t worry.’ Serena narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at the billboard and crossing her arms. ‘And no, you’re not excused for the construction work. It’s tacky. Do better.’
Serena had immediately noticed the scaffolding as soon as she left the train station doors. Well, that and the newly retrofitted anti-homeless benches. The scaffolding was just that jarring of a contrast from the buildings that immediately stood out! It was garish, ugly, and didn’t match the Lumiose aesthetic at all!! It got a big no, no, no, NO from her!
“I like how that CEO thinks,” Urbain commended. “Even if her ad did keep us from filming. This city and its Pokemon are a wonder. To know ‘em is to love ‘em! Anyone who visits gets it.”
Calem’s interactions with Lysandre unwillingly flashed in Serena’s mind. “Lumiose and its Pokemon are special, there’s no doubt about that. I won’t let anyone,” she hardened her stare at the billboard, “try to ruin that.”
Not really clocking her ire and only noting her intensity, Urbain tucked his hands behind his head and grinned. “See? You get it! And speaking of people who visit Lumiose, the new promo video is gonna convince them to give Hotel Z a shot! You’re proof it’s already working!”
“Is Hotel Z struggling to get guests?” Serena asked.
“Er, yeah,” Urbain reluctantly admitted, “That’s why I’m doing all the promo videos, you know? Gotta help get new guests somehow.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “Well, you don’t have a website or a place to book online. You’re not exactly making it easy for people to reach out to you to book a room,” she bluntly evaluated. She had thought the lack of online presence was an attempt to look exclusive, not because of incompetence.
Urbain’s energy shrunk. It was a harsh but very fair point. “I’ve tried to get the hotel owner to agree to a website, but he says he won’t do it. Something about being out of touch with new technology,” he defended.
Serena sighed. “Of course he did,” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” Serena dismissed. “Anyways, just put me in whatever PR video you wanted to make, and people will flock to the hotel.” It looked like she’d have to forcefully make AZ finally adapt to modern technology.
“Wow, that’s some confidence you have there!” Urbain cheered. “I like it! It’s just the energy we need for the video!”
Serena blinked, genuinely perplexed. “…Do you really not recognize me?” Yes, she was wearing a disguise – a trenchcoat and fake glasses – but it was intended for people to not notice her at a glance. It was a tactic to avoid being crowded. Serena had figured it wouldn’t work for people that spent more than a few minutes looking at her.
“No…? Should I…?” Urbain hesitated. “I mean, you’re pretty enough to be famous, yeah, but I don’t recognize you at all.”
Ironically, from behind Urbain, the billboard that had so graciously delivered the previous message from hell flickered into an ad featuring Serena herself advertising a new fashion line.
Serena glanced up and down between the billboard and Urbain in disbelief. “Wow, okay. This disguise really is working.”
“Oh, are you actually famous then and trying to go incognito?” Urbain wondered.
Serena now found the whole unknown identity thing very amusing. “Yes, something like that.”
“Got it!” Urbain raised a finger in front of lips to make a “shh” gesture like he was keeping a secret. “We’ll be super inconspicuous then. Very low key.” He bowed, one arm across his middle, and the other arm out to the side. “Only the most secret of escorts to the hotel for the lady in disguise.” He winked at her.
Serena was momentarily stunned. ‘He’s kind of an idiot, but why is this actually so charming?! That should have been cringy, so why is this working for him?!’
Urbain smirked at her unbalanced state. “Let me take your bag… Hold up – where’d your bag go?” He looked around, wondering if she’d dropped it somewhere.
“Huh? I could have sworn…” Serena cursed that she’d been momentarily distracted because of a suave line. She was better than that! She still had her go-to pink tote with all her Pokemon, but her luggage bag was gone.
‘Of course, now I’ve been mugged. Just my luck. Welcome back to Kalos, Serena! Have some evil agendas you get to deal with, an ugly scaffolding-chic Lumiose, and a side of robbery.’ Serena groaned disparagingly at her fate. ‘This is really not my day.’
“Hey!” Urbain shouted. “That Pancham’s got it!” He pointed to the Pokemon in question.
A Pancham danced merrily, bouncing from foot to foot, Serena’s bag hoisted over one of her shoulders, flaunting her grab in their faces. She stuck her tongue out at them and pulled down on her lower eyelid. Pancham blew a raspberry, the leaf in her mouth whistling so the noise sounded like a mocking “toot,” and her taunting expression all but said, “Hahah! Suckers! You’re all idiots!”
“The nerve!!” Serena stomped her foot in frustration, hands fisted by her side.
“Did you hire a Pokemon courier service or something?” Urbain obliviously asked.
Serena looked up to the sky as if the clouds above would give her the grace to handle this situation with. “Arceus, you’re lucky you’re pretty. No!” she exclaimed, meeting his eyes. “What about that looked like it was planned?!”
Urbain blushed. “You think I’m pretty?” he said bashfully.
Serena deadpanned, “Is that really what you took away from what I just said?” She pinched her nose, exasperated. “That Pancham stole my bag!”
Urbain, finally clued into what was happening, leaned back, bringing his hands up in front of him in shock. “Wait… so your bag got bagnapped?!” He grimaced, looking away and scratching the back of his head, regretful. “I shouldn’t have bugged you with my video stuff… My bad! Come on, I’ll help you get your bag back!” Urbain took off running after the Pancham. Great! He messed up again! Way to be smooth, Urbain! He had to make it right by returning her bag.
“Thank you!” Serena exclaimed, happy that he was getting with the program. Serena easily matched his pace, running beside him.
“Quick! After that Pokemon!” Urbain commanded his three Pokemon. They scampered ahead. The Pancham made an evasive move to cut down a corner street. “It went into that alley there! Man, that thing can hustle!”
“I see it!” Serena started sprinting, outpacing Urbain, heels clacking rapidly along the cobblestones.
“You know, you run really fast despite wearing heeled boots!” Urbain marveled, impressed.
“Please,” Serena scoffed, “as if I would stumble while wearing designer shoes!” she screamed, outraged at the thought.
Urbain muffled a laugh. It was cute that being frustrated made her snarky and less composed. “It went left just before that dead end!”
The Pancham stopped. Serena and Urbain paused their chase and watched from around the corner as the Pancham reunited with and showed off his haul to two Trainers.
“I guess this wasn’t just a wild Pokemon randomly messing with you. That bag-napping Pancham must’ve been with those two.” Urbain turned to Serena. “Listen– oh, hey, actually what’s your name?” Urbain glanced away, embarrassed. “Sorry, I should have asked you earlier. Just kinda got caught up in everything.”
“It’s fine, I didn’t exactly ask for your name either. I’m Serena, and you are?” She introduced herself, morbidly wondering when exactly he would clue into realizing who she was.
“Serena? Got it. That’s a nice name! I’m Urbain.” He gave her a close-eyed beaming smile Serena would have been dazzled by if not for her fixating on the sheer lack of recognition even after having her name. Urbain was clearly still completely clueless. Was her disguise just that good or was he just the oblivious-earnest type? Serena figured it was probably both. “And don’t you worry – I’ve got your back here!”
“Even a backpacker like me wouldn’t be caught dead with a bag this tacky!” one of the Trainers with Pancham stressed, repulsed by the bag.
“Maybe it was trying to clean up this eyesore,” the other Trainer suggested, trying to reason why Pancham stole such an ugly bag. “Let’s bring it to the cops! Bet they’ll pat us on the back.”
“YOU TAKE THAT BACK!” Serena screeched, scandalized. Her sheer indignation at the slight dominating any need to be sneaky. She stormed over to the two Trainers. “It is vintage Boutique Couture! But I guess a backpacker like you wouldn’t appreciate high fashion.”
“So what if it costs a lot!” the backpacker fumed. “It’s still ugly!!”
Affronted, Serena was ready to charge her. “WHY YOU–”
“No need to take it to the police guys,” Urbain quickly interrupted, trying to defuse the situation but very amused by Serena’s sudden personality shift. Her very put-together air crumbled when she got upset! “If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, she’s the owner of the bag, just give it back to her.”
Serena backed off with a huff and crossed her arms. No, she was not pouting.
“HEY!! You’re Urbain!!” the backpacker shouted, surprised, but not exactly happy to see him.
Serena was baffled that someone recognized Urbain like he was a big deal when she was standing right there next to him completely anonymous! This disguise was really putting in work! The glasses were definitely worth the exorbitant price tag!
“I… can’t say I know you. Did you see one of the ads I filmed, maybe?” Urbain asked wishfully.
Serena thought it was precious that he sounded so hopeful that his video ads might have been circulating enough for two people to have recognized him today.
The backpacker shook her head, offended and shocked Urbain didn’t remember her. “It’s me, Andi! From the Z-A Royale! How could you forget already?!”
“Yeah, I’m Andre!” the other Trainer jumped in. “We faced off just last night!”
Urbain put his hands on his hips and looked down his nose at them, haughty. “Oh, Trainers from last night? Sorry, not ringing a bell. Must not have been much of a challenge.” No, he was definitely NOT being extra rude because they brutally crushed his dreams of being recognized twice today from his hotel videos!
Andi looked humiliated. “That stings. But I guess… fair.”
Serena, positively gleeful that Urbain was joining her dissing these two, was encouraged to continue poking at them. “No eye for fashion and weak trainers? Please, what do you even have going for you at that point?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, smirking at them like they were nothing more than peasants huddled outside her castle.
Infuriated, Andre announced, “Listen up! We’ll return your bag – if you battle us right now!”
Urbain shook his head, confused. “That makes no sense. If you want a rematch, all you have to do is wait till nightfall.”
“SHUT UP!” Andre spat. “Pancham’s itching for another shot at you. That’s why it snagged the bag! Uh, probably!”
“It’s nice of you to consider what Pancham wants.” Serena hated that Urbain said that earnestly. Really, Urbain was lucky he was pretty because he was too understanding that it circled right back around to being gullible! “But the two of you against me? That’s unfair!”
Serena was more than ready to throw down. If he thought it was unfair now, she was about to swing that wildly in the other direction.
Urbain turned to Serena, looking a little regretful. “Listen. How about I guide you through this mess? I’m just a helpful kind of guy, you see. Your bag got stolen, right? So what’s your next step here?”
Serena clenched her manicured hand into a fist in front of her. “Crush them with no mercy! They will pay for their crimes against fashion.”
“Er, yeah,” Urbain faltered, though he was internally laughing at her extreme ferocity. “Love to see your priorities are in order. And you’ve got three Pokemon right here ready to help!”
“Whatever, just hurry up or it’ll be night anyway!” Andi stated impatiently.
“Hear that? They’re down!” Urbain gestured to his own three Pokemon. “Now choose which Pokemon you’ll battle with!”
“Thanks for the offer, but there’s no need.” Serena grinned ferally. “I am a Trainer, and I’ve got a full team with me.” These fools were in for a shock!
“Great! You’ll be able to handle this no problem!” Urbain cheered.
“How much longer are you gonna drag your feet?” Andi barked.
Serena clicked her tongue. “Oh, I’m more than ready to battle.” She patted the imaginary creases on her outfit. Serena reached into her tote and pulled out a Pokeball.
“All that waiting drained my momentum. Time to get back into gear! No way I’m gonna get beat by a prissy fashionista like you! You’re going down!” Andi taunted. “Pancham gave us a shot at revenge, and we won’t miss!”
“I respect that spirit. But you’re gonna have egg on your face for real if you lose after that declaration!” Urbain shook his head, skeptical.
“Hey!” Andre shouted, feeling ignored. “Focus up, Urbain – you’re dealing with me!”
“Right,” Urbain rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m sure you got muuuuch stronger in the day since I beat you!” His abundant sarcasm indicated just how much of a threat Urbain thought this Trainer was.
Serena cackled. Urbain might be a gullible idiot, but he was a cute gullible idiot with an edge. She was very much a fan of the unexpected sass!
“Go, Pancham!” The backpacker’s cry caused Serena to refocus on her own battle.
Pancham was brimming with confidence and a self-satisfied glee that the situation she’d arranged for was bearing exactly the fruit she wanted! Revenge!!!
“Sensei, show them who's in charge!” Serena sent out her beloved partner who’d been with her since day one. There was no one better to thoroughly trounce this Pancham than her perfect grossly overpowered Greninja.
Sensei emerged from his Pokeball. Aided by the sunset’s back lighting, the Greninja’s looming shadow stretched far away from his form and completely covered the Pancham, making Sensei appear even larger and intimidating than he already was. Sensei glared menacingly down at the Pancham, red eyes glowing in the dusk low-light.
Pancham suddenly regretted all of the choices she’d made leading to this moment. She messed up. Big time. That was not a normal Greninja!! NO WAY! What was that thing eating!? The souls of the damned?!
“A Greninja?!” Andi exclaimed. “Whatever, Pancham and I can take you! Pancham, use Tackle!”
Sensei stared at Pancham with a questioning look that read, “You sure about that, buddy?”
Ice ran through Pancham’s veins. Tackle? Please! Like that would do anything to that Greninja. No, she was NOT fighting that thing! Pancham decided to be smart about this and ran back to her Trainer, grabbed the bag she stole, and delicately placed it next to the horror-Greninja’s Trainer. Pancham darted back behind her Trainer’s legs for protection, holding on tight and shivering.
“Pancham??” Andi questioned sharply.
Serena, extremely satisfied by Pancham’s groveling, felt like this was an even better outcome than winning. “Look, we don’t have to battle. Your Pancham returned my bag, and she clearly doesn’t want to fight anymore. Don’t force her to battle because of some petty problem you have with Urbain. That’s not fair to Pancham.” Serena might be being a little tiny bit of an asshole with this whole battle, but she would never force a Pokemon to battle her that didn’t want to.
“Fine!” Andi relented. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right. This was supposed to make US feel better, not you! Your Greninja is really something else though. You’re fresh off the train, but you’re no newbie, are you?”
Serena snorted. “No, I’m not. Sensei and I have been together for six years now. Did the league circuit and all that.” She gave Sensei a nod and returned him to his Pokeball.
“We really didn’t stand a chance did we?” Andi stated glumly.
“That was some unconventional battle! I’ve never seen a Pokemon get knocked out from Mean Look before!” Urbain mocked, walking over casually from his own complete trouncing of a battle he’d dished out.
“Please tell me you won, Andre!” Andi asked desperately.
“Nope.” Andre hung his head in shame. “Can’t believe I thought I’d score a next-day comeback. My Pokemon and I are so let down.”
Andi reassuringly put her hand on Andre’s shoulder. “This is why you and I get along so well. We even lose together.”
“If you’re that upset, wait till night falls and come try again!” Urbain said good-naturedly with a grin.
“No way! We’re not dealing with you again – not even if we meet during the Royale!” Andi vowed. “Pancham says sorry about the bag. Now au revoir!” The two trainers and Pancham abruptly made their escape.
Urbain raised his hand out for a fist bump towards Serena. At her lack of returning the gesture, he said, “Don’t leave me hanging!”
Serena blinked. “Oh.” She fist bumped him back. Was that a thing in Lumiose now?
“That was huge! We won our first battle side by side! We make a great team, the real makings of a great power duo!” Urbain declared, pumping his fists by his side.
“We did. Next time, let’s have a proper double battle!” she agreed. Urbain might not be at the same level as her battle-prowess wise, but that didn’t matter. He was a dynamic character that would definitely bring some interesting strategies when working as a team! It would be fun!
“So there’s gonna be a next time then, huh?” Urbain grinned impishly and folded his hands behind his head.
Not going to allow herself to be caught off-foot again, Serena confidently agreed, “Yeah, there’s going to be a next time for sure. That is, if you can keep up with me.”
“Then I’ll train extra hard to make that next time happen!” he whooped, determined to get even stronger.
Without warning, red pillars of light materialized around them.
“Oh man. It’s nightfall already?” Urbain scratched his head worriedly, darting his eyes around him in every direction. “And here we are in a battle zone. Rotten luck.”
“Am I missing something here? What’s happening?” She was puzzled. Serena looked at the red holo-walls with disdain. “I didn’t expect their holo-tech to be this pervasive.”
“We gotta move, so here’s the deal, super-short version… Battle zones are intense! Anyone who finds you in here can challenge you to a battle on the spot!” he cautioned. “I know I said I’d give you a low key trek to the hotel, sorry about this.” Urbain cursed to himself. This was about the least inconspicuous thing that could have happened! First the bag-napping, now this! “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“No, this is in no way your fault. Please, don’t worry unnecessarily over it,” Serena reassured. “Besides, it doesn’t sound that bad based on what you said. But honestly, I’d rather not battle any more tonight. I’m severely jet lagged, and would prefer to get a head start on getting readjusted to the time zone.”
“Gotcha, Hotel Z is right nearby. Let’s get going! My Pokemon here can take care of your bag so it won’t weigh you down.” Urbain gestured to Tepig and Chikorita. “Totodile will stay with me, just in case.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “You sure? My bag already got stolen once by Pokemon today.”
“Nah, they’ll be fine! Other Pokemon will leave ‘em alone. Plus, those two can climb fences and get into places where people can’t follow ‘em.” Urbain was very confident in his Pokemon’s ability to handle the task.
“Alright.” She squatted down to hand the bag to the two. “You both look very brave and strong, please do your best to ensure my bag makes it to the hotel safely. I’ll make sure to reward you handsomely if you do.”
Chikorita and Tepig puffed their chests out in pride, now taking this courier job much more seriously. They accepted the bag with great care and bounded off.
From beside Urbain, Totodile pouted, feeling left out. “Toh, toh…”
Serena noticed the Pokemon’s dour mood. “Don’t worry, Totodile, you’re getting the hardest job out of you three! You have to make sure we make it to the hotel safely. Urbain must have chosen you to stay because you’re the strongest.”
Totodile peered up at her, eyes sparkling, and turned to Urbain for confirmation.
Urbain faltered, not really expecting Totodile's puppy eyes. “Uh, what–” Serena gave him a firm look, silently screaming at him not to crush his Pokemon’s dreams. “Oh, yeah. Yeah! You’re so strong, Totodile! There’s no one else I’d trust with our safety more!”
“Tohto, toh, to!!” Totodile burst with life, very excited to play his role now. “Toh!”
“We gotta hightail it outta this battle zone. Follow me! Totodile, you stick close to the front to guard!”
“Toto!” Totodile affirmed seriously.
“This way!” Urbain guided as he started running, leading the group towards the exit. Serena trailed behind, following his lead as they made several turns down alleyways. “Okay, we’re almost there.”
“What have we got here?” Serena whipped around, startled by the waitress’ sudden voice from behind her. “A pair of battle zone loiterers! You must be after a Pokemon battle. So square up and give me your best shot!”
Remembering the last battle he just saw of hers, Urbain winced. “Uhhh, I wouldn’t challenge her if I were you! And anyways, my friend here isn’t part of–”
“I don’t believe anyone asked you!” the waitress snapped at him, cutting him off.
Urbain covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head slightly. “Hey, I tried.”
Serena waved off Urbain’s concern. “I appreciate the effort. I might be dead tired, but I can pull through one battle.” She would gladly deal with this rude woman.
The waitress flipped her pony tail over her shoulder and glared at Serena. “The points I earn from trouncing you will propel me up the ranks!” Riding high and confident, she sent out the cutest smallest bean of a Cleffa.
The bean let out the most adorable squeaking war cry as she raised her little baby sized arms up to try to be ferocious, “Cleee!” The Cleffa was possibly the tiniest Cleffa Serena had ever seen with the biggest doe eyes. The sheer size of its eyes made it look even smaller.
“Oh, no,” Urbain muttered under his breath, horrified. “That poor Cleffa.” He had seen just how powerful Serena’s Greninja was. She was clearly a very experienced Trainer. More than experienced. She was undoubtedly a veteran Trainer.
The Cleffa was about to go down, hard.
Serena turned her head to Urbain, face stricken. “Actually, I don’t know if I can do this. I mean, morally.” That might have been the most baby looking Pokemon ever. Did it hatch, like, an hour ago with pre-programed maximum adorable genes?!
This was NOT the same as battling that Pancham!
“Shut up!! Send out your Pokemon already!” the waitress grumbled.
“Clef!!” Cleffa looked equally as irritated, glaring at Serena with her perfect shiny doll-eyes. She curled her little arms up in a “come at me” gesture and started shadow boxing. This Cleffa really did perfectly match her Trainer.
“Arceus, please don’t send me to hell for this.” Serena quickly ran through the mental math of who had the least damaging move on her team and who could be the gentlest. Shit, no one on her team was particularly gentle! But if she had to choose… “Go Gattaca!” Her Sylveon emerged in a shower of sparkles. “Please, please, please don’t kill the Cleffa!” Serena begged desperately.
“Syl?” Gattaca had the audacity to look confused by the direction.
“Cleffa, use Tackle!”
“Uh,” Serena stuttered, unsure of how to handle a battle for the first time in years. “Gattaca, just- just tap it lightly with one of your ribbons, okay? Like 5%- no 2% power!” Serena pinched two of her fingers together to emphasize just how small she meant.
“Syl!” Gattaca nodded in confirmation.
“Oh, thank Arceus,” Serena sighed in relief that Gattaca understood.
The little Cleffa came charging in at the Sylveon, armed with a confidence of a thousand burning suns, and about to execute the most epic Tackle of her life. “Cle–”
Gattaca, as instructed, used one of her ribbons to bat Cleffa away, sending it rocketing at high speeds before it slammed into the side of the nearby building with a loud resounding crack and a cloud of dust. Debris fell from the point of contact on the wall.
Due to her round body, Cleffa bounced off the building and bopped along the street, like a bouncy ball slowly losing momentum, until she skidded, face down on the pavement, to a stop back in front of the Sylveon.
Cleffa was bruised, battered, and most notably not moving.
“Syl~ve!!” Gattaca trilled merrily over the defeated limp body of her enemy. She did an excellent job!
“C…le…f….” Cleffa weakly and painfully mumbled, barely audible.
Oh, thank Arceus, it wasn’t dead! Serena hid her face in her hands. Gattaca did NOT understand!! That was way too much power! She should have never trusted her to be gentle!!!
“CLEFFA!” her Trainer yelped, the worry and panic clear in her voice, rushing over and dropping to her knees in front of the downed Pokemon. Serena hurriedly dug into her purse.
“I am SO sorry!!! Please use this Max Revive!” Serena shoved the Max Revive into the waitress’ hands who administered it promptly.
Though now out of danger, the Cleffa was still very woozy and looked worse for wear. The waitress returned Cleffa to her Pokeball. She had her Bunnelby as well, but wasn’t going to risk their health too. “Another night spent battling in the Z-A Royale with no points to show for it…” she muttered.
“Um, ma’am, you need to take your Cleffa to a Pokemon Center immediately!” Serena pressed, genuinely worried about the health of Cleffa.
“I tried to tell you!” Urbain shook his head, also looking stricken. “And Serena’s right! You need to leave, now!”
“Toto! To, dile!” Totodile insisted, just as upset.
Coming to her senses and snapping out of her shock-riddled brain, the waitress scrambled back to her feet. “R-Right!!” she darted off, sprinting.
Urbain watched as she left, unable to tear his eyes away from Cleffa’s Pokeball. “Honestly? I think I heard it pop like a balloon when it hit that wall.”
“I’m going to have nightmares about this,” Serena said solemnly, eyes distant.
“Syl~ve~on~!” Gattaca chimed with a little dance, wiggling her ribbons and tail, cheering herself on for her good work of utterly destroying that precious little angel.
“No!! You don’t get to be happy about that!” Serena spat, pointing at Gattaca accusingly. “I trusted you to be nice!!”
“Ve,” the Sylveon scoffed and gave her a look that said, “I WAS nice!”
“Hey.” Urbain caught Serena’s attention. “So here’s my advice as your kind new friend who loves helping people…” Even though his evaluation of himself was true, it sounded incredibly sarcastic. “Stay out of the battle zones.”
“Yeah, no SHIT!” Serena exclaimed, the most frazzled she’d been all day. She glared at Gattaca and returned her to her Pokeball.
“Let’s get the hell out of here before someone else comes after us looking for a battle!” Urbain shuddered. “I don’t think I could handle watching another repeat of Cleffa.”
As they continued to make their way out of the battle zone, their path was blocked once again. Three Trainers stood just in front of the exit, all itching for a battle and sights trained on Urbain and Serena.
Urbain worriedly glanced off to the side, scratching the back of his head, and unsure of how to proceed.
“Thank Arceus it’s not another Cleffa,” Serena breathed in relief at the sight of the Honedge, Pansear, and Hearacross. All opponents she was completely morally okay with dispatching ruthlessly and were decidedly not newborn baby adorable beans.
“Look,” Urbain started, hoping this time he could resolve this with words. “I’m trying to get our hotel guest to safety. Let us through, would you?” He gestured to Serena beside him, then held his hands up in a placating gesture.
The battle girl uncrossed her arms and sneered, “Too bad for your guest! Once you step into a battle zone, you’re a target like everyone else!”
Urbain unceremoniously dropped his arms down by his side and looked defeated. No, he steeled himself, Urbain couldn’t allow another Cleffa to happen. Never again.
“If you want a target,” Urbain walked in front of Serena, “I’m right here!” He dropped into a battle ready stance.
“Toto.” Totodile matched his Trainer’s determination.
“Kyururu!” a Pokemon cry came from above. Serena and Urbain looked up, following the noise. Floette gracefully floated down between the two parties preparing for battle. When she raised her flower that had been blocking her view, Floette chirped excitedly upon seeing Serena.
“A Floette with a black flower, huh?” the jogger Trainer commented sharply. “You don’t see that every day. Let’s see how it battles!”
Floette looked over her shoulder back at the other Trainers and glared at them. How dare they interrupt her reunion with Serena! She swung her flower around and started to charge up a Light of Ruin, the only appropriate response to such a slight!
“NO! Don’t hit them!” Urbain reached out frantically, desperately trying to prevent another Cleffa incident.
Fine. Floette pouted. Urbain always ruined her fun. She fired off her blinding cannon of a move juuuust above the three trainers heads and into the sky above. Floette reveled in seeing the beam’s light flicker away against the night sky.
There was a moment of silence before the three Trainers glanced at each other, then stumbled over themselves to scramble away, fleeing as fast as they could. Floette cackled. Urbain had been right! That was much funnier than actually hitting them with Light of Ruin!
Floette turned back around to face Urbain and Serena, ready for praise.
“Nicely done, Floette!” Urbain, so very relieved it didn’t turn into another Cleffa situation, was completely fine with not saying anything about Floette’s almost murder. “But maybe you should save that Light of Ruin move for when it really counts, huh?” he commented instead with a slight laugh.
Floette stubbornly puffed out her cheeks. That wasn’t what she was looking for.
“Floette!” Serena greeted her cheerfully. “That was some crazy power! You must have been training hard!”
“Kryu!” Floette trilled happily at the acknowledgement. She floated around Serena while preening and moving her flower about like a sword. “Ku, ruru.” Yes, Floette had been training, thank you for noticing.
“And I really like Floette! Your flower looks extra pretty today! It must be basking in the glow of that Light of Ruin you just fired!” Serena complemented. Floette twirled her flower bashfully with a blush. There was a reason why Serena was her favorite. She then floated up to sit on Serena’s head. Floette pointed excitedly with her flower towards the hotel.
Serena chuckled. “Of course, m’lady, as your loyal steed, I shall lead you wherever you please! Order away!”
“Kryuuuu~!”
“You’re really good with Pokemon,” Urbain noted, watching their easy exchange. “Hey, how long did you say you’re staying in Lumiose?” Serena was definitely the kind of person he wanted on Team MZ!
“Thank you. I’m not quite sure, I haven’t exactly booked a return ticket yet.” Serena had new, fun, and exciting megalomaniacs to deal with first before she decided where to settle down in Kalos again.
Urbain smiled softly, meeting Serena’s gaze. “So what you’re saying is that there’s a chance I could convince you to stay longer?”
‘Why is he so charming?!’ Serena screamed in her head. The line had come out of nowhere! He can’t just say something like that casually!
Tickled by the exchange, Floette leaned down from her perch to pat Serena’s face, snapping her out of it.
“I mean,” Serena bumbled out an answer, “I don’t have any plans yet so…”
Urbain beamed and did a small victory jump. “I’ll take it! A chance is all I’ll need!” Wow, this boy was NOT good for her heart! “You’ll see. Besides, once you see how great Hotel Z is, you’ll never want to leave!”
“Hotel Z, right,” Serena weakly tried to pivot. “Let’s go there.”
“Great!” Urbain’s 10,000 kilowatt smile was still going strong. “Follow me! I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved to leave a battle zone.”
After exiting the red holo-gateway, Hotel Z was only a few paces away. The building was an exemplary example of old Lumiose architecture, complete with the cobble stone courtyard and climbing ivy.
“Welcome to our humble establishment,” Urbain bowed as if he was a butler and looked up at Serena from under his eyelashes cheekily, “Hotel Z! You won’t find a more tranquil, relaxing stay anywhere in Lumiose…” Urbain’s confidence faltered, wincing as he trailed off. “Because we don’t have a single other guest,” he finished ruefully.
Serena smiled warmly at Urbain. “A tranquil, relaxing stay is just what I’m looking for,” she announced primly.
He chuckled. “Great! Come on in!” Urbain held the door open for her. “After you.”
“Thank you.” She looked around the lobby, it really had that wonderful rustic cozy feeling. She couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the patchwork sewn curtains and the mis-matched chairs. This space had AZ written all over it. Serena loved it. Floette left her spot on Serena’s head and drifted back to AZ.
“I’m back, AZ!” Urbain called out, entering after her, and letting the door close. He met AZ at the counter. “Check it out – I brought us a guest!”
Serena withheld the snort she wanted to make upon seeing the giant of a man in the flesh wearing his dapper little suit manning the comically short reception desk. With his color pallet, bangs, and bow tie he looked exactly like a Dartrix! Imagine a Rowlet in a tiny bell hop uniform and hat!!! Aaah!! She needed to make that happen and get her hands on a few Rowlet for this hotel. A fleet of adorable gentleman Pokemon butlers was exactly what would set Hotel Z apart! The more Serena thought about it, the more ideas she had for this place!
But before she could get to any of those finer details, she had a grand mysterious entrance to make.
“It’s been a while, AZ,” Serena said from where she was looming in the doorway, eyes cast downwards. Serena was taking much joy in making her entrance as unnecessarily dramatic as possible. “When I heard you were running a hotel, I didn’t believe it and had to come see for myself.” She slowly started to approach, then snapped her head up to meet AZ’s gaze.
AZ’s eyes widened in recognition. “Serena…?”
But Serena was nowhere near done with her bit. “Wow, you’ve really cleaned yourself up over the years. A vest and a bow tie? Really AZ? I’m shocked. You look way less homeless now. What else have I missed in 5 years? It’s comforting that Floette is still as trigger happy as ever though. At least she hasn’t changed.”
AZ smiled at her words, glad to see that Serena was just as theatrical as ever. “It’s good to see you again. You’ve grown up.”
“That is what happens when a normal human gets older. We’re not all immortal.” Serena rolled her eyes, then matched AZ’s smile. “But jokes aside, it’s good to see you and Floette again too. I’m really happy to see that the years have finally been kind to you. 3,000 years is too much pain for anyone, even you. You deserve this.”
“Thank you.” AZ’s heart warmed. “Life has been treating me well, and I hope the same for you.”
Urbain blinked. “Oh, you and AZ know each other?” Ah, that’s why she came to Lumiose after seeing his video! Not only did his ad work, but it also reunited two friends! Urbain really was excellent at making videos.
AZ nodded. “Yes, I owe Serena a great debt after everything she did for me five years ago.” Not only had Serena reunited him with Floette, but she had done everything in her power to help him get back on his feet afterwards, even if he refused most of her help. They had spoken at length together about his past, his sins, and his regrets. But that didn’t scare Serena off.
Instead, she sympathized with his struggle of having the weight of the world on his shoulders and not making perfect choices that came with awful consequences. Serena continued to spend time with him, true quality time. They joked together, laughed together, ate together, and cried together. It made AZ feel like a person again for the first time in many, many years.
AZ would forever be grateful to Serena for that.
“I’ve told you already, you don’t owe me anything,” Serena insisted. “Just let Lemis hang out with Floette, and we’re even.” Lemis would fit in the hotel’s secluded courtyard out front, which was perfect. It was cute watching a giant hulking bird of death be best friends with a dainty Floette. Those two could gab for hours over their ancient war stories.
‘Immortals,’ Serena rolled her eyes.
“Your stay here will be on the house,” AZ declared with a nod. Floette spending time with Yveltal was nowhere near enough now that he finally had some means to pay her back.
“No, it will not!” Serena stated, narrowing her eyes. “Urbain told me your hotel is struggling! I will be paying in full and tipping a LOT!” she emphasized.
AZ shook his head mirthfully. “It’s a kind offer, but I refuse to accept money from you.”
Serena pulled her wallet out of her tote bag and dropped an exorbitantly huge sum of cash onto the counter. “I can more than afford to stay here, so I will be paying! I am a paying customer. Emphasis on paying!” Serena challenged.
AZ pushed the money back towards her. “You’re overpaying!” he countered.
Serena scoffed. “You’re going to take it, or I will sneak into the lobby at night and put it in the register myself!”
“It’s too much, and even if it wasn’t, I won’t take money from you,” AZ denied staunchly.
Serena smirked. “If it makes you feel any better, you can consider the money my charitable contribution to the preservation of Kalos’ esteemedhistory as a part of my league responsibilities, or a generous donation to the elderly, either works.” Serena looked at AZ innocently with wide eyes. “We can’t have our national relic dying on us or destitute again, can we?”
AZ’s face hardened, becoming stormy and serious. Serena looked just as vicious and intense as AZ.
Urbain’s eyes widened. He’d never seen AZ look like that before! ‘Oh shit, she pissed off AZ!! …Though, she’s not wrong, we do need the money.’
But to Urbain’s utter surprise, they both erupted in laughter.
AZ brightened. “It is good to see you again.”
“Yeah, it is good to see you too, gramps.” Serena smiled genuinely, voice light.
Serena truly had missed him.
“Speaking of, we have to get you a website for this hotel. I know you’re very out of touch,” Serena lamented sarcastically while checking her nails, “but I’ll painstakingly teach you how to use a Rotom Phone to manage reservations. Before you go off again with, “back in my day,” gramps, back in your day you had sticks and rocks for tools. The stone age is over. It’s time to adapt.”
AZ sighed. “Serena, I–”
“And I’m still not over the Holo Caster thing,” Serena cut him off. “I know five years must not feel like anything to you, but it was a long time for me. Make it up to me by doing this.”
“I’m truly sorry, Serena,” AZ apologized sincerely, forlorn. “Five years isn’t nothing.”
“You’re more than forgiven as long as you don’t let it happen again,” Serena relented. The lack of contact had really hurt her. Serena had needed his support, she had come to rely on it after everything five years ago, and it was a struggle to be suddenly stripped of that when she needed it most.
“Alright,” AZ acquiesced with a long tired sigh, “I’ll give the Rotom Phone a try.”
“Great!” Serena bounced back cheerfully.
Urbain chuckled at the exchange. He didn’t realize AZ had friends, let alone close friends! “You guys must be really close, huh? So how did you meet each other before Hotel Z?” Urbain had to know the story behind how such a pretty stylish girl ended up being best friends with the hulking grandpa that was AZ.
“Wow, you really don’t recognize me even after knowing my name,” Serena deadpanned. “Our meeting was broadcast on live television.” Serena took off the glasses she was wearing. “How about now?”
With the glasses removed, it finally clicked who she was, and Urbain blurted out, “Arceus, you’re Serena! You’re the Champion!” Urbain very much knew who she was! He watched all of the videos of her matches! Her battles were wild and her strategies awe-inspiring. She was someone every trainer in the region studied and looked up to!
Wait, that meant the Sylveon that did horrible things to that Cleffa was THAT Sylveon!! He winced. Yikes, no wonder that happened. It was like trying to delicately knock a pebble off a table with a shotgun.
“Yes, that’s me,” Serena confirmed airily as she admired the glasses in her hands. “Wow, these fake glasses really are killer.”
‘Well, now I gotta try even harder to convince her to stay! She’s exactly the kind of member Team MZ is looking for! With the Champion on our side, we can protect Lumiose no problem!’ Urbain resolved. ‘She’s not at all what I imagined THE Serena to be like. I like the real Serena a lot more!’
AZ chuckled, enjoying Urbain’s shock. AZ hadn’t realized Urbain didn’t know Serena’s title, but was glad he got to witness the rug being pulled out from under him. Serena’s travel bag caught his eye. More precisely, the Zygarde cell crawling out of her travel bag. It was an omen to ponder over later.
“I was concerned when a bag arrived with no owner,” AZ explained now that Serena’s bag was on his mind. “That is why I sent Floette out to seek you. It seems my worries were unfounded, after all, you had Serena by your side.”
“No, I’m glad you did! Floette saved our skins with her Light of Ruin – it’s a heck of a move,” Urbain applauded. “You’re so wise, AZ, I can almost believe you really ARE three thousand years old like you always say!” he snickered.
Serena giggled, loving the fact that apparently no one believed AZ’s age was real, but cut herself off with an unwilling yawn. She was dead tired. Far, far too much had happened today. She needed her beauty sleep!
Noticing this, AZ nodded at her. “Serena, before you retire, pray, allow me a few words. I hope you’ll indulge me as your host.” AZ straightened, standing up a little taller. “Treasure your companions, and never betray that faith. That is all I wish to say.”
“I understand, AZ,” Serena acknowledged sincerely. AZ had made countless mistakes in his past, regrets he would carry with him forever, and this sage advice was the culmination of his entire life. Those were the words AZ now lived by, his lesson finally learned that day at her Champion parade.
Serena was never going to be one to betray her Pokemon, but she understood that he was speaking about more than just her Pokemon. He was speaking as a ruler, a king, advising her on how she should be handling her Champion title. To AZ, a man who had lived 3,000 years and was a king of Kalos in his own right, “companions” meant “the people of Kalos” and “the people you share this life with.”
His words also served as a subtle criticism of her lack of action. It stung, but he was right.
Serena knew AZ saw what she saw was afoot in Lumiose. AZ had been right beside her five years ago, after all, and was privy to all of the details. He was one of the few that saw the same side of Lysandre that she did.
“Good.” AZ nodded, satisfied, hunching back over his cane once more. “Room 202 is yours to use.” He handed her the key to the room.
“You can take the elevator to the second floor,” Urbain provided helpfully. “Rest up for tonight, then come meet me down here in the lobby tomorrow morning!”
“Alright. Thank you for your help today, Urbain. It was very kind of you. I’m excited to get to know you better during my stay.” Serena smiled brightly.
“Nah, it was nothing! I’m happy to help!” Urbain blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head, looking away. “And I can’t wait to get to know you too.”
“Well then, goodnight to both of you.” Serena grabbed her bag, and headed into the elevator with a wave.
Once the elevator doors closed, Floette hovered over to Urbain, who was still staring at the elevator, and slyly nudged him with her flower
“What?” Urbain blinked, then looked at Floette’s knowing look. “No, it’s not like that!” he insisted. Floette tittered mirthfully, not at all believing him. “Okay, maybe a little like that. But just a little!” he conceded.
AZ chortled. “Serena is a wonderful young lady,” he commented approvingly.
Urbain groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “Not you too, AZ.”
Z • ──── ✿৻(๑'ᵕ'๑) ──── • A
*Knock, knock*
“Hey. Sorry, I know I said you should sleep, but can we talk for a sec?” Urbain’s muffled voice came from the other side of her door.
Serena was so thankful she hadn’t changed or gotten ready for bed yet. She scrambled to open the door.
Urbain bowed to her once more. “Begging your pardon, dear guest! I neglected to show you our hotel’s true gem – a stunning panorama.” He rose from the bow and winked. “That means, “C’mon, you gotta see the roof!””
Serena curtsied back. “Why of course, good sir, I’d be delighted.” She linked their arms together, and grinned up at him. “You may escort me.” Serena reveled in the fact that it was Urbain this time who was startled and struggled to make eye contact until they parted once they reached the roof. Ha!
“Bit late now, but welcome back to Lumiose City!” Urbain walked to the railing and looked out over the twinkling lights. “It’s got its weird parts, but it’s a good place. I like it here.”
Serena joined him at the railing. “A very apt assessment, I agree.”
Urbain’s face turned uncharacteristically serious. “Listen… I owe AZ big-time for all the help he’s given me since I got here. I want to do right by him in return. Not to put you on the spot, but since you seem really close to AZ… think you could give me a hand?”
Serena understood that look well, the unspoken weight of one’s past. “I’d be happy to.” She was never one who could ignore an earnest plight. Despite everything, Serena still had a bleeding heart. Besides, AZ was her dear friend, she’d always be there to help him.
“You’re the best!” Urbain grinned, sticking his fist out. Serena returned the fist bump.
Even with the chaos and re-emerging trauma the day had brought, Serena was glad to be back in Lumiose. Her return brought back the companionship she’d gone years without. AZ really did know what he was talking about, huh? That wise old man.
As she gazed out at Prism Tower, Serena made a solemn vow to herself that she would never allow anything like Lysandre to ever happen to this city and her region again. Her extended sabbatical in Hoenn was over. Serena had been running for too long. It was time to take a stand and show Kalos that she was here to protect its future.
It was time to be a true Champion.
The one Serena had desperately wished Diantha was, and failed to be, for Kalos five years ago.
End Notes
Nickname central: Sensei (Greninja) – because he acts like a know-it-all wise old man and tries to teach the other party members things like he knows better. He does not know better. Gattaca (Sylveon) – named after the nucleobases of DNA (G, A, T, C) and the excellent sci-fi movie about genetic bio-engineering, GATTACA. Lemis (Yveltal) – named after the shortened slang of Les Miserables, Le Mis. The book title translates to English literally as “The Miserable Ones,” but can also mean "the wretched," or "the outcasts." All of which fit Yveltal very well. Also because the whole book is about (among many other things) destruction, death, and revolution in Paris.
---------
My favorite bit of NPC dialogue is when you're on a random rooftop or street and then some guy just has a balloon over his head that says something like, “Hey, remember that power outage from 5 years ago? That was wild,” or “I liked the city better 5 years ago,” or “Whatever happened to that Holo Caster news lady?” like “that Holo Caster news lady” WASN'T an E4 member.
The sewers were unironically the best looking map in the game. Also, not me in the Lumiose sewers continuously saying, “We’ve got to get you out of here, Marius,” and looking at a Litwick and going, “Marius, what’s wrong with you today, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” I named my sewer Litwick Marius. I love my sewer Litwick.
So I have some gripes with the game lol, but I actually loved playing it!! The battle system was REALLY fun, customization was excellent, the new Megas were 10/10, and I loved the characters. I just felt like the plot was thinner and a little weaker than it could have been. That, and there were a lot of underused characters.
Why Serena? The plot of the PLZA game becomes infinitely more complicated if the protag is the XY protag lol. This is by no means going to be a bashing of PLZA, it’s going to be a reimagining of the plot by beefing it up with all of those little things I know we ALL wished would have happened. Also, I’m not officially saying yet that I’m making Quasartico evil lol, Serena is ✨paranoid and traumatized✨
“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to shew when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
-OR-
By asking her to join the Z-A Royale, Quasartico had given her the keys to the kingdom and was inviting Serena to wreck their entire lives with open arms. And she’d do it with a smile on her face and a pep in her step.
Serena woke up in a delightfully vindictive mood that inspired a very good idea of how to kick off her plan to decimate Quasartico and everything they stood for.
If evil needed their ass kicked, it was time to break out the miniskirt and thigh highs again. She would become a specter of the past and remind everyone who had been mollified by her extended absence just who they were dealing with.
Not that the general public knew what she wore during her original journey, but for those who did know and remembered her, people who now had positions of power, the symbolism would ring abundantly clear. And those people were the exact ones she needed to put the fear of Arceus in and show that Serena was not messing around.
This wasn’t Serena the model and superstar showing up for a visit.
No.
It was Serena the Hero of Kalos, defeater of Team Flare, and Champion at their door step, striking fear in the hearts of the damned with her miniskirt. For those who knew, her haunting visage would be an undeniable echo of her past victories.
Serena was back in every sense of the word, and this was her battle armor.
Serena cackled as she dressed, pulling on her black collared blouse, high waisted red miniskirt, and black thigh high socks, her dramatic little heart singing. She wrapped the very bottom of her hair in a hair tie. She pulled a chunk on either side free from the pony tail and let it join her longer bangs framing her face. Iconography was truly a wonderful thing.
Serena thrived on melodramatic mischief veiled by a coat of glamor and manners. She loved being a menace, but with nuanced subtlety and plausible deniability. Clever theatricality was truly a lost art.
Serena laced up her black high tops and donned her pink felt hat, placing white sunglasses on top of it. With a final hair fluff in the mirror, she grabbed her pink tote bag and headed out the door.
Z • ──── ☆⌒(ゝ。∂) ✨ ──── • A
The lobby existed in muted harmony, nothing stood out too much on its own. The mismatched chairs with scattered patterned pillows didn’t clash, it was wholly charming. The organized chaos aesthetic at its finest. Something both uniquely AZ and undeniably old-Lumiose. Serena loved it.
Urbain sat in a blue chair at the low coffee table with Floette by his side. “Hey! Good morning,” Urbain greeted Serena with a wave like it wasn’t 4:00 in the afternoon. No, he did not sit here waiting for her to wake up all day.
“Good morning,” Serena said with a laugh. She very much knew exactly what time it was. Serena reached into her bag and pulled out a paper box. “These PokePuffs are for your three Pokemon. I promised them a reward. Please thank them again for everything they did last night.”
“For sure! They’re gonna love it,” Urbain cheered. “Rough day yesterday, huh? Travel, jet lag, your bag gets stolen, then you get dragged into the Z-A Royale…” He shook his head, drawing Serena’s attention to his hair. Urbain’s hair was like strawberry lemonade. She had no idea how his dye job looked so good and perfectly complemented his skin tone. “I’m glad you rested enough! You look much more refreshed now than you did when we met.” He stumbled to add, “Not that you didn’t look great then too!”
Serena laughed again. “Yes, I feel much better now! The bed was very comfortable.” It really wouldn’t be hard for Serena to get the hotel customers after she put in a little work. “The Z-A Royale… That’s the whole mess with the battle zone, right?” Serena questioned.
“The Z-A Royale's a big Pokemon battle tournament headed by Quasartico that’s taking Lumiose by storm! I’m competing in it too, actually! Practically flying up the ranks.” Urbain scratched his cheek and looked very smug.
“I don’t doubt that,” Serena agreed. “From last night, I got the impression that you’d be quite the interesting trainer. Why did you decide to join this tournament and not the Gym circuit?"
Urbain blushed slightly from her acknowledgement. “I’m trying to become the strongest Trainer around so I can help protect Lumiose. This is actually what I wanted your help with. Remember? Our talk last night on the roof? I know this is sudden, but can you join the Z-A Royale too, Serena?”
“Come again?” Serena asked, baffled. How did joining a tournament have anything to do with helping AZ?
Serena’s Rotom Phone buzzed and popped out of her pocket.
*You’ve received a message!*
Dear Serena,
You are invited to join the Z-A Royale, a battle tournament to determine the greatest Pokemon Trainers in Lumiose City. Anyone who attains the highest rank, Rank A, will earn the right to call themselves one of Lumiose’s strongest Trainers and be granted a wish, as long as it is in our power to fulfill. If you wish to take part, please open the attached file to install the Z-A Royale app on your device. We eagerly await your enrollment.
Sincerely,
The Z-A Royale staff
Serena’s heart skipped a beat. How did they get this number?! This was NOT a public number! This was her personal phone. Not the line set up through the league that went through several assistants and administrators before potentially forwarding something to Serena.
“I bet that was an invite to the Z-A Royale, right? Perfect timing!” Urbain tucked his hands behind his head. “I figured they’d invite you, since you held your own when you weren’t even signed up. And obviously because you’re the Champion and all.”
How do they KNOW that Serena was in a battle zone last night?!
‘The holo-tech.’ Serena’s veins turned to ice. ‘It’s not just barriers, they were watching.’ Serena wanted to go back upstairs and scream into her pillow about how incredibly slimy and unethical this all was. It made her feel like shit just thinking about it.
Serena might want to curb stomp evil under her dainty little foot, but she wasn’t a monster. She had empathy, sometimes more empathy than she should for people. Especially after Lysandre, who refused to look further than his own feet to see the consequences and effect his actions had on other people.
Which is why Serena had held out a smidgen of hope that she’d been wrong somehow, but that was shattered now, a pile of ash on the ground. They really had bought out Lysandre Labs, not just their patents, but the company as a whole along with all of their data records. There was no question about it now.
Holo-tech spyware to monitor people through their holo-tech, Holo Casters included, was something Lysandre had created and used, but never made public. Serena had been so relieved to hear it had been destroyed by Dexio and Sina long ago after defeating Lysandre in Team Flare’s HQ.
Looks like the “Masked Heroes” didn’t do a good enough job. Pathetic. Those two were always late to the party, but never failed to present their petty contributions as a huge triumph. Serena really shouldn’t have believed their words with full confidence. Sure, they might have destroyed the spy machine, but they didn’t ensure one could never be made again or delete the data.
Not only was Lysandre’s spyware machine back and in use, but was being used to monitor every nook and cranny of the city!
Quasartico wasn’t even denying it or trying to be secretive!! They were flaunting the use of spyware right in her face! The gall!
And the sheer nerve they had to contact her directly, knowing full well exactly who Serena was, to invite her to take part in their little tournament like they were doing her a favor. Their invitation was so patronizing! “Will earn the right to call themselves one of Lumiose’s strongest Trainers??” SHE WAS THE CHAMPION!!
They were belittling her while also implying that somehow Quasartico’s reach extended past Serena’s own dominion and authority as Champion by asserting they could offer her a “wish” she could not already fulfill herself. And if she participated, all the while, Quasartico could reap the benefits of having the backing of the Champion.
AS IF!
Oh, Serena was pissed. Did they think she was stupid just because Serena hadn’t been in Kalos? That she wouldn’t see everything they were doing with this move? Serena was very smart, thank you very much.
If they wanted the Champion, then they’d get her. She’d join their stupid tournament, but only under the guise of complacency. If Serena’s name and title were affiliated, more people than ever before would flock to the tournament, and the world’s press would be watching. If more eyes were watching Quasartico than ever before, perfect.
Serena made absolutely no promises about not being an utter nuisance in their battle royale unlike they’d ever seen before. She’d make them regret inviting her and drawing the attention of every person in Kalos.
Quasartico really wanted to challenge Serena to a media battle? Oh, she’d chop them up and eat them for breakfast. Please, like they stood a chance against her on the mass media battlefield, let alone in a Pokemon battle.
People constantly underestimated Serena because she was blonde and wore sparkles and pink. They wrote her off as an airheaded Champion who only beat an actress to get her title, and then ran away when she couldn’t handle the pressure.
People loved to look down on her as “just a ditzy little girl.” The masses convinced themselves that Serena must be a little pampered princess because they saw a young, pretty face in an unexpected position of power who flaunted their fame.
It’s like everyone collectively forgot just how vicious Serena could be, the fact that she’d set the record for fastest time to become Champion, and that no one had come even close to usurping her in five years. Serena was no angel, nor did she ever claim to be. Serena was a melodramatic, petty, nosy, overly-competitive instigator who would beat you up, take your money, and do it in style. Just because she had manners, elegance, and a sense of justice didn’t make Serena any less of a conniving mastermind who knew she was better than you. Her accidental subterfuge of making everyone think she’s simple and dumb really was the greatest prank Serena’s ever played. Her ghosts would be so proud!
Quasartico was always watching and spying, hm?
Fine.
Serena would tear down their castle and get Kalos and the whole world to watch Quasartico back. Every move they made would be monitored with a finely toothed comb. Let’s let Quasartico be the ones experiencing psychological terror for a change as Serena installed a new panopticon. More eyes meant more people to witness their deceit first hand as Serena calculatedly destroyed them while looking fabulous doing it.
They wanted a show? They’d get one.
By asking her to join the Z-A Royale, Quasartico had given her the keys to the kingdom and was inviting Serena to wreck their entire lives with open arms. And she’d do it with a smile on her face and a pep in her step.
Quasartico had no idea who they were dealing with.
Completely misreading her pause, Urbain commented, “I also got that message out of the blue after I did some battling here in Lumiose. It was a shock. The bigwigs around here really want to find a crop of strong Trainers!”
“You don’t find that odd at all?” Serena questioned skeptically. He wasn’t that simple, was he?
“Er, what do you mean?” Urbain asked.
“That they contacted you out of the blue,” she elaborated.
Urbain nodded and grinned, proud. “Word of mouth travels fast! If people are talking about me that much, it means I have a lot of potential as a Trainer, dontcha think?”
She’d expected too much of him. He really was gullible. “You didn’t give your phone number or email to anyone you battled during that time though, did you?”
“No, that would be weird. It’s not like any of them were that interesting either,” he dismissed.
She was going to have to spell it out for him wasn’t she? How could someone this cute be this dense?
Serena sighed. “Let’s say you’re right, and it was truly word of mouth, how did Quasartico find your contact information? All they had to go on was probably “that guy Urbain, I think!” and “he was blonde.” That’s not exactly helpful information in a city this big. And even if they did manage to track you down, it would have taken a long time. You got that message immediately. Don’t you find that weird?”
Serena didn’t want her new friend to be sucked into their lies. That, and she was using him as a case example to see how the average person would react when confronted with the truth. How much did people really not know what was going on?
Urbain blinked. “Huh, it is unusual now that you mention it, actually. What’s your point here?”
“My point is that I told no one that I was coming to Kalos, let alone to Lumiose City. You were the first person I talked to after arriving here. The media has been silent and does not know about me being in Kalos.” Serena glared at the message still displayed on her Rotom Phone. “How did Quasartico know? And how did they track down my personal private phone number, which no one should have beyond close friends, within a few hours and then knew to wait to send me that message until I had woken up at the very odd time of 4:00 pm?”
Urbain’s eyes flew wide. “Oh. Oh. I see. That shouldn’t be possible.”
“No, it shouldn’t,” Serena agreed.
“Flo…” Floette closed her eyes solemnly in agreement.
“…This is really not good, is it?” Urbain gulped.
