TWENTY-ONE
As she watched the red beam of light streak across the early morning sky, Serena first thought of the large weapon that slept underneath Geosenge – had it been reactivated? And if so, what was its target? She then remembered that it now buried by tons of rubble, and even if Teleurac had found the key to it, it would be of no use to him in its current state. Yet, she couldn't think of anything else it could be.
The Pokemon in the meadow had noticed as well, and now they were all communicating with one another. Although Serena couldn't understand what they were saying, she thought they sounded curious and scared of whatever that red beam was. Noibat chirped at her, as if he was asking what was going on, and all she could do was answer "I don't know."
Once the initial shock had worn off, Serena set to her morning routine: making sure each resident of the Pokemon Village had something to eat before she prepared her own breakfast, quickly washing herself in the creek, and preparing for Noibat's daily training. After bathing, she dressed herself in some spare clothes Wulfric had brought her: a sweater, jeans, sturdy hiking boots, and a coat. She finished dressing by stuffing her damp hair into a thick ski cap, just in time to see Wulfric enter the Pokemon Village.
"You're early," she greeted him. Wulfric's demeanor was different; instead of his usual warm and congenial self, he appeared aloof and troubled.
"Serena, something's happened," said Wulfric somberly. He pulled his Holo Caster out of his pocket and opened it to a news article that read "STRIKE BACK AGAINST UNOVA." She read the article, eyes wide with incredulity, at the account of retaliation against a surprise attack on a Kalosian Guard outpost.
"'Scouts report that the entirety of Aspertia City in western Unova has been destroyed . . . estimated three hundred casualties . . . sure to send a message to President Oria, says Governor Teleurac . . . cease and desist . . . the Governor hopes to negotiate terms,'" Serena stopped reading and handed the Holo Caster back to Wulfric.
"He's turned Prism Tower into a weapon of mass destruction," added Wulfric.
Serena inhaled deeply, and it took a few seconds to force herself to exhale. "I have to go. I've stayed here long enough," she said quickly, digging in her coat pocket for Noibat's Pokeball and then recalling the Pokemon.
"What are you doing?" asked Wulfric.
"I need to go back to Lumiose," she responded, finding her backpack underneath a tree. "I shouldn't have dawdled out here as long as I have –"
"They are searching people who try to get into the city," said Wulfric sternly.
"I'll get myself captured if that's what it takes. It's time I actually did something instead of just hide."
Serena slung the backpack over her shoulders and approached Wulfric. "Thank you, by the way. For everything."
After spending two days heading north through the thickest and densest areas of the Winding Woods and swiftly navigating the open spaces south of Route 21, Serena arrived at Santalune Forest. She decided to stop there for the night, making a crude shelter out of fallen tree limbs and leaves and letting Noibat out of his Pokeball so he could listen for approaching humans. When the sun rose in the morning, the first thing she did was tear the shelter down and scatter its components, which included handing a few tree limbs to a group of interested Pansear.
Serena found the main path through the forest and walked alongside it, keeping a dozen yards between herself and the path at all times. As she walked, she imagined having all of her Pokemon back, and having them destroy everything inside Team Flare's facility. She also tried to figure out whether Mega Evolved Lucario or Mega Evolved Charizard would be strong enough to destroy the parts of Prism Tower that had been turned into a weapon, without harming the tower itself. Finally, she imagined Teleurac in a prison cell – the one he said was waiting for her.
Two hours into her trek, she heard voices. She ducked behind the nearest tree, pressing her body against the rough bark, and her mouth gaped open slightly when she recognized one of the voices.
"Shiny Pokemon sightings are extremely rare, but it doesn't mean that they don't exist," said Trevor.
"Well I'm not going to believe it until I see it," an unfamiliar-sounding woman with a thick Kalosian accent said in a haughty tone.
"I saw a shiny Goldeen once, but it got away before I could catch it," Shauna added. "It was really pretty!"
Serena whipped herself around, and leaned over just enough so she could see her friends. All four of them were there: Calem and Shauna side by side, Trevor and Tierno in front of them, and a bored-looking Team Flare grunt bringing up the rear. The grunt had a messenger bag slung over her shoulder, which was bulging in places. None of her friends were wearing their Pokeball belts.
"I think we've gone far enough out," said the grunt testily.
