Today's the big day. It's Lance's birthday, and he is going to have a party after school. Serena received an invitation and everything. Only a few kids from his class are going to be there, the one's that are okay with Serena or don't give her trouble. But he made sure to invite her and Clair. For weeks, she struggled with what to possibly get him. He's a boy, so what would he like? She didn't know.

After collaborating with her mother, who said 'no' to her idea of giving him a key to a test, she got him something he's been wanting for the longest time: a remote controlled helicopter her father helped her pick out. Lance has been obsessing over things that fly lately, and Serena thought he might like it. It's nothing flashy or too personal, which worries her. What if he actually wants something else, but she doesn't know him well enough to understand that?

"He's going to love it, Rena," Rowan beams at her daughter while wrapping up the present.

"What if someone else got him the same thing?" Serena replies in a worried tone.

"No one got him the same thing, I promise," her mother answers.

Serena isn't sure how her mother could possibly know that information, but she'd rather not ask and find out. It's best not to question Rowan when she states something with complete confidence. It doesn't turn out well for her father, and so it won't turn out well for her. She glances at the wrapped up present sitting on the kitchen counter. They settled for Dragonite themed paper and a dark blue bow. She picked out the paper. He's told her multiple times that he wants a team of straight Dragonite because they're so amazing and powerful.

"He's going to like it," Rowan reassures her one final time. "You should go get ready, school is going to start soon."

"Are you and Dad both going?" Serena questions, sliding out of her chair and heading towards the front door to slip on her shoes.

"Your father is going to be busy with work, but I will be there," her mother promises.

Satisfied with the answer, Serena asks no more and turns silent on their walk to school. The weather has turned much colder in the past few months. Her breath is visible, and she gets a sudden rush of heat and sweat when she enters the warmth of the school. Layers are becoming a must when she's outside nowadays, and that goes for the rest of the city, too. The halls are cluttered with mittens, hats, and scarves.

She has become numb to the sensation of going to school, the creeping anxiety, and overbearing fear are no more to her. Clair and Lance make her excited to be in school, but only because she is safe when they're around. The former has taken it upon herself to walk with Serena everywhere so that another incident with Aiden won't happen again.

The bullying has lessened a ton since the two cousins began protecting her, but the whispers, glares, and the occasional shove haven't stopped. Serena can handle it from the kids, but when it comes to adults, it's different. Their neighbors don't acknowledge her parents or her whenever the family is out and about, others stare, whisper, or completely ignore their presence. It's unsettling.

"Have a great day at school, honey," Rowan leans over to kiss her daughter's temple.

Serena remembers, back at her old school, that her mother would purposely try and embarrass her in front of everybody by placing kisses all over her. Of course, Serena loved it, but she also didn't want that to be known by those at school. But now, there's no point. No one's watching them, no one's waiting for Serena at the front of the school, and she suddenly feels strange. Like something so small has suddenly become huge, and she can't have it anymore.

Her mother pats her head before heading towards the teacher's lounge. Often, Serena sees the bags under her eyes or her face pulled tight when she spots her mother around school. As hard as it is on Serena, it must be harder on her mother to be back here, but she just can't tell. Her parents don't mention anything about anyone giving them trouble, and she knows that it's happening. After all, they're the reason the Elders felt the need to punish them so long ago, the reason she is enduring what she has to while living here.

"Hey!" Clair calls out to Serena as the young brunette steps out into the front courtyard. The other students ignore her as she approaches the blue haired girl who embraces her without another thought. A warm sensation makes Serena smile at the other girl's touch before they pull away and grin. "Ready for the party later?"

"I think so," she admits and tugs at the scarf around her neck.

"It's going to be great. Lance's mom makes the best sweets in the city!" Clair beams. "Don't worry, it's going to be fun."

Serena says nothing and follows her friend into school with a reserved look on her face. If she can handle herself at school, what's making her worried about going to Lance's birthday party? There won't be as many people, so it shouldn't be a problem. But she just knows that the kids are going to be sent off to play on their own and that's when it'll start. Someone is going to say something, and it'll lead to a fight between Lance and his friends.