“Correct, but “not good” isn’t really the term I’d use. “Complete structural unethical behavior and total illegal invasion of privacy of the masses” is more apt in this case.” Serena made a note not to forget to discover whatever other skeletons the company had in their closet too.
“Shit.” Urbain was silent for a beat. “…Okay, what are we going to do about it?”
Serena rolled her eyes. “We will be doing nothing. I, on the other hand, will be handling this as is my job.”
“C’mon, you can’t just drop that on me and expect me to do nothing!” he argued back. Urbain couldn’t just sit there! “I’m the helpful type of guy, remember? Besides, protecting Lumiose City is kind of my thing. I was gonna ask you anyways, but now it’s more pressing. Please, join Team MZ!” he begged.
“Team MZ?” Serena asked incredulously. Not another damn Team! And a Team sunshine boy was on? Oh no, who tricked him!
“Yep! We’re a team dedicated to protecting Lumiose City and all its inhabitants,” Urbain announced grandly. “I’m the team leader. There’s only a few other members, and we’re based out of Hotel Z.”
“Don’t be stupid, you’ll only get hurt if you stick with that.” Serena didn’t want him to head down that road. Protection was a nice goal, but it would involve him sticking his nose into things he shouldn’t. It would only jeopardize his safety.
“What, and you won’t?” he challenged heatedly. “You might be a super strong Trainer, but you’re still at just as much risk! Let us help you.”
Serena shook her head. “Why would you– you’re putting yourself in a lot of danger here! This is not your fight!” Serena vehemently rejected.
“But it is my fight – it’s all of our fights,” Urbain asserted, resolute. “We live here in Lumiose too. This is our city. It’s our responsibility to take care of it.”
‘No, it isn’t! IT’S MINE! It’s my responsibility to protect you, and I FAILED!’ she wanted to scream at him, but forced herself to be silent. Serena couldn’t say that to someone who looked at her like she meant something and trusted her as a Champion.
Capitalizing on her hesitance, Urbain slyly said, “If you say no, we’re just gonna follow you around anyways. And after your reunion with AZ last night, I know there’s no way you’d leave Hotel Z to avoid me. So either way, if Lumiose’s safety is at risk, we’re getting involved and helping.”
Floette delicately placed her hand on Serena’s face, looked her in the eyes, and nodded. Floette understood what Serena was feeling, and silently offered her approval. It wouldn’t be like last time.
‘It would be okay,’ Serena assured herself. She’d protect them. Serena could. She could.
There would never be another body crushed under the rubble again.
“…if you start calling me “grunt,” I will punch you,” Serena mumbled reluctantly.
Urbain chuckled. “Noted.” He jumped up out of the chair and pumped his fist in the air. “I’m so thrilled, I’m getting goosebumps! Thank you. This means a ton! Welcome to Team MZ. We’re lucky to have you.”
“Yes, you are lucky to have me. Can I trust you’ll keep silent about everything I just told you unless you have my approval? This is very strict league business. It’s important you stay quiet.” She really hoped she didn’t make a massive mistake bringing this up to him.
“Absolutely, you can count on me!” he assured her. “With you on our side, we’ll win the Z-A Royale for su– er, um, I guess the Z-A Royale is a bust then? I should drop out too. Shit, that changes everything.”
Serena waved her hand. “No, no, I’m signing up.”
“HUH?!” Urbain exclaimed. “But I thought…”
“No, you’re correct in your thinking. The Z-A Royale is bound to be a farce, and that company is ludicrously corrupt. But since they’re so graciously asking for my presence, who am I to reject their summons?” Serena cackled nefariously at the message on her Rotom Phone.
“Okaaaaay, not gonna lie, I’m a little lost. They’re the bad guys here, right? Why are you doing what they want?” Urbain really wasn’t the multi-level planning thinking ten moves ahead of your opponent kind of guy. He was the “gut reaction, act first, and deal with it later” type. It’s why he sucked at chess.
“It will be even easier to take them down by joining.” Serena smirked, a fire in her eyes. “They’ve practically presented their own demise on a golden platter for me. How kind of them.”
Urbain resigned that he probably wouldn’t fully understand what she was talking about until he thought about it a lot more. And probably had several more explanations. Urbain wasn’t stupid by any means, but this was scheming at a level that was a little above his usual pay grade.
“Still not really following, so you’ll have to fill the team and I in on the full plan later. Lemme see your Rotom Phone for a sec, and I’ll set up the app for you!” Urbain offered. Serena handed over her phone. “I can put in my contact info while I’m at it.”
‘Yes! Phone number secured! Very smooth, Urbain!’ he celebrated in his head.
“Okay, the app’s ready. Let’s get you all signed up in the Z-A Royale. And we gotta make sure you’ve got the Team MZ look in your profile pic! Here you go – your official Team MZ gear.” Urbain took out a green and black Team MZ jacket and handed it to her. “Proof that you’re one of us!” He thought the jacket looked pretty snazzy!
Serena eyed the jacket in her hands hesitantly. “I said I’d join your team, not that I’d make it my whole personality.” Upon seeing Urbain’s crestfallen look, Serena quickly rephrased, “I appreciate the gesture and will keep the jacket, but I’m not wearing it during my time here. Announcing to the tournament that I’m in Team MZ doesn’t really do anything for us. There’s a much… bigger statement I’m making with this current outfit, and I won’t jeopardize that to wear a team jacket.”
Urbain winced. “Not gonna lie, that stings. I guess I’ll just have to find some other way to stamp my claim on you.”
Serena blinked. “…Excuse me?” He did not just say what she thought he did!
“I MEAN– um, the TEAM’S CLAIM! Sorry!” Urbain sputtered feverishly, his face red. “Can’t have the Battle Connoisseurs or anyone else thinking they can recruit you, right? I think I’m still in shock from the previous revelation! Don’t think about it too much,” he deflected terribly. “And anyways, you look beautiful– I mean, your outfit looks great! Yeah, that! It would be a shame to cover it up! You’re sooooo right! What was I even thinking about with the jacket? Hahahahaha!!” Jeez! SO not smooth, Urbain!
“F-f-f-f-f-flo!” Floette laughed hysterically.
“Uh-huh. Sure,” Serena deadpanned, not at all impressed by his lackluster recovery.
He deflated. There really wasn’t a way to recover from that one. “I’ll just shut up now and take your profile photo.”
“Good idea. I have an idea for a photo in mind.” It was time to teach Urbain a thing or two about production value. “Sensei, Gattaca, Cheshire come on out!” She tossed their Pokeballs, and the three emerged. “Okay, the goal here guys is to make an uber girly and as unintimidating of a photo as possible!”
Urbain faltered. “Wait, what? Shouldn’t you try to–”
“Shush, you,” Serena demurred. “What happened to shutting up?”
“Right! Shutting up now.”
Cheshire, her adorable perfect cuddly giant teddy-bear of a Gengar who could do no wrong peered up curiously at her. “Geng?”
“We’re doing a prank!” Serena delightedly informed him. No, she did not play favorites among her Pokemon.
“Gen, gengar!!” Cheshire rubbed his little grubby hands together and chuckled maliciously, his Glasgow grin stretching wider across his face until it was distortedly ear to ear.
“Cheshire, you’re on effects!” Serena assigned. “I want you to float from above and drop flowers on us. Dazzling Gleam from behind too, of course.”
“Gen!” Cheshire acknowledged. He floated through the wall of the lobby, going outside to wander around and pick flowers.
“Sensei, you’re on lighting!” she directed. “You’re going to use your Water Shuriken and hold them in your hands to make lenses that catch the sunlight. Emphasis on bounce and fill lights! We want soft lighting.”
“Gre!” It wasn’t the first time Sensei had been assigned this job, so he knew what to do.
“And finally, Gattaca.” Serena gave her a reluctant assessing look. “You’re the most… conventionally cute out of the team.”
Gattaca snorted. “Syl, Sylveon!” She was the cutest! Gattaca might not actually want to be cute, but she better be after all the shit she went through!
Serena rolled eyes and waved her off. “Don’t kid yourself, that’s obviously Cheshire. But you are the most unintimidating.”
“VEE! Veon! Syl!” Gattaca stormed, insulted.
“You have no right to complain. Let’s not forget that this,” she gestured to all of Sylveon, “was your choice. So you get the honor of being in the photo with me. Really show off your unintimidating adorable self by jumping in my arms and cuddling with me lovingly as you wrap your ribbons around me.”
Gattaca was probably the only Sylveon out there who evolved into one because she wanted to spite her Trainer out of an Umbreon and accomplished that by loving her too much so Serena would end up with the exact opposite, a Fairy-type. Gattaca loved her trainer, obviously, she was clearly a Sylveon, but it was love motivated by long-game petty revenge.
“Vee,” Gattaca scoffed. She wasn’t doing that! She was fierce! NO!
“You’re going to look adorable, and you’re going to be happy about it!” Serena berated her. She was still a little miffed about the whole Cleffa thing.
Gattaca clicked her tongue and stubbornly looked off to the side.
“…I’ll give you four PokePuffs,” Serena relented, knowing exactly what her Sylveon actually was aiming for here.
“Syl~!” Gattaca chimed happily, now fully on board to do the photo.
“Gen~gar!” Cheshire floated back through the wall doing a cartwheel, flowers in hand.
Serena lit up. “That’s perfect! Great job, Cheshire! I knew I could count on you unlike someone.” She side eyed Gattaca.
“Vee,” Gattaca made a noise of discontent.
“Five PokePuffs,” Serena said blandly.
“Vee~!”
“We’re good to go. Urbain, are you ready to take the picture?” She turned to him. “Make sure it’s a medium close-up. So waist and above, and try to fill the frame as best you can with the two of us. Not a lot of head space, and center us in the frame.”
“Huh?” Urbain snapped out of his daze watching her direct her Pokemon. “I mean, yeah, got it! Medium close-up it is! Sorry, watching you with your Pokemon is kinda great!” He took out his Rotom Phone.
“Places everyone!” Serena clapped. “On your signal, Urbain.”
Urbain called out, “Lights, camera, action!”
*SNAP*
“Looks great!” He admired the photo. “I’ll send it over so you can finish signing up!”
Serena grinned mischievously upon seeing the photo Urbain texted her. It was stupidly adorable, wholesome, and with way too much joyous emotion – It really made her look like a massive ditz who loved Fairy-types. It was everything Serena was not.
It was perfect!
She returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs, completed the Z-A Royale profile, and hit submit. The notification popped up: *You have now officially entered the Z-A Royale!*
Urbain couldn’t wait to see her seriously battle live and in person! “There you go – all set! Like it shows, you start out at Rank Z. And your goal is to climb from the bottom all the way to Rank A at the top,” he informed her.
If Urbain set the photo he took of Serena as his phone background, no one needed to know.
AZ walked over slowly. “How nice it is to see so much energy so… early in the day.” You never expect to be hit with AZ’s sarcasm, but he saved it for when it was the most opportune moment.
“Yes, good morning, AZ,” Serena bantered.
“Good morning,” AZ joked back. “I could not help overhearing earlier. It puts my mind at ease to know that you will join the Z-A Royale, Serena.” He closed his eyes, deeply feeling the city’s pain. “Lumiose bustles today with Pokemon and people, but beneath the surface lurks a terrible grief. I hope you will claim victory in the Z-A Royale… so we might free Lumiose at last.”
“Not “might,” will,” Serena refuted. “We will free Lumiose, AZ.” She wouldn’t accept anything less.
AZ’s expression softened. “To that end, you should explore the city day and night. Get to re-know her Pokemon and her people. Such bonds will be sure to help you.”
AZ had clearly heard her and Urbain’s conversation earlier. He was telling her not to reject Team MZ and to let people help her. She didn’t have to go it alone. While that was reassuring, it didn’t change the fact that Serena felt responsible for this entire debacle. She’d maybe accept some help, but it was still her mess to clean up.
“AZ’s right!” Urbain chimed in. “I think Lumiose’s future will be a lot more secure with you in it.” And he was back to his usual charm.
“Flooo!” Floette agreed with a twirl.
“And don’t worry,” Urbain continued. “I’ll help you get readapted to the city! The number-one thing a Trainer in Lumiose nowadays should know is… how to roll!”
“You don’t get to be Champion without knowing how to roll. I’ve done more than my fair share of dodging.” Serena didn’t even want to think about the sheer number of near death situations she’d been in over the years.
Urbain eyed her skirt. “…Can you roll in a miniskirt?”
Serena raised an eye brow. “Yes.” Urbain seemed oblivious to her judgement and continued to stare at her skirt.
The elevator dinged. Lida walked out and immediately criticized, “Urbain, could you turn it down, like two notches?” She turned on a dime to look at AZ. “Can’t you shush ‘em, AZ? Yell at ‘em a little?”
“It would be unseemly for me to shout and scold… especially since I have been enjoying their antics,” AZ muffled a laugh. “Team MZ’s new member would be more likely to scold me if I even tried to shout at her.”
“NEW MEMBER?!” Lida screeched. No way!! A new member!
Urbain snickered. “Weren’t you just complaining about me being loud, Lida?” he mocked.
Lida shook her head, and turned to the apparent new member. “Fair, sor– wait, Serena?!”
“Lida?” Serena marveled. “Oh my gosh, it’s been years! How are you?” The last time she saw Lida was before Serena departed for Hoenn. They’d grabbed coffee and gossiped about Tierno.
“Much better now,” Lida breathed. “Honestly, we have so much to get caught up on. Don’t even get me started on Tierno…” she trailed off, not even sure where to begin on that front.
Noticing her internal discord, Serena jumped in, “Girls night?”
Lida brightened. “Yes!! Most definitely!!”
Urbain laughed. “You already know half the team! See? You were meant to join!”
“Serena, how the hell did this idiot,” Lida jabbed her thumb at Urbain, “convince you of all people to join our team?”
“Wow, love the support for your team leader, Lida,” Urbain jeered bluntly.
“Well, he actually threatened to stalk me indefinitely if I didn’t join,” Serena answered casually.
Urbain jolted. “WAIT!!”
Lida, disappointed, but not surprised, leveled a stink eye at Urbain. “Really?”
Serena nodded, then continued to fill Lida in on the tale, “And then he tried to force me to wear a team jacket so he could stake his claim on me.”
“I SAID I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!!” Urbain was completely red, his face matched the tips of his hair.
Lida, now uber-disappointed, glared at Urbain. “Is that so?” she said flatly.
Oh, she sees how it is. Urbain had a budding crush on Serena, but Urbain most definitely put his foot in his mouth several times. Because of course he would. It was Urbain. His lines were either accidentally incredibly smooth or a total train wreck. But still, “staking his claim”? Really, Urbain? Arceus, this was just the start, wasn’t it? Urbain was going to be even more insufferable and cringy now that he had a crush.
To be fair, Lida super understood Urbain on this one, because same. Serena had been her first crush once upon a time. When Tierno first introduced Serena to her all those years ago, Lida had gotten swept up in how fun and bright she was. Lida had since gotten over it, it was never anything more than an innocent puppy crush, but she would always be a little dazzled by Serena. Now, Serena was like the cool older sister she always wished she had. She was a confidant filled with advice and experience Lida desperately needed right now.
And Lida finally had someone to gossip with again! Especially about the two numbskulls in Team MZ. Ugh, they could be so exhausting.
“I MEANT THE TEAM’S CLAIM!! SO SHE WOULDN’T GET POACHED BY OTHER GROUPS!” he attempted to explain.
“Uh-huh, sure you did.” Lida shook her head, and sighed. “Arceus, I’m so glad you’re here, Serena. Now I don’t have to suffer through listening to this mess,” she waved her hand at Urbain, “alone anymore.”
“LIDA!”
“It must have been so painful.” Serena reassuringly hugged her. “Don’t worry, I’m here now. We can make fun of him and talk about him behind his back together all we want.”
“HEY!”
The two girls erupted into giggles.
“What were you two even doing down here anyways?” Lida questioned, still shaking off the giggles.
Serena adjusted her hat. “Urbain was helping me register for the Z-A Royale.”
“You’re going to join?!” Lida raised her hand to cover her mouth in shock. “Wait, is that even allowed?”
“It’s more than allowed, seeing as Quasartico themselves extended an invitation to me,” Serena provided. Oh, they would soon come to rue the day they did!
“We’ve got the Team MZ win in the bag!” Lida rejoiced. “You’ll decimate your opponents easily!” She made fierce punching motions in the air.
“Right!” Urbain agreed, his face considerably less red. “Let's scope out the next potential battle zone!”
“Not so fast.” Serena wanted to nip that line of thinking in the bud. “Look, if I’m doing this for real, then it’s not good sportsmanship if I use my Champion team. It would be a PR nightmare if the media found out!” She had to make herself look perfect to the media if her plan was going to work.
Urbain rubbed the back of his head. “You’re right, I got a little ahead of myself there.”
“Eeehhh??” Lida exclaimed in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re going to start all over again!”
Sensei emerged from his Pokeball on his own, looking disturbed and upset. This is new information to him!!
“I’m not benching you permanently, Sensei.” Her Greninja could be such a big baby sometimes! “But even beating up new trainers gets old after a while, you have to admit.”
“Nin,” Sensei pouted, refusing to agree, and determinedly did not make eye contact.
“Fine.” Serena gave in much too easily. She could never say no to him. “What if I keep you in the party, but you don’t get to fight until the more serious trainers appear.” Sensei perked up a little at that.
“So let’s go to the wild zone just down the street!” Urbain suggested. She could catch some new Pokemon there!
Serena shook her head, eyes gleaming. “No, I have somewhere much more fitting in mind.”
“Oh no…” Lida mumbled under her breath, grimacing. She knew where that was going.
“Oh, where? Do you have some secret Champion knowledge?” he probed. If there was insider info, Urbain wanted to know about it!
“The cemetery!” Serena beamed, looking so happy at the thought that she was actually sparkling.
Urbain scrunched his eyebrows, confused. “The cemetery…?” Sensei patted Urbain’s shoulder sympathetically.
Defeated, Lida hung her head. “Of course you want to go to the cemetery.”
“Yes! This is an excellent chance to train some Pokemon I’ve always wanted to add to the team, but never could because my other Pokemon refused to let me switch them out! Ha-ha!” Her team were such possessive little miscreants! They never allowed her to switch them out of the main party.
“Er, but you just let Greninja– sorry, Sensei stay on the team? Won’t they protest too?” Urbain questioned.
Serena smirked victoriously. “Oh, they will, but Sensei has seniority as my first ever Pokemon. They can pout all they want, but Sensei is an exception that they can’t deny!”
Sensei nodded in agreement. Yes, he was better than them.
“Besides,” Serena lovingly pet Sensei’s head. “Sensei, even back when he was a Froakie, acted like a know-it-all wise old man who's been through many perilous wars. He tries to corral the rest of the team and teach them things as if being on the team 2 weeks longer than them had somehow given him secret elite knowledge and it was his duty to impart it to them. The rest of the team won’t deny Sensei the chance to be a sensei for real.” No, they’d laugh hysterically at him and revel in it.
The Greninja squawked, the rug pulled out from under him. Don’t make him look stupid!!
Serena beamed at him. “Sensei, you can finally live up to your dreams and help me train up your new teammates!”
Sensei croaked, suddenly placated. Yeah, he did want to teach some younglings while showing off how much better than them he was.
“But still, why the cemetery?” Urbain pressed.
Lida cringed, and hid her face in her hands. She knew exactly what that response was going to be. No doubt the same answer Serena gave when Lida asked her the same thing years ago.
“Because Ghost and Dark-types are just the cutest!!” Serena clasped her hands together in front of her and sighed dreamily. “I’ve always wanted an Aegislash! They’re so noble and regal! And a Zoroark! They’re sooo adorable and fluffy!”
“To each their own, I guess?” Suddenly, her team composition made a lot more sense to Urbain.
Honestly, Serena never really understood why people were so confused when they learned she was a Ghost and Dark-type specialist. Just because Serena preferred colors, glitz, and glamor and didn’t dress like a Hex Maniac or have a goth aesthetic didn’t mean she couldn’t specialize in Ghost and Dark-types.
Serena related to them more than any other type – the maximum drama, the sob stories, the balance between working in the shadows and the spotlight, the childish whimsy, the plight of the misunderstood, the unyielding desire to make chaos for the fun of it happen, and the undeniable will to thrive despite lofty trauma.
Ghost-types were flashy, they wanted attention, drama, and laughter. They wanted to cause problems and enjoy the fall out.
Ghost Pokemon came back from the dead. They wanted to live and enjoy the simple things in life regardless of the terrible circumstances that begot their death. Ghost Pokemon loved life more than any other. Reducing them to solely being an incantation of death as most did was wrong, they represented the continuing cycle of the world and rebirth.
Ghost Pokemon were the bridge between life and death, between destruction and creation.
Dark-types were similarly outcast. They also carried stigma, many believing Dark-types were evil and nefarious in nature. It wasn’t true, and raised the question of did Dark-types retreat to the darkness and adopt their careful characteristics because they were shunned, or did their hyper-vigilance make them at home in the shadows? Dark-types lived on the fringe of society, often misunderstood and mischaracterized. They recognized the need to work in the shadows and when to step into the spotlight.
Dark-types saw the balance of conflict, the reciprocal nature of “good” and “bad,” and carefully traversed it. The stronger the light, the darker the shadow, and one can’t exist without the other.
Serena resonated with them both very much, and in turn, they thrived on her subtle chaos melodrama agenda.
It took a very special kind of person to look at Yveltal, the hulking giant death god of a bird, and think he’s absolutely adorable and just a little misunderstood guy! She adorned him with bows and ribbons. There was a reason why Lemis stuck around and was completely content with being a part of Serena’s team.
“Before we get to the cemetery though, I’d like to stop by a Pokemon Center.” Serena was not at all looking forward to the Pokemon Center visit, but it couldn’t be helped. She had to stock up on items, especially if she was training new Pokemon.
“Alright!” Urbain quickly assessed his mental map. “There’s a Pokemon Center just around the corner.” Urbain darted out the door.
“Will you be coming, Lida?” Serena asked. “I have these wonderful glasses that are an incredible disguise. No one will hound us.” Serena took out the glasses from her tote and put them on.
“Nope! You two have fun in the cemetery. I’m totally okay not joining you on this one!” Lida waved her hands in front of her with a slightly alert look, then quickly sat down in one of the lobby’s chairs. “Go ahead, really! I’m good!” Lida did NOT like ghosts! Nope! She was a beach and ocean girl, not a cemetery girl!!
Also, Lida had no interest in third wheeling on Serena and Urbain’s absolutely insane cemetery pseudo first date! Lida had to give Urbain props for not being scared off by the “I love dead and creepy shit” thing Serena had going on.
“Alright, your loss.” Lumiose’s graveyard was beautiful after all. It has some very stunning crypts and effigies. Not to mention the most gorgeous mausoleum Serena had ever seen. It was a work of art! After exploring it many times, Serena had actually found a hidden entrance to the sealed off Lumiose catacombs! Once Serena ensured she wouldn’t get lost forever down there, she fully intended to explore it! Imagine what ghosties must have made homes there!
Serena skipped out the door, head flooded with dreams of perfect new team additions. Eeee! She couldn’t wait!
“Well, this is a problem... What do you think is the deal here, Serena?” Urbain stared in disbelief at the huge rocks blocking the street in front of him.
“Do any of your Pokemon happen to know Rock Smash?” Serena sighed. None of hers did, and she really didn’t want to change their move sets.
“Nope! But there’s no way the Hotel will get any guests with these boulders in the way. Oh well, I know a special route, follow me!” He ran around the corner and climbed up a ladder on the side of a nearby building.
Serena climbed after him. “Ugh, how can you be so chipper about visiting a Pokemon Center?”
Urbain hopped up onto the roof. “Pokemon Centers are the best! You can’t diss free health care for Pokemon!” He reached out his hand and helped Serena up after him.
“Arceus, I envy you,” Serena bemoaned as she dusted off her skirt. “Pokemon Center nurses have decided they all hate me for no reason.”
“‘Cmon, it can’t be that bad. I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” Urbain had quickly picked up on the fact that Serena was very dramatic and reveled in it. He jumped down from terrace to terrace until he landed on the street below. Serena jumped alongside him with no hesitation. “Obviously, that’s a one-way route, so we’ll find another way back,” Urbain noted, but he could figure that out later. “Now we’re almost to our goal! Let’s head to the Pokemon Center!”
“I’m definitely not exaggerating,” she asserted. “They hate me. It’s such a hassle to go to the Pokemon Center because of it. I’m hopeful that this time will be different.” Serena clenched her hand into a fist and determinedly stared at the Pokemon Center in the distance. “I have my glasses after all, there’s a chance they won’t recognize me!” Serena marched into the Pokemon Center.
“Enchantée! Is this your first visit to a Pokemon Center in this city?” the nurse asked.
‘Damn, these glasses are putting in work!! Maybe the attendant will finally be nice to me!’ She was delighted!
“It’s not my first visit, but it is my first time here in five years,” Serena answered lightly, carefully trying not to piss off the nurse.
“Five years? Oh, my, so much has changed in five years. Why, you must be overwhelmed with how much has happened since you’ve been gone,” the lady noted with thinly veiled sarcasm that did not at all match her bright “Pokemon Center” attendee smile.
No! Serena’s hopes of having a normal Pokemon Center visit for once were dust in the wind. She absolutely recognized her!
“Might I also recommend that you install the Pokedex app on your phone? There’s a promotion underway right now – if you catch five Pokemon species and register them in your Pokedex, there’s a prize in it for you! Alors – how about it? Ready to install the Pokedex app?” The woman’s eyes gleamed.
Serena cursed, she clearly was trying to cause a problem for her, but Serena hadn’t figured out her angle yet.
Serena dug into her tote and pulled out her Pokedex. She held it up to the nurse. “Are these being discontinued?”
“Oh my! That’s practically an antique!” she commented haughty, raising a hand to her chin and looking down at Serena.
Serena’s eye brow twitched. “Is there backwards compatibility?”
“Nope! Why would there be?” the nurse declared gleefully with a mocking grin. “There’s no need to service something so,” she looked Serena up and down, “outdated.”
A vein bulged on Serena’s forehead. The Pokemon Center nurses were always SO passive aggressive with her! WHY?! What the hell did Serena do to turn every Pokemon Center nurse against her! She wanted to know!
It’s not like it could have been the policies Serena supported, she was pro-union! But this began way before she was Champion and all the way back at the start of her journey! Did something about Serena just scream “nurses please hate me”?
“Fine, I’ll download the Pokedex app,” Serena forced out through gritted teeth and a fake smile. How dare this nurse make all of her Pokedex progress, years of work, worthless!!!
“Wonderful!” The nurse's grin was so so self-satisfied. Serena could tell the attendant knew exactly what she did and probably couldn’t wait to brag about it to the other nurses! “Thank you very much for downloading the new Pokedex app! Once you catch five different species of Pokemon and register them in your Pokedex, please report your success to the Pokemon Research Lab.”
Oh, Serena was NOT going to let this stupid woman pull one over on her. She’d be reporting to the Lab alright, and she’d FORCE them to port over her Pokedex! Did Serena really care about the Pokedex? No. But fuck this lady! Serena wasn’t going to let her win!
“Great, sure, thanks so much!” Serena tried to make her sarcasm as overt as possible. If the nurse was going to be a bitch, she’d be a bitch right back. “Now that the unwilling disturbance is over, can I please buy some items?” Serena fluttered her lashes and widened her grin.
The nurse narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but never dropped her smile. “Yes, of course you can! Here’s our selection.”
A holographic screen popped up displaying the current inventory. Serena scrolled through the items, but quickly noticed that there were a lot missing. This was just the bare minimum! Just potions, Pokeballs, status heals. No Ultra Balls, max revives, or vitamins?
“I really hate to be a bother,” Serena started with absolutely no sincerity and the widest fakest smile, “but your selection seems rather limited. Are you sure you didn’t make an error on your end?”
“There’s been no error, this is what’s available to you,” the employee chirped.
Serena clicked her tongue, but kept her grin strong. She would not be out done by this woman! “I have 8 Gym Badges, I should be able to see the full selection of Pokemon Center offerings.”
“Yes, this is the full selection of what’s available to you,” the nurse emphasized, her smile sharpening ever so slightly into a smirk.
Serena’s smile turned rigid, and she held herself back from snapping at her that she wasn’t even a real nurse anyways! Pokemon Center employees that worked at mini-centers like this were just attendants, not actual nurses! You didn’t need a medical license to operate the healing machine! An idiot could do it!
This lady was no better than a superficial decoration!
And to think, Serena still advocated for this woman’s rights to be paid a fair wage!!
“I see,” Serena quipped, beaming. “I’ll take 20 Pokeballs, 30 potions, and 5 of each of the heals… Please.”
The woman’s eyes widened in shock and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “Oh my, that’s quite a lot, are you sure you can afford that?”
Serena laughed the fakest laugh she’d ever made. “Yes, I’m sure.” Serena scrunched her nose and smiled so pinched that it looked like she might be in pain. “You’re just so good at your job for checking.”
From off to the side and completely out of notice of the two women who were very much locked in on each other, Urbain had long since covered his mouth with both of his hands and had to physically restrain himself from bursting out laughing.
The nurse really did hate Serena for no reason! What the hell! She started making digs at her from the second she laid eyes on Serena. He’d never seen a Pokemon Center nurse act anything like this before!
“Thank you for noticing,” she brushed her pink bangs out of her face and readjusted her nurse cap. “I actually won Employee of The Year.”
Serena’s eye twitched. “Wow, I can see why! You’re just so great! Can I check out now? Please?” she urged. She wanted to be DONE!!
“Absolutely! Let me gather your items!” She turned around with an empty tray to gather Serena’s purchase.
“Thank you!”
“Oh no,” the nurse started, sounding like she was crooning at a dog, turning back around with a tray full of items and setting it on the counter. “Looks like we are all out of all of our heals except Burn Heals! We also only had 8 potions and 10 Pokeballs in stock! Whoopsie!” She jokingly knocked her fist against her head. “Looks like I must have counted our stock wrong this morning.”
“That’s not very Employee of The Year of you,” Serena snarked. The nurse chose to ignore her and rang up the items.
“You’ll find your total here. Please tap your Rotom Phone to pay.” The woman gestured at the reader. Serena tapped her phone, stuffed her items in her tote bag, and stormed over to where Urbain was standing nearby.
By the look on Urbain’s face and the muffled chuckle he let out, Serena could tell he now fully understood her plight.
“Just one sec, I want to see something.” Urbain walked over to the counter.
“Enchantée! Welcome to the Pokemon Center!” the nurse greeted him merrily.
“Thanks! Can I buy one Ice Heal please?” Urbain asked with an easy smile.
“Of course! Just one moment.” She pulled an Ice Heal out from and set it on the counter. “Will that be all? We have many more heals in stock.”
Serena squawked in outrage.
Urbain’s lip twitched, finding it even harder to prevent himself from laughing. “Yeah, that’s it for me, thanks.” He quickly paid, grabbed the Ice Heal, and ran out of the Pokemon Center. Once he was out of earshot, he collapsed laughing, holding the wall to prevent him from falling onto the floor.
Serena joined him, but didn’t look at all amused. “See?!” she huffed. “They hate me!! I did NOTHING to them!!”
Urbain only laughed harder. Serena crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for him to stop laughing.
“It’s nice of them to offer a prize. Good motivation to get you catching Pokemon!” Urbain snickered.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Serena gibed, not at all impressed. “Why don’t you try being on the receiving end of that for five years and then tell me how funny you think it is!!”
“No, that would suck immensely,” Urbain admitted playfully. “Now, let’s head to that cemetery."
“Hold on, change of plans, I’ll be reporting to the Lab immediately. One of them is going to port my Dex over. Or so help me…” Serena grumbled, not bothering to finish her threat.
Urbain chuckled. He wished her well in her noble quest to one up the Pokemon Center nurse. He checked his phone, then winced. Yikes. He was about to ruin Serena’s very short lived day even further. “Soooo, “immediately” is gonna be a little hard. We’re gonna have to go tomorrow.”
“No! We are going now!” Serena spat, rounding on him.
Urbain held his hands up in surrender. “Well, the Lab closed about 30 minutes ago.”
“...What?” she said slowly, voice frigid. Serena was at the end of her rope and looked like if you poked her wrong she’d lash out and hit you.
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger,” Urbain tried to redirect her ire to anything other than himself. “On the bright side though, if we start walking now, we’ll get to the cemetery just after nightfall!” That should cheer her up, right? She seemed really into the cemetery after all.
“I guess that is good.” Fine. Serena would just have to go to the Lab tomorrow and badger them until they agreed to port her Dex. “We’re wasting daylight then complaining about it.”
Urbain snorted. She was complaining about it, not “we.” Though he didn’t bother to point that out to her.
During their walk through the city, Serena continued to disdainfully note the ugly scaffolding that now littered the streets.
Urbain was quick to point out relevant landmarks like a helpful tour guide. He tried to stick to things that were new additions or changes in the past few years, but he slipped up a few times and looked rightfully embarrassed like when he tried to explain what Prism Tower was.
Eventually, they passed by a wild zone. Wild zone 3, or as Serena liked to call it, the hellscape that once was the opulently beautiful Rouge Plaza.
“So this is a wild zone.” Serena was disappointed to realize that it was just as ugly as everything else Quasartico produced.
“Wherever you see that green light, it’s marking the boundaries of a wild zone,” Urbain explained as they passed by. “We keep getting more wild Pokemon in Lumiose, so wild zones were Quasartico’s solution to that.”
“They most definitely do NOT have permission from the league to use those specific entry pillars! I did not approve of that! They’re for Gyms only,” Serena fumed. Was everything Quasartico did designed specifically to spit in Serena’s face? “Has anyone asked why we’re getting more wild Pokemon in Lumiose? If there’s enough Pokemon flooding the city to justify full wide range habitats it’s not normal.”
“No, I don’t think anyone has, but they should be,” he answered seriously. Urbain typically took people at face value, he really wasn’t the skeptical kind of person, nor did he think he’d ever develop that. Urbain would continue to see the good in people first, but this afternoon with Serena was a bit of a wake up call for him. It was a reminder that just because he saw the good in them, didn’t mean they were good.
Though, Urbain was happy to leave the paranoia and franticness to Serena. That was definitely not the kind of person he was. Can’t be helpful if you’re questioning everybody all the time, right?
“I have to do everything myself, don’t I?” Serena groaned, exasperated by the lack of action of all the authority figures in this damned city.
“Well, not everything. Team MZ’s got your back, okay?” Urbain assured her. “We’ll help out with the investigation and see what we can dig up!”
“I appreciate it, but save that confidence until after you’ve proven you can produce results.” Serena wasn’t going to get her hopes up that she had competent help until the track record showed it.
“Ouch, harsh, but fair. Still, you’re giving us a chance.” Urbain’s eyes shined as he looked at her. “We’ll show you that you can rely on us!”
“Don’t let me down then,” Serena gave in, unable to hold strong against his Lillipup eyes.
“We won’t!” Urbain whooped.
Z • ─── ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ ─── • A
End Notes
Nickname central: Cheshire (Gengar) – after the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
---------
The Z-A Royale invitation just SHOWING UP on your phone in the game was so weird! Like?? How did they know your number or who you even are?? HOW DID THEY KNOW? I was honestly creeped out in the game bc wtf. I can’t be the only one who thought this, right? And also the fact that the invite came JUST as Urbain mentioned the player should join?? Bro WHAT?! There’s also a really big theme of surveillance in Z-A. One uber overt example: so many people keep saying, “we’re always watching you,” BUT HOW?! And there’s no payoff? Especially because spyware IS A THING in XY!! It would have been so easy to connect! Don’t worry, I’m connecting the dots!!
Oh, Serena absolutely did do something to earn the Pokemon Center nurses’ ire at the start of her journey.
As a heads up, a LOT of XY content is going to be coming back in this fic!!
“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to shew when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
-OR-
By asking her to join the Z-A Royale, Quasartico had given her the keys to the kingdom and was inviting Serena to wreck their entire lives with open arms. And she’d do it with a smile on her face and a pep in her step.
Serena and Urbain arrived at the cemetery just after nightfall. Serena was immediately accosted by a horrible sight.
‘What… was… that?!?!’ Serena could hardly rationalize what she was seeing.
They turned the cemetery into a FUCKING WILD ZONE?!
No, this time Quasartico went too far! This was so fucked up on SO many levels! Not even because she loved the cemetery, but think of all the graves and people visiting their loved ones?! What then?!
Serena could imagine it clearly: “I’m so sorry sir, we packed way too many Pokemon in the cemetery, and well, a Pyroar dug up your father and chewed on his bones while tearing him apart. It then buried a fresh Pokemon kill in his grave while your father’s desecrated corpse baked in the sunlight. There was nothing we could do.”
Wild Zone 4. They thought they were being so clever with that numbering, huh? In many languages, “4” was the number of death and considered very bad luck. With Quasartico’s less than stellar track record at this point, Serena wouldn’t put it past them that they decided to make the cemetery into a wild zone in the first place just so they could make that joke later.
Arceus, when she meets that Jett woman, Serena was going to have a LOT to scream at her about!
Urbain didn’t seem to notice her complete mental breakdown. “Sooo, what do you think?”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” Serena wanted to go bang her head against the bordering wall.
“Ooh… My back…” a woman at the cemetery entrance muttered under her breath. She took notice of the two Trainers. “Oh, pardon me, dearies. Are you going in there?”
Urbain shuddered slightly. “Well, that’s the plan it seems.” He’d do it, but walking through a cemetery at night wasn’t really his idea of a good time to say the least.
“Do you think you could help me out with something?” the elderly lady asked, eyes light with hope. “My name is Moire. I lost my ring here in the cemetery, you see, and it’s very important that I get it back. Ooh… Gosh, my poor back…” She started hunching over, pawing at her back.
Before she collapsed, Serena quickly grabbed the woman, pulling her into a half-hug. “Here, let’s get you settled on this bench.” Serena carefully led the woman to a nearby bench. This woman had been so worried that she ignored her pain and seating areas, continuing to stand by the entrance so she could see inside. Her desperation was palpable.
“Thank you.” Moire leaned back on the bench, but a sharp pain ran through her when her back met the seat back.
“Take your time, madame,” Urbain cautioned her.
Moire eventually found a position that didn’t hurt her, and took a deep breath. “I was visiting a loved one’s grave when a wild Pokemon, of all things, jumped out of nowhere! Ooh, did it ever give me a fright! I took a tumble from the shock, and – my! What a mess it was! Wild Pokemon running all over Lumiose, the cemetery turning into a wild zone… Why, I would never have lost my ring if not for this nonsense!”
Serena nodded her head in solemn agreement. “Moire, I couldn’t agree more with you. This is the first time I’m learning that the cemetery was turned into a wild zone, and it’s utter insanity! This cemetery is special, and people should be able to convene with their loved ones in peace.” Her story was exactly the type of incident that’s doomed to repeat itself with this change.
Moire sighed. “Right you are, dear. It’s nice to see someone your age see the importance of a cemetery. Most of your generation doesn’t seem to respect the dead until after they’ve lost someone.” Moire eyed Serena knowingly. “At any rate, it was a Sableye that jumped out and gave me such an awful fright.”
“A Sableye?! Yes, for sure!!!” Realizing she was being way too excited about this woman’s problems, Serena coughed. “I mean, yes, I’d be happy to help you, madame.”
“I had to leave the cemetery before night fell. They’re so many Ghost Pokemon at night, and I’m no longer a trainer, but I’m too worried about my ring to leave yet. If the Sableye runs off, I’ll never be able to track it down!” Moire fretted. “I dropped my ring around the far end of the cemetery. I’d start searching there, dear.”
“We’ll get your ring back no problem, Moire!” Urbain chirped.
Serena noticed how much the woman was shivering. “Urbain, would you please leave your Tepig with Madame Moire here? Being with a Fire-type should warm her up.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, but I’m alright,” Moire politely assured. “You’ll need your Pokemon in the cemetery!”
“No, Serena’s right, I insist!” Urbain sent out his Tepig, who easily agreed to stay with her. He cuddled up next to Moire on the bench.
Serena sent out her Sylveon. “Gattaca, would you please stay with Moire here while we head into the cemetery?" Serena would prefer to leave one of her other Pokemon with Moire, but given this woman’s very fresh bad experience with a Ghost and Dark-type Pokemon, Serena really only had one choice. “I need you to protect her, you’re so big and strong so you’ll easily scare away any Pokemon that might try to approach! You’re the only one I trust with this job.”
“Vee!” Gattaca agreed. Yes, she was very strong and scary. All other Pokemon should tremble at her might!
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to give you another PokePuff if you do a very good job.” Serena knew exactly how to handle her Sylveon. Gattaca had been an Eevee with full dreams of becoming an Umbreon and a matching personality. Even after Gattaca decided to evolve into a Sylveon out of spite, she was still an Umbreon at heart, and very food motivated.
“Syl!” Gattaca gracefully jumped up onto the bench and beside Moire.
With Moire settled, the two Trainers entered the cemetery.
Z • ─── 𖡼.𖤣𖥧🪦🪦🪦𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ─── • A
A Honedge, who had been drawn to investigate the loud noises on his nightly patrol of the graveyard, discovered a fair lady being accosted by a foul Gastly. Hark! A damsel in distress!
Nay, not a damsel, with how sparkly she was, she must be a princess!
Before he could swoop in and rescue her from the hands of the uncouth Gastly, the princess sent out a mighty Greninja! My, she was a warrior princess! Such daring! Greninja must be the captain of her guard. A true knight! Honedge’s eyes shined admiringly. How marvelous!
The boy accompanying the princess must be her servant. Yes, Honedge affirmed, with how shabby he was dressed, there was nothing else he could be! Honedge had never seen a real princess before. He had to watch her closely!
Serena returned Sensei to his Pokeball.
“You really aren’t creeped out by this at all?” Urbain asked, struggling to not look back over his shoulder every time he felt a chill – which was all the time.
“Nope!” Serena took a few big steps in front and twirled on one foot. “This is wonderful! Dormez Bien Cemetery was the number one thing I missed about Lumiose!”
“Seriously?” He thought she looked beautiful in the moonlight, but the whole mood was kinda massively ruined by the “we’re actively being hunted by ghosts” thing. Urbain was more focused on trying to ignore everything around him right now. “Out of everything Lumiose has to offer, you missed this the most?”
“Absolutely! The atmosphere, the cold, the Pokemon, the architecture, the gravestones, the rousing ethical dilemmas, and contemplating the nature of life and death! It’s the best! The mausoleum really pushes it over the top.” Serena chorused. “This is the best graveyard in all of Kalos! I have a tier list.”
Urbain snorted. Serena was kind of a dork about this, it was adorable. “What’s the lowest on the tier list?”
“Geosenge Town!” she spat. Lysandre was buried under rubble there. She’d never step foot in that town ever again.
“I guess there’s not much left of it after whatever happened there five years ago.” Urbain grimaced. Most of the story was shrouded in mystery. Everyone knew Team Flare was responsible for the fate of Geosenge Town, but no one really knew exactly what happened or why. It was also public knowledge that Serena had been the one who finally put an end to Team Flare.
Urbain had questions about all of it. It would be nice to finally get the actual story, but he wouldn’t ask them now. Especially not after he saw how tense Serena got after his last comment.
Something blew sharp cold air on Urbain’s neck. His skin crawled and he shot up into the air, before he stumbled, tripping over his own feet, and fell on the ground. He hastily looked around, heart pounding out of his chest, trying to find the culprit, but none could be found. “Something just attacked me!”
“Good one, Gastly!” Serena laughed. Urbain snapped his head towards her. WHAT?! “I think he jumped at least two feet in the air! Wow!”
Bodiless cackles drifted around him, before a trio of Gastly finally became tangible. “Gasssss!”
“Oh, there’s three of you! Very well done working in a team!” Serena praised. The Gastly now looked a little bashful. “Which one of you is the lookout?”
“Gas!!” the right most Gastly, who had slightly more droopy eyes than the other two, piped up.
She smiled at him and pet the top of his head. “You did a wonderful job! I didn’t even notice you at all! You should be very proud.” Serena took three Oran Berries out of her bag. “Here, one for each of you! Keep up the good scare work, and you’ll become Haunters in no time!”
“Gastly! Gas!” The three gleefully ate their berries, and drifted off, inspired to go cause more problems.
Honedge watched admiringly from a distance. What a wonderful kind princess acknowledging her subjects' efforts and taking time to speak to the people!
Urbain stood up and did a full body shake, trying to get the feeling off of him. “You have a way with ghosts. I see that now.” He didn’t have anything against Ghost Pokemon, but this whole excursion was a little much for him.
Serena rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. “If you’re going to be a little scaredy Meowth, I’ll hold your hand to reassure you.”
Okay, scratch that. Yeah, Urbain would sign up for another midnight graveyard stroll if it meant this happening again.
Urbain cursed that time flew by so quickly, and before he knew it, they were at the back of the cemetery, a Sableye in their sights. Serena tugged him behind a tree with her before the Sableye could spot them. She let go of his hand. Darn.
Serena stuck her head around the corner, and observed the Sableye. Sableye sat against the base of a tree, kicking his legs up and down, holding his hand out in front of him and admiring the ring on his finger. It had to be Moire’s. He also wore a few necklaces and bracelets of various colors and designs. However, Serena approvingly noted that they were all very tasteful pieces that worked well together. Serena gestured for Urbain to stay where he was.
Oh no! Honedge fretted, realizing what she was about to do. The princess was heading right for Sableye, the scourge of the graveyard! Honedge was ready to protect her at the first sign of trouble! It would no doubt be a lofty battle, Sableye was a most formidable opponent, but Honedge was sure he’d emerge victorious! Honor demanded it!
“Wow!” Serena exclaimed as she approached. Sableye jolted and scrambled to get ready to attack. “That’s such a beautiful ring you have there! It really matches your eyes and brings out the blue in them.”
Oh, so she had taste. Sableye relaxed. “Sable, eye!” Yes, thank you for noticing. He flipped his hand around to show off the ring to her, cocking his wrist downwards.
Serena approached and dropped down to her knees beside him. “May I?”
“Say.” Sableye flicked his wrist slightly in an approving gesture. Serena lightly took hold of Sableye’s hand.
“Gosh, it’s even more radiant up close!” She brought his hand up to be parallel with his eyes. “You really did find a fantastically colored stone, and the setting is very elegant. The square cut really complements your eye shape.” Serena wasn’t acting or exaggerating to butter up this Sableye. She really did appreciate this little fashionista and his picks. They were going to get along fabulously!
“Say, say.” Sableye waved his other hand in a bashful dismissive way, though he was very much preening and wanted her to continue.
Serena released his hand. “I’m Serena, it’s nice to meet you!” She extended her hand. Sableye primly shook her hand.
“Sableye,” he returned the introduction.
“It’s wonderful to meet a Pokemon with good fashion taste! Honestly, I don’t understand why most couldn’t care less!” Serena huffed. “Appearances matter, you know!” None of the Pokemon on her team really appreciated fashion. They’d let her dress them up once and a while, or put a single small accessory on them, but it was always because she wanted to. They didn’t really care.
Serena needed this Sableye on her team! He would love going shopping with her and have loads of opinions on her outfits!
“Sable,” Sableye agreed, bobbing his head as he judgingly recalled his fellow Pokemon and their criminal lack of style.
From his hiding spot behind the tree, Urbain smacked his forehead with his hand. Of course Serena would bond over being fancy with a goblin.
Urbain had been very interested in watching a Champion’s Pokemon catching methods. He was both impressed and let down. Serena knew exactly how to approach that Pokemon and talked with him like they were old friends. Sableye, who was a criminal and prone to attack people, was completely at ease with her. It was stupidly incredible.
But on the other hand, there wasn’t really a replicable method here because of how hyper-specific her angle was and the fact that she really did have an affinity for Ghost and Dark-types. Their personalities just clicked in a very weird whackadoodle way.
“Actually, I just noticed something.” Serena grinned excitedly as she shifted to fully sitting on the ground. “We almost have the same color eyes!”
Sableye examined her eyes, and realized she was right. “Eye.” He eagerly raised his hand up to put the ring next to her eyes. He brought his other hand to his chin as he contemplated whether or not it would match her too. “Sable,” he declared resolutely, pulling back his hand. It also matched her very well.
“You just have to tell me where you found that ring!” Serena insisted. “I think I might have to get one myself.”
Sableye hesitated. He didn’t want to admit to his new friend that he stole it.
“You didn’t find that ring, did you?” Serena said softly.
“Able,” he confessed. “Sableye, say, say!” he regaled trying to shift the focus onto how epic of a heist it was. He launched into a long, full recounting of the story, using hand gestures and elaborate intonation to act out exactly what happened. “Sableye!”
“No way! Really?” Serena marveled. “You did all that?” Bless his little heart, he was theatrical too! Ah, they were meant to be!
“Say!” Sableye confirmed, positively gleeful Serena appreciated his work. Humans normally didn’t react well to stealing. Most humans were stupid though. And unfashionable. Luckily, his new friend was neither!
“That’s pretty impressive. But I think I can top your heist story,” Serena challenged with a smirk.
‘Um, WHAT?!’ Urbain could barely believe what he was seeing. Serena, the morally upstanding Champion of Kalos, was exchanging crime stories with a wild Pokemon thief?!
…Serena did crime?!
“Sableye,” Sableye commented belittlingly, crossing his arms and doubting she could do better. He welcomed her to try.
Serena stood with a flourish and took a few steps back. She turned her back to Sableye. Serena whipped back around to face him, her skirt flaring. Her palms and fingers were spread wide in front of her head. She slowly drew her hands away to the sides, revealing her face.
“After several days of searching, I had finally discovered the entrance to my mark’s top secret headquarters. It was hidden in an unassuming cafe behind a bookcase that required a secret password to open.” Serena set the stage and tipped the brim of her hat downwards to obscure her eyes. “Naturally, they were helpless when faced with my very advanced interrogation tactics. I easily got the minions to disclose the password to me, then knocked them out. The base wasn’t alerted to my arrival.” Serena raised her chin and suddenly pointed at Sableye. “I was in.”
Sableye gasped and sat down. He folded his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, and leaned forward. He was enraptured. Sableye’s mouth remained open slightly like he’d forgotten to close it all the way after reacting.
“This organization’s headquarters was an unimaginable labyrinth designed specifically to keep intruders out. But that didn’t stop me.” Serena smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder, looking very smug. “I crawled through the depths of their lair, teleporting every which way to navigate the maze, while sneakily using high-grade stealth tactics to avoid being spotted by the organization's roaming grunts or dealing with them ruthlessly when it couldn’t be helped.”
Serena continued to act alongside her narration and made sure to intone her voice just right as she delivered every line for maximum impact. If she was going to tell this story, she was going to do it right!
“Say…” Sableye unknowingly murmured under his breath, completely sucked into her story.
“After hours of subtle but epic infiltration, I finally found what I’d come to steal in the first place!” she announced.
“Sable!” What was it? Jewels, gold… super exclusive high-end fashion?! Sableye had to know!
“The elevator key card,” Serena declared, casting her arms out to the side and tilting her chin up.
“...Say?” Sableye tilted his head, confused. Huh?
“Oh, but this was no ordinary elevator key card, Sableye, oh, no,” Serena elaborated, drawing Sableye back in. “With it, I was able to descend into the ultra secret depths of their base and gain entry to their most closely guarded places. Which was where my true target lied. That’s right, the key card heist was only a part of my greater master plan: to save the world from this organization's nefarious plot and rescue the king imprisoned in their underground dungeons!” Serena revealed hauntingly.
“Ey!” Sableye yelped at the unexpected twist, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. He was on the edge of his seat!
“This organization was evil,” Serena made sure to stress with great emphasis, glaring down at Sableye, “with a goal so terrible I won’t dare repeat it. I quickly freed the trapped king, but I couldn’t linger. Time was ticking! I went even further down into the bowels of their lair, and faced their boss directly. The battle that followed was brutal. He was no easy foe. But with the aid of my absolutely incredible Pokemon, we were able to win and stop his plans! The world was safe at last, and everyone celebrated my triumph with a glorious parade!” Serena finished, and gave a bow.
Sableye sprung to his feet and clapped frantically. “Say, Sableye!” he cheered. Not only did Serena have an amazing true heist story, but she appreciated proper storytelling!
‘Oh,’ Urbain realized. ‘She was telling part of the Team Flare takedown story.’ Urbain was sure that there were exaggerations, it was Serena after all, not to mention she probably left a lot of things out, but it was still incredibly enlightening. It wasn’t the whole story, there was a lot he still didn’t understand, but he had an inkling of an idea now.
Shit. The Team Flare situation and what happened five years ago was way worse than everyone assumed it was. They only knew the very tip of the iceberg. No wonder Serena was as paranoid as she was now.
“Thank you, thank you.” Serena continued to bow and curtsy.
Honedge, who had been listening intently from his hiding spot, was entranced. She was not a princess, nay, she was a queen anointed by her people! A queen who slayed evil!
“Sableye,” he conceded honestly, shaking his head in defeat. Serena had the better story by far.
Serena crossed her arms and nodded approvingly. “You have the grace to admit when you’re beat, Sableye. That’s very elegant.”
Sableye still had a lot to learn it seemed. He paused. Maybe he could learn it from her…? Yes! He could learn it from her! Sableye waddled up to Serena and gently tugged on her skirt. “Sable, say!” He made a circle with his hands, a throwing motion, and then pointed to himself.
Serena’s smile was radiant. “Of course you can come with me!! I was just about to ask you, actually! You’re absolutely magnificent!”
Sableye grinned toothily, showcasing his sharp teeth. He jumped, scrambling up her side, being very careful to not nick her clothing, and perched on her shoulder. Sableye nuzzled into her cheek with the side of his face. “Sable, eye!”
“Ah!” Serena exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement, nuzzling him back. “What do you think of the nickname Grimlin? It’s a combination of “grim” and “gremlin.” I think that fits you rather perfectly for such a sneaky Sableye as yourself.”
Sableye considered the name before nodding in agreement. “Eye!” He liked how it also sounded like it could be an old-money fancy elitist name.
She took out an empty Luxury Ball. She knew Sableye wanted to look the best he could, so she’d give him the flashiest Pokeball out there! Serena was getting a little ahead of herself though.
