Hello! I've changed up Mr./Dr. Fuji's appearance due to Mewtwo's attack on New Island. This fic is a mix of anime/games/manga so there will be lots of differences and similarities. Then we have some fun with Lance and Serena, with no legal repercussions this time ;P Also, note, Serena is my OC not the Serena from the anime series.

Enjoy!


Aaron could not sleep last night, nor could he focus on the paperwork needed for their director, an asshat by the name of Hendrick. His mind was in a haze all morning as he prepared to leave for Lavender Town. Wesley had given him the address of the Pokemon House where Dr. Fuji works in an email and it was all he needed to get moving. The old man has been residing there for a long time, almost as long as Aaron and his family have been in Blackthorn.

It had taken him just a few hours to get to the Pokemon Center by noon and ask for directions to the Pokemon House. Wesley wanted to come with, but lord knows Fuji already barely stands a chance with Aaron going by himself. He's sick of this game Giovanni is playing, using his daughter as a pawn for something that could kill her.

She's not even an adult yet for Arceus's sake.

Turning on a narrow street, Aaron comes back to the present and does a quick sweep of the neighborhood for anything suspicious. If this man was working with Giovanni then his brother could very well be around here making sure he's staying quiet or at least within reach if he needed something. However, he finds nothing of interest, just some local shops, a few kids playing in the street with some pokemon and toys while their parents chat with friends nearby.

He takes his time heading to the house. Despite being the home of the largest pokemon grave in Kanto, Lavender Town is serene and much more calming than this region's bigger cities. The radio tower looms overhead as Aaron walks down a street away from it towards a home marked by a special sign on the sidewalk painted in bright colors. His breathing slows when he walks in and takes in the sight before him, trying to gather himself and appear professional.

It's set up like a human daycare with a large open space filled with some baby pokemon rolling around having fun within a kids playpen. Blankets, pillows and toys litter the ground and couch in the main area. To the right of the entrance sits a desk with a computer and a young man meant to greet people coming in. At the moment, however, he struggles to reign in a Pidgey desperate to eat some of his food.

Aaron watches the boy with a smile, reminding him of Serena when she was younger and didn't want Salamence eating her food and tried so hard to move the immovable pokemon. From the kitchen comes the sound of someone making up bowls of food, Aaron turns to the left of the main room. He walks around the wall to find a woman and an older man portioning out pokemon food into small metal bowls. They turn to greet him with bright smiles as if it's normal for people to walk in and wander around.

"Hello, looking to volunteer?" the woman grins. She's short and portly, her dark brown hair piled up on the top of her head in a messy bun. No doubt it starts out neat and gets messy after this chaos. She's donning a dark blue shirt with the words 'Pokemon House Volunteer' across the top.

Aaron grins at her and shakes his head. "No, I'm here to speak with Dr. Fuji."

"Mr. Fuji, please. I haven't been practicing anything for years now," Mr. Fuji steps forward with a smile. "Let's go to the back patio Mr.?"

"Call me Aaron," he offers and gestures for the old man to lead the way.

Blaine wasn't wrong when he said Fuji looked much older when he came back from his long leave. The man should be in his fifties by now, but with a balding head of brown hair slowly graying and burn scars marking his arms and part of his face, he seems much older than that. The only thing giving him the look of youth is his posture when he walks, upright and, even with a slight limp, there is confidence in it.

When Fuji opens the back door and gestures for Aaron to step out onto the patio he notices his left eye is a milky white compared to his other green eye. He wonders if those injuries were from his brother as he steps out onto a modest patio with the basic furnishings of a small, round table with an umbrella, four chairs and a tiny grill. The small backyard is complete with a garden filled with beautiful flowers still lively in the approaching fall weather.

The man gets comfortable on the other side of the table with a heavy sigh. His good eye meets Aaron's and he grins. "How can I help you?"

"I am here to question you about some samples you sent to your colleague, Blaine," Aaron states, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

Fuji's demeanor doesn't change, he keeps smiling as his hand comes up to stroke his beard. "They were DNA samples for an old experiment I was doing. Nothing illegal, I presume you're with the G-men? I haven't seen you around here before."
"I am," Aaron confirms with a curt nod. "What kind of experiment?"

