We're getting to the end everyone! Today's title is a song by Hozier and I absolutely love this song, I recommend giving it a listen. See you next week for the last chapter!
"I refuse."
Red's voice rings clear in the meeting room with the Elites, including Serena. She raises a brow and bursts into a laughing fit, facing the others who told her he wouldn't do this. Lorelei and Agatha grin at the young boy while Bruno sighs deeply and Elijah frowns. Lance pretends to fight Serena as she points at him while still laughing.
"What did I say?" she chuckles and moves to stand beside Red. "He doesn't want to be Champion. Now what?"
"Well, I'm not sure," Elijah plops down onto a chair. "I am done at the end of the month, by contract. I can't sign anything for temporary work. Serena," he glances up at her, "it'll have to be you."
Her heart restarts at the statement and she feels her pulse rise. "N-no!"
Red eyes her standing next to him. She's been supportive and kind ever since he met her in Celadon. While she told him he's more than welcome to refuse or continue being champion, he failed to realize she would be working on her own and possibly be the face for the league instead. By her reaction, he can tell she's not up for that.
"I can do it," Lance volunteers. "I'd have to anyway if Red did want the position."
"You're not champion," Elijah shakes his head. "The regions saw us both lose, if they see us step in with Red nowhere in sight, they will assume it was a hoax to get views or something. If Serena takes over the office work and no one sits in the Champion's spot, it's a cleaner look, but a heavy caseload for her."
His words hit hard, two losses in one day and Lance doesn't even get a glance for taking over the spot Red doesn't want. The position he's been working so long for and this kid is tossing it away for whatever reason. While Lance can't blame him for now wanting the paperwork side, he could at least sit in the seat until they find a replacement.
Elijah addresses Red in a negotiative tone. "If you could stay and be the face of the league, it puts less pressure on Serena to do interviews for TV, magazines and the like. We can do a temporary contract with you, just until we can figure out a new league for the new year."
With Serena's expertise, he knows things will go smoothly, but she's not one for the publicity part of the job. She knows this but would deal with it if Red doesn't really want the part, it's a lot to rest on his shoulders and he's much younger than she was when she started working in the league. The brunette tries to argue she can train anyone into the position, but Elijah continues to respond there are no candidates likely at the moment. They haven't discussed who would take over should the winner refuse the position and now it's blown up in their faces.
"I'll stay until the end of summer."
All heads turn to him as he repeats his statement.
Serena tilts her head. "Are you sure? You just have to be the face of everything and help me make decisions on policies, who gets what job, etc... I could do it, it's just-"
"I'll do it," Red nods and his pikachu climbs up his body with a happy cry.
"Pika!"
She glances over at Elijah as he considers it for a moment. He stands up and faces Red. "It's important to take it seriously. She may be doing the speeches, interviews and any public media for you, but the decisions you make have weight to them."
"I'll do it," he nods.
"Fine," she grins. "I'll give you all you need for the next couple of months. For now, go take a rest with your pokemon. We have to discuss amongst each other about our next steps. If you need anything I put a map in your room about where everything is, including my room. Come by anytime."
He nods, adjusting his hat, his pikachu and scurrying from the room after a quiet goodbye to the other Elites.
Elijah rubs his face. "We'll need a date and I can draw up a contract. The hype about him will die down and for a while we can operate without a champion. Speaking of which," he turns to Serena, "have you come up with your nomination?"
"No," she shakes her head. "I still need to figure out the eighth gym leader in Kanto first. I'm focussing on one thing at a time."
"What about Blue?" Agatha proposes. "I know he's not the most pleasant child, but I think in a year or so he can really grow into the position."
Serena meets her gaze and nods. "Do you want to be the one to talk to him?"
"I'd love to," she grins.
"I still need time," she holds up a hand to Elijah's questioning glance. "The league will be done by the end of summer, so will the train and the gyms should be up and running sometime in Fall. I'll be focussed on getting everything looking good."
Elijah grins. "Good. When's the retirement party?"
OoOoO
As the League closes out from the last of the tournament, Serena heads to her office to see Elijah before she heads home for the night. With Red declining the position to be Champion, the nomination for a new champion is more important now more than ever. Meeting Karen and Will gave her inspiration, seeing the two interact with each other and the other Elites, it gives her a good feeling.