There's nothing she hates more than seeing those two fight with their friends. These are the friends that tolerate Serena, ones that will be cordial with her and nothing more. Friends that they trust and like, and she's constantly putting their bonds to the test. She feels like she's poking at them, forcing them to meet at a corner where they can either cut if off or continue on. Serena doesn't want to be the reason that they're alone at the end of this. If she can just make it through the day without incident it would be great.

The day goes by fast. Lance is jovial all day, reminding the two of them that there is a party and that he can't wait to play games and have fun. His parents dropped off cupcakes for him and his class, leaving two extra for the girls, and Serena's mother got him a balloon as per usual in her classroom with birthdays. The hallways were pretty tame, and there was no shoving. All in all, it's a promising sign to Serena.

"How are you feeling?" Rowan asks her as the two change into more casual clothes before heading out.

"Nervous," she mutters, fixing her hair back into a ponytail and retying her scarf. "But Clair will be there."

"That's right. I'll be there, and his parents will be too."

"Can I bring Ty?" Serena speaks after a moment.

Rowan considers it before nodding. "Yes, but you can't let him out of his ball. The other kids don't have pokemon yet, and you have him for many different reasons. Okay?"

After a curt nod, Serena, with Lance's gift in her arms and Ty on her belt, leads the way to the front door. The coolish air of Blackthorn soothes her nerves as they walk a few blocks over to Lance's parents house. She hasn't been over to either of their houses, but she has seen them before. His parents live in a two-story home just a street away from hers. It's an easy find, just kitty corner from the end of her street.

Its exterior is light in color, and their driveway curves towards the front of the house, allowing for optimal play time space. Much like the other houses in their neighborhood, the yard is uneven, but grassy with bushes lining the house. Their gate is the same as the others, dark in color and open for all to visit.

As they approach, Serena catches sight of the party set up outside and already in full swing with some of Lance's friends hanging around him. There looks to be three of his other friends present. Clair is there too, watching them run as if she were the one that sent them on a mission. As the two approach, Kaida greets them with a warm smile and arms open to embrace the two.

"Glad to see you two," she beams. "I can take the gift."

Rowan smiles and allows the red haired woman to take the box. The two walk off chatting about something Serena finds rather boring. Left to her own devices, the brunette seeks out the company of Clair near the snack table. Candy and other sweets are laid out along the table with some drinks at the end for the kids. Wesley is nearby, grilling away while speaking with Clair's father and a few other men. The two wave at the girls and Serena tries not to feel hurt when the other men turn their heads away from them. She waves back before greeting Clair with a grin.

"What's up?" she says, grabbing a plate and filling it with some snacks.

"The boys are jerks," Clair pouts at her, popping a chocolate covered pretzel in her mouth.

"They won't let you play with them again?"

"No. Said I was 'too crazy'."

"You wrestled them, huh?"

Clair refuses to answer and takes a long drink of juice like she's seen adults do on tv shows. "It's not my fault they're sore losers."

Serena smiles despite the rising bubble of anxiety in her chest. Clair knows how to make situations into a positive one. She turns to the snack table and considers taking some food, but a laugh from one the boys stops her, and she remembers what's been going around the school lately. Glancing down at her stomach, she grimaces and decides she'll pass on the food.

"What's wrong? You don't like the food?" Clair tilts her head, her eyes glancing between the food and her hand.

"No, I'm just not hungry," Serena takes a few pauses between her words, as if still debating on the decision. By the end, she sets the chocolate treat back on the platter and offers Clair a weak smile.

"Okay," the blue haired girl shrugs it off and pulls Serena away from the table and towards the group of boys playing under a large tree.

"Stop, I don't want to," Serena tugs on Clair's arm and shakes her head.

"Don't worry about them. Lance invited his good friends," she reasons with her.

"I know, but..." the darker haired girl sneaks a glance at the boys having a ton of fun with the birthday boy.

"It'll be fine," Clair tugs her along as they approach the outer circle of boys playing basketball.

