I almost forgot to post today! This chapter is a bit lengthy, but I'm excited for the drama of it all. Not really much to say in this note, enjoy the chapter!
Never in her time traveling and growing up did she see herself sitting in an office chair all day listening to people trash talk or compliment her ideas so thoroughly. Her magnet train project has been put off for another year, yet again, no thanks to the association and council unable to come to an agreement on the project itself. It either costs too much or it's too flashy to be considered good for Johto's traditional views, or it's going to add to Kanto's already growing population.
The only good outcome of the latest meeting was an idea brought forth by the Elites wanting a 'free for all' challenge after the Champion's League. They were bored only being challenged once a year and battling amongst themselves can only bring so much entertainment. It took Serena some time, but she managed to move around the schedule and make it so it takes place after the Champions League so the winner of the Conference can have his glory going after the League and everyone else can follow.
While the idea was passed, she hopes the turnout will go well for the next year to keep it going and keep her in good graces with the association and the council. It's been a few months since Lance's 'intervention' and while he's been out of the radar with his adventures, he hasn't gotten much more responsible.
Unless it has to do with the G-men.
Recently they've started training with the G-men, though Serena is not allowed to join as she is a member of the League in an assistant capacity and on the association, so they don't want agendas to be swayed. 'They' refers to Hendrick and Michael, both of whom do not like her and do not want her around them for whatever reason. When she was denied the entrance exam to even qualify, Elijah and her father were furious and fought hard against their ruling. Due to her ideas becoming public the fight had to be cast aside in favor of the league appearing as an agreeing entity to the public.
Cursed with her big ideas, Serena didn't put up a single fuss when all cases dropped and she was supposed to return to normal work while Lance went off to train as though he was always this studious. His attendance to meetings is consistent with its rarity but his ability to catch up always saves his ass in the end.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Serena yawns. She blinks a few times trying to remember what she was going to do when her father walks in. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"
"There's a mission, that's what's up," he grins. Even though she was denied to work with the G-men, much to his dismay, he still gets to see her in passing. Seeing her almost daily has been another source of joy in his life. Mainly it's his need to shield her from how terrible the world can be despite her past experience.
He tries his best.
"Oh?" she perks up, she's on her feet in seconds crossing the room to him. Then she pauses. "Wait, why are you telling me this?"
He chuckles, gesturing for her to step out into the hall and closing the door behind them. "Vermillion. We're going aboard the S.S. Anne. And you'll see, just come with me."
Serena beams at him.
Despite what happened in the shipyard last year, she really wants to board the ship for a party. It's extravagant with all the wealthy families appearing and showing off their wealth on the collection of art pieces from around the world. Only the most noteworthy people get invitations to this gala, one of many on the ship in its two months in port before it departs once again to repeat the cycle.
As the two head towards the other side of the league, Serena pummels her father with questions about the mission. Who's all going? What's the objective? Is someone getting arrested? What information do we have? Her mind is a rush of excitement at the thought of something going on that might include her uncle and get him fired from his position as a gym leader.
Michael is a well respected, wealthy man as director of the G-men. No one crosses him or they face the consequences and it's that kind of reputation Serena believes has kept Giovanni in his position for so long. No matter how many times she and Elijah push for better crackdowns on leaders, Michael has a good excuse to let it go.
They reach the main viewing room of the G-men HQ. It's a large room with tiered rows of computers with techs at each one. Down the middle aisle at the bottom sits a long table where the higher ranking agents, including Wesley and Aaron, sit to discuss plans when a mission is ongoing. Along the far wall sits a large TV monitor and three smaller monitors on each side for potential monitoring for missions, newscasts and such. It's all high tech and makes Serena feel like she's in a spy movie despite it not being as glamorous as the fictional depiction.
"Okay, so," Aaron stops her past the door to the main room. "There's been a lot of disappearances lately, late teens to middle aged people are flying off the grid and we want to know why. Something is coming and we need information, we're clueless and that's not the best position to be in now."
"Do you think it's-" Serena glances around quick before whispering, "-Giovanni?"
"I do," her father confirms. "But he's in a conference with the other leaders."
Serena nods. She organized the itinerary for the conference with Elijah, Clair is going to be there as well and she promised to keep an eye on him and report any strange behavior. The unfortunate problem is that patience is a family trait, she has come to realize, he won't make a move under pressure. He'll just wait it out until it's clear then attack.
