Serena doesn't feel anything in the next few minutes. Not her father's arms around her, or the scratch from his sweater's zipper, or the warmth from the tea she drank. Her eyes see nothing and her ears ring so loud it blocks out her father's voice. This is the second worst day of her life. How could that monster have his hands so deep in the pokemon league and no one said anything!?

"Rena?" Lance reaches out to her. He's standing off to the side while she clutches her father desperately. His eyes crease with worry as he takes in her shock and fear. "It's going to be okay."

"Don't lie to me," her voice void of emotion and quick to respond.

Aaron flinches at his daughter's voice, shocked at her words and tone, he offers Lance a gentle nod before turning to his daughter. "Serena, it's not the end of the world. This is a big obstacle. To get to Giovanni we have to get to Hendrick, but there could be several other channels we'll have to clean out too."

"How long will that take?" she frowns at her father.

Wesley and Aaron share a look before Wesley answers. "As long as it needs to. There are people in danger and with each arrest another person could go into hiding or someone could get killed."

"What do we do?" she glances between the two of them. "He can't be a gym leader."

"He is," Aaron shakes his head. "Hendrick gave me an earful for attacking a leader of 'such esteem' with no physical evidence of any crimes I mentioned. He has the paperwork filled out, I saw it, and he passed all the required testing. Technically, Giovanni is the eighth and final gym leader in the Kanto League and there's nothing we can do to nay-say it unless we have proof of what he's done."

The thought makes Serena's blood boil, she turns and stalks away from her father to stare out the window again. She senses him following her and holds her hands up, "I need time to relax or I will blow something up."

That gets everyone to give her space. Wesley and Aaron go into a separate room to discuss matters in private, leaving Lance to sit in the kitchen and stare at the back of Serena's head. The day may have turned out shocking to him, but he can't imagine how she's going to deal with everything that happened. She's hurting and he can't do anything to comfort her because there's nothing they can do to stop her uncle.

"Lance?" her voice wavers on his name.

She's crying again, he bites his lip wanting to reach out and comfort her.

"Yea?"

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," she replies without turning to face him.

He can hear the tears in her words and slides from his seat, he tip toes on the carpeted floor as he approaches. In the darkening light of Viridian, her outline is gold as she stands in the window facing the sky. When he pauses right next to her, he can see the streaks of her tears running down her face and reaches out to wipe them away.

She glances over at him, her eyes full of fear and anger. He swipes a thumb across her chin and offers a small smile. "I know it doesn't seem like anything's going to get better, but wait until I'm Champion; he can't run then."

"You better become champion then," she mutters back, leaning into his hand. "This sucks."

"Just think about it, though. You get to go on with life, you get to beat him in a battle for a badge, take over the pokemon league and kick him out from inside," he slides his hands down her arms and to take hers and give them a squeeze. "Rena, you can do this."

"Who knows how long that all will take?" she tries to pull away but he grips her tighter.

"Nothing changes overnight," he replies.

Her eyes meet his and she curses at herself for getting into this position with him. The gold in his eyes glow in the light of the sun, his hands are warm and strong holding hers and his lips, those kissable lips of his, are puffed from him biting them. She feels warmth pool in her tummy and she drags her eyes back to his face to find his eyes on her lips too.

Why can't it all be simple?

"Change is never simple," he whispers tilting his head.

Their eyes slide closed. Serena feels her face warm up with each caress of Lance's breath fanning across her face. No matter how much it conflicts with her head, she finds herself leaning in and maybe, just maybe, hoping for something to come of it.

The door to the other room begins to creak. It gives Serena enough of a jolt for her to realize what's happening and pull back. Lance does the same, removing his hands from her and leaning against the window. She misses his warmth, but curses herself again for letting him get that close.

They turn to their fathers as they file back into the room. Their faces are grim and they look ready for a long nap.

"You don't have to battle him," Aaron finally breaks the silence. "You can take a test at the league, instead, if you would like to."

Serena glances between the two men. "Is that all you were talking about in there?"

"No, we have other plans," Wesley chuckles. "It's going to take a while, but we're prepared to wait out this war and beat Giovanni in the end."

"Then I'll battle him," she stares at them. "I'm not going to let him win."

"You don't have to be brave," Aaron shakes his head.

"I'm terrified out of my mind, but I'm doing it anyway," she replies with a slight glare at her father. "I'm so mad, I wanna run his pokemon into the ground."

Wesley whistles and lets out a whooping laugh. "That's your daughter!"

Slowly, Aaron's face shifts from worry to pride as he and Serena stare at each other. "We're going with you."