"Elijah?" she starts while stepping into the office.
He turns to her, a sad smile on his face as he picks up his name plate and sets it in his bag. "Yeah?"
"I have a new lineup for the league, for next year," she holds out the piece of paper with her drawings on it. "I want to bring it to the association at the end of the summer, but I want your agreement."
"Of course," he gestures for her to bring it to him. He leans back on the desk as she passes it to him. "Oh..." he lets out a surprised sound while peering closer. "You want Will and Karen in the Elite Four? Interesting..."
"I think Will would be good in the first position, then Koga, then Bruno and Karen last," she gestures to the crude drawings of their rooms. "I've seen them battle and I think she's a good candidate for Lance's spot."
"What about Lance?" he frowns.
She turns the paper around to show the last room. "I'm nominating him for Champion."
Elijah's eyes widen in shock, but also with a knowing smile that she finally agrees with him. "I told you he'd be a good fit. Of course I agree. When are you telling him?"
"Not until the end of the year," she breathes a sigh in relief, taking the paper back from him. "I want to make a strong case for the Association, I'm gonna gather talking points and present it to them. If they decide on him, they won't tell me until the Gala anyway."
"Good," he grins at her, taking this moment to savor in his memories later. He pushes up from the desk and turns to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm proud of you Serena. You've been here for three years, and you've really grown up in that time. I'm so sorry life has given you nothing but crap for so long, but you turned out amazing."
Tears well up in her eyes. "Stop it."
"I'm serious," he chuckles, wiping at his own tears. "You're like a daughter to me and that's not going to change after I retire. If you need anything, never hesitate to call me, okay?"
She wraps her arms around him, squeezing tight. "You couldn't wait until your damn party, huh? Of course, I'll call."
He stays quiet, putting his hands on her head and kissing her hair. "Good."
OoOoOoO
May 7th
It's been a week since the whole championship fiasco, Elijah's retirement party is tonight. Red has gone home for a bit to rest up before work begins. He's done one interview with Kanto Now! And it went pretty well. He's very shy so they only got a few words out of him, which is nice because it means no damage control for me to do on top of everything else.
Lance has been quiet, I think he's planning on leaving for the summer to Blackthorn to train extra hard to do better. His pokemon are by no means weak and, if I'm going to be honest (again, I am), I'm going to nominate him to be the Champion. It's the logical choice to me.
He's grown so much in a few months and has really taken his job seriously. His pokemon are powerful, Red admitted to struggling through Lance, and the regions already love him. I just... I want to wait and see how he does the rest of the year. I already filled out the nomination form and got the footage needed to prove he is skilled with his chosen type. I don't want to mention anything yet, what if he goes back to being lazy?
I wanna see how far he'll go to be Champion, will he be consistent and make the change needed?
I hope so.
"Hey, Will, Karen!" Serena calls out, waving them over to the table with her, Clair, Lance and Bruno.
"Hello," Will greets everyone with a bow.
"Hi," Karen grins at them.
"I'm so glad you guys are okay with staying while we figure things out," Serena beams at them. "I really appreciate it."
"Of course, the sights here are gorgeous," Will chuckles. "I don't mind some vacation time."
"I agree," Karen smiles, her eyes wandering over to Lance.
The two share a chuckle and Serena feels her heart sink. "R-right. Please, take a seat with us!"
They grin and do so as Elijah gets up on stage with a mic in hand. Serena and Lance put together his, Lorelei and Agatha's retirement party in a couple of days. All staff in the league were invited, almost all showed up to say goodbye to the three as they move on from here. The main battle field looks completely different with twinkling lights, balloons and formal seating. A projector hangs from the ceiling aimed towards the screen behind Elijah as he begins his speech.
"I just wanna thank everyone here for the wonderful times we've been through together," he starts with a smile. "I've been here a couple of years and, honestly, the best years of my life. I got married and had kids while I was Champion, my two worlds came together and it worked so smoothly."
The screen lights up with his first win, a younger looking Elijah beams at the camera holding the Champion's Cup from years back. Then it flips to his wedding with Stephanie and family photos from there. The crowd 'oohs' and 'aahs' at them, some already tearing up while others grin at their longtime friend.