"So, our main focus is to see if we can find someone who we know has been present at every investigation of the disappearances," Aaron gestures for her to follow him to the table.
"What?" she follows him.
"Everytime the police come upon a crying mother, worried brother or sister, there is one man that is standing in the background. He often disappears right away and we can never get to him in time," her father explains as they come up to the conference table where Wesley and Lance wait for them.
"Hey, Bug," Wesley nods at her. "We're going to send you and Lance in as party goers."
"I don't get it, do we think this guy is going to be at the party?" she takes a seat, a frown on her face.
"Yes," he nods. "We're not sure who he's affiliated with, but we've managed to identify him across Kanto at other large events like this."
"What does he do?" she glances between the three of them.
Aaron is the one to answer. "Large amounts of money go missing when he's around. He's been apprehended but his alibis are always cleared and he's free to go."
"What are we going to do? Why am I going?"
"This is an under the radar mission, Serena," Aaron leans forward. "Michael, nor Hendrick, know we're going to the party. There's something going on here and we want to see what it is."
She considers his words for a second and grasps the meaning right away.
There are spies among the ranks of the G-men and League, Serena even suspects a few are in the Association too. The event is going to be full of people just waiting to spend their money on anything out of the region or whatever else is there. If this guy is going around bagging money then the S.S. Anne will be the place to find lots of it.
Wesley and Aaron dive into the details of the mission, showing her and Lance the photo of the man. He looks young, no older than thirty in the photo, with short blue-green hair and matching eyes. His features are sharp, like a warning that he's someone that gets his way or someone no one should mess with. In the photo, he's at a vigil for a young woman in Celadon City who mysteriously vanished from her home late at night. His clothes are black, obscuring anything else Serena can guess about his strength from his stature.
"Name?"
"No idea, any ID's he showed us turned out to be false when investigated later on," Wesley shrugs. "We can't find him anywhere."
"Dang," Lance mutters, picking up the photo to study it further. "When's the party?"
"Tomorrow night," Wesley pulls out another folder. "Your tickets are here, you two will be league representatives at the party. With Serena's idea for renovating the league in the papers, it'd make sense she'd be there to look at possible decorations."
"If Giovanni is connected to this, won't he just pull his guy out?" Serena glances at her father.
"He's at a conference and we're not sure this guy works so close with Giovanni," Aaron shrugs. "I'm willing to take that chance. Even if the guy dips before the auction, then we'll have even more reason for suspicion. Just lay low, feign interest in the paintings, pottery, and whatever. Keep an eye on him and leave. This is recon."
Serena nods at that, peering at the photo of the man once more to memorize his features.
There's shaky ground around Giovanni so they're doing their best to navigate through it all. If the guy is clean, then he'll just buy something and leave. But if he's dirty, money, valuables or even pokemon may go missing afterwards. She can't help but feel a sense of foreboding of something in the far future happening from this. Giovanni has been laying in wait for years, what's a few more to get the upperhand?
OoOoOoO
The ticket feels too fancy for Serena's immature hands. Donning a long, dark blue dress with a rounded neckline and black heels, she feels like an actress. Her father had gotten her pearl earrings for the event and her mother did her hair up, as though she's going to prom (which she never did back in her schooling days).
Of course, Lance looks handsome in gray dress pants, a white dress shirt with a gray tie beneath a dark red jacket. His red shoes shine in the lights along the incline to the ship. His freshly spiked hair makes his features sharper, his clean shaven face making him look young and well in place. He's dabbed said jaw with some good smelling cologne that made Serena's knees weak when she first got a whiff of it in passing.
The ticket looks more appropriate in his hand than hers.
The S.S. Anne looks amazing, and despite their past experience in the shipyard, Serena has no trouble waltzing up the steps and onto the main deck. All around her lights twinkle, waiters with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres wander around with welcoming smiles, and other guests chat amongst each other. The guests look regal in their formal wear, dresses as long as hers in a multitude of colors with flashy jewelry and husbands with flashy smiles and expensive watches wrapped around their wrists.
Beside her, Lance pats the hand on his arm and leans in close. His cologne floods her senses, drawing her closer so his lips are at her ear. "Act like we belong, you look like you're holding in a fart."