"Pokemon and their stress response and if it goes down to a molecular level," Fuji responds as though it should be obvious.

"Blaine said the DNA was that of a human and a pokemon," Aaron counters just as easily.

"I'm sure my old friend was confused," Fuji shakes his head and shrugs. "Besides, I lost funding on the project and had to scrap it."

"Why would Blaine lie to me?" Aaron goes at it from another direction.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to, it's sometimes easy to get confused between samples when you're as busy as he was," Fuji shrugs. "I'm sorry you came all this way, but there's nothing I can do."

"Were you working with Giovanni?" he uses as his last resort.

The name makes Fuji start with a hint of fear. "W-Who?"

"I know you know who exactly I'm talking about," Aaron leans forward, his voice deeper. "He's my brother, don't you see the resemblance?"

"I don't know who you're talking about and without proper papers I assume you're not here to arrest me," Fuji stands up. "I am sorry that you came all this way for naught. My friend Blaine must have been mistaken."

Aaron stands up, resisting the urge to shout at the old man. "I just want you to know, my daughter goes through pain everyday with what you did to her. She'll never know what happened because you won't stand up to my brother and do what's right. You're his pawn and if you think keeping quiet will mean you're safe, you're wrong. He only needs you for something else and when he's done? You'll die. I promise it."

"That's enough," Fuji straightens up even more and walks to the door. "I'm sorry to hear about your daughter, but that is all the patience I have for today. Do not come back."

Without another word, Aaron stalks out of the house, ignoring the looks from the volunteers, and down the street. He makes a sharp turn at the end before pulling out his phone and dialing his wife's number. As the phone rings, he leans his head against a brick building and counts out his breaths.

"Hello, love," she greets in a warm tone.

No matter how angry or frustrated, hearing her speak will always put him at ease. He relaxes at her voice and turns to lean his back against the wall. "Hi. I didn't get anything out of him."

"Did you arrest him?" her reply is flat and disappointed.

He snickers at her. "No, love. I can't just arrest someone because they're being stupid, no matter how badly I want to."

"I told you, you're not going to find much without Serena," she states in a soothing tone.

"I'm not going to wait until our daughter is old enough to figure this out, I'm not a bad parent."

"I didn't say you were, but she's part of this mystery too. You want to keep her separate from it, but she's in the middle of it all. Even if she's sharing it with something else," his wife explains. "You're a great parent, by the way."

"It's hard to see it," he rubs his eyes. "What should I tell her? I don't want her coming here on her own."

"Well, she doesn't know where you went. You could always say it was a dead end."

"...Are you saying I should lie to our daughter?" he raises a brow. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Not really," she exhales. "She's too much like you. She'll head over there on her own and try to get her own answers and I'm not sure if she is ready for that. Mentally or physically. She'll probably hate us later, but right now, I'm willing to accept that."

He can't help but admit to himself she's right. Serena is too much like himself, charging forward in the hopes of getting the answers she needs. This is too important for them all. But there are still pieces missing and without them they're running around with their heads cut off.

"Okay, honey," he finally sighs. " I'll withhold some info and keep investigating, even if I have to wait," he clears his throat and smiles. "I'll see you later tonight. I love you."

"I love you too."

He hangs up and stares at the sky. This is just another piece to put on the board in his office with Wesley. Both men have been working on Serena's case since she came back all those years ago. It has led to many dead ends, but as she grows older more and more clues are revealed. Rowan may be right in that when Serena's older she can help, but that doesn't mean he can't continue to gather information.

OoO

"Try number two, are you ready?" Blaine calls from his side of the field.

Serena stands opposite of him, fists clenched at her side as she takes him in, wondering if he knows something and is pretending or if she's really crazy. He was standing with that man in the photo, but didn't reveal much to her father. Her father called to inform her the lead was a bust, but he'll keep trying.

Blaine is right here. She could just ask him. Or guilt him...

"Rena," Lance clears his throat on the side of the field.

She shakes off the chills at the thought of Blaine hiding secrets and nods at the older man. "I'm ready when you are."