"We're not there yet," snapped Calem.
"Where is it you want to go, exactly?"
"My favorite training spot. Lots of strong wild Pokemon are there, but it's deep in the woods, and –"
"We're going to stop here, and this is where you will train."
Calem glared at the Flare grunt. "I thought you were here to protect us from Unovians and scoundrels, not boss us around. At least, that's the impression I got when Governor Teleurac said you were coming with us."
"Do not talk back to me, or you won't be training your Pokemon today. Or ever again."
"This is a nice spot to train, isn't it, Calem? See, there's some Fletchling over there," Shauna said, trying to sound reassuring.
"That's not the issue, Shauna!"
"Look, if you can't handle coming out into the forest to train, we'll go back to Lumiose right now," said the grunt, exasperated.
"No!" Calem lunged at the grunt, reaching for her bag, but she stepped out of the way just in time. She plucked a Pokeball off her belt and sent out a Toxicroak.
"What are you doing? It's against the law to have your Pokemon attack us!" said Trevor fearfully.
"I am the law," stated the Flare grunt. "Toxicroak, teach that one some manners." She pointed at Calem, who slowly began to back away.
Instantly, Serena stepped out from behind the tree, pulling Noibat's Pokeball out of her pocket. "I think you're the one who needs to learn some manners," she said clearly.
Tierno and Trevor both gasped loudly when they recognized her. A large grin broke across Shauna's face, and she squealed "Serena!" When he heard Shauna, Calem looked that way and his eyes widened when he saw Serena.
"Well look who's here," sneered the Flare grunt. "I imagine I'll get a raise and a promotion for bringing you in. Toxicroak, attack her instead."
Serena tossed Noibat's Pokeball into the air, and Noibat appeared in a flash of white light. Upon seeing the Flare grunt, Noibat screeched fiercely, and Toxicroak shuddered in anticipation.
"Air Cutter!" cried Serena, and Noibat swiped his wing across to launch the attack. Air Cutter hit Toxicroak in the shoulder, sending it stumbling backwards. When Toxicroak regained its footing, the Flare grunt commanded "Use Poison Jab!" Toxicroak lunged into the air, extending one of its sharp red claws upward so it could strike Noibat. Poison Jab landed square in Noibat's chest, and Noibat was knocked backwards into a tree.
Serena waited for Noibat to resume regular flight; in the meantime, she heard her friends cheer her on with "You've got this!" and "Show her who's boss!" and "You can do it! I know you can!" She knew now that winning was her only option if she didn't want to wind up being in prison. Of course, getting this grunt to keep quiet about seeing her would be an entirely different matter.
"Super Fang, Noibat!" she commanded next. Noibat swooped in and latched his fangs onto Toxicroak's vocal sac. Toxicroak let out a guttural moan of pain; once Noibat let go and backed away, a trail of dark thick blood began to trickle down Toxicroak's front, originating from where he had bitten.
Toxicroak was now doubled over slightly, panting and perhaps close to fainting. "Use Revenge!" the Flare grunt ordered strongly. After straightening itself up, Toxicroak lunged at Noibat again, but Noibat zoomed out of the way. Toxicroak continued its attempt to attack as Noibat flew around the area; at one point Calem dove to push Shauna out of the Pokemon's way, knocking them both onto the ground. Finally, Noibat unwittingly stopped in front of the Flare grunt, and when Toxicroak moved in for the attack, he flew upwards and out of reach. As a result, Toxicroak swung its fist down onto its Trainer's head, throwing her into the ground. She let out an "Aagh!" when Toxicroak hit her, and after hitting the ground with a thud, she lay there motionless.
Noibat finished Toxicroak off with a final Air Cutter. Feeling it was the decent thing to do, Serena slowly approached the unconscious Flare grunt, found the Pokeball, and recalled the fainted Toxicroak.
"Serena, look!" Trevor piped up, pointing at Noibat, who was now beginning to glow. Light soon swirled around Noibat, and his body dissolved into that glowing mass of light that slowly became bigger and bigger. The mass of light soon burst open, revealing the result of Noibat's evolution.
"Oh, look at you," breathed Serena as she walked up to Noivern. "You actually look fearsome now." She couldn't help but smile.
Noivern screeched proudly, and Serena scratched him under the chin affectionately. Before she could do anything else, Tierno had tackled her and enveloped her in a hug.