At first, she had to beat back the shiver daring to rush down her spine. Instead, she can't help her snort and smacks his arm. "Maybe I was, I could have just killed these poor people."
His laugh rumbles from his chest, making her blush once more before they descend down a main set of stairs to a massive ballroom in the middle of the ship. A string ensemble plays beautiful, gentle music as even more people float about the room admiring the paintings, pottery and other rare items collected from all over the world. There's a small dance floor where couples hold each other close, circling each other round and round as though there were no one else around.
"Remember, look interested in the auction items and I'll keep an eye on you," Lance pats her hand again. This time he lifts it to his lips before stating out loud so they play the part. "I'll see you later, hun. Save a dance for me, hmm?"
Despite the fire in her cheeks, she manages a grin. "I won't wait all night for you."
With a wink, he disappears into the crowd, giving her a chance to find her bearings and wander over to the auction table. She accepts some offered food, but declines the champagne as she studies an amazing painting of a mountain she's never seen before. The bottom of the painting shows a thick forest, emerald green with life leading up to the vast and steep expanse of this mountain. Clouds surround the top, leading to a bright light as though to draw the observer to see what lies truly lies there.
She eyes the sign stating it's Mt. Coronet in the region of Sinnoh located in the North. She marvels at the colors in the painting, how lively and sprawling the region must be and with a mountain so big. The only mountain to compare would be Mt. Silver which stretches along the middle between Kanto and Johto and juts up just west of the League, it's only been explored a few times so far and not many explorers return, those who do return don't speak much about the freezing temperatures and perilous caves there.
For a moment, Serena wonders what it would be like in Sinnoh. Or any other region for that matter. Lately, traveling is all that's been on her mind while she's stuck in the office with Elijah poring over the minute details of proposals and reports. Meanwhile, other regions are crawling with new pokemon waiting to be seen, or caught and trained by her.
But every moment spent thinking about other regions, seems to make Serena more comfortable being at home. It's all so confusing, does she want to leave or not?
Focus, she forces herself to tear her gaze away from Sinnoh and move on to some pottery.
Despite the history and cultural significance of the items displayed, Serena finds her mind distracted by the swarm of people around her. The music stays the same, lulling people into easy conversations, more dancing and more drinks. She continues along the long table, her eyes eventually drifting towards the crowd wondering if that man will ever appear.
Wesley and Aaron sit in the shadows somewhere. Dressed as security does for these kinds of events and pressed into corners so no one can see them and feel the pressure of authority. This is a place where the rich have free reign and, to Serena, it feels stuffy and delicate. There are bouts of fake laughter, petty competitions of who makes the most or who has the most and she wrinkles her nose at those around her. She wonders if her father has to deal with these conversations when he's at galas for the G-men and such at the league.
Ugh, I still have to plan that, she makes a mental note to go over the catering list for the League's celebration night at the end of each tournament. This is the first time Elijah is trusting her with it, being her first full year working with him.
She continues to make notes when a figure brushes by her, nearly bumping her into the table behind her as they do so. Her feet stumble slightly in her heels, she almost topples over if not for the figure reaching out and catching her arms. Relief begins to flood her until her eyes meet the blue-green ones of the man she has come to find at the party.
"Excuse me, miss," he speaks in a silky tone. His voice is deep and strong, it slithers down her spine and holds her to him. "I can't believe I didn't see someone as dazzling as you standing there."
"Uh-um, thank you," she stumbles and steadies herself. His hands have softened on her elbows, sliding their way down to hold her hands in his.
"You're the woman working at the league, under that old coot Elijah," he muses, his hands tightening a fraction on hers.
She swallows her fear and meets his eyes. "I am, I'm Serena. And you are?"
"Proton," he grins as though a dazzling smile will make her melt. "The boss's niece, you're as beautiful as I imagined you'd be."
So he does know who I am, she tries to hide her surprise.
"Aren't I a little young for you, Proton?" she tugs her hands out of his grip but he pulls her back.
"Ouch, I'm not that old," he mutters back. "Let's dance."
"I'm with-"
"That oaf of an Elite?" he rolls his eyes, dragging her to the middle of the dance floor. "Yeah, he's busy learning anatomy on the top deck."
Of course, Serena can't help but roll her eyes at Lance.
"What do you want with me?" she questions as he takes one hand to place on his shoulder and places the other in his left, leaving his right to rest on her waist.