Serena cringes as their laughter dies down and two of the closest ones glance at her with distaste. The air is sucked from her lungs as she struggles to keep her chin up against their stares and looks for Lance. He gives her the chance to relax as he steps forward to offer her a light hug in greeting.

"Happy birthday," she mutters, smiling at him in relief.

He grins that goofy grin of his and pats her back. "Glad you could make it! You're the last one, now we get to play some games."

The other boys turn away one by one to cheer and race towards the grill where the adults have gathered to help set up some games. The kids are divided into groups with Lance being paired with his best friend Jax. The girls are in one group and everyone is given a list of items to find and a bag to put the items in. Kaida gathers all the kids around her to explain the rules and goal of the game, her eyes are bright with excitement.

"On your list are clues as to what you have find. First to find all the clues gets first pick on prizes!"

The kids cheer before setting off on the hunt. Serena holds up the page and reads the clues out loud to Clair. There are ten items on the list, and she notices that they get harder as they go. The first is something you can cook with and the last is something that starts with the letter 'L'. Clair comes up with everything pretty quick, and the two girls race around the house.

The boys race past them, some of them knocking things just out of reach but Clair keeps Serena going. Their bag fills up as their list shortens with each item. Serena is happy to hold the stuff while Clair does most of the work. Her eyes glow with each item obtained until they reach the last thing.

"Well, first place is lost so we have a little more time," Clair scowls at Lance and Jax as they play with their prizes.

"What about a ladle?" Serena is quick to offer her help.

"The boys used it as their cooking utensil, that's who we're against," she replies with a sigh.

"What about a lock? Would that count?"

Clair considers it and shrugs. "Sure, the garage is this way."

The two dash from the living room through the house to the garage. They burst through the door to see one of the other boys pulling down a box full of locks from a tall shelf.

"Hey, Asher. Can you grab us one?" Clair holds out her hand with a grin.

Asher is a tall lanky boy with a mop of sandy blond hair and a crooked smile. He's well known for being sporty and well rounded. Serena has run into him before, and the most he does is say 'excuse me' before scurrying away from her, which is better than putting her on the ground.

Behind him stands Ryder, another athletic boy with dark hair, light eyes, and a charming smile. If Serena wasn't always on edge, she thinks she would have a crush on him. But the way he looks at her now makes her want to shrivel up and hide.

"Why should I?" he challenges Clair with a raised eyebrow. He picks up a lock from the box and hands it to Ryder before placing it higher than it was before. "Get it yourself."

"Why you!" Clair runs after the boys, swearing and shouting at them like a sailor.

Serena, already used to this behavior, focuses on her goal. Glancing up, she stares at the box and allows her mind to reach up and pull the box from its perch. It trembles before sliding out and floating down to her hands. She pulls out a lock and lifts it up with her hands as faR as she can reach before using her mind to lift it the rest of the way.

She grins to herself and dashes out of the garage and nearly runs into Clair with her father. The two pause and glance at the lock in her hand.

"You wanted me to get that lock?" he points at it with confusion.

"Don't worry, I found one on the ground," she provides a fib before running past them with Clair in tow for the backyard.

The two girls giggle and laugh as they reach the grass. Kaida stands under the big tree next to a table of prizes, she's speaking with Wesley as Lance, Jax and two of the other boys play. From the corner of her eye, Serena spots Asher and Ryder come bursting from the side of the house. They're in a hard sprint for Kaida, leaving the girls in the dust, but the anger she sealed away earlier comes back, and she focuses on Asher's foot. The boy seems to trip and hits the ground. Above him, Ryder stops running to laugh in his face as the boy spits out dirt.

Clair snorts and drags Serena behind her as the two make a mad dash for the beautiful red haired woman. Asher and Ryder are left behind, one laughing and one fuming mad, allowing them to get the list and items to Kaida first. It's approved, and Serena feels a bubble of warmth in her chest. She releases a laugh and shares a hug with Clair. The two get some prizes, candy, a coloring book, and crayons.