"I don't need an audience," she replies. The last thing she wants is everyone watching her possibly lose this battle.

"You're not going with just you and Lance," her father shoots back with a half smile. "Besides, I haven't seen you battle at all. It'll be great."

"Okay," she sighs. "But what's the plan?"

"It's mainly gathering allies. We have to know who's following Giovanni's orders and who isn't," Wesley explains. "Who knows how deep his claws run? It's going to take a while for just that part, once we do, the next step is getting hard evidence and then exposing the frauds to the public."

"Do you think it's just the pokemon league under his influence?" Lance speaks up for the first time, Serena jumps at his voice having forgotten he was there.

"No, but it's where we will start," Aaron answers with a heavy sigh and a pinch to the bridge of his nose. "You don't have to worry about this, though. We'll be taking care of it."

The teens share a glance before Lance speaks up. "We want to work in the pokemon league after the tournament, when I win. So you can't keep the plan away from us forever."

"When you two get into the League then we'll talk," Wesley crosses his arms.

The conversation ends there with the adults ruling for the kids to eat and rest up as tomorrow they're both going to battle Giovanni. Aaron prompts Serena to call her mother and fill her in on what happened. Hearing her mother's voice soothes the stress from the day as she explains it all and their plan. Rowan begs her to take the test instead, reminding her how dangerous the man can be.

Unwavering in her decision, Serena reminds her mother she survived the dangers of Giovanni and will throw it in his face when defeating him in battle. Her mother relents and wishes her luck before asking to speak with her father. He takes the phone and disappears into his room to continue speaking of details.

They have takeout for dinner and, though together, is eaten in silence at the table. Serena goes over strategies for the battle tomorrow, a frown creasing her face as she chews her noodles vehemently. After clearing the dishes and cleaning up the table, she heads to her room to change and lay in bed.

Her mind swirls with the day's events, Giovanni's grinning taunting her every time she blinks. Each time she sees him, her scars burn more and more. Her head begins to pound and she struggles to keep herself contained. To keep control, she focuses on a clock ticking in the room and matches her breathing to that while hoping for sleep to overcome her.

The door creaks open to reveal Lance standing in the doorway. He offers her a small smile before heading into the bathroom with an averted gaze. She sighs to herself, there will be no mention of what almost happened and she doesn't have the energy to bring it up.

Lights out all around the suite and Serena feels wide awake. Lance bids her goodnight and the darkness swallows them up. The sound of his breathing evens out, the ticking of a clock and rumble of cars driving by keeps her company as she stares at the ceiling. Her father managed to remember his brother's fondness for ground type pokemon, something the two didn't share and a type she looks forward to battling.

A sigh escapes her as she burrows deeper under the covers, she didn't want to worry Ty or Thea so she left them in their balls in the main suite. Now she's regretting it.

The clock continues to tick and eventually it lulls her into an uneasy, dreamless sleep. The events of the day play at the edges of her consciousness, keeping her alert throughout the night in case something were to happen. Many times she wakes up and has to convince herself her uncle isn't going to kidnap her now. There are too many people around to notice, and she would put up a fight.

It feels as though she shuts her eyes before they're opening to a bright room in the morning. The exhale she lets out sinks her body into the mattress as if a weight were pushing down on her chest and stomach. She gathers the energy to sit up, a yawn escaping her as she rubs her face trying to conjure the energy to face her uncle.

"Morning," Lance greets her in a neutral tone. Either he's unsure of what happened yesterday or worried about their battles today.

Under too much stress, Serena finds herself not caring about what happened and realizes there are more important things to focus on. Still, she grabs her clothes and greets him in a soft voice. "Morning."

Out in the kitchen, Wesley and Aaron have made a big breakfast for them. The aroma of pancakes, bacon, sausage and eggs entices them to eat. Sitting next to each other, they eat in silence, listening to their parents discuss the plan for the day. They're to head over after breakfast and one by one challenge Giovanni. Aaron will stand by his daughter when she accepts the badge and they're to leave immediately. No comments or conversations are going to be shared with Giovanni, even if he tries to instigate one.

"And no attacking him," Aaron eyes his daughter with a gleam in his eyes.

"I'll do my best," she pouts as she finishes up her pancakes with berries.

"That's my girl."

OoO

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in.

Serena chants to herself while Lance takes on Giovanni. Oddly, the gym leader was silent when they walked in and acted accordingly. There would be a half hour break between battles in which he can switch his pokemon around and let them rest to prepare for Serena.

The gym is alight with attacks bursting from Lance's pokemon and the ground trembles beneath Giovanni's ground types. Despite the bravado put forth by Giovanni's pokemon, Lance makes quick work of them, the battle lasts a little over an hour with both sides still rearing for a fight.