"I know why you're here and you won't catch me doing anything out of line," he grins. "This is a warning to you, from the boss. He knows you guys are watching him and you'll never find anything until it's too late."
"What are you planning?"
"Real plans take the course of months, maybe even years before being put into effect. That's a long time to be left with no evidence and a mounting pile of people rioting against you," he explains as though that's a good answer. "Your uncle has amazing things in mind, the family business thrives with him at the top."
"Family business?" she frowns at him.
"What? Daddy never told you?" he laughs and spins her, bending her back as though he's had a lesson or several growing up. "There's a whole legacy on his side, you are much more than a Dragon Tamer, my sweet. Being evil runs in the family."
"Dad is literally a government agent," she misses a beat and steps on his foot.
He continues without a flinch. "There are plenty of heirs to choose from. Anyhow, let's not act like Giovanni will be relinquishing his post anytime soon. He's still young and full of ideas."
"What do you mean by heirs?" she presses further, but he twirls them around and starts on a new topic.
"What about you? What are you going to do with your future?" he pulls her around with him, swaying by loving couples without a misstep.
Serena watches them go by in her periphery, wondering if anyone can see how uncomfortable she is. Proton has a tight hold on her, she can't turn away even if she wanted to, and he may be taller than her, he's still looming over her. Like a predator going for prey.
She can't scream that would cause chaos, not like she would anyway, no use causing a commotion when he hasn't done anything harmful. Yet. So she relents, realizing she's stuck in this game with him until the end.
Keep him talking, her father had said in the meeting before this.
"Why do you care?" she tilts her head at him.
"I'm just curious," he sways from side to side. "Since we are at a standoff, I have time to waste."
"I want to know what you mean by heirs."
"What's interesting is that it's just you, that kid and your parents here," he continues. His lips stretch in a sly grin. "Is this an off-the-books kind of mission?"
She rolls her eyes. "What are you going to do? Tell on us?"
"It's an interesting fact, no one believes you about us. About your Uncle," he pulls her close. His hand resting on his lower back as their chests meet and his lips tickle her ear. "No way to find out what really happened with the world around you."
"What do you mean?" she twists in his grasp. She exerts a little energy to keep him from moving away from her. He stands there frozen in place, watching her with wide eyes, she relishes in the bit of fear in them. He wasn't expecting her to turn so suddenly, his mistake. "That's where I don't mess around, Proton."
A sudden scream breaks her hold, her head jerking up towards the deck above while the crowd and music falls silent. Another scream rips down the stairs and the crowd begins to surge towards the upper deck. Serena takes a step only to have a hand come up and grab her chin and jerk her in the opposite direction.
"Don't think that this is over," Proton sneers in her face, squeezing her cheeks a little too hard.
"Until we meet again, my sweet."
In the throng of people and screams, Serena can't focus to disable him as he lets her go and be swept up in the crowd pushing and shoving up the stairs. She struggles against the rush, craning her neck to turn back towards him only to find he's already disappeared. Disappointment tastes bitter in her mouth as she allows herself to get swept away then. Her feet stumbling over each other as she's shoved up the stairs by the bodies of the crowd.
"Up there!" a voice booms and the crowd stills.
Serena finds her footing in time for Aaron and Wesley to flank either side of her, their hands reaching out to help her keep her balance. The three of them glance up towards the single mast holding several flags where a woman is perched on the metal pole jutting out to one side. She teeters towards the edge, the crowd gasps as she sways as though moving to an unheard rhythm, and then stands there as if waiting for something.
"Serena, use Espeon to get her down," Aaron puts a hand on her shoulder and the other holds out Thea's ball.
"Thea, use psychic to help her," Serena does as told, tossing the ball towards the base of the mast, over the observation deck.
A lot of things happen at once.
Thea follows her trainers command, her eyes beginning to glow blue and Serena watches as the girl does as well. She feels a bubble of confidence, she's saving someone, but it pops when the girl disappears and she feels hands on her shoulders. Aaron and Wesley jump at her sudden appearance, as does the crowd. By the time they regain themselves and try to grab the girl, the world begins to spin on its axis. It slows and Serena suddenly feels the wind run straight through her and a thick cold pole under her butt as her shoes fall to the ship below.