“Before we make this official, I do have to talk to you about one thing,” Serena sighed. She picked him up off her shoulder and placed him in front of her. She kneeled down to face him. “You left one thing out of your ring heist story earlier. I know because I just met the woman outside the cemetery. The person you stole it from ended up getting really hurt.”
“Sable?” Did she really? Oops. That hadn’t been the plan.
“You, mister, still have to apologize to the woman you scared. Scaring people is totally fine,” Serena relented, Urbain made a squawk of disagreement in the background, “but you can’t go around hurting frail old ladies. She got injured pretty badly.”
“Eye.” Grimlin looked down at his feet. It was only supposed to be an epic jewel heist! That’s all! He hadn’t meant to hurt her. “Sable.” He looked back up at Serena and nodded. He’d apologize.
“Good!” Serena praised. “And you need to give the ring back to her.”
“SABLE!” Grimlin protested furiously! No! This was HIS ring now! “Sableye!!” She didn’t have any problem with his grab before!
“The ring you stole was very sentimentally important to her,” Serena explained. “I also know how much you love that ring, and I agree, it does look fabulous on you. So how about a trade instead?” Serena reached around her neck and unclasped a very thin chain she had tucked under her shirt. On the chain was a stunning wedding ring that did look strikingly similar to the one on Sableye’s finger. “This ring was my grandmother’s wedding ring, it’s all I have left of her. I’ve worn it on this chain for years so I could keep her close to my heart.”
“Sableye!” Sableye tried to reject, pushing back on her hands. That was much too important to her!
“I want you to have it. She was just as kooky and glitzy as you are. Hell, I don’t at all put it past her to have come back from the dead as a Ghost Pokemon and is living it up scaring the crap out of people in a cemetery somewhere and stealing their jewels too.” Serena playfully rubbed his head. “She would have loved you. Just wear it proudly and keep it safe for me, okay? Guard your treasure trove better than a dragon!”
Urbain’s eyes watered at the touching moment. Serena was really something else. He couldn’t believe she was willing to give up such a prized possession to help a stranger in need. Urbain wondered if he’d be willing to do the same with his mother’s jacket. He didn’t know.
“Eye!” he agreed, determined. Grimlin would wear it grandly and treat it extra special! The more Sableye stared at it, he realized it was prettier than his current ring with a slightly bigger gem size.
He was upgrading, baby!
Sableye slipped the stolen ring off his finger and exchanged it with Serena’s ring. He looked at it reverently. Dopamine bubbled up inside him until he was gushing and cooing over it. What was happening again? OH YEAH! Ball please!!
Sableye surged forward and tapped his head on the Luxury Ball Serena still had out, catching himself. Serena chuckled, and immediately sent him out. Sableye continued to admire his new ring.
Honedge was moved to tears! The queen heroically rescued the ring from the dastardly Sableye to return it to a woman in need, an act of true nobility! She even willingly sacrificed her ancestral ring to make it happen! Her readiness to combat foes for the sake of the peasants was truly the mark of a worthy and excellent leader. Honedge would gladly pledge loyalty and swear the knight's oath to her. But first, she must face him in a duel!
“Honedge!” he finally revealed himself. He floated over to Serena. He bowed to her, dipping and folding his arm-like tassel across his front. He used his scabbard that was gripped in his tassel to raise Serena’s hand up to his body and kissed it. “Ho, ho, hone! Edge!” Honedge gallantly challenged her.
Urbain, who figured it was all clear to come out at this point, chuckled. “I think he saw everything and wants to join you too. Your dramatic powers were too much for him!” Now more than ever, the “Serena is a Ghost and Dark-type Trainer” thing was clicking for him. They were all dramatic little instigators who loved having fun at other people’s expenses.
Serena couldn’t believe her luck! A Honedge who acted like a LITTLE KNIGHT?! YES!! ABSOLUTELY YES! The Honedge whipped his scabbard around, indicating that it wanted to battle. Of course he would! He was very chivalrous after all. Oh she had the most perfect name picked out for him already!
Serena looked down to Grimlin who wasn’t at all paying attention and very wrapped up in his new ring. “Grimlin, want to battle?”
“Hone!” Honedge shook his body from side to side, rejecting that. Nay! He had no desire to face such a dubiously moral and dishonorable foe. He wanted to face the true knight! The captain of the queen’s guard, Greninja! If Honedge was to earn his rank amongst the knights, he must challenge the captain himself. Sableye was clearly the court jester. “Edge! Edge!” He tried his best to indicate just who he wanted to face.
Grimlin tilted his head to the side. Serena had a Greninja? Awesome! He must be super sneaky! He’d definitely help Sableye improve his slight of hand. Grimlin now also wanted to see the Greninja. Grimlin took one of his fingers and drew a sketch of Greninja in the dirt. “Sable!” He pointed down at his drawing.
Serena blinked. “You are surprisingly a great artist. Huh.” She made a mental note to get him a sketchbook. “I see now, thank you, Grimlin. Honedge, you want to fight Sensei, my Greninja? You must have seen him earlier.”
“Hone!” Honedge confirmed. Sableye played his part perfectly as the court entertainer by illustrating Honedge’s requests! What fun! The hobgoblin would indubitably provide much merriment at a feast. Marvelous!
Serena sent Sensei out. “Sensei, Honedge saw you defeat that Gastly earlier and wants to challenge you specifically to earn his spot on the team.”
The Greninja stared at Honedge curiously. Something touched his leg. Sensei looked down to see a medium-small sized Sableye covered in elaborate jewelry hugging his leg tightly, peering up at Sensei with sparkling glistening eyes like Greninja was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or rocks, in Sableye’s case.
Sensei looked back at Serena, who was unhelpfully recording this on her Rotom Phone. “Nin!”
“That’s Grimlin,” Serena snickered. “He’s our new team member.”
Sensei turned back to Grimlin, a bit overwhelmed. It looked like there was an actual cloud of glitter around Grimlin. Should he shake him off?
Wait. Wait a second.
The Sableye admired him. The Sableye ADMIRED HIM! He whipped his head to the Honedge, who looked equally as entranced by him.
Oh. OH!
These were to be his disciples. Sensei croaked, immensely pleased. Yes, they should look up to him. Sensei would show them how he was the gold standard of what a Pokemon should be and humbly accept them under his tutelage when they came begging for his wisdom. He was very wise.
“Sensei.” Serena caught his attention. “You handle this however you’d like.” She knew it was ending with Honedge on the team. She’d just step back and record this to show the rest of her Pokemon later.
That was all the go ahead Sensei needed!
Impassioned, Sensei approached Honedge, stiffly limping as the Sableye continued to cling to his leg. “Nin, ninja,” he addressed Grimlin, promising he’d spend much time with him later.
“Sable!!!” If it was possible, Grimlin sparkled even more. He finally detached himself from Sensei’s leg, and plopped down next to Serena. Seeing a new person, Grimlin waved at him, and then made sure to show off his new ring to the man. Urbain laughed jovially.
“Gre, greninja,” Sensei accepted Honedge's challenge with a fluid nod and a practiced pose.
“Hone!” Honedge prepared himself. He knew there was no way he’d win, but this wasn’t about winning. It was proving his potential as a knight and showing that he was worthy of training! "Honedge!" En garde!
Sensei formed a single Water Shuriken and fired it off much slower than usual. Honedge darted out of the way, proving to be surprisingly nimble for his species. Honege had a trick up his sleeve! Something Greninja would never expect!
Honedge quickly used Screech, which Greninja allowed to land. Ha ha! That’s what he’d been hoping for. He was being underestimated, which was all he needed! Honedge dodged another Water Shuriken by navigating around a tree. The shuriken made a thunk as it hit the tree trunk.
In the brief moment he was obscured, Honedge quickly used Shadow Sneak, then emerged. Greninja’s eyes tracked Honedge, not noticing the Shadow Sneak. The move made contact! He did it!
Honedge stopped moving, and bowed to Greninja. “Honedge.” Honedge knew when to throw in the towel. He’d done what he’d set out to accomplish – prove he had potential to this wizened master. If Greninja chose to fell him, so be it!
“Greninja,” Sensei nodded approvingly. He had been briefly caught off guard by the Honedge. He showed great promise. “Gre, re.”
Honedge lit up! Greninja was accepting him as his student! How stupendous!
Sensei inclined his head to his Trainer, beckoning her to catch the Pokemon. Serena scavenged around in her bag. She knew she had a Heavy Ball here somewhere… Oh there it was! She took it out. Honedge bowed before her like he was being knighted. Well, she couldn’t not give him what he wanted.
Serena cleared her throat. “Hear ye, hear ye! Today we have a new knight joining our ranks!” Honedge could practically melt from how happy he was! This was it! “Honedge, please approach and kneel.” Honedge floated closer, keeping his gaze downwards. “You have proven yourself to be worthy of the rank of knight. Do you vow to uphold the knight's oath?”
“Honedge,” he said resolutely.
“Then by the power invested in me as the Champion of Kalos,” which was actually a real thing, so this technically was a real knighthood, “I dub thee Engarde, and bestow upon you the rank of knight.” Serena tapped the bottom of the Heavy Ball on either side of Honedge in place of a sword. “You may rise, Sir Engarde.”
Sensei, Urbain, and Grimlin all clapped and cheered in congratulations.
Engarde straightened with sharp determination, eyes alight. He’d done it. He was a true knight now!
“When you’re ready,” Serena told him, gesturing to the Heavy Ball. Engarde reached out and pressed the button on the ball.
Ding!
Sensei nodded his head at Grimlin who looked stupidly thrilled at the acknowledgement. Serena returned Sensei to his ball. She kept Grimlin out for now, he still had to apologize after all.
Urbain nudged Serena with his elbow. “All three of you guys match perfectly,” he snickered, joking. That Honedge was a riot!
“Thank you!! Ah, I’m so glad you think so!” She beamed, taking it as a serious complement. They were precious!!
A chivalrous little knight and a fancy kleptomaniac chaos goblin.
Serena already loved them SO much!!
“Well, let’s get going and return this ring to Moire!” Urbain started walking off a pep in his step. Seeing how silly Ghost Pokemon could be made them a little less intimidating.
“Let’s go, Grimlin!” Serena hummed.
“Sable!” Grimlin followed after her.
Serena had only literally taken one step before a shiny Ekans popped its head out of a hole in the ground almost under her feet in a flurry of sparkles. On instinct, Serena threw a Pokeball at it. The ball bopped the Ekans on its green head, pulling it inside the ball.
Capture success!
Serena stared at the Pokeball in her hand. She saw a shiny and just reacted! Ugh, why did she catch it? Sparkles. Pretty sparkles. Curse her reaction to sparkles! Serena had no interest in raising this Ekans!!
Serena would give it to Urbain as a gift. He’d absolutely be the type to lose it over a shiny Pokemon. She jogged up to meet Urbain.
“Urbain! I just caught this, and thought of you. I want you to have it.” Serena placed a Pokeball in his hands.
“Oh, why?” Urbain really hoped it wasn’t a Ghost-type. Tonight had proven that he wasn’t cut out for training them.
Serena giggled and looked him in the eyes. “Because it's shiny, and you’re also 1 in 8,192.”
Let it be known that was the cheesiest line Urbain had ever heard and he’d be damned if he didn’t admit that it worked on him, big time. Maybe it was just because Serena was the one saying it, but it hit him like an arrow through the heart.
Serena continued, “So I figured you’d be perfect for each other.” Urbain’s heart fluttered. “And because you would be the type who’d discover a new Pokemon and just name it “snake” backwards.” Serena didn’t even hesitate, nor did she change her tone, or even laugh. She just casually started rummaging around in her bag. “What am I gonna do with an Ekans, anyways?” she mumbled.
The sheer absentmindedness of it all was enough for Urbain to realize she hadn’t been flirting with him. She had been making fun of him.
The wind rushed out of Urbain’s sails and the butterflies in his stomach crashed into the ground. ‘Yeah,’ Urbain moped, ‘getting that kind of compliment was too good to be true.’ He looked down at his new shiny Ekans’ Pokeball in dismay. ‘Guess you and me bud are in the same boat here.’
The “dismissed by Serena” boat, that is.
Z • ─── 👻 (´▽`ʃƪ)♡ ─── • A
Exiting the cemetery, Moire perked up upon seeing them. “Oh, there you two are. I was getting worried! Sylveon and Tepig were excellent company.” She absentmindedly pet Sylveon’s head, who leaned into her hand and nuzzled it. Gattaca liked this old lady. She gave her secret snacks!!
Serena cheered silently in her head that Gattaca hadn’t been a problem!
Serena kneeled down next to Moire and carefully presented the ring to her. “Madame, here is your ring back. I hope this brings you some peace of mind.”
Moire’s eyes watered. “Oh! That’s it – that’s my ring! Thank you, dearies. You’ve done a very kind thing.”
“We’d never let you stay out here in the cold all night worrying!” Urbain shook his head, and gave her a soft smile.
“Moire, someone has something to say to you.” Serena beckoned over the Sableye, who had ducked behind a pillar by the entrance of the cemetery as soon as Moire had first spoken earlier, too embarrassed to come closer. Grimlin reluctantly emerged from his hiding spot, and waddled over.
“Say, Sableye,” Grimlin apologized awkwardly, twirling his thumbs together. He reached out and patted her leg a few times. “Sable.”
“Well, aren’t you a very polite young man?” Moire chuckled. “Apology accepted.”
“Grimlin was wearing your ring around when I found him. He only stole it because he thought it was gorgeous,” Serena reported.
“What?” Moire’s eyes widened in surprise, flattered. “I didn’t think a wild Pokemon would have such good taste in jewelry."
Grimlin suddenly perked up and puffed out his chest. “Say, say!” He reached out his hand to show off the new ring he had to Moire.
“Oh, you most certainly have very good taste, Sableye,” she admired. “But now that I have it back, I won’t let go of this ring again anytime soon. It’s the wedding ring my wonderful husband gave me, after all. I was visiting him when you scared me.”
Grimlin looked distraught. “Sableye,” he apologized again, this time more firmly.
Moire regarded the Sableye with a smile. “Thank you, Sableye. You know, perhaps I’ll ask someone to place this ring atop my grave after I’ve passed on. Who knows? Maybe you will make off with it again. If so, I hope it brings brings you some happiness then. It’s the least I could do to reward your good taste.”
Grimlin’s ears perked up and his eyes shined at the idea. “Eye!” He nodded frantically in agreement to show his approval.
Moire turned to Serena and Urbain. “Thank you both too, dearies. Truly. And please, take this for your troubles.”
Serena pushed Moire’s outstretched hand holding a few items back, rejecting the offer. “Madame, I want to apologize sincerely for everything that happened to you tonight.” Serena bowed her head, voice wavering. This was the first story she’d heard since arriving here of Quasartico’s direct effect on the people, and it wasn’t good. Someone was seriously hurt and almost lost such an irreplaceable keep sake. This was on Serena’s shoulders.
“Dear,” Moire spoke, confused. “Why are you apologizing? None of this is your fault. You’re my hero.”
Those words mocked Serena, and the pit in her stomach grew.
“No.” Serena insisted, meeting Moire’s eyes. “This is my fault. Regardless of if you recognized me or not, let me introduce myself.” She took off her glasses. “I’m Serena, Champion of Kalos. This, what happened to you, what happened to this city, it’s all my fault because I didn’t do better. Because I was negligent. If I had been here, if I had cared more, none of this would have happened, and you would be able to visit your husband undisturbed. It was my job to ensure all of this insanity wouldn’t happen. I failed you, I failed Lumiose.”
Urbain clenched his fist by his side. Urbain had just figured she was just the “I work alone” type, not that Serena was carrying so much guilt. Serena was wrong. None of this was her fault! Every citizen of Lumiose had a responsibility to the city too. They had all allowed this to happen, and it was up to everyone to fix it! Serena absolutely had a stake in the region’s affairs, but it wasn’t her job to ensure every little thing in Kalos was perfect! No one should ever expect that of the Champion. Serena was human, she was allowed to make mistakes, and she didn’t deserve to have this unreasonable overbearing guilt weighing her down!
Moire’s eyes softened, and she reached out to rub Serena’s back. “I have lived a long time in Lumiose. I remember back when we were newlyweds, my husband stormed into our house one day and couldn’t stop complaining about how Pokemon Centers' new healing machines were going to destroy the potion market.” She laughed, fondly recalling the memory. “This city is always evolving. Change and discourse are a part of life, it’s what keeps things interesting and on our toes. Could you imagine how boring life would be if everything was stagnant?”
Moire couldn’t have known just how much saying that affected Serena. If Serena’s vision of Kalos remained exactly the same as before she left, Kalos would have been exactly like Lysandre’s little utopia, wouldn’t it? Forever frozen and eternally beautiful.
No, Moire was right, the fact that Kalos had changed was a good thing. Serena still shouldered that it hadn’t all been a good change and Quasartico was still a massive red flag problem, but Serena now accepted that even if she had been present as Champion, something would have found a way to have gone wrong.
Serena had to let go of the idea that she could have controlled it. She maybe could have guided it, but she couldn’t have stopped it. Change was fluid and rippled like the waves created by dropping a stone in a pond. Serena had dropped many stones into the pond five years ago and was still seeing the effects.
“Please don’t blame yourself for being unable to stop the natural progression of time,” Moire continued. “Things might not be perfect now, but sometimes we need to make mistakes before we see the path forward. And if nothing improves? Well, we Kalosians will do what we do best and bring out the barricades and guillotines.” Moire’s eyes were alight, and her smile vicious. “We are a people who demand change when faced with injustice and fix things with our own hands, after all.” She patted Serena’s back once more before pulling her hand back. “You of all people, Serena, should know that.”
Moire hadn’t recognized her at first, but she knew exactly who Serena was and what she did for Kalos five years ago. Serena hadn’t been Champion then but still acted. She’d been an ordinary girl who couldn’t sit by and watch her beloved region fall into chaos. Serena raised her flag and cut the rot off at its head.
Serena was an exemplary Kalosian.
Urbain could have done without Moire’s morbidly intense ending, seriously, cemetery lovers really were a different breed, but he strongly agreed with her. “It’s like I said before, Serena, it's all of Lumiose’s fight, not just yours,” he reiterated firmly.
Serena very carefully hugged the woman, cautious of her injury. “Thank you,” she murmured in her ear. Serena pulled back. “You wear your age well, Moire. Your style shines through more than just your clothes.”
“Well, I should certainly hope my clothes are shining too!” Moire huffed. “This coat is vintage Boutique Couture after all!”
Serena’s eyes sparkled as she giggled. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t notice! It’s practically glowing!”
Yes, Serena loved cemeteries. Nothing else could really compare.
End Notes
Nickname central: Grimlin (Sableye) – grim + gremlin. Engarde (Honedge) – aka En Garde, the call to make fencers prepare for a bout by readying their defense or attack. It’s also obviously a French term.
---------
OKAY – How did you guys like Grimlin and Engarde?? Because I am obsessed with them!! The antics the two of them are going to get up to omfg.
Giving Serena this specific Sableye was one of the first things I wrote for this fic! Grimlin’s going to be a menace! They match so well! I will unashamedly admit that Sableye is my favorite Pokemon hehe! But the sheer character potential that Sableye has?? Especially in Z-A specifically?? Insane. You guys are sleeping on the little goblin.
Shiny Ekans: This is based on something that happened to me in my play through. I was running around in the cemetery looking for a good IV Honedge, and then night turned to day, causing the spawn table to change, and literally at my feet a shiny Ekans spawned. I had to back away to even aim a Pokeball at it. I caught it, and boxed it. It was so weird. I also love that Serena just doesn’t care. She catches the shiny and immediately gives it away as nothing more than a device to make fun of Urbain lol.
Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! What are you enjoying the most so far? What are you excited to get to? Personally, I can’t wait to leave the tutorial and let Serena run wild LMAO!!!
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Chapter 3, Part 1: Gaslight, Gatekeep, GirlbossNew
The lights dimmed, the orchestra pit hummed, the conductor tapped his baton, and the curtains were about to rise on the world premier of "Serena Obliterates Quasartico."
-OR-
Grimlin was a city Sableye through and through. He’d gladly sacrificed his stone diet variety for Lumiose City’s chic fashion, poise, and elegance. However, deep in his heart, or rather, stomach, Grimlin yearned for the mines.
After tucking her into a taxi to ensure she would get home safe, they bid goodbye to Moire. Serena had made sure to exchange contact information with the woman.
Urbain had suggested they grab a taxi too, but Serena wanted to walk a little while longer under the stars and observe the city at night as AZ had suggested. Grimlin hadn’t wanted to go back into his ball yet either, and strolled alongside them.
In the night, the pink crystals scattered about the area looked even more beautiful than before, each shimmering as if there was a light hitting them. Serena meant to ask about them on the way over, but she hadn’t dared to interrupt Urbain’s excited tour guide routine. It was really too cute.
“What are these pink crystals everywhere? Is it some kind of city-wide modern art installation?” Serena wondered. It would be the least they could do to compensate for the scaffolding everywhere. She could see it being an installation playing on the idea of luminous crystals lighting up Lumiose City.
The pink crystals were quite pretty. She really enjoyed their color, they had so much light refraction inside the stone that it almost looked like it was glowing. They must be shining a small light inside to get the stunning soft glow effect. It was like twinkling night lights across the city. Truly, a beautifully crafted kaleidoscope.
“Nah, nothing like that!” Urbain chuckled. Art installation! Serena could be really funny! “It’s a bunch of Mega Crystals! No one is quite sure what they are or why they’re showing up, but people say they’re made from some kinda mysterious Mega Energy, apparently. They’re all over the city, and you can break ‘em surprisingly easily with Pokemon moves.”
Serena blinked, processing his words. “What do yOU MEAN THEY’RE MEGA ENERGY?!!?!? WHAT?!”
Urbain faltered, “Uh–”
Serena continued frantically, “It’s everywhere in the city?? And no one knows why?!” She kneeled down and picked up a piece of it carefully and examined it. “This color… and the Mega Energy…”
Serena tucked the sample into her bag, and stood. She needed to go to Anistar City and see the Sundial again to confirm and run some tests just to be absolutely certain, but she was already sure this was the same type of crystal.
There was NO way this was normal. In fact, this was a MASSIVE concern!! What do you mean Mega Energy crystals were popping up all over Lumiose City and no one knows why?? The only other time anything of the sort ever happened was thousands of years ago in Anistar!
Literal magic crystals start popping up out of nowhere and NO ONE cares?!
Why the FUCK weren’t people freaking out and stupidly concerned??!!! This was like watching the most aggressive doomsday-level black mold visibly growing everywhere in your home and going “Nah, that’s fine. I’m not gonna worry about it.”
UM, NO!!! You should be worried!!
Now she had even more of a reason to go to the Lab! Serena had to hound Sycamore about what was going on here.
*Shingggg*
Upon hearing a slicing noise, Serena turned around to see Grimlin stuffing his face with the cursed rock.
Grimlin froze under the heat of her accusing glare, fisting huge chunks of the stone in both hands. His mouth was so full that the Sableye couldn’t fully close it, and his cheeks bulged, looking like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
A shard slipped out of his mouth and hit the sidewalk with a soft *tink.*
“...What are you doing?” Serena asked slowly and calmly, not at all matching the crazed, overly intense look on her face and twitching eye.
Grimlin gulped down his mouth full and unceremoniously dropped the stones in his hands, letting them clatter to the ground. Grimlin laced his fingers together behind his back, and without breaking eye contact, slowly shuffled the two massive crystal chunks he discarded behind him with one foot as if he could hide them behind his thin frame.
“...Sableye,” he answered, claiming he was doing nothing, you know, like a liar.
Urbain figured he should step in before Serena truly lost it. Tonight was hard enough on her already. “Er, Grimlin, my guy, I don’t think you should be eating that,” he offered, wincing. Even he recognized that eating the weird Mega Crystals was probably NOT a good idea.
“Sableyeeeeee??” Grimlin whined, stomping his foot. Why?? He hadn’t been really listening to what Serena was saying about the pink precious pretties before, Grimlin had been too busy snacking, but he had realized he was in trouble when she whipped around and glared at him.
“What do you even mean “why?” Those crystals are full of Mega Energy! You can’t be eating that!!” Serena exclaimed.
Grimlin crossed his arms. “Sable, sableye, sableye, eye,” he countered, using his gestures to help get the point across. He’d been eating those pink shinies for a while now. How else do you think he, as a Sableye, was surviving in this city? It’s not like there were heaps of wild Carbink and gem stones to dig up with all the pavement and buildings. The pink stone was the staple of his diet!
“Oh shit. OH SHIT!!!” Serena shouted and all but dove to pull Grimlin into her arms, her hat tumbling off her head in the process. Serena brushed his necklaces out of the way, and looked closer at the gem on his chest.
Bright kaleidoscope luminous pink.
She quickly turned him around to see the gems on his back.
All spectacular pink.
“Eye!” Grimlin yelped, startled by her sudden actions. Serena let him jump out of her arms, her mind whirring a mile a minute.
Sableyes’ gem patterns could theoretically be infinite and of infinite colors because they reflected the Sableye’s diet. Aside from his eyes, Grimlin’s gems were entirely pink. She hadn’t noticed before due to his necklaces obscuring them and the fact that it was very dark out. Serena had just assumed they were red! At least the gem deposits on his body were notably NOT actually glowing like the free standing crystals were.
That had to mean they were okay… RIGHT?!
Grimlin put his hand on her leg. “Sableye?” Grimlin asked, concerned. Was she okay? She was just staring off into the distance.
Serena snapped out of it. “Am I okay? Grimlin, are YOU okay?!”
“Eye, eye.” Grimlin was fine. Why wouldn’t he be?
“You don’t feel weird eating that?” Urbain questioned anxiously. He picked up Serena’s hat and tucked it under his arm.
“And how long have you been eating the pink crystals?” Serena pressed, adding on to Urbain’s question, but keeping her eyes trained on Grimlin. Based on the prevalence of the deposits, she’d guess he’d been eating them for over a year, if not longer. Holy shit, Serena had to talk to Sycamore!!
Grimlin waved his hand dismissively. “Sableye, sable, eye, eye.” Yeah he felt fine. It's sparky, like pop rocks! “Eye, ble, eye, Sableye, say,” he began explaining, trying as best he could to communicate effectively.
Grimlin had been eating the pink shinies for about a year now. Most Sableye don’t like it though, that’s why they don’t stay in the city. It tasted like spicy Carbink. It’s an acquired taste, but Grimlin had a sophisticated palette. He did like it. With how prevalent the pinkie pretty was, it was like an all you can eat buffet! The other Sableye were missing out! Besides, he wasn’t about to dig in the dirt and ruin his jewelry now was he?
No, Grimlin was a city Sableye through and through. He’d gladly sacrificed his stone diet variety for Lumiose City’s chic fashion, poise, and elegance. However, deep in his heart, or rather, stomach, Grimlin yearned for the mines.
Managing to understand a decent amount of his story – Grimlin was an excellent little actor who’d be killer at charades – it only served to worry Serena even more. “While I’m relieved to see that you seem relatively unaffected, I don’t like this. That much concentrated Mega Energy can’t be good for you.”
Grimlin tilted his head to the side. “Sable?” He asked. What was Mega Energy? He’d never heard of that before.
“Mega Energy is a special energy that lets only a handful of certain Pokemon undergo a phenomenon called Mega Evolution. It’s like a temporary evolution, it gives you a great boost in power and alters your appearance,” Serena informed him.
“Sableye is capable of Mega Evolution, so you could Mega Evolve eventually if you wanted to, Grimlin,” Urbain provided, grinning at the little goblin.
“Sableye!?” Really!? Yes! Grimlin wanted to try that! He’d never evolved before, and it would be interesting to see what it would be like!
“Alright, we can work on that.” Serena nodded, causing Grimlin’s eyes to gleam. “Can you please stop eating those pink crystals until I do research to verify if it’s okay for you?”
“Sableye, sable,” he relented. Fine. “Sableye!” Grimlin rubbed his stomach. Well, what was he going to eat instead of the pink shiny rocks?
Serena chuckled. “That’s what you have me for, dummy. I’ll get you the best stones!” Serena took out a few spare Water Stones and a Fire Stone she had stashed in her bag. “Here, try these!”
Grimlin woofed them down. “Sableye!!” Yum! So smooth and hydrating! Oh! Spicy! The flavor is lovely. Ahhh what a wonderful day!! VARIETY ONCE MORE!!
“I’ll get you a bunch of different stones to try until you find what you like the best! You must develop an advanced palette after all if you are to reach the heights of graceful sophistication!” Serena instructed him.
“Sableye, eye!” Yes, Grimlin understood. He shall try everything!
Z • ──── (*ᴗ͈ ˬᴗ͈) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ──── • A
The next morning, Serena sat in the Hotel Z courtyard watching Lemis chat excitedly with Floette. Serena felt like a mom watching her kid on the playground. She’d introduce Lemis to her new team additions later. She didn’t want to interrupt Lemis’ quality time with Floette, and based on how Grimlin and Engarde reacted to Sensei last night, she was sure it would derail the whole morning.
Serena took out her phone and shot a text to Cynthia. Cynthia should still be on her extended vacation in Alola, no doubt terrorizing people with unexpected and inescapable battle challenges. Thus, she would be the perfect patsy for delivering Serena her Rowlet doormen.
Serena || Cynthia
Serena: Can you get me 6 Rowlets as a souvenir from Alola?
Cynthia: …6 Rowlets, Serena?
Serena: I’m dabbling in the hotel business and prepping your next vacation destination. The Rowlets are essential.
Cynthia is typing…
Serena and Cynthia’s last battle had ended in a draw. Their standing record was Serena: 40, Cynthia: 41, and ties: 24. Cynthia was one of the very few people Serena had ever lost to. However, Serena was going to take back the lead next time!!!
The two of them had become friends over the years, and battled each other frequently. They both loved getting to fully let loose!! It was rare that either of them could go all out against opponents in a battle nowadays, and that got boring. Quickly.
As such, Cynthia and Serena had started to form what was essentially a secret underground Champion-only fight club.
May eagerly joined. Ethan pretended like he was hesitant but was so fully on board. Nate seemed indifferent but didn't want to be left out. None of them really knew the Champion of the relatively newly formed Alolan League well. It seemed like every other week there was a new Champion, mostly cycling through a few people. Which tracked given how new the League was. It would be a while before they actually crowned a long-term Champion.
Cynthia apparently had a weird “my rock is better than your rock” rivalry with Steven Stone, and gleefully forced him to leave the club in retaliation for some dumb fossil argument. When Steven tried to claim Cynthia was biased, acting unfairly, and had no authority to make that decision, Cynthia countered that Champion fight club was only for actual Champions only, not former Champions, kicking off that precedent. So their membership roster was rather small, unfortunately. Serena was half convinced that once those two got over themselves, Cynthia and Steven would probably end up married and going on weird digging in the dirt and spelunking adventures together. Ew. Serena would never. She liked her nails too much.
Red didn’t own a phone and was probably off on a mountain somewhere, so they couldn’t invite him. Honestly, Serena loved that guy, he was so extra. He won his Champion title, then fucked off to live on a overly snowy mountain in jeans and a t-shirt. Because he’s mute, no matter how much anyone asks him about why he’s living that way, he won’t answer and categorically refuses to sign to anyone or provide any explanation. Iconic.
It might be rude but they explicitly didn’t invite Geeta or tell her about their club, given that she wasn’t technically “THE Champion” and was the “Chairwoman of the Paldean League.” Because of Paldea’s ranking system of “Champion Level-Trainers,” Geeta kept her title no matter how many many battles she lost. It really just wasn’t the same.
Leon, that narcissistic idiot, rejected their invitation and carefully made sure to never challenge any of them to preserve his stupid “unbeatable” title. Leon, sweetie, all of the Champions were unbeatable! That was the point! But they could fight each other in a secret fight club and it wouldn’t matter if any of them lost!! And that overly garish outfit and cape of his. Ugh. Serena wanted to burn that cape. Walking around wearing that cape should be illegal. It caused psychological damage to anyone who saw it.
Then, after Leon lost his oh so precious unbeatable status, he came crawling back and asked to join their club. Serena took great joy in telling Leon that since he wasn't a Champion anymore, he couldn't join the Champion-only fight club, and made sure to rub it in his face that Gloria had taken his club membership spot.
Typical Galarian idiocy!
Galar: the land of bad food, sheep, and idiots! Gigantamaxing? Who wanted their Pokemon to look like a giant parade balloon? Mega Evolution was clearly superior. Serena had no interest in visiting.
However, she’d get her hands on a Dreepy one day!! Damn that Leon for shoving the existence of Dragapult in her face, offering to give her a Dreepy, and then NEVER following up! Were his thoughts just as scrambled as his sense of direction?
Serena had also heard rumors of a Ghost-type Corsola and a Dark-type Linoone evolution… Perhaps a visit wasn’t too entirely out of the question. Hmm…
“Woah, that’s some Pokemon!” Urbain marveled at Lemis as he walked out of the hotel and joined her at the bench. Urbain stood by her side and put his hands on his hips. “What is he?”
“Oh, that’s Lemis. He’s Yveltal,” Serena answered and returned to looking down at her phone. She was still in the middle of her very important Rowlet conversation with Cynthia.
Urbain stilled. “Like as in that Yveltal?!” he tried to clarify. Surely there was no–
“Yeah,” Serena confirmed offhandedly without looking up or fully paying attention to him. Urbain’s presence was only preferentially registering to her right now, her attention fully dedicated to texting back and forth with Cynthia about the Rowlet trade logistics. These Rowlets were extremely important!
“…Serena, what the fuck,” Urbain breathed, stunned, unable to yet muster up the ability to shout in disbelief.
Serena finally looked up from the phone. “What?” she asked, confused and not at all following whatever Urbain had been talking about. She wasn’t really paying attention before.
“That’s Yveltal!!” Urbain stressed, trying to indicate the clear obvious absolutely-fucking-huge problem with that statement.
“Yeah, that’s what I said.” She didn’t really see what Urbain was failing to grasp here. It wasn’t that hard. Her phone dinged, it was Cynthia again. Serena returned to her texting.
“It’s Yveltal!!” he tried again, growing increasingly baffled.
“And? Do you have a point here?” Serena questioned, still looking at phone. She’s more than a little distracted, honestly. Rowlet doormen were on the line!!
“Serena, you have a god of death on your team,” Urbain explained, unable to fathom how that was a sentence he actually said.
Everything finally squared away with Cynthia, she was getting her the Rowlets, Serena finally tuned into the conversation and put her phone away. Urbain had been asking about Lemis, right? Right.
“Yeah, isn’t he just the cutest? He’s one of a kind!” she gushed, so proud of her little guy. “Do you want to meet him? He likes Roseli Berries if you have any. If not, I can give some to you!” Meeting Urbain wouldn’t be a huge distraction like Grimlin or Engarde. And Serena knew Lemis would be thrilled.
Honestly, no, Urbain didn’t want to, because what the actual fuck was going on right now? Who wants to meet a god of death??
…But Serena’s eyes were sparkling, and she looked so excited to introduce him to her eldritch horror nightmare creature. Her cheeks were flushed, and she genuinely couldn’t wait for him to say yes. Like nothing would make her happier.
Urbain’s heart was pounding, and not just because of the god of death standing right there.
“...Okay,” he weakly agreed.
Serena brightened as if she was made of the stars themselves and looked at Urbain like he’d said the greatest thing ever said by any human. Urbain couldn’t help but marvel at the sight and triumph in the fact that he’d been the one to make her this happy.
Shit. He was doomed and in wayyyyyy too deep already for only knowing Serena for a few days.
Serena grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where Yveltal loomed. Well, whether Urbain liked it or not, this was happening.
“Le~mis!” she called, making Yveltal look over at her. “I want you to meet my new friend, Urbain! He’s AZ and Floette’s dear friend as well and has been doing very good work to help the both of them.”
Urbain would have been flattered by her words, but he was a little distracted by the fact that the hulking bird of death was now looking directly at him.
“Yv?” Lemis chirped, very excited to meet someone Floette and Serena liked! His social circle was extremely limited, so any addition to the flock was a HUGE affair! He was so thrilled that Lemis started snaking his head, swaying it fluidly from side to side in excitement like a dance as he slightly shifted his weight from foot to foot, making little twittering gurgling noises all the while.
In his splendor, Lemis accidentally knocked over a flower pot with his tail. Given how big his tail was, it launched into the wall, shattered against it, leaving dirt stuck on the wall, and then crashed on the ground. Lemis ducked his head, saddened by his actions. He nudged the remnants of the flower pot with his beak and cooed in despair at his accidental destruction.
“I know, buddy,” Serena started, walking over and consolingly petting Lemis. “I know you didn’t mean to destroy it. It’s alright.” Serena leaned down and started brushing away the dirt and pottery. “Hey, look at that! The flowers are all okay! We can replant them no problem!”
Joy immediately returned into Lemis’ eyes. “Yvel~!” he cheered, whistling merrily.
Urbain’s hesitance immediately evaporated. Apparently, the Destruction Pokemon, Yveltal – Legendary Pokemon, bringer of disaster, and mighty god of death – was just a big overly excitable clumsy goofball of a bird.
Okay, yeah, Urbain could do this. The Pokemon was way less intimidating after that display.
Z • ──── ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´- ̑̑ෆ(⸝⸝•́⸝ᵕ⸝•̀⸝⸝⸝ ) ──── • A
Serena left Sensei with Grimlin and Engarde in the courtyard of the hotel to train together, trusting Sensei to get the two of them up to speed a little, while she visited the Pokemon Research Lab.
Urbain had jumped to come with her, but Serena had said no. She wanted to talk to Sycamore privately about Mega Energy and get his take on why droves of wild Pokemon were arriving in Lumiose.
While that was something that Urbain could be present for, Serena really didn’t want Urbain to see her scream furiously at the Professor about the utterly deplorable job he was doing. She was going to rip that man to shreds, and knowing Sycamore, there was a decent chance that he might cry.
Sycamore was always one to react passionately to every little thing and believed in embracing all emotions. Which would normally be a very healthy mindset, and Serena appreciated his over-the-top flair. However, Serena also thought Sycamore embraced emotions a little too much when it meant he couldn’t take criticism because he’d feel just so hurt. Serena was no doubt going to be treated to the full wide rainbow of Sycamore’s emotions during her visit today.
Serena was very proud of her ability to make a grown man cry, but she had enough self-awareness to know that it probably wasn’t the best look to present to a new friend, who was also a very cute boy, that barely knew her. She’d spare Urbain the fate of suffering through Sycamore’s blubbering this time.
Because he’d looked dejected, Serena had reminded Urbain about the rocks still blocking the Hotel Z entrance, gave Urbain the TM for Rock Smash, and left him to his own devices. He’d seemed very enthused about solving that problem. Last night, they’d been too tired to try to do anything about the rocks blocking the hotel path. Serena had sent out Sensei and Cheshire who shuttled the two of them across.
After a short walk, Serena arrived at the Pokemon Research Lab.
“Ah, you must be here because of the Pokedex prize. Our acting director is in her office. You can take that elevator there to the third floor,” a receptionist greeted upon seeing Serena enter the Lab. Well, NOW Serena’s disguise worked!! Were Pokemon Center nurses psychic or something?!
“Yes, that’s absolutely why I’m here.” Serena would let them think what they wanted. She finally processed what the receptionist said. “Wait, “her?””
What?? Where was Sycamore? Did he leave and NOT tell her?! How dare he!
No, no, that’s exactly what he’d do! Vanish as soon as she needed his expertise on Mega Energy. Ugh, that man!
“Yes, Director Mable took over for Professor Sycamore five years ago,” she helpfully informed Serena.
FIVE YEARS?! So not only did he run away and not tell Serena, the man waited until right after SHE left and then slipped away so he wouldn’t have to tell her! Typical. Why was she even surprised!
When Serena inevitably got ahold of him, because she was hunting him down after this bullshit, she could vividly imagine Sycamore saying, “Your departure was such a grand inspiration that it stirred something inside me I just couldn’t shake! Much like you, dear Serena, I couldn’t help but be entranced by the siren song call of international research. I had to bid Kalos adieu! I was so wrapped-up in the moment – the intrigue, the mystery, the unknown! – that I’d forgotten to inform you. Surely you must understand, we are all loyal followers at the behest of science!”
AKA “I waited till you left and then didn’t tell you for five years so I wouldn’t have to deal with you yelling at me and making me cry for knowingly shirking my responsibility of dealing with the Team Flare fall out.”
Sycamore just rose even higher on Serena’s shit list. She’d tear him limb from limb. Now, when Serena finally got to yell at him, it wasn’t going to be only a possibility that he might cry, no, she’d insure Sycamore sobbed like a baby.
“Thank you for telling me,” Serena thanked the woman through gritted teeth. She tried to be polite, it wasn’t the receptionist’s fault after all, but some of her ire couldn’t help but slip through. Serena briskly walked over to the elevator and took it up to floor three.
“THAT SHORTSIGHTED NITWIT!!” a voice shouted as soon as Serena stepped foot off the elevator.
Hold up, Serena recognized that voice.
Director Mable was that Mable. What kind of dystopian-Kalos had Serena come home to because what was even happening anymore?! First AZ owns a hotel and actually dresses well, next Quasartico’s crimes against Lumiose, then rampant Mega Energy deposits everywhere with Sycamore thinking he was being cute by jumping ship, and now this? Arceus, what was next for her to discover?!
Serena had followed the Team Flare trials closely. She knew exactly who took plea deals and who was put away. Serena herself even served as a prime witness and victim in the cases, giving substantial testimony in every trial. Serena had ensured every Team Flare member saw justice served before she left.
Serena was aware Mable took a plea deal in exchange for providing information that aided in the capture of many other members and Admins. However, the terms of the repentance to society clause, present in all the Flare plea deals, were only to be decided upon the ratified conclusion of every Flare trial. Namely, it was left to decide how exactly each member in question was going to serve community service while on house arrest.
At the time, Serena hadn’t really cared about which ex-Team Flare member cleaned up trash on the side of the road, worked at Pokemon shelters, or served at a food bank. She’d departed for Hoenn before it had been decided and didn’t try to follow up. Their sentencing and punishment had been more than enough for her.
Looks like it ended up being more important than Serena thought.
“That stupid mayor’s poured even MORE money into this ridiculous urban redevelopment plan?! Sure, great – more Pokemon! Love it! But you can’t just throw ‘em in a wild zone and call it a day! No, you’ve got to have scientists SURVEY and STUDY these things to figure out what’s safe! But who can keep up with all the work when they keep adding wild zones every time I turn around?!” Mable ranted passionately from the other side of the half wall, out of sight.
Wait, Mable was spouting SENSE!!! Finally someone questioning these eyesores and that idiotic mayor! Serena took off her glasses and tucked them into her tote bag. Serena rounded the corner, and leaned against the divider wall. Mable was too wrapped up in her computer to notice her.
“Oh, I fully agree with you. It’s crazy that we finally see eye to eye on something, isn’t it, Mable?” Serena announced her presence theatrically.
Mable jolted, whipping her head to look at her, and rapidly paling at the sight of Serena and her iconic outfit. See? The symbolism was working perfectly!
“S-Serena!?” Mable stuttered, eyes wide, truly and utterly surprised. Serena was the LAST person she ever expected to see again!
“Aww you look like you’ve seen a ghost! Boo! Haha!” Serena laughed at her own joke.
“W-Why are you here!?” Mable eeped, her visor slightly askew, and looking like she was ready to run at any moment.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so scared, I’m not gonna do anything.”
To be fair to Mable, they were never on good terms or anything like that. The only times they’d ever seen each other was sparingly during Serena’s journey and peripherally amidst the Team Flare trials. They might not know each other, but they definitely knew each other. There was no way either of them would ever forget the other. This was probably the first proper conversation the two of them had ever had.
Serena took note of the impressive dark circles under Mable’s eyes and just how exhausted she looked. Dressed impeccably, yes, but exhausted. No doubt, these past years haven't been easy for her. Based on what Serena walked in on Mable saying, Mable had been one of the few, if not potentially the only appointed official arguing against the Urban Redevelopment Plan. Serena didn’t expect there were many other opponents to the company’s agenda given how much of a free pass to do whatever they wanted Quasartico was given.
Going against the masses and challenging authority was a very hard stance to take on, even more so for someone in Mable’s position. Trying to be heard and taken seriously when you’re constantly publicly shamed, stigmatized, and dismissed for your past was an impossible battle to fight.
Mable deserved recognition for her struggle. Especially from Serena.
Arceus, who would have ever thought ex-Team Flare Admin Mable of all people would be the one to try to hold the fort down in Serena’s absence?
Serena looked Mable in the eyes and smiled softly. “I don’t know exactly how you ended up taking over for Sycamore, but good for you for turning your life around and taking the plea deal. I mean it.”
“…Thank you,” Mable said curtly. Despite her tone, Mable did actually mean it. However, Mable was ridiculously apprehensive, on edge, and more than a little spooked by this whole situation. Serena was here, complementing her, and being nice???
“So fuck the mayor, right? What an imbecile!!” Serena spat, unable to hold off commenting on Mable’s earlier declaration any longer. “Who is paying to feed all the Pokemon that are moving into the wild zones? It better not be taxes!! There is not enough space for them either. There’s no way that’s a balanced ecosystem!”
Mable’s unease was won out by the sheer degree of her built-up exasperated frustration. “Arceus, THANK YOU!! Finally! Everyone seems so in love with these stupid wild zones.”
“I have no idea how everyone is acting like they’re not a powder keg disaster in a lake of gasoline. And don’t even get me started on how tacky the scaffolding is!” Serena blustered, furiously straightening her arms by her side and curling her hands into fists.
“The scaffolding is the WORST!! They’re ruining the aesthetics of the city!” Mable groaned, sinking back down into her chair. She might be a reformed member of Team Flare, but Mable was still a part of Team Flare for a reason in the first place! Things should be beautiful! Preserved!
“YES!” Serena shrilled as she approached Mable’s desk, leaving her place by the wall now that she knew Mable wasn’t going to run off. “And the fact that they’re ruining Lumiose’s architectural beauty to put in their dumb little habitats! It’s blasphemous!!” She was reveling in venting to someone who FINALLY agreed with her!!
Mable slumped over her desk and repeatedly banged her forehead down on it, completely at wits’ end. “Ugh, I can’t even deal with the number of migraines these fucking people have caused me. That stupid fucking mayor!!” She looked up, fuming, and met Serena’s eyes. “And you just know he’s revoking the historical status of the landmarks to let that company do whatever they want!”
“That’s what I said!” Serena exclaimed fervently. “Oh, he’s absolutely doing that!!” Serena scoffed in mock disbelief at his audacity. Arceus, it felt SO good to be validated! “Mable, we’ve had our differences in the past, but I think this is the start of a very beautiful friendship.”
Mable blinked, suddenly realizing she had been bitching with Serena and enjoying it. “What has the world come to where the only other person in this city who has any sense is Serena of all people,” she couldn’t help but snark.
“I’ll have you know that I am very sensible,” Serena huffed. “You were the one that was on Team “let’s kill everyone.””
“Don’t remind me! I see the error of that now, okay?!” she sputtered, attempting to defend herself.
Serena leveled her with a dull stare. “Sure, sure, I totally believe you, little miss house arrest.”
Foregoing a response, Mable slammed her head back down on the table, this time with much greater force. The items on her desk trembled.
With Mable’s head down, it revealed the logo embroidered on the head of her chair. Serena blinked, noticing it for the first time. “Mable, why do you have the Team Flare logo on your desk chair? …And Flare branded Laptops?” she asked slowly.
Mable didn’t bother looking up, keeping her head down on the table. “My parole officer thinks he has a sense of humor. I hate him,” she lamented, voice dry and slightly muffled. It wasn’t like she could go outside and buy anything else! Or afford to replace it!! And even then, Mable was only allowed “vetted and approved items.” That fucking asshole.
Serena winced. “Speaking of Flare,” she started, “you are aware that Quasartico bought out all of Lysandre Labs, correct?” Serena figured Mable would have picked up on that by now given how closely she was working with the wild zones.
“W-WHAT?!” Mable rocketed out of her chair and crashed her hands down on the table. A post-it note was stuck to her forehead. Mable slapped it off.
“Okay, so you didn’t know,” Serena observed.
Mable’s eyes were wide and looked a little scared. “Serena, how the hell do you know that?!” she shouted, somewhere between furious and distraught. “That shouldn’t have happened!”
Serena met Mable’s gaze, looking her directly in the eye. “No one knew that I was coming to Kalos, let alone to Lumiose City. There hasn’t even been a peep in the media. If they even heard a rumor, it would be plastered everywhere. I arrived the day before last in the late afternoon. I got trapped unexpectedly in a battle zone that night for about 20 minutes, no one in there recognized me even the slightest bit. I was wearing a disguise. Yesterday I woke up late due to jet lag and was in the lobby of my hotel at 4:00 pm. Minutes later, I received an invitation from Quasartico to join the Z-A Royale. How did Quasartico know I was here? And how did they find my personal private phone number, which no one should have beyond close friends, within a few hours?”
Mable’s stare was vacant, she looked miles away. Eyes wide, she muttered in disbelief, “The Flare spyware. It’s in the wild and battle zones’ holo-tech.” She sat down in her chair, put her elbows on the desk, and gripped the sides of her head, looking down.
That utter devastation was the proper reaction to Serena’s information! Not Urbain’s “not good.” Ugh, that boy! At least Mable had a brain.
“And the only way they would have gotten their hands on that is if they somehow bought all of the Lysandre Labs data,” Serena deduced intensely, face stony. “All of the data, Mable.”
“Shit. SHIT!” Now processing the implications, Mable snapped her head up to look at Serena. “Then they must have the-”
“Yes.”
“Then do you think-”
“Yeah, I do.”
“…We’re really fucked, aren’t we?”
“Oh yeah, absolutely.”
“FUCK!” Mable screeched down at the desk.
Vindicated that someone in this damned city finally properly cared, Serena continued while twirling a strand of her hair and examining the ends, “If you want the icing on the cake, have you seen their ads they’re blaring in the city?”
“Obviously, I haven’t. House arrest, remember?” Mable sassed.
“I had the pleasure of seeing one yesterday right off the train.” Serena recalled the ad from hell. “The CEO literally said, “A city even more beautiful than before awaits all of us.” Sound familiar?”
“Arceus, we are so fucked,” Mable muttered, horrified.
Mable was one of the few who would truly understand just how big of a problem this was. It wasn’t just the spying on Lumiose’s citizens, or whatever horrible agenda they had for the wild zones, it was more than that. It was the return of the haunting Team Flare ideology, extensive knowledge on the Ultimate Weapon, and full control over whatever other horrible secrets Team Flare undoubtedly had hidden in the depths of their data.
Serena knew Mable would see that it meant that all of her suffering, the house arrest, the ridicule, the guilt Mable lived with, would have been for nothing. She’d probably have just as much reason to be pissed as Serena did. Well, almost as much.
Huh, Mable was the acting director of the Pokemon Research Lab, which would be very helpful to Serena’s plans. Recruiting Mable might be a good idea. Serena had intended to work with Sycamore anyways. The more she thought about it, the better of an idea it was to Serena.
Serena examined her nails. “Well, if you really do want to prove that you’ve seen the error of your ways and maybe cut down on that house arrest time, want to help me utterly destroy them, ruin everything they stand for, get rid of these wild zones, and probably save Lumiose from complete destruction along the way?”
“FUCK YES!” Mable declared instantly, looking more than a little frazzled.
“So glad to have you on board!” Serena grinned brightly, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Welcome to Team Neo Noir! It’s a much more chic name than Team Flare, don’t you think?”
Team Neo Noir, named for film noir, a Kalosian term that literally meant “black film,” dubbed after the cynical attitudes, darkness, shadows, and Dark-types present in the genre, and neo-noir film, which accentuated the classic genre with a modern high-tech spin complete with vibrantly colored pink and blue contrasting lighting.
Which was exactly what Serena was doing – putting a modern flashy pink twist on a classic shadowy tale of nosy private detectives uncovering institutional corruption, exploring the ethics of technological advancement, and glamorous mysterious female leads with a hidden past.
Stopping Team Flare had been Serena’s noir era, Quasartico was the sequel.
Kantotown, Gilda, and Bisharp Runner eat your heart out.
“Serena, I don’t care what the fuck you call us, I’m in,” Mable commented in mirthful disbelief. “What do you need me to do?” She didn’t want to see things spiral out of control again, didn’t want to have to watch others repeat her mistakes so soon.
It didn’t hurt that this was also an opportunity to get more freedom and trust that Mable thought she deserved at this point after years of house arrest. She’s been good, okay?! Helping out should make her leash a little longer at the very least.
It wasn’t just the obvious that had Mable invested, no. If they had all of Lysandre Lab’s data, then that meant they also had all of Mable’s life work on Pokemon energy! She wouldn’t stand to have them make a mockery of her research or bastardize it and then blame her later for their fuck ups! They’d put her back on trial! NO! She’d been dragged through the mud enough!
Serena took out her Pokedex and put it on Mable’s desk. “First off, can you port over this to the new app? That's why I came here in the first place.”
Mable scoffed. “Really?”
“I refuse to have everything I worked on become irrelevant,” Serena countered stubbornly. Mostly though, she had a Pokemon Center nurse to humiliate.
Mable raised an eyebrow. “Did you complete the Pokedex?”
“Well, no, but it’s pretty complete.” Serena wasn’t like Trevor, she didn’t really care about completing the Pokedex. Her Kalos dex was about 60% filled out or so, but she also had part of the Hoenn dex completed too!
Also, what the hell does “complete” even mean? Did she have to magically catch Xerneas, other legendary Pokemon, and maybe Arceus themselves somehow? She loved Pokemon, yes, but Serena was not about to free climb a god damned mountain in the middle of a sandstorm at 5:00 am just to find a specific coat of Burmy solely for a momentary dopamine rush of checking off another box.
No fucking way. That’s not her problem, and she’s not dealing with that.
Completing the Pokedex was stupid.
Besides, she’d like to see someone else have a Pokedex with Yveltal registered in it. Heh.