"I know these past two years have been crazy, our new additions," he gestures to the back table at Lance and Serena. Their picture pops up and there's a bit of clapping and hollering. "These kids took me on a wild ride, showing me how strong their generation is and how resilient they can be in the toughest of times. Lance may have had a shaky start," he pauses for effect, getting lots of laughter from the crowd. Lance gets a playful nudge from Serena, he rolls his eyes. "But he's got passion, a fiery passion for being a trainer. He's going to go far with that, I'm so proud of how far he's come."
Applause erupts from the crowd with people turning to cheer at Lance as the redhead smiles and nods his head appreciatively. The slideshow goes through some pictures of Lance through the years, some taken with his knowledge and some without. Serena watches as it turns towards his battles, his time with young trainers and him speaking to a crowd of people after Team Rocket in Saffron.
"Saved the best for last," he smiles at Serena, clicking the remote to change to a picture of her asleep at her desk. Laughter rumbles through the crowd, Bruno and Lance jab at her while Karen and Will just watch with their own grins. "This little fireball has little to no fear. I remember when she walked up to me and proposed so many ideas I thought I was dreaming. Lance had just won, so I think they were planning to ambush me for a while. Ever since she has become the rock for both regions as they come together. I told her, I wanted an assistant that could dream big and work hard, and boy, I was not disappointed.
"If my kids could become half the person she is, this world would be for the better. I tried hard to get her to be champion, but, god is she stubborn," he laughs. "But seriously, the world has handed her crap and she's turned it into amazing opportunities for other people. The definition of when life gives you lemons, make lemonade... In all seriousness, she's another daughter just like Lance is another son. So young and ready for the world, I can't wait to see what awaits them. Thank you for letting me, finally, retire and for letting me do it without stressing the future of everyone in the two regions."
Everyone holds up a glass to toast, and cheer when the slideshow continues to show Serena bossing people around. Tears well up in her eyes as she watches the years go by and seeing how tired she grows in each picture. Then her tears pour over at the last picture of her and Elijah laughing over some paperwork, she looks truly happy, eyes closed and mouth agape with laughter. His face mirrors hers and she can't help but sob a bit at it.
"Rena," Lance holds out a napkin. "It's okay."
"Everything's changing," she sniffles. "I can't help it."
"I'm still here and so is this guy," Clair puts a hand on her shoulder. "Can't get rid of us that easily."
Serena wipes at her eyes and nods. "Thanks, guys."
OoOoOoO
"Okay, I think that's it for the day," Serena lets loose a heavy sigh. She sits back in her chair at Elijah's old desk and watches as Red reads over the papers sent to them by the Association. All interviews have been conducted, investigations completed and names cleared; leaving Red to sign away at the official order. Gym Leaders will be going back to work today, their gyms under renovation, the league will continue its construction, the magnet train will finish at the end of the summer and so on.
Life goes back to normal.
"I just sign?" he frowns at her.
"Yes," she leans forward to show him the last few pages. "What we went over, the names of those who were still connected to the crimes, those who weren't and those who applied to work from here on out have been investigated. This is a formal write up of everything, as well as a release form since we're trying to be transparent with the public. When gym leaders, elite four members and, now, G-men apply to work for the league, they sign over a bit of professional life too."
"So the regions will know it's safe to travel again?"
She nods. "Exactly. It's not going to be published, but citizens can look up this document to see who was prosecuted, who was cleared and what it means for everyone."
He absorbs the info and signs his name on the spots provided. She watches with a grin, his signature is shaky and short, making him seen younger than fifteen. As he slides the papers away, she takes hold and slips them into her bag to have sent over to the association later on.
"You going home today?" she wonders as she packs up the rest of her things.
Red has taken to using her desk. He had explained their first day he didn't feel comfortable at Elijah's large desk when she would be doing most of the work anyway. It was a sweet gesture that made her smile. The former champion has long taken off to Hoenn, leaving behind a framed photo to welcome Serena into her temporary position.
"No," he replies, grabbing his stack of papers. "I'm working on paperwork tonight."
"Let me know if you need help!" she calls after him as he heads out the door. She shakes her head and mutters to herself, "So serious, that kid."