Clair's father helps Asher clean up as the food is served and the cake is cut. Lance is beaming the entire time, and even hugs Serena for the gift she got him. The party goes by smoothly with none of the boys creating any more problems for Serena. Though by the end, the adults have wandered inside, and while the kids are bundled up they have extra warmth to spare from playing around.

"Do we have to stay in this yard?" Jax complains when Lance lands the helicopter at the front gate.

"Where else would we go?" the birthday boy questions.

"We could take it to the entrance of the Ice Path," the other boy, Colton, chimes in. "There's some boulders in front of it and that little pond too. You can make an obstacle course for it!"

"Why can't we do that here?" Lance frowns, the idea seems too risky to him.

"Come on, it's your birthday. Let's have some fun," Colton snorts and then glances at Serena. "Besides, S-serena hasn't seen the entrance. Maybe we should show her, you know, with us."

This seems to spark something in Lance, and he nods. Serena perks up at the thought of being included, and she squashes the smile that fights its way to her lips. She doesn't want to ruin the moment by being overly excited. Lance glances back at the house and then at Clair. She squints her right eye, and he responds with an open palmed shrug. Serena has seen this before and knows that they're debating what to do. After a few more seconds, there's a nod between the two before they turn towards the rest of the group. Clair takes her spot at Serena's side and loops their arms.

"Okay, but we have to be quiet and fast," Lance urges under his breath. "The gate is a little bit open, don't knock it, and you should make it."

The boys high five each other and one by one the kids dart out of the yard and run across that small section of the city towards its exit. It's late afternoon by this time, and their neighborhood is a few blocks away from the outskirts of town. Near the entrance of the city sits two large pillars with Dragonite statues perched on top. A metal sign arcs between them, connected to their backs, 'Blackthorn City' cut out from the metal strip.

The terrain is rocky and freezing. Serena zips up her coat and pulls her scarf around her face a little tighter. Above them looms the mountain containing the Ice Path and so much more. The kids stare at it in awe as they come up to a rather large bay covered in ice. Serena has not been out this way before, and is shocked that the 'pond' they stated earlier is bigger than she thought. It's big enough to put a safe distance between Blackthorn and Ice Path, however, she doesn't think an adult could swim across it.

Frost covers much of the ground, though it is thinner on this side than the thick layers of it across the bay. Clair points a finger to their left and glances back at Serena.

"That leads to the lake where the gym is in Blackthorn and the rivers outside of it," she explains with pride.

"Wow," Serena breathes, a puff of vapor escaping her mouth.

The revelation is cut short as the boys chant for Lance to fly the helicopter over the water. He does so without a pause, and they're laughing and trying to toss chunks of frosty dirt at the copter to test his agility with the remote. Serena examines the bay with interest. Except for the time they went to Vermillion, Serena hasn't had much contact with large bodies of water. In the depths of her mind, she has a vague vision of the ocean, and she can't quite tell if it's a memory or her imagination.

Stepping away from the group, she steps up to the water and bends over for a closer look. The ice is thicker in the shallows, but just glancing outwards shows that the water is flowing farther out. A small breeze brushes by her, sending chills down her back.

"Hey, Cheater," a voice hisses behind her.

Serena turns to see Asher and Ryder stalking up to her. Her eyes swing to the right to find Clair and Lance having fun with the others by creating a course with piles of rocks and testing Lance's piloting skills close to the ground. In her chest, her heart seizes as Asher's tall body blocks her vision. The smile on his face is no longer crooked, but sharp and cold.

"I don't know how you got a lock, but I have a feeling you hid it sometime before the game started. You may be Lance's friend, but you're no friend of mine," he sneers at her.

Serena tries to sidestep him, but he shoves her back, and she hits the ground on the edge of the grassy shore. She sits up and tries to scoot away, but is grabbed by the collar and lifted upwards towards Asher's face. From below, she hears a faint thumping sound and it makes her breathing sky rocket: Ty's pokeball.

"What's this?" Ryder comments, bending over and scooping up the little ball. "What's in here?"

"N-nothing, I-I carry it around for good luck," Serena lies, but curses herself for sounding so weak.