"Oh!" she gasps as the girl sits back away from her with a dazed smile. "You can teleport."
"Sure can," the girl hums, but it feels off.
"Are you okay?" Serena grasps the pole beneath her as tight as possible while the shouts from her father, Wesley and now Lance call from below.
"No, I never used to do this before! And then he came into my life," she swears, grabbing Serena's arm the world spins again until they're at the back of the ship, standing on tall crates where some lights hang from.
The crowd spins around, ignoring the call from security to clear the deck for rescue to get them. The three men struggle to get through to her, squeezing past guests and then the line of security trying to keep the crowd at bay to avoid any harm.
Thea manages to dive out from between legs and run over, baring her teeth and growling. The girl's face turns to anger as she whips her head to look at the psychic pokemon. Her hand comes up and Serena watches as Thea trips and tumbles along the ground.
Her own anger spikes making her reach up and stop the energy pouring from the girl with her own. "Stop it!"
The girl flinches at the interruption and turns a wide grin on Serena. "So, you are the other girl he talks about."
"You need help, let's get down from here," Serena starts as waves crash against the ship below. Her eyes wander from there to the girl to her father moving past the crowd. "And get you somewhere safe."
"You are clueless, but it's okay. You have a few years," she shrugs, her dark eyes glance to the crowd and land on Lance. Her face softens and Serena hates the way she looks at him. "He was so perfect, if only it were meant to be."
"Leave him out of this," Serena snaps at her.
The girl laughs, a cold and hollow sound. "Jealous?"
Before Serena can answer, the girl tackles her and the two fall into the sea. The shouts from above disappear as the freezing water swallows them both. Nearly all the air in Serena's lungs rush out of her, her muscles clench up as she fights to the surface. Water bubbling around her and her own grunts as she tries to prevent the girl from escaping fills her ears.
She feels the girl disappear from next to her, mid struggle, leaving her to fight for her life. The dress weighs her down as she strikes at the water to push herself up. Her mind flashes to all those years ago when Lance and Clair fell into the water outside of Ice Path. Did it feel like this for them?
There's a flash of light from above and a long serpent-like body swims down to her. Numb all over, she stops fighting and watches as the pokemon, Tempest, circles around her. She grasps his head, feeling pressure building in her skull from lack of oxygen. Her body presses down against Tempest's body as he rises to the surface. Her eyes close against the current threatening to crush her against the hard scales of the gyarados's head.
When they burst out of the ocean, she gasps for air, letting it fill her lungs until she's coughing and dizzy. Tempest swims to shore, past the ship and towards the dock where bright lights flash from emergency personnel. Dizzy and feeling much heavier,she waits until he's leaning down as close as he can get before she slides off.
Gasping and trembling, she manages to catch herself with the help of his massive head leaning in for her to catch. Her stiff fingers struggle but she manages to catch hold of him and steady herself. She gasps a thank you as the pokemon returns to the water. She slides to the ground, shivering in the night and itchy with her dress sticking to her body. Her head lolls as she forces herself to stand again and stumble in the direction of the boat.
Lights blind her as she sways with each step towards the circle of police cars and an ambulance. She can hear people shouting, crying and blubbering about something that's happened. Her father is the first to break away from the chaos and run towards her, past the EMTs and Officer Jenny, he wraps his arms around her and squeezes her tight.
"Are you okay? What happened?" he holds her face in his hands, the shipyard lights come on and he examines her fully. "Sweetie, I was so scared!"
"I know," she hiccups and embraces him. "I'm cold, sopping wet and smelly like old seawater."
He chuckles, hugging her again, ignoring the stab of the icy water dripping from her, and kissing her hair. He takes her over to the ambulance and she finds herself sitting there with hot cider in her hands, a warm blanket around her and Lance beside her apologizing for not being there with her while their parents speak with the police.
The heat of the mug irritates her freezing fingers, but she welcomes the hot wave that washes over her with each sip. Her toes, bare now that her shoes are gone, are red and numb wrapped in the blanket. Her dress scratches against her skin, not helping her keep dry or warm up.
Her earrings stayed in, thankfully, but the shoes are lost and with the sopping wet gown, it feels like a mission success. She wants nothing more than to go home, take a hot shower, wear comfy clothes and fall into a coma for the next year.
"Where were you?" she looks at Lance, interrupting his rambling.