Mable pinched her nose. “Why do you even want it if it’s not complete? Ugh, whatever, I don’t care. Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Secondly, you’re the head scientist here, so I wanted to hear your opinion.” Serena technically was a scientist too, given the Mega Evolution study she conducted in Hoenn. However, she considered herself more of a researcher than a scientist, and she was highly specialized. Serena would prefer to defer to the actual expert on this one. “Obviously the wild zones are a disaster waiting to happen, but what data specifically do we need to irrefutably prove that?”
“Ecological studies is the big one for sure. Data on what they’re being fed, size and health comparison over time to the same species outside of Lumiose in their natural habitats, observation notes on behavior, and long-form video recordings to name a few,” Mable rattled off, contemplating what else might be needed. “I can make a full list later.”
Serena nodded. “I’ll go into the field, gather all the data, and send it to you to analyze.”
“Given I’m chained to this chair, as it just so happens, I have a known program running right now called “Mable’s Research,” where I entrap newbie trainers into being field research minions for me in exchange for TMs,” Mable snickered. “For appearances sake, I’ll set that system up on your phone. We can use the research program as a cover and exchange our data through it. I’ll just make a new server to store your data on specifically.”
Serena handed over her Rotom Phone. Mable installed the app and began running a calibration test. Afterwards, she worked on configuring the special settings, bypasses, and server directions.
“How accessible is that server?” Serena questioned, narrowing her eyes.
“Paranoid? I like it. It’s a local password-protected encrypted private server. All of the Lab’s data is stored like that.” Mable tapped her finger on the table. Lysandre Labs had a similar set up, and look what happened to that data now? “But to be completely honest, I have a suspicion that if someone really really tried hard and directly plugged into the Lab’s devices, they could possibly hack it. Unlikely though.”
That wasn’t ideal, but Serena was no tech wizard, far from that, nor did she want to bring anyone else on board that had that skill set. Definitely not stupid Clemont. She’d lost all faith in him.
“As much as I’d like to offer a solution, I don’t have one, nor do I trust anyone else to join us.” Serena ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. “We’ll have to be cautious. Since you’re here all the time, keep a watch. Let me know immediately if anything seems off around the lab. Even if you think it’s nothing, tell me. Trust your gut.”
“Well, well, would you look at that? And here you are trusting me with your clandestine operation,” Mable mused with a smirk. Internally, however, she was extremely grateful. No one had trusted Mable in years.
“If anything, Mable, you are absolutely the person to trust with a clandestine operation.” Serena jokingly said, and raised an eyebrow. “Given your experience with them, that is.”
“Might I remind you it was a failed clandestine operation. No thanks to you,” Mable bantered back. Honestly, Mable appreciated that Serena wasn’t walking on egg shells about her history. People typically were either terrified of her, still treated her like an active criminal, judged, or dismissed her. Teasing her, however, was new. It made Mable feel just a tiny bit normal.
“Yes, which is why if we put our heads together, your experience failing and my successful thwarting expertise, we finally have all the building blocks to pull off a half-decent operation,” Serena quipped with a smile.
Mable grinned. “I’ll drink to that.” She handed Serena back her phone. “The way it works is I can send you research tasks, experiments, and anything else we can think of through the app. It will track your data, and you can enter any additional notes. I’ll make and send you questionnaires, forms, and data requirements to make sure you get everything we need. It will update on my end in real time, so I can nudge you if you come across something I think we should look into more.”
Serena examined the app, familiarizing herself with the interface. “This is perfect. No matter what, we cannot let even one shred of bias leak into these results. If you need me to take 200 samples of something to make that happen, you tell me. I don’t care how silly or excessive it may seem,” Serena stressed, voice firm. “We’re going to do this right. Our results need to show causation, none of that “statistically significant” crap that could be written off. This needs to be the most cold hard scientific report ever.”
Serena couldn’t wait to compile this insanely bland, stupidly factual report! It was going to be SO great! The more boring it was, the more official and sciency it would seem. It would lend to its credibility.
“That’s great and all, but no one actually reads scientific papers, Serena,” Mable griped, rolling her eyes. That was one of the problems Mable was already dealing with. If it was that simple, she’d have stopped the wild zones ages ago! “Scientists don’t even read scientific papers anymore. Especially not ones that dense.”
The other major problem was that even if Mable screamed her findings from the rooftops, no one cared to listen to her because of her Team Flare accreditation. She’d been forced to sit in silence and watch as this disaster unfolded, unable to do anything to stop it, or even walk out the door to try to do something about it. House arrest was a bitch and a half.
But with Serena as the face of the operation, that particular credibility problem would disappear.
The fact that no one would still read the damn paper didn’t.
Serena’s eyebrow twitched. “I’m not an idiot, Mable. I’m not expecting anyone to read it.”
“Ouch.” Mable rested her chin on hand. “Make my work even more irrelevant, why dontcha?”
“It’s not irrelevant,” Serena countered, gaze determined. “This is going to be our failsafe of evidence for when that company tries to call us liars down the road. We need to have the moral high ground no matter what. Whatever they’re claiming the wild zones are doing, when the right moment strikes, we have undeniable proof they’re lying. We just need the piece of paper that is so expertly done from the top Pokemon Research Lab in the region that no one can deny it being fact.”
The more facts Serena could point to as truth during her inevitable media coverage, the better. If she wanted to really effect change and ruin Quasartico, Serena had to get the public, the media, and the scientists on her side.
And Serena needed to be right. One slip-up could potentially ruin her credibility.
“At least my work won’t be totally useless,” Mable resigned, tapping her cheek with her finger. “Then, the sooner we start, the more airtight it will be. Especially if those idiots keep adding wild zones, which I know they will, we can observe the changes from day one of installation."
“How are they even getting the Pokemon into the wild zone in the first place? What’s preventing them from leaving?” Serena started thinking out loud now that she had someone to listen to her. “Holo-tech is just a hologram. It’s intangible – it’s only light rays. How are they making it into a barrier?”
“I have no idea,” Mable admitted worriedly, the questions piling up in her head. “If it blocks Pokemon and people, does it also block Pokemon moves? What about something like Dig? The barriers aren’t very tall either, why can’t Pokemon jump or fly over them?”
“It shouldn’t be possible with holo-tech capabilities alone,” Serena noted. “Write all these questions down, we’re going to test all of it. See if you can come up with some controlled experiments I can do in the field so we can gather reliable data. There’s bound to be something they’re lying about or a glaring flaw in what they’re doing beyond the spyware. We need to find it.”
“What excellent dirt that would be,” Mable hummed. Mable got to have Serena on HER side this time and use Serena as HER research minion! Lysandre would be rolling in his grave! HA! “Are we above blackmail?”
“Well…” Serena considered it seriously. “Not exactly, no? But I don’t want to just get them to stop, I want to destroy them, which means under the table deals aren’t going to cut it. We’ll be using the media to our advantage and get everyone to turn against them. Boo hoo, having a charismatic CEO isn’t going to help you then,” Serena gleefully mocked.
Mable grinned. “I’m really loving learning all about you, Serena. Who would have thought the Hero of Kalos was more than a little morally flexible.”
“People assume a lot of things about me.” Serena sighed. “It works to our advantage here. Quasartico thinks I’m a ditzy blonde airhead, so they blatantly flashed their spyware in my face, assuming I wouldn’t think anything of it, and then graciously gave me the recipe for their own demise by inviting me into the Z-A Royale. They think they can use my title to their advantage to gather good will, notoriety, credibility, and publicity. That’s going to backfire spectacularly.” She grinned cunningly. “It’s better to be underestimated, after all.”
Mable felt a chill run down her spine. Oh, she knew first hand exactly what happened when you underestimated Serena. “Quasartico signed their own death warrant then.”
“I’m so glad you see it my way!” Serena chirped and smiled innocently, but Mable learned from experience that smile was anything but innocent.
‘She really is a terrific actor,’ Mable marveled in morbid fascination. ‘Serena’s actually a conniving little shit, isn’t she? Fuck, we really are going to end up being friends.’
“I also need you to write down all of the flaws Team Flare discovered with holo-tech. Anything you can remember,” Serena continued.
“I know of a few things,” Mable admitted, “but I really wasn’t on that part of the development. It was almost entirely Aliana’s project.” Aliana notably did not take a plea deal. When her trial concluded, Aliana was sent to a remote maximum security prison.
Serena rubbed one of her temples. It was never easy, was it? “Is there any chance you think Aliana will talk and cooperate with me?” Serena was going out on a limb here, but she had to ask.
Mable viscerally remembered just how feral and upset Aliana had been when they’d been arrested together. She was kicking and screaming, trying to attack and bite her arresting officers. That energy carried over into her trial. Ailana was fully indoctrinated to the extent where she showed no remorse and still stood firm in her beliefs. Her trial had been the quickest.
Aliana was someone Mable had looked up to once upon a time. She was the first scientist Lysandre had recruited, and was one of the eldest of the bunch. Holo-tech had been Aliana’s brain child, as was the spyware she later created. Looking back, Mable reasoned that Aliana had been in on Lysandre’s plans from the start. Lysandre was the visionary, but Aliana had adopted it just as fiercely.
When the rest of them joined Team Flare, or rather “Lysandre Labs,” it had been a slow, soft, and careful conditioning to adopt the Team Flare dogma. Obviously, they didn’t find hundreds of people and scientists who wanted to destroy the world right off the bat. No, it was a grooming process that converted them over time. They had been psychologically programmed, gaslit, and manipulated.
Mable had been a young hopeful scientist struggling to find funding for her research on a fringe topic that was not commercially marketable: Pokemon energy. Lysandre Labs courted her, saw the value in her research, and made her feel seen and extraordinary. It was an adrenaline rush! Every time Aliana or Lysandre would complement her or let her in on secrets, Mable felt special. She did everything in her power to keep them looking at her, desperately longing for their approval. Slowly but surely, Mable adopted and internalized each little piece of information they drip fed to her. Every chunk seemed so believable and reasonable as it was presented to her.
Lysandre’s ideas hadn’t seemed so ridiculous then.
Mable didn’t push the blame fully on Lysandre, no, Mable took ownership for her actions and beliefs. After all, she was fully on board with the plan. Sure, they guided Mable to get to that point, but it didn’t change the fact that she still believed in the Team Flare ideology.
At the time. Not anymore.
Mable’s gut wanted to say, “No,” that there was no way Aliana would ever talk to Serena. But the more she thought about it, Mable realized there might be a way.
“My instinct is to say no, but there’s potentially a slim chance she would talk if we approach her with the right angle.” Mable took a deep breath. It was hard to talk about this, and it was even harder to talk to Serena of all people about this. “Aliana was the most indoctrinated out of all of us, and was essentially Lysandre’s right hand. Or it would be more accurate to say that Aliana believed she was Lysandre’s right hand, though he never took any action to confirm or deny her thoughts, which was most definitely intentional. In all my time at Team Flare, there had never been a moment where she wasn’t aware of the greater plan or had doubts about it. She viewed Lysandre almost like a god. I think we could take advantage of that.”
“What are you thinking?” Serena asked curiously.
“There’s no way she’d ever talk to you. She hates you. And Aliana isn’t really a rational person. Brilliant, yes, but not very psychologically sound. I can only imagine what five years behind bars has done for her mental state,” Mable divulged. She absolutely despised what she was about to say next. “But we could capitalize on that too. Let’s say I show up to see her in my old Team Flare outfit and feed her some story about how Team Flare is reforming, and we need information from her to recover lost technology because she’s oh so important and no one could replicate her work. I’d tell her that as Lysandre's right hand, she knew things no one else did and we can’t bring Team Flare back without her valuable help.”
Mable hated that she was essentially suggesting doing exactly what Lysandre did by taking advantage of someone’s vulnerable mental state. What had been done to Mable herself.
“Mable, that's…”
“I know,” Mable interjected, cutting her off.
“No,” Serena declared firmly without hesitation. “I refuse. I will not stoop to his level, nor would I ever even consider asking you to do something like that. We’ll go without her information.”
Mable blinked back tears, ever so thankful that her visor was translucent and not transparent. Mable knew Serena was in no way like Lysandre, and Mable was the one offering to do this in the first place. It wasn’t about Serena specifically at all. But hearing that out loud from a powerful authority figure she was working with was a closure Mable didn’t know she needed.
Mable’s past was over.
Team Flare might be gone, but house arrest made every single day a deserved continued sentence to repay for her crimes – Mable still felt like she was still a member, her Team Flare branding had never faded, and each day served as a constant reminder. She might be repenting, but Mable never really left the confines of Team Flare.
But Serena’s words were a sign that things had changed. Mable wasn’t being treated like she had been treated in Team Flare. It was different. It was so different, so unlike anything that would have ever been said to her at Team Flare, that it could only mean that it was truly over.
‘Thank you,’ Mable thought softly.
“Alright,” Mable said instead, voice very slightly wavering. “If you say so.”
Serena noticed the emotion in Mable’s eyes, but didn’t comment on it. Mable was definitely the type who thought showing certain emotions made her look weak. Serena disagreed, but she wouldn’t force Mable to talk about anything she didn’t want to. Instead, she’d reassure her in a way that Mable would resonate with.
“I do say so,” Serena insisted, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “We’re too classy to need the “gaslight” in “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss.” We will absolutely be gatekeeping and girlbossing though,” she made sure to clarify. “We already have the miniskirt dream team right here,” Serena gestured to herself and Mable, “and there’s no way Aliana could pull off her previous miniskirt uniform anymore. Can you even imagine what prison did to her skin? Especially at her age? Ew.”
Mable snorted. Her eyes flew wide at the sound, and Mable slapped her hand over her mouth, shocked.
“Pft!” Serena wheezed.
That was her breaking point, Mable couldn’t help herself any longer and burst out laughing, devolving into a fit of laughter alongside Serena.
‘Yeah,’ Mable thought in between bouts of delirious laughter, ‘this was nothing like Team Flare.’
Z • ─── (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)✨ ꉂꉂ(≧ヮ≦ )ʱªʱªʱª ─── • A
End Notes
Team Neo Noir is here! Everyone has a “Team” in this game, so Serena needed her own for her agenda!! Soooo I’m a huge film nerd if you couldn’t tell lol. Serena essentially deciding she’s in a neo-noir film is actually so accurate because the Z-A storyline, and even more amped up in this story, is VERY neo-noir.
Anistar City and the Sundial were somehow NOT a big thing or really even a thing at all in Z-A, and that is absurd!! I only found 1 NPC that even mentions Anistar city at all!! In XY you literally use the Anistar City Sundial to upgrade the Mega Ring. It’s a giant thousands-of-years-old bright pink crystal that radiates Mega Energy that no one knows how it formed and is connected to Mega Stones. It’s canonically THE SAME STUFF as what’s in Lumiose guys.
Also, not Sycamore being the leading and ONLY researcher on these pink crystals in the world and he just peaced out and went, “Not my problem lmaoooo.” My guy, I know you’re off in some other region doing science with Trevor for some reason, but like, literally where else in the world would be a better spot for you to do your research right now than Lumiose City??? You know, where the biggest Mega Energy phenomena in thousands of years is happening? No? Not relevant to your hyper-specific work on Mega Evolution, Mega Stones, and pink mysterious crystals that have Mega Energy in them? My bad.
Let’s be real – Sycamore is likely off living his best life on a beach somewhere, wearing shades and sipping drinks from coconuts. With Trevor, hilariously. Because the “all the characters inexplicably flee to Alola” pipeline is actually very real in Pokemon, his assistants Dexio and Sina are already there, Zygarde, and you CAN do Mega Evolution in Alola in the post-game, I’m choosing to believe that’s where Sycamore is – on a beach in Alola.
MABLE DESERVED A CHARACTER ARC!! I will die on this hill. She is a fascinating character that should have had WAY more investment in the Z-A storyline. For those that don’t remember: Alexa was a character we met frequently in XY who was a journalist from Lumiose City and worked at the Lumiose Press (WHY was she not in Z-A? How was the media in general not a thing in Z-A??). She’s also Gym Leader Viola's sister. Aliana was the Flare Admin and scientist who siphoned power from the Kalos Power Plant.
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Chapter 3, Part 2: Gaslight, Gatekeep, GirlbossNew
The lights dimmed, the orchestra pit hummed, the conductor tapped his baton, and the curtains were about to rise on the world premier of "Serena Obliterates Quasartico."
-OR-
Grimlin was a city Sableye through and through. He’d gladly sacrificed his stone diet variety for Lumiose City’s chic fashion, poise, and elegance. However, deep in his heart, or rather, stomach, Grimlin yearned for the mines.
Fake-glasses in place, Serena walked out of the Lab. Not even a few seconds later, someone called out to her.
“Would you happen to be Serena?” a boy with startlingly purple eyes asked as he approached her, a Scrafty walking alongside him.
“…Yes, who is asking?” Serena said carefully. He was rather fashionable in his elevated streetwear meets academia style. The edginess, actual sense of fashion, and the accompanying Scrafty just screamed “I’m a Dark-type trainer” to Serena.
So her kind of people.
“Hmm,” Naveen hummed, assessing her. “So you’re the new member who Urbain is so pleased to have aboard. I recognized you by your skirt. Urbain was going on about a red miniskirt and you not wanting to wear the jacket because you’d cover your outfit, or something. He was a little frantic explaining it to me. I’m the one who embroidered that team jacket you see.”
Naveen had been so confused and frustrated by Lida and Urbain continuously smirking like they knew something he didn’t. The new team member explanation had been a flurry of excitement, snickering, and “You just gotta meet her yourself! You’ll see!”
“Of course he was,” Serena groaned. Ugh, that boy!!
“My name’s Naveen. I’m another member of Team MZ. So we’re teammates, I suppose.” Naveen didn’t really care about this new member, he still didn’t get Lida and Urbain’s hype, but he figured it would be rude to not make some degree of polite conversation. “I see you had business in the lab. Helping out with Mable’s research?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Serena didn’t bother offering her name as he already knew hers.
Naveen closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “I’m surprised she found anyone willing to help.” No one really wanted to help ex-Team Flare Admin Mable with anything. “But I suppose it’s not a bad deal for you. After all, you’ll fare better in the Z-A Royale if you have your Pokemon learn a wide variety of moves. The TMs you earn as rewards for helping with Mable’s research will come in handy for that.”
‘Ah, they didn’t tell him who I was. Well, that’s funny.’ Serena would have taken off her glasses right then and there to formally introduce herself, but given that they were in the middle of the street and in public, that wasn’t really an option she was willing to risk.
“Now about your outfit…” Naveen scratched his cheek with a finger, holding his elbow with his other hand as he stared at her, contemplating.
‘He better not say anything bad… or else.’ This was Serena’s iconic outfit and he would do well to recognize how incredible it was!
Naveen dropped his hands, and nodded. “It’s perfect. It suits you perfectly. I’m actually quite surprised our new member is quite fashionable.” His Scrafty cheered by his side.
Serena preened at his assessment. “I do quite love your outfit as well,” she complimented back. “I’ve never quite seen the mix of streetwear and academia before, but you’re executing it wonderfully. I think you’re on to something. It’s very elevated and chic. Who are you wearing?”
Naveen blushed at the unexpected praise and from someone so chic herself. Actually, she looked like a model. Now that he thought about it, something was very familiar about her. She probably was a model then. Huh, not the worst teammate Urbain could have recruited then.
“Thank you… and it’s actually my own label, er, rather, I made all of this myself. I’m just starting out though, so I’m not in any stores yet,” he babbled somewhat.
Serena’s eyes widened. “Really?! How wonderful! You really are quite talented. Your stitching is impeccable! Are you hand sewing or using a machine? Say, do you have any other work I could see?”
“Yes, I do. I–” Scrafty tugged at Naveen’s pant leg and pointed to his wrist in a check your watch movement. “Actually, I’m about to be late for something. Do you mind if we talk later back at the hotel? Apologies, I can’t miss this appointment.” Naveen conceded that maybe this new member was slightly less irrelevant than he’d initially thought. Maybe.
“I understand. I actually have somewhere to be myself.” Serena had diabolical plans to enact and errant Professors to scream at, after all.
Naveen nodded. “See you later then.”
Now to tackle the Mega Energy problem. Serena dialed Sycamore’s number.
*Ring…ring…ring…*
*Click!*
Sycamore’s jovial greeting came through, “Bonjour~!!”
“Sycamore you incompetent little shit–”
“You’ve reached the voicemail of me, the illustrious Professor Sycamore! I must be off doing very important work, so please leave me a message. I shall endeavor to return your call once science has been stated!”
*Beep!*
Serena left a very heated voicemail on Sycamore‘s phone that promised many terrible things if he didn’t call her back.
Serena took in a long, extremely deep breath, filling her chest and lungs. She held it in for a few seconds, then exhaled with a noise of frustration. A cathartic and mildly calming way to recenter herself. Once again, Serena had to do everything herself. She couldn’t afford to be hung up on Sycamore or the constant disappointments from people around her anymore.
Serena grinned fiendishly. Instead, she’d focus now on something she was an expert on: performance.
Now that the groundwork was in place, the stage was set. It was time for the curtain call.
The lights dimmed, the orchestra pit hummed, the conductor tapped his baton, and the curtains were about to rise on the world premier of "Serena Obliterates Quasartico."
Serena was ready to execute her opening gambit.
Serena scripted the show in her head as she began the performance. The opening prologue act she had in store was bound to cause waves. The sequence focused on something Serena thrived in.
The media.
First things first, Serena needed to talk to a reporter. No noir was complete without a reporter after all!
And obviously, talking to a reporter called for a costume change. It was time to go full film noir and embody the soul of a femme fatale journeying alone, wrought with grief, to report the completely random and ill timed death of her husband that she absolutely had no hand in.
Serena took out her trench coat and a silk scarf from her tote bag. She exchanged her fake-glasses for her white sunglasses and put on the trench coat, tying it shut to cover her outfit. She took off her hat and placed it carefully back in her bag. Serena pushed her bangs back behind her ears, wrapped the scarf around her head, tied it under her chin, and tucked the remainder of her unobscured hair into the back of the trench coat.
The media always had a much sharper than average nose. If Serena was going to do this perfectly and on her terms, she couldn’t risk them getting a whiff of her when she walked into their den.
Outfit update completed, Serena hailed a taxi and got inside. The taxi driver tapped his hands against the steering wheel in rhythm to the song playing on the radio.
“Where to?” the driver asked. Serena was careful not to meet the taxi driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“The Lumiose Press please.” Serena tried to look as broody and mysterious as possible as she stared out the window, watching the bustle of Lumiose’s streets pass by.
The taxi driver started making idle chatter, “Say, did you know that Prism Tower’s been remodeled and renovated a few times?” Serena’s eye twitched at his interruption of her moody masterpiece. “I hear its… skeleton? Its framework? The insides, whatever you call them, are pretty old, and…” the taxi driver’s voice faded away as Serena turned him out.
Serena needed to outmaneuver Quasartico before they could get the jump on her and publish a story about her debut in the tournament first, where they could essentially claim whatever they wanted and be the ones to announce her return to the region. It would be a terrible look for her.
Serena needed to look composed, not like she was doing this on a whim, and that SHE was the one doing THEM a favor!! Those condescending assholes.
Serena had social media, but she didn’t do that much with it. Serena was the type of celebrity you saw in magazines, red carpets, occasional formal print and televised interviews, high-brow events, and so on. She was an A-lister that didn’t need to have an avid social media presence to be a household name.
However, this approach also made her seem mysterious, out of reach, and an unrelatable figure. Unapproachability had been a boon to Serena when she wanted people to leave her alone for the past five years, but now, it was a problem that had to change.
It was time to start activating her “Champion Serena” accounts effectively. She needed to become the most damn relatable Champion ever and work overtime to repair her bruised reputation. She needed the people of Kalos behind her and assure them that her Honor of Kalos medal was still squeaky clean and ready for a sibling.
Unfortunately for Quasartico, Serena knew exactly how to accomplish this.
Her machinations started with making Quasartico look irrelevant in their own home: The Z-A Royale.
Serena would drown them out and make it about herself instead, break the story of her involvement on her own terms, and execute her first big move on boosting the public’s opinion of her in one fell swoop. The Z-A Royale would get the attention Quasartico wanted, sure, but it would be first and foremost Serena’s idea in the public’s eyes, not that company’s. Serena would set the narrative before they could.
Quasartico would have no choice but to go along with her story. What could they do? Call their biggest promoter and esteemed national figure a liar?
They wouldn’t dare.
“Here we are at the Lumiose Press! Thanks for choosing Lumi Cab! That will be 710P.” The taxi driver’s voice broke Serena out of her thoughts. She quickly paid and exited.
After one final check to make sure her disguise was in place, Serena made her way into the Lumiose Press building and asked the receptionist to speak with Alexa.
Alexa was probably the only journalist Serena really truly trusted. They’d met way back at the start of Serena’s journey, and the woman had seen Team Flare’s horrors first hand. Alexa would work with Serena, not at the expense of Serena.
Alexa approached the front desk. “I’d like to speak with you privately, please,” Serena said in a weird fake accent before Alexa could speak.
“Alright, follow me,” the journalist easily agreed. Alexa had played this game before, and knew that the other reporters in the building would try to out scoop her if they sensed a story. Alexa led her to her private office in the back, and closed the window shades.
“Don’t freak out.” Serena took off her head scarf and glasses.
Alexa snorted, now realizing who it was and instantly understanding why she was dressed the way she was and the silly accent she’d made before. “I should have known it was you.” Serena had frequently showed up to their past meetings looking like this. She always did love film noir. Though, the act was more effective now that Serena was 18 and not 13. Before, she’d just looked like a weirdly suspicious child looming in alleyways. “Welcome back.”
Z • ──── ( •᷄ ᴗ•́)っ ୧( •᷄ . •᷅ ) ──── • A
Alexa jotted down notes as she listened to Serena speak, her recording device running in parallel. What Serena was saying was actually insane. She was going to enter a public battle tournament? And tell everyone she was joining?! Alexa was used to Serena being a little eccentric, but this was something else entirely.
Alexa reached out and pressed pause on the recording device.
“Off the record – what you’re doing is unprecedented. Are you sure you’re ready for the level of attention this is going to bring? It’s going to be chaotic,” Alexa cautioned.
“I’m fully aware I’m putting a target on my back and am well prepared to deal with it. A necessary sacrifice to win back the people’s trust as Champion,” Serena answered diplomatically.
“Serena, I’m not an idiot,” Alexa scoffed, “and I’d like to think I know you at least a little better than most. Do you really expect me to believe this is all that’s going on here?”
“Off the record?” Serena reiterated, questioningly raising an eyebrow. Alexa always could spot a story a mile away. She was an excellent journalist. Serena had counted on it. Things were going swimmingly.
“Off the record. I swear,” Alexa confirmed, placing down her pen on the note pad and pushing them to the side.
“Obviously, that’s not all that’s at play,” Serena admitted. “I’m running an… investigation of sorts. I actually trust you as a reporter, Alexa, which is why I’m willing to even tell you this much.” She leveled Alexa with a harsh look. “Don’t violate that trust and tell anyone that I even said that.”
“I won’t,” Alexa declared honestly. She’d be a terrible journalist if she lost Serena as a source. She wouldn’t dare jeopardize their rapport. “So this time, you’re the femme fatale and the private eye? Going for a one-woman show?” she joked.
“Actually, my lovely journalist friend, I’d like to propose a deal,” Serena offered, eyes gleaming. “I’ll point you in the right direction of the story here, give you access to me for quotes on anything, and I’ll do interviews for you whenever you want. I won’t go to any other papers or reporters. Just you. I’ll even give you the good stuff, the juicy things I normally won’t say. Essentially, exclusive unfiltered Champion access.”
“And in return?”
“In exchange, you share everything you find in your snooping with me, and do I mean everything – documents, sources, emails, anything, you name it. We work together on this. Only us,” Serena stressed, narrowing her eyes. “You can’t tell anyone you’re working this story or share your findings. Not to your coworkers, not to your boss. I don’t care who asks, you keep your mouth shut and your files secret.”
“Is that all?” Investigative journalism was Alexa’s bread and butter. She’d worked several secret stories before, and was willing to do it again. Her editors wouldn’t probe her silence on account of her very successful track record. However, Alexa knew Serena wouldn’t be leveraging herself for such a small secrecy clause. There had to be more.
“Of course not.” Serena laughed. “I’ll come to you with a few interviews and statements that I want to make sure get out there through credible channels, so you’ll have to report them no matter what. Additionally, for everything, this interview included, you need to do your damndest to get it on the front page. It needs to be everywhere and on all platforms.” Serena leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “Lastly, you wait to publish anything related to this until you have my say so. I trust you with the editorial – I don’t need or want to influence what you write. You’re free to publish and say whatever you’d like about the information we find. I’m not looking for censorship. I just need to control when information comes out. It’s vital that I do so.”
“...This is not a minor story, is it?”
“No, it most definitely is not.”
Alexa leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, contemplating. “How big of a story are we talking about here?” There wasn’t an ethical problem with what Serena was asking for, but it still was a huge ask. The situation must be very delicate. And a killer story.
Hook, line, and sinker. Serena smirked. “Pulitzer Prize winning level, if done correctly.”
“Deal.” Alexa uncrossed her arms and extended a hand out to Serena.
Serena gleefully shook Alexa’s hand. “I’m excited to work with you!” How wonderful that everything was going perfectly according to plan! Another recruit for Team Neo Noir! Not that Alexa knew that yet.
“Now, fill me in on everything.” Alexa grinned viciously.
“For now, I’m only going to give you a name, and it’s a big one. I want to see what conclusions you reach and dig up on your own without my potential bias influencing you or making your field of view too narrow.” Upon seeing Alexa’s glare, Serena added, “I’ll share what I have later.”
“I’m a little pissed you’re holding back on all the dirty details.” Alexa rolled her eyes. “But you’re unfortunately right in terms of confirmation bias and all that.” She’d just have to find them herself. “So who is it?”
Serena looked like the Meowth who ate the Pidgey. “Quasartico.”
Z • ──── ✧(≖‿ ≖ ) ──── • A
Urbain was waiting to greet Serena in the lobby once she returned. She’d texted him earlier that she was on her way back.
“Hey!” Urbain stood up from his seat. “I got us some good food. Let’s have a bite!”
“That’s wonderful, thank you, I’m quite hungry,” Serena admitted, taking off her trench coat. She’d taken off her head scarf earlier and switched back to her fake-glasses. “Scheming is a very exhausting affair, you know?”
Urbain chuckled. “No, I wouldn’t know.” He winked and gestured to where he had food waiting for them on the nearby low table. “You ever dipped fresh-baked croissants in café au lait? Get ready. It’s so good!”
Serena’s stomach flipped. Arceus, Urbain really was too charming for his own good. He didn’t just get them food, he brought her hot coffee and fresh-baked croissants?? Did he run out and buy them as soon as she’d texted him she was coming back to the hotel? What was he, a saint?! No boy had ever done something so kind for her before. It was a simple act, but the sheer thoughtfulness truly hit her hard.
“This is perfect, thank you, Urbain,” Serena swooned, a soft blush on her face.
Urbain’s face reddened in response. “You’re welcome!” The smile he gave her was dazzling, and Serena had to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
Serena had barely sat down and taken a bite of her croissant before her phone chimed in a specific ring she’d never heard before, so it definitely wasn’t Sycamore. Ugh.
*Do-do-dooo*
“Ooh, you’re gettin’ pinged. Is that the Z-A app?” Urbain guessed, putting down his own croissant.
Her Rotom Phone flew out of her pocket
*This is a promotion match announcement for Trainer Serena (Rank Z). The opponent for your next promotion match has been decided. You are to face Trainer Zach (Rank Z).*
Serena’s app updated to show her opponent’s profile and picture. Oh, he was a taxi driver.
*The Trainer who wins will be promoted to Rank Y. To qualify for your promotion match, you must earn enough Ticket Points to obtain a Challenger’s Ticket.*
“Promotion match time, huh?” Urbain noted.
Serena nodded. “Yes, it seems pretty straight forward from the description.” Kick ass, get points, kick bigger ass. Rinse, repeat.
Urbain glanced out the window. “It’s getting late… When night falls, the Z-A Royale gets going,” Urbain commented leadingly, implying that they should head out soon to participate.
“This is going to do wonderful things to my jet lag,” Serena groaned, mostly to herself. “Not tonight, I’ll go tomorrow night.”
“Why?” Urbain tiled his head to the side. “I thought you were raring to go at ‘em, what with your plan and all.” Not that Urbain knew really what the plan was yet. He’d have to schedule a Team MZ meeting ASAP.
“The plan requires me not to act until tomorrow. I shall say no more,” she said mysteriously. Serena could fill him in, but where would the fun in that be?
“We’re back!” Lida chorused, entering the lobby door with Naveen in tow. Lida walked over to Urbain and Serena and sank into a chair next to them. “Whatcha talkin’ 'bout?” Lida eyed their café au laut and croissants. Ah, another pseudo date.
“Just getting Serena up to speed on the Z-A Royale,” Urbain filled the two in. “She just got her Rank Z promotion match assignment.”
“Oh?” Naveen didn’t look that interested. He crossed his arms, rested them atop the back of the fourth chair, and leaned over it slightly. Engaged, but distant.
Lida had no such disinterest. “Who’d you get assigned for your promo match?” she asked eagerly.
“A man named Zach. It looks like he’s a taxi driver,” Serena provided.
“Oh no, Serena,” Urbain started, worried. “Your next opponent is a big deal, be careful.”
Alright, Serena would bite. “Really, why?”
“He’s got a Cleffa,” Urbain answered, completely serious.
Serena smiled tightly and stomped on Urbain’s foot with the heel of her shoe. Really drilling it in there and twisting her heel harshly. Urbain yelped in pain.
“Thank you for the heads up!” Serena said primly with very false exaggerated gratitude.
“Ow!!!! Ow! Ow!”
Lida thought they were being adorable, which she kinda hated because, ew, Urbain. Instead she chose to focus on how Serena would make quick work of her opponent. “Oh my gosh, you’re going to easily beat him and rank up! You’re a natural, so you’ll reach Rank A in no time!”
“Eeehhh….” Naveen hummed lightly, his stagnant and almost mocking tone highlighting his lack of belief. “Let’s not be hasty. Lest we forget, her opponent is Zach – Le Z Éternel. Beating him doesn’t exactly prove you have talent.” He looked at Serena and raised an eyebrow. “If you even beat him, that is.” She might be fashionable, but that didn’t mean anything when it came to Pokemon battles.
Rather than be offended, Serena was entirely too amused by the situation and appreciated her fellow skeptic’s reserved judgement. She sympathized with being the only grounding realist force in a group of hyper-excited easygoing people. Yes, he was definitely her kind of people. They would get along famously!
“You wouldn’t be raining on our parade like that if you saw her battle, Naveen!” Urbain guffawed. “Serena has serious potential! I can tell she’s gonna shoot straight up the ranks!” he claimed, though his tone made it sound like it was a huge joke.
“Pffftt–” Lida started laughing, and Urbain followed suit. “Yeah, for real!!” Lida joked.
Naveen scowled at them. “There’s clearly something here I’m missing, and I don’t appreciate your laughing at my expense and making me the butt of your joke.” He clenched his jaw.
Serena smiled knowingly, stood, and approached him. “If I may, Naveen. I believe those two purposefully did not fill you in on who exactly I am. I wanted to formally introduce myself earlier, but we were in the middle of the street in public.” Serena took off her glasses. “I’m Serena, Cham–”
“YOU’RE SERENA!!! Why are you here–” Naveen abruptly cut himself off, pausing in total silence for a moment as his brain buffered, loading in the higher resolution bigger picture, like he couldn’t comprehend what he was thinking was actually real. His mind worked quickly to play catch up and started to connect the dots. Naveen’s eyes flew even wider and looked dumbstruck. “Wait. Oh my god, Serena liked my clothes!” he shouted to himself.
“Yes, I did,” Serena agreed with a grin. “You are very talented, and I am still holding you to your promise to show me more of your design work. That is, if you’re alright with that,” she teasingly offered him an out. Serena couldn’t help but have a little fun with this.
Naveen was starstruck. Serena! Here! Talking to him! AND SHOWING INTEREST IN HIS WORK!! Meeting Serena would have been one thing, an incredible amazing thing, but having this sprung on him out of nowhere? AND she wants to see his designs?! He wasn’t prepared for this mentally or emotionally!!
He wasn’t Serena’s fan because she was Champion, Naveen didn’t care about that at all. Naveen was a die-hard fan of Serena the fashion icon, model, and international celebrity.
“If I’m alright with that?” Naveen echoed in a sarcastic disbelief. He wiped his face with his hand, then suddenly schooled his features. Naveen looked Serena in the eye and said with the utmost serious sincerity, “Your work in the winter ‘95 International Women's Dessert Mignon catalog inspired me to take the final step and truly dedicate myself to becoming a designer... I freakin' worship you!!”
Lida and Urbain fist bumped and only laughed harder. Yeah, that reaction was the reason why they didn’t tell him! They knew how big of a Serena fan Naveen was! That little parasocial dweeb liked to think he was above the typical fanatic fans, and it had been their goal to prove that Naveen could be just as cringy.
Bye, bye calm and collected Naveen! Hello, confused and overwhelmed Naveen who said things to his idol he would have never said to her otherwise! They’d gotten him to achieve FULL fanboy mode!!
And of course, Lida had been recording on her Rotom Phone from just before Serena had introduced herself.
“You have a very good eye. I’m pleased to see that you are above the masses,” Serena announced, nodding her head. She was tickled, loving the praise. “Most people usually say their favorite work of mine is the spring ‘96 DENSOKU issue. They claim it was groundbreaking. They would be wrong. It was a blatant derivative of the winter ‘95 Dessert Mignon issue and failed to capture the impact of the original. That photographer had no ideas of his own.” Serena shook her head, disappointed. “That Dessert Mignon catalog is my personal favorite as well. The depth of emotion and storytelling truly jumps off the page. What a shame that the catalog as a whole flew under the radar.”
Naveen snorted. “It was the publisher’s fault for not putting one of your shots on the cover.”
“It seems we are cut from the same cloth,” Serena declared approvingly. “With your disconcerting eye for art and elevated taste, if the rest of your designs are anything like what you’re wearing, I believe you’ll go far in fashion.”
Pure joy bubbled up within Naveen. Not only had Serena recognized that he was set apart from the rest of her fans – he was decidedly NOT in the same category as those other fools – but she also believed in his work. She believed in him!
Naveen’s dreams had been trampled over one too many times by people he’d trusted, so now he held them close to his chest, guarded. The only person Naveen could count on and trust was himself. He had to believe in himself enough to never rely on outside validation again.
Had he seen Serena from a far or recognized her sooner, Naveen would have never approached her, and stuck to his silent distant appreciation. He recognized his role as an avid supporter and the proper distance he should maintain. Naveen was fully aware that his dynamic with both Canari and Serena was a parasocial relationship, and he’d never violate their boundaries by doing something stupid or making them uncomfortable. He was there to raise them UP, not bring them down.
Naveen knew them, they didn’t know him. At all. That’s the way the world worked, and he had no desire to upset the status quo.
Doing so only ever led to pain, betrayal, and disappointment.
He’d just end up with another sewing machine in the trash.
With the people Naveen followed, it was a different story. At least with his idols, the one-sided dynamic protected him. Canari and Serena weren’t infallible by any means and could very well let down their fans, but Naveen could get to know them safely through the safeguarded security of his screen without having to open himself up at all. He got the quiet comfort of a constant friend without needing to reciprocate such emotional vulnerability.
Someone that couldn’t choose to leave him. Naveen followed them, and they didn’t even know who he was behind his screen name in the sea of countless others, so there was no chance of them turning on him. It was a perfect relationship.
Chat messages, comments, and engaging with his idols’ work was the least he could do to thank them and continue to feed and sustain his illusion. It wasn’t that Naveen didn’t want to interact with them, oh he did and thrived on when his comments were acknowledged, but there was a safety in anonymity. Of sticking to the shadows. Of fading to the background.
And the brighter the light, the darker the shadow.
Naveen figured he’d always be afraid that if he tried to be his own stand-out protagonist again, everything he’d managed to build for himself since he left his grandmother – Lida, Urbain, AZ, Hotel Z, his new support network, and budding business of sparse sewing commissions – would come crashing down.
Naveen almost wanted to thank Lida and Urbain for their prank. Almost. Not that he would, obviously, he was very pissed at them, but Naveen recognized that he would have never talked to Serena or said what he said so ardently without their meddling.
He would have never received such meaningful support.
However, by letting someone’s words affect him so strongly, Naveen knew he was opening himself up to potential disappointment. As the saying goes, never meet your heroes, but Naveen couldn’t help it. This was Serena, someone he felt like he knew, and that softened his wariness. While he understood very much so that his perceived relationship wasn’t truly founded in reality – it was a comfort, not a delusion, he wasn’t one of those fans – Naveen could tell Serena meant what she said. She wasn’t just saying it to placate a fan.
His willingness to believe her words as truth was the first ever downside to a parasocial relationship Naveen had ever found. Looks like he hadn’t been protecting himself as much as he’d thought.
He’d never expected to get such glowing encouragement. From anyone. Let alone Serena.
“But most importantly, Naveen,” Serena smiled warmly at him, “I cannot wait to be your friend.”
Naveen short circuited. Serena wants to be his friend?! This was almost better than designing a collection for her!! Naveen felt like he knew her alrea– NO, Naveen! Maintain proper distance!!
Oh, right, Serena was on Team MZ. How the FUCK did Urbain manage that?!
But if Serena was well and truly here to stay, Naveen guessed it was okay to let his one-sided dynamic evolve into an actual friendship. Eventually. He wasn’t going to jump the gun here and become way too attached quickly! And besides, knowing someone in-person was vastly different than online. Naveen would have to ease into this for his own insurance. Trusting someone entirely or right off the bat was never a good thing.
The screen no longer protected Naveen, and he now had to be wary of someone he had never hoped to doubt. If everything went wrong, he was inviting an even harsher pain than usual. Naveen knew he was an idiot for letting this play out, but he couldn’t help himself.
Because he could make all the excuses and erect as many barriers as he wanted, but at the end of the day, Naveen did want to be Serena’s friend.
Trying to get it together as best he could so he didn’t look like a massive loser, Naveen said, “Yeah… you too.” Not great, but better than the alternative of just staring at her like a fish out of water.
“Oh, don’t listen to him!” Lida cackled. Naveen whipped his head around to glare at her. “He might be trying to act cool now, but it’s a little too late for that! He’s freaking out inside for sure!”
Urbain added on with an impish grin, “I bet he can’t wait to talk to you for hours about the Filet Mignon collection.”
“It’s the Dessert Mignon collection!” Naveen snapped.
“Sure, sure.” Urbain laughed. “The Sweatshirt Chignon collection, I get you.”
“It’s the Dessert Mignon collection, and I’ll thank you kindly to get it right!!” Naveen glowered, his voice pitching up at the end.
‘Oh, Naveen and I are most definitely cut from the same cloth,’ Serena mused and took off her hat. She would more than happily support her new friend in his valiant endeavors to defend her name and fashion.
“I’ll have you know, Urbain, that if you had seen my work in the winter ‘95 Dessert Mignon catalog, you wouldn’t have forgotten the name,” Serena declared, smirking deviously to drive home her implication and saying just enough for Urbain’s imagination to run wild. She very deliberately ran her hand through her hair and slowly pushed it over her shoulder. “What a shame that copies are so hard to find nowadays. And after your disrespect, I doubt Naveen would lend you his,” she tutted as she fixed her hat back in place.
Lida, absolutely not expecting Serena to flirt with Urbain so blatantly to get the two of them to stop their fun, watched on excitedly to see Urbain’s reaction. Oh, she was going to hound Serena about this later!!!
Serena’s words seemed to have the exact desired effect, because Urbain quickly shut up and looked at Naveen intently with pleading eyes.
Naveen snorted and crossed his arms. “Never going to happen,” he said flatly, taking great joy in crushing Urbain’s hope. The best part was, if Urbain even knew at all what he was talking about, he’d know that there was absolutelynothing risqué about Serena’s work in the winter ‘95 Dessert Mignon catalog, let alone the collection as a whole!
Ha! It wasn’t two against one this time! Let Urbain be the butt of the joke for once!! Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?
Perhaps being friends with Serena might not be as much of a risk as Naveen thought.
Z • ──── 📰 ──── • A
The printing press whirred into motion, and the newspapers piled up, mint and crisp. Pallets of papers were loaded into trucks and set off across the region. Just before the sun rose, the paper boys took their loads and ventured out on their routes. Lumiose’s residents and all of Kalos would wake up to a picture of Serena on their doorstep.
At the same time, the online Lumiose Press updated, Alexa’s article was now live. The Lumiose Press blasted it across their social media. Y, Pinsirgram – you name it. If The Lumiose Press had an account, it was there.
The Lumiose Press @lumiosepress ✓ · 4h
Kalos’ Champion @championserena ✓ is back and here to stay! Recognizing her absence, Serena cares deeply about reconnecting with Kalos’ people and Pokemon. As a part of her effort to do so, Serena, sporting a brand-new fresh-faced team, is joining Lumiose’s hottest public battle tournament: The Z-A Royale. In a never before seen opportunity, without having 8 Gym Badges and the E4 under your belt, you too can test your mettle against a Champion! Think you’ve got what it takes? Read our full exclusive interview with Serena here: Link.
10K Replies | 1.8M Likes | 540K Reposts | Share
S O U P @internationalsoup · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓
HOLY SHIT WHAT
120 Replies | 100K Likes | 40K Reposts | Share
Charizardzzz @charizardwing54 · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓
Ok but she’s starting from scratch tho 👀
308 Replies | 246K Likes | 54K Reposts | Share
boot-e @carrotmaster · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓ @charizardwing54
The only way we even possibly stand a chance… BUT NOW WE STAND A CHANCE!! #BeatSerena
34 Replies | 8K Likes | 68 Reposts | Share
GO! DYN4MOO @caffinefree · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓
Guys what even happens if you beat the Champion in a public tournament?? Bc you don’t become Champion so???
457 Replies | 56K Likes | 1.1K Reposts | Share
It’s Rick @battleboyrick · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓ @caffinefree
Bragging rights of the fucking century my guy
51 Replies | 3K Likes | 42 Reposts | Share
Joey @toptierrattata · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓
Bc she’s starting over w a vv low level team, imagine if some dude went into a battle zone, challenges her, and then wins with like a Rattata or a Bunnelby. You could say you beat the Champion with a single Bunnelby
392 Replies | 302K Likes | 63K Reposts | Share
GouDADA @cheesemush · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓ @toptierrattata
based let’s do it #BeatSerena
135 Replies | 20K Likes | 3K Reposts | Share
BunnelBYE! @bunnelbyfan3 · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓ @toptierrattata
My team of 4 Bunnelby and I are about to pop off tonight 💅🏻 #BeatSerena
103 Replies | 4K Likes | 1K Reposts | Share
Fight On! @kungfutussle · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓
Bro the battle zone tonight is gonna be PACKED omfg
428 Replies | 101K Likes | 30K Reposts | Share
🌙Dusk @hexiemaniac · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓ @kungfutussle
Like I’m actually concerned about it. I want to challenge her too, but I don’t want to get stampeded.
89 Replies | 4K Likes | 23 Reposts | Share
Clive @joggerlifeee · 4h
Replying to @lumiosepress ✓ @kungfutussle
Lol what if the fire marshal shuts it down bc there’s too many people
24 Replies | 2K Likes | 30 Reposts | Share
That One Guy @capitalmankey · 3h
I’ve never really cared for Serena, but this move is kind of the most bat shit insane move I’ve ever seen, and I respect the hell out of her for it. She’s apologizing for being gone for 5 years by literally asking all of Kalos to come beat her up and mug her. And she’s not even worried about it. Serena’s kinda iconic #ChampionSerena
302 Replies | 13K Likes | 1.5K Reposts | Share
Cynthia is life <3 @girliepopcrew · 3h
Replying to @capitalmankey
Queen behavior I’m obsessed with her now 👸👑💫 #ChampionSerena
15 Replies | 3K Likes | 209 Reposts | Share
Gotta go fast @zoooooom · 3h
Replying to @capitalmankey
The best and most effective apology of all time. Serena understood the assignment.
21 Replies | 5K Likes | 382 Reposts | Share
AIR @shinyballoon · 3h
Replying to @capitalmankey
No bc it’s not just that, she’s asking the world to come and jump her EVERY NIGHT!! Like I actually feel bad for HER now!
30 Replies | 3K Likes | 291 Reposts | Share
𐙚Serena @championserena ✓ · 3h
If anyone beats me with a team of only Scatterbugs, I will pay you 1,000,000P myself because that should have never happened.
Bitato @spikyballot · 3h
If anyone beats Serena with a team of only Scatterbugs I will personally pay you 200,000P
8.7K Replies | 204K Likes | 89K Reposts | Share
27K Replies | 728K Likes | 203K Reposts | Share
SHORTS @comfyandeasy · 3h
Replying to @championserena ✓
Challenge accepted #BeatSerena
1K Replies | 30K Likes | 2K Reposts | Share
F @figyberrydreams · 3h
Replying to @championserena ✓
Bet me and my Scatterbugs about to pull up #BeatSerena
1K Replies | 50K Likes | 2K Reposts | Share
Pinkie Girl 🌸 @petchalove ✓ · 3h
Replying to @championserena ✓
UM HELLO– why did no one tell me that Serena was funny???!!
1.2K Replies | 103K Likes | 13K Reposts | Share
Flantastic @flantime · 3h
Replying to @championserena ✓
Love that Serena broke her multi-year silence on Y for this post specifically
203 Replies | 43K Likes | 16K Reposts | Share
Sleepy Time @chestoresto ✓ · 1h
The funniest thing about all of this is that bc Serena never actually published the research she left Kalos to do in the first place, it means she didn’t finish it. So the implication is that she did the most feral and rabid thing of all time by challenging the entire WORLD to a come fight her bc she got SO bored doing science shit in Hoenn
7K Replies | 304K Likes | 67K Reposts | Share
Butter @jellyyyyy · 1h
Replying to @chestoresto ✓
She’s so real for this
29 Replies | 40K Likes | 2K Reposts | Share
It’s Amazing! @thepowerofscience · 1h
Replying to @chestoresto ✓
As someone who’s doing science in Hoenn rn, can confirm the Hoenn science crash out is real
592 Replies | 102K Likes | 21K Reposts | Share
🍎🍎 @applintears · 1h
Replying to @chestoresto ✓ @thepowerofscience
note to self, do not go to Hoenn to do science
35 Replies | 29K Likes | 12K Reposts | Share
Bubbles @bubbubble3 · 1h
Replying to @chestoresto ✓
Hoenn is 7.8/10, too much water
2K Replies | 145K Likes | 40K Reposts | Share
#ChampionSerena is trending
#BeatSerena is trending
Z • ──── 🌐 ──── • A
Serena was out in the courtyard at the very early hour of 5:00 am. Training with Engarde and Grimlin was Serena’s only priority for today. They had no time to waste, but they also needed their rest. Luckily, Serena had the rest of her usual team to help her train the newcomers. They were already out of their Pokeballs and ready to help. Except for Lemis, sadly. Unfortunately, Serena knew he’d serve as too much of a distraction for the newbies.
The schedule was as follows:
Train in the morning and early afternoon. They’d stop at around 1:00 pm for a lunch break, then nap time until 6:00 pm when they’d do 1 hour of warm ups, and then head out from the hotel at 7:00 pm for the battle zone.
First things first, because of the insanity that was about to unfold, Serena planned to have an ace up her sleeve with Mega Sableye. Just in case. She wanted to practice with Grimlin before tonight and do a few test runs.
“Grimlin, this is for you.” Serena gave him the Mega Stone, the Sableye’s eyes sparkling excitedly at the sight. He carefully examined the stone, rolling it between his fingers and holding it up to the light. Serena chuckled at how excited he was. “With this stone, you can Mega–”
Grimlin popped the Mega Stone into his mouth and ATE IT!!!!
Grimlin chewed a few times, the stone crunching and shattering between his teeth until it was reduced to a gravel like state. He swallowed, consideringly smacking his lips at the flavor before he reached a conclusion.
“Sable!” he announced, giving Serena a big thumbs up with a wide grin. She was providing so many new interesting stones for Grimlin to eat! He’d truly missed having variety in his diet.
“NO!!!” Serena abruptly screeched, aghast.
Grimlin flinched, his finger drooping, looking confused. “Eye?”
“WHY! Why would you do that?!” she demanded.
“...Sableye?” he hesitantly answered. Because it was food?
“No! It wasn’t fo– ugh, this my fault.” Serena disparagingly rubbed her temples. She should have explained before she gave it to him. Serena had wanted him to see it and get his opinion on what kind of jewelry item he wanted made from it! She never would have thought he'd EAT it!! “Do you know how hard it was to find that?”
“Say?” Grimlin guessed.
“I’ve only ever found one in my whole life. And I found that in Hoenn! I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to find another,” Serena lamented.
“Sableye,” Grimlin comforted her. It didn’t taste that good, he could live without another. She didn't need to beat herself up over it.
“Grimlin, that was your Mega Stone! You needed that to Mega Evolve! You said you wanted to!! Now, we can’t until I magically find another!” Serena explained, hoping he’d finally understand the weight of his actions.
“EYE?!” he yelped. Grimlin’s eyes flew wide, then sat down and held his head in his hands, finally understanding what he did. “Sable…” he despaired, moping.
Cheshire’s face emerged from the ground right under Grimlin’s downturned gaze and tauntingly blew his tongue at him, Gengar’s long tongue whipping out and licking Grimlin’s face. “Ppppffffffffttttttt!” Cheshire cackled.
Furious, Grimlin swiped down at Gengar, but Cheshire vanished before the hit could land, his mocking laughter continued despite his intangibility. Cheshire reappeared bedside Serena, draping his arm over her shoulder, flaunting his Mega Stone ear cuff with his other hand.
“Gen, gengar,” Cheshire commented admiringly about his Mega Stone. He glanced at Grimlin and broke out into a fit of laughter once more at his expense.
“Sable, Sableye!!!” Grimlin barked while pointing accusingly at him. Cheshire continued to cackle.
Serena sighed. “Grimlin, you don’t really have the high ground here, buddy. You did this entirely to yourself.” Well, there goes that plan. Mega Sableye was officially off the table for the foreseeable future. Serena had a lot to work on today before they could be ready for tonight.
