Coumarine was a modern little city overlooking the Kalosian ocean. It appeared to be a large, glorified docking center, giving the whole region a nautical vibe. Street vendors chanted from beneath their umbrellas, selling a variety of incense, vitamins and other travel necessities. The entirety of the city was lined in a stone-covered ground, interrupted only by the monorail that traveled to the other half of the city. Fresh ocean air blew in a gentle breeze through Serena's hair, relieving some of the heat from the sun that beat on the stone ground beneath her feet.

Too bad the whole town was blacked out. Thanks to anonymous input of the public, Team Flare was likely involved. As per Sycamore's request, Serena got to get her hands dirty with Flare blood, and yet she wasn't the least bit scared. No, this was the chance of a lifetime. It was safe to say she was tired of these jerks' antics and was ready to give them what they deserved.

When Professor Sycamore asked her and the crew to check out suspicious activity near the plant, she couldn't refuse even if she wanted to.

And she definitely didn't want to refuse.

Shauna and Trevor arrived within the hour, joining Serena at the sign for the nearest route. Shauna wasted no time in enveloping Serena in a tight hug.

"Are you feeling better?" Shauna cried, glancing the blonde up and down. "I can't wait to give those flare jerks a piece of my mind."

"I'm doing much better," Serena answered. The sentiment was nice, but Shauna hardly looked threatening as a 157cm teenager with a fist clenched in the air.

"Glad to hear it," Trevor added. "We were worried. It's best that we stay weary as we enter Flare business, knowing how low they are willing to go."

He was not wrong. If they were willing to ambush a sleeping Pokémon, who knows what else they'd be willing to do?

Venturing out into the sand-blanketed terrain, Trevor kept a close eye on the map while Serena and Shauna kept lookout of their surroundings. Not that there was much to see with thick layers of sand saturating the air. Each step became more and more laborious as their feet sank into the ever deepening sand covering the entire ground.

"Do you think Sycamore realized what a pain this route was to travel through?" Shauna asked, annoyance laden in her tone.

"Doubt it," Trevor answered. "He isn't this cruel."

It was strange; sure there were bound to be climate differences throughout the Kalos region - just like Serena's hometown in Unova. But if this route was so hostile to travelers, wouldn't Sycamore of all people know?

"You don't think someone is causing the sandstorm, do you?" Serena asked cautiously.

Trevor and shauna eyed each other with apprehension before turning back to Serena. "It's possible," Trevor decided.

"Look!" Shauna announced, pointing straight ahead. "I think I see the Power Plant!"

Trevor squinted, suddenly grateful for the protection of his glasses. "That's it, all right. If this 'Team Flare' is involved, get ready to battle."

"Gladly," Serena declared.

The security system had already been disrupted, so entry was easy.

It was unimpressive in appearance; metal floors and dark, dingy walls. The smell of insulation and dust reeked throughout.

It was what waited beyond the entry was what would eventually cause headaches.

"They're… everywhere." Shauna observed. Eyes scanning down the hallway of the power plant, people in red paced back. There must have been at least twenty Flare Grunts on the ground floor alone. Who knew how many were in this place altogether?

A booming voice traveled down the hallway, urgent and angry. "Intruder alert! Entry 1B!"

"Great," Serena gritted her teeth. "Ready to party?" She asked her allies.

The two gave uncertain nods, drawing their Pokéballs and whispering short prayers before being forced into battle.

xXx

"Now tell me," Serena brushed the dust off her skirt. Kristie stood proudly over her fallen opponent. "What are you guys doing with the power plant?"

The grunt grimaced, returning their fainted Growlithe. "Mind your own business, you little shit."

Serena shrugged, laughing at the last ditch effort at an insult. She strutted towards the staircase to join Trevor and Shauna. Unsurprisingly, the group was easy to take down. With a quick spray of a few potions, the trio was charging through the establishment.

A few seconds after turning her back, a red-gloved hand was wrapped around Serena's forearm, jerking her backwards. "Where do you think you're going? I said mind your own damn business," the grunt snarled through clenched teeth.

"Serena!" Shauna called out in fear.

Before she even had a chance to struggle, Kristie had her teeth sinking into the brittle dark flesh of the grunt. They yelped in pain as the water type dragged her bite across their skin, sinking deeper with each failed attempt to stumble away.

'Don't. Fucking. Touch. Her.' Kristie demanded, audible to the human ear as a cacophony of hellish growls.

They released their grasp on Serena without a second thought. They grasped the wound, tears prickling at the corners of their eyes from sheer pain alone.

