Timothy still had a blissful smile on his face when he climbed back up the bell tower. His mind was on the time he had just spent with Serena, and the moment she kissed his cheek. It felt like he had just woken up from a wonderful dream even though he knew it all happened. He wished the honey blonde woman could have stayed, but he knew it was the right thing to help her escape.
Timothy climbed over the railing to the balcony between the two towers and took out a moment to let out a happy sigh. He walked over to the bell tower and went inside to his room beneath the bells to find Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey standing on the other side, beaming. The hunchback only had a moment to react before the three Pokemon pounced on him, making him fall on his back as they cheered and laughed while hugging their friend.
"Way to go, Timothy!" Electchu shouted.
"You were magnificent!" Odyssey praised.
"I've never been so happy in my life!" Shockwave squealed.
"Hey, get off me, guys," Timothy said before the Pokemon let him go, and he stood up. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, pff, listen to him acting like he doesn't know," Odyssey said.
"Yeah, like he didn't just hit it off with his lady," Electchu said.
"My what?" Timothy asked.
"You're lady," Shockwave said. "We're talking about Serena. Yellow hair, easy on the eyes, her Pokemon partner is a Sylveon. Remember?"
"Boy, I do," Electchu said with a sly grin. "I may not have hit things off with that beauty, but our pal got things looking good for him. Way to go, lover boy!"
"Way to go, lover boy? I'm not a lover boy," Timothy said.
"Oh, don't be so modest, Timothy. She obviously has a thing for you," Shockwave said. "She enjoyed learning about you and your life up here, and you know it."
Timothy opened his mouth to speak before he looked away with his cheeks turning pink. He snapped out of his bashful thoughts and turned back to his friends with a serious look.
"Look, thank you all for the encouragement, but let's face facts here," he said. "I'm the ugliest person in all of Kalos, and she has a life out there where she's a part of a pagan religion, remember? It's obvious that I'm not her type."
"You don't know that," Odyssey said. "She didn't seem to have an issue with your looks while she was up here, and you said it yourself that she stood up for you at the festival. Why I bet, she cares so little about how you look that she would kiss you if she wanted to."
Timothy immediately flushed and turned his head away for a moment before looking at the Pokemon with a goofy smile. Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey were confused with how the hunchback looked at them until Shockwave's eyes widened, and it gasped loudly.
"Did she kiss you?!" It asked.
"On...the cheek," Timothy admitted.
The Pokemon looked at each other before they cheered again. Timothy's blush grew as his friends began dancing in a circle, hand in hand, as they sang, "Timothy's got a suitress! Timothy's got a suitress!" He walked away from the Pokemon, not wanting to say anything else that would further get their hopes up, and walked over to the rectangular window next to his table of carvings. Timothy rested his arms on the ledge and looked outside to see the moon had risen and was shining brightly above Lumiose City. He rested his chin on his arms and began to wonder if Serena and Sylveon made it to the Court of Miracles safely.
As he thought of them, he noticed a couple in their late thirties walking down the street with their Munchlax. The man was tall and muscular with tan skin, dark eyes, black hair, a black man bun, and a goatee. The woman's height reached her beloved's nose, and she also had tan skin with a slim figure, yellow eyes, and medium-short white spiky hair pointing backward. The couple walked halfway across a bridge before they stopped to look at the moon. The woman rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her waist before kissing the top of her head. Their Munchlax sat down beside the woman's feet, waiting patiently for the couple to finish having their romantic moment.
Timothy lifted his head as he watched the couple. His blush came back as he began to imagine Serena and him down there, looking at the moon together. It seemed like they could sneak out of the cathedral and go on a walk through the city with her promise to visit him. He then thought of Serena watching him ring the bells for the evening mass, sneaking food so the two of them could eat together or otherwise just talk. Maybe, by some miracle, Sylveon might warm up to Electchu, and they would begin courting together with their human friends. Timothy knew it was too good to be true, and yet the way she showed how much she cared about him, liked getting to know him, and even kissed his cheek with a smile gave him hope that she felt more than friendship for the hideous man.
With those thoughts filling his mind, he took a small block of wood and a carving knife, sat down on his stool in front of his model city, and began to sculpt. By this point, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey had stopped dancing and walked over to watch their friend carve out a sculpture of Serena dancing. The three Pokemon smirked at their friend, who was smiling as he focused on his project. Shockwave walked over to the cabinet on the other side of the room, took out a paintbrush and some small cans of paint, and walked back just as Timothy had finished carving and blew the dust and splinters off the figure. He silently thanked the Kirlia before he began to paint the statue, starting from the bottom up with Serena's dress all the way to her head. When he finished painting her honey blonde hair, he put the Serena figure on the bridge's model where the couple outside was and then placed his own figure next to it. Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey's smirks grew as Timothy stared at the two figures with a small smile, imagining himself and Serena together on the bridge for real.