“Sableeee….” Grimlin whined plopping down in the dirt, defeated, and flopped on his back, spreading his arms wide. He stared up at the sky, regretting all of his choices.
It wasn’t even THAT tasty!
End Notes
I’m aware Zach doesn’t have a Cleffa lol. Now he does.
Grimlin eating his Mega Stone and the Mega Crystals around the city was one of the very first things I wrote for this fic! The absolute disaster that is Grimlin the Mega Stone eater will return… hehehe…
I love seeing people’s reactions to stories, discussing, and debating them!! Any stories, not just projects I’m working on. This is to say that every single one of your comments, be it short or long, genuinely makes my day!! I LOVE hearing all of your thoughts/reactions to every little thing in the fic and going back and forth with you in the comments!!
Serena has painted a target on her back, and challengers flood the battle zone, swarming like Sharpedo to blood in the water.
Start notes:
In case you didn't notice already, I drew some art to the fic! The story overview post will continue to get updated with any general art I make for the fic, but also, I did add an art piece to chapter 1 illustrating one of the scenes there! I'm going to continue to flesh out certain scenes with art, and I'll let you know if and when I add them retrospectively!
In the Z-A Royale, all men were created equal.
Anyone could challenge anyone, regardless of their letter Rank. A true battle royale.
However, tonight, and for the foreseeable future, all men but one very specific fancy lady were created equal. The difference being that the fancy lady was utterly fucked and exclusively being hunted for sport by every other participant.
Serena had painted a target on her back, and challengers would flood the battle zone, swarming like Sharpedo to blood in the water.
No biggie.
It’s not like Serena hadn’t been enemy #1 with hoards of people gunning for her blood before. She could handle it. Totally. For sure.
Serena had no illusions about what her role in this tournament was – she was a novelty chachkie.
A personalized wish drew Trainers to the Z-A Royale? Great.
But a chance to say that you were the first to beat the reigning Champion? Oh, that was a wish all Trainers had. A wish that would’ve been impossible for Quasartico to fulfill… but Serena could.
To keep that torch lit, Serena couldn’t lose a battle. If she did, the novelty would wane. People would lose interest, and that was unacceptable. Serena had to be perceived as this illusive mighty force. A challenge that people wanted to take down to prove they could for bragging rights without the League regimented grind-work and formality.
She had to maintain this level of targeting the entire time, and with it, Serena fully anticipated that she would be battling several Ranks above her current Rank at all times.
The hype couldn’t die. Serena had to keep being relevant. She needed to be a fun, approachable, friendly, and accessible face while also being the region’s ultimate paragon of strength that would always fuel the fire of competition.
Serena needed to be an icon in all aspects.
The eyes of the world had to stay on her, watching. Watching Quasartico. Which meant being incredibly careful about how Serena battled, who she battled, and preparing for all situations. She was even at a bigger disadvantage given how low-level her new team members were. That would change, but not yet.
However, you didn’t need high levels to win battles, just creativity, strategy, and the power of surprise. Which was harder to do when everyone already knew what cards you had in your hand. Serena understood word would eventually get out on what her team members were, it wasn’t anything unusual she’d encountered during her time as Champion.
Serena’s Pokemon were known, recorded, studied, and prepared for. Challengers had League members at a disadvantage. Serena had maintained her title due to her unpredictability and creative thinking. But now, she’d been dealt new cards, and it would be a while before they became a well oiled machine.
Serena was going to have to strategize her ass off. Every loophole was key. Maximum preparation. It was unfortunate how little time she had before this debut, but she’d take a break to train her team before the next battle zone crawl. She didn’t have to participate every night.
But it was imperative that Serena participate tonight – the first night.
Like any reasonable Trainer should but likely very few did, Serena carefully read through all of the Z-A Royale’s Terms and Conditions, rule book, as well as any and all documentation provided on their website and app, noting all of the holes she could exploit.
What was interesting to her was the clause about sneak-ups and surprise attacks. The fact that it was permitted in the first palace was ludicrous, but wonderful. For her. Not Quasartico, duh. However, the rulebook was vague for this clause. Rookie move. Leave no ambiguity in your paperwork!! It was a mistake on their part for not accounting for Trainers like her – menaces that understood legal jargon.
Serena promised she’d be a nuisance, and that’s exactly what she was going to be.
“I’m back~!” Urbain called as he walked into the courtyard. He was carrying a shopping bag filled to the brim. “I got everything you asked for!”
Serena cackled. “The nurses can’t stop me from buying items if they don’t think it’s me buying them!!” She’d outsmarted the Pokemon Center attendants hahaha!!! Urbain’s credentials could only still buy low level items, but it was better than the shit show that happened last time.
“Haha! Yeah!” Urbain laughed recalling Serena’s confrontation with the Pokemon Center nurse. “It’s not like you could have your Pokemon walk in there and buy ‘em for you!”
Serena’s smile went rigid. “Yeah, that would never work.” …Because she already tried that.
After much effort, she got Sensei to croak a semi-passable “Pokeball,” before he decided that he didn’t enjoy how words other than his species name felt on his vocal cords. She didn’t push him to learn anything else, nor any of her other Pokemon after that. But now, Sensei’s spoken vocabulary was “Greninja,” and “Pokeball.” They supplemented that with variations of “Greninja” – “Ne,” which sounded enough like “no,” if he intoned it correctly, and “Ja,” which sounded enough like “yeah.”
She dressed her Greninja up in a trench coat, boots, a wide floppy hat, wrapped a scarf around his face, and gloves. Sensei shuffled awkwardly in boots, and looked like a cross between two children standing on their shoulders in a coat and a demented grandmother. There was a 50/50 chance that they’d think he was going to rob them.
Sensei had gotten as far as the first display screen before he was thwarted by the nurse recognizing her Trainer ID number ON SIGHT!!
NOT her Trainer ID card with her name and picture! No! Her Trainer ID number Sensei had to input in place of ID to access the shop items! All the Pokemon Center nurses fucking all memorized her Trainer ID number, 24601!! Damn those employees!
Absolutely unhinged psychotic behavior.
Serena made a mental note that she still had to go back and rub the ported Pokedex in the nurse from the other day’s face!! HA!
“There was some money left over though, here…” Urbain rustled around in his pockets to pull out the change.
“No, keep it as a tip. I have to thank the bell boy for running my errands somehow, don’t I?” Serena played into the back and forth hotel-related banter Urbain had started the night they met.
“A-aah. Y-yeah,” Urbain stuttered, not expecting that from her right this second, his face growing red.
“Aaannyways!!! Ready to head out into the night and officially compete in the Z-A Royale? Steeled yourself?” Urbain asked, shoving all the items in his hip pouch, and crossing his arms behind his head.
Urbain had wanted to do a Team MZ meeting today, but held off because he knew how desperately Serena needed every moment to train her new Pokemon for tonight.
No worries, he’d call a Team MZ meeting tomorrow.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Had Serena covered all of her holes yet? No way. There were tons of things she still had to account for team synergy and strategy wise. But it was good enough for now and for only having two Pokemon to work with at low levels.
Serena was going to get in there, win as quickly as possible, and then as soon as she got that Challenger’s Ticket, she was OUT of there!!
Urbain smiled brightly. “Great! You can do this!” He checked his Z-A app. “The battle zone tonight is the same as the one Serena and I got stuck in the other day, so at least we won’t have to go that far. It’s just a couple blocks away.” Urbain pumped his fists by his side. “All right! Battle zone, here we come!”
“We?” Serena questioned, slipping on her trench coat and fake glasses. As much as she wanted to, Serena couldn’t wear more of a disguise. It would be terrible if she was caught in photos deliberately trying to not look like herself. The media would slander her as not being brave enough to follow through with her challenge, hiding, and afraid. No, Serena had to keep wearing her classic outfit, but a coat and glasses were acceptable.
Urbain coyly bowed to Serena, continuing the bit. “Hotel Z’s special concierge bodyguards at your service.” He winked at her. “I vow to protect our most esteemed guest.”
Lida silently fake gaged from behind him, but within Serena’s view. Serena muffled a laugh.
“Of course we’re not letting you into that death zone tonight!" Naveen insisted, crossing his arms. “We’re coming with you to fend off crazy fans.”
“Alright then, team.” Urbain’s eyes sparkled at her use of the word. “Tonight we're going full stealth. Can you guys keep quiet and follow my direction?” Serena asked seriously.
“We can!” Lida chirped.
Urbain shifted his weight, resting a hand on his hip, and gave her an easy encouraging grin. “Yeah! You got this! You and your Pokemon go rack up some points! And if anything happens to your Pokemon, come back to me for some healing! I got your back!”
“Yeah, that’s a very self-important way to say, “I’m the guy carrying the backpack of items you paid for,” Urbain,” Lida teased. Which, of course, Urbain wordlessly volunteered to do to make himself look good in Serena’s eyes. Urbain shoved Lida’s shoulder in retaliation.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Here’s the plan: get Ticket Points as quickly as possible, and then rush to knock out my promotion match right after.”
Urbain snorted. “Zach’s fought in a LOT of promotion matches. Notice I said “fought in,” not “won.””
“We call him Le Z Éternel for a reason,” Naveen echoed the sentiment.
Serena nodded. “Then, as long as everything goes to plan, we’ll be in bed, sound asleep by 11:00 pm.”
Cynthia: …Please tell me you’re not entering this tournament with a team of 6 Rowlets?
Cynthia: I was made to believe you were working on a hotel.
Serena: Do not question my genius. My masterwork is beyond your understanding.
Serena: Gather my feathery minions.
Cynthia is typing…
Z • ──── 📱 ──── • A
The battle zone was PACKED.
Scores of reporters and Trainers littered the outside of the battle zone, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness. It was like all of Lumiose had shown up at Serena’s doorstep like the gladiators of old, itching for blood – to see the fall of a Champion.
AS IF!! Like she’d ever give them the satisfaction!
Countless others lingered outside the battle zone as well, just there to spectate. Z-A staff members had to be called in to mitigate the chaos and only let a set number of people in the battle zone at a time.
There was a bonafide waiting queue for people to get inside that wrapped around the block. Twice. As soon as someone dropped out for the night and left the battle zone, the Royale staff member would let another Trainer join.
The battle zone hadn't even been up for an hour yet.
Team MZ had no choice but to wait in line till their turn. If Serena made a fuss or tried to skip the line, pandemonium would erupt, and they’d know it was her. She needed to go incognito for as long as possible tonight.
“She hasn’t shown up yet! Ya think she’s gonna flake?”
“I dunno man, maybe. Serena seems like she could be the type to ditch.”
“She better not!! I took on extra shifts at work to get tonight off!”
“Any chance we missed her?”
“No way!! The reporters or my main man here who I brought as back up would’ve spotted her instantly!”
“Yeah! As a Serena super-fan and secretary of the Serena fan club, Serene Grace, I can tell you I’d recognize her on sight no matter what! And she wouldn’t flake! Queen Serena isn’t like that!”
Great work, idiot. Serena’s literally standing next to you in line, cringing to hell and back.
The guy was even wearing a shirt with a picture of her face on it and text that read “Welcome back!” Actually several people here were…
Then, his words registered. Oh no, Serene Grace members were here!! Of course they’d have stupid ugly t-shirts!
IT WASN’T EVEN A WELL DESIGNED SHIRT?! Who made that?? Couldn’t they have at least made it fashionable?
Serena was now immensely grateful she had Team MZ with her tonight if for nothing else then to huddle around her, obscuring people’s view so they couldn’t get a good look at her.
How did she forget about the fan club?? Under any other circumstance, Serena would’ve delighted in having a fan club! But the name!! Oh god, the name RUINED it!
Serene Grace.
The name was awful!! They thought they were being cute and clever by naming it after the Pokemon Ability “Serene Grace,” as they claimed she embodied the effect of the Ability with how her natural aura and effervescent smile, that never failed to warm their hearts, doubled the effect of her charm. They also chose it because as a Pokemon Ability, it related to her love of Pokemon, and her name “Serena” meaning “Serene.”
Which, like, Serena was all that and was that great, but still, it was the principle of the matter! It was SERENA’S fan club! They were supposed to have been so weirdly obsessive and stalkerish that they figured out that she was a spooky girl!!
But nooooooo!! They gave it a fuckin’ Fairy-type Ability ass name!!
WHY couldn’t it have been “Shadow Tag” because she “captured their hearts until they died” and used a Mega Gengar??
That wasn’t even the worst of it. She could forgive the whole name thing if it was just the above, but it wasn’t!! What her fan club DIDN’T KNOW BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T SNOOP FOR SHIT LIKE PROPPER OBSESSIVE FANS was what an absurdly cringy terrible pun it was!!
Serena’s mom, GRACE, got a huge kick out of the name of the fan club when she heard about it!!
Serena explicitly didn’t advertise who her family was because she was paranoid about people targeting them, but you could’ve figured it out if you tried hard enough, fan club!!
She couldn’t even be proud of her loyal army of idiots or use them as a resource!! They were utterly useless!
Serene Grace!!!
UGGGHHH!! Serena couldn’t do anything but cringe when she thought about it!! It was like a mommy-daughter book club!! It was soooo embarrassing!!
Serena couldn’t even have GOOD stalker fans! She got the lame, inefficient, half-assed ones with bad fashion taste! Excuse you, Serena DESERVED good creepy stalker fans!
…Not that having a horde of efficient stalker crazy fans would do good things to her paranoia, but again, it was the principle of the matter!
Serena was worth it!
Oh shit, wait. Serena hopelessly looked at Naveen and desperately whispered, “Please, please, please tell me your not–”
“Absolutely not,” Naveen firmly declared in a hushed voice, shooting down that thought as fast as he could. He was not like those fans!! No way he would ever join those stupid fan clubs! And now seeing how rattled Serena was at the thought of him being in Serene Grace, Naveen had never been more assured of his status as a very respectful fan above the rest of the lemmings – the fan club that didn’t understand when they’re overstepping! They made her so uncomfortable! And their shirts were a crime against fashion!
Serena, who was not uncomfortable at all, but rather horrified by the possibility of Naveen actually being an idiot, ardently sighed as softly as she could, “Oh, thank Arceus!” She was right to think he was a competent fan!! That would’ve been too embarrassing if she was wrong!!
After about three more hours of waiting in tense anxiety-riddled silence as they listened to the idle chatter around them, most all about Serena, it was finally their turn at the front of the queue just after the clock struck 10:00 pm.
Thankfully, four people darted out of the zone together in succession, so Team MZ was cleared to enter as a group.
While the battle zone was full, it seemed like no Trainers wanted to crowd the entrance, seeing it as a blood bath. They’d chosen to scope out paths further into the zone.
Using as much stealth as she could with three people tagging along with her, Serena eventually located a Trainer wandering about with a Dratini. She made the group duck back into the alley, and released Grimlin.
“Trainer,” she mouthed, gesturing her head in front of them. Taking out her phone, she quickly did a scan through the Z-A app:
Okay, a Dratini with only one other Pokemon was doable for sure. She showed the others the screen, giving them a thumbs up and a big grin.
Serena found her first victim~!!
“N O!” Lida mouthed, crossing her arms in a big “X.” Urbain had a similar reaction, wide eyed and shaking his head in disagreement. Naveen held up three fingers on one hand and used his other to point to his fingers, desperately questioning her judgement to challenge someone three ranks ahead of her right off the bat.
Serena rolled her eyes. Wimps.
Well, now she had to do it just to prove them wrong. “Watch me!” Serena mutely said. She turned to Grimlin and nodded with an enthusiastic “OK!” gesture.
Urbain hid his head in his hand and sighed. Grimlin only had, like, a day and a half of training!! A Rank W Trainer to start?? He wanted to see Serena the Champion battle first hand, but he was now apprehensive this was going to go massively wrong.
Serena let out Engarde. She gave him a dark cloth bag, and pointed at the nearby street lamp. Engarde floated up and wrapped the bag around the light. The previously softly illuminated alleyway slipped further into darkness. The property damage free version of extinguishing light!
Serena smirked menacingly, recalled Engarde, and rubbed her hands together. Grimlin, eyes primed for pitch-black caves, nodded at her signal and used Nasty Plot. If literally everyone and their mothers were gunning for her, Serena reserved the right to use TMs on her Pokemon!!! Any Trainer could do it if they had the TMs for it. It was fair play.
Grimlin and his Trainer were far too delighted by the prospect of sneak attacks.
They’d practiced some rudimentary hand signs, the point was to be silent for sneak attacks. It was okay if they were obvious signs for now, no one was going to see them. They couldn’t be too subtle, Grimlin and Engarde only had a brief amount of time with the signs. Making them too complex would open them up to mistakes, and mistakes were absolutely not an option tonight.
If sneak attacks were allowed, it implied that using a move before the typical formal start of the battle was a valid fair play move. However, the tournament’s documentation didn’t specify the exact allowances and restrictions of what constituted a “sneak attack,” just that you could do “sneak attacks.” They didn’t say anything regarding the number of moves, types of moves, and so on. Essentially, the start of the battle was never formally defined.
Finding ambiguity in rules and paperwork was the best.
Thus, no one could say anything about Serena taking as many moves as she wanted before alerting her opponent to her presence! Setting hazards, running stat boosting moves, and whatever other things to prep the environment before the battle began were all allowed! Given her little Prankster Sableye? Oh ho ho ho…
Serena’s grin widened, doing a remarkable impression of Cheshire, and wiggled her hand from side to side, then pointed to the ground in front of them. Grimlin slipped out the start of a cackle before he quickly shut himself up, slamming a hand over his mouth, and giving Serena a thumbs up.
Grimlin used Icy Wind, the opening of the alleyway now coated in a layer of ice, the darkness cloaking it, hiding its presence by masking its glittery sheen.
Serena’s wealth of urban counter-terrorism experience admittedly did have its perks.
Plus, Serena needed to take advantage of any and all additional stat dropping effects she could. Speed would be the name of the game for a while, so Icy Wind’s additional effect of lowering the target’s speed stat by 1 stage every time it hit? Incredible. Especially in combination with Thunder Wave’s speed dampening secondary status effect. She needed their over-leveled opponents to struggle to move so she could hit them and dodge their attacks as much as she wanted.
Serena used both hands to make a “T,” then jerked her head in the direction of the Dratini. Grimlin skipped out and unleashed a Thunder Wave.
“HUH?!” the Trainer startled, jumping to attention.
“Hex!” Serena instructed, taking advantage of the surprise. Hex landed, doing doubly massive damage now that Dratini was paralyzed. Serena was going for a run-and-gun, as much damage as possible strategy here! Hex was utterly perfect for that. Especially on her beautifully stylish Prankster Sableye, allowing all his status moves to go first!! How perfectly sneaky and yet undeniably legal!! Ahhhh!! Serena loved it!
Serena rapidly double-tapped each tip of her foot to the ground, activating her inline skates, wheels shooting out under her shoes, and got into position.
Grimin knew what to do next, Serena had drilled it into his head! Now was time for the fun part: mischief!! Luring the opponent into their trap, Grimlin ran back into the alley and jumped, parkouring off the side of the building, and avoiding the ice.
“Dratini, Twister!” At Samy’s cry, Dratini took aim and fired off Twister. Dratini, too focused on trying to target the evasively moving Sableye, wasn’t minding his footing and slipped as he slithered onto the invisible ice, slamming face-first into the ground, his own move ricocheting off the mirrored surface and hitting them instead. Dratini was barely conscious, holding on by his last few HP.
“Icy Wind,” Serena gleefully ordered. Grimlin’s move made contact, finishing off the Dratini and reinforcing the icy ground covering.
Now came the harder part – battling Pokemon number two with no sneak attack advantage.
Samy grunted in frustration and sent out his last Pokemon. “Eevee! Kick that Sableye’s ass!”
…Of course it would be a Normal-type that learned Fairy-type moves. Great.
No matter, Serena had prepared for this. “Nasty Plot!”
“Eye!” Prankster kicking in, Grimlin’s special attack launched even higher, now resting at +4 stages.
Anticipating Eevee’s next move, right as she gave the Nasty Plot command, Serena began dashing to the right side of the battle, getting as close as she could without it being deemed illegal interference, darting past Grimlin and narrowly avoiding Eevee, making Eevee glance to Serena instead of watching Sableye.
Seeing Serena’s movement, Grimlin charged full-speed head-first at Eevee.
Samy commanded, “Disarming Voice!”
“SLIDE! Then Icy Wind!” Serena shouted.
Mid-run without hesitation, Grimlin fell to his back, flattening himself to the ground. Now being on the ice and his momentum continuing through, Grimlin accelerated past Eevee while staying as close as possible, almost brushing up against her fur. Disarming Voice barely skimmed the very tips of his pointed ears.
Just like they’d rehearsed, as soon as he passed the Eevee, Grimlin dug his claws into the ice behind him, slamming on the breaks to halt his velocity, until he ground to a stop, jumped to his feet, and instantly used Icy Wind.
Eevee’s back was wide open. Completely caught off guard, Icy Wind hit hard.
“Eevee!” Samy yelped, concerned. “D-Disarming Voice again!” he stuttered, utterly perplexed by the irregular Sableye and Trainer combo strategy and not knowing how to combat it.
Samy’s opponent wooshed past him, and he jumped, startled. Samy couldn’t help but focus on her instead of the battle due to her abrupt closeness. She dipped to her knees without stopping and swiveled, spinning 180 degrees, then rose, skating backwards to keep her eyes locked on the battle. Sableye continued to nimbly use the ice to his advantage to gain speed, mirroring his Trainer’s movements, though with less grace – he was new to this and it showed.
“Thunder Wave on the ground!” What?! But the pavement wouldn’t conduct! Why was she doing that?
Sableye used Thunder Wave before Eevee could move – HOW!? – and electricity crackled through the ground, conducting through the thin watery layer atop the recently melting ice, shocking Eevee’s feet and disrupting her balance.
“Vee!!” Eevee exclaimed at the electrical jolt, her Disarming Voice soared past Sableye, missing him.
“Icy Wind!” she directed without pause. The second Icy Wind made contact, sending Eevee’s speed plummeting even further.
Samy continued to watch her weave around the battle. It was like she and her blinged-out Sableye were working together as a team. She was creating openings and influencing the battle just as much as her Pokemon was! Pokemon and Trainer working together in battle rather than a Trainer sticking to the sidelines avoiding battle. She was leading Sableye like a dance partner.
…What even was this?!
That Sableye was so low level! She was supposed to have been a newbie Trainer! His Pokemon should’ve made quick work of them. That Sableye should’ve gone down to his Dratini… but Sableye was performing vastly better than it should due to his Trainer compensating his ability with her own experience.
There was no way she was a new Trainer!
Outside of sneak attacks, how his opponent was guiding her Pokemon was allowed in battle by any rule set, not just the Z-A Royale! It was! It’s just that most Trainers tried to avoid being in firing range of Pokemon’s moves during battle, not rollerskating through it!! He couldn’t tell if she just truly had no fear, was more than willing to take the risk, or if she was just THAT experienced that it didn’t phase her any longer. Probably all of the above.
This style of battling was like nothing he’d ever seen before. It was just so fluid!! She never hesitated, she knew exactly what she was doing at all times, and thought impossibly quick on her feet.
“Dis-Disarming Voice!”
The only other time he’d ever seen someone even attempt such a thing in a battle was in a video of–
Samy caught a flash of his opponent’s honey blonde hair through the darkness, finally seeing the color just for an instant as she swung by close to him again, expertly leading her Sableye out of range of his, now very sluggish, Eevee’s move once more.
No.
NO WAY!!!!
“Icy Wind!!”
“Eyeyeyeyeyeyeyeye!!!” Sableye trilled with malevolent glee.
And with that, his Eevee fainted… before he could even put a scratch on her Sableye.
“Yeah!! Way to go, Grimlin!” She high-fived her Sableye. “I think you leveled up from that!”
“Sable-EYE!” the little goblin cheered, then scampered up to ride on his Trainer’s shoulder.
She fluffed her hair and skated up to Samy. “Great match! Thanks for being my first battle in the Z-A Royale!” She offered her hand for a handshake. Stunned, he robotically shook her hand. “Here, take these two Revives. I know, I know. To the victor goes the spoils, but I will admit, I do have you at a bit of a disadvantage here. I wouldn’t want to ruin your night, so take them so you can try again and keep getting points!”
Champion Serena winked at him, spun around, and sped away on her skates.
Did…
DID THAT ACTUALLY JUST HAPPEN?!
Z • ──── =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇) ᯓ🛼🛼 ──── • A
Okay, woah.
Urbain could hardly believe his eyes as he watched Serena battle from Team MZ’s front-row seat hiding spot.
Urbain’s first thought was, ‘Damn, that’s hot,’ followed by, ‘Holy shit, Serena’s incredible,’ and ‘So THIS is a Pokemon Champion.’ He got his wish to see a Champion at work. Arceus, why did he even worry?!
Serena battled like a choreographed action movie stunt sequence – theatrical to the max, packed with special effects and tricks, had you on the very edge of your seat, and you couldn’t tear your eyes away.
It was a spectacle. It was so Serena.
Watching her fight in person was unbelievably different than on video – her recorded matches didn’t come close to capturing what her style was truly like, almost all of the nuance was lost. Standing a few feet away offered a completely different perspective.
Urbain wondered what it would be like batting against Serena… or with Serena in that doubles battle she’d promised. The guaranteed “next time.” Urbain’s heart raced.
That’s not even to mention the fact that she was doing it all in fucking roller skates!!
Urbain suddenly felt really stupid for the whole “you gotta know how to roll” and “can you roll in a mini-skirt” thing!! He eyed Serena appreciatively as she continued battling, or rather, performing.
Ohhhh yeah, Serena could most definitely roll in a mini-skirt… Again, ‘Damn, that’s hot.’
The battle ended far too quickly for Urbain’s liking. He could keep watching Serena forever… but like not in a creepy way!! As a Trainer! Yeah!
Returning to the rest of Team MZ, who were now all outfitted with slack-jaws and a new appraising appreciation for her, Serena put her hands on her hips and huffed. Why were they acting so surprised? She was the literal Champion!! Did they all forget what that really meant?! She was the TOP Trainer in Kalos! Of course Serena was stupidly good at battling!
“Hmph.” Serena stuck her nose in the air in indignation and flounced past them, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Grimlin, her clear soul partner, shared Serena’s feelings and copied her actions from his resting place on her shoulder.
Two more battles followed a very similar pattern, and before Serena knew it, she’d collected enough Ticket Points to earn her Challenger’s Ticket for the promotion match. Excellent, time to get the hell out of here as fast as possible and go find this Zach guy!!!
Exiting the battle zone proved to be a much harder affair than entering, but eventually, they were able to navigate back to the entrance and only got caught once by some guy with 6 Scatterbugs who recognized her despite her glasses.
6 Scatterbugs?? It was a miracle it wasn’t anyone else! The battle ended very quickly.
Of course, Serena’s luck would run out right then and there because immediately after leaving the battle zone, a dumb stupid no-good fucking terrible reporter bumped into her and knocked off her glasses. Her only saving grace was that she was able to grab the glasses before they clattered to the floor and hurriedly stuffed them into her pocket before anyone noticed she had been wearing them as a disguise in the first place. Her future glasses-wearing incognito outings were safe.
Shit. Serena was so utterly fucked.
“Oh, I’m sorr–” the reporter’s eyes widened as he got a look at her. “IT’S SERENA!!” he screeched and stuffed a camera in her face.
And then all of hell broke loose.
Team MZ quickly huddled around her, trying desperately to fend off the hoards of reporters now swarming them.
“SERENA!”
“CHAMPION SERENA!”
“What made you choose the Z-A Royale?!”
“How long will you be in Lumiose?!”
“How did you perform tonight?!”
Ugh. They were like Mandibuzzes circling what they thought was a dying carcass. Serena was NOT a dying carcass! She was too pretty for that.
Serena grabbed each member of Team MZ’s sleeves and shuffled them through the crowd, leading them over to a nearby bench. Serena stood on top of it, rising above the masses from her new vantage point.
“AH-HEM!” she loudly fake-cleared her voice, getting them to settle somewhat. She spotted Alexa in the sea of reporters. Making eye contact, Alexa’s hand shot into the air. Oh thank FUCK!! “You there with the ash blonde hair and the pink and black collared shirt!” At least Serena wouldn’t be breaking her exclusivity agreement, though, she was sure Alexa would understand for this insanity.
“Serena!” Alexa began professionally, though Serena could tell the woman was laughing on the inside. “How was your first night participating in the Z-A Royale?”
“It was very fun, and I enjoyed it immensely! I got to meet a lot of local Trainers and Pokemon of all Ranks!” Figuring she’d take this chance to get out the rest of the information they’d no doubt hound her for, Serena continued unprompted, “But I know that’s not what you all really came here tonight to hear about. It’s okay, we can be honest about it.” Serena laughed light heartedly, causing some of the reporters to chuckle with her. “No, I did not lose tonight. I remain undefeated and have earned enough Ticket Points to advance to my first promotion match, which I plan on heading to right now.”
Serena prayed Zach was a real one because there was no way she was getting out of this without throwing the press and mob of onlookers a bone.
“In fact, as long as it’s okay with my opponent, you’re all welcome to come watch my promotion match! That is, if you’d do me the courtesy of refraining from recording and keep what you see a secret!” Serena coquettishly winked at them while raising a finger in front of her lips. Serena deliberately ignored the alarmed looks Team MZ was shooting her. “It’s good sportsmanship after all! Not just for me, but for my opponent. Let’s be respectful to everyone’s chances in the Z-A Royale.”
Great sound bite! Does Serena think people will actually listen to her? No fucking way. But she could try. It would probably make most people feel like shit, so they’d be less likely to want to blab and record her poor opponent.
There was no way Serena’s team wouldn’t be eventually outed, but she’d try to work against that to delay the inevitable as long as possible.
Serena was going to have to strategize out of her god damned mind to compensate for when it did drop.
Z • ──── 🌐 ──── • A
F @figyberrydreams · 1h
FOUND HER!! about to go fight the champion w 6 scatterbugs ill post the video of my win after #BeatSerena (Selfie of him holding one of his Scatterbugs)
𐙚Serena @championserena ✓ · 10h
If anyone beats me with a team of only Scatterbugs, I will pay you 1,000,000P myself because that should have never happened.
40K Replies | 1.5M Likes | 602K Reposts | Share
1K Replies | 50K Likes | 2K Reposts | Share
F @figyberrydreams · 1h
Replying to @figyberrydreams
i got my ass beat bruh im not posting that shit
3K Replies | 80K Likes | 30K Reposts | Share
Pinkie Girl 🌸 @petchalove ✓ · 1h
Replying to @figyberrydreams
I’M SCREAMING!!
21 Replies | 15K Likes | 10K Reposts | Share
Great Simi-Sage @monkee · 1h
Replying to @figyberrydreams
BRO WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?!
43 Replies | 30K Likes | 16K Reposts | Share
Z • ──── 🌐 ──── • A
Hearing an unusual cacophony approaching the taxi stand, Zach turned towards the noise. He blinked then rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
There was a whole Arceus damned parade approaching.
IT WAS MIDNIGHT!
Even during the middle of the day, this would be unusual, but at night?? What was even going on?? Something must be happening!!
And then Zach’s heart stopped. Because the parade didn’t keep going.
No.
It walked right up to him and stopped.
At the mob’s helm was… was…!!
“Hello,” Champion Serena greeted him. “You must be Zach. It’s nice to meet you! I’m Serena. I’m here for a promotion match.”
OH.
He was an idiot for not putting two and two together before now!!! YEAH NO SHIT the Serena he’d been assigned a match against was THAT Serena!
The mob collectively turned to look at Zach. Suddenly, it was as if all of Lumiose City’s eyes were staring directly at him. Zach froze.
Upon seeing Zach’s Deerling in the headlights expression, Serena understood that he was vastly uncomfortable with this, and she stepped in.
“Everyone, my apologies, but my opponent would prefer to not be publicly watched. I’ll let everyone watch a different promotion match of mine another night,” Serena announced diplomatically. But of course, the crowd did what crowds did best and did not disperse.
Zach snapped out of it, and quickly jumped into his taxi. “Serena!” He shouted, revving the engine. “You and your crew, get in!”
*Vroooommmm!!!*
Team MZ exchanged a lighting-fast look before they all scrambled to get in the car. Naveen jumped in the front, Serena, Lida, and Urbain took the back. Before they could even buckle their seatbelts, Zach hit the gas, expertly threading the needle in the gap the crowd had left, and sped off into the night.
However, they weren’t in the clear yet – Zach spotted taxis following them in the rearview mirror and narrowed his eyes. They were being pursued by a plethora of taxis, undoubtedly hired by members of the crowd at the same taxi stand. Time to shift gears.
“Say, did you know I used to be a racer?” Zach laughed as he drifted the cab around a hairpin turn.
“NO SHIT!” Lida exclaimed, not meaning it as a question but as a declaration of Zach’s apparent insane wild side, grabbing onto Serena as they all sloshed around in the back seat, slamming into the side door.
After that collision, Urbain followed suit – now both Lida and Urbain were holding onto Serena like a lifeline from either side. It was Serena’s fault for taking the middle seat!!
“It’s true!” Zach confirmed, delighting in the race, the number of pursuers dwindling as he skidded across an intersection at full speed and down an alley. “I used to participate in those 24-hour races. You know what those are? We’d drive around the same track over and over to check a car’s stability, stuff like that.”
*Whiiirrrr!!*
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!” Naveen screamed, holding on for dear life, desperately trying to brace himself by gripping the ceiling handle and pushing one of his feet against the dashboard. Naveen’s soul was quite possibly leaving his body. He was trapped in this DEATH TRAP with a LUNATIC!!
“Sure do!!” Serena agreed, a wild grin on her face. Zach was awesome!!!! “Though, I prefer Ryhorn Racing.”
Zach shifted into a different gear and drilled the wheel to one side as far as it could go, causing the car to spin out, swirling around until they were pointing the opposite direction, and rocketed them at break neck speed once again.
*Werrrrrrrtttttt!!*
“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!” Urbain cowered, hugging Serena tighter and burying his head into her shoulder.
Zach laughed as he wove in between cars, losing another two cabs in the process. “It was fun, actually – making sure the vehicle was safe in extreme situations, all while trying to shave an extra 0.1 seconds off our time.”
Zach loved speed. And dangerous high-intensity car chases.
“Oh it shows, Zach!!” Serena cackled. “You’re making excellent time!”
Serena was sooo down! Her mom was THE Ryhorn Racer Grace, and Serena had grown up in high-adrenaline high-risk high-speed situations – Serena was raised racing Ryhorns. For her, it was like other kids’ after school sports and a great form of exercise. Others played tennis or baseball, Serena raced Ryhorns.
Any potential fear of big hulking looming Pokemon, speed, or vehicle related danger were quashed at a very very young age.
Arceus, her mom would get a kick out of Zach!! Serena would have to introduce them when her mom came to visit her.
“Thanks!! Still, I figured it would be more fun driving customers to wherever they wanted to go, so I switched jobs and became a cabbie,” Zach commented as he dodged oncoming traffic… backwards while reversing down the street, glancing at the rearview and side mirrors every so often.
*Neeeyyrrooom!!*
*HONK! HONK!!*
“WHO THE FUCK THINKS THAT?!” Lida screeched. Holy shit, Zach was a FREAK OF NATURE!!!
Zach chuckled good-naturedly at the banter. Classic car-chase jokes!
Finally in the clear, Zach zoomed to the nearest secluded battle court. The taxi screeched to a stop.
*SKIIIRRRRRRRTT–*
Zach turned back to Serena with a teasing grin and jokingly said, “That’ll be 710P, if you don’t mind!”
“I’m giving you the BIGGEST tip!!” Serena got out her phone and paid the man before he could protest. “Hands down, BEST taxi ride of my life!! Almost as fun as taking the reins on a Ryhorn!”
“I am never calling him Le Z Éternel ever again,” Naveen announced quietly as he stumbled out of the car with Lida and Urbain.
“Oh, do you race too??” Zach asked Serena excitedly as they both exited the car, completely fine.
Serena snorted. Zach was more excited about this than realizing Serena was the Champion! “Grew up racin’ Ryhorns! We are birds of feather, you and I,” Serena agreed, nodding. “But also, I do want to apologize to you about the crowd from before. I hadn’t meant to overwhelm you like that.”
“Nah, it’s all good! Forgetta ‘bout it!” Zach waved her off. “And anyways, I actually love so much attention on the taxis, but I hadn’t been prepared or expecting for such a huge mob!! Us drivers are really strugglin’ right now, no thanks to all the Urban Redevelopment Plan stuff. But this taxi driver has a taxi dream! I’m going to reach Rank A and abolish all forms of transit in Lumiose – except taxis!”
“I understand your plight, Zach,” Serena sympathized. Though, she was confused why Zach thought a sub-contracted urban planning company had the authority to make decisions about things under the government’s Department of Transportation’s purview. Did people think Quasartico was omnipotent or something?
“YOU DO?!” Urbain exclaimed, baffled.
“Taxis are the best form of Lumiose transportation!” Serena insisted. She wouldn’t go as far as to say no other modes of transit should exist, but Serena loved taxis. It was a quintessential part of the Lumiose aesthetic!! It’s terrible that they’ve been so impacted by the…
Hold on…
Zach wanted a Lumiose where taxis reigned supreme… but that meant no wild zones. That’s what Zach meant by having Quasartico implement his wish!
The taxi drivers were anti-wild zones!!!!
Wait, this was HUGE!!
Serena had to recruit the taxi drivers to Team Noir!! They’d be an excellent information network, they hear all the secrets. It’s going to be a long play, but she’s gonna get in good with Zach for now to get the ball rolling.
Serena’s eyes glinted. Zach was already the perfect getaway driver!
“I did more than my fair share of races back in my Ryhorn Racing heyday. Now, it’s more of a hobby. I couldn’t ever fully give it up. Nothing quite compares to the thrill of racing Ryhorns, but your driving comes close,” Serena complemented him.
Zach looked stupidly proud. “Well, I am a pretty damn good driver.”
“Say, do you do private contract chauffeuring? Or on call taxi rides?” Serena questioned, then hung her head in defeat. “Because if tonight is anything to go by, I could use a very skilled driver like yourself in my corner.”
Okay, yeah, she might be trying to butter him up a little so he’d agree by flattering him, but Serena still meant it!!
“For sure! Here, let’s exchange numbers. Give me a call anytime you need a taxi!” Zach tapped their phones together, exchanging contact information. “Now, let’s get our promotion match started, shall we?”
“Bonne chance to both of us!” Serena was delighted! Zach was such a good addition to her squad!
Their Rotom Phones clashed together, sparking.
“Challenger’s Tickets verified. You are cleared to start a promotion match.”
“I suppose you think you’re going to win? Climb over me to reach the next rank?” Zach jeered. Serena may be the Champion, but she was still Rank Z just like him!
Serena flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked. “Oh please, this will be a piece of gâteau!” Zach would actually be the first Rank Z Trainer she faced tonight. Poor Zach didn’t stand a chance.
Zach narrowed his eyes. “Well, I won’t make it easy for you, because this taxi driver’s taxi dream is riding on it!”
As if it was high noon, the two turned their backs to each other, took 10 paces away, then whipped around, sending out their first Pokemon.
“Sir Engarde!” Serena released her little knight and clicked her roller skates on. “EN GARDE!!”
Unless something unforeseen had happened, Grimlin handled the battle zone, and Engarde would take the promotion match. That had been their deal – Grimlin was far too excited about sneak attacks, and Engarde was practically foaming at the mouth at the idea of a most honorable promotion match. For tonight at least, Serena had decided they’d train specifically to handle each battle format individually. It was two very different types of battling, and they had limited training time. Divide and conquer was the best way.
“Slowpoke, you’ve got this!” Zach tossed out his Slowpoke.
“Autotomize!” Serena instructed. Speed was still the name of the game, no matter the opponent, and especially with Engarde’s No Guard Ability, making all of his and his opponent’s moves have 100% accuracy. Engarde needed speed to be able to dodge at all.
Engarde’s speed rose by 2 stages and he felt weightless!
This was his immaculate debut as a knight in a most honorable tourney! His first bout! Engarde shan’t let the hours his seniors spent toiling to prepare him for this fateful moment be for waste! Engarde would emerge victorious in this perilous match!
“Iron Head!” his dutiful Queen ordered as she skated around, catching Slowpoke’s attention. An unparalleled warrior Queen!
Engarde shall strike down his opponent!
HUZZAH!! “HONE!!”
Engarde barreled into Slowpoke with great force.
“POKE!”
“Slowpoke, use Water Gun!”
“Brick Break through the Water Gun and CHARGE! RIPOSTE!” What brilliance Engarde’s Queen had! Engarde sliced the Water Gun in two with Brick Break, taking minimal damage from the contact being limited to edge of his blade, and stormed the Slowpoke through the parted water.
*Shinggg!*
Slowpoke lumbered back from the impact.
“Confusion!” Zach roared.
“To me!” Serena called, skidding to a stop behind Slowpoke and raising her hand straight in the air with a flourish.
As practiced, at that command, Engarde utilized all of his new found speed to rocket to Serena’s side, nimbly dodging Slowpoke’s attack.
“Iron Head!”
“Edge! Edge!” Huzzah! Huzzah! Engarde had taken out the dastardly Slowpoke! One down!
“I see you’ve been training!” Zach hissed. “But you’ll be no match for my Pidgey!” Said Pidgey materialized on the battlefield.
“Pid-gey!” Pidgey cheered, excitedly flapping his wings. Time to battle!
“Iron Head!” Engarde performed a balestra, and rammed into the Pidgey. His foe instantly plummeted to the ground, soundly defeated, for Engarde was MIGHTY!!
Serena winced. Yikes.
“HONEDGE!!” Engarde roared in victory.
“Damn!” he sneered. Zach tossed out his Pikachu. “Pikachu, I choose you! Quick Attack!” Zach curled his hand into a fist. “We have a need for speed.”
Mid-skate, Serena face-palmed. “Brick Break.”
Pikachu launched the attack… but nothing happened! Instead, Honedge’s brutal chop sliced Pikachu.
“Huh?!” Zach exclaimed. “How did you foil our priority attack?!”
Serena didn’t bother to answer. “Iron Head!”
Engarde felled yet another! Huzzah! His dear mentor Sensei would be proud of the fruits of his labor!
“Damn, you’ve got me on the ropes!” Zach gritted his teeth. “But it's not over! No! Now for my secret weapon! CLEFFA!” He tossed the Pokeball. “LEND ME YOUR MIGHT!!”
A… buff Cleffa emerged on the battlefield.
“Clef,” Cleffa boomed with a reverberating deep, deep masculine voice.
Serena could only stare in horror.
It had the signature cute Cleffa head and face on top ungodly ripped bulging muscles.
WHAT THE FUCK WAS WRONG WITH CLEFFAS IN THIS CITY?!
Cleffa was NOT even a physical attacker!! Even with TMs, Cleffa’s physical move pool and their line’s base attack stat was abysmal!!
Why?! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU ENGINEER SUCH A MONSTER?!
“DUDE!! What the hell did you do to your Cleffa?!” Urbain screeched. It didn't look like that before! That thing was jacked!! It had a 6-pack!!
“Vitamins!!” Zach cackled like a mad man. “I spent ALL my Royale winnings and tips on Protein for Cleffa!”
Aghast, Lida cupped her mouth with one hand, hiding it from Zach’s line of view, and whispered to Urbain and Naveen, “Guys, I’m genuinely very scared of Zach.”
Unable to look away from the godless amalgamation before him, Naveen murmured under his breath, “This is psychotic.”
Cleffa crossed his arms, glared at Honedge, spat on the ground, and scoffed.
Cleffa was born ready for battle. He was several levels higher than his feeble teammates. Cleffa worked tirelessly lifting weights and working out to reach peak physical perfection. With the aid of his Trainer’s determination and life savings, Cleffa finally achieved his perfect true final form.
Cleffa wouldn’t let Zach’s sacrifice go to waste.
Zach tossed his arm out to the side. “Cleffa! This is our moment! Channel your power! Use–”
“Iron Head.” Serena didn’t even bother to wait for Zach to finish, she needed that creature gone!
Engarde rammed into Cleffa, who instantly flattened like a pancake the moment Honedge made contact.
K.O.!
“VICTORY,” beeped Serena’s Rotom Phone.
“NO! Cleffa!” Zach returned Cleffa.
“A fine bout, Sir Engarde!” Serena extended her hand to him. Engarde fell into a deep bow and mock-kissed her hand. “You’ve proven your prowess as a knight! Sensei will be most satisfied by your performance, as am I.”
Engarde all but melted into a puddle of happiness. “Honedge!”
Zach collapsed to his knees in despair. “This is my hundredth time watching my opponent get promoted instead of me… I lost again… a hundred promotion matches…” Zach punched the ground. “This is why they call me Le Z Éternel…”
“You’ve got the building blocks to be… great,” Serena consoled him. Okay losing 100 matches in a row and still having low-leveled mons was a bit much even in her eyes. What the hell was he doing in his training?!
“You think so?” Zach looked up at her with misty eyes.
“Y-yeah!” Serena wracked her head for a suggestion to give the poor guy. “You know, with how much you love speed, you should try building a speed-based team! I think you’d have an affinity for it!”
“I never thought of that…” he said breathlessly. Zach suddenly became invigorated, jumping to his feet, and clapped a hand on Serena’s shoulder. “I see why you’re the Champion! You’ve got an eye for finding the hidden potential in people and Pokemon!”
“It was an excellent match!” Serena smiled, though internally cringing. Zach was awesome, but his battling was decidedly not. Engarde didn’t even need the defensive stat boost his held Eviolite gave him!
Serena was saved from continuing to placate the man by her Rotom Phone popping up in front of her. *Your victory is confirmed! Congratulations! Now processing your promotion!* Her phone buzzed. *RANK UP! You’ve been promoted to Rank Y!*
“Wooo! Yeah! You did it!” Urbain cheered.
“Well done,” Naveen acknowledged. He’d never stop being impressed by her. As it would happen, Naveen also owned a Sableye… He’d have to ask Serena if he could borrow her TMs. Honedge… hmmm…
“Yeah, congrats and all, Serenie, but, like, let’s go home now! Please!!!” Lida urged, utterly done with tonight! Her bed was calling her name!
“Here, I’ll drive you guys home!” Zach offered.
“NO THANK YOU!!! We will walk!” Lida interjected before Serena could answer “yes.”
Of tonight’s many, many takeaways, one stood out above the rest: Team MZ now respected the shit out of Zach.
Z • ─── ...... 🚙💨...... 🚙🚙🚙🚙 ─── • A
End Notes
Emma: Oh! Serena’s back! I should go see– (sees the insanity of tonight’s battle zone) …Yeahhh, never mind. I’ll find her later. (Naruto runs away)
-------------
Serena’s battle style was so fun to figure out!! I wanted to make something that utilized her personality, used XY and Z-A mechanics, and reflected how Serena deals with everything outside of battles – sneaky technicalities, over preparedness, creativity, theatricality, and willingness to put herself in the line of fire. So OBVIOUSLY: give Serena roller skates!! BRING BACK ROLLER SKATES IN THE DLC PLEASE!!
While romance isn’t the main point of this story, I’m still having A LOT of fun with it lol! I’m planning on adding an additional person (or two) who’s interested in Serena, but the main pairing and endgame is always going to be SerenaxUrbain. Why? Because I want drama, conflict, chaos, and hijinks lol. How far will I take the love rivals? I’m playing it by ear and seeing how things develop from their interactions as I write them.
Love rivals ideas wise, I’ve been throwing around Corbeau. Because he's the fan favorite, I see the same ship content you guys see everywhere and am influenced by it LMAO, but also, I’m writing some future scenes and the dynamic with Serena is admittedly kinda there… I can capitalize on it 👀. VERY open to other suggestions here beyond him and opinions for or against him! This is not at all set in stone yet, and would love to hear your thoughts!
Pre-fight self-stat boosting moves NOT triggering a battle in Z-A are a thing! I tested it! Also, I’m using main game standards for move pools. There’s so many fun moves I really like that I understand why they didn’t put them in Z-A, but since I’m combining the main games’ battle format + Z-A battle style + the anime battles, I can do what I want lol. Opponents will get the same treatment with altered move pools when interesting. Though, I’m using a damage calculator to balance everything for each match up to make it as “realistic” as possible & picking canon in-game Trainers when I can. Samy and his Dratini and Eevee are a real Trainer at Rank W!
Zach being an ex-racer is canon and the dialogue I used for him talking about it is WORD FOR WORD what he says in the game!! Zach is actually fucking crazy and such a funny chaotic character and no one gives him enough credit for it. Drive around in Zach's taxi guys, he has unique dialogue vs other taxi drivers.
I thought it would be funny to give Zach max EVs on all his Pokemon because he’s battled SO much, and even with that, it’s still so so impossibly bad omg. I’m NOT giving Engarde/Grimlin max EVs (at this point). I gave each of Zach’s mons 510 total EVs (with MAX 252 for a stat) + good natures! I ACTUALLY buffed him + gave him a 4th mon and it’s still so terrible haha!!!
THANK YOU for all the support for this story!! Your guys’ comments have been so incredible! I love seeing your guys’ reactions to all the dumb things, the serious things, and everything in between! Your comments are literally fueling me and keeping me so hyped to write this story!!
Serena’s no good, very bad night that just keeps getting worse. But hey, at least she’s very poetic about it.
“Welcome back,” AZ greeted as they stumbled through the front door of the hotel.
“Aww, you didn’t have to wait up for us AZ,” Urbain said groggily. “But thank you!”
“And not be here to greet you after a night you spent so long preparing for? I think not,” AZ insisted.
“You’re the best, AZ,” yawned Serena. “Honestly? It went pretty well, all things considered.”
“Girl, we had very different nights,” Lida wearily protested.
“You can say that again,” Naveen remarked.
AZ chuckled, delighting in seeing them get along so well and working as a team.
“Serena, this package came for you while you were out.” AZ gestured to the absolutely imposing and garish item on the counter.
It was a giant pink opulent gift box, tied with a fat ribbon that only covered two opposing corners of the box. A huge shimmering bow, complete with lace and adorned with fresh cut flowers, rested atop one of the corners. The bow looked like a spherical centerpiece table decoration for a gala. In the middle of the box top between the two ribbon-hugged corners was an inlaid metal label engraved in elaborate looping cursive that read:
“Woaaahh!! It’s so fancy??” Lida marveled, taking in the majesty of the gift. “Damn, Champions really do be gettin’ the best gifts! Not gonna lie, lowkey very jealous.”
Upon reading the label, Serena snapped out of her lethargy, now alert. The package was delivered to Hotel Z and under Serena’s name. How did someone know where she was staying? Serena had announced to the world that she was here in Lumiose and in the Z-A Royale, but no one should have figured out what hotel she was staying at yet.
…Unless it was from Quasartico. Those bastards.
Wait a second. “Does the post office now deliver at 11:00 pm in Lumiose now?” Serena asked.
“No, this was hand delivered, actually, by three people in suits,” AZ informed her.
Damn, it was definitely from Quasartico. Certainly this was their ostentatious welcoming of her to their little tournament and their response to her media chaos. This was Quasartico’s move – their play to strike back against her in retaliation for Serena setting the narrative before they could. The over the top nature of the whole gift had to be a jab against Serena’s image, passive aggressively pandering to who they thought was a stuffy simple model.
Perfect, they still were underestimating her.
Serena began extremely carefully examining the package, crouching down, and getting close to see the very fine seams in the box. She reached into her bag, pulled out a black leather glove, and put it on. She swiped the tip of her index finger in the crack where the box top overlapped the bottom half of the box. Serena looked at her finger.
There was a fine sparkly dust. She pinched her finger and thumb together, studying it intently. It was odorless, and appeared to be a slightly purple powder-like substance. It hadn’t been placed there intentionally, in fact, everything about the box was so perfect that whoever had sent this absolutely had rampant OCD. The dust only appeared in the tiniest overlapping crack, and Serena bet they’d wiped down the whole box clean before they wrapped it up.
Aggressively anal OCD or not, it still stood that the sender hadn’t wanted Serena to notice the powder. Trying to cover up the presence of unknown substances that were undoubtedly in the box was never a good thing.
Serena narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
They wouldn’t dare do anything like poisoning or killing her. They’d lose the precious sponsor they’d so desperately wanted to manipulate. However, Serena couldn’t rule anything out. There was always a non-zero chance, and she wasn’t alone right now.
It wasn’t just her at risk if something happened.
…Not like the last explosion.
Lida snorted. “You know, most people would just, like, open the box.”
“What are you doing?” Urbain asked, confusedly taking in Serena handling a gift box in a way that made no sense.
Serena carefully leaned down and put her ear as close as she could against the box without actually touching it. “I’m checking to see if it’s a bomb.”
“A WHAT?!” Lida yelped, taking a few steps back.
“Wait, what?!” Urbain faltered.
Naveen narrowed his eyes. “Why would you think it’s a–”
“SHH!” Serena cut him off, silencing them all. She needed quiet to listen. No noises, which was a good sign. Serena could have picked it up and shook it to see if something rattled around, but she wasn’t an idiot. Never do that. Just because it doesn’t tick, doesn’t mean there’s not something dangerous you could trigger.
However, Serena was now confident enough to assume that it likely wasn’t an attempt to kill or harm her from Quasartico and was alright with opening the package. However, the powder residue demanded Serena still took this seriously. She’d keep it flat on this surface and open it as carefully as possible, exercising the most caution.
Serena slipped on her sunglasses, so she had some sort of eye protection, just in case, and put on the matching glove on her other hand. “I’m going to open it. Please step back.”
Urbain clarified, “So it’s not dangerous?”
“No, it still could be but not likely. Thus, I’m still going to do this carefully and with some degree of protective gear.” Serena opened the box, undoing the binding ribbon, and delicately taking off the lid.
Immediately after taking the lid off, music started playing softly with the chiming tinkling tones of a music box.
A rather tiny shiny Elegant Pattern Vivillon gracefully fluttered out of the box, daintily flapping its pink-lavender wings, leaving a trail of soft purple sparkles in its wake, and began enacting a carefully choreographed ballet routine.
Serena blinked rapidly from bafflement and in an automatic response to Vivillon’s abrupt intrusion of her personal space upon emerging from the box. However, Serena remained otherwise still, rooted in place, and still holding open the lid of the box.