Being tired has its perks, not having patience for him and getting much needed answers right away being one of them. Getting dunked in cold water by a mysterious woman who had no intention of answering her questions and all the intent to drown her has soured her mood. This mission was supposed to be recon and she got the brunt end of it.
"I-I'm, I'm sorry," he bows his head. "I was with someone and-"
"Oh," she states in a flat tone and takes a sip of her cider. "The girl that dumped me into the ocean, right?"
"Ye-yeah, how... How did you kn-know?" he tugs on his tie and runs his hand through his hair, messing it up.
"She told me."
"Serena. I'm so sorry, I meant to get some food and get the layout of the room like I was supposed to."
"Right, how you were supposed to," she repeats, her tone is flat and Lance jerks as if struck in the face.
"Listen! I got distracted-"
"As usual."
"- and when she disappeared, I went looking for you and that's when that lady started screaming," he ignores her jab at him. "Come on, don't be like that."
"You want to go for a swim and have me tell you 'don't be like that'?" she mimics his tone perfectly and then feels bad when his face falls and he slumps against the side of the ambulance. With a sigh, she sets down her mug and pinches her nose. "I'm sorry, Lance. The water is cold and I want to go home."
"Let me take you home?" he asks in a small voice. She hates it when he does that, if he acts soft and gentle she'll forgive him and he can continue to play around while shirking his duties.
Being an Elite Four member has gone over his head.
"Fine."
Lance leaves to speak with Wesley, Aaron and Jenny, giving Serena time to finish her cider and thank the medics for helping her out. Her father comes over to say goodbye, giving her a last hug and a few kisses on her face before relegating her to Lance. He lets out Ryu and helps her onto his back, he climbs on behind her, bundling her in the blanket with extra attention on her bare feet. She forces herself to ignore the feel of his arm around her, keeping her pressed to him as the air pressure changes and they're flying high.
With the moon illuminating the clouds, Serena finds herself drifting as the scenery whips past them and Lance's cologne fills her nose. It's an internal conflict, wanting to sleep in his arms with his smell surrounding her, but also wanting to push him off Ryu's back and into the ocean for what he's done. Her limbs feel too heavy and she shivers as the cool wind adds to the chill already in her bones, so she leans on him a bit more as Dragonite flaps his wings in a steady, sparse rhythm.
In what feels like minutes, they're sliding from the pokemon's back and she's in his arms bridal style being carried up to her room where her mother has some water running. Lance updates Rowan before giving Serena a kiss on her temple and leaving.
"Hi, baby," Rowan hugs her daughter despite the freezing dress clinging to her. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Serena nods, her head lolling to the side as she lifts her arms and her mother peels the dress off her as well as her undergarments. Soon enough, the hot bath is swallowing her whole and the feel of her mother's deft hands in her hair pulls her into a deep sleep. The girl's words haunt her as she falls deeper and deeper into the depths of her mind.
OoOoOoO
"You're a fucking idiot, it should have been me with her," Clair's voice startles Serena from her seemingly endless sleep.
She opens her eyes to her room drenched in soft, afternoon, light and her best friends sitting beside her bed glaring at each other. Instead of feeling rested, she feels tired and starving as though she's been bed ridden for days. Maybe she has, maybe they've been arguing for weeks like this, it wouldn't surprise her. As the two have grown older, their shadows fight to overshadow each other when, in reality, they're side by side with her own. But always being compared to Lance by the Elders has never let Clair take a step back from the situation and see that he's not the enemy.
"If you're going to fight, bring me food first," she croaks out and flinches at how dry her throat is. The two turn to her, their eyes wide and she glares at them. "Well?"
"I'll get food and water... and your parents," Lance mutters after a pointed glare from Clair as well.
Once he leaves, Clair moves closer to help Serena sit up and get comfortable. The room spins a bit as Serena gets settled and she lets out a sigh. Clair parks her butt on the edge of the bed, her blue hair back in a french braid and her leader attire on. Her eyes are clouded and brows are furrowed as she takes in Serena's haggard appearance.
"How are you feeling?"
Serena shakes her head, opting to wait for water before answering any questions. The salty sea makes her feel drained like a raisin and only water can cure her.