Exiting the office, she drops off the papers at the front desk and heads back to her apartment to make some dinner and go over recent data happening around the region. Now doing the work of a champion, Serena can see why Elijah was ready to leave after a few years. Every and any update from gym leaders filters through her, from building updates to community events.
Since the attack from Team Rocket, it's been made policy for the champion to work as a law enforcement agent. If another threat of that magnitude were to happen again, she would find herself at the head of it trying to protect trainers like she did Red when he was traveling. The more policies the league passes, the safer the public will feel and that's the most important goal at this point.
After dinner, Serena pulls out some movies and scurries over to Lance's apartment to see if he's up for a movie night. Being weeks since their last bonding night, she wonders if everything is okay between them...
"Oooh..."
Serena flushes at the sound of a lengthy, feminine moan coming from Lance's door and pulls back with a heavy sigh. She shouldn't be surprised, or hurt, at this point. He's taken the change around the league hard as the position for champion will be up for grabs in a few months. It doesn't help that Red gets stronger with each challenge and he struggles to understand why.
Turning on her heel, Serena beats down her annoyance and paranoia Lance will spiral back to his old habits, she heads back to her room.
"Serena?" Red's voice stops her with her hand on the door knob.
She turns to see Red coming up the hallway with some files. "What's up?"
"I need some help with these," he mumbles, glancing down at his pikachu at his feet.
"Sure," she smiles, opening the door and gesturing for him to come in. "You wanna watch a movie too?"
The boy nods, smiling in appreciation, as Pikachu climbs to his shoulder and the three of them disappear into her apartment.
Hours later, Lance emerges with his guest, bidding her farewell for the night. He glances at Serena's door, debating on walking in when he hears laughter coming from inside. A frown forms on his face and he approaches the door and puts his ear to it.
"Red, that's not your middle name," Serena laughs from inside. "Yellow? You're such a liar. No wonder Blue wanted to beat you. You're such an ass."
"Hey, I'm 15," he replies in a soft tone.
"Still an ass."
More laughter ensues and Lance feels a hot knife of jealousy stab him. Since when are they close? It feels irrational, but this is the kid that defeated him multiple times. The least she can do is keep it civil. He feels foolish, but his pride is hurt. With a huff, he turns around and marches back into his apartment to prepare for more training with his pokemon the next day.
XxXxXxX
"Are you two listening?" Serena stops mid presentation when Blue tries to hide his laugh with a bad cough.
The Red and Blue look at her with feigned innocence, their eyes slightly wide as though caught doing nothing. While Blue has declined the position, he's asked for more training to be better prepared for it, a strange request and a little out of character. Now that she's starting to see them together, it had to be Red's idea given how Blue is much more forward thinking with him around. No way Agatha got through to him.
"We're paying attention," Blue smirks and she rolls her eyes. "Continue, then."
With a sigh, Serena continues to go over the requirements needed for Blue to be the eighth gym leader. He's a strong trainer, yes. But he'll have to work hard and battle against one of the Elites to prove his worth. Different than what Clair went through, but they're desperate to fill in the space and no one else has stepped up. While still a little young, she can see the potential in Blue as he moves past his loss against Red.
The day was hard on him, something she learned later after talking with Red during their many nights working on paperwork. Blue had gotten a tough speech from Oak, the professor being disappointed in his behavior towards himself, the league and pokemon. It didn't take much to see that it went to his heart and while Oak has been forgiven for his harsh words, Blue is still trying to redeem himself.
"That's it for today," she exhales after another bout of them laughing. At least they waited until the end. "Blue, please study up and train hard."
"Why? You don't think I could be a good gym leader?" he challenges with his signature smirk.
"No," she shakes her head. "Because I know you can be and I want to prove it to everyone else."
This throws him off, his eyes widening slightly in surprise of the compliment. Serena gets in her own smirk before he scoffs. "Whatever." He gathers his things and before Red can say anything he's out the door with a 'Smell ya later!'.
"I can't believe you guys are friends," Serena chuckles.
Red shrugs as if to say, he's not like that all the time.
"Must be different when it's just you two," she responds, a little surprised she understood what he meant. "So, hungry?"
Red nods and gathers his things and Pikachu, to join her. They've fallen into a sort of rhythm while Blue gets his training, Red oversees it and does his own paperwork, the two of them get dinner afterwards. Nothing romantic, he's a kid and she sees him as more of a brother, just some time to relax.