The Vivillon twirled around with such twirled practiced ease that indicated hours upon hours of practiced rehearsals, shimmering scales flaking off as it danced.
Unable to actually put into words the sheer confusion she was experiencing, Serena glanced back and forth between the Vivillon, who was flouncing about the room and raining down sparkles, and the box it came out of, struggling to rationalize what just happened and if she was hallucinating or not.
*D-do, DO, do, duu, do, do-do~!*
Completely nonplussed, Serena darted her eyes between Naveen, Lida, Urbain, AZ, and Floette for validation, who all looked just as lost as she was, their apprehension of danger had likewise faded to bewilderment. Though, Floette did appear to be somewhat swaying to the music.
Well.
It wasn’t a bomb.
And the whole ass live shiny Vivillon who had been stuffed in the box outside of a Pokeball, explained the unknown powder substance.
Looking back into the package, there was a large invitation card with Serena’s name on it. Emblazed at the top of the invitation was a wax seal imprinted with a stylized heart shape containing the letters “SBC.”
─────────୨ৎ─────────
⊹ .˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆｡˚. ⊹
𝒢𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒟𝓊𝒸𝒽ℯ𝓈𝓈 𝒮ℯ𝓇ℯ𝓃𝒶,
Lady Jacinthe cordially invites you to an unparalleled lovely event, Le Magnifique Brunch de Jacinthe, held in your auspicious honor to celebrate your wonderful exalted return to Kalos and welcome you back to our illustrious Lumiose City.
Lady Jacinthe, Kalos’ social elite, titled nobility, and the Lumiose Society of Battle Connoisseurs will be in attendance to rejoice in your most awaited arrival.
Le Magnifique Brunch de Jacinthe will be held at Lady Jacinthe’s penthouse manor atop the Grand Hotel Richissime and adjacent private rooftop gardens, cultivated and nurtured into an unparalleled beacon of natural splendor by Lady Jacinthe, and is revered as a paragon of Lumiose’s beauty.
In the reception following the banquet, Lady Jacinthe has arranged for The Royal Kalos Ballet to thrill guests with a never-before-seen show.
The award-winning Ralts evolution line troupe has paused their international tour to perform for Le Magnifique Brunch de Jacinthe a private, exclusive first-look showing of a dance number from their unreleased brand-new original ballet, JACINTHE, which will debut to the public later next year. Lady Jacinthe is hailed as the inspiration for JACINTHE in what is already being called, “a triumph of the arts, sophistication, and beauty,” by renowned critics.
Upon the conclusion of the performance, Le Magnifique Brunch de Jacinthe will be greeted by a surprise guest speaker of notable acclaim to thrill us with a riveting lecture on the finer details of Pokemon held item selection.
After which, Le Magnifique Brunch de Jacinthe will adjourn for the start of Le Dîner Incroyable de Jacinthe, which shall be held in honor of Lady Jacinthe.
────────────────────
Serena looked at the other items. There were at least 10 loose cards of different sizes under the invitation, including an invite for Le Dîner Incroyable de Jacinthe, all in the same elaborate hand drawn calligraphy, providing details about the event… events.
Taking the rest of the papers out of the box revealed a second box, this one a soft purple with a lattice pattern. Opening it, Serena found a Luxury Ball, no doubt for the Vivillon that was still dancing about to the music like a trained ballerina, and the music box currently playing the music. There was an engraving on top of it that read, “To Serena, with love from Jacinthe ♡ Our friendship awaits!”
This gift as a whole was honestly so ludicrously unhinged and over the top that there was absolutely no way this had anything to do with Quasartico. This entire present stank of the Lumiose elite but dialed up way higher than Serena had ever seen before. Then how did this Jacinthe person know how to find Serena?
Better yet, who the hell was Jacinthe?!?!?
Serena grabbed another card.
─────────୨ৎ─────────
⊹ .˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆｡˚. ⊹
~ℒℯ ℳ𝒶𝑔𝓃𝒾𝒻𝒾𝓆𝓊ℯ ℬ𝓇𝓊𝓃𝒸𝒽 𝒹ℯ 𝒥𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓃𝓉𝒽ℯ~
Menu
Curated by Jacinthe
Executive Chef: Siebold
Course 1
Devine Quinoa Salad With Wild Razz Berry Dressing
Serena skimmed the rest of the menu, which rattled on and on in the same manner for the next – Serena double checked the card again to verify she did, in fact, count that right – 11 courses. What brunch was 13 courses?? Brunch was supposed to be casual! Why not make it lunch? Or dinner? Even then 13 courses was exorbitant, but brunch?!
Oh no, was a 13-course-meal Jacinthe’s version of “casual?!”
Wait. Executive Chef Siebold?!
With how insane the present was, Siebold was likely the only reason why this grand gala of a brunch was being held next week instead of tomorrow. No doubt he’d refused to cater any party of this scale without at least a week to prepare.
Oh, Serena was going to give him so much shit for this when she stormed the kitchens at this party. Arceus, Siebold was doing event catering!! Siebold left her Elite 4 for this?? He was really focusing on refining his culinary skills, huh? Pfft!! Serena would attend if only just to make fun of him.
But even if Siebold hadn’t been on the menu, haha, Serena had to attend this crazy party. She couldn’t afford to alienate the Lumiose elite, and, more importantly, Serena needed to learn how the actual fuck this woman had learned where she was staying before the media and only a day after Quasartico. Actually, Jacinthe most definitely knew where Serena was much sooner than a few hours ago if you factored in all the time it must have taken to make this gift and have her address literally engraved on the box.
Curiosity winning over their befuddlement, the rest of Team MZ approached the box and began rifling through it alongside Serena.
“Who the heck pre-announces the songs on their party playlist?” Urbain balked as he read through the following flyer:
─────────୨ৎ─────────
⊹ .˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆｡˚. ⊹
~ℒℯ ℳ𝒶𝑔𝓃𝒾𝒻𝒾𝓆𝓊ℯ ℬ𝓇𝓊𝓃𝒸𝒽 𝒹ℯ 𝒥𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓃𝓉𝒽ℯ~
Music Selection
Selected by Jacinthe
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 5: Adagietto in C sharp minor
Glenn Miller – In The Mood
Benny Goodman – Sing, Sing, Sing
…
────────────────────
“WAIT! This is from the Society of Battle Connoisseurs!!” Naveen leafed through the other cards in the box, and examined each one front and back. “There’s no way to RSVP.”
Looking at one that detailed the time and location, Lida commented, “It’s giving “you WILL come,” not “will you come?””
*D-do, DO, do, duu, do, do-dooooooooo~!*
The music box finally came to a stop. The Vivillon bowed and returned itself to its Luxury Ball.
“Well, that was a most unexpected surprise,” AZ chortled.
“Oh yeah, you can say that again, AZ! Big time!” Lida agreed.
“Who is Jacinthe?” Serena questioned the group, focusing on what she cared about.
“I dunno, seems like some coo-coo crazy rich lady though,” Urbain remarked while eyeing the box like it had personally offended him.
Which it had.
Because of course the SBC was going to try to sneak in and try to recruit Serena! He’d called that coming from a mile away. Thus the need for the Team MZ jacket! Thankfully, Serena seemed incredibly off put by the everything about what just happened, but Urbain didn’t want to take any chances. While he had no idea who this “Jacinthe” was, Urbain would do his best to highlight how stuffy and obviously terrible she must be.
“Well, I’d assume since she’s affiliated with the SBC, she’s likely a member of the Lumiose Elite,” Naveen reasoned.
“No way!” Lida raised her hands to her mouth in a mock gasp. “She’s likely an elite? What gave that away? Was it the 400,000P packaging or the shiny Vivillon – which statistically, because of the very silly technicality of pattern differences, is exponentially more rare than the average shiny – just being casually given away in a party invite?”
Naveen glared at her. “Your sass is not appreciated.”
“Trust me, it is, just not by you.” Lida reached out to high-five Urbain.
“Yeah it is!” Urbain whooped, returning the high-five with an enthusiastic loud slap.
“Yeah, so anyways, totally agree with Urbain here, this lady is wayyy off the deep end, but I gotta admit, I did love the dance routine,” Lida complemented. She had to give credit where credit was due, and Vivillon's performance kicked ass.
“You would,” Urbain snorted.
“Flo!” Floette chirped, agreeing with Lida, and raising her hands and flower above her head while doing a little spin to mimic one of Vivillon's aerial ballet moves.
“See? Floette gets it!” Lida cheered, then mirrored the same move Floette did, though with more natural stylized fluidity, and finished it off with her signature arm-cross pose.
“You’re more than welcome to keep the Vivillon, Lida, if you want it,” Serena offered, chuckling at her excitement.
“Score!!” Lida cheered and stuffed the Luxury Ball in her jacket pocket. “I was counting on you saying that! I knew you’d be all,” Lida started doing a purposefully terrible impression of Serena, ““lol ew fairy-looking-things and butterflies and rainbows are stupid, give me dead people.” Your insanity is my gain though! Thanks, girlie!”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “Don’t mention it,” she said flatly.
“Hold on.” Naveen crossed his arms. He’d gotten distracted by the abrupt tonal shift, who wouldn’t when faced with that crazy gift, but Naveen couldn’t easily forget what happened just before that. “Before we all get completely off topic and move on, I have something to say.” Naveen took a deep breath and gathered his courage.
Naveen was about to criticize his idol to her face, and even as a natural skeptic, that was still something that made his stomach churn.
“Okay, I get that you probably do get death threats once and a while, that’s not that unreasonable given your fame, but Serena, your reaction to that package was… a lot. You were immediately suspicious like you were expecting it to be dangerous by default. That’s not normal. I fully respect your boundaries and normally wouldn’t even think of prying,” Naveen couldn’t help but disclaim, despite the intensity of his feelings on the matter, he was still very uncomfortable with this particular confrontation, “but you just thought a bomb got sent to where we live and were not surprised by that happening. In fact, it seemed like you anticipated it.”
Their safety– their lives were in jeopardy, and Serena hadn’t thought to inform them. As much as he might be a bonafide Serena fan, Naveen wasn’t going to let such a thing slide no matter who she was. If that had been real, they all could’ve died.
Lida sobered up at his words. “Actually, yeah, I’m with Naveen on this one. That was really scary,” she admitted, looking off to the side. The gift had been so out of left field that it was a welcome thing to focus on instead of how frightened Lida was moments before.
Lida had peripherally known that Serena had some degree of paranoia, Tierno had offhandedly mentioned it once or twice, but that was extreme. She’d never seen Serena act like that before. What if it really was all in Serena’s head? It would be beyond paranoia and into the realm of PTSD or even possibly paranoid schizophrenia. What did that say about her friend’s past?
Or maybe even worse: what if it had been real?
Gaining confidence and ever thankful Lida had spoken up to back him, Naveen continued resolutely, “I apologize in advance, but I’m taking this seriously. There’s something going on here you’re not telling us, and given what just happened, we deserve to know.”
Urbain scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Yeahhhh about that… So I should have called a Team MZ meeting before now, but we didn’t really have time. I just got kinda caught up in everything and got distracted. Sorry.” Urbain meant he’d gotten caught up in and distracted by Serena, but he didn’t want to say that out loud. Especially since she was standing right there.
He’d been a little absentminded in scheduling that meeting, yes, but Urbain also hadn’t wanted to hold it without Serena there. He wouldn’t go behind Serena’s back and tell someone things she’d sworn him to secrecy about… or air out her self-imposed guilt about the whole Quasartico thing. Urbain had no place telling anyone about emotions and vulnerability Serena had silently trusted him with. It was not his story to tell, and he wouldn’t violate that trust.
Lida glared at him. “Not cool, Urbain.”
Pivoting his attention to Urbain, Naveen narrowed his eyes. “So there is something going on, and you already knew about it then?” Naveen gritted his teeth in frustration. “You didn’t think that telling us, Team MZ, or better yet, your friends who live in this hotel, was a priority?” he snapped.
Urbain brought his hands up in front of him in surrender. “Hey, c’mon, chill out.”
“I will not,” Naveen held his ground, especially since it wasn’t just himself he was advocating for, but Lida, AZ, and Floette as well. “Tell us what’s going on, Team Leader,” he mockingly spat Urbain’s title.
Taken aback by the combativeness, Urbain tried to diffuse the situation to keep the peace, “Guys, it’s already 1:00 am, and really, trust me, it’s nothing that can’t wait till tomorrow. So let’s just break for the night and–”
“No. You tell us right now,” Naveen interrupted, growing agitated. “Sorry for being the only one here reacting appropriately to the fact that Serena just thought a BOMB was sent to our home!!!” Naveen shouted fiercely, uncharacteristically raising his voice, and pointing to the package.
Naveen didn’t want to lose his home again.
Urbain could only stare wide-eyed and frozen in place at Naveen. Urbain had never seen Naveen so angry before. He opened his mouth to respond, to say anything that might make things better, but found that he couldn’t.
Urbain didn’t know what to do to help Naveen.
Urbain had fucked up, he’d really truly upset his friend, and had no idea how to deal with it. How could he resolve this? Urbain was torn between two sides of an impossible choice: betray Serena or betray Naveen and Lida. Choose one friend over another. How could he even choose?
He couldn’t, more so, he refused to betray any of his friends. Ever. So Urbain just stood there without offering a word, unable to help anyone.
Useless.
Urbain just wanted things to go back to being good.
Serena had enough of this. She refused, so utterly and categorically refused to be the pin that ruined yet another wonderful friend group. Serena was addled by gut-wrenching, horrible guilt that she’d fucked up AZ’s beautiful happy place he’d created for himself.
That just like five years ago, everything was her fault.
No wonder she and Yveltal were meant to be together. They were both incredibly skilled at accidentally destroying everything they touched.
Especially when they tried not to.
Especially when they wanted to do anything but.
They couldn’t preserve anything.
Maybe that’s all she was good for, destroying things.
And maybe that’s why Serena was able to stop Team Flare and Lysandre in the end. She was their natural enemy: destruction given human form.
While Lysandre was eternal even in death, because what he left behind was a rhetoric, an idea, and an idea was something that lives on forever absent of the effects of time, Serena was destruction — an end.
She destroyed Flare, but she hadn’t destroyed their legacy. Because here it was popping up once again in the form of Quasartico.
Maybe that’s why she failed everything, because an idea could never truly be destroyed. If left to fester, an idea can devolve into something just as destructive as Serena was. Which is why Serena wouldn’t let this idea, this thought of betrayal, fester within Team MZ.
“Don’t blame Urbain, this is entirely my fault,” Serena spoke up.
In all honesty, Serena had been so wrapped up in herself and her plans that she’d completely forgotten that she would need to fill the others in on the situation. More specifically, the actual dangers and consequences of going down this path and what choosing to help her actually meant.
“You’re not prying, Naveen, and you’re completely correct. You deserve to know, and you’re right to call me out on it. In fact, I appreciate that you did.” Serena met each of their gazes individually, hoping that her raw emotions would come through, then bowed her head, regretful. “I truly and deeply apologize for not informing you, all of you, Urbain included, about what is going on. It should have been my first priority, not my last priority.”
“But you did tell me what’s going on the other day,” Urbain countered.
Serena looked away. “No, not fully. I’m used to the others I’m around generally knowing enough of the story so I can get away with not explaining.”
She hadn’t needed to have such a talk with Alexa or Mable as they already knew enough about what happened five years ago because they were involved.
“To be completely honest, I didn’t want to have this conversation with anyone again, and I was purposefully avoiding thinking about it.” Serena looked to AZ. “The only person I’ve ever had this talk with before was AZ and to some extent, the Kalos court system, but now that I’m involved with you three, and in light of what just happened, you more than deserve to know. As you said, let’s have the meeting now.”
“Thank you,” Naveen said stiffly.
“Team MZ meeting in the dining room.” Lida nodded, still tense, and left the room with Naveen, Urbain trailing behind them like a kicked Lillipup.
Serena would rather destroy herself than watch these precious bonds crumble. Because as much as destruction could be an end, it was also a beginning. And even more, a chance to guide what forms out of the chaos left behind. It was Serena’s duty as a leader, as a Champion, and perhaps her destiny, to take such a burden on herself.
From the lips of the immortal king himself – treasure your bonds with people and Pokemon, and never betray them.
That wise old man really did learn something during all those 3,000 years of soul searching, huh?
Her own soul searching journey had begun long ago, but was far from over. History was doomed to repeat itself, but Serena wouldn’t take 3,000 years to reach the same conclusion. She wouldn’t let AZ’s suffering go to waste. She’d give his struggle meaning, and take it on as a new beginning formed from destruction – a lesson learned from history.
Serena only hoped she’d make AZ proud along the way.
Just as Serena made a move to follow the trio, AZ softly asked her, “Do you want me there?” AZ deeply regretted their lack of communication these past five years, but AZ had learned the hard way to not repeat the mistakes of his past. It wouldn’t happen again. From now on, AZ would always be here to support her if she needed it.
“Thank you, gramps, but I can do this on my own,” Serena declared with confidence.
Affection rushed through AZ. “You’ve grown up,” he repeated the very same words he’d said the night of their reunion just a few days ago. This time, meaning it in many more ways than he had before.
Despite Serena’s words, she was not on her own anymore. Now, she had new bonds to nurture. It was time for Serena to move on from the past and grow into a new person. Nothing would make AZ prouder than to watch her blossom before his very eyes.
To see first hand that it hadn’t taken Serena 3,000 years.
Serena laughed and mirrored her own previous response, “That is what happens when a normal human gets older. We’re not all immortal.”
AZ’s smile was radiant and tender. “No, indeed you are not.”
Serena began walking away, then paused. She turned back around, vaulted over the counter, and hugged AZ as tightly as she could.
“Thank you, gramps. Without you…” Serena whispered into his vest, trailing off, unable to continue without likely bursting into tears. Now was not the time to cry, and for the first time in a long time, words were failing her.
Though initially started by Serena’s sudden movement, AZ relaxed into her hold and leaned lower to return the embrace. “Without you, Serena, I would not be here today.” Here in this hotel, with Floette, with friends, with family. Happy.
Loved.
Serena squeezed him even tighter, then after a moment, finally let go. Serena took a deep breath, gathering her bearings, and smiled lovingly at him. “Well then, I’ve got a trauma dump to attend, so if you’ll excuse me.”
AZ chuckled fondly. “Do not let this old man keep you from such fun events.”
“You look absolutely stunning for three thousand, one hundred, and however many years old. You simply must tell me your skin care routine.” Serena hopped back over the counter, and fixed her hair. “But unfortunately, you’re not cool enough to come to my pity party. It’s very exclusive, VIP invitations only, and we have a strict “you must be 1,000 years or younger” invitee policy, you see.”
“Then Floette and I shall retire for the night. We wouldn’t want to violate such a thing,” AZ joked back.
“Yes, that would be quite rude.” Serena smirked and teasingly bantered, “But I’m glad to see the king of Hotel Z still remembers a few things, proper manners among them.”
AZ scoffed and rolled his eyes in response to her jab. Satisfied and reassured, Serena turned on her heel and walked to join the rest of Team MZ.
If Serena was destined to forever destroy, she at least wanted to be like a Phoenix, like Ho-Oh, given new life by a flame, a Flare, and rise from the ashes once more in a new form. She would form herself anew and move forward.
This time, when Serena was torn down again, be it today, tomorrow, next week, or years from now, Serena wouldn’t be naive to it. It wouldn’t be as scary as before… because Serena already had done it. She could pull herself together and become something forged out of the ruins of her past, out of her trauma, instead of something that is forever weighed down by it.
And if Serena was destined to be a being of destruction – the cyclical nature of someone who is willing to confront the unknown, someone who’s willing to be hurt, someone who is willing to shoulder that burden for someone else, because it was the right thing to do, and because she could take it – then so be it.
Because the more Serena thought about it the more she realized this cycle was what she was meant to, and more importantly, wanted to do.
At its core, destruction was an end and a beginning. The ability to pick yourself up again and try in face of adversity, each time recovering a little faster and coming back a little stronger. It wasn’t that Serena would be dull to the pain, but rather gilded by it, shaped by the sum of her experiences, and always changing, never eternal.
Serena would fight for what she believed in: her ideals, her dreams, her Pokemon, the people she loved and cared about, and Kalos – her home. No matter the risk, no matter the stakes, no matter the difficulty. It was the willingness and drive to keep going. To keep persevering despite all odds.
That’s who Serena was. Because even at her most downtrodden beaten state, she couldn’t sit idly by. She kept fighting. It might’ve taken her a little longer to come back this time, but she still came back.
Serena vowed to keep coming back. She would always keep trying, she would always keep fighting, because that’s who she was: destruction.
Serena wondered if this was just what growing up was like. Maybe this was just what life was.
And life was never like the movies. Serena learned that the hard way all those years ago.
But maybe it could be better than the movies. After all, Serena could write her own story. Serena could change the plot as she’d like – an active participant shaping the narrative with her own hands. Building something as much as she could tear it all down.
Serena was done with being relegated to a viewer on the sidelines, it was time for the spotlight.
Serena wasn’t 13 anymore. It wouldn’t be like five years ago. No, this sequel would be better than the original.
Because no matter the pain, the pleasure, the mistakes, the problems, the joy, the changes to the plan…
…The show must go on.
And Serena was nothing if not a showman.
Z • ───── 🎬 *CLACK!* 🎬 ───── • A
“To begin, I fully acknowledge that I am a deeply paranoid person,” Serena said from her seat at the dining table. With how Lida and Naveen seated opposite from them, the positioning almost made it feel like she and Urbain were on trial.
“...Have you considered therapy?” Naveen asked seriously.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“As I said, yes, I considered it.”
“Ughh.” Naveen was ready to slam his head down on the table. “And why did you choose not to pursue that avenue?"
Serena deadpanned, “I literally just told you that I am so paranoid I thought a gift box was a bomb by default. Do you really think I would trust a therapist to keep my dark secrets?”
Serena admitted to herself she probably should go to therapy, but there was no way that was happening. Arceus, could you imagine what would happen if someone found the innocent random guy that she told everything to? Serena didn’t even want to think about how far “client-patient confidentiality” would hold under threat of harm. And with the things Serena knew… Well, if any of that information got out, it would be monumentally disastrous for the entire world.
Serena would stick with AZ’s Hotel Z bedside therapy service for now.
“Hey, at least you're aware you have trust issues,” Lida commented.
“Yes, I am choosing to trust you three,” Serena stressed the difference. “Quite frankly, I’m not going to spill all my deepest darkest secrets to you, and it would be unfair of you to ask that of me, but I’ll trust you enough to keep you informed of what matters. A repeat of tonight’s lack of transparency in regards to safety concerns will never happen again. Of this, I swear.”
Naveen wasn’t an idiot, he could tell that under the mask Serena was putting on, she was extremely uncomfortable, just as much as he was about asking about this in the first place– scratch that, she was even more uneasy than he had been.
No, Naveen realized that Serena hated every second of this. Serena hated being vulnerable, not just emotionally vulnerable, but on all accounts. She was deeply afraid that if she let her guard down for even just a second, she’d pay dearly for it.
It wasn’t about not showing emotion or not willing to be seen as weak, Serena didn’t seem to have a problem with that, it was about putting herself on display, ready to be burned by people she cared about. Those whose judgement did matter to her. Naveen wondered how many people had burned bridges with her for Serena to develop such extreme paranoia as a coping mechanism.
Serena was still the Serena Naveen idolized, the same one he thought he knew, but seeing her rattled and afflicted with problems Naveen sympathized with to a degree began humanizing her in his mind.
Perhaps they were more alike than Naveen initially realized.
But unlike Naveen, Serena willingly invited the possibility of being hurt again despite being uncomfortable, wary, absolutely hating this, and going against every instinct that told her to run. Naveen now implicitly understood that no matter how jaded Serena was, no matter how many times Serena got hurt, no matter the pain it would bring, she would always be willing to try again. To believe in people. Paranoia was the side effect, not the cause.
Serena would rather be hurt than hide.
Naveen found he couldn’t help but respect her immensely for it. While he wouldn’t– couldn’t reciprocate, in time maybe he could find it in himself to do so. Just like with his career as a designer, Serena had inspired Naveen to try.
Serena really was his idol.
“That’s all I’m asking for. I’m not expecting you to open up like that. I told you, I respect your boundaries.” While Naveen recognized the effort Serena was making by putting herself on the chopping block, he wasn’t willing to forgive and forget. He needed her words to be validated by actions. “But please excuse me if I’m still a little skeptical about taking you for your word about transparency given your previous lack thereof and self-admitted trust issues.”
“Hey, she said she was going to do better,” Urbain defended. Urbain had figured from the start Serena was paranoid. He didn’t understand how Naveen wasn’t satisfied with Serena’s resolution. Trying to make a change like that was hard, and Serena being willing to do so for Team MZ really touched him.
“Lay off him, Urbain,” Lida scolded. She acknowledged Serena’s resolve, but she too needed time to think through all of this. So far, this wasn’t news to Urbain. Just because Urbain had already rationalized it, it wasn’t fair of him to assume she and Naveen would bounce back immediately without the same time Urbain had taken for himself before now.
“Your skepticism is appreciated, Naveen,” Serena acknowledged.
“But it wasn’t a bomb,” Urbain insisted. He had likewise been startled by Serena’s earlier behavior, but everything worked out fine in the end. There wasn’t any danger.
“No, it wasn’t,” Serena agreed. But, in a way, it was, given how it almost imploded Team MZ.
Thanks a lot, Jacinthe, whoever you are.
Serena continued, “However, personally, and I feel like you would all understand this, not just Naveen, I would rather be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to any of our lives. That is why I acted as I did and assumed the worst.”
Lida valued self-care, and in light of her own history with people, read up a little on psychology to find healthy coping mechanisms. Serena was delusional to some degree, but absolutely not hallucinating. Serena’s views were founded in reality, her lived experiences, and, quite possibly depending on what that actually was, the current situation. Despite her only expertise in diagnosis coming from a handful of surface-level web pages she’d skimmed through, Lida was pretty confident Serena had PTSD.
Suddenly, why Serena had left for Hoenn made a lot more sense. Lida hadn’t known her friend was suffering this much all these years. This was a big deal, and Lida was going to take it seriously.
“What were you going to do if it was a bomb?” Naveen probed.
Serena’s response was automatic, “Give it to Lemis and have him launch it as far as he could into the air and then hit it with Oblivion Wing so it would explode in the atmosphere, far away from us and where it couldn’t hurt anyone.” Of course she’d thought about this before. Lemis was her go-to bomb squad.
…Ever since he protected her from… that… five years ago.
Lida’s hand shot up.
Serena raised an eyebrow at the action. “Lida, you don’t have to raise your hand.”
Lowering her hand, Lida asked, “Who’s Lemis?”
“Oof,” Urbain remarked, wincing. He was young and innocent once too, Lida. And by once he meant, like, almost two days ago, the distant time before he petted a god of death. Two days could really change a man.
“Lemis is my partner, Yveltal,” Serena answered simply. The word “partner” now meant something quite different than “partner Pokemon” to her upon her new resolution.
“HURK–!!” Naveen choked on air and began coughing furiously.
“What?!” Lida exclaimed, eyes wide.
Recovering and now seeking urgent clarification, Naveen sputtered, “As in that Yveltal?!”
“Yes,” Serena agreed proudly, eyes sparkling, excited to show off her beautiful boy. “He is very cute and adorable. Do you want to meet him?! He likes Roseli Berries and head scratches! Here, we can go outside–”
“NO THANK YOU!!” Lida interjected standing up and slamming her hands down on the table. “I opt out of giving Yveltal head scratches! Nope! No way! Absolutely not! That is where I draw my line!” Are you crazy?! Lida would take a fake-bomb over that any day!
Serena pouted, “Stop being dramatic, Urbain happily did it without protest.”
Incredulous, Lida stared at Urbain, who was doing his damndest to shrink away in an attempt to avoid her judgemental gaze. “Bro, you are so whipped–”
“ANYWAYS!!” Urbain shouted over Lida. “Yveltal’s not what matters right now. Serena was gonna start monologuing about her plan, or trauma, or something…”
“Oh my god, Urbain,” Naveen groaned under his breath in second-hand embarrassment from both agreeing with Lida’s take and Urbain’s horribly fumbled words.
“As Urbain oh so tactfully put it, let’s talk about my plan and trauma.” Serena rolled her eyes. “Urbain has already volunteered Team MZ to be my de facto minions for this.”
“Hey!” Lida protested.
“However, you should not run head first into this decision nor be nominated by someone else to do it,” Serena beseeched them. This was important. “You need to make an informed decision for yourselves. After I explain, if this is something you do not feel comfortable doing, I will not at all fault you and will respect your wishes to not be involved. Don’t feel bad about it, that is completely okay and reasonable. It won’t change anything. I’ll still remain a part of Team MZ and participate in team business. This is something you need to really think about before making a decision.”
Urbain determinedly started, “Serena, I already said I’d–”
“Please,” Serena begged, “don’t fight me on this.”
Taken aback by the emotion wrought in her voice, Urbain relented, “I– Okay.”
“But I will ask that regardless of what decision you make, you keep everything I am about to tell you completely secret.” Serena took a deep breath. “Quasartico is corrupt and spying on all of Lumiose.”
“Do you have evidence of that?” Naveen cautiously asked. Serena thinking a company was spying on them was understandably something he’d now question given the previous topic of Serena’s deeply rooted paranoia.
“It’s real guys,” Urbain assured. “Serena secretly flew back to Kalos. No one knew she was here. When I met Serena, she was in disguise, and I didn’t know who she was until way later. Not even an hour later, we got stuck in a battle zone, got out, then went to Hotel Z. The next day, Quasartico sent her an invite to the Z-A Royale with her name on it to her personal private phone. In the 30 some odd minutes Serena and I were in that battle zone, they’d somehow figured out who she was, found her secret contact information, and waited until she was awake to send it.”
“How?” Lida pressed. Okay, yeah, maybe Serena was right to be paranoid.
“What’s ironic about the whole thing is that I am one of the only people who could have ever figured out the answer to “how?” Years before Quasartico sprung up their tech around the city, there was a different company that predated them holo-tech wise who developed the Holo Caster, Lysandre Labs. The two companies' holo-techs appearance and execution are identical. But in her own advertisement, Jett said their holo-tech was patented,” Serena scoffed. “That's not possible – it would be IP infringement and blatant stealing. Not only that, but Lysandre Labs was shut down five years ago and their data was supposed to be locked forever under key.”
“Serena,” Urbain said carefully, much more affected by this than by anything else that happened tonight. “Is… is Lysandre Labs’ holo-tech connected to Quasartico’s?”
“Why does Lysandre Labs sound so familiar? I feel like I’ve heard it before, not just about the Holo Caster…” Lida wondered aloud.
“Because Lysandre Labs was the company used as a front for Team Flare,” Serena verified.
Urbain, stricken, reeled back like he’d been slapped. Oh.
Urbain hadn’t known anything at all.
“From what I have found,” Serena disclosed, “Quasartico has acquired all of Lysandre Labs’ data and has repurposed their holo-tech technology into the Quasartico branded one. Quasartico is actively using Lysandre Labs’, or rather, Team Flare’s secret holo-tech spyware in all of the holo-tech across the city.”
“They made what?!” Urbain exclaimed, eyes wide, horrified. “They- I knew they were watching, but I– I-I didn’t–” Urbain struggled though his thoughts. “It’s-it’s built into the holo-tech?!”
‘Thank fucking Arceus Urbain was finally taking this seriously,’ Naveen thought. Urbain’s previous nonchalance was driving him up the wall. It seemed like their team leader hadn’t truly understood the scope of what was going on either.
“I saw the original Lysandre Labs spyware in action with my own two eyes,” Serena maintained. “I assure you, it’s real. What Quasartico is doing is illegal, a gross invasion of privacy, and everyone is being monitored.”
“The spyware… if… they made it, were they using it in the Holo Casters too?” Urbain asked, though he knew the answer he’d receive. His gut churned. “They were watching everyone five years ago…” No, it must’ve started from the initial launch of the Holo Caster. They had to make the back door into the device itself. There was a chance it could’ve been a software update, but Urbain couldn’t know for sure. He wasn’t an expert like his–
“They were,” Serena confided in them, confirming Urbain’s fears. “The spy device was supposed to have been destroyed five years ago by some of my allies…” Serena averted her eyes. “But I was careless, I trusted their word, and didn’t follow up. I didn’t realize I’d missed it until I got that invite to the Z-A Royale. They didn’t delete the data.”
Urbain stiffened up. “You shouldn’t be- you’re not responsible for that!” Urbain claimed, impassioned. “That mistake is on them for not taking care of it right. Not on you!” He shook his head. Urbain slumped back in his chair, deflating, propped an elbow up on the table, and leaned forward to hold his head at his hairline, looking down. “They should’ve taken care of it right…” he murmured frustratedly to himself, voice tinged with despair. Urbain whispered, “Why didn’t they take care of it right…”
“I appreciate that,” Serena gently acknowledged, “but regardless, it was a mistake that happened. However, I believe Quasartico’s involvement goes beyond just repurposing tech. By Jett’s own words in that fucking advertisement from hell,” Serena sneered, “she said the exact words, “A city even more beautiful than before awaits all of us.” Innocuous to some, but knowing they have Lysandre Labs’ data, I am taking it extremely seriously to the highest degree.”
“...So you thought that package was from Quasartico, or rather, a new sect of Flare?” Naveen reasoned, the grim truth starting to settle in. She really did think it was a death threat.
Serena nodded. “Yes.”
“Serena…” Shaken, Urbain couldn’t hold back any longer. “What really happened with Team Flare?”
Ah, there it was. Serena braced herself. “As I’m sure you know, five years ago, I took down Team Flare. However, what you don’t know is that the version of the story given to the public was purposefully watered down and left vague to prevent mass hysteria.”
“What…?” Naveen unconsciously spoke, eyes wide.
She could do this. “Without diving into things I don’t want to share, this is the abbreviated true story: Team Flare was a terrorist cell led by their psychopathic charismatic leader, Lysandre, with the goal of killing all life on the planet except for themselves so they could make the world more beautiful in their image.”
Serena’s toes curled in her shoes, desperately trying to find something to grip for reassurance without being seen, but found nothing.
“To do so, they discovered an ancient incredibly powerful weapon buried beneath Geosenge town and planned to use it to commit mass genocide on a global scale,” she paused, slowly closed her eyes, caught in a memory, before she was able to push it away.
Serena took a deep breath in, held it for a second, then released it. She forced herself to continue, “I won’t sugar coat this, it was a very very close call. If I had gotten there seconds later, none of us would be here today.”
The silence that followed was grueling as they contemplated her words… What could you even say?
They sat like that for a few minutes before Urbain hesitantly spoke up, “Was Lysandre Labs a shell– a front from the start? Was it always… was it always just Flare?”
Because if it was then… then…
Urbain silently balled his hands into fists under the table where no one could see, nails digging into his palms.
Solemnly, Serena replied, “It was always Flare.”
Serena should’ve known this would hit Urbain hard. He always wanted to believe the best in people, and it was difficult to learn how much bad existed in the world. How much people could hide behind and how far they were willing to go. She knew Urbain wanted to believe that it had started differently. That it had been good. Serena had thought the same way once upon a time. But that wasn’t the case. Not really, at least. The real answer was more blurred.
Urbain went rigid. “How can you be sure?” he probed intensely.
“I sat through all of the Team Flare trials. Every single one of them. I had to. I had to see it through to the end,” Serena attested, her face stony. “I also served as a victim and the key witness. I heard everyone’s stories, intimately. That’s not even counting the fact that Lysandre told me to my face before everything went to shit.”
It was one of the many many reasons why Serena’s testimony had been invaluable during the Team Flare trials.
…Even if she kept some of the details of her experiences to herself. Serena told the courts the absolute truth, but some things were too hard to confess explicitly, and she glossed over them when it wouldn’t affect the trial. Especially five years ago when it was still an open wound rather than the tender jagged scar it was today.
“While I actually believe Lysandre when he said he made efforts to pursue other routes before deciding committing genocide was the best option, and maybe he had noble intentions long, long ago before becoming a misanthrope, but the fact of the matter still stands that Lysandre Labs was always a cult before it turned to terrorism,” Serena denounced as plainly as she could. “By Lysandre’s own admission, Lysandre Labs was founded solely to be a vehicle of his ideology, and the company’s purpose never changed – it escalated. Because that’s what cults and psychopaths do, they escalate.”
“But… but!! They couldn’t have all been trying to do what they did– trying to do that!” Urbain insisted, struggling to grasp what had happened. “They couldn’t have!” He quietly uttered, his voice defenseless and raw, “…All of them?”
Serena sighed, this was a difficult pill to swallow for anyone. Just like it had been for her. “What do you know about cults, Urbain? I’m not asking this as a judgement of you, I’m earnestly asking how much you know about cults and their practices.”
“They’re all crazy…” Urbain answered, filled with sorrow and glancing off to the side, defeated.
“No, they’re not,” Serena refuted.
Urbain snapped his gaze back to her. “But you just said that they were?”
“I said that Lysandre and Team Flare as a whole were insane. But that is a generalized overview, the reality is more nuanced, not so cut and dry. Do you really think Lysandre found hundreds of scientists and members off the street who couldn’t wait to kill everyone in the world?” Serena asked rhetorically, scoffing.
The Team Flare trails would’ve been so much easier if that was how it went down. But real life was never black and white or even gray. Life was in full technicolor, and that made things as difficult and messy as they were fun and vibrant.
“No. That’s not how it works. Cults attract and seek out desperate, vulnerable people, and prey upon them.” Thinking of Mable, Serena provided an example to illustrate her point, “Say your a scientist with cutting edge research in a field no one seems to care about, and right when you’re struggling the most, an unbelievably charismatic helping hand reaches out to you who sees the value in your work that no one else sees, believes so deeply in you, and saves you financially by funding your research. That is how the majority of the scientists in Flare were recruited.”
Urbain’s face rapidly paled even further until he was sheet white.
“They take advantage of the inevitable hero-worship and idolization while slowly introducing ideology to them. It’s a gradual indoctrination, and that’s the worst part of all of it. Most all of the members of Flare, aside from a handful of them, truly started off as people that really just wanted to make the world a more beautiful, better place. And then Lysandre poisoned that,” Serena spat, fuming.
Just like he’d poisoned Serena’s childhood.
“That’s what cults do,” Serena avowed, her voice growing upset and emotional. “They sink into an echo chamber of ideology that reinforces their opinions over time. It’s the power of mass community validation that spirals downwards as they perpetually enable each other. They slowly escalate in a way that members can’t help but follow along with. Because it seems right. An idea, a message, a symbol, a story can be just as dangerous as it can be wonderful.”
Stories were agnostic, perception and people, however, were not.
“So they were all brainwashed?” Lida furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of it.
Serena shook her head. “Brainwashing implies that the members are absolved of guilt and not responsible for their own actions. “I was following orders” is not a get out of jail free card. During their time at Flare, they still fully had agency no matter what. They still chose to follow along. It doesn’t absolve them of their actions.”
A soldier being ordered to shoot to kill didn’t change the fact that the soldier still killed someone.
“So then, they all were…” Urbain sounded helpless.
Serena nodded. “Yes, they were all involved. Eventually. Even if it started out as innocent hope, everyone was complicit in the end.”
“Why are ex-Flare people just allowed to walk the streets then?!” Lida shouted, distraught.
“Because I believe in redemption and second chances,” Serena answered without hesitation. “They did what they did, and nothing will change that. However, they suffer blame, yes, but blame on a spectrum. Those who did truly get swept up in it all or truly seek to make amends should be given a chance to try again. While others who were never going to see reason or were more chiefly involved received harsher punishments. Each member’s sentences reflect that.”
Their glorious leader, Flare till the very end, received the harshest punishment of all: death. A rather serendipitous and poetic end, despite how much watching him die traumatized Serena.
Serena stared each of them in the eyes, before declaring, resolute, “People can change… but not everyone wants to.”
Some chose to be stagnant. Preserved. Eternal. Some would just forever be Team Flare.
Just like Lysandre.
Serena could still hear Lysandre screeching in madness, slamming down his visor on the floor with excessive brutal force, that if this was the end, he wouldn’t go away quietly, no… he’d fire the Ultimate Weapon with its one shot and kill everyone in Kalos, himself included.
Lysandre had suddenly quieted down mid-sentence, looked Serena directly in the eyes, and whispered, “Starting with you.”
Lysandre’s words echoed from the emptiness of the chamber, ringing over and over in Serena’s ears, slamming into her like he had shouted them.
Serena was the only one there to hear them.
Because Serena was alone.
She’d never forget the sheer loathing vitriol dripping from his voice or the shattered wild look in his eyes as he glared at her. Not only did he mean it, but the very instant he’d said it, Serena knew down to the very depths of her soul that Lysandre hadn’t wanted to kill her with the Ultimate Weapon…
…Lysandre wanted to kill Serena with his own two hands.
Killing Serena was personal, and Lysandre wanted her to suffer.
It wouldn’t have been quick.
“Serena… this is… a lot.” Lida struggled to organize her thoughts. Tierno never talked about Team Flare, and then eventually, he left to pursue dance in Unova. She had been proud of her brother for taking the opportunity, but his whole friend group splintered off and left Kalos shortly after Serena became Champion. She'd always thought there was more to it. Lida understood why now.
Lida was heartwrenched. ‘Tierno…’
Lida always saw Tierno and his friends as this pillar of strength. They took a chance, journeyed across the region, explored, learned something about themselves, and then came back stronger than ever. Hell, Serena became the Champion! The strongest Trainer in Kalos!
But there was one day Lida could never really forget. It always lingered in the back of her mind. Tierno had unexpectedly returned back home out of the blue with no warning. He had a black eye. Their parents and Lida had harped on him about it, but he’d said it was a training accident. They all believed him, things like that can happen when training Pokemon, and let it rest.
That night at dinner Tierno announced he wanted to go overseas after this journey had ended. He said he’d heard exciting chatter about the dance scene in Unova, and that traveling in Kalos with his friends had given him the courage to go for it.
Lida was in awe of her brother. She wanted to be like him. Unafraid of the unknown and willing to take chances for his dream!
But then, after they’d all gone to sleep that night, Lida couldn’t quite fall asleep and went to the kitchen to grab a drink of water. She tiptoed by the closed door of her brother‘s room, trying to be as silent as she could not to wake anyone, and that’s when she heard it – sobbing.
Her brother was crying quietly, in the dark of his room, alone. He hadn’t wanted Lida or their parents to see.
At that moment, Lida instinctually knew the black eye wasn’t from a training accident.
Something happened to Tierno.
But Lida hadn’t pushed. She hadn’t opened the door.
She and Tierno were close, really close. They bickered like siblings do, but they were the best of friends and even shared the same dream. They always confided in each other, and they knew everything about each other's lives, their feelings, their worries. Tierno had told her about how he sometimes felt like the odd man out in his friend group, Lida told him she worried their parents would be disappointed in her.
She’d thought that if her brother didn’t want to tell her yet, she shouldn’t push. He’d tell her when he was ready.
Once she’d heard the quiet cries, it had been impossible to fall asleep until Lida knew he had stopped. An hour or two later, Tierno’s cries finally died down. Lida was left to her thoughts for a little longer before she fell asleep too.
The next morning, Lida accidentally slept in, tired from the night before and the thoughts that weighed on her. Her mom told her that Tierno had left earlier that morning. He seemed to be in quite a rush.
Looking back, that night occurred only a week or so before Geosenge Town exploded.
The next time she saw her brother was around a month later. While he didn’t have a black eye or any injuries, there was something about him that had changed. Tierno’s smile that never failed to warm her heart, make her feel better, and raise her spirits, seemed just a little bit strained.
Lida chose to tell herself that everything was alright. Her brother would tell her if something was wrong. So nothing must be wrong. Look, he was still smiling! And Tierno was going to Unova to take dance to another level! She was proud of her brother!
Tierno never told her why he cried that night or what had happened to his eye.
Before Lida even registered it was happening, Tierno started to slip away, and they weren’t as close as before.
They still talked, still loved each other, still were amazing friends, but it wasn’t the same. Somewhere along the way, they stopped telling each other other things. They stopped being as open with each other.
Now hearing what was really going on during Tierno’s journey, Lida regretted not opening that door.
Lida needed time to think.
“I know it’s a lot.” Serena stared off into the distance, seeing harrowing memories that would never leave her. “I know that better than anyone,” Serena’s voice cracked. She paused, blinking away the cobwebs, and gathering herself once more. “That's why I’m insisting you take time to think this through, as long as you need, and reassurance that it’s completely okay if you decide to not be involved. You more than deserve an informed choice free of pressure.”
Something Serena never had.
Serena steeled herself, then continued, “Regardless, I take full accountability for the situation currently at hand, which is why I am staying in Lumiose indefinitely. It is my responsibility as Champion to see this to its conclusion… once more.”
When he had chosen to go against every fiber of his being and challenge Serena about the bomb, Naveen could’ve never imagined what an… intense, alarming, utterly world-shattering apocalyptic land mine he’d accidentally stumbled upon. He’d been so close to losing his home, his life, years ago and he didn’t even know it. Quite frankly, the only way Naveen was able to participate in this conversation right now was by compartmentalizing and telling himself he’d process everything later.
The sinking pit in his gut told him that his home still wasn’t safe. Not at all… and Naveen wasn’t sure if he was willing to put his life on the line.
He needed to focus in and ask the questions he needed the answers to before the moment was lost. Naveen needed to know the full picture.
“Why are you participating in the Z-A Royale?” Naveen prodded.
“Because they, like most of the world, thought I was a dumb blonde model who couldn’t deal with confrontation and ran away five years ago.” Serena felt a kind-of morbid humor about the whole thing. “Quasartico thought they could take advantage of me for my title.”
Mind running a mile a minute, Naveen began connecting the dots of her plan. His eyes widened in realization, and Naveen looked up at Serena, utterly baffled. “You’re using the media against them.” He’d known from the start that Serena was fucking iconic. But this? This was something else.
“Correct,” Serena confirmed. Finally, something that wasn’t shitty to talk about! She’d much rather discuss her diabolical machinations than Flare!
While normally Serena wouldn’t reveal so much of her plans with anyone, if they were really going to be a team, if she was really going to rely on her bonds, she was going to try. And to truly try, she had to go out on a limb, take a risk, and actually choose to trust them, really trust them, no matter how hard it was.
Treasure your bonds with people and Pokemon, and never betray them.
Serena vowed to make AZ proud.
The puzzle pieces continued to fall in Naveen's head, as he imagined the plan unfolding and what steps would come next. “That’s why you announced your participation to the world.” It was brilliant. So brilliant that he actually thought it would work. Naveen never would have expected Serena to be so cunning. They really did underestimate her. All of them, himself included.
“…You expected retaliation for ruining Quasartico’s media attention by making it focused on you, not them,” Lida posed, now that Naveen had laid it out for them, she was catching on quickly. “That’s why you thought Quasartico sent that box.”
“But trying to kill you like that would have worked against them,” Naveen countered.
“The media publicity is a safety net just as much as it is a ploy,” Serena divulged. “It’s unlikely they’d try to hurt me, but even then, it would have been irresponsible of me to not have assumed Quasartico wouldn’t respond in some way. I’d rather be safe and consider the worst than sorry.”
Urbain’s eyes widened. “You activated the media to protect Hotel Z and us.” Serena assumed the gift was a bomb to protect them. She made everything so much harder on herself just to keep them safe.
Urbain saw it clearly now – Serena might be an aggressively paranoid person, but she wasn’t wrong to be. Paranoia was how she kept the people she cared about safe more so than herself safe. Which was why she opened the package herself despite not knowing what was inside and fearing the worst. Serena put herself in the line of fire. There wasn’t even a moment's hesitation about it.
“I was going to go it alone, but then Urbain and a fabulous old woman offered me some sage advice – this isn’t just my problem, this is all of Lumiose’s,” Serena echoed their words. “You were right, Urbain, it’s not just my fault.” Serena’s face softened, she reached out to grab Urbain’s arm, and gazed into his eyes. “Thank you, truly, thank you for making me realize that and for fighting through my stubbornness.”
Urbain was filled with hope and affection, combatting his overwhelming dread. Urbain made a difference. A real difference. His words had mattered. He helped.
Urbain hadn’t been useless. Not to Serena.
“You’re going to make Lumiose help itself,” Urbain murmured, more than a little overwhelmed with emotion.
Serena was choosing this path because Urbain told her to. Serena was choosing to trust Team MZ because of Urbain.
Serena listened to him. She actually did.
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Serena confirmed outright. “Starting with a grand public performance.”
You can lead a Ponyta to water, but you can’t force them to drink. Serena’s experiences with Flare had taught her that just telling someone the right answer won’t change things. People will often not listen to you. But an idea is powerful. And creating the right idea, a story, was even more powerful. Stories can move mountains, stories could save lives, stories could change a region, stories could craft loyal genocidal followers who believed in your every word. Stories were power.
Lysandre had more than proven that.
But making someone else think the idea was their own? That you didn’t have to lead a Ponyta to water, but you could make a Ponyta think, “I have to go get water,” and drink on their own without you forcefully leading it there by the reins? Make the Ponyta think it was their idea?
Oh, there was nothing more powerful than that.
And that’s what Serena planned to do. “Just pointing out the problems within Lumiose won’t change anything. But if I can make the public come to the same conclusions I have on their own with some guidance, well, that would inspire a revolution.”
Serena was going to rally the people and make them stand up for themselves. It wouldn’t just be Serena.
Not this time.
This time, Kalos would rise up against everything Lysandre stood for and his efforts to preserve the world in stagnation.
“Barricades and guillotines, Moire had said,” Urbain recalled. Perhaps Moire’s advice wasn’t as dark as he’d once thought – the woman articulated the same message Urbain had, only using extremes to hammer her point home. Moire and Urbain had issued her a call to arms that now served as a beacon of hope illuminating Serena.
“Barricades and guillotines indeed,” Serena repeated. Cemeteries were undeniably the best places in the world. Nothing quite compared. “But my current problem with the gift came after I’d opened it – it wasn’t from Quasartico. And that’s almost worse because no one other than you three, AZ, and Quasartico should know where I’m staying in Lumiose. It would go against Quasartico’s interests to tell people where I am. They want to save me for battle zone appearances, or anything affiliated with them, only.”
“I see. They want people to go to the battle zones to see the Champion, not go to Hotel Z or anywhere else. So then the gift-sender followed us leaving the hotel to the battle zone?” Naveen theorized.
“It couldn’t have been that.” Lida shook her head in disagreement. “That gift was so fucking extra! Like, the address was literally engraved in metal on a custom made box! And the invites?? To arrange all of that? No way! They must've known hours ago.”
“Had they found out with Quasartico, by how much unhinged insanity was packed into that box, I would’ve gotten that gift long before now. Days before,” Serena agreed with Lida.
“But you didn’t. So they found out this morning in the news just like everyone else, and acted immediately,” Naveen deduced, now seeing the other problem Serena was leading them to.
“So then how did that lady know where we were?” Urbain asked, catching on to the new issue at hand.
“Exactly.” Serena declared, “So I – or rather, if you do decide to help me once you’ve fully thought everything through – we have to go to that party, because now only one question remains about what happened tonight: who the actual fuck is Jacinthe?”
Z • ──── . ݁₊˚⊹ 🌃 ⊹˚₊ ݁. ──── • A
Haunted by the memories tonight had unearthed and unable to fall asleep, Serena threw on a shawl over her nightgown and slipped out of her room. She needed some air. After taking great care to quietly close the door behind her, Serena looked up to unexpectedly meet Urbain’s eyes. He was seated in one of the hallway chairs, one leg across his other knee, head propped up in his hand, and wearing pajamas.
Urbain was just as wide awake as she was.
Startled out of deep contemplation by Serena’s abrupt appearance, Urbain’s head slipped out of his hand. “What are–”
“SHH!” Serena shushed him, then realized she’d been quite loud herself and slapped her hand over her mouth.
Continuing on with her goal, Serena turned, tiptoed to the elevator, and pressed the “up” button. The elevator whirred before stopping with a *ding!* Serena winced at the noise as she entered. Just before the elevator doors fully closed, Urbain stuck his arm inside, causing them to reopen, and joined her in the elevator without a word.
Serena glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Urbain looked conflicted, deep in thought, but… vulnerable. He didn’t want to be alone. Serena realized then that she didn’t want to be either.
She reached out and held his hand.
Urbain stiffened and looked at her. Serena didn’t smile, she didn’t even look at him, her eyes facing forward, but she squeezed his hand once, reassuring him she was here. He turned his gaze back at the elevator door, took a deep breath, relaxing his posture, and wrapped his hand back around hers.
Walking out on the roof and into the cool crisp night air, the two of them paused, taking in the vast sprawling urban landscape. An undeniably beautiful sight, but tonight, the sheer magnitude of the city and the faint glow of the red and green holo-tech looming in the distance filled them with bitterness rather than wonder.
They settled into the rooftop couch next to each other, hand in hand, and eyes still fixed out over the twinkling Lumiose lights. Serena pressed closer into Urbain’s side and leaned her head on his shoulder. Urbain tilted his head to rest atop hers and squeezed her hand, mirroring Serena’s previous gesture, offering her his silent comforting support.
Neither of them would be getting any sleep tonight, their minds far too occupied to rest.
But at least they weren’t alone.
End Notes
Jacinthe: (Reading her print copy of the Lumiose Press with her lavish breakfast) She’s back?! Finally! Why, we are simply destined to become the greatest of friends! I shall prove our compatibility with an illustrious gift worthy of her status and throw her a party, Le Magnifique Brunch de Jacinthe, with Grand Duchess Serena as the guest of honor! She’ll be so impressed! I shall have it delivered post haste!! Serena: (Gets a pink sparkly gift in the mail whose packaging alone easily costs more than 400,000P) There’s no other explanation for what this could be – it’s a bomb.
Serena: Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form – it’s your girl Serena!! Guzma: …Wait a damn minute.
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This fic, though being set in and about Z-A, is also my love letter to XY.