Thankfully, it isn't long when Lance comes back with a glass of water and a steaming bowl of stew that would normally make Serena's mouthwater. Behind him, Aaron and Rowan rush in with worried looks on their faces. She muses that it's really been a few weeks and they forgot to water her daily to prevent her from turning into a raisin.
She accepts the water from Lance and chugs it all as they look on. Once empty she trades it for the stew and he disappears to get more.
"How are you feeling?" Aaron asks before she can get a spoonful in her mouth.
"Tired and hungry," she responds and tries again. But then she sets the spoon down and tilts her head. "How long have I been asleep?"
"You went into the water last night, it's five o'clock," her mother leans forward to feel her forehead. "I'm surprised you weren't out for longer, you just kept on sleeping."
"I missed work?" she pouts, staring at the stew in her hands. It smells delicious and she finally takes a bite. "Oh this is so good. Thank you, Mom."
"It's your father's recipe," she glances at her husband with a fond smile. "Elijah gave you the next two days off. He wants you to rest up and feel better."
Serena settles into the bed with her food and hums. "Sounds good to me."
No more is said as she eats and Lance comes back with the water. Within minutes, the bowl is empty and she's taking a hearty gulp of water. The four watch her as if she's about to pass out and it annoys her. She fell into the water and was promptly taken out. Sure she was tired and cold last night, but it's not life threatening. Not even the flu got to her.
"So update me," she breaks the silence with a glance at each pair of eyes. Clair takes the dishes and heads downstairs with Rowan to give the three time and space to talk. She promises Serena she'll return once the men leave, and with more stew.
Aaron settles on the bed next to his daughter while Lance takes a seat at the foot of the bed. He avoids her eye and focuses on the carpeted floor instead. Her eyes trace her father's tired face, the bags under his dull brown eyes. She wonders if Wes looks the same when he's home.
"Well, it was a failed mission," Aaron rubs his face. Serena grunts in surprise, a frown on her face. "I know, how? I guess that fiasco with that woman was a really good diversion because several artifacts went missing as well as thousands of dollars from purses and wallets left in the ship before everyone was properly evacuated."
"What? He told me that they weren't there for money!" Serena sits up straight, her water sloshes around in the glass. "Who was that girl?"
"We don't know," Aaron shakes his head. "Lance got a name, Alexis, but that's it. Not where she came from or her last name."
Of course, hard to get all that when you're having sex on a mission, she forces herself to keep her gaze on her father.
"I don't know if she was there with..." she frowns, trying to dredge up memories of her conversation with that man yesterday. What's his name? It was strange... "Proton. What a weird name."
"Is that the guy?" her father takes out a tablet and marks it down in a note. "What did he say to you?"
Serena can't help her eyes flashing up to meet Lance's before darting away to stare at the window beside her bed. She relays everything he said, save for the family business, including the fact he knew she was related to Giovanni. Her mind engulfs itself in that conversation again as if Proton was there with her. He said so many things that hinted at her past, does he know about what happened to her? How many of his thugs know about her?
"Dammit," her father swears under his breath. He looks over his notes and then up at her, taking in her tired appearance and sad eyes. His face softens and he reaches up to smooth the strands not in her braid and tuck them behind her ear. "Get some rest, sweetheart. Thea is okay, Clair is taking care of your pokemon for the day so don't worry about them."
She nods and watches as he gets up to leave. Once the door clicks shut, she stares at Lance as she fiddles with a pillow from her pile on the bed. He's dressed in jeans and a sweater, his casual attire when he's home for a few days. His hair is still messy, not spiked like it was last night, and looks as though he's run his hand through it multiple times already.
"Hey," she nudges him with her foot. He looks up. "Want to talk about it?"
He adjusts to lay across her bed, a sigh escaping his lips. "I really messed up last night."
"I know."
"I had no idea she could do that, I swear," he defends himself. "I wasn't gone for long, I was heading back to you! It wasn't supposed to be like that."
In the silence, Serena wants to scream at him for being so clueless. Their father's have drilled into him that nothing will ever go as expected. A lesson she's still reeling from since yesterday was not expected at all.
Expect the unexpected, spoken every day like a mantra. The information you get may be altered and should be taken with a grain of salt. Did they know Alexis was working with Proton? No, but could they have prepared for some help despite him being alone every other time he's been spotted? Duh!