Wesley cheers for his son and watches as he approaches the older man for the badge. The tension in the air is thick as the two meet in the middle. Serena watches, wondering if Lance is going to lunge for Giovanni and wring his neck like he probably wants to as the older man looks nonplussed at being beaten by a child.

Aaron whispers encouragement to Serena as the half hour goes by between their battles. She takes her spot on the challenger side and manages a shaky smile at Wesley and Lance's cheering. Her father sits to the side of her position and gives her a thumbs up as his brother takes his spot across the field.

"Let's see what you've learned," Giovanni smirks and releases a Nidoqueen.

"Thea, let's go!" Serena ignores her uncle and focuses on her pokemon and her side of things.

The ref raises both flags from the sidelines. "Begin!"

"Body Slam!" Giovanni starts off with a grin. Nidoqueen takes off with surprising power across the field towards Thea.

"Dodge with Quick Attack, then use Swift!" Serena decides to use speed to her advantage considering the ability of his pokemon to alter the battlefield with a simple stomp should he want to.

Thea darts around Nidoqueen, her nimble body easily dodging the hulking figure as it rages past her, before rearing her head back and releasing bright colored stars from the jewel on her forehead. They hit their mark, knocking Nidoqueen back a few feet and giving the two space on the field.

"Use poison sting!"

"Blast through it with psybeam!"

Purple barbs fly from Nidoqueens mouth across the field just as a beam of multi colored light bursts from Thea's head jewel. The attacks collide in the middle of the field creating an explosion that releases a black cloud. It engulfs the field and prevents each trainer from finding their pokemon.

Wesley and Lance cheer loudly for her, throwing their fists in the air as the pokemon disappear into the darkness. Aaron watches on with pride at his daughter's ferocity in this battle.

"Thea, use swift in all directions!" Serena clenches her fist.

"Jump up, Nidoqueen," Giovanni calls as stars rip from the cloud in all directions.

The field shakes as a tail slams onto the ground and lifts the large dual type pokemon into the air. Nidoqueen rises above the cloud as it begins to dissipate and reveal Thea's location. Giovanni calls for Body Slam and his pokemon leans forward, aiming towards the psychic type from above. The pokemon plummets from the air, falling fast and hard given its size, and nearly crashes into Thea.

"Nice, Thea!" Serena cheers as her pokemon manages to roll out of the way and then hit Nidoqueen with Swift. "Now use Psybeam!"

Before the opponent can get up, the psychic type blasts it with the beam and knocks it onto its back by its trainer. More cheers fill the gym as the pokemon struggles to stand while Thea takes another fighting stance.

"Don't give them the chance, use Psychic!"

Thea's eyes glow blue, as does Nidoqueen, before the pokemon is lifted into the air. The bipedal pokemon cries out, the energy waves from Psychic causing pain as Thea takes her time and holds it there. Giovanni clenches his fist and watches as Nidoqueen falls to the ground and stays down.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we'll have to try harder," he sneers while returning his first pokemon to its ball. "Rhydon, you're next."

OoO

Serena clenches her fist, staring at Rhydon and wondering just how powerful Giovanni is. All of his other pokemon have fallen and he's back to his second pokemon while she is down to Ty. Having already taken a beating from Nidoking, Serena fears she'll lose this battle and have to come back again.

Was he holding back with Lance? Her eyes slide over to the bleachers to see her best friend and his father cheering for her, their faces serious.

"You can do it!" Lance grins, giving her a thumbs up.

Her lips twitch as she turns back to the field to see Rhydon already charging forward while Ty tries to catch his breath. With no type advantage for her, she has to rely on his power to hit hard to take down this last pokemon as well as speed to dodge the neverending barrage of attacks.

Rhydon is the powerhouse, able to withstand most special attacks, and move with surprising speed. Giovanni was definitely holding back for Lance's battle and expecting to get Serena to come back again. Which she will not do, no matter what. The fire that burns at the thought of coming back transfers from her to Ty as she calls for him to dodge the attack and use Flame Wheel.

As powerful as he is, Rhydon struggles to change direction once he's gotten going. He barrels past the spot Ty was and bursts through a large boulder jutting out of the field. It slows him down as he sticks out his foot to turn around, but he's caught off guard by Ty slamming into him engulfed in flames.

The dual type hits the ground on his side and struggles to stand as Ty rolls away to gain some space and get a break before attacking again. Battered and bruised, Serena bites her lip before ordering Swift from her fire type, but at the ground. Dust flies into the air around Rhydon and gives Ty some cover and time to rest up as she struggles with a plan.