"Lady S! It's so good to see you!" he exclaimed while Serena feared that he was going to crush her ribcage with the force of that hug.
"Good to see you too, Tierno," she said, returning his hug. When Tierno let go, she took turns hugging her other friends before recalling Noivern to his Pokeball. "So why do you all have a Team Flare grunt with you?"
"Apparently we're security risks, being friends with a known fugitive and all," said Calem bitterly. "And that gives them permission to – well, you saw . . . What are you doing out here?" he asked, glancing at the Flare grunt who still lay motionless on the ground. The red hairdo had now revealed itself to be a wig, hanging slightly askew and revealing dark brown locks underneath a wig cap.
"I need to get back into Lumiose," said Serena. "Teleurac has my Pokemon, and I need to get them back before he decides to attack another city in Unova."
"I knew you'd try and stop him," said Trevor affirmingly. "But you'll be caught if you get within half a kilometer of the city . . . ."
"Yeah, and now she knows you were here," said Tierno, pointing to the Flare grunt, "so they'll know you were here and on the way. And we'll have to go in for questioning again – I do not like that police chief. She scares me."
"She scares everyone," muttered Serena just loud enough to be heard. She looked down at the Flare grunt again, this time really scrutinizing her appearance. A brilliant, but at the same time stupid, idea popped into her head.
"You know, this Flare grunt . . . she's about my height, and – that's a wig? Really? That makes things a lot easier," she said, crouching down to grab the Flare grunt under her armpits.
"I'll be right back, you guys. Don't go anywhere . . . and if anyone asks, tell them that your babysitter here went to drop a big one or something." Serena said as she dragged the limp Flare grunt off the path and a little deeper into the woods.
The Team Flare uniform had to be made out of the least breathable fabric ever invented, Serena thought as she walked back to her friends. The glasses weren't too big, although the amount of red tinting in the lenses disoriented her at first. She practiced the walk: standing unreasonably straight, head slightly tilted with her nose in the air, arms perfectly still at her side. Her main wish was that the wig would stay on straight, and not show that there was blonde hair underneath that wig cap instead of brunette.
"Is that you, Serena?" Shauna asked apprehensively as Serena came back into view. With the sunglasses on, Serena must have really looked indistinguishable from that Team Flare grunt, who was now lying under a pile of brush in Serena's old clothes. She had also left the backpack provided to her by Wulfric back there, and Noivern's Pokeball was clipped onto her belt; Toxicroak's Pokeball was in the messenger bag with her friends' belts. The grunt's wallet and Holo Caster were in her other pocket, and she dreaded the moment it beeped. She had looked inside the wallet: there were eighty thousand Pokedollars, a credit card, and the photo ID revealed that this grunt's name was Genevieve.
"It's me," said Serena. "Think I can sneak back into Lumiose like this?"
"Maybe, if you never talked," Calem reminded her.
"Oh!" Serena was silent for a moment, thinking of how well she could fake a Kalosian accent. She cleared her throat, and then tried. "I am in Team Flare! We shall rule the world! Je suis le law! Look at how stylish I am in this red suit and wig!" She sounded absolutely foolish, and Trevor chuckled at her.
"You may need to practice some," he said.
"You think?" retorted Serena. She glanced back towards where she had left the unconscious Genevieve. "Um, I think we should get a move on, before she wakes up."
The five of them headed north out of the forest towards Route 3. At first, Serena talked to them using her fake Kalosian accent, in order to work on sounding like the Flare grunt as much as she could.
"How are things in the city?" she asked them.
"Not good," said Tierno.
"The day that we attacked Aspertia, another riot almost broke out," explained Calem. "All it took was trotting out the Houndoom squads to scare people back into obedience. I think the only one who wants to go to war with Unova is Teleurac."
"I guess it's a good thing he's using that massive cannon on top of Prism Tower then, instead of sending in the Kalosian Guard," said Trevor.
Serena remembered the cannon tower models she had seen in the underground facility. Teleurac must have been planning this all along, she thought.
"And we and our homes are always randomly searched, we can't call anyone outside of Kalos, or even use websites that might let us contact other regions," bemoaned Shauna. "And the latest Imagine Dragonites album got pulled off the market since it's supposed to have subversive messages in it, and there aren't any classes this semester. To overhaul the university's curriculum, or something like that."