After a couple of minutes, Timothy looked at the sky and realized that it was time to ring the evening mass bells. He sighed before he gave the figures of him and Serena one more fond look before he stood up and left the room, but he still had a smile on his face, feeling like everything had suddenly turned right for him.
Ash was in his new quarters in the Palace of Justice, writing a report about the Feast of Fools and his and Pikachu's "attempt" to arrest Serena and Sylveon. Pikachu was sleeping on his bed, and the only light in the room was a candle on Ash's writing desk. The bells for the evening mass began to ring, and the raven-haired man stopped writing and glanced out the window next to his desk, where he could see Lumiose Cathedral at a distance. He furrowed his brow and sighed with his mind on Serena. Even though Archdeacon Sycamore assured him he would let Serena know that he didn't mean to trap her and Sylveon, he still felt guilty that he prevented them from returning to their home.
Ash finished the rest of his report and rolled it up before leaving his quarters. He walked up the next floor to Giovanni's office, knocked on the door, and waited before he heard a blunt, "Enter." Ash came in to see his father writing his own report about the festival, and Persian was lying on its bed made especially for it.
Ash put his feet together and saluted before Giovanni looked up from his report and asked, "Is that your report, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir," Ash answered.
"Including your attempt to apprehend the Arcean woman and her Pokemon at the cathedral?"
"Yes, sir."
"Let me see it."
Ash walked over to Giovanni, and the captain unrolled the parchment and looked at its contents. Ash waited patiently, with his head facing the wall behind his superior. After a minute and a half, Giovanni rolled the parchment and placed it on the side of his desk before standing up and walking over to face Ash.
"One day under the justice minister's service and having a report brought to me before the time of the evening mass is the only thing you've done efficiently," he said. "You arrived later than ordered, constantly questioned Minister Markenel's command, and failed to capture an Arcean twice. I cannot overemphasize how I expect more from you, Lieutenant."
Ash resisted the urge to wince from his father's harsh words.
"When I recommended that you become my second-in-command, I expected you to be better than all of the other troops in my command given your record in the wars," Giovanni continued. "The justice minister may be more lenient, but if you continue to fail in meeting expectations, he will not hesitate to punish you and your partner. Don't disappoint me again."
"I won't, sir," Ash said.
"Dismissed," Giovanni said.
Ash saluted and turned around, heading for the door. Before he reached for the handle, Giovanni walked over and stood in front of Ash, making him back away.
"One more thing, Lieutenant," he began. "The next time a fugitive declares sanctuary, you are to ignore it straight away."
"Sir, with all due respect, isn't that against the law?" Ash asked.
"Not as far as I am concerned," Giovanni said. "Superstitions and permits do not overrule Minister Markenel or us. The only reason we abide by anything those "holy people" say is that our elected official is a part of their religion. Still, if he deems it necessary to ignore specific rules of the church, we will carry it out. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Ash said.
"Good. Dismissed," Giovanni said.
Ash saluted a third time, and the captain moved away from him to get out. Ash reached for the handle again and opened the door to find Markenel reaching for the handle on the other side. The judge gave a brief chuckle at the timing as Ash and Giovanni saluted to him.
"Captain, Lieutenant, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Markenenal said.
"No, sir. The lieutenant was just here to deliver his report and was about to leave," Giovanni said.
"Ah, excellent," Markenel said, turning to Ash with a smirk. "On that note, I feel I must commend you for your efforts, Lieutenant."
Giovanni and Ash looked at Markenel, confused, and the latter asked, "My efforts, sir?"
"Yes. I've thought it over and realized that you have given us the best opportunity to capture the Arcean woman and her Pokemon," Markenel said. "After all, it was you who found them in the cathedral of all places. It truly takes a cunning soldier to find the wicked in the last place one would expect."
"With all due respect, sir, I must state that the lieutenant's efforts do not overlook that he failed to capture the fugitives," Giovanni said.
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far, captain. It is thanks to the lieutenant that the Arcean, Serena, is trapped in the cathedral with your soldiers guarding every entrance," Markenel said. "With no way out and our scouts searching for her and her partner, it's only a matter of time before we capture her, and it will be all thanks to Lieutenant Ash. Wouldn't you say?"