"Perfect, Charmeleon let's show her what you got!"

"Wynn, let's go!"

As soon as the battle commences, Serena is off to a great start. Attacking first and keeping pace the entire time to be a step ahead of Blaine. While he seems to be distracted, Serena focuses on the problem in front of her. Each cheer from Lance reminds her to keep going and be fast.

From the side, Lance can also tell Blaine is off and he wonders if it's guilt about yesterday. Normally, the young trainer would call out this behavior to get a fair battle, but Serena is putting the leader in his place, not holding back at all. If she has a problem she can always request a rematch, however, it looks like she's enjoying running him into the dirt.

One by one, Charmeleon, Growlithe and Magmar go down. Wynn and Signa make up the bulk of the battle. Bringing forth every win with a swift, yet powerful attack that brings a smile to Serena's face. Lance cheers loudly each time, but keeps an eye on the gym leader. He felt a bit of suspicion rise up the day before, but when he got the confirmation from Serena Blaine knew nothing; he let it go. But now, he watches as each win only makes Blaine retreat more into a quiet demeanor as if expecting this to happen.

Or wanting it to.

"Serena wins!" the ref announces with a flag in her direction.

She cheers and hugs Wynn as the dragon type slithers to her.

They turn to Blaine as he walks up, holding out the volcano badge with a proud smile on his face. Lance watches with a tense look, what if he does know something and he misses this chance to ask? Surely, he would say something, right? Right?

Yeah, she was just a kid, he reasons to himself as he stands to be by his best friend.

"Good job and, er, I'm sorry about yesterday," Blaine speaks with a sheepish smile on his face. "Good luck against the next gym and the league!"

"It's okay," she grins at him. "I'm feeling much better today. Thanks, Blaine. Good luck with the gym."

They nod at each other before Lance is there to celebrate with her, grasping her and spinning her around as she laughs. They head out while she, once again, details the highlights of the battle as if he wasn't there to witness it.

Blaine watches them leave with a smile on his face.

"Those two will definitely make it far," he mutters to himself before turning on his heel to go to his office.

Outside, Serena returns Wynn to her ball and adds a hop in her step as they head to the pokemon center. Just like every other day here, the weather is balmy and bright adding to the happiness of her battle.

As they walk in silence, she mulls over certain moments in the battle she felt Blaine was holding back. Times where he wouldn't call out a command, giving her time to retaliate from an especially powerful hit. Looking back, it feels as though he was pretending she was a strong trainer and wanted her to win out of pity.

She feels weird taking the badge and suddenly stops in her tracks. Biting her lip, she glances over at Lance. "Do you think I should ask for a rematch?"

"Do you want to?" he shrugs. "It did feel like he was holding back, or just unfocused."

"I don't want to, but it feels like cheating," she stares at the badge in her hand. A little flame with an orange center, it's so cute. "But I worked hard. He just felt bad, I think."

"That's true, you were also in the hospital yesterday so I won't blame you for not wanting to do another battle," he points out with another shrug. "You still deserve the badge."

"Thanks," she grins at him.

She doesn't bring it up again as they reach the center and turn in her pokemon for check ups. They take a break at the cafeteria for lunch, sitting by the window to watch people walk by on their way to the beach or shops.

Normally, the buzz of trainers moving in and out of the center makes her mind perk up but since yesterday it feels... fuzzy. This morning she asked Lance to pinch her to prove she was awake, it hurt and she pinched him back. It led to another fake shootout in their room, but she was relieved to know that she was awake and lucid.

"You know a good way to celebrate?" Lance poses after some silence during their meal.

"Hmm, is it also a good way to be put in jail for a few days?" she returns with a frown.

"Our parents wouldn't- Yeah they would," he retracts his almost statement with a knowing look. "But come on! It would be so much fun to explore a haunted mansion."

"Lance, how can you want to do something dumb again?" she raises her brow.

"It's nothing like going into a gambling ring," he returns with a knowing grin. "It's safe, we will just be exploring. You know, it's easier to ask for forgiveness right?"