Serena leads the way through their makeshift league building. It's a small building with a couple of offices for league officials and G-men while the real League building undergoes a remodel from the mess made by Team Rocket. For food, the league commissioned food trucks to gather in the front courtyard, now all dirt until they can repair it with patches of grass and flowers close to the grand opening. Picnic tables sit in the actual grass a couple yards away, under heavy duty tents as employees finish up their meals.
"So," Serena starts as they head to a table with trays of food in hand. "Are you excited to go on your vacation?"
Even though his contract ends with summer, just four months away, Red has requested to take a couple weeks off to explore the Sevii Islands. A simple request, especially considering he's not asked for much since the Championship Cup. During his time off, Serena plans on testing Blue and finalizing the gym lineup with the Association. It'd be another thing off their plate for when he returns.
He nods and pulls out a map to show her the places he wants to train in.
"Wow, you really planned this out," she looks at his messy handwriting scrawled along the map. "Is Blue going with you?" A blush dusts his cheeks and she giggles. "You don't have to tell me. When you're done is that where you're going to go? Or are you going to go home?"
He shrugs and she can't read much more past that.
XxXxXxX
"Red's a magnet for trouble," Aaron walks into Serena's office with a shake of his head. He holds up the report from the Sevii islands. "The kid was on vacation and he stumbled across a Team Rocket hideout? Maybe the G-men should employ him, like a Houndoom."
"Stop it," Serena laughs. "What did you guys find?"
"Not much," Aaron plops down on the couch as she gets up to look at the report. "All the executives got away, it was in shambles and no sign of Giovanni. The computers were all destroyed, but Red said they had no idea Giovanni left, none of them know where he went."
"What?" Serena sits next to her father, eyes scanning the papers fast. "He just left?"
"I guess so," Aaron sighs. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"It's okay," she also sighs. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy. That's why I want to get out of here for a while."
"I know... I want you to know, there was a comment from a few of the grunts there, something about a kid."
Serena starts at that. "Proton made a comment on the SS Anne about heirs to Team Rocket."
"I hate to think about it, but you might have a cousin," Aaron glowers at the table. "Poor kid. I have no idea where they are or how to get into contact with them. Make sure they're okay."
"I can't believe he'd just leave a kid behind," Serena sets the papers down. "What do we do?"
"I can believe it," Aaron growls. He shrugs at her. "I can just keep an eye out for them, but I don't see anything happening anytime soon."
"God, this sucks," Serena sighs. "He never should have the ability to father kids."
Aaron laughs and embraces her. "Don't I know it."
The two sit in silence, holding each other, as their minds wander to the missing boy. Giovanni's son. Did he get a father's love? Is he safe? Hundreds of questions spin around their minds as they consider ideas to search for him.
"We can't dwell on it now," Aaron breaks the silence first. Pulling away to smile at her. "I've got Clyde helping me, so I'll let you know if I find something out. Wanna get some lunch?"
"Can't," she stands up straight. "I'm meeting with Lance and the others. Have you told Mom about this boy?"
"Not yet," he shakes his head. "I'll see you later, hun."
Serena gathers her files to look at again later, wondering how it is she got the Champion job without the title, but that makes her laugh. In no way does she want the title or the job. She can't wait until the end of the year when a new one will step in. Her paper of crudely drawn plans sits in her briefcase, the birth of a presentation she has been putting together all summer to present to the Association in a couple months.
It puts a smile on her face as she strolls to the cafeteria. Will, Karen, and Lance asked her to come to lunch and she knows they're going to try and get an idea of who the new champion is. As if she'd have any idea, she just puts out a name and the Association takes it from there. She would only know the day of the Gala, so barely ahead of them.
She gets her meal, a burrito stuffed with meat and veggies alongside rice and beans, and makes her way to their table. Lance pats the spot next to him with Karen on his other side and Will on her left. She greets them with a warm smile, still thankful the other two have decided to stick around considering she hasn't even proposed both of them getting hired to their faces yet. She feels bad, but she needs to get the presentation done and then she'll present it to the association before offering it to them. With their jobs on the line, Ren might be more inclined to let her know if Lance has a job or not at the end of the year...