Giovanni grimaced, not wanting to say anything that would contradict his words of discipline. Ash's heart sank as Markenel's praise made him ashamed of how his hopes to save Serena and Sylveon worked against them. He continued to keep a professional face to hide his true feelings until he realized part of what Markenel said.
"Excuse me, sir, but what scouts are you referring to?" he asked.
"Oh, your father came up with the idea to disguise some of our soldiers as citizens about to partake in the evening mass so that they could search for the Arcean woman and her Pokemon unnoticed," Markenel explained. "With any luck, they will quietly take her out of the cathedral with the archdeacon none the wiser."
It took all of Ash's willpower to resist the urge to finally break his professional demeanor. He wanted to scream "No" at the top of his lungs, horrified that he and Pikachu might have doomed the woman and Pokemon they wanted to save. Giovanni smirked with the judge, confident that his plan would produce better results that will overshadow what they thought his son tried to do.
At that moment, however, Butch and Cassidy entered the office with the door still open. They were wearing old, rugged citizen clothes that were covered by their black cloaks. They put their feet together and saluted Markenel and Giovanni, simultaneously shouting, "Sir!" Giovanni waved his hand to tell them to be at ease while Markenel furrowed his brow, noticing the unease in the soldiers' eyes.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
Butch and Cassidy hesitated in fear before the former said, "Sir, the Arcean and her Pokemon have escaped."
"What?!" Giovanni growled. "Did you search everywhere?"
"Every inch of the building except for the towers as instructed," Cassidy answered. "We looked for her among the participants of the mass and all the rooms, including the archdeacon's bedroom. She's nowhere in the cathedral. She's gone."
Markenel and Giovanni looked at the two soldiers, confounded by everything they just heard. Giovanni clenched his teeth, and his hands turned into fists, while Markenel looked down at the floor in frustration, trying to comprehend that Serena and Sylveon escaped. Butch and Cassidy covered their shaking hands and legs with their cloaks. On the other hand, Ash mentally sighed in relief, and the edges of his mouth began to curl up before he stopped himself just as Markenel lifted his head with a calm face that tried to hide the rage in his eyes.
"I will retire for the evening," he announced.
Without another word, the judge exited Giovanni's office, moving past Butch and Cassidy as if they weren't there. The room was silent until Giovanni broke the silence by saying, "Dismissed." Butch, Cassidy, and Ash saluted and left the room, with Ash walking in the opposite direction from the two soldiers. He turned his head to see Giovanni slamming the door to his office, making Butch and Cassidy jump as they walked away. Ash looked down at the floor while walking and finally let himself smile widely. He quietly thanked the Lord as he headed back to his quarters, ready for a good night's sleep.
When Markenel entered his bedroom, he closed the door behind him, put his back against the wall, and shut his eyes before he let out a scream. His hands were half-closed as though he was about to strangle someone. He walked over to the window beside his bed and glared at Lumiose Cathedral bitterly as though the building was alive and willingly let the fugitives escape his grasp without a care. In his mind, Markenel could hear Archdeacon Sycamore mockingly laugh at him because he prevented the judge from getting what he wanted again.
With a growl, the judge opened the chest in front of his bed and started changing into his nightgown. However, as he took off his rings, he felt something slide off his sleeve and land on the floor. Markenel took a step back and looked down to find Serena's scarf lying on the floor and suddenly remembered that he had stashed it. His face softened as he got down on his knees and picked up the scarf. He stared at it for a moment before he brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, smelling an unmistakable aroma. Markenel then closed his eyes and rubbed the scarf against his face, imagining the soft touch as someone's hand.
Suddenly, Markenel's eyes snapped open, and he threw the scarf against the wall. He looked down and stared at his hands as if they moved against his will. His mouth was hanging open, and his jaw was shaking, yet he felt an urge to crawl on all fours and pick the scarf back up. The desire grew to the point that he began to breathe heavily, afraid of his own body.
Markenel's gaze then turned to the large portrait of the Virgin Mary, and his body instantly stopped shaking. His breathing died down to a steady pace as he looked at the painting with a feeling of hope. The judge stood up, walked over the picture hanging above his writing desk, put his hands together, and bowed his head.
"Blessed Maria, hear me, and answer my prayer," he said. "Your servant needs your guidance more than he ever has before.
Markenel paused for a moment as if he needed to wait for Maria to be ready to hear what he had to say.