She stares at him, his golden eyes gleaming in the light of the setting sun, and considers his idea. It would be pretty fun to see what lies in the mansion, it's nothing dangerous like a poker ring. No guns. No stolen pokemon. Just a house full of secrets.

"I've been around you too much," she groans, her head falling into her hands.

He grins. Clapping his hands once and then rubbing his palms together. "Perfect, the sun is setting and it's a fifteen minute walk to the edge of town where it's at."

"You mapped it out already, huh?" she rolls her eyes at him, gathering up her dishes and following him to the kitchen window.

"Duh!"

They scurry out into the evening, the sun's light quickly receding as they cross the town looking as innocent as possible. Despite her worry at being caught, Serena feels a bit of excitement bubble at the thought of exploring something forbidden. Clearly, she has been in Lance's presence for too long. There's no way she would have allowed this if she were back home in Blackthorn.

"How do you know where to go?" she whispers as they duck into some thick brush growing beside the chain link fence surrounding the mansion.

It's an impressive building with three floors, a grand entryway including a fountain in the center of the driveway. The gated entry is chained off with 'Keep Away' signs. Piles of the brick columns jutting from the ground have been destroyed, allowing trespassers easy access past the iron gate.

All of it is destroyed as if burned in a fire long ago. Serena stares at the building as though it's familiar, possibly from an old news cast? She decides not to chase the memory, having had enough with mysteries of her past, and doesn't dare hang on to a thought as they approach.

"I may or may not have staked out some entrances before you got here," he mutters back before pulling some branches aside to reveal a hole in the fence.

She stares at him as though he grew a second head. "What do you mean 'before you got here'? You've been here before?"

"Yeah," he shrugs as though it should be obvious.

Honestly, it should have been. She rolls her eyes, again. "Then why go again?"

"Because this time you're here."

She hates how her chest feels so warm, it's such an ominous feeling now that they've been intimate. Is he looking at her as a best friend? Or is there a possibility for more?

Without holding onto that thought, she bends over and squeezes through the small hole. The jagged ends of the chain link fence scratch against her skin as she pulls herself through. She hisses at the slight pain but finds no blood when she runs her hand along her shoulders and part of her back. Lance slides through as though this is the preferred way of entry and takes her hand to lead her along the sad looking garden to the house.

House is an understatement. She cannot imagine the size of the family that lived in this mansion. It sprawls along the edge of the forest, broken up into several different parts most likely for various rooms. Windows in all kinds of disrepair stare back at them, like broken teeth or gaping mouths screaming for someone to give the place some love. If she squints, Serena swears she can see the mansion in its former glory.

Just like the house, the garden is impressive in size but hollow in its aged state. The cracked cement path makes her nervous, she notices several chunks missing every few steps and tries hard to avoid the empty spots. Lance maneuvers with practiced ease, picking his way across the gaping holes of earth. Off the path are clumps of dead plant material, smelling like old compost, and untamed bushes abandoned long ago. Serena's nose scrunches at the sickly sweet, earthy, smell. She eyes another, smaller fountain dilapidated and crumbling on it's base. Clearly the garden was a well loved part of the mansion.

Lance releases her hand as they come up to what was once a back door, but is now boarded up with a large sign reading 'No trespassing'. He follows an invisible line to a larger board leaning against the building. Serena watches in shock as he pulls it back to reveal an opening in the brick wall serving as an entrance.

"It's not even subtle," she mutters, climbing through with more consideration than the fence.

"The cops never come out here," he laughs.

She doesn't know if that should comfort her or not. But she stays quiet as he pulls out a flashlight to reveal they're standing in a large kitchen. Serena's jaw drops as she looks at the remnants of a beautiful island, larger than a dining table but now cracked and covered in a thick layer of grime. Bits of drywall, brick, glass and dirt cake the floor as she crosses the room to examine the broken cupboards and drawers.

"Huge, right?" Lance whispers from beside her.

She glances up to find him pointing the flashlight down and staring around the room just as she had when they came in. "Who lived here?"

"Dunno, some researcher," he shrugs and gestures for her to follow him into the next room. "There's a lot of textbooks and lab equipment in the basement, but let's go to the other floors. There are more books upstairs as well as some old stuff from the inhabitants."