"So, what's up?" she greets them to distract herself from the risk she's taking on his behalf.
"Who's the new Champ?" Karen asks in a flat tone. Her light grey eyes glittering as she leans forward to peer at Serena around Lance.
"Karen! I was going to ask," Will laughs.
"It's a secret, the association hasn't even approved her yet," Serena laughs.
"Is it you?" Will leans forward.
Lance snorts. "If you saw how fast she refused when Red declined, you'd know it wasn't her."
"Hey!" she smacks his shoulder. "It could be me."
"It's not," he replies with a sly grin. "You'd be tough, but you'd be overworked."
She sighs. "That's true, but you could at least pretend to have faith in me."
"Okay, we can start over..." he laughs.
Will and Karen share a glance over their heads as the two banter, starting the conversation over and getting into another 'argument' about her taking the position. From the first interaction with Lance, the two candidates knew something was different about Serena. Seeing them together each time after that only intensified their musings. Will guessed they were lifelong friends, but Karen believes there's more beneath the surface.
"How long have you two known each other?" Will interjects, his head tilting to the side as they break from the banter.
"Hmmm," Serena swallows a bite of her burrito before answering. "7 years?"
"Nearly 10," Lance corrects in a matter-of-fact tone. "I thought I told you both?"
"Maybe," Will shrugs. "It's just interesting."
Serena frowns about to ask why when Karen redirects the conversation towards the upcoming Gala and what she plans to wear. With the league paying for their stay here, they've been invited as guests and that will change to 'honored' guests if they accept the job offer. For now, Bruno and Koga's rooms are underway in the order she showed Elijah. The rest have been placed on hold, unbeknownst to Lance, until the meeting where they can confirm the decision.
The rest of lunch goes by uneventfully with Serena leaving early to work on paperwork and Will heading to the hotel to get some rest from the day. When Karen and Lance disappear towards his apartment, Serena watches with growing worry, hoping it won't turn out for the worst and the woman will want a job at the end of all this.
XxXxXxX
"Red, are you sure?" Serena watches the boy pack in his room.
Summer has ended a few weeks prior, leaving Red no choice but to move on. He's been such a great help, Serena finds herself sad to see him leave. His pikachu watches with a neutral face, always ready to side with his trainer no matter what.
He turns to her and touches his hat as an affirmative.
"Ugh," she sighs and holds open her arms. "Can I hug you? I'm going to miss you."
His cheeks warm at her words and he nods, lowering his face to hide under the brim of his cap.
She smiles and wraps him up in a tight hug. "Thank you for your help. Blue will be a good gym leader thanks to you. Be careful out there. If you need anything, call us here, okay? Don't forget to call your mother."
"Okay, okay," he mumbles into her shoulder.
"Goodbye to you too," she grins, pulling away to pet Pikachu under his chin. "Take good care of Red."
"Pika, pi!" the pokemon responds happily.
She follows Red out the doors where he releases his Charizard and climbs on. She fights tears watching him leave, the dual type lifting off into the air and disappearing towards Johto in the sky. Once she can't see them anymore she returns to the lobby and waits for Karen and Will to show up.
The TV shows a recap of the summer's hottest news. Including the infiltration of Team Rocket's base on the Sevii Islands Red had discovered. It was a small operation, one Lance headed and became better known for as it was announced Team Rocket had been disbanded. There was no sign of Giovanni, meaning he's long gone and left no clues behind for them to follow. It was the first thing Serena demanded to know when Lance arrived while she stayed behind in the safety of the new and improved G-men.
She smiles remembering when it was announced Wesley was becoming the director while Aaron would be the deputy director. It was a public election and the majority voted in their favor. Bringing back the hope of people getting a second chance no matter their past.
On the table, she spies a magazine with the Magnet Train as the cover and takes a seat to get another look at it. With the year coming to a close, the Winter Gala so close and the New Year a week after everything is finally looking up for her. Her heart settles in her chest knowing she's done what she could and that she's so close to the freedom she's been wanting for so long.
XxXxXxX
Serena stands at the front of the room, the last slide showing Lance's stats as a trainer. She showed the association clips from his battles, training and volunteer events over the years. His strong starts to his down fall to his pick up at the end. Serena recounts everything as unbiased as possible, though it's difficult to not want her best friend to have this job. If she fails here, he's probably gonna be without a job and without his knowledge until it's too late.