"Nothing, eh?" Asher searches her eyes for the lie. He sets her on the ground, keeping his fist wrapped around the collar of her jacket, and turns to Ryder. "Toss out onto the ice, if there's nothing in there, she won't care then."

"Don't!" she shouts, and then tries to fight off Asher.

He shoves her to the ground before bursting into laughter as Ryder tosses the little pokeball onto the lake. She scrambles to her feet and watches the ball arc through the air and land just a few feet away from the shore. By this time, the others heard the commotion and come running over. Colton and the other boy start laughing as if they were in on the plan the entire time, and it's then that Serena realizes it. He wanted her to feel special, like she mattered so that Lance would take them out there, and Asher could have his revenge. Tears well up in her eyes, but she can't find the energy to cry when she still has to get Ty before he's left there until spring, or until someone else takes him. The thought of her pokemon being taken away sparks her anger, and she takes a step forward.

"No, don't!" Lance puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's dangerous. Let me."

"Or she's too fat," Asher mutters under his breath.

Serena flinches and is about to retort something when Jax comes out of nowhere and knocks the other boy down with his fist.

"You're such an ass, you know that?" Jax nudges the moaning boy away with his foot and turns to the other boys. "Go get the adults so that they can help her get her pokeball."

"Why should we wh-"

"Clair!" Lance and Serena shout at the sametime as the blue haired girl rushes onto the ice.

"What are you doing?" Lance thunders from the edge of the water. "Get back here!"

"You guys were wasting time!" she shouts back and trips just before the ball.

The boys burst into more laughter as Serena lets out a shocked scream. Lance glances between the two and urges Serena to stand a few steps closer to Jax before turning away. Serena steps forward to stop him, but Jax grabs her wrist and pulls her away. The two become silent while the other boys chant and cheer for Lance to make it back. They snicker and make comments at Serena, but she ignores them in favor of focussing on the two.

She's never moved two people before, and she's not sure if she'll drop them along the way. That's a risk she can't take, if they get lost because of her, she would never forgive herself for it.

Beside her, Jax keeps a gentle grip on her arm while muttering to himself as he thinks of a way out of this.

"Watch out!" Serena shouts when a loud cracking sound silences the boys. She pushes against Jax begging for him to let her go. "Let me help them!"

"You can't!" he argues and pulls her away from the edge of the lake just as the cracking sound becomes more abundant.

She turns to see Clair clutching the pokeball and Lance clutching her before they fall through. There's a split second, that seems more like hours, where Serena doesn't believe that any of this is real. That it's a nightmare she's about to wake up from. But she sees the two of them struggling at the surface to get a grip on some ice to pull themselves out and failing to do so. Blood pumps through her veins, and the only words flying through her mind are screaming at her to save them.

She runs to the edge of the water, Jax holds her back, and she falls to her knees with one arm stretched out. In the back of her mind, she feels a slight pulse and sends it out towards their flailing bodies and the pokeball. She closes her fingers to a loose fist and focusses on them. At first, they just stop moving and stay suspended at the surface of the freezing waters, but after a deep breath, she pushes against the weight in her mind and lifts them up from the depths. Behind her, the boys watch with a mixture of awe and horror as she pulls them towards the shallow part of the lake that is safer.

Jax releases her and shouts at one of the boys to get help. Asher snaps out of his daze and sprints back towards Lance's house. On the ground, Serena watches through a lens as the boys rush to get the two cousins to the safety of the grass. Lance and Clair shiver and cough as they huddle close for warmth. Jax demands the others take off their jackets to lend their warmth to the two. In her own daze, Serena lays her jacket and scarf over Clair and holds the girl's.

"H-h-he-re," Clair shivers, her body convulsing with mini tremors on the ground.

Serena accepts the pokeball and clutches it to her chest while letting her hot tears flow. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Clair tries to talk more but is silenced by the shouts of the adults running up to them Wesley and Tatsuo at the head of the group. The two men reach them and bend down over their kids. Wesley's training kicks in, and he tells Kaida to call for help, one of the other parents gathers the boys around him to comfort them. Rowan rushes over to Serena and tries to calm her.