"Is all the good stuff taken?" she jokes as they pass through a gutted dining room, and living room with burnt furniture tossed aside.

She feels an overbearing sense of sadness at the loss all around her. Her psyche picks up on a lot of energy flowing around each room. Her mind, not truly recovered from her episode, feels distanced from the energy. It feels strange, sticky like melted candy but as though she were wearing gloves, something was keeping her from taking in the actual energy and, for that, she's grateful.

She'd rather be distanced than cut this trip short and cost Lance a good time. Not even her classes with Sabrina could prevent whatever it was that happened.

Her attention turns outward at the sudden jolt of a floorboard nearly collapsing below her foot. Heart leaping into her throat, she gasps and grabs Lance by his long cape. He grunts at being pulled back, but reaches back with his hands as best he can to catch her.

Once she's upright and safe, Lance gestures for her to copy his footing. "By the way, we may not be the only ones here."

"What?" she barely keeps from screeching. "Who else is here?"

"Burglars, scientists... the usual," he shrugs back. "Relax, as long as you aren't trying to take what they want, they'll leave you alone."
"Lance," she growls his name in warning, taking a step closer to him.

"Hey, I'll keep ya safe," he reminds her, reaching up to touch her chin between his forefinger and thumb. It's a passing gesture as he continues forward. "Now come on, the steps are tricky."

Tricky was an understatement, it takes them nearly ten minutes to get to the second floor with most of the steps missing and the squeaky boards. Lance is patient the entire time, pointing the light at the wall to bathe the steps in a gentle glow while keeping one step ahead of Serena. Her legs tremble with each step and hop to more stable footing. When they reach the top, she sighs with relief and doesn't dare think about how they're going to get back down.

Lance picks his way past the rooms, taking a moment to pause and listen for any other footsteps besides theirs. A breeze whistles through the openings in the walls and windows, blowing past them and raising goosebumps on Serena's arms.

"It's cold and creepy in here," she comments under her breath.

"That's the best part," he chuckles back before ducking into a room. "It's this one. Come look."

She steps where he did, over the threshold and onto a firm patch of floor, into a large room littered with books. The bookshelves along the far wall look like gaping faces as most of its contents are either on the ground or burned to ash. She steps forward, with Lance's careful guidance of course, and reaches out to pick up a book.

The flashlight directs to it instantly, illuminating a burnt cover and faded text inside about the history of Kanto. Serena flips through the pages looking for something familiar when the book falls apart in her hands. She gasps in surprise, watching the pages fall away and the hardcover hit the floor with a soft thump.

Her look makes Lance bust into a fit of silent giggles next to her.

She pouts at him. "It's not funny. Do you know how much knowledge must be here?"

"It's not that," he huffs between laughs. "Your face when it broke!"

She rolls her eyes, smacking him on the shoulder. "Is that why you brought me here?"

Gaining his composure, Lance clears his throat and adjusts his shirt. "No. I brought you here to explore with me."

"You've already been here," she gestures to the room.

"Yes, I've been on this floor and the two above us," he nods while twirling the flashlight. "But, there's a basement and I haven't been there yet."

Serena feels a sense of dread fill her at the thought of going into a dark basement. "Hell. No."

"Rena, please!" he speaks at normal volume, his voice echoing down the hall. They freeze and wait for a responding noise with wide eyes and hunched shoulders. Nothing happens, so he tries again at a lower volume. "Please. It'll be fine. There's no ghosts here, maybe a Zubat or fifty, but we can deal with that."

"You're the worst," she groans into her hands again. "I hate you."

"Now that's not true," he beams, wrapping an arm around her shoulder before gesturing for her to lead the way back.

She steps out of the room and glances at the cracked ceiling, walls and flooring. "Do you think the researcher was alone?"

Lance turns at the smallness of her voice. "Maybe not. I know Elm has a lot of assistants, so they probably had some too."

"You think he had a family too?" she touches the cold wall feeling more chills slither up her spine.

"A wife and several kids," he chuckles. "They liked getting busy."

She snorts. "You always ruin everything."

"Not true," he retorts. He heads to the door when a creak from the hallway forces him to pull Serena towards the wall with his body blocking the way.