"He still has more growing to do, but he's still young," she says, turning to the group. "I think, given this opportunity, he will work to fit in Elijah's shoes. Surpass them even."
Ren Tanaka grins, clapping gently. "You've put a lot of thought into this presentation. I think we see your vision clearly."
"Do you?" she tries not to sound too hopeful.
The group nods, smiling at her handouts for the new league design with Karen and Will included as the Elite Four. It shows the order they would go in with Lance at the end as Champion, the rooms are simple since she wants Karen and Will's input if the time comes. The Champions stadium would reuse the pieces from the one he battled in against Elijah, it was partially destroyed with the Team Rocket attacks, but some of the stadium pillars could be salvaged and some other parts too. It would all be painted deep red and gold to match the rest of the League's new main building.
"Let's discuss this," Ren gestures for her to take a seat across from him. When she does, he places his elbows on the table and tents his hands under his nose. "Lance's downfall still rings in our mind. He was being accused outright of fathering children, all were false of course. Though many families were concerned about their children running off to be a conquest for him. He may have reigned it in, but who's to say they're going to agree?"
"I don't think it's fair to continue to punish him for something he did at 19," Serena replies in an even tone. "He's not perfect and it's hard to go from a man like Elijah, an adult, married, with children, to Lance turning 21 this year, single."
"I agree," Nurse Joy speaks up. "While the age limit hasn't lowered, I see there are a lot of young kids aspiring to be a trainer to some degree. Whether it's champion or nurse, to see a young gym leader like Bugsy taking the mantle to Blaine, it inspires others to try. Even Blue applied for the last position in Kanto, his battle played on all TV networks for weeks. For him to do so publicly and get it, makes kids feel like their dreams are attainable."
"Yes," Jenny, Chief of Police, adds in. "While nothing is perfect, we can see from his past, Lance loves being a trainer. During all of this, he never faltered in his training regimen and he rose to the plate when Serena was under scrutiny. We can trust his devotion to trainers, regardless of his personal choices."
"His personal choices spill into his professional life," Ren speaks firmly. He glances around the room, looking at the faces of those opposing his apparent dislike of Lance. Finally, he sighs and regards Serena once more. "Do not get me wrong. I admire his love for pokemon and training. However, it would be foolish to hand him this title and hope he matures for it. You have to understand how that looks to the rest of the world?"
"That anyone can change, and grow and still be successful no matter what mistakes they made?" Serena poses back with a raised brow.
The other members chuckle, some outright laugh, as the two stare each other down.
"We will continue to discuss it," Ren says, cracking a small smile at her. "You are one stubborn woman."
"Thank you," she smiles and gathers her things.
"Please extend a job offer to Will and Karen," he announces as she heads towards the door.
Her heart pounds in her chest as she turns back to him. "But, Lance would be out of a job?"
"Change is inevitable, growth is optional," he replies in an even tone. "You care about him, we see that, but we need him to fit the description or it won't work. As a courtesy we will inform you at the end of the month if your nomination went through."
Serena gulps. "T-thank you."
She ducks out of the room, tears rimming her eyes as she ponders what just happened. All cards on the table and Lance may have lost his job without consent or knowledge. Things had been going so well, and now she has until the end of the month to know for sure. She gets to the first floor of the association building and pauses to take deep breaths.
Maybe it will turn out alright, she tells herself. Maybe he wants her to think she can't get everything so easy. It's a big decision and she waltzed in there like she had the answer to everything. In the end, it has to be their decision not hers.
Still...
She flips the conversation around in her head to make it make sense as she heads outside. Goldenrod City greets her with horns blaring, people bustling down the street and pokemon weaving in and out of traffic. It pulls her back to the present to remember the engineering company wanted to give her a tour of the train station as it just finished construction on this side. There's a chill in the air as the equinox was just a couple of weeks ago. Just two months until everything is finished and she stands at the podium presenting the new league, the new station and a new deal between the regions.
"Hello," she greets one of the founders of the Engineering firm hired for the project.