"Hmm," intoned Serena. She had forgotten all about school.
"Before you ask, Serena, you won't be able to reach Professor Sycamore. Governor Teleurac or some other Team Flare person is always with him, wherever he goes," added Trevor.
Serena sighed. "That complicates things," she said, dropping the fake accent.
At that moment, the five of them stepped out of the forest into the open spaces of Route 3. The road before them wound down into Santalune City, with two Team Flare grunts standing at the entrance to the town. Serena cleared her throat, ignoring the tense knot forming in her chest as she looked at the grunts. Calem and Shauna linked hands and led the group onwards into town, with Serena bringing up the rear. All five of them were quiet on the way, with Serena walking with the self-assured strut typical of a Flare grunt and the other four pretending that their walking experience was as awkward as it was when there was an actual Flare grunt in their midst. The two grunts at the entrance of Santalune City merely nodded their heads at Serena in acknowledgment, and she nodded back without saying a word. She must have looked the part enough, she thought with relief.
Santalune seemed unchanged, other than the police officers posted outside the Pokemon Center, hotel, and café. Once they all passed through town and onto Route 4, Calem led them into one of the small hedge mazes past the water fountain, crouching down to conceal himself and gesturing for the others to do so.
"Serena, you said you were going to get your Pokemon back?" he asked in a hushed tone. Serena nodded in response.
"What can we do to help?" he added.
"I – I don't know if there is anything you can do to help," she said dejectedly. In truth, she didn't know if she really needed or wanted their help - it would be welcome, but finding her Pokemon was her fight, not theirs.
"Guys, I think we should start a revolution," said Tierno randomly. The others looked at him, perplexed and intrigued.
"Yeah, sure. Start a revolution if you want," agreed Serena.
"Because, I was thinking," Tierno continued, "that if you get your Pokemon back and destroy that cannon on Prism Tower, that's all you'll get done. He'll still be governor, and Team Flare will still be in control of Kalos. They can always just build another cannon and go back to blowing stuff up."
Calem nodded slowly, staring at some point in front of him as he thought about something. "But after Bleu Plaza the other day, it may be hard to get people on board."
"What happened at Bleu Plaza?" Serena asked, already having an idea of what the answer could be. She fidgeted with the wig some more.
"There was a protest that didn't end well," said Calem.
"No. We use Bleu Plaza as an example of why we need a revolution!" Tierno objected.
"A lot of students from the university have apartments in that neighborhood off Jaune Plaza, and one of them owns a café in the neighborhood. Do you think we could arrange a meeting there without being caught?" asked Shauna.
"It's worth a shot," Trevor said.
"We could at least distract the Governor long enough for Serena to sneak around and find her Pokemon," added Tierno.
"Don't any of you get in trouble for my sake," said Serena.
"We won't," Calem assured her.
There was a beat of silence.
"Well, what do you guys say? Vive le Kalos?" asked Tierno excitedly.
"Vive le Kalos!" the others repeated after him. Afterwards, each of them exchanged looks of anticipation and uncertainty.
Of course they would want to help, Serena thought. Her friends fought Team Flare with her three years ago, so it was only logical they would feel the need to do it again. She immediately flashed to the worst case scenario in her mind, covered in bites and burns from Houndoom and behind bars – or six feet under.
She stood up slowly, looking around to see no other Team Flare members around; the only humans in sight were two awestruck preschoolers watching a group of Flabébé play in a flower patch and a gardener napping under a tree. Her eyes then gravitated towards Prism Tower, now visible on the horizon. For the first time she saw the cannon on top of it, still positioned at an angle from the vertical, and she felt a pang of terror. It would probably take all three of her Mega Evolvers to tear it down. The longer she looked at it, the larger it seemed to grow.
For a moment, what she thought of doing seemed impossible - there was a city filled with Team Flare members standing between her and her Pokemon and that cannon. Those thoughts seemed to materialize into weights which rested on her shoulders and chest, pressing against them until she had trouble breathing or thinking straight - and then she felt Shauna's hand squeezing hers. She looked at her friends, who were standing back up, and the weights disappeared. In her mind, she traded all of her thoughts of doubt and fear for confidence - the five young heroes of Kalos were ready to take on Team Flare yet again.