He shuts off the flashlight, drenching them in darkness, just as another light source glows in the hallway. Serena feels her stomach flip when voices come up from the stairs and the light grows brighter with their steps. Heart pounding Serena leans into Lance to try and quiet her nerves as two men discuss their plans to search the house for whatever is left.

She clutches his cape as the footsteps walk up to the entrance of the door and stop. From their hiding spot behind the door, Serena can see the silhouette of the men and also a blob indicating a pokemon. She holds her breath as the first guy takes a step in.

"Wait," the second guy speaks up. The two glance at each other, terrified he knows they're there. "We've done this room already, let's go across the hall."

"Huh, you're right," the first guy swings the flashlight around the room to do a quick sweep.

They step out into the hallway, allowing Lance and Serena room to breathe. He puts a finger to his lips and moves to glance around the door.

Creeeaaak!

"What was that?" one of the guys shouts.

The lights swing back and Lance jumps backwards. He steps on Serena's foot, she clamps her mouth shut to avoid screaming, but loses her balance. The two backtrack as the men shout for them to come out. Their backs hit a wall, Lance half turned to apologize and Serena grasping his waist to keep upright.

"Growlithe, flamethrower!" one shouts.

The two push harder against the wall, cringing in wait when they feel something give away. Flames fly past their heads as they fall backwards down a chute into complete darkness. A tangle of limbs and fear air rushes past them, taking their breath away. Lance manages to balance himself by kicking the side of the chute, he grasps Serena as they realize it's practically endless.

Even though it's pitch black, they turn to where they assume the other's face is and laugh.

"I hope there's not a moat of Gyarados at the end of this," Serena laughs as wind keeps rushing by.

"I think it's a laundry chute," Lance adjusts her, wrapping his arms around her legs. "Do you think-" A loud crack interrupts him. The two hit a hard surface, making it give way out of the chute onto pavement below. Lance cushions her fall. "Ouch."

"Are you okay?" she rolls off and sits up. "That was... kinda fun."

"Up until the end," he groans.

Serena surveys the room while he takes his time sitting up and checking himself for injury and debris. Moonlight pours in from openings along the ceiling of the square room, illuminating destroyed washers and dryers and dirt everywhere. It reeks of mildew, bad water and dust.

"Hey!" The two nearly jump out of their skin at the echoing voice from the chute. "Don't think you two are getting away!"

At the sound of bodies thumping down the chute, the two dust themselves off fast and sprint out of the room and into the hallway. Lance grabs Serena's hand and leads her down the hall and to the left into a large room made entirely of windows and dead plants. He pulls her to a deep, dried out, fountain and tumbles in with her. The two lay side by side, panting heavily while trying to listen for footsteps.

"Where did those brats go?" a voice growls from the hallway. The growlithe barks as the steps lead them past the door and down the hallway. "I think I saw a shadow!"

Grasping hands, the two hold their breaths for a few counts before sitting up and glancing around. Moonlight floods the room, giving them the grim scene of dead plants everywhere in a place they once thrived. Serena looks over at Lance to find him in awe of the possibility of beauty in this room and she smiles. His normally grumpy looking face always looks so innocent and open when he's relaxed.

"Let's look around," he turns to her. Their eyes meet and he blushes under her gaze. "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah," she releases his hand and moves to stand. "This room is so pretty."

He hums in agreement, climbing out of the fountain with her.

The two crooks forgotten; the two meander around the garden imagining what it looked like in its peak and who spent a lot of time there. Serena finds herself drawn to a corner of the room, her feet always turning her towards it no matter what end of the maze she finds herself at.

Something tingles in her stomach as she rounds the various stone croppings and cracked paths to metal framing and broken glass. To her left an underground entrance sits open with a strange statue marking it's entrance. She steps up to it and presses a hand on its front with a frown.

It's a pokemon she's never seen before but it feels familiar...

"Whoa, that's weird," Lance speaks up from behind her. At her flinch, he chuckles. "Sorry. These steps, they look like an emergency exit. And, look," he walks over and points to the thin metal framing along the ground jutting upwards, "these are for windows. I thought we were outside. This was a whole garden room."