The grunts could only watch as these "bratty kids" forced their way through, their Pokémon threatening to behead anyone who lay a hand on their respective trainers.

"Are you okay?" Shauna asked as Serena caught up.

"Of course," she flipped her blonde hair. "Thanks to my little water princess here," she patted Kristie's head. The Wartortle purred into her touch in response. She couldn't completely shake the feeling of guilt at physically hurting the grunt. While she would never sick her Pokémon on a trainer under normal conditions, they had physically assaulted her, several times now. It was self-defense that was long overdue, she concluded.

"Maybe we should split up," Trevor suggested. Nearby defeated grunts reported the situation via radio, demanding backup. "They're not tough, and we can cover more ground leading to whoever is in charge here."

"No!" Shauna refuted. "You are not leaving me alone here!"

"Shauna, you held your own as well as us back there," Serena giggled.

"Sure, but I'm horrible with directions! I'll get lost!"

"What, you scared?" Trevor asked, sticking a teasing tongue out at the girl.

"Yeah," Shauna folded her arms. "I am! So what?" She grabbed the boy's arm with an alarmingly tight grip. "You're staying with me."

"Oui, mademoiselle," Trevor feigned frustration, but ultimately smiled. With a digital map of the power plant displayed on his phone, Trevor led the girls down a rusty spiral staircase, the three prepared for an ambush that came at the next floor. It was anticlimactic, really, as these grunts were no stronger than the last set.

Serena lost track of how many members she had taken down. They retreated upon defeat, after spewing a plethora of nasty words at the young trainers, of course.

Before allowing her last opponent to flee, Serena marched toward the young man in red who had already returned his fallen Pokémon. "You. Tell me," she ordered. "Who is in charge here, and where do I find them?"

He scoffed angrily. "Why do you think I would tell you? I will protect our savior with my life."

Serena stared with furrowed brows and a gaping frown. These idiots were in deep. Whoever this 'savior' was was probably wickedly manipulative. She almost felt bad for these members, some of them visibly younger than her, for falling into such a trap. Almost.

"Guys, come on!" Trevor announced. "There's one more flight of stairs to the west."

Serena gave the Flare grunt before her a pitying nod before following her friends down the final staircase.

As they neared their destination, it was obvious something big was going on, judging by the ever growing noises of mechanical clattering and generators rumbling below.

Two female voices could be heard, speaking loudly and authoritatively with one another but the dialogue indistinguishable until Serena was within eyesight.

Seeing the owner of said voice, the first thing Serena noticed was the strange headgear she was wearing. It had antennae-like protrusions erecting from her glasses which looked like they had been pulled directly from a cheap science fiction movie.

Were one of these women the 'savior' that grunt spoke of? Serena, Trevor, and Shauna were concealed by a bookshelf placed near the entrance to the stairwell. This was the perfect opportunity for an ambush. Serena had beaten Team Flare before; she didn't doubt she could do it again. But she didn't play dirty. If she were to attack an unsuspecting person, she would be just as bad as Team Flare. Pokémon battling was supposed to be honorable, and she was determined to live up to her own standards.

So she stepped out into plain sight while vocally declaring her presence. "Which one of you is the leader of Team Flare?"

The two women whipped around to face the trio, their focus settling on Serena.

"Don't be silly," the woman with the headgear gave a crooked smile, emphasized by her bright fuchsia lipstick. "To think I'd be mistaken for our Great One. But I am a general, of sorts. You can call me Aliana."

Serena breathed deeply. "What are you doing here, and why are you using all the energy from Lumiose?"

Aliana cackled. "I do believe we got here first, little girl. I should be asking what you're doing here." She hummed, taking a few defensive steps toward Serena. "But if you're so determined to know that you took down all my friends upstairs, then I'll tell you." She pointed to the metal device on her face. "As any self-respecting scientist does, I'm doing research. We're developing a product that will, without a doubt, change the world. I just happened to need a little energy to do so; no big deal! You wouldn't interfere with innovative science, would you?"

The disharmonious cadence of her voice reeked of condescension. It prickled Serena's nerves like needles.

"You need to leave," Serena ordered. "Or else we'll make you."

Aliana burst into an uproar of laughter. Shauna and Trevor took a deep breath, stepping forward to join Serena's side in defense of their friend.

The second woman in a red and white blazer spoke next. "Aliana, shall I do away with them?"

Aliana removed the metal headgear, pushing it to her forehead as she removed a Pokéball from her belt. "No. I think we can humor these kids, don't you?"