"Maria, you, above all others, know that I am righteous and pure. Despite all the vulgar, weak, self-indulgent beings around me, my virtue is strong, and I am justly proud of all I have done with the position God has given me," he said. "But something has changed within me. I feel a pull to something that is meant to taint me. Never has any temptation thrown my willpower off balance, yet this feeling has done so with little effort. What has happened was done by something, not from this physical world. Something that would destroy even the holiest of worshippers."
Markenel lifted his head to gaze at the painting as if doing so would cure him of his trouble. Despite his belief, however, the picture did nothing to drive the thoughts in his mind. Markenel's heart began to sink as he grew worried that what was tormenting him was more powerful than his idol.
Just then, Markenel saw the eyes in the painting blink. He looked at it in puzzlement until he saw them blink two more times. The woman in the portrait's head turned to face Markenel, and he backed away to the wall. With her hands clasped together, the woman's entire body came out of the portrait, and she levitated three feet above the ground at the center of the room. Markenel's mouth hung open as the woman gracefully landed on the ground. He fell to his knees and bowed his head until it touched the floor, and the woman smirked.
"Rise, my child," she said.
Markenel immediately obeyed with tears running down his face and a bright smile on his face.
"Maria, you've come down from the heavens to my time of need," he said.
"Tell me, my child, what is it that disturbs you?" Maria asked.
Markenel's face went dark, and he said, "It's the Arcean woman, Serena. She has cast a spell on me."
"In what way?" Maria asked.
"I see her face everywhere," Markenel answered. "I see her as clearly as I see you now, dancing with the sun making her hair shine like gold. Her smile and the movement of her body enchants me. The very memory of her scent is making me go insane."
"Hmmm, indeed," Maria said calmly "And what pray tell does it make you want to do?"
"It makes me want her," Markenel confessed. "Not as a heathen that must be tortured, imprisoned, and, if necessary, executed for her wicked ways, but as something to fulfill desires of the flesh. I don't know if this is done through witchcraft, or she is possessed by an impure spirit - maybe even the devil himself, but something unnatural is turning me to sin. I beg of you to drive this unholy force away from your servant."
With his confession finished, the judge bowed his head again. Maria remained silent with the same calm expression she had in the painting. She reached out and placed her hand on Markenel's bald head, and he lifted his head to look at her.
"Dear child, you are right to confess and ask for help," she said. "But I'm afraid no sorcery or evil spirit has caused you to feel this way. This is the work of something weaker than any of those things."
Markenel stared at her, puzzled, and said, "I don't understand. How can something weak manage to corrupt a righteous man like me?"
"It's quite simple," Maria said. "The thing that is turning you to sin is your very self."
The dark room became quiet after the woman from the painting gave her answer. Markenel looked at her in disbelief as he took a step back and shook his head.
"No," he said. "No, no, no, no, no. That's impossible. How could I cause myself to turn to sin?"
"How could you not?" Maria replied. "You know that what you desire is unholy, but deep down, you deeply want it. You cannot deny that having your way with one so alluring would please you greatly. Deep in your heart, you refuse to fully drive out the temptation before it consumes you."
"No. No, you're wrong," Markenel claimed.
Suddenly, Markenel felt a strong gust of black wind blow at him. He shut his eyes and covered his face with his arms to protect himself until the wind sporadically stopped. Markenel opened his eyes, and his mouth dropped in awe to find himself and Maria standing in the middle of a large hall standing twenty stories tall. There was no light except for the one shining down above the judge and the woman from the painting. On both sides of the hall were faceless, fifteen feet-tall figures covered in red cloaks, sitting in five rows each and looking down on Markenel.
"Mea culpa," They chanted as one voice. "Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa cogitatione verbo et opere. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa cogitatione verbo et opere."
Markenel covered his ears as though the figures were screaming their chant. He shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and got down to his knees. Maria circled around the old man as if she was interrogating a criminal.
"You know what they are saying," she said. "'My fault. My fault. My greatest fault in thought, in word, and deed.' They are waiting for you to say those very words. To confess that you have sinned against God."
"No! No! I refuse!" Markenel shouted.
"You must. There's no other way," Maria said.
"I'm not to blame for this! It's Serena who has done this to me!" Markenel claimed.
"Serena does not possess any power against the mind," Maria said. "You must admit that you're are flawed. That you are not the perfect man you say you are."
Markenel's eyes snapped open, and he lifted his head once more to look at the woman from the painting, dumbfounded that she would attack his pride. His disbelief turned into hot anger, and he stood up to look at the red-hooded figures.
"SILENCE!" He roared.