Lance never thinks things through, he's all about having fun and drinking in the fame of being in the elite four. Unfortunately for her, he has the skills to back up his big-headedness too. He has the best win streak across all four members. Elijah had no battles this last tournament, Lance's first year and he defended the champion perfectly. Who wouldn't let that get to their head?
She sighs. "I get it... Kind of. I can at least see the excitement of running around for a quickie during a mission. Just, please, don't do it again."
"Wait what?" he sits up with a frown on his face. "What do you mean 'quickie'?"
"Lance, I'm not going over sex ed with you," she rolls her eyes. "I know you've been doing well hiding your escapades but, seriously? On a mission?"
"Rena, I wasn't... Is that why you're mad?" he sets the pillow down and folds his arms over his chest. "You thought I was having sex with some girl?"
She glares at him. "It's what you're doing most other times!"
"I know when to have fun and when not to!" he glares back. "I can't believe you would think I would do that on a mission."
"Then where were you!?" she demands. "Proton said you were 'learning anatomy' on the top deck."
"So you'd believe some criminal and not your best friend!" he stands up with fists clenched at his sides and eyes on fire.
"Evidence points to him being correct," she swings her arms out and glares back at him.
"So, that's it then," he crosses his arms. "You'd rather listen to him than hear me? Wow. I thought you were better than that, Rena."
Serena shakes her head. "Get out. I can't deal with you right now. I'll see you at work in a few days."
Lance's eyes widen, he stands there, frozen to his spot watching her take a drink of water as though she asked him how he's doing. Sadness wells up in him as she gestures towards the door and he drags his feet to it. He pauses with the door open and glances back to find her with tears in her eyes and unable to look at him.
"I already got an earful from Dad. Mine and yours," he mutters. "I took a voluntary suspension, considering I did get sidetracked by that girl. Not to have sex, though, to talk. Not that you care."
Serena wants to yell again, but instead she takes another drink of water as the door clicks shut. She sets the empty glass aside and stares after her best friend wondering where the man she trusted went last night. Does he understand that she trusted he would be around to help her? Was that too much of an expectation? She wonders if she relies on him too much and if she should have been able to handle it on her own last night.
She hates this feeling of helplessness as she goes over every detail of the day before. If she actually did as she was trained, Proton (if that's his real name) would have been apprehended and there wouldn't have been a need to fall into the sea. Then she wouldn't be so angry with Lance and everything would be as it was the day before. Him goofing off and shirking his paperwork, opting for Serena to do it instead, and bringing home girls to his place in the league.
The door opens before she can delve deeper down that hole and the smell of stew makes her stomach rumble. Clair brings that and more water into the room, she hands over the food and places the water on the side table before collapsing, gently, onto the foot of the bed like Lance did. She lets Serena get a few more bites in before explaining that her pokemon are being spoiled by her parents at the gym.
"Thea is fine," Clair shrugs at Serena's question. "Probably super angry a human would try to attack her with her own type, but she sticks close to Ty anyway."
"I would be angry too," Serena replies. "God, I'm so tired."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help," Clair puts a hand on Serena's leg.
"Don't be. It's not your job to protect me, I don't need protection like that," she replies. Is that true? The question sticks to her mind as she continues on. "I'm alive, it wasn't that big of a deal."
"I know, it's just... He-"
"Please don't start," Serena shakes her head. "I've already yelled at him."
"I was wondering why he looked so heartbroken on the way out," she muses, rubbing her chin. She spots Serena's guilty look and sets a hand on her leg. "Don't feel bad. You stood up for yourself and he has his own lessons to learn without you there to hold his hand."
"It sucks," she wipes her tears.
Clair distracts her with all that's happening in the gym now that she's getting a hang of being a gym leader. Finishing up her food and water, Serena feels more exhausted than before and thanks Clair for visiting. She kisses her cheek and promises to come by the gym tomorrow to get her pokemon and see how she's doing over there.
Once alone, Serena digs out her journal and writes down everything that happened and her thoughts. It takes a long time to get it all out on paper, but once she's done, the sun has set and her mother has come by with more food. She rips a blank page out of her journal and writes down what Proton said about family business and such, her lids drooping as she scribbles his words and hands it to her mother. Rowan promises to pass it along while tucking in her daughter. Serena tries to protest in favor of eating, but a yawn interrupts her and she settles under the covers, allowing sleep to take her away from responsibility for a while longer.