A nod. The second Flare member - based on her differing outfit, probably higher in rank than the average grunt- drew a Pokéball from her own belt as well.

These women were declaring a double battle, whether Serena had a battle partner or not.

Trevor volunteered his assistance as Shauna's Frogadier was low on PP. With the release of Trevor's Aerodactyl and Serena's Lucario, the accepted the challenge.

xXx

"Morgan, hang in there!" Serena ordered. Evidently, while mysterious and great in power, mega evolution did not guarantee an easy battle. Aliana and the Flare admin were far stronger than all the previous grunts put together.

Morgan pushed himself to standing, his white tufts of fur dirtied with dust from the power plant floor. Aliana's Zweilous cackled in a manic amusement at its opponent's struggle. The admin's Golbat flapped its wings in an arrhythmic pattern.

"Dragon pulse," Aliana sang.

"Do something Aerodactyl!" was all that came from Trevor's mouth.

Perhaps unsure of what "do something" meant, Aerodactyl darted into the ray of pulsing energy.

And with that, he was down for the count.

"Trevor, no!" Serena gaped. There was no time to mourn the loss of her teammate; she was alone now and had to get back into the zone. "Morgan, power up punch to Zweilous' body!"

Morgan heaved, but stormed forward on his flaming feet with a charged fist.

Aliana's pink lips pouted. "Well?" She directed to her Flare teammate.

The admin stuttered. "R-right. Golbat, help Zweilous."

Golbat charged to intervene - his jaw wide and fangs bared. Morgan paid no heed as his glowing fist collided with Golbat's face. Golbat screeched upon impact, unable to fight the momentum of the punch with its wings as it crashed into the wall behind its trainer.

Serena cringed as she watched Golbat's limp body fall to the ground, leaving an indent on the wall where it made contact.

The admin looked away, kissing its Pokéball as she returned the poison flyer to its ball. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Aliana cocked a hand on her hip, her curvy body even more prevalent in her posture. "Looks like it's just you and me, sweetie," she said to Serena.

Serena didn't bother with a response. Big talk wasn't worth it. She could feel Morgan's stamina and strength were faltering. Kristie and Chase were worn out from the myriad of grunt battles, and it would just be cruel to send in Sylvester against a Zweilous. Best case scenario, she could wrap this up with one super effective move.

"Aura sphere!" Morgan panted relentlessly, but centered the energy from his aura into his paws.

His weakened state stunted his speed, and Aliana noticed immediately.

"Dragon rush, quick!" Her lips quirked. Zweilous' heads panted with excited, toothless grins as they dashed forward, channeling their dragon spirit to their momentum with each step.

"Now, Morgan!"

What Morgan managed to release was a small spark of energy that fizzled out upon contact with the air before he was trampled with the malicious, dragon-infused plunge.

"Morgan," Serena gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth. Dust from the ground rose to the air upon the crash, clearing away to reveal a bouncing Zweilous and an unconscious Lucario who was no longer mega evolved. "No, no, no," Serena cried. The jewel on her mega bracelet had gone dim, and her heart wrenched with agony.

She never let her Pokémon faint. She switched out before she would let that happen. Her chest was tight and her lungs were constricted and her thoughts were a jumbled mess of criticism and self-loathing and she wanted to escape and she wanted to fly away and she hated herself and she hated Team Flare. Why didn't she just switch out before Morgan got hurt?

Oh, right.

Because her only teammate left to fight was Sylvester.

What kind of trainer would she be to let her tiny Eevee fight against an overleveled dragon type? Not that she didn't believe Sylvester was strong, but he was her baby, and this Zweilous? It was monstrous.

Aliana threaded her manicured fingers together, stretching her arms out to crack her knuckles. "Sorry, sweetie. I hate to be the one to crush your dreams, but let this be a lesson. Don't play with Team Flare."

"We're not done." Serena grimaced, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. Planting her feet firmly against the cold ground, she used gravity's natural force to ground her to reality. "Y-you have to - I have one more."

With a press of the button, Sylvester now stood between Serena and the Zweilous.

The Eevee was outsized by over a meter. He batted his sparkling black eyes as he registered that he was needed for battle.

"Oh, dear," Aliana hummed.

Serena knew what she was thinking; hell, she briefly thought it herself. But she knew Sylvester was stronger than he looked. She had to have faith in him and herself.

A smile stretched across Sylvester's face. He drank in the appearance of his opponent. It's hideous faces bantering with each other like absolute buffoons.

'Look who it is,' Sylvester chirped. 'It sure is nice to see an old friend.'