"You can't hide forever," Giovanni's voice echoes in the gym as the dust settles and Rhydon is charging through the smoke and right into Ty.

"No!" Serena cries as her pokemon rolls on his side and struggles to stand. "Come on, Ty. We can do this, hit him back with Flame Wheel!"

Ty huffs and puffs, getting to his feet and letting out a fierce roar. She watches her pokemon engulf himself in flames burning hotter than before, the heat reaches her in waves and she takes a step back. The gym gets warmer as Ty builds strength. Giovanni calls for another attack but it's useless as the fire type darts forward gaining speed with each step before slamming head on into Rhydon. The two become surrounded by flames, the fire reaches up into the air as if alive, then explodes.

Grasping her hands, Serena mutters to herself hoping Ty is still up as the smoke takes its time in clearing.

"Rhydon is unable to battle, Typhlosion and Serena win!" the ref calls much to her relief.

More cheers from the side as Serena is able to breathe again. Her father gathers her up in his arms and spins her around.

"That was amazing! I'm so proud of you, sweetie," he beams, his hands on her shoulders and his deep brown eyes sparkling. "You can do this."

She nods at him, the smile on her face dimming just a bit as she turns on her heel and faces Giovanni on the other side of the field. He returns Rhydon to his ball, she does the same with Ty after a kiss on his nose, and begins to approach at a casual pace.

Her heart pounds in her chest with each step, her only anchor being her father right beside her as her uncle approaches. The two adults ignore each other, Giovanni's familiar brown eyes taking in his niece as he holds out his hand for her to shake. She hesitates, but decides to be professional. His grasp is cold and tight as they shake hands, his voice gruff as he compliments her strategy and his eyes sharp as he passes her a badge.

"Thanks for the battle," she nods her head before turning her back on him and walking the way she came.

Aaron puts his hands on her shaking shoulders as their group exits the gym and stops a block away. They pause on the corner and turn to each other. Slowly, smiles grow on Serena and Lance's faces as they face each other with identical badges. The adults watch them with their own grins.

"We did it!" the two shout and embrace each other.

Lance hefts Serena into the air, spinning them both as he gushes about how proud he is of her and how well she did in that battle. She laughs, her head thrown back and legs fluttering as the world spins and he holds her tight. Their parents eye each other as the two settle down and take a step back.

"I can't believe it," she breathes, eyeing her badge between her fingers. "Next up, the pokemon league."

"Actually," Aaron holds up a finger, "Next up is a celebration with the clan, all the families will be there. Then training and then the league."

She sticks her tongue out at her father. "Whatever you say."

November 5th

It feels so weird to be back home. We flew in last night and I spent the night in my room for the first time since I left. I forgot how soft my blankets were and how squishy my bed is, it was like falling asleep on a cloud. Mom made me some food and it tasted so good I forgot what I was missing out on while traveling!

Blackthorn looks about the same since we left, though the other students have also grown in the past seven months as well. They're all on edge with battle challenges flying at every instance, they're eager to prove themselves to the Clan Elder. Despite Lance and I being here for less than a day he's already been in a few battles this morning. I've been ignored, which is fine. I plan on surprising everyone with my skills at the league.

Lance is pumped as ever to participate in next year's tournament. We leave for training tomorrow, we're splitting up and I've decided to stay in Johto to avoid running into Giovanni. He's going to train in the mountains behind Blackthorn, I'm going south to the sea to Cianwood. Wynn is going to have all the space she needs to practice flying (She's so fast!).

I need to catch some more pokemon if I'm going to have a chance in the league. I don't want an army of dragonite's like Lance and Clair. (they want so many dragonites) I want other pokemon. Maybe, at least one more. Something different, maybe an electric type or rock type...

Anyways, I'll be writing in this journal a lot more considering I'll be one my own for the next five months, training away. I even bought a new one for myself just in case! I leave tonight, Mom isn't happy, but I can't afford to fall behind everyone else. Dad's going to drop me off at Olivine, from there Wynn and I are going to practice flying techniques for a few weeks before flying over to Cianwood.

I'm so excited just thinking about it all! Hopefully, Clair has time to visit me while I train between her own training and prepping for next year's Gym Leader Exams. Lance and I are hoping if the league recognizes Clair as a Gym Leader, then the Clan will have no choice but to let her be one.

April next year is our time to shine in the tourney and I am going to get to the top!


This is the end of what I like to this is the first part. After this we get to the tournament, then the league and all the set up needed for Gen 2. It's my take on it so no biggie if we disagree!