The older man greets her familiarly, having been on the other side of some early correspondence with her explaining how it all works, and hands her a portfolio of design pictures and finished product pictures. Serena keeps a professional facade throughout the tour, and it's hard not to notice how immaculate the station looks with nearly all natural lighting thanks to the glass roof, and green options for upkeep and operation of the station. Her mind wanders back to the problem at hand, keeping her from getting the full experience but none of the men and women talking with her seem to notice.
She compliments their work, thanks them for their patience with her limited knowledge and looks forward to announcing the finished project come the end of December. Tired, yet full of energy, she heads back on Wynn to Blackthorn.
Clair won't care about Lance losing his job, she would even laugh at the idea Serena got him fired and only offer kind words to Serena. That's not what she needs, and she for sure can't go to Lance, they've mended their friendship, this would destroy it. He wouldn't be appreciative that she nominated him and arranged everything so he would have a new start, he would be furious he would miss out on it all.
Tears threaten to spill as she lands outside her home and rushes inside to her parents. She finds them in the kitchen, conversing with each other while food simmers on the stove, and gathers their attention with her sniffles. They stop, turning to their daughter with worried filled eyes as she spills the story to them with sorrow filled words.
"I really messed up this time," she finishes the story. "What if they fire him? He's going to lose everything and it's going to be my fault!"
"Oh honey," Aaron goes to her first, pulling her into a tight hug against his chest. "You did your best. You tried so hard to get him the spot. If anything, they were probably going to fire him anyway."
"Dad," Serena lifts her head to glare at her father.
"Sorry, but it's true. If they were going to fire him it's not because of you," he shrugs. "You said it yourself, the decision is theirs; you were only there to sway them towards something, not away from it."
"What your father means is, it's not your fault if he doesn't get the job," Rowan budges in, stealing her daughter away from him. "You showed them all of his performance, the good and the bad because you understand he isn't perfect, but he loves his job. That's what matters and they'd be fools to not hire him."
"What should I do?" she wipes her tears.
Rowan turns to grab her a tissue while her father finishes cooking. "Don't say anything. Wait until the end of the month, you don't want to get his hopes up or down for it to turn out the opposite of each."
"I'm going to avoid him for the month!"
"No," Aaron scoffs. "It's going to be okay. Lance may be in his head about his job, but he's your best friend and you had his best interest in mind."
"Ugh," Serena grimaces at his words, tossing the tissue away. "I'm going to go write him a letter and mysteriously disappear at the end of the month. You'll have to get a new daughter, I'll send you ominous gifts that have nothing to do with where I am and I'll become a local cryptid for some poor region's village."
"Serena," Aaron laughs. "Stop it. Everything will be fine."
September 31st 2007
Pokemon Association - New Champion Announcement
Dear Serena,
We hope this email finds you well.
The Association has been grateful for your work for years now. You have risen to our expectations, and our mission, with unifying the regions, improving the work put out by the League in all facets and securing improved communication with the public via news outlets. While there have been times of strife between us in the past years, both sides have risen above that to work together for a brighter future of both regions.
That being said we have come to a decision on whom to place in the position in regards to the Champion of Johto and Kanto. This position will spearhead the change as the regions enter their first year as a cohesive entity, therefore, we need someone who is well acquainted with politics and economics. When problems arise we need a champion willing to make decisions on the behalf of the public for their safety, someone willing to investigate issues beyond what local PD is capable of doing.
This is a new era for Johto and Kanto, we need a face willing to put in the work to make what we-you-built come together. After much deliberation we have decided to move forward with the nomination given by you earlier this month.
Lance Wataru will become the Champion of Johto and Kanto for the new year, and hopefully longer. We want to thank you for taking the time to show us his candor for being a trainer, and a leader for people in both regions. His requirements will be the same as the former Champions of both regions with the addition of his G-men employment.
We have attached the contract he must sign before the Gala to confirm his acceptance of the position. Your plans for the rooms in the league have gone underway and will be finished by the end of January, if all goes well. Will and Karen's paperwork has gone through and their training will begin in the new year.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our regions, we will be affected by your work for years to come. If there are any questions, or comments, feel free to reply to this email as it is my personal email. Do not hesitate to ask for anything from me in the future. You are a bright young woman and I look forward to seeing where you go.
Wishing you the best,
Ren Tanaka