One of the heads growled. 'I don't remember you.'

Sylvester bared his teeth. 'So you beat up stray baby Pokémon a lot, do you?'

'Only if they're in the way,' The other head chirped.

'Well,' Sylvester crouched. 'I've been wanted to taste your blood for a very long time now.'

"Sylvy, use secret power!" Serena declared, subconsciously pointing a finger toward her opponent.

The eevee glowed with a golden light, his eyes were black daggers as they pierced into Zweilous' body.

"Dragon pulse, my angel!"

Zweilous huffed, inhaling deeply as it formed a roaring beam of its dragon energy in its mouths. Upon exhale, both heads coughed up a purple gas, frowning as they failed to strike.

"Paralyzed, check." Serena noted, grateful that she kept that particular TM. "He's not going anywhere; use Return!"

The Eevee thrashed towards its foe, dealing full damage in a barrage of powered-up rams, straight to the Zweilous' core.

"He's close," Aliana said in a sing-song cadence. "Crunch."

Sylvester yelped in pain, whimpering as both heads clamped their teeth down into the normal type's soft skin.

Serena held her breath, flinching as Zweilous tossed Sylver's body across the makeshift battlefield. He crashed unceremoniously into the ground, causing an audible 'thud' to ring throughout the metalic room.

"Sylvy …" She said, biting down on her bottom lip until she tasted blood.

'I'm sorry, Serena,' the Eevee muttered, audible as a whimper. Tears prickled at his eyes as he lay face-planted into the ground.

"Are… are you done?" Serena asked Sylvester. That Zweilous was too over-leveled, perhaps beyond the scope of what good, old-fashioned hard work could trump. "It's okay… You fought for me, and I'm so proud of you,"

Sylvester rose to his feet, standing shakily on all fours as he shook his head. His body didn't hurt nearly as much as his pride did. He would take all the punches he could get, but he was not going to let his Serena down.

"Sylvy," Serena began again. "Please don't push it. You mean too much to me to watch you get hurt!"

His ears perked as she spoke, standing with pride and obstinance.

"F-fine," Serena gave up her fight with her own Pokémon. "But I'm quitting at the first sign of danger. I love you and I'm not letting you faint."

Aliana groaned. "Sweetie, I have things to do, so I hope you don't hold it against me for making this fast," she said as she cracked her knuckles. "Zweilous, finish this with Dragon Pulse."

Sylvester had plenty of time to predict the dragon's movement considering the latter's paralyzed speed reduction. He had to avoid every hit possible; Zweilous was ridiculously strong and he and Serena both knew he couldn't take another hit.

Following Serena's commands, he worked up his speed with quick attack, doubling as an evasion boost. She was doing all she could to keep him safe and unharmed. Sylvester knew his trainer valued her team's well being above all else. She loved them unconditionally, even if he did lose.

When he was younger, this very same Zweilous hurt him, humiliated him, and tossed him aside to die, had Serena not intervened. Even when he was just a worthless, injured baby, she gave him nothing but support, encouragement, and love. Even now that he was just a wildcard, he sensed her anxiety and felt her repressing her doubts in order to push forth her utmost support in him.

Like a hand extending from heaven, Sylvester sensed an opening. He didn't know exactly where it would lead, but it felt right; it felt safe. It felt like he would be able to repay Serena for the ultimate gift she had given him. So he followed his instincts, taking the 'hand' and letting it pull him into a realm of ribbons and glitter.

"S-Sylvester?" Serena muttered as her Eevee spaced out, a glazed look overtaking his eyes.

And suddenly he was shrouded in a pink light, sparkling like a firework with a radiance she had seen all but twice before.

A hand flew to Serena's mouth, tears threatening to fall from glossy hazel eyes, watching in shock as her baby grew up before her eyes into one of the most beautiful Pokémon she had ever hoped of seeing.

"Bloody hell," Aliana growled.

Whipping out her Pokédex like a reflexive instinct, it indicated a new move, and she had no time to ponder its effects.

"Sylvester, use 'moonblast?'" Serena read from the data entry.

His newly evolved baby-blue eyes dazzled like stars as he howled to the moon. Though not visible during the day and from underground, he glowed with a astral power that radiated from him like a supernova. With a swift swish of his head, he hurled the moonlit blast towards his foe, blinding the dragon as the blast ruptured into an explosion of white light and sparks.

Zweilous roared in pain as his scales drank in each photon of moonlight individually, his insides feeling weak enough to collapse in on him.