Something I loved about Z-A but wish they’d pushed further was having the people of Lumiose truly stand up for themselves, demand change, give them agency, and take a stand about anything. Z-A needed more elements of revolution. Was there a lot of subtle environmental storytelling about living in harmony? Yes, and that was lovely. But honestly, so many people were just settling and accepting the status quo rather than challenging it. I get the game was trying to promote the idea of harmony, but that’s not how people accept things off the bat. They fight, argue, and PROTEST, and then eventually, harmony is reached. Harmony is born out of discourse. It's France, specifically, Paris, WHERE is the revolution?? No one does protests like the French! I’m convinced protesting is literally in their blood. Thus, I give you Serena’s master plan: REVOLUTION!
Something I found very interesting about Z-A was how the masses truly didn't seem to know what exactly Flare and Lysandre did in the end, their actual goals, and what Flare really was. I thought it was especially interesting how
when Urbain admits he thinks his mom might have gotten help from Lysandre and/or Team Flare at the end of the game, it's said rather offhandedly. Like Urbain knows Flare was "bad," but it comes off like he didn't really think she was involved. He doesn't seem understand entirely the depth of what being in Flare entailed, because seemingly not many people really fully knew what that actually meant in the first place.
The Lysandre telling Serena he was going to kill her himself part was something I really, really love because of how cold and genuinely haunting it is. I want to elevate the XY story as well as the Z-A story through this fic, doing my whole "it's the same story, because I loved that story, just with more flavor (with more flair LMAOOO)" thing, and over time reveal bits and pieces of what I've altered from XY too.
You really don't need to do much to make that ending scene with Lysandre in Pokemon Y hit so so much harder. Because that IS THE STORY OF XY! I didn't really make it up!! A lot of people don't realize HOW fucked up XY really was, and how traumatic it would've been for the characters, more so than most Pokemon games, because it was "I failed, I'm taking you down with me. I want to make you suffer."
In Pokemon X, Lysandre says in that final moment, "Sycamore's pupils... Let us live forever... That's right! I shall grant you eternal life! I'll give you the pain of endlessly waiting for a beautiful world to finally be built!" Meaning, in either version of the game, it was ALWAYS personal in the end for Lysandre, and he wanted you to suffer so so much. The personal revenge and hate for YOU, the player, TRUMPED his ideology for a perfect world -- that's how much he hates you.
The Game Freak just couldn't mimic the same line exactly in Y because it's literally, "I'm going to murder YOU," and that's not really gonna fly in a E rated game lol (in Y, they essentially say he's going to kill everyone in the building without using the word "kill" and soften it A LOT because E rated game lmao). So I fixed it hehehehehe!!!! Part of my agenda here is to make people remember how raw XY's story was. Honestly, XY's story when you think about it from the perspective of the player character, especially in Pokemon Y, is probably the most traumatic one out of all the Pokemon games. Not a lot of people give it credit for that, which is wild and a shame. It's really looked over.
I could go on for so so long about the complexity of Lysandre's character and how the XY storyline is incredible, but I won't and will instead write that essay via this fic lol.
“Lysandre was eternal even in death.” Serena, babe, every good storyteller needs to recognize foreshadowing when it drops! Serena is going to rue whoever invented dramatic irony very soon. Hehehehe…
Urbain thinks his not-date coffee date with Serena was going very very super-mega-awesome well. Then, his good day goes to shit. Again.
-OR-
Ivor is head empty, only fists. However, Serena, in a very Serena move, riding high with over confidence in her natural abilities, tries to scheme and play 4D chess with the man anyways. This backfires spectacularly.
The sun rose over the horizon, marking the dawn of a new day.
Watching the sunrise with Serena, Urbain realized there was nowhere else he’d rather be than here.
Despite the hours spent in quiet contemplation, Urbain hadn’t really settled his thoughts about… that… yet, but being here at Hotel Z with Team MZ, Lida, Naveen, Floette, AZ, and Serena was where he wanted to be. That, at least, hadn’t changed. It wouldn’t change. Because that’s what Urbain at his core cared about – his friends, being a kind helping hand, working to protect the place he called home, and his… family.
Yeah, that…
Yeah…
But Urbain’s point was that no matter what, he was still who he was, and nothing would change that. So even if he might not be in complete order, it was an internal discord that didn’t affect any of the decisions Urbain had to make at this moment. It didn’t change the status quo.
Urbain would stand beside Serena. He’d stand beside Team MZ and the people he cared about. Always.
He wouldn’t lose another precious person.
He didn’t want to watch another loved one whither away and be helpless to stop it.
Urbain wasn’t 13 anymore.
He’d find a way to help.
Even if Lida and Naveen didn’t come around and chose to stay out of Serena’s plans, though Urbain hoped they would decide to help, Urbain would still aid Serena. Just as Urbain, not as Team MZ. He wouldn’t push his friends to do anything they didn’t want to. That wouldn’t be fair or right.
“Hey,” Urbain spoke for the first time since they arrived on the roof together hours prior. “Let’s go grab a bite. Just you and me. I want to give the others their space until they decide they’re ready to talk.” Sitting here wouldn’t solve anything. Urbain had ruminated enough… for now. He’d give Lida and Naveen the same courtesy.
“Hmm,” Serena hummed in approval. “Breakfast sounds nice… Coffee sounds even better. I need caffeine to function at all today.” Urbain didn’t have to say it out loud, Serena could tell from what he wasn’t saying that he was trying to show her that he was agreeing to help her. She understood it was hard to talk about. Making declarations of loyalty and support like that wasn’t something people just did, it was something people showed in their actions. But Urbain’s words, or rather, lack thereof, comforted her none the less.
Serena was assured Urbain wasn’t rushing into this. Last night affected him deeply – Urbain had been sleepless just like her. He did nothing but think it over, and he was making his choice, an informed choice. Urbain’s gentle support made her feel at ease.
Urbain chuckled, then cut himself off with a yawn. “Yeah, you can say that again. I could really go for a good coffee and croissant.”
“I really miss Cafe Classe’s Classe au Lait,” Serena admitted as she stood up. “I haven’t had it in years.”
Urbain withheld a laugh. Of course Cafe Classe would be one of Serena’s haunts.
“They open pretty early, so let’s go there.” Urbain knew the cafe’s hours because it was one of Naveen’s favorite stomping grounds. It was no Nouveau Cafe, but Classe’s coffees were no slouch either… despite often being decorated far more elaborately than necessary to match whatever trends were going on at the moment.
Serena extended her arms over her head with a yawn, stretching out the stiffness and kinks in her back, blinking away the drowsiness of a sleepless night. However, the slight eye strain and the fog weighing down on her mind from the lack of sleep remained. Caffeine was needed to make her brain move past such lingering lethargy. Time to push past it to get dressed and ready for another day.
Just as Serena made a move to leave the roof, Urbain’s gut clenched and he grabbed her hand, stopping her. He thought he was fine leaving things as they were, but in that flash of Serena turning away, Urbain knew he had to say something now while it counted or he’d regret it. “I… I just wanted to say… I’m with you. I won’t let you go it alone,” he declared, raw and intently sincere.
Serena felt a rush of relief wash over her. It was hard to say out loud. Urbain didn’t have to say it out loud… but he did. Somehow he knew she needed to hear that.
Serena was accustomed to not having guarantees and having loose affirmations she told herself were enough while quietly second guessing them in the back of her mind. Serena told herself that she could support herself on subtext alone. Putting on a guise of bravery in face of adversity was her specialty, after all – acting until Serena herself believed her performance.
Urbain’s words were a compulsive honest gut-reaction with no pretense. He didn’t try to think five or even one step ahead. Instead, Urbain followed through with the simple, uncomplicated solution, doing things in the moment and saying what he felt he needed to say, while over thinking everything was Serena’s default setting, sometimes drowning under the weight of her internal monologue.
Urbain wasn’t good at leaving things unsaid, and while that often resulted in him putting his foot in his mouth, it also made for moments like these – the moments that counted.
Urbain couldn’t have known his declaration was one Serena had always wanted to hear, cutting straight to her deepest fear. Serena only had herself to rely upon, Serena vs the world… because she was alone. She always wished she didn’t have to second guess her friendships all the time. Urbain couldn’t have known this was a chink in her armor.
Because while they were friends, and as much as she revealed about herself last night, Urbain didn’t know her. Not really, and not at that level… at least, not yet.
But Serena knew he meant it. Perhaps Urbain truly understood her struggle because he mirrored it himself. Just like that moment in the elevator last night – Urbain just didn’t want to be alone.
Maybe that’s why Serena found herself so ready to believe his words. Because they weren’t just being said for her, a promise with one-sided value that could be forgotten, his words were being said for him too. Urbain needed that promise and needed to hear it out loud just as much as she did.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling with more emotion than she’d intended.
Hearing how much it affected her, realizing she was never as aloof about it as she made it seem, Urbain was ever more assured of his decision. This was the right choice.
She would be remiss if she didn’t offer the same assurance, not after she waited so so long to hear it herself. Mirroring his words, Serena promised, “I’m with you as well. We won’t go it alone because we’re a team, right?”
Urbain’s breath hitched, eyes wide. A second later, he squeezed her hand and gave her a slightly watery smile. “Right.”
Yeah, this was the right choice.
Z • ──── 🌐 ──── • A
𐙚Serena @championserena ✓ · 2h
Rank Y achieved! Thank you to all my incredible opponents last night! But a special thank you to my promotion match participant, Zach, for the excellent battle and the best taxi ride of my life! Lumi Cab never fails to impress! #LumiCabLove
10K Replies | 402K Likes | 87K Reposts | Share
Great Simi-Sage @monkee · 2h
Replying to @championserena ✓
RIP 6 Scatterbugs guy, you were a legend
56 Replies | 51K Likes | 2K Reposts | Share
Lotad Supremacy @lordtad · 2h
Replying to @championserena ✓
Guys I was there!! They drag raced across the Vert District!! People chased them in other taxis!!
Y’all what the hell are Lumi Cab drivers eating? Bc they all just knew how to drag race? And had NO hesitation in just doing that??
1K Replies | 123K Likes | 47K Reposts | Share
Amy @backpacklore · 2h
Replying to @championserena ✓
Suddenly I am overcome with the need to take a Lumi Cab like ASAP
48 Replies | 76K Likes | 15K Reposts | Share
Z • ──── 🌐 ──── • A
Urbain walked over with two cups of coffee in paper to-go cups and croissants. He placed them on the table. “Valued guest,” he dropped into a bow, “I present to you the prized jewel of Lumiose City: coffee and croissants.”
“Why thank you, monsieur.” Serena nuzzled the coffee cup against her cheek, her fake glasses in place to avoid attention. “Ah! Lumiose coffee! How I’ve missed you.”
“It’s a true incomparable delicacy,” Urbain concurred, taking his seat. He eyed some of the other tables and their wayyyyy too decked out uber-flashy drink choices.
‘Fashionistas.’ Urbain internally rolled his eyes. Coffee didn’t need bells and whistles, it was better without it as long as the bean juice was on point – that’s why Nouveau’s Ember Roast reigned supreme. Nothin’ but simple, really great tastin’ coffee with expertly roasted beans, no sugar or spice needed.
A lot of the foo-foo fancy drinks in the city were just adding sparkle to cover up and make people look past their burnt coffee. Nah, a real coffee connoisseur like Urbain, if he did say so himself, could always tell. But Classe was so trendy that even just having good plain coffee was a trend too, so their coffee was pretty solid.
Urbain would concede that Classe’s late art was pretty cool though. One time, the barista drew an Emboar on his coffee, and it made his Tepig’s day.
“Hoenn’s coffee couldn’t hold a candle to a Kalosian roast,” Serena scoffed. “Though, admittedly, their water was quite good.”
Urbain laughed mid sip, almost choking on his coffee. “Pfft! Their water?! Hahaha!”
“Water isn’t all the same, you know,” Serena pouted and took a bite of her croissant.
“I’m surreeeeee it’s not,” he drawled out.
“It’s not!” Serena argued. “The mineral content is different everywhere you go! And the way each brand distills, treats the water, and–” Serena abruptly stopped as Urbain continued to laugh even harder. She crossed her arms. “If you’re just going to laugh, then I won’t even bother explaining.”
“No, no,” Urbain teased with a grin. “Please continue telling me about the intricate differences of… pffft water.”
“I don’t think you deserve to know anymore.”
“But I wanna hear about the water! Really. Totaaaaallly.”
“No, you lost your chance.”
“Awww ‘cmon!!”
Serena went silent, sipping her coffee and ignoring Urbain’s pleading.
But of course, Serena’s inherent need to make others acknowledge that she was right wouldn’t allow her to let the issue be put to bed. “...The water really is different,” she couldn’t help herself from insisting.
Urbain snorted. What a silly hill to die on, but he found the whole thing adorable. Serena sounded more like a petulant child than the Champion of Kalos. Urbain had never seen Serena the Champion ever act like this! Sure, she joked around with him the last few days, and Urbain started seeing her dorky side the other day at the graveyard but–
Oh.
Serena was so at ease with him that she was starting to let her guard down.
Serena wasn’t performing. She hadn’t been since that moment in the elevator last night.
Oh…
“Actually,” Urbain switched gears, his teasing replaced with true interest, “for real, tell me about the water.”
Serena smiled at him, and it might have been the most genuine natural smile Urbain had seen her give him so far. Urbain’s heart fluttered.
“Well, if you insist.”
Z • ──── ₊˚⊹☕ 🥐⊹˚₊ ──── • A
Empty paper coffee cups littered their table. They kept ordering coffees as “to-go” but never ended up leaving, too engrossed in their conversation, and the time slipped away. Energy slowly returned to them with every sip of coffee as the gentle hum of caffeine dulled their exhaustion. Urbain and Serena were each on their fourth cup of coffee. Which was a lot, but today was a four-cup-of-coffee-day.
“So lemme get this straight,” Urbain started with the utmost seriousness as he splayed his fingers out in front of him on the table next to his half-filled cup. “You’re tellin’ me that Steven Stone, like as in ex-Hoenn Champion Steven Stone, that Steven Stone,” he emphasized once more, not quite believing it, “is actually a huge nerd about rocks to the extent that after he lost his Champion title, he used his trust fund money to buy Hoenn’s top bottled water brand so that he could re-engineer the mineral composition to make better tasting water… And he hired pirates to help him.”
Urbain was so locked in.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” Serena looked immensely satisfied. She languidly took a triumphant sip of her coffee. “Steven Stone is a dork who uses his nerdy rock powers to make water. You just think he’s cool because he wears a suit and talks fancy. The whole water operation is all very sustainable and eco-friendly, save the Carracostas and all that, but the brand is hugely successful because the water is absolutely incredible.”
Urbain leaned back in his seat, and ruffled his hair, eyes wide, baffled, just processing everything. The Hoenn water thing ran so much deeper than he’d thought. Holy shit. It helped that Serena was an excellent story teller, but the Hoenn water lore was actually insane.
“Actual pirates?” Urbain couldn’t help but harp on this.
“True bonafide pirates on boats, in nautical-themed coordinated outfits, pilfering, plundering, stealing treasure, and all,” Serena affirmed.
And while said pirates did have a rather odd goal of giving Hoenn more water, Serena very much refrained from using the word terrorist to describe them, despite what May insisted upon. Team Aqua were just pirates doing pirate things, and then made it rain a lot for, like, 3 hours, so… negligible, honestly. They weren’t terrorists, they were just eco-activist pirates, which was a very important distinction to Serena.
“Steven Stone partnered with actual literal pirates to make bottled water,” Urbain repeated himself in an attempt to make it actually sink in. “…do they still dress like pirates?” he asked, sounding more than a little hopeful that the answer would be yes.
“Oh, absolutely,” she delightedly informed him, rolling her cup in her hand.
Thrilled, Urbain’s face lit up. “Well, then there’s obviously only one thing to do,” he announced. “We need to go buy some Hoenn water right now. I need to drink the Steven Stone pirate water immediately.” At the end of the day, every guy reserved the right to just really like pirates.
Serena grinned, shaking her cup. “As soon as I finish this coffee, let’s go.”
Urbain was very much not over this. “Why is no one talking about this?”
“Formally, Devon Corp owns the brand, and it gets lost under all their other IPs. Steven is rather private with his information, but my friend has a personal vendetta against him and will stop at nothing to learn everything about him in an effort to one-up the poor guy at all costs in every rock-related endeavor,” Serena sighed, tilting the cup on the table.
Serena had somehow been roped into being the patsy go-between for the two, and playing referee for their dumb relationship squabbles got a little tiring at times. Mostly because Serena didn’t really care about rocks and caves. Jewelry and stones on the other hand, she did care about. Serena willingly looked past her qualms because Cynthia and Steven both continuously kept bribing Serena with rare precious jewels and stones for information and helping them. Serena was totally fine with spectating their whole rivals to lovers arc while she slowly amassed a small fortune.
“I know about Watergate, as I’ve taken to calling it, because she ranted to me endlessly about how she needed to somehow acquire a water brand herself and needed me to snoop out the competition in Hoenn,” Serena disclosed, fiddling with the lid of her cup, “Luckily, I was able to talk her out of that one… at least for now.”
Serena would quietly admit to herself that she learned wayyyyy too much about the water bottle industry just so she could out logic Cynthia on why owning one was a gargantuanly stupid idea… and because Steven may or may not have bribed Serena to talk Cynthia out of it, but really, who’s keeping track of that?
“And that friend is…?”
“Cynthia.”
“As in…”
“Yeah,” Serena confirmed. “I swear when those two get over themselves they’re gonna get married in a cave.”
“…So can I be your plus one to that wedding because holy shit.” Getting over the fact that Serena was Serena was already a lot for Urbain, being a Champion was crazy cool, but he hadn’t really thought that all the Champions just knew each other. In retrospect, yeah, of course that made sense, but it was like imagining all the Legendary Pokemon inexplicably had a group chat or something. It was just not something people generally assumed at first glance.
And Cynthia was Cynthia. Urbain had to put Serena at the top of his list of favorite Champions, he knew he was totally biased, but she was at the top even before he met her because Kalos pride and all, but Cynthia was absolutely number 2. She had mad crazy aura. If Serena was untouchable and effervescent, Cynthia was intimidating and fear-inspiring. So hearing that Cynthia in real life was actually like… this was shocking.
Honestly, it was a little weird having your new friend be someone actually massively famous, and you remember just how famous they are every once and a while when they casually throw out names of Champions people buy posters of while reciting petty friend drama.
‘Oh my god,’ Urbain suddenly realized. ‘Serena probably does have a group chat with the other Champions. I cannot for the life of me even begin to imagine what that would look like… Does Cynthia send memes?!’
“I’m keeping my options open,” she replied noncommittally, twirling a strand of her hair.
“I’ve got time to convince you that I’d be the best plus one,” Urbain boasted… Wait options?! His eyes widened. Did– did Serena have options!?
Um, not good… But didn’t the way she phrased it also imply Urbain was an option?? Was this good or bad?! Totally unclear.
With an easy grin, Serena interlaced her fingers under her chin, leaning forward on the table, and said, “You’re more than welcome to try.”
Urbain untensed. Alright, he was now leaning towards the option thing being a good thing. He had a chance!
“So did you actually do any science in Hoenn,” Urbain impishly prodded, “or were you just investigating the water industry for Cynthia?” He absentmindedly tipped his chair, rocking back and forth to balance on two legs every so often.
“I did science!!” Serena instantly jumped to defend herself. “I did! I can multitask! I just haven’t finished writing my research paper yet…” a thought popped into her head, and she coyly continued, “because your lovely advertisement came across my feed. So actually, you’re responsible for my lack of science.”
“So I distract you, huh?” Urbain slyly concluded with a slow smirk, his voice smooth as honey.
“T-that’s not what I meant!” Serena sputtered, slamming her coffee cup on the table. Damn this boy for always catching her off guard with his natural charm unexpectedly being ramped up to 11 out of nowhere!
“Oh, but I think that is what you meant,” Urbain refused to budge, sounding like the Meowth who ate the Pidgey, delighting in how flustered she was. Serena looked absolutely gorgeous to him with a blush on her face… not that she didn’t look gorgeous to Urbain at all times, but, yeah, maybe there was something extra special about him being the one to make her react like that. “In fact, I must distract you more than anything considering you abandoned your life’s work to fly halfway across the world just to come see me.”
Serena could feel her cheeks reddening even further. “It was hardly like that–”
“I should’ve known you joined Team MZ because you’re actually my fan!” Urbain teasingly declared. “Unfortunately, I don’t do pictures with fans, but for you? I’d gladly break my rule.” He winked at her. “After all, we look good next to each other.”
Not wanting to lose her ground, Serena collected herself and playfully jabbed back, “And your very advanced artistic sensibilities told you we’d look good together?”
“My vast experience with makin’ advertisements tells me we look natural standing side by side. I don’t know if you know this, but my videos actually caught the attention of the Kalos Champion,” Urbain boasted, crossing his arms behind his head, not so subtly flexing and posing. “I’m kind of a big deal.”
“Oh, really?” Serena challenged, raising an eyebrow. Urbain was really feeling himself right now, wasn’t he?
“Yeah, really really.” Urbain leaned back in his chair even further, balancing it on the back two legs. He rocked back and forth. “She seems prettttttty captivated,” one slightly miscalculated push made the chair legs slip, sending Urbain hurling backwards, “by me–HURKK!!”
Eyes bulging, Urbain’s arms whipped out from behind his head, his limbs flailing in a pointless effort to right himself. His flapping did nothing to prevent gravity from taking hold, and instead, as he went down, Urbain’s outstretched foot hooked the bottom of the table.
Due to the flimsy nature of the table and the force of Urbain’s fall, the table shot up into the sky, soaring several feet up into the air. It twirled around mid-flight, sending their many coffee cups hurling to the ground and splattering everywhere, splashing cold coffee on Urbain’s hair and face, though luckily his clothes and jacket were safe, as he was simultaneously pelted with bits of croissants. The table crash landed off to the side.
“Urghh…” Urbain groaned, splayed out on the ground.
As he made a move to sit up, one last stray empty coffee cup bonked Urbain on the head and clattered onto the sidewalk.
“Really?” Urbain despaired, flopping back down in defeat.
Still seated in her chair, completely spared from the entire debacle and looking just as pristine as ever, Serena blinked once in astonishment before erupting into a fit of unbridled hysterical laughter, “HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”
“I’m good!” Urbain announced, bouncing back up to his feet, and thrusting his arms up above his head as if to prove he was unharmed and declare a victory.
Serena clutched her stomach as she continued to roar without pause, “HAHAHAHAHA!!”
“Nothins’ hurt, well, other than my pride.” Urbain glanced away, then returned his gaze back to Serena and intensely formed a single fist in front of him. With the utmost seriousness, Urbain declared, “But I can live with that.”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Serena devolved even further, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.
Urbain would gladly make a fool of himself if it meant Serena would laugh like that – vibrant, luminous, free, so so happy… and it was all because of him. Yeah, Urbain would let as many coffee cups fall on him as it took to keep that smile on her face.
“If anything, hahaha,” Serena eventually managed to get out in between bouts of laughter, “you’re the one falling over yourself captivated by me! Hahahaha!!”
Serena felt lighter than she had in years. She wanted to remember this moment. A cherished simple memory.
“Come here.” Standing up, Serena grabbed Urbain and pulled him close, uncaring of the coffee dripping off his hair.
“Wha–”
“Smile!”
*Click!*
“If you wanted to take a picture together, Urbain, all you had to do was ask,” Serena mirthfully noted while observing the picture. She looked up at Urbain from under her lashes as she turned the screen for him to see. The photo featured Serena smiling up at Urbain while he stumbled slightly into frame with a confused candid expression and coffee running down his face. “I guess we do look good next to each other.”
Momentarily awestruck by her, Urbain’s eyes widened ever so slightly and he breathed in sharply, before his face softened with adoration and smoothly transitioned into a blindingly bright smile. “Yeah, we’re picture perfect!”
Urbain hadn’t even glanced at the photo.
Serena giggled, her cheeks beginning to hurt. Urbain made it so easy to smile – his joy was practically contagious.
*Click!*
Serena’s Rotom Phone took another photo of them of its own volition without giving any warning.
“Huh?” Serena confusedly blinked.
She looked at her phone. The photo Rotom had taken…
Serena looked so effortless, completely unburdened… just purely and innocently happy. It was the happiest Serena had looked in years. And Urbain looked positively radiant because of…
Cheeks now flaming, Serena glanced at Urbain from the corner of her eyes, and unexpectedly made eye contact. He hadn’t stopped looking at her, it was like the phone didn’t exist to him, he was just focused on her. Urbain looked at her so softly with a tender smile, his bright grin having since faded during the time she’d looked away.
Serena’s heart fluttered.
“A-anyways…” Serena stuttered, turning around and breaking eye contact. “We should help them clean up this mess…”
“Yeah, I do feel kinda bad about it,” Urbain agreed, grimacing while eyeing the overturned table and chair with trash scattered about. “Let’s get cleanin’.”
“Bell boy and housekeeping?” Serena jested, bringing over some napkins. “What can’t you do?”
Urbain bashfully relented, “Well, apparently sitting in a chair properly ain’t on my list of talents today.”
“Yes, that is a very difficult thing to master.” Serena grinned, wiping up some coffee off the ground. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon.”
He chuckled, joining her in the cleanup. As Urbain leaned over to pick up the table, even more coffee dripped down from his hair and across his face.
“Ugh. Clean up on aisle Urbain.” Urbain pinched a strand of his soggy hair and scrunched his nose, looking at it with disdain. “Getting that Hoenn water became even more of an immediate need cuz I’ve gotta rinse this coffee off. Love coffee, but I’m not really aimin’ to moisturize with it.”
Serena smirked mischievously. “Oh, don’t you know? Coffee face masks are all the rage now in Sinnoh. A trend started a few months ago where people are dumping full cups of coffee over their heads.”
Urbain snorted as he continued to clean up. “Yeah, no.” He’d relent on the water thing, but purposefully pouring coffee on your head? Nah. No way.
“No really, it is!” Serena insisted, gathering a few of the coffee cups in her hands. “Recent studies have shown that the enzymes in coffee make your skin glow, hair shine, and promote collagen growth, especially room temperature coffee. Emptying a cup of coffee on your head is the quickest way to cover the hair and face in one go.”
“Okay, fine, I’ll admit I don’t really care about keepin’ up to date on all the beauty trends, so I guess I missed that one, but–” Urbain caught a flash of Serena’s teasing snicker as she stood. With an outraged gasp, he pointed at her accusingly and squawked, “You totally just made that up!”
“No! Really? Pouring coffee on your head for a skincare trend was fake?” Serena sarcastically remarked. “Only an idiot would believe that was real,” she scoffed with a light lingering judgemental gaze.
“Hey!”
Z • ──── ˗ˏˋ 📸 ˎˊ˗ (ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)•́ ہ •̀˶) ──── • A
“So, what do you think?” Serena probed, waiting with baited breath for Urbain’s assessment as they stood under a tree for shade. They’d traveled half-way across Lumiose via taxi to get to the store that specialized in international goods.
Hair and face now free of coffee, Urbain finished his sip and stared at the AQUAfina branded bottle intently for a moment before he looked Serena deep in the eyes with blazing seriousness and said, “This is the best fucking water I’ve ever had.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “And…?”
Urbain hung his head. “…And I am an idiot for doubting you.”
Immensely satisfied, Serena smirked haughtily and flipped her hair over one of her shoulders with her hand. “Well, I guess I can forgive you.”
Urbain resumed studying the bottle, examining every inch of it so closely as if putting it under his assessing gaze would somehow reveal hidden secrets. He was utterly perplexed.
Urbain’s entire world had been altered by this revelation, warranting careful scientific inquiry to explain. However, Urbain was nowhere near qualified to conduct said research, so he settled for attempting to put his thoughts into words with intensity, “No but why does it taste like that? No, because like how? How is it so good? I mean, water is water, but, like, this is Water.” You could practically hear the capital letter.
“Because despite what Cynthia may claim,” Serena asserted, “Steven Stone knows minerals, and activist pirates know their water.”
“Aye, aye, Captain Steven of the AQUAfina pirates. Aye, aye.” Urbain saluted the water bottle to show his approval. “I hope you know that you’ve ruined all other water for me,” Urbain deadpanned at the water, addressing it directly. “How much was this?” He flipped it around in his hand, looking for a price. Serena had bought the bottle while he was cleaning himself up in the bathroom, so Urbain hadn’t seen the price tag. However, the store had a kick-ass super nice bathroom, so he figured it was a little pricier than usual water.
“It’s not that expensive, it's only 1,000P,” Serena flippantly disclosed.
“1,000P for WATER?!” Urbain sputtered. Water bottles usually cost around 200P! “But that’s specialty Pokeball-level prices! That’s insane!!”
Serena rolled her eyes, her richness showing. “It’s only 1,000P, and considering how incredible-tasting, eco-friendly, sustainable, and whatever else it is, the price is very fair. And besides, we have to support our local pirates so they don’t resort to… other forms of activism.” Like turning into actual eco-terrorists. Steven Stone was doing excellent work keeping them in check. Serena tipped her hat to him.
Urbain morbidly looked down at the bottle in his hand, silently contemplating for a beat, then looked back up, and stared off into the distance with a thousand yard stare. “Oh my god.” He was stricken. “I’m now that guy I’d totally make fun of for buying bougie water.” Horrified, and on the verge of having an existential crisis, Urbain whispered, “I’m bougie water guy.”
Humorously, Serena started, “Well–”
“THE FIST OF JUSTICE IS HERE WITH A MESSAGE FOR THE CITIZENS OF LUMIOSE CITY!” a man’s voice boomed, startling the two of them. Urbain almost dropped his water, and he juggled to catch it, refusing to let it fall. It was too expensive to spill even a drop! He tucked it into his pouch for safekeeping.
“The hell was that?” Urbain wondered. He spotted a crowd forming in the distance outside of wild zone 3. “It looks like there’s some kinda gathering going on over there. I wanna check it out. Let’s go see!"
Urbain took off like a Lillipup needing to investigate every new thing around him. Actually, that assessment fit Urbain rather well – excitable, infinite energy, inspired joy in others, somewhat clumsy, and earnest to a fault. Amused, Serena shook her head and ran after him, quickly catching up. They pushed through the throngs of people until they had an unobstructed view while still lingering away from the front.
“My name is Ivor. I speak to you today on behalf of the Fist of Justice. Thank you for your time and attention,” a hugely massive muscled man spoke. He was surrounded by a few Fist of Justice uniformed members.
Ivor had some of the most perfect feathery flowing blonde hair Serena had ever seen. Damn he had good hair… and good lashes?! Ugh, that wasn’t even fair! Why was it always the people who didn’t appreciate having good hair were the ones who were biologically bequeathed constant good hair days?! Serena had really incredible hair, but she had to work to maintain it!
Serena just knew this Ivor guy probably washed his hair with a bar of soap and called it a day!
Ivor continued, “Now, let me ask you – if the people of Lumiose truly wish to coexist with wild Pokemon, why not get rid of the wild zones and let Pokemon run free?”
Serena’s interest peaked. Oh? The giant may have more than just perfect flowing locks. It looked like he had a brain as well. How unexpected. Serena re-examined the man with a new purpose. Perhaps their interests aligned.
“Some of you might wonder why I would suggest such a “dangerous” thing. Your concern is understandable. After all, wild Pokemon are strong. They can be scary.” Ivor crossed his arms over his rippling chest, and closed his eyes, deeply feeling the intensity of his message. “But please! Put your worried minds at ease! Simply join the Fist of Justice and watch your Pokemon battle prowess skyrocket! Once you reach our upper ranks, you’ll even be able to take on Pokemon in hand-to-hand combat!”
Ivor uncrossed his arms, dropped into battle stance, threw a punch, and shouted, “The Fist of Justice is here to help all the good citizens of Lumiose train and grow strong! Once we are joined in strength, then we can finally make wild zones a thing of the past!”
Serena’s eyes sparkled. Okay, excellent, people who finally have sense. It seemed like not all of the people in Lumiose were apathetic or ignorant to the issues going on in the city. But it wasn’t just that, how this group was going about converting people to their cause was brilliant. Ivor was promoting his philosophy by capitalizing on very real fear and giving people the tools to take back their own peace of mind.
Serena figured the “taking on a Pokemon in hand-to-hand combat” thing was functioning as a sales tactic that fed into their rhetoric of promoting safety. There was no way they were actually training to fight Pokemon bare-handed as their goal. Even Korrina, who sparred with her Lucario, would never go as far as to suggest, “the solution of people and Pokemon living together is also having the ability to beat the shit out of Pokemon.”
That would be so incredibly stupid. Possibly one of the stupidest things Serena had ever heard. She internally scoffed at the very thought of it.
No, it was focused on the idea of rediscovering one’s agency and protection. Case example A: Serena herself was mugged within the first few minutes of arriving in Lumiose. Learning self-defense because of the crime rates in this city was a very real thing, especially for young women. Which was likely why Ivor was joined by an entirely female group of members – to soften him and make the Fist of Justice approachable to the women in the crowd.
The Fist of Justice’s strategy was impeccable. A true work of art. They clearly understood the factors at play in the city and how to actually begin enacting change on a small scale. Serena needed to get more information on this group as soon as possible.
Urbain shook his head. “This guy’s wasting his breath. That’ll never work.” After the conversation last night, which Urbain was still trying his damndest to not think about right now, he knew that this Ivor guy’s methods were not going to actually do anything to stop the wild zones. It wouldn’t be that easy.
One of the Fist of Justice girls, a blonde with freckles, looked directly at Serena and Urbain shouted, “Hey! You in the back! Once you taste my strength firsthand, you’ll understand the truth of Ivor-sensei’s words! I challenge you!”
Urbain chuckled, “Sounds like you’re getting called out!”
“Me?” Serena elbowed Urbain in the gut, he winced. “You’re the one who started it.”
The girl ferociously walked up to the pair, entirely focused on Serena. “Let’s do this! You and me! Girl to girl! Blonde to blonde!”
Of course this girl just had to single Serena out. Serena had wanted to talk to some of their members, but not like this! At least she didn’t recognize Serena due to her marvelous disguise glasses.
“Just to clarify, are you challenging me to a fight or a Pokemon battle?” Because Serena was not ready to throw hands today and ruin her manicure. No thank you!
“I challenge YOU to a Pokemon battle!” She pointed in Serena’s face. “I, Josée – probably the fifth-strongest disciple in the Fist of Justice – am ready to throw down!”
“Alright, I’ll accept your challenge–”
“HI-YAAAHH!” Josée screeched, dropping into a karate stance and pulling out a Pokeball. “WATCH ME IVOR-SENSEI–”
Serena held up her hand flat towards Josée in a stop motion. “Hold on, I wasn’t finished. What I was going to say before you interrupted me is that I’ll accept your challenge if and only if,” she turned to Urbain, “we make this a doubles battle.”
“Wait, what?!” Urbain jolted, startled.
Serena coyly smiled at him and winked. “I promised you a “next time,” remember?” she called back to the first night they met… but also because she wanted him to take responsibility for his words in starting this whole fight.
Urbain’s face pinked. “Yeah! The next time! Let’s do it!”
SCOREEEEEEEEE!!!! Urbain was killing this not-date date thing. Note to self: making Serena laugh has unforeseen bonuses, like flirting and battles, so keep doing that.
Serena clasped her hands behind her back and tilted to the side, looking up at Urbain cutely. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can keep up with me.”
“Wait, so he’s battling next time? Are we doing two battles? Am I fighting you then fighting him?” Josée looked so confused. “Ugh, you’re making this sooooo confusing, I just want to fight!” She threw a punch in the air. “Boom! Pow!”
“My very well spoken friend here,” Serena held her hand out in front of Urbain, presenting him, “and I would like to challenge you and another member to a doubles battle. Just to make things more interesting. Or if you feel confident to lead two Pokemon in battle at the same time, you’re free to do that as well.”
“Che,” Josée clicked her tongue. She may be the fifth-strongest disciple in the Fist of Justice, but having a solo-double battle was at least second-strongest disciple level stuff. “I wanted to show off my strength, but I guess I can do that in a team too.” Josée turned around and shouted back to the line up of Fist of Justice members. “OI! MAKO GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE! I NEED A PARTNER!"
Mako stormed over, her short black pigtails swaying, matching Josée’s intensity. “I, Mako, the fourth-strongest disciple in the Fist of Justice, am ready to BATTLE!”
“They’re really intense,” Urbain whispered under his breath to Serena. These battle girls seemed more like they wanted to fight Urbain and Serena then their Pokemon. “What are they teaching in this Fist thing?”
“Aw, getting cold feet?” Serena poked his cheek.
“No!” Urbain insisted, composing himself. “Never! Not when I’m with you!”
“Good.” Serena nodded, smiling. “Because we’re a team, team leader, so I’ll be depending on you. Let's work together, okay?”
Urbain grinned brightly, his heart pounding. “Yeah! You can count on me!”
“Machop! Square uuupppppp!!!” Josée released her Pokemon.
Mako screamed, “Meditite, hiiii-yahhhhhhh!!!”
If this was a battle with Serena, then it only felt right to use… “Green Bean! Let’s get ‘em!” Urbain sent out the shiny Ekans Serena gave him.
He’d been getting to know the little noodly woogly guy, and they both had a passion for food. Er, rather, Green Bean had a passion for eating food, particularly eggs. But that was chill! Urbain enjoyed cookin’ for him. Green Bean also liked lazing around and sleeping in the sun on the hotel roof and in the courtyard like a limp strand of pasta.
“Ekansssss?” Green Bean peered up curiously at him.
“You ready to battle, my man?” Urbain asked. Green Bean tapped his tail to his chin a few times, pondering if it was worth the effort. He hadn’t battled with his Trainer yet in a real match. Alright, he could battle.
“Ekkkss.” Green Bean nodded, his tongue forking out.
“Look! Guy’s gotta shiny Ekans!”
“Woahh! I’ve never seen a shiny in person before! It really does sparkle!”
“That Ekans is green! So cool!”
“Holy shit! I’m takin’ a video of this for the boss!”
The crowd tittered in response to Green Bean’s emergence on the field.
“Engarde, this bout is yours!” Serena tossed his ball. She loved doubles battles! More chaos, more strategy, more creativity!
Engarde was the best complement to Urbain’s Ekans. With Engarde’s Steel-typing, any poison moves Ekans had would not affect him at all, thus, in a doubles battle, they wouldn’t have to worry about the lack of practice as a team. If Ekans’ moves went astray, there was no worry about hitting his teammate. Engarde’s Ghost-typing also nullified stray Normal-type attacks Ekans might have, but it also rendered their opponent’s Fighting-type attacks completely ineffective. The pairing made perfect sense since the two Pokemon weren’t that practiced in working together in a double battle.
…Plus, Ekans could use a little pep to inspire him. Engarde was nothing but raw exuberance.
“HONEDGEEEEEE!!!” Engarde roared as he entered the field, his body trembling from his ferocity.
“E-ek?!” Green Bean jolted in surprise, his eyes flying open. Woah. Okay. That Honedge had way too much energy for him!
Engarde quickly took stock of the situation, and respectfully bowed to his partner, Ekans. “Honedge, hone,” he cordially greeted the sparkly snake. How fortuitous that they would be comrades in arms for this match!
“Eekkssss…” Green Bean hesitantly acknowledged. This guy was a lot. It was almost as if the Honedge had the Ability Intimidate, not him.
…Speaking of, Green Bean turned to his two opponents and hissed at them, shaking his rattle, Intimidate kicking in.
“Likin’ the energy!” Urbain encouraged. “Here we go, Green Bean! Kick it off with Glare on Machop!”
“Engarde, stick close to Ekans and use Automotize!” Serena directed Engarde to set up his stats while clicking on her skates.
“Meditite, Work Up!”
“Machop use Brick Break on that Ekans!” Glare having paralyzed her, Machop lumbered forward slowly trying to execute a Brick Break.
“Engade, intercept it!” What a righteous play! Using his newfound speed, Engarde threw himself in the path of Machop’s Brick Break, the side of the Pokemon’s hand clanging fruitlessly against his blade.
“Meditite, Confusion on Honedge! HI-YAAH!”
“To the sky!” Serena called. They hadn’t practiced battling during the day yet, so there was only a chance this next play of hers would work. “Use your blade to catch the light and spin!”
Engarde followed suit, and did his best at the command, only half catching the light, but still doing the job well enough to confuse the Meditite targeting him with Confusion on where Engarde’s position was. The blinding shine made Engarde hard to look at for aiming, but Confusion still clipped his blade.
“Green Bean, let’s use Bite on Meditite while Honedge’s away!” Urbain shouted. He’d figured it would be less confusing for newbie little Green Bean if he didn’t refer to Serena’s Pokemon by his nickname during battle.
“Ekkkkssss!!” Green Bean chomped onto Meditite. Eh, not yummy… little weird monkey man.
“Machop! Stop that Honedge! Use… um…” Damn!! None of Machop’s damaging moves could hit Honedge! “Use Leer!” At the very least, Josée could help by lowering its defenses!
“Green Bean, don’t let go of Meditite, and Tackle that Machop!” Urbain instructed. Alright! Medi-battering ram was a go!
Catching on, Serena followed his lead, “Engarde! Rain down from the sky and use all your momentum to push Ekans!” She skated alongside Ekans to aid in distracting the opposing Trainers.
Meditite still firmly in his jaws, Green Bean slithered towards Machop before suddenly being rocketed at vastly higher speeds until he was ramming into Machop with a force much greater than the average Tackle. Dealing damage to both the Meditite in his clutches and the Machop.
“Huh!?” Mako exclaimed.
Seeing the opening, Serena guided, “Finish off the two with Iron Head!” Engarde slipped out from behind Green Bean and swung his mighty steel blade, catching both the Meditite and the Machop in one fell swoop!
“Hone!!” What an excellent strategy on Ekans’ peasant servant master’s behalf! Ekans was quite the warrior, as expected from a Pokemon from Engarde’s cemetery! Yes, they were both doing their home proud!
“Ansss…” Green Bean hesitantly thanked him. It was unclear to him why Honedge was referring to his Trainer as a "peasant servant.” If Green Bean cared more, he probably should be offended on Urbain’s behalf, but… meh. Too much effort, and he was starting to get ssssleepy…
“Damn! Go Hawlucha!” Mako released her second Pokemon.
Josée followed suit. “You might have me on the ropes, but we in the Fist of Justice know how to keep our cool! Go get ‘em Meditite!”
HUH?! “EKANS?!” Green Bean thought they were done! The sssun was calling his name and he wanted a nap…
“Hone-edge!” Engarde encouraged. “Hone, edge, edge!! HONEDGE!!” Fret naught, worthy Green Bean, for he, Sir Engarde the Honorable of the Queen’s Guard, shall be here to support him in this endeavor against these dastardly foes!
“Eka…?” What…? Green Bean shook his head. Whatever. He wanted to ssssleep… and eat an egg. Maybe two eggs. Ooooh, eggsssss…
Oh, wait. Green Bean turned to look at the Hawlucha. Hawlucha was a bird, right? …Did they lay eggs? Or actually, he could just take a bite out of Hawlucha, right? It might be firmer than a Pidgey, but Green Bean was fine with that.
Green Bean looked at Hawlucha intently, drooling slightly. Suddenly self conscious, Hawlucha flinched under Ekans’ stare.
“Lovin’ the intensity, Green Bean! Glare on Hawlucha!”
Hawlucha tensed, becoming paralyzed. Great, what a time to be paralyzed when that Ekans was looking at him like he was dinner!
“Iron Head on Hawlucha into Brick Break!” Serena called out. Engarde cleaved through the Hawlucha for maximum damage!
“Hawlucha, let’s GOOO!! Use Wing Attack on Honedge!!” Mako shouted.
“Let it hit!” Serena declared. Trusting his Queen, Engarde braced himself for the hit. Right before the move made contact, his Trainer exclaimed, “Iron Head as soon as his wing touches!”
Ha-HAAAH!! Yes, Engarde’s Queen was most tactical for presenting him an opening such as this! Iron Head connected, taking out the Hawlucha with relentless force! For none shall be spared the wrath of Sir Engarde’s blade! Huzzah!
“One down!” Urbain rejoiced. “Let’s combo it up too! Tackle into Bite on that Meditite, Green Bean!”
Aweeeeee… sssstupid Honedge, Green Bean wanted to Bite the Hawlucha!! Fineeeeeeee! But Urbain owed him at least two eggssssss!
As the Ekans slithered around the field and executed the combo as instructed, Urbain darted alongside him, offering his encouraging praise all the while, “You got this, little buddy! That Meditite super sucks! It can’t even hold a candle to how cool you are! You’re doin’ so great!” Well, that did make it a little better to Green Bean.
“Hit back with Confusion!” Josée frantically ordered.
“Back up Ekans with Iron Head to finish it off!”
“HONEDDGGGEEEEEEEE!!!!” Another bout won in honor of his wondrous sensei and his Queen!
“All right! We did it!” Urban cheered, jumping. He extended his closed hand to Serena. “Bump me!” Serena smiled and returned the fist bump.
“Great job, team leader,” Serena praised with a grin.
“I kept up preeeetty well, didn’t I?” Urbain gloated, basking in his win and Serena’s words. “I’d even say I carried that battle.”
“That you did,” Serena acknowledged, then turned to her Honedge. “Well done, Sir Engarde. Once again, you’ve proven you’re a Pokemon to be relied upon.”
“Hone…” Engarde bashfully twirled his ribbon. Serena returned him to his Pokeball.
“Yeah, Green Bean you were awesome!! I’ll make you a whole omelet tonight, how about that?” Urbain grinned, flashing a thumbs up at his Pokemon.
“Ekkk?” Green Bean puzzled. What was an omelet?
Urbain chuckled. “It’s a dish where you put a whole bunch of eggs together and cook ‘em up so they’re real fluffy with whatever other stuff you want folded in!” His little guy was so cute and squiggly wiggly noodly woogily!!
“EKANSSS!!” Green Bean nodded furiously, showing the most energy he had since coming out of his Pokeball. Yes, yesssssss, he wanted the omelet! Urbain was a very good Trainer. Green Bean liked him.
“Yeah! That’s the spirit!" Urbain encouraged, before returning him to his ball. If only Green Bean could start showing that much excitement about battling too. That’s okay, they’ll work on that!
“So you started nicknaming your Pokemon?” Serena asked. “Green Bean, was it?”
“Yep! You inspired me!” he confirmed with a grin. “Gotta honor what makes him special and why you thought we should be together in the first place – he’s green. 1 in 8,192 like you said!” He and the little guy were in the same boat after all. Dismissed by Serena solidarity. “And he’s long and stringy like a green bean! Perfect!” Urbain was a genius and he was killing this nickname thing! All his Pokemon had kick-ass nicknames now!
With a knowing smirk, Serena commented, “You know that shiny Arbok is not green right?”
“W-wait, what?!” Urbain squawked, falling into shocked despair. But regular Ekans and Arbok were both purple! Why weren’t their shiny forms both green?! “Really?! FUCKKKKKKKK!!!!” He hid his face in his hands, embarrassed, especially because it was way too late to do anything about it now.
Serena burst out laughing.
Mako, having already cycled through her shock at the loss, politely clapped with resigned sadness. “Well fought.”
“So in a contest of strength, I lose…” With a weary grin, Josée said, “What incredible strength… In terms of Z-A Royale rankings, I’d say you both would be Rank H… No, maybe even Rank G!” Josée complemented strength when she saw it, but also it would make her feel better about the loss if they were much higher ranked than her.
Ivor, who had previously been spectating the battle, approached. “If I may be so bold as to ask, are you participating in the Z-A Royale?”
“Yep!” Urbain crossed his arms behind his head, delighting in the attention. “We’re both chillin’ at Rank Y right now, though we only just started.” He was tooting his own horn.
Ivor’s eyes flew wide in shock, as he gasped, “Unbelievable! I feel there must be some secret to the strength you displayed just now…” He paused briefly to nod his head. “Hm, and I can think of but one explanation. You must have mastered having your Pokemon learn moves!”
Slowly, Serena answered, “…Yes, of course.”
“Such confidence,” Ivor murmured, tilting his head down to the side, so very deeply moved by her response. “You clearly see the heart of Pokemon moves and their significance.” Closing his eyes as if that helped him access the recesses of his mind, Ivor resounded, “My knowledge on the matter is that Pokemon can remember four moves at a time. Cultivating a set of four moves rich in power and variety is what leads a Pokemon to grow stronger!” he concluded with a self assured grin, imparting sage knowledge about… Pokemon being able to learn moves.
No, really? They can? The number one main thing Pokemon can do? Woah…
Serena wondered just how much knowledge this man was carrying around in his brain for this to be revolutionary for him.
Dumbfounded, Urbain whispered under his breath, “Oh my god.”
A stray thought catching him by surprise, Ivor blinked open his eyes, eyelashes fluttering, and uncrossed his arms. “Oh! But perhaps I should not be speaking too freely about tactics.”
…Tactics? You mean the general concept of teaching a Pokemon a move is a tactic to you?
Not at all sensing Serena and Urbain’s dumbstruck state, Ivor continued, “We may face each other in battle before long, after all. Out of respect for your display of strength, I will probe your strategy no further!” Ivor declared.
Yes, yes. The strategy of teaching your Pokemon a move. Not a specific move, just teaching them moves. Very high level stuff here.
“But should we meet again in the Z-A Royale… I’ll hit you with the full force of my justice. Victory WILL be mine!” Ivor roared, his voice piercing, and filled with enormous passion, “I will reach the highest rank, spread my influence far and wide, and abolish ALL wild zones!”
Okay, slight edit to Serena’s assessment of Ivor and the First of Justice. They might be genuinely bonafide idiots, but they were still charismatic idiots. And charisma was immensely valuable. Especially to Serena’s plans. Ivor’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit!
It wouldn’t be hard to repurpose the “Fist of Justice” into something Serena could use.
“However!” Ivor boomed with a sudden increase in volume, startling the crowd of onlookers, and shot his hand high up in the air pointing at the heavens above. “Your lively display of strength has inspired me to conduct my own!” Ivor smoothly spun around, his hair twirling, and fiercely pointed at the gates of wild zone 3. “I have heard tales of an unruly Ursaring among the Pokemon in wild zone 3! Therefore, I shall show all of you here today the true might that can be achieved by joining the Fist of Justice by defeating this Ursaring with only the power of my justice fists!”
Serena did a double take. “I’m sorry… what?”
“...Did he just really say what I think he said?” Urbain helplessly asked himself aloud.
Serena’s entire mental image of Ivor and the Fist of Justice shattered spectacularly. “I stand corrected, there is no sense here at all. The universe really is playing a cosmic joke on me, isn’t it?”
Serena was fascinated, bewildered, and fully entranced in a state of horrified awe. All of Ivor’s brain power must have gone exclusively into growing that hair of his, because damn that was some hair.
What Serena had once thought was a philosophical group intending to promote self-defense was in reality a band of bumbling simpletons who just really wanted to beat up some Pokemon with their own two hands to prove why people and Pokemon should be together. Therefore, they were anti-wild zones… because it disrupted their punching of Pokemon.
They used the completely wrong formula to get the right answer. It was spectacular.
Ivor and the Fist of Justice were so well meaning and so pro-Pokemon rights that it circled back around to actually doing the exact opposite and could be something people construed as abuse. It was kind of incredible.
“Dude’s gonna fist fight an Ursaring,” Urbain breathed. Urbain and Serena shared a look, morbid curiosity dominating their normal rationality. Well, of course they had to see this disaster dumpster fire happen. Then, the absurdity of it all began to hit. “That guy’s off the rails and still going full speed,” he snickered.
“Train wreck is imminent, yes,” Serena joked back under her breath.
Serena airily quipped, “Questionable if it even left the station to begin with.”
Urbain snorted loudly, drawing eyes to them. Serena elbowed him in the gut, though muffling a chuckle herself. “Sorry,” Urbain apologized with no sincerity to the onlookers, still trying to stop himself from laughing.
They were just giggling like a pair of children, helpless to stop once the giggles started. Possibly due to the lack of sleep and massive amounts of caffeine, but suddenly everything the other did just fueled the flames and made them devolve further.
“Stop laughing,” Serena scolded, trying and failing to keep a smile off her face. “He’s going to fist fight an Ursaring, this is very serious.”
“You’re the one laughing,” Urbain countered, helplessly chuckling.
“What if he gets hurt? This is no laughing matter!” Serena insisted, very clearly snickering, “I’m not laughing.”
“Yes you are!” Urbain protested, keeping his voice low.
Ivor approached the wild zone gate. “These unnatural walls keep us separated in a fool-hearted attempt to protect people, but the safety the wild zones claim to provide is nothing but a sham! Why can the Fletchling and Pidgey roam freely, but Skiddo, which once trotted down the streets of Lumiose, must be confined to these green hallowed cages of lies. No! These walls were erected to divide us, not bring us together!”
…And therefore he must punch an Ursaring. Let’s not forget that’s his actual motivation here.
However, Ivor’s words resonated with onlookers due to his overwhelming magnetism. They were inspired by his passion and determination.
“The Fist of Justice will tear down these wild zones! HIIIIIII-YAHHHHHH!!!” Ivor punched number 3 on the wild zone gate with all of the force that he had, impassioned by his own speech, causing a *boom* to ring out from the air ripple he made, the leaves and dirt on the ground flying up. The sidewalk under his feet crumbled.
Instead of doing any damage at all, the wild zone gate simply opened as usual with a *whirr.*
“Damn,” Ivor cursed, glaring at his fist and the wild zone barrier. “Thwarted again!” Ivor punched the ground in frustration, rupturing the pavement, and bursting a pipe. The fine watery mist spewing out from the newly formed crater in the ground somehow made Ivor look even more intense, his muscles sheening. “I will destroy you one day, evil hologram of separation! For there is no wall I cannot destroy with the power of JUSTICE!” And with that, Ivor charged screaming into the wild zone.
The crowd collectively stood rooted in place for a split second before they all followed the man into the wild zone. Ivor’s sheer massive charisma, which was easily as lofty as his enormous pecs, had inspired them to truly consider his words… Maybe Ivor had a point.
“People and Pokemon should be together, and the wild zones are stopping that. Therefore, I should fist fight an Ursaring,” Serena mockingly concluded. “Very sound logic, give him a gold star.”
“Bro’s math ain’t mathing.” Urbain shook his head. “I think he just really wants to fist fight that Ursaring.”
“Bear-handed,” Serena added on.
Urbain wheezed, at his breaking point, completely cracking up.