"Emergency exit?" she frowns. "How can you tell?"

"Look at the steps," he kneels down and dusts off more of the stone. The pathway is a zig-zag stone pattern while the steps are linoleum. "Also, those plants look stuffed back there. I'm guessing the ground slid back to open this up."

"What did they need this for?" she frowns. "How long has this been abandoned?"

Lance shrugs. "I have no idea, ten, fifteen years?"
The ground seems to sway beneath her feet with the possibility of her being connected to the mansion. She stumbles to the statue again and stares at it as if it's going to confirm her thoughts.

"That's Mew," Lance follows her and grins at the statue. "It's the rarest pokemon in the world. They call it a Mythical Pokemon."

There's no way I know this pokemon, Serena chants in her head while sliding to the ground. Her mind grows more clouded as each thought pertains to the mansion, the statue and the exit. There's no way I was here. It's just a strange coincidence. It's night time and everything feels alive.

"Rena?" Lance kneels down in front of her. His hand comes up to her forehead, brushing away her hair and feeling her skin. "You're not feverish, are you okay?"

"Just feeling a little sick," she mumbles, leaning into his hand.

"We can-"

"Flamethrower!"

The shout jolts them out of their thoughts. Serena sees the jet of flame heading right at them and moves in front of Lance. Her mind spikes with clarity for a moment, as if in response to the terror growing at the thought of being burned to a crisp. For a second, she feels something take over her body and move it on its own. She grabs Lance behind her, and throws her other arm up to create a shield to block the move.

The flames lick at the edges of her blue shield before dying out. The two men stare at them in shock. "What the-"

"Let's go," Lance grabs her hand and pulls her through the brush and into the backyard.

"Come back here!"

Feet pounding the soft grass, the two disappear into the woods with Lance leading the way to a narrow path. Serena feels her heart pounding in her chest as she comes back to her senses and avoids tripping over some rocks. The howls of the fire type behind them slowly fade as their feet pound on the ground until it turns to soft sand.

The expanse of the beach welcomes them, waves crashing against the shore in greeting. Chests pounding and breaths ragged, the two slow to a stop.

In the clear, Lance releases her hand and shouts to the sky. "Wooo!"

Feet slipping on the sand, Serena stumbles after him, her laughter bubbling up from her chest as they run at a more chill pace. "We did it!"

As they approach a palm tree, they opt to slow down and catch their breaths. Panting and wiping sweat from their brows, the two gaze out at the sea and the stars in sky, twinkling above them happily. Serena breathes in the salty air, her eyes slide close as her mind opens up. It feels as though the fogginess begins to dissipate with each outward roll of the water.

"Feel better?" Lance breaks the silence.

"Much."

"Good, I know yesterday was a shit show," he sighs. "So I think having fun today was important."

"Thank you, Lance," she tilts her head to look at him and smiles. "I guess you can be a good friend sometimes."

He rolls his eyes. "I'll try not to jump too high for joy at the admission."

The two start to stroll leisurely. "What are your plans after this?"

"I was going to go to Pallet Town and then Viridian," he shrugs. "Kinda want to get the last gym out of the way to start prepping for the league. You?"

She relays her plans to him.

"Spend more time in Kanto?" he raises a brow.

"Yeah, why not?" she retorts.

"Come get the last badge with me," he replies in a softer tone. "We got the first one together."

"Are you being sentimental?" she emphasizes the word with a shocked glance. "Lance, what's happened to you?"

As the town comes into view, he turns to her. "Don't ruin it."

She stares at him. Stubble paints his jawline, a tell of his coming of age over the past year. He's filled out into his lanky limbs, his shoulders have filled out and he's bulked up. No longer her height, he towers over her, which gave her trouble running with his long legs earlier. He's no longer the scrawny kid with big dreams, he's a man with powerful pokemon and a goal.

He also broke her heart without a second thought. Did he consider her feelings that day? Has she changed in his eyes since the beginning? Since that night?

She reminds herself to not get sucked into that hole and grins at him. Despite everything they've gone through, she can't imagine herself ever turning her back on him.

"Let's go together, then."