"No!" The scientist scowled. "Not fair! Zweilous, angel, use slam!"

Sylvester bathed in the cries of his opponent; the clamorous cries of a pained dragon were the most beautiful song he could have imagined. He danced to the music, gracefully skating across the battlefield on feathery light paws, his ribbons trailing out behind him.

The foe's dragon and dark type moves were useless, now. It was a clumsy command and even clumsier when carried out. His senses blinded by moonlight and body paralyzed, Zweilous hurled his body into the ground, missing Sylvester by a long shot.

Serena would have cried tears of joy if she wasn't already tearing up with pride. This battle was hers to clean up.

Another moonblast would have ensured a victory, but that would have been overkill. Zweilous was still a Pokémon, no matter how evil his owner, so being unnecessarily cruel just seemed evil to Serena. "Use return once more," Serena ordered her final command of the battle.

xXx

As if she hadn't nearly forfeited for her Pokémon's sake, Serena stood with her head held high and arms crossed. "Now, cut the crap. Turn the power back on, take your little friends and get out of here."

Aliana pouted, caressing the ball of her dear fallen dragon. The Flare admin strutted to her side.

"Madame Aliana, we have all the energy we need."

"Hm," she hummed, her pout curving into a smile. "Excellent. Very well, little girl," she directed to Serena. "We'll leave, and you'll get your power back." The two Flare women walked towards the stairwell. Aliana stopped when she was shoulder to shoulder with Serena. She lowered her head until she could speak lowly directly into Serena's ear. "But hear this - you are not done with Flare yet. Oh, not even close."

She giggled as she and the admin left, her cackling echoing throughout the metallic enclosure of the stairwell.

Shauna and Trevor were back at her side. "Girl, are you all right? You were amazing!" Shauna cheered, taking both of Serena's hands in her own.

"Yeah," Serena replied absentmindedly. She allowed Shauna to hug her before Sylvester jumped in her arms. He nuzzled into her neck, purring as she praised him. "Sylvester was the real star; I literally could not have done this without you, baby. And you look absolutely stunning!"

"He's so beautiful!" Shauna echoed. "You gotta enter him in contests; he'll wipe the floor with everyone!"

The new Sylveon cheered in delight at the suggestion. He had always wanted to enter contests, almost as much as he wanted to watch dragons suffer.

"I just," Serena began, catching her breath as she sorted through her jumbled thoughts. "This doesn't feel like a victory. I think Team Flare is more prominent than I realized."

Trevor adjusted his glasses. "I know what you mean. I don't like this."

xXx

The journey to the exit of the powerplant was smooth. Sure enough, there were no more grunts left. Petty as it may be, Serena mentally congratulated herself for being a major driving force in the Flare evacuation.

Sunshine felt nice after spending hours underground. Shauna stretched her limbs, sighing in delight to breathe fresh air once again.

"I'm going to head back to Coumarine," Serena declared. "I want to challenge the gym after resting at the Pokémon Center."

"Good luck; you'll nail it," Trevor said. "Shauna and I are going to meet Professor Sycamore in Lumiose. We'll give him all a full report of the happenings."

"Best of luck, mon cherie," Shauna said, giving her friend a hug before departing.

"Thank you both so much, for the good vibes, and for all the help with Flare," Serena said.

"I don't think I made much of a difference," Shauna giggled.

"You absolutely do!" Serena argued. "You make me bolder. More brave. I don't know what it is, but your morale is contagious."

"Aha," Shauna scratched her neck, turning away from Serena.

"We should get going." Trevor interjected.

"Right," Serena nodded. "Let's meet up again soon!"

With their leave, Serena was alone on Route 13. It was a lot less exciting without the sandstorm that Team Flare undoubtedly caused, probably using a Pokémon to do so. Of course, without the inhibition, the road back to Coumarine would be a cinch.


Author's Note: *slurping drink* what. Technically it hasn't been a full year since the last update for another hour.

I've had this sitting in drafts for probably about 10 months. Oh well, if anyone is still reading Kalos this what's good, I love yall, yall mvp.

On a serious note, since I did start this fic so long ago, I've changed my mind about the original direction I wanted to take this. I wanted to write Calem in a way that 19 year-old me supported, but 22 year-old-me just doesn't think is healthy. This goes for other elements of the story as well. While I do intend to give you a complete story, the execution just may be different from how I've been doing things. You may get more one-shot style entries that will ultimately tell a whole connected story, but not step by step as it has been. Who knows. I've got some free time now as I'm finishing college and learning to navigate my ADHD brain better, so we'll see what happens.