The cloaked figures stopped chanting, and Maria raised her eyebrow while still showing little emotion. With the tables turned, Markenel shouted, "First, the Arcean siren cast a spell on me and tried to pin it on me, and now even the blessed Maria and her subjects believe in her lies?! You are wrong! All of you are wrong, and I'm the only one who sees it!"
"And what would a mere mortal know of power that can best even me?" Maria challenged.
"I am no mere mortal!" Markenel shouted. "I am Minister Markenel! I am a righteous judge who has devoted his life to destroy the devil's work in this world. If it were not so, God would not have blessed me with such power over this city, nor give me that misshapen, Arcean creature to one day use to wipe out the heathens once and for all! This is all a scheme from the enemy to distract me from my destiny, and I will not have it! I will not yield to the temptations that have persuaded you!"
Nothing but the sound of Markenel's voice echoing all over the hall could be heard. The red-cloaked figures whispered amongst themselves, debating on whether or not the mortal man was right. Markenel turned to Maria, who was looking away from him in thought. He waited until she hummed and turned her head to give him a nod.
"I think you're right," Maria said. "The enemy is very skilled in telling lies that seem accurate to the holy word. It takes a pure and wise mind to not be swayed, and your ability to see corruption is undeniable. There can be no doubt that we must rely on you to know what must be done."
Markenel raised his chin up and clasped his hands together with a stone face like he was judging a case in court.
"The Arcean, Serena, cannot be allowed to further attempt to taint the minds of God's people. Her powers of seduction are far too powerful. There are only two ways this must end. She must be destroyed and pay for her sins in the fires of hell, or else willingly give herself to me."
"But does not that mean you are willing to give in to your lust? The very thing that is tempting you?" Maria questioned.
"Only on my terms," Markenel said. "As my mistress, Serena will be mine and mine alone. She will never lure another man to her seductive ways or be allowed to follow her pagan practices. I will purify her with my body full of righteousness."
"But you would give yourself into grave sin by letting her seduce you for the rest of your days," Maria said. "It would be your virtue for her salvation."
"A necessary compromise for such a beautiful creature," Markenel said.
"And how do you plan to find her?" Maria asked. "Now that she's out of the cathedral, she could be anywhere, most likely in the Court of Miracles."
"It doesn't matter where Serena is," Markenel said. "I will find her. I'll find her even if I have to burn down all of Lumiose City. One way or another, the Arcean will decide her fate. She will give herself to me, or she will burn at the stake. This is my decree as the justice minister."
The red-cloaked figures whispered amongst themselves again while Markenel waited for Maria to say something. The woman from the painting clapped her hands, silencing the faceless minions, who turned their heads to her.
"God's righteous judge has spoken," she declared. "As of now, we are soon to start a spiritual battle like no other. Let justice be done against all who resist, Arceans and people of Lumiose City alike, and may God have mercy on Serena and our righteous judge, Markenel."
The red-cloaked figures stood up and took out swords, spears, maces, torches, and crucifixes from under their cloaks and raised them. They began to chant, "Kyrie Eleison! Kyrie Eleison! Kyrie Eleison! Kyrie Eleison!" Markenel smirked triumphantly and raised his fist into the air.
"Yes, Lord, have mercy indeed!" He shouted. "As God is my witness, Serena the Arcean will be mine or she will -"
Suddenly, Markenel heard a knock on a door, and he jumped and found himself back in his bedroom. Serena's scarf was still lying against the wall, the chest containing his nightgown was still open, and the painting of Maria stood motionless. There was another knock on his door, and he opened it to find a female servant with short violet hair standing on the other side, holding a candle.
"What do you want, Matori?" He asked.
"Forgive me, Minister Markenel, but I heard you screaming from downstairs," Matori answered.
Markenel resisted the urge to scream at Matori for disturbing him and calmly replied, "Nevermind what you heard. I just had a nightmare until you woke me up."
Matori furrowed her brow, noticing that he was still in his regular clothes. She decided not to press the matter any further and said, "Alright. I'll let you get back to sleep."
"Thank you," Markenel said. "Good night, Matori."
"Good night, Minister," Matori said.
Markenel closed the door and stood still for a moment before turning back to the painting. He hoped that Maria would come out from the portrait again with Matori gone, but nothing happened. Markenel wished she could bless him with her company a little longer, but he dismissed his disappointment, figuring nothing more needed to be said. He picked up Serena's scarf and gave it one more sniff before he walked over to the window and looked at the city with a grin, confident that the holy one was on his side.