“Shhh!!” Serena tried to silence him by covering his mouth with her hands. The two made eye contact for a beat before they both devolved into muffled snickers, Serena dropping her hands.
“Don’t walk through that!” Serena grabbed Urbain’s sleeve and dragged him away from the water spout.
“Isn’t it just–”
“That’s sewer water!” Serena emphasized though keeping her voice hushed, scrunching her nose at how nasty it was. “When an underground pipe bursts, what do you think is in it?”
“Oh, gross! Ew!” Urbain shuddered. “And that guy just stood there in it? For what, dramatic effect?”
“Everything about this is idiotic,” Serena whispered in disbelief, entering through the holo-gate.
Now inside the wild zone, Ivor dropped into a fighting ready stance, his muscles glistening from the sewer water he’d unearthed, and let out his battle cry, “RAAAAAAHHHH!! I CHALLENGE YOU, URSARING! COME OUT AND FACE ME!”
A few wild Pikachu and Skiddo who had curiously looked over towards the throngs of people, frightenedly scampered off. Yeah, no. They were not gonna deal with that.
Magically, Ivor’s cry somehow worked?! An Alpha Ursaring stalked out from around the corner, red eyes blazing. “URSARINGGGGGG,” he accepted the challenge. Ursaring eyed Ivor, ready to attack.
“FOR THE FISTTTTT!!!” Ivor launched his first punch at his hulking opponent, but Ursaring dodged to the side. Instead Ivor’s fist made contact with the lamp post behind Ursaring, snapping it in two, and blasting away part of the bench next to it.
Ursaring followed up by slamming his knuckles into Ivor’s side, landing the first blow! However, Ivor didn’t budge, and Ursaring jolted his head up to look at Ivor’s face in surprise. But this shock-driven hesitation was a misstep, and Ivor delightedly took advantage of the opening to hurl his hand into Ursaring’s gut. The Pokemon stumbled back from the power, gritting his teeth. A worthy opponent.
*TWEEEEEEEET!!! TWEET!! TWEET!! TWEEEEEEET!!!*
A sharp screeching noise from a whistle being blown startled both combatants, taking them out of the intensity of the moment.
*TWEEEEEEEET!!! TWEET!! TWEET!!*
“OI! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!” a police officer, Officer Jensen according to his badge, declared pushing through the crowd, whistle in mouth, with a team of officers backing him up and a Victreebel by his side. They’d been drawn over from all the commotion. “BREAK IT UP, PEOPLE! BREAK IT UP!” he scolded Ivor and the Ursaring, who seemed so confused that the Pokemon was actually going along with listening.
Jensen sniffed in disdain, adjusting his belt, “Now, which ones of yous twos did that,” he gestured to the utterly destroyed lamp post and bench, “and wrecked the side walk out front?”
Ivor’s face lit up in pride at his strength being acknowledged. “Ha-HA! Yes! That would be me! My justice power knows–”
“Right, so then you’re under arrest for destruction of public property.” Jensen took out his hand cuffs and cuffed Ivor. “We’re takin’ ya down to the Rouge station for this, kid. Yous have the right to remain silent–”
“But my justice power cannot be tamed!” Ivor insisted. “Your feeble attempts at stopping me will do nothing when faced with my–!”
Just as Ivor was about to flex out of his restraints to demonstrate, Jensen interrupted, “Can it, kid! You really don’t wanna be doin’ that. Don’t make it worse for ya.” He sighed, and returned to rattling off Ivor’s rights.
“Man of the law!” Ivor addressed, speaking over the officer. “But I too am fighting for justice!”
“I’m takin’ that as a yes, ya do understand yer rights. And yous,” he glared at the Ursaring, “go on, get!” Jensen shooed the Pokemon.
Finally snapping out of it, Ursaring roared in protest to the fight being interrupted, and sprinted forward at and Ivor.
“YES!!” Ivor snapped through his hand cuffs. “Our fight must continue!”
“Alls rights, THAT’S IT!!” Jensen shouted, frustrated, a vein on his forehead popping. “Victreebel, Sleep Powda on da both of ‘em.”
“Bel!” And with that, both Ivor and the Ursaring dropped like flies. The officers hurriedly captured Ursaring in an Ultra Ball, cuffed Ivor once more, and had one of their Aggron’s carry the man on their back.
“Show’s ovah people! Clear on out! C’mon! Let’s go!” The police broke up the crowd and made everyone file out of the wild zone.
“OH NO!!” Josée gasped. “We have to tell Gwynn right away!!”
“B-but the dojo is so far away!” Mako sputtered.
“That’s no way to talk!” Josée pumped her fists. “I believe in the Fist! And I believe our justice power will let us run like the wind!”
“Josée,” Mako’s eyes glistened. She slapped her own cheeks. “You’re right! Ladies! We’ll sprint all the way back to the dojo!! HIII-YAAAAAHHHH!”
“FOR THE FISTTT!!” they all cried out as they jogged away.
“Okayyyyy,” Urbain faltered. “We didn’t just… hallucinate all this because of lack of sleep, right? Like that guy really did fist fight that Ursaring and got arrested? …Can you pinch me?”
Serena rolled her eyes and pinched his cheek, hard.
“OUCH!” Urbain jumped, cradling his cheek. “That sucked… but I did literally ask you to do that sooo, that’s on me. Broken trash water shower is still there,” he looked at the gaping hole in the sidewalk and the officers putting up crime scene tape around it, “so yep, can confirm that did happen.”
As much as Serena now understood the extent to which the Fist of Justice were idiots, their startlingly unparalleled charisma and bottom line views on the wild zones still made them a valuable resource to her. Meaning, she couldn’t sit by and let Ivor rot in jail.
“Unfortunately, Urbain,” Serena sighed, time to go bail out a dumbass and burn an important favor, “we have to go bust Ivor out of jail.”
Urbain thinks his not-date coffee date with Serena was going very very super-mega-awesome well. Then, his good day goes to shit. Again.
-OR-
Ivor is head empty, only fists. However, Serena, in a very Serena move, riding high with over confidence in her natural abilities, tries to scheme and play 4D chess with the man anyways. This backfires spectacularly.
Z • ─── ʕฅ •̀Ⱉ•́ʔฅ ᕙ(ᗒᗣᗕ )ᕗ ❗🚨👮🏻♂️ ─── • A
Walking into the precinct with Urbain, Serena took off her glasses and tucked them into her purse. She approached the secretary. “Excuse me,” Serena caught her attention. The woman’s eyes widened slightly in realization of who was talking to her. “Could you please tell Chief Jean that Serena is here to see him.”
“Y-yes, um, he’s–”
“HA-HA!” Serena and the whole precinct heard Ivor bellow from the other room where he was being held. Ah, he’d woken up. Sleep Powder’s effect never held for too long. “I have no need for a lawyer! I shall be my OWN lawyer! For the truth of my justice fists is all I need to prove myself!!”
Serena’s eyes flew wide. ‘Oh, no…’
*BANG!!*
*CLANG!!*
*CRASH!!*
“Shit!! He broke the holding cell door!!”
“He snapped those bars like twigs!! How is that even possible?!”
“HA-HA! JUSTICE PREVAILS!!”
“GET ‘EM!!”
The door that led to the holding cells slammed open revealing Ivor in all his glory, slowly marching forward despite the 5 officers and their Pokemon dangling off of him, trying with all their effort to tackle the man. They were failing spectacularly at being linebackers. Ivor, however, would be possibly the greatest football player of all time – an unstoppable untackleable charging force.
“YEAAAARRRRGGGHHH!! HA-HA! MY JUSTICE POWER CANNOT BE STOPPED!” Ivor declared with fervor.
Seeing as everyone was correctly distracted by Ivor, Serena took the opportunity to approach Police Chief Jean, an older man with dark hair and a thick mustache, who was now standing in the doorway of his office, aghast. Not because Ivor, no. Because Serena was there.
Serena smiled at Jean. The Chief scoffed and walked back into his office. Serena followed suit, dragging Urbain with her, and closed the door behind them.
‘Woahhh…’ Urbain marveled at the Chief’s facial hair. ‘That’s a kick-ass stache. Man’s mustache game is on point.’ Maybe even in Urbain’s the top 5 stashes of all time. Urbain had absolutely zero interest in growing facial hair himself, no way, but he could appreciate an exemplary mustache when he saw one.
Serena jovially began, “Chief Jean, lovely to see you again, you’re police force is looking–”
“Cut the shit, Serena, I know what you’re going to ask for, but really?” Jean pointed to Ivor through the window, who was laughing and still currently moving despite the ever growing pile of officers building up on top of him. “That guy? Seriously? This is what you’re going to cash that favor in for?”
Dropping any attempts to add filler or flattery, Serena bluntly affirmed, “Yes, really.”
Jean ran his hand down his face, looking like the very thought of what Serena was asking for caused him to age by several years. “Five years you kept me on ice waitin’ to hear about that favor, and this is what it is in the end?”
“Yes.”
Jean looked her dead in the eye. “You can’t take this back now. We’re square after this.”
“Completely square,” Serena agreed. “Please continue going about your duty to be the most outstanding Police Chief in Lumiose.”
Jean sighed in relief.
“Although…” Serena began, tapping her chin.
“Oh fuck, here we go again,” Jean groaned, sounding far too tired. “No– no,” he repeated himself, pointing at Serena to preemptively silence her when he saw she opened her mouth to start speaking. “You cannot join or lead,” Jean incessantly clarified having heard this all many many times before, “the covert ops raid team. No, there is no “disguise guy” you can consult, that’s not real. No, you cannot borrow tactical gear. And for the last Arceus damned time, no, you cannot have our case files on active investigations.”
Serena pouted, crossing her arms. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
Jean wasn’t believing that for a second. “It sure as shit was what you were going to say.” He would’ve thought that she’d grown out of all of this by now, but noooooooo… Here Serena was five years later and now the Champion, how the fuck did that happen anyways, still tryin’ to get a hold of restricted police information and packed with misconceptions as to what they actually did here to fuel her little independent sleuthing. Why couldn’t she just let them do their jobs for once and stay out of their way?!
“It’s not my fault I’m better and more efficient at the job than most of your force, if not all of them,” Serena tutted, sounding like a vapid mean girl at a middle-school lunch table. “And besides, now I’m the Champion,” her voice pitched up in taunting delight, raising her shoulders in emphasis, “you can’t just throw me out of here like you used to.”
“You might be the Champion now,” Jean relented on that point, “but even the Champion’s gotta follow due process. You can’t just get information when you want it at the drop of the hat.”
“Oh, and you know better than the International Police?” Serena cattily took a dig at him in retaliation. “Because they were quite,” she popped the t, “excited to have my help on their cases, give me access to their information, and guess what?” Serena exuberantly asked before she spat, “They do have a disguise guy, so I know you’re bullshitting me about that.”
“Why the fuck were the International Police jumpin’ to work with you?” Jean grumbled in bafflement. “AND NO! We do not have a disguise guy! That’s not a thing!”
…But if Serena was sleuthing, as much as Jean hated to admit it, she usually was onto something. It’s how she ended up with that favor from him in the first place – tipping him off to something major Team Flare related in the Rouge District, his district, that ended up getting him promoted to Chief.
Jean narrowed his eyes. “You’ve got somethin’, don’t ya?”
“Hmph,” Serena dismissed, turning her nose away. “I feel disinclined to share now, given how rude you’re being.”
“So you do have somethin’, ugh, why is that almost worse than if you didn’t,” Jean lamented to himself out loud. He finally took notice of Urbain, who was standing a few paces away trying his damndest to look like a nonchalant hat rack under Jean’s stare. “Who’s the kid?”
“This is Urbain,” Serena introduced, “team leader of Team MZ, a group that I’ve recently just joined whose goal is to help protect Lumiose.” Serena made sure to leave the implication that there were now more people going to intrude on Jean’s day-to-day police business lingering in the air.
“Hi, Mr. Police Boss Man– I mean, Sir, er, Chief,” Urbain weakly greeted with a wave. “Your mustache is dope.”
Utterly unimpressed, Jean looked back to Serena. “You have MINIONS NOW?!” Jean was ready to slam his head against the wall. How was this his reality? Serena, the biggest pain in his ass, the prodigal menace herself, had magically shown up again after five years of blessed silence, but now had the very real authority as Champion and god damned minions.
“Technically speaking,” Serena smirked, reveling in his meltdown, “I’m his,” she gestured to Urbain, “minion. But let’s not get bogged down in the semantics of it all.”
…Was it wrong that Urbain thought it was super hot that Serena was acknowledging and deferring to his role as team leader while simultaneously giving the Chief of Police an aneurysm with her sheer presence alone? Probably. But it didn’t change the fact that he was really into whatever this was and was more than fine with playing spectator here.
Today fucking ruled.
“Oh my god, this is payback for everything I’ve done wrong in my life.” Jean looked up to the ceiling. “How long are you in Lumiose?” he desperately asked.
Serena was oh so thrilled to tell him, "Indefinitely."
“FUCK!” the Chief exclaimed. Resting his head in his hands, he pleaded, “And I can’t convince you to tell me what you clearly know is up?”
“No, you obviously don’t appreciate my talents,” Serena examined her nails absentmindedly, “so I’ll be taking them elsewhere. It’s now strictly Team MZ business, you see. And I think your officers are rather busy wrangling idiots in the bullpen,” Serena made a jab at their growing comically disastrous failure to restrain Ivor happening outside the window, “so I don’t think they’d be that much use to me at the moment.”
“Whoever decided that giving you authority was a good idea is never going to hear the end of it from me and will forever regret the day they did so,” Jean solemnly vowed.
“That would be Diantha,” Serena helpfully provided. “I’m sure a police officer sending a world renown movie star threatening messages will do wonders for your chances at getting elected to Police Commissioner.” Serena mockingly gasped. “Oh, that’s right! You are running again this year, aren’t you?”
Jean’s eye twitched. He was on the verge of bursting, his entire face worryingly red.
“YOU’LL NEVER EXTINGUISH MY FLAMES OF JUSTICE!!” Ivor’s voice rang through from the other room, penetrating the office walls.
“Well,” Serena took that as her cue to wrap things up, “this has been fun, Jean, and as much as I’d love to continue discussing your budding stalker plans – and I wish you all the best in your endeavors there, I’m sure that'll be very fruitful – I have an idiot to rescue, so shall we?” Serena prompted with a disgustingly sugary sweet voice. Just to dig that dagger in further, she smirked and cheerily announced, “But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be seeing so much more of me all the time now!”
Jean was ready to start ripping out his hair. He couldn’t even do anything against Serena or put a stop to her antics because the freakish little shit knew the letter of the law inside and out just so she could be the biggest thorn in his side possible – legally. It was scary when she was 13, and it was worse at 18. Now, it was terrifying because she had a fucking title that really, really meant something to back her up. She wasn’t a random annoyingly incessant little girl he could try to write off and get away with ignoring.
Jean hung his head in defeat. This was his life now.
“Fine,” Jean spat. “It’ll get you out of my precinct faster anyways.” He ripped the door open and stormed over to the utter embarrassment his officers were making of themselves. “Let him go, he can walk.”
“But Chief–!!”
“I said, let ‘em go!” Jean glared at his officers. They’d be having a long talk about this debacle later. Like always, Serena never failed to ruin Jean’s day.
“R-right.” The police men stumbled to remove themselves from the pile and off of Ivor.
“You’ve got some friends in high places, kid,” Jean commented bitterly, addressing Ivor.
Ivor looked up at the ceiling, searching for someone who was up high. He didn’t see anyone there! Let alone any of his friends. Who was this man talking about?
…Were they invisible and a ghost?!
The chief continued, “Thanks to her,” he jerked his head in Serena’s direction, “you’re getting off with a warning today. Don’t damage any more city property, ya hear?!”
“Understood!” Ivor nodded with a bright grin, flashing a thumbs up.
“Now, get out of my precinct!!” Jean all but shoved Serena, Urbain, and Ivor out the door and off the police property. “Further! Get out of my sight!!” he hollered. The three of them wandered away from the building until they couldn’t hear the man angrily shouting at them anymore.
“Your fighting justice power shines brightly!” Ivor boomed, finally acknowledging Serena. “Who are you? The mustached man said you were my friend and up high, but I know we’ve never met before today. I would have remembered such a brightly burning spirit! And you are not in a high place! You are on the ground and are short!” Ivor laughed jovially, fists on his hips. “What a mysterious not-friend friend who is both high and not high.”
Serena could practically hear his one brain cell rubbing against the side of his thick skull trying to spark a thought. Serena was genuinely fascinated by his idiocy. It was actually incredible. She hadn’t thought any of what she’d seen so far was an act, but Serena had assumed that Ivor was specifically an idiot about fighting Pokemon, his “justice power energy,” and his fists. Like a hyper-specific niche interest.
But no, Ivor really just was like this in all aspects.
Ivor was like a simple newborn baby, if that baby was born jacked as hell, unable to be anything other than impossibly naive to the world around them, who had learned that “good” was “good” and “evil” was “evil” and then never learned another damn thing again.
Ivor was the perfect blank slate canvas for her to influence and point in the right direction. A ball of clay that would be so easy to mold. He couldn’t be involved with Quasartico or ever have a nefarious bone in his body, there was no way in a million years this man could ever be anything other than exactly who he presented himself to be: a thickheaded moron with a heart full of nothing but pure intentions.
It was beautiful. And for that, Serena found that she trusted him implicitly.
“Just think of me as your new friend who has some similar thoughts on the wild zones.” Serena smiled and introduced herself. “I’m Serena, and you're Ivor, correct?” He didn’t even recognize her at all from their encounter not even 30 minutes ago. Sure she wasn’t wearing her glasses now, but still. He didn’t even recognize Urbain.
“Yes! I am!” Ivor proudly confirmed, pounding his hand once against his chest. “How wonderful to have a new friend with such justice passion for Pokemon!!”
Serena chuckled, feeding off his energy. “Well, I should hope my passion for Pokemon is strong! I am the Champion, after all.” She stuck her nose up a little higher in the air, flaunting her achievement.
“Amazing!” Ivor cheered, pumping his fist in the air. However, Ivor had acted on instinct to commend her accomplishment, being a champion was a mighty thing that should be praised, and didn’t actually know what he was celebrating in any way, shape, or form. “The champion of what?”
“The Champion of Kalos,” Serena clarified, eyebrows raised. Surely not…
Ivor stared at her, his grin never slipping, but his gaze utterly blank and empty. Serena could see the tumble weeds crossing Ivor’s eyes. Her words meant nothing to him. She'd completely stumped the man.
A beat passed in total silence as Ivor wracked his brain to come up with a conclusion as to what that was.
Ivor rubbed his chin in deep contemplation. “…So you fought the ground below our feet, the very earth of the region itself, and emerged victorious?” He came out from his thoughts and smiled brightly, teeth gleaming, and put both hands on his hips, flexing his pecs. “I had no idea such a measure of strength was possible!”
Urbain blinked. “Is… is he serious?” Oh, Ivor was an Idiot with a capital I. Urbain wondered if that’s what the “I” in Ivor stood for – Idiot.
“The Kalos Pokemon Champion, Ivor.” Serena imagined there were Spinaraks crawling around in there with how empty his head was.
If you looked up “Idiot Savant” in the dictionary, there’d be a picture of Ivor, and if there wasn’t, it needed to be updated to have one because this was the most perfect encapsulation of that term Serena had ever encountered. And that was saying something because she knew Sycamore.
Now this, Ivor sparked to. “There’s a contest to determine who can fight the most Kalos Pokemon?!” he screeched, shocked and inordinately excited. Ivor was far too earnestly giddy than anyone had the right to be at the idea of literally fist fighting every Kalos Pokemon and given a medal for it.
“Ivor–” Serena tried to interject, but Ivor’s one-track mind was running away with the idea and wasn’t listening. Ivor was absolutely unable to multitask to any extent. His brain was currently occupied.
Ivor eyed Serena appreciatively. “I wouldn’t have guessed you had won it, you are rather small, but I should have known appearances can be deceiving!” Ivor nodded in approval of his own conclusions and mentally patted himself on the back for reaching such an answer. Then, without a shred of doubt, Ivor boldly declared like he was Sherlock Holmes and this was the only thing that could be deduced from all the evidence, “Like a mischievous Ghost-type and deceptive like a Dark-type you are then! Ha-HA!” Ivor bellowed a laugh, then suddenly pointed at Serena. “That is how you are both high and not high!” he declared victoriously. “Do you change shape? Or do you perhaps prefer disguises and speed to hide at a moment’s notice on the ceiling?”
Serena didn’t dare answer. Ivor would just ignore her again in favor of his own evaluation as he appeared to already be pondering his own questions. She awaited with bated breath to hear what he’d say next.
Ivor finally seemed to come to an answer, smacked his fist into his open hand, and nodded. “Yes, it must be that! That would explain how I hadn’t noticed you in that station until now! You vanished like a ghost in the darkened shadows! You were hiding in disguise up high!” he concluded with the confidence of reading a stop sign and intuiting it meant “stop.”
Serena prayed Ivor would never end up on a jury.
Urbain stared at Ivor, baffled in morbid awe of this man. “How is it possible for someone to be both so wrong and yet, so right at the same time? Holy shit…” he muttered under his breath to himself.
“So tell me, new friend, how does this battle of strength work?” Ivor’s eyes sparkled in anticipation of being regaled with the details of such a glorious event. “Do you have to fight every Kalos Pokemon in order or is it more of a battle royale? How do I sign up for such a tournament?!”
Serena could practically see Ivor’s nonexistent tail wagging as he keenly awaited her answer like it was revenant gospel. He’d accepted this idea as fact, and there would be no convincing him otherwise.
Alright, this was getting nowhere, so time for a new approach: playing into Ivor’s absolutely hilarious ideas.
“You know what, Ivor,” Serena began, her voice laced with amusement, “it was in order by Pokedex number, and after I won, they permanently canceled that contest. I’m so sorry.” Quashing his hopes of a non-existent event was a mercy killing.
The man was practically a god trapped in a mortal, distinctly human, shell, but in order for Mew to compensate for such chiseled features, perfect flowing hair, and absurdly impossible strength, Mew had no choice but to give Ivor a base stat of 1 in every other category. It was like Mew had intended to make a new Fighting-type Pokemon but accidentally hit the “Human” button right next to it and didn’t bother to fix the mistake.
A true cursed existence. What a cruel, yet glorious creation.
“What a shame!” Ivor lamented, slumping his shoulders. “Winning such a title would’ve been the perfect way to convince people to join the Fist of Justice in tearing down these wild zones!”
Oh, finally! A way to pivot out of this dead-end, though fucking incredible, conversation and get back to Serena’s true agenda. “Actually, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, Ivor. I’m interested in knowing more about the Fist of Justice as a prospective member."
Urbain whipped his head to her. “Wait, what?! No!! That’s– that’s– agh! You can’t!” He knew that as soon as other groups found out about Serena they’d be gunning to poach her. That’s what the team jacket was supposed to be for!! To mark his– Team MZ’s claim and declare Serena as off limits!
However, Urbain would have NEVER anticipated Serena would be interested in joining another group on her own accord! Especially after how reluctantly she joined Team MZ in the first place!
Was… Was there something these idiots had that Urbain and Team MZ didn't? It definitely wasn’t a drive to fist fight Pokemon, so it couldn’t be that. The Fist of Justice was against the wild zones, but now Team MZ was too! Or rather, against Quasartico, which was what Serena actually cared about in regards to the wild zones. Urbain was reasonably confident his friends would come around, but even if they didn’t, Serena still had Urbain in her corner! So what could it be?!
A chilling thought ran through Urbain’s head.
Oh, no.
Was Serena attracted to big muscled dumbasses?! Was that her type?!
Was Serena into Ivor?! Was that why she used her one favor with the Police Chief to bust the dude out of jail?! No, it couldn’t be. Because Urbain was at a HUGE disadvantage if it was! Urbain was strong, pretty well muscled if he said so himself, but he wasn’t grossly huge like Ivor!
Shit, was Urbain too smart for Serena to be into him?!
Noooooooooo!!!
Urbain had thought the extended not-date coffee date had gone super well! Like really reallysuper-mega-awesome well! Serena had even been flirting with him!! And then that doubles battle?? It was all going incredible!!
Did he misread everything?! No, no. Urbain had to assure himself he hadn’t been wrong. He had a chance. He did! Urbain was just gonna have to try extra hard and up his game.
Ivor’s face lit up like you just told him that every day was his birthday and he could punch as many Bewears as he wanted. “The Kalos Pokemon Champion is interested in joining us!? Incredible! You must come see our dojo immediately! Let us go right now!”
“Absolutely! I’d like to hear more–” Serena was cut off by Ivor abruptly grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder. Ivor turned around, facing away from Urbain. Serena struggled to not slam her head into Ivor’s back and attempted to prop herself up on her arms by pushing against him. Serena looked down at Urbain, alarmed, mirroring Urbain’s equally disturbed and worried expression. “What–?!”
“To the dojo!! For the fiiiiiisssstt!” Ivor roared, crouching down and about to start running.
Serena and Urbain exchanged one more look of sheer utter horror.
Urbain reached out to grab her, and Serena desperately tried to catch his hand.
“WAIT–!!” Urbain shouted at Ivor, but it was too late. Serena slipped through his fingers.
*FWOOOOSH!!*
Ivor took off sprinting at a break neck pace through the city, launching himself so fast that the ground cracked under the force of his first step, made a loud rippling noise, and a whooshing wind tunnel that caused Urbain’s hair and clothes to fly up. Urbain had to shield his eyes with his other arm from the whipping air current. Serena’s pink hat, which had gone flying off from the sudden acceleration, fluttered to the ground.
Instead of grabbing Serena, Urbain only grasped the dust cloud that lingered in the shape of Ivor’s form where he once stood.
…Serena just got kidnapped in front of a police station?!
By a fucking shit-for-brains HIMBO?!
FUCK!! Urbain had to catch up!
Urbain spotted an open taxi down the street. Every second counted here! Urbain scooped up Serena’s hat, placed it on his head, and made a B-line for that cab!!
Urbain ran down the street, ignoring the constant honking horns and drivers screaming at him as he dodged oncoming traffic, parkouring over cars, and smoothly sliding over car hoods, until he finally reached the taxi. Urbain jumped inside as fast as he could.
“Thank you for choosing Lumi Ca–”
“The Fist of Justice Dojo!!!” Urbain yelled, panting and slightly out of breath. “I’ll pay you double if you go as fast as you can!!” Urbain couldn’t get Serena’s scared face out of his head. She had been terrified.
This driver was no Zach, but Urbain now knew that Lumiose Taxi drivers were insane, so this would be the fastest way to get there.
“You got it, boss!” The taxi driver shifted into gear and slammed on the gas. An entire 710P tip was on the line here!
Z • ─── ˗ˏˋ 🍃 ˎˊ˗ ヾ(⊙’Д `⊙ )‼️ ─── • A
*Step, step, step!*
*Thud, thud, thud!!!*
*STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!!*
“GWYNNN!!!!! GWYNNNNNNNN!!!!!” Ivor thundered as he ran into the Fist of Justice’s outdoor courtyard.
“Ivor! Stop yelling, I’m right here, you idiot!” Gwynn scolded without looking at him. It was an automatic response at this point. He always came barreling in here screaming his head off no matter what. Ugh, she was so tired of it! Gwynn turned to face her brother. “What do you want–” She immediately noticed the additional set of legs on his person. Oh my god. “Ivor!! Is- is that a body!? Is that a person!?”
“Yes!” Ivor smiled radiantly, looking ever so pleased with himself. “Gwynn! You must meet her! She’s ghostly like you!”
Gwynn eyed the limp body folded over Ivor’s shoulder in a terrible new light. “Oh my god… Ivor, did you kill someone!?”
“No! Why would you think that? I got arrested, yes–”
“YOU WERE ARRESTED?!”
“Indeed I was! But then she,” Ivor gestured to the body on his shoulder, “freed me with the power of her justice fists! The police could do nothing but watch as we left!”
“YOU BROKE OUT OF JAIL?!”
“Yes! Exactly!” Ivor exclaimed, shooting Gwynn a thumbs up and a wink, enthused and seeing absolutely nothing wrong with the tale he was relaying. He then giddily announced, “And Gwynn, get this, this woman here has defeated every Pokemon in Kalos in Pokedex order with her fists and ghostly sneakiness, and she emerged victorious as the Kalos Pokemon Champion! And she’s interested in joining the Fist of Justice! Isn’t that wonderful?”
“YOU KIDNAPPED SERENA?! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! PUT HER DOWN! PUT HER DOWN!” Gwynn screeched, barking orders like Ivor was a rowdy Houndour. Complying, Ivor finally set Serena down.
Serena, who looked like she got caught in a tornado, hair strewn every which way, was conscious but barely hanging on by a thread, extremely disoriented and woozy. She took a few steps like she was drunk, before she stumbled, collapsing onto her hands and knees, and vomited. Serena made no move to stand up.
Gwynn, eyes bulging, slapped a hand over her mouth. “Arceus, we’re all going to jail,” she quietly murmured to herself in abject horror.
Ivor put a hand on her shoulder and looked his sister deep in the eyes, appearing far more intense than he had any right to be. “No, Gwynn, we’re not going to jail,” he said, resolute. “I just told you. I was already in jail!” he earnestly clarified for her.
Serena hurled again.
Utterly mortified, Gwynn continued watching the most esteemed and mighty Trainer in the region, the honest-to-Arceus Kalos Champion, puke her guts out in front of her. “It’s in moments like this that I pray you were adopted.”
Ivor cocked his head to the side, puzzled. “How could I have been adopted? That makes no sense. We have the same mother and father.”
Serena crawled a few paces away and sat down in the dirt, legs strewn in front of her, and covered her eyes with her hand while looking downwards. “The world is spinning… make it stop…”
Serena speaking for the first time urged Gwynn into action. She grabbed one of the nearby clean work-out towels and a new bottle of water then sat down next to Serena.
Gwynn handed her the towel. “Please wipe your face with this. I am so, so, so unbelievably sorry for my idiot brother.” Serena slowly cleaned herself off, groaning. Gwynn opened the water bottle. “Do you think you can keep some water down?” Serena weakly nodded, and took small sips of the water.
“SERENA!! Are you okay?!” Urbain called out while running through the entrance, dropping to his knees beside Serena, sliding slightly in the dirt from how much momentum he had.
Urbain frantically ran his eyes over her, checking to see if she was injured. She looked like she got hit by a train and was suffering. Serena did not look okay at all, but assured that she was now safe and not in immediate danger, Urbain fiercely turned his head to glare at Ivor.
“What did you do?” Urbain snarled at the man.
“Nothing! My fighting power moves have no effect on her ghostlyness! Therefore, she is fine!” Ivor reasoned with unshakable confidence. His actions could not have been the cause. You cannot punch a ghost after all!
Ivor had learned at a young age the type effectiveness between Ghost-types and Fighting-types. Such knowledge had revealed to Ivor why he was never permitted to hit his sister growing up despite wanting to test his metal against her. His parents must have known that Gwynn would be impervious to Ivor’s might, thus rendering it wasted efforts! Ivor’s strength should be honed elsewhere where gains could be seen.
“FINE?!” Urban grit out. “What about her looks fine?!”
“The Kalos Pokemon Champion is simply overcome with shock by the impressive sight of our dojo of justice!” Ivor replied without pause. Yes! She was simply stunned by the facility!
Serena grabbed his arm, drawing Urbain’s attention back to her. “I’m okay… It’s fine… Just… Just give me a minute…” Serena mumbled. With how much she had been whipped around like a kite flying on a windy day, the multiple times Ivor’s elbow had rammed into her skull while he was running, and her still swimming vision, there was a non-zero chance that Serena had a concussion. Great.
“When you feel okay enough, you can shower in my room and borrow some of my clothes,” Gwynn offered.
“Yeah… Thanks… Just– just let me sit here a little longer…” Serena needed a minute or too. Or several.
“We can sit here as long as you need,” Urbain reassured her, lightly rubbing circles on her back.
“GWYNN!!” The Fist of Justice members from the protest outside wild zone 3 zoomed into the dojo. “Ivor got arrested!!” Josée shouted. They ran all the way here from the demonstration as fast as they could! “It’s terrible! And– oh,” Josée paused upon seeing Ivor standing there and distinctly not in prison.
“You’re a little late, Josée,” Gwynn snapped, careful to keep her volume low.
After a few more minutes, Serena was ready to stand. Urbain helped her up and wrapped an arm around her waist, continuing to support her as she walked. Gwynn led them to her room.
As they walked into the building, Urbain glared back at Ivor. “Not cool, man.” Once he made sure Serena was okay, he was coming back out here and screaming at the guy.
Z • ─── ᕙ( ᗒᗜᗕ )ᕗ _(´ཀ`」 ∠) _ ─── • A
After carefully showering, Serena dressed in the clothes laid out for her. Serena stuffed her dirty outfit into her pink tote bag. Exiting the bathroom, the dark haired girl waiting for Serena jumped to attention.
“How are you feeling? Did those clothes fit you?” Gwynn fretted. She wasn’t usually the type to be so considerate or attentive, but this was the Champion, and it was her brother’s unbelievable astronomical fuck-up that Gwynn would no doubt be the one paying for later if Serena was anything but perfectly okay.
“I’m feeling better, not great, but better… Even while feeling like shit, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on your excellent taste in clothes.” Serena finally took in the girl in front of her. “Oh, wow, your Chandelure hat is to die for, and the creepy cute room aesthetic is killer.” Serena cringed as soon as she’d said it.
Gwynn winced. “Wow, that was corny.”
Serena rubbed her temples. She was really going through it right now. Her head was scrambled. “Sorry, I’m still out of it. I’m usually much more composed and don’t sound like a complete idiot. I’m Serena, but you might have already known that. What’s your name?”
“Gwynn. Even though you were dazed, I’m surprised you didn’t already know that given how loud Ivor was shouting it.” Gwynn sighed deeply, shaking her head. “Once again, I am so unbelievably sorry for my incredibly moronic asinine incompetent brother.” It would be a monumental scandal if this got out. Once again, Gwynn needed to cover their asses and clean up Ivor’s mess for him. Ugh, brothers.
Growing up, it had always been Ivor suggesting games like “who can jump off the roof the most times,” “what if we just punched each other?” and “let’s push each other in the wagon down the hill into oncoming traffic and see how fast we can go.” To which she being the only responsible one with a brain between the two of them, would say, “Um, no. How about we don’t do that.” Ivor would proceed to ignore her and just do it anyway. Then Gwynn would get blamed by their parents for not stopping him because she was his sister. No matter what Ivor did, it was magically always HER fault!! Ugh!!!
Somewhere along the way, Gwynn had been conditioned into understanding that when you’re the sister, somehow everything is your fault. Gwynn had learned to accept that as a general fact of life and pivot instead to “how can I clean up my brother’s mess with as little backlash on ME as possible.”
“It’s okay, really, it is, and anyways, you shouldn’t be the one apologizing for him.” Serena cracked a joking smile. “If he’s man enough to sweep me off my feet, then he should be man enough to apologize himself.”
Gwynn snorted. “Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” Serena was now 2 for 2 for terrible jokes landing flat. Gwynn decided to be charitable and lended Serena’s horrible cheesiness to being loopy and out of sorts.
Serena took stock of her pounding head once more. “Actually, no, I’m not. But I’m pretty sure I don’t. I’ve had concussions before. I’m recovering much quicker right now than I did then, and I don’t have any light sensitivity.” …Yet. “Only vertigo.”
“That’s a relief.” Gwynn delicately placed a hand over her chest and closed her eyes briefly as the stress began leaving her. “I might have actually killed my brother this time if he’d seriously harmed you.” Now that she was certain Serena wasn’t going to press criminal charges against them for Ivor’s actions, Gwynn dialed back her worry.
Serena waved her off. “Nah, no need to go that far. Honestly?” Serena crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. “This was actually in my top three most pleasant kidnappings,” she said, completely nonchalant.
“...What?”
“Yeah, this was really not that bad. Surprisingly gentle, all things considered. No weapons were involved or Pokemon, and– Wow, okay, yeah, I’m really out of it. I need to stop talking about that now.” Serena cradled her forehead and then looked at Gwynn. “Can you please pretend I didn’t just say any of that?” she pleaded weakly.
It seemed as though Serena’s confused and disoriented state, in combination with blurry vision and pain, made her prone to babbling about anything that came to mind to distract herself from hyper-focusing on the everything that was wrong. As a result, Serena was not really watching her words like she usually did. At all.
And of course, the thing that weighed heaviest on her mind right now was last night’s Team MZ meeting.
Not good. Very not good.
Gwynn raised an eyebrow. “Absolutely not.”
“Alright, that’s fair,” Serena easily conceded, going back to covering her eyes and hoping the darkness made things calm down. “Can you at least hold off until I have a working brain again?”
Gwynn pouted, her cheeks puffing up. She was nosy and wanted to know, but seeing as Gwynn did feel responsible for Serena’s current state, she’d relent just this once. “Fine,” she agreed tersely.
Serena decided now would be an awesome time to make things worse for herself and continued to talk completely unprompted, “...And even if he did give me a concussion, it’s not that bad. Like, one time, I was doing a backflip off a railing in roller skates with no helmet.”
“No helmet?”
“It’s ugly. I refuse.”
“Valid.”
“Thank you, anyways, I was doing this sick backflip in roller skates, but I was still new to learning the trick, so I messed up and fell. That sucked.” Serena proceeded to dig a bigger hole for herself, “And then, another time, I got thrown off a Ryhorn I was riding bareback when I was 5.”
“When you were 5?”
“Yeah. Family tradition, you know how it is.”
“…Please continue.”
“Yeah, so, then the last time, I got punched in the face real hard by a Crogunk, and–” Serena abruptly stopped talking, falling silent. She had to stop bringing up things she didn’t actually want to talk about. With anyone. Ever.
Why, why did Serena have to be thinking about kidnappings and concussions?! Those two topics were terrible!!! Arceus, she was a mess right now…
Reveling in the chaos of seeing the, much like her name-sake, always serene Champion Serena’s image fall from grace – Serene Grace, ha – Gwynn smirked. “Awww but we were finally getting to the good part.”
“...Please know I’m not usually like this, and I think I’d actually like you a lot if I wasn’t actively dealing with brain soup right now.”
“Don’t worry, I could tell. You can stop harping on that. I’ll give you a second chance at an introduction later as long as you give me one too.” Gwynn recognized that both of them were hot messes who made absolutely humiliating disaster first impressions.
“Oh, thank Arceus. And yes, please. This is so embarrassing!” Serena admitted, hating that she was acting like this but knowing she couldn’t do anything about it.
“You’re embarrassed? I’m embarrassed!” Gwynn’s face shamefully reddened. “Imagine being that incompetent buffoon’s sister!”
“Despite being an only child, as someone who is affiliated with an incompetent buffoon myself, I can tell you that I do, unfortunately, understand.” Serena recalled all of the embarrassment Sycamore brought her over the years. Sycamore was really the gift that kept on giving. “Does your brother really not know what the Pokemon Champion is?”
“Apparently not. I can’t even with him…” Gwynn hid her face in her hands. “In the same vein, are you actually interested in the Fist of Justice, or did he make that up too?”
“No, I am interested,” Serena confirmed, though her voice wavered in pain. “All I wanted was to come here normally, you know, and hear more information, but the ungodly massive amount of simpleminded blockhead energy is strong within that one.”
“Ugh, don’t I know it.” Gwynn had a front row seat to it every day of her entire life. “The fact that he is my actual flesh and blood brother genuinely stuns me sometimes.”
“Do you think that’s our curse we have to bear for being ghostie girlies?” Serena had identified their overlap and was trying her best to put 2 and 2 together while saddled with the worst case of brain fog. “We have to be the only competent ones saddled with a plethora of dynamic imbeciles, and if we take our eyes off of them for one second they cause more problems than a Tauros in a china shop?”
“Oh my god, I think you’re on to something there…” Gwynn blinked, the other part of Serena’s words registering. “Ghostie girlie…s?” She looked at Serena, incredulous. “You?”
Gwynn would admit that her image of Serena being this perfect untouchable model had already been shattered the second the woman vomited in their courtyard, but she’d still figured Serena was an air-headed, for lack of a better word, bimbo. The female version of Ivor AKA someone Gwynn wanted nothing to do with and as far away from her as possible. However, Serena was slowly starting to prove that assumption wrong too. Gwynn was sure Serena would have a better performance convincing her if she wasn’t literally concussed right now.
Even then, Gwynn would have never thought pink puffball Champion Serena would ever be a Ghost-type fan to the extent that she’d call herself a “ghostie girlie.” Is that what Ivor had been trying to tell her before?
Vertigo raked through Serena and she stumbled out of nowhere, gripping the wall to steady herself, and looked down at the floor. “Do not be fooled by my shiny pink exterior. I yearn for the graveyard. The only difference between us is that your Tauros is a well-meaning dumbass, and my Tauros is all of fucking Kalos trying to self-destruct and implode in on itself every single fucking time I turn around,” Serena vented, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. “Oh god, what am I saying?” Serena slid down the wall and sat on the ground. “I’m just gonna take a break from standing and sit here until the room stops being blurry. Fuck, my head…”
Okay, yeah, maybe they would end up being friends. Not at all what Gwynn had expected to come from this shit show disaster, but she’d be looking forward to “re-meeting” Serena once she had her brain unscrambled.
Despite getting a kick out of everything Serena was saying, wanting to know more, and ask, like, a million questions because damn, that was some sinistea right there, it was obvious to Gwynn there was something actually wrong with Serena. Unfortunately, that took priority. Gwynn still had to make sure they weren’t going to get sued by the Champion. There would be no recovering from that for them – financially or reputationally.
“I really think you need to go see a doctor,” Gwynn stressed.
“Yeeeaaahhh, I thinnnk you’reee right.” Serena accidentally slurred her words. “I’m putting concussion baccck on the table. The lightss do be brightening.”
Gwynn winced. Ivor could now add “defeating the Kalos Champion” to his resume. Even though he’d knocked her out, not her Pokemon out, Ivor was actually the only person in the world who could technically claim such a feat and yet was too stupid to realize in any way what exactly he’d done.
For the very first time, Gwynn was thankful her brother was an idiot and did not have a phone. Because imagine if Ivor accidentally let it slip on the internet that he beat up dainty and frail cutie patootie Champion Serena and actually sent her to the hospital before she could even throw out a Pokemon! It wouldn’t even be an hour before Ivor got doxxed and there was an honest-to-goodness angry mob at their doorstep.
The whole thing would no doubt end with Ivor behind bars for inevitably harming so many people… jailed again. How could Gwynn forget that Ivor got arrested today?!
As soon as Serena could actually string a coherent thought together again, the two of them would be having words about what actually happened today because in no way did Gwynn trust Ivor to correctly fill her in on the story.
“What were you thinking!?” Urbain’s yell was loud enough to ring through the window despite coming from outside.
“Is my idiot threatening your idiot?” Serena asked, pinching her nose, and still shaking out the dizziness. Holy shit, she needed a nap. And a doctor. Likely a doctor first.
Gwynn peered out the window, and sighed. “It appears so.”
“Arceus, can’t we leave them alone for five minutes? Ugghhhhhhhhh…” Serena groaned.
Z • ──── (꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) ──── • A
“Hey, Urbain?” Serena called out, entering the courtyard with Gwynn helping her down the stairs. “I think I need to go to the hospit–” She slipped on the stairs, and fell. Luckily, Gwynn was already half holding her, and managed to catch her before she fully fell to the ground and hit her head.
“Serena!” Urbain abandoned his one-sided argument with Ivor and rushed to her side. He took over for Gwynn and helped get Serena back on her feet and off the stairs.
“I’m good, I’m gooooooood,” Serena insisted, shifting her weight from foot to foot, trying to right herself.
“No, you’re not, and we’re absolutely going to the hospital,” Urbain countered firmly. He waited, holding her gently, until she got ahold of herself in her semi-delirious state.
Gwynn literally kicked her brother in the butt and huffed, pointing wildly at Serena. Ivor clued into what his sister was trying to silently tell him by such a gesture.
Ivor looked over at Serena and raised a fist in front of him, determined. “Kalos Pokemon Champion! So you wanted to know more about the Fist of Justice–!”
“NO!! You idiot!!” Gwynn screeched, absolutely fuming and repeatedly kicking Ivor’s ankle with her tiny foot to no avail of causing any actual discomfort to the man. “Apologize!!”
Ivor blinked. “Oh! Yes! That!” He turned back to where Urbain was standing with Serena. “Kalos Pokemon Champion–!”
“Her name is Serena, you imbecile!!!” Gwynn interjected, furious, face red from rage and her hands in tight fists by her sides.
“Right!” Ivor nodded, now remembering her name. He dropped into a deep bow. “Serena! I am deeply sorry for the discomfort I caused you! Your fiery-willed friend here informed me that I did you a great injustice by grabbing you! Please forgive me! I got too excited by your impressive might!” Ivor apologized earnestly.
“You’reee goood, no probleemm!” Serena slurred. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fineee, reeeallyy.”
“Fantastic!” Ivor thrust his fist in the air, pumping it.
“Hey, Serena?” Catching her attention, Urbain then asked, “Can you give me Sensei’s Pokeball?”
“Ohhh, good ideaaa.” Serena leaned further into Urbain as she dug into her tote bag. She handed Sensei’s Pokeball to him.
Urbain released the Pokemon, and Sensei materialized next to them. The Greninja quickly took stock of the situation and Serena’s deplorable state, and he immediately jumped into helping support her from the other side.
“Greninja?” Sensei questioned Urbain urgently with narrowed eyes.
“We’re going to the hospital, I’ll fill you in on the way. Can you help me get her there?” Urbain asked. Sensei nodded. The three hobbled out the courtyard archway.
Urbain knew Serena was going to hate herself once she snapped out of this. “Serena, for the sake of future you, I think you should stop talking. Please.”
Z • ──── <(⸝⸝๑﹏๑) •̀ᴖ•́)> ──── • A
After a trip to the hospital and being sent home with a definitive concussion diagnosis, only being allowed Tyrunol for pain meds, and doctor’s orders to sit in a dark room for at least the next entire day, Serena, Urbain, and Sensei stumbled back into Hotel Z looking more than worse for wear, utterly exhausted.
“Oh, they’re back,” Lida noted, pausing her quiet conversation with Naveen, standing up from her spot in her favorite arm chair and walking over. Naveen, who was sitting next to Lida, stayed in place, but leaned over slightly to verify their presence. “I was wondering when you’d get–” Lida startled, taking them in and their disheveled states. Serena in particular looked terrible. And Serena never looked terrible. Serena was wearing her sunglasses indoors, in a new outfit, and the side of her face looked like it was starting to purple, a bruise peaking out from her hairline. “Woah… What happened?”
“I got accidentally beat-up by a himbo, and I don’t want to talk about it!” Serena snapped. Now that she was considerably more lucid, Serena was wrought with embarrassment at all of her earlier actions. She’d made an utter fool of herself!!
That girl, Gwynn, was a fucking saint, and Serena was bringing her a god damn fruit basket and exorbitantly expensive chocolates when she went back there to redeem herself.
The only silver lining to the whole thing was that it wasn’t actually that bad of a concussion. Apparently, Serena’s intense anxiety, absolutely insane stress levels, no sleep, the entirety of her stomach being only lots of coffee and half a croissant, and the very high caffeine levels in her system had magnified the immediate disorientation symptoms. If she just sat in bed in the dark and did nothing for a day or so, she’d be back to normal after. Or at least, mostly back to normal with potential lingering effects for a week or so.
‘Ah, hello darkness my old friend.’ Serena ruefully anticipated the days alone with nothing but her thoughts to occupy her. Great. As if she wasn’t in a downwards spiral enough already. Now she got to ruminate. Joy.
Yes, Nurse Joys everywhere would delight in Serena's suffering.
At least with all this free time she could begin the aggressive skin care routine to make this bitch of an injury bruise as little as possible.
“Accidentally… Himbo? What?” Lida couldn’t help but wonder out loud, baffled. Lida wasn’t sure what she’d expected Serena to say, but it definitely wasn’t that.
Serena flustered, her cheeks pinking. Voice pitching up high to the extent of almost squeaking, mortified, she shouted, “I said I don’t want to talk about it! Okay?!”
Z • ──── ( ⚆_⚆) (⸝⸝>⸝⸝⸝⸝<⸝) ──── • A
After watching Urbain and Sensei comically waddle Serena into the elevator, Lida and Naveen resumed their hushed discussion.
“C’mon Naveen, it’s okay to be wary, I actually get it, but Serena and Urbain apologized already and really meant it. And then she told us everything, so it’s not like they continued to keep the secret. They admitted they were wrong, and did the right thing. People can mess up, and that’s okay. But it’s because we’re friends that we can forgive each other and move past it,” Lida warmly assured.
She’d been thinking a lot about this. Serena and Urbain weren’t like the friends of her past at dance school. They cared deeply about Lida, admitted their mistakes, and corrected for it. To Lida, that was called being a good friend that was also human. Just like she was. It was okay to mess up sometimes.
Lida could never find it in herself to go on a journey like her brother had. She subconsciously knew something had happened to Tierno during his, and she was afraid to have that happen to her. So instead, Lida enrolled in dance school where things were structured and not at the whims of the region’s landscape. It wasn’t supposed to be turbulent. There shouldn’t have been any surprises – it was supposed to be safe. To not have the same risk her brother took, but to still follow in his footsteps and go after their shared dream… just with a little more guardrails to protect herself.
But even then, Lida still got hurt. When she needed her brother most, he wasn’t there… just like when he needed Lida the most.
More than ever, Lida regretted not opening that door.
Because why else would Tierno have come home so abruptly that day just to leave again? He was struggling and just wanted his family. He wanted his sister. He just didn’t know how to ask for help. He was crying out for her support and comfort and she didn’t act. He wanted her to push.
She should’ve pushed.
Lida wouldn’t make that mistake again.
And as much as she wanted to grab and shake Serena until she told Lida what specifically happened to her brother, Lida wanted to hear that from Tierno. She wanted him to confide in her, to trust her, and not have her hear it from someone else. She didn’t want her brother to keep suffering alone to try to protect her.
Lida wasn’t the same kid she was five years ago. She saw now that she’d been sheltered, glossy eyed, and saw the world through the rose colored glasses her brother did his damndest to preserve. To give his sister the innocent childhood Tierno’d been suddenly stripped of. Lida loved her brother. So much.
But Lida could protect herself now. She wanted to support Tierno like they used to again.
Lida just wanted her brother back.
This time, Lida was going to push. She was going to open that door – Serena’s door. Lida could make a difference and try to prevent another dear friend from crying alone in their room without anyone to turn to until they shattered. Lida was going to stand by her friends no matter what. Because her friends were family too.
“Besides,” Lida chuckled, “Serena getting beat up by a himbo was payment enough for not telling us.”
“Fine, I guess it was…” Naveen relented. Lida could be surprisingly insightful at times.
His own thoughts were still stewing, they probably would be for a while, but Naveen had realized that when everything was washed away, when it really came down to it, he just wanted to protect his home. He wouldn’t let this new life he’d built for himself fall to ruin. He’d protect his home, and he'd protect his friends… the place he belonged.
Naveen wanted to help Serena do that, and he really did think her plan was going to work. It didn’t feel like a mysterious unknown, it felt like a tangible actionable concrete game plan. It was something to believe in. Naveen didn’t want to be kept in the dark again, helpless to do anything. Of this, at the very least, he was certain.
The jury was still out on how he felt about the Team Flare of it all, though.
Lida pulled Naveen, who stumbled at the sudden jerked movement, into a one armed hug until they were knocking the sides of their heads together.
“And anyways, we’ll get our revenge on them by never ever letting Serena forget about the himbo thing and dialing up our efforts of making fun of Urbain for his absolutely sickening crush on Serena.” Lida’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Cuz we’re a team, you know?”
Naveen smiled softly. “Yeah, we’re a team.”
End Notes
Serena: (Is a mess) Gwynn: I am only being nice to you so you don’t literally sue me. Serena: (Drops the wildest gossip) Gwynn: …Oh? I want you to keep talking, but unfortunately, I care about not being sued more. Therefore: are you okay?
The odds of Serena getting absolutely steamrolled by a Trainer are low… but never zero.
I’m obsessed with the idea that Ivor is both so fucking wrong and yet so fucking right at the same time. He’s so stupid and simple that he circles back around to being weirdly intuitive.
I just love the idea that Serena has so much ego and confidence in her abilities, like Serena thinks she's a giga-brained mastermind, and then everything derails and is thwarted by a himbo of all things.
Probably not the hurt/comfort instance you expected, but the one we deserve!
Also, I had no plans to give Serena an injury in this chapter (recovery is going to be quick), but then I realized how funny it would be to have Serena and Gwynn meet the person they’re going to vibe with and relate to the most where neither of them are cool in any way, make embarrassing disaster first impressions, and the whole thing is an utter train wreck of epic proportions. The Serena & Gwynn friendship is going to be one for the ages. If it wasn’t obvious by how I write Gwynn, I am an older sister to TWO idiot brothers whom I love very much. I pulled a lot from personal experiences for that lololol. They’re idiots, but they’re my idiots.
The fact that lore-accurate Serena (and Calem) can do a backflip and is the only Pokemon game protagonist who can do so will never not be funny to me. And then Serena can ALSO do like a crazy elaborate triple side spin backflip. Other Pokemon games: jumps of ledges. Chad Serena: backflips off ledges. And you do so with utterly no protective gear. So I’m integrating this literally factually accurate XY lore by saying my Serena is too fancy and fashionable to ever dare wear ugly helmets + her unhinged “nothing is more dangerous than riding a Ryhorn, so I got this” mentality and unwavering sometimes inflated self-confidence, thus making her an idiot with a colorful medical history. But at least she’s a pretty idiot.
Not Serena accidentally playing into Urbain’s ego and savior complex while also mitigating potential jealousy (that he typically has some degree of for the player) by continuously insisting to other people that he’s team leader because she thinks it’s funny that *she’s* not team leader, which just goes right over Urbain’s head.
As always, thank you SO much for all the support you’ve given this fic!! Your comments and thoughts are incredible, and reading them and seeing your likes come in always makes my day! I’m continuously astounded by how much you guys are resonating with the storyline I’m crafting in this fic!
