A work table had been set in the corner of the dim exhibit, covered in a plastic tarp. Used paint buckets with dried paint were stacked on the table, along with used paint trays and a few brushes. In a cleared corner, a tall, dark green bottle of sparkling apple cider had been set. Zincha stood over the table, topping off one of two tall glass flutes with the fizzling drink, humming quietly to himself.

As he took the glasses in his hands, he sauntered over across the dark exhibit, coming over to the brightly lit area where the painting had been hung on the walls, and where Serena was standing.

"I figured we could have a bit of a toast—our own private viewing party of this rare masterpiece. It'd be a good way to celebrate this new addition," said Zincha, seeming rather proud of himself, blind to Serena's reaction. "And to that, of course, we can drink—non-alcoholic, of course. I think we can—"

Serena screamed.

Snapped from his proud stupor, Zincha stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes opening wide. He dropped the glass flutes in his startled reaction. The glass exploded on the smooth floors seconds later.

Clemont stopped. He had been walking along the length of an isolated exhibit, lined with portraits of many unique Mega Evolutions captured on small, 5"x5" canvases, but something made him stop completely. He turned his head, hearing a familiar sound, looking deeply concerned.

It was Serena.

Clemont rapidly knocked on the door again, turning his head quickly and looking down each end of the empty art halls. His look of worry grew the more he realized he was alone. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes shrinking back as his face grew pale.

As Clemont raised his fist to knock on the door once again, the door suddenly opened back into the darkness of the closed exhibit. The suddenness made Clemont lurch back, taking a step and looking into the darkened corner of the opening. Zincha's head poked through, looking deeply concerned beneath his thin glasses, looking down at Clemont. Without a word, he stepped back into the dark of the hall behind the door, opening the door wider.

The footsteps of Clemont's sneakers echoed silently through the smooth room, his steps careful and measured as he entered the main area. Looking back, he saw that Zincha had stayed behind and lingered by the table set in the corner. He pressed on, passing around the central column of the showroom. Down on the floor, he saw the shattered glass and the puddle of apple cider, the last few bubbles finally popping beneath the yellowy surface.

Serena was kneeling, visible just behind the main column. She had slumped forward, looking defeated before the large portrait. Her legs had slumped out beside her, sprawled in defeat. She held her head in a hand, gently weeping into it, her hair hanging down around her head.

Though Clemont was paying attention to Serena down on the floor, he took a few steps forward, the painting catching his attention. He gasped, his eyes widening.

The painting wasn't anything extravagant. It was a large, vertical canvas with a traditional, antique gold frame. A Sylveon took up the center, painted with oils and lit brightly. She was sitting on an area that had been set with a deep, dark green cloth, providing a background that she was dramatically lit on. Despite it's age, the colors had held vibrantly, with lots of detail rendered in the eyes and the face, the fur on the front of its chest and the surrounding details of her paws. The ribbons that drifted all around her looked more like silk, shimmering and glowing with energy. The overexposed light made her fur seem to glow.

Though Clemont could tell it wasn't Serena's Sylveon, it was awfully close.

When Clemont looked back, Serena was looking up at him, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... I'm not quite sure I understand..."

Clemont rested with his back against the wall, his arms by his side. His head hung down, looking down at the floor, looking down at his sneakers. By his side, there was a sign that read 'Women', just before the entrance to a bathroom.

Raising his head, he looked up at Zincha, meeting a confused look of his.

"You said... You know what's going on...? Why Serena is acting in such a way...?" asked Zincha.

Clemont nodded silently, swallowing hard. "Yeah..."

"Oh Clemont..." Serena sniffled, dabbing just beneath her eye with a tissue.

Clemont looked on worryingly, hunched over as he sat beside her on the bench. He cradled a box of tissues in his lap. He listened to her cry quietly, looking out into the street as the sun crossed into the beginnings into the afternoon. The street was quiet, largely devoid of people, close by to the museum and closer to a small shop, just before a bridge that overlooked a forest.

Down by Serena's feet, Pancham was looking up, deeply worried for Serena. A few paces back, Bunnelby was looking up at her too, sitting awkwardly on the sidewalk.

Serena wadded up the tissue in her hand, sniffling quietly and dropping it in the trash bin beside the bench, mindful of where it fell. She immediately reached for a tissue and used it to dab beneath her nose, before folding it up and blowing hard.

"Serena... I know you're upset and... And I know this is all a sensitive topic... But... Let's just talk about this for a second..."

"Bunnel..."

"Pan...!"

Serena wadded up the tissue, throwing it away. She sighed deeply, trying to hold her composure.

"I... I need your help... We need to try and save Sylveon... Together..."

Clemont's whole face turned pale.