"It's my fault, I should have stayed behind," Serena blubbers to her mother while trying to breathe. "It all happened so fast!"

"It's okay, baby. It's okay," Rowan smooths her hair and takes her aside as help arrives to cart the two away.

Serena leans into her mother, watching Lance and Clair's parents remorse over their children being hurt. Ishihara's face flashes in her mind, and she resists the urge to vomit then and there. She hadn't meant to cause this trouble. She just wanted to be accepted. Was it always going to be this hard for her?

"It was her, she pulled them out without touching them!" Asher cries to an older looking man with flecks of white in his hair.

He glances up at Serena and then at Rowan with a sneer. "If you're harboring some dangerous secret about your daughter, you need to keep it under control."

"She saved my baby!" Kaida rounds on the man. "The only person that needs control is your son, Damarius. I know for a fact he has been a bully to Serena ever since she came here, and he's following your steps."

"Do not speak to me as if I am below you!" Damarious bellows, only to be stopped by Wesley rising up to his full height.

"When my son and niece are better, and they tell me what happened, you better hope your son wasn't involved," he speaks in a sharp tone, scary enough to make Serena whimper into her mother's leg. "Now leave, you will be hearing from me soon."

Serena clutches her mother and tries not to flinch when Wesley rounds on her. But his face melts into a gentle smile as he approaches and bends down to her level. He holds out his hand and engulfs her smaller hand in both of his. "Thank you for saving them. I may not understand how, but I am grateful that you could."

Speechless, Serena is left to nod as he gets to his feet, and there is a sudden flurry of more movement. The other boys are sent home under Asher's dad's responsibility. Jax glances back at Serena catching her eye as her mother talks with the other adults. There's a moment of understanding between them as he realizes that she cares for Lance as much as he does, and that she's not a bad person. He nods at her in acknowledgement and waves goodbye. She returns the wave a little shocked and feels heat rise in her cheeks. Someone had noticed her, after something terrible and tragic, someone around her age noticed it wasn't her fault.

The warm feeling disappears as everything is set into a blurry of motion. Wesley and Kaida disappear with Clair's father in the direction of the Wataru's home. She is pulled in the same direction, but is cut off before she can apologize to the other adults. Her mother won't look back and seems edgy as they rush back to their own house. Serena can barely keep up with her shorter legs and is out of breath by the time they make it to their house.

She is unaware of her own creeping panic until she is taken home and sits in front of the mirror in her parent's room. They're talking in the office nearby, and she can hear their mumbled voices. The clock on the bedside table ticks at her, each small tick feels like a hammer slamming down on a hard surface. It beats at her heart, urging her to just scream and cry, begging for answers as to what's going on. Is this her fault? But she saved them! She also revealed her powers, but her father never said it had to be a secret. She had just assumed.

"Mommy?" she breaks the silence. The talking stops, and she listens to their footsteps as they approach the room.

"What's wrong?" Rowan rushes to her daughter, her hand flying to her forehead to check her temperature.

"Am I in trouble?" Serena tries to hold in her tears, her lips turning pouty and her cheeks growing red.

"No, honey," her mother takes her face in her hands and presses kisses all over her face. "I'm proud of you."

Not expecting that, Serena pulls away with a skeptical look on her face, glancing between the two of them. "What?"

"Honey, you saved them from danger. You have gained control over your powers," her father kneels down beside her, taking her hand in his.

"You think so?" she glances between them, she can't believe this news. Her friends are in the hospital, and she's perfectly fine. Maybe if she hadn't stood so close to the water they'd be fine...

"You got them out of the water before any real damage could be done," her father affirms with a nod of his head. "I promise."

Her brain can't quite wrap around those words, but she trusts her parents and understands that they mean what they're telling her. She relaxes for just the moment as they take her downstairs to discuss a game plan. The sight of Lance and Clair gasping and reaching for dry land replays itself in her head. She bares her teeth and clutches Ty's pokeball tighter to her chest. In her mind, she tells herself that everything will be fine. They weren't in the water for long, and that has to count for something.

All she has to do now is wait for her heroics to pay off.