So, Lance is a jerk and they're both dumb. Glad we have that figured out ;P We're on chapter 37, folks. Almost there!
Serena stares at the papers on her desk while Elijah sits at his own desk no doubt focused on his job and putting off personal problems until he's done here. She wonders if he is as laid back at home as he is at work. No job is too stressful or too much for him it seems. He takes everything in stride and it all turns out just fine in the end. Could he teach her to be like that? Or is that just a personality trait?
After speaking with her father about what Proton said, Serena was shocked to learn that her grandmother on Aaron's side was a woman leading an entire gang of thieves and possibly murderers. Team Rocket, a name not spoken in Kanto for years due to their inactivity is their family legacy. As kids, Aaron and Giovanni were groomed to be her successors, taking over the business and helping expand it.
"Your uncle wasn't acting alone when he kidnapped you. Team Rocket has been around for years. They started as a street gang... But, what it is becoming is so much more than that."
Aaron looked so different when he spoke of Team Rocket to her. His face grew drained, his mouth sat in a hardline and he stared into the fireplace as though it were a lifeline. It scared Serena to see her father so withdrawn and so cold about this topic.
From a young age, her uncle was all in. Hanging on to every word their mother spoke, taking each lesson to heart and formulating his own idea of where he wanted Team Rocket to grow. Her father was much the same, surprisingly. He showed remorse when explaining how willing he was to learn how to manipulate businesses into investing in his ideas, only to steal the money and leave them high and dry. To gather people around him, get them on his side to fight for what he believes made him feel powerful. Well into his teens he and his brother worked on the foundations of Team Rocket, then, in their 20s, Madame Boss retired.
Aaron wouldn't say what her grandmother's real name was, only what she demanded to be referred to at all times. Madame Boss. The name speaks volumes of power, of reckless abandon when it comes to money and the apathy towards pokemon.
"What's wrong?" Elijah breaks her reverie.
Serena blinks a few times, her eyes focussing on the estimate in front of her. She's finally gotten into contact with a company in Kanto for building a train system, as well as the Representatives and Councillors for both regions. Elijah cautioned her that a lot is going to go into her presenting the building of the train so her presentation that she worked so hard on is still in progress. She has to have everything covered and, with his help, she's confident that the idea will pass well with all parties involved.
"I... I have a question," she sets the packet aside and swivels her chair to look at him. Her father doesn't want her advertising that they're the legitimate heirs to the family business of thievery and murder. But this is something she needs to weigh upon with those she deems her peers and whose opinions she takes seriously. Elijah sets his pen down and eyes her over the tent of his hands, inviting her to speak. "If you, um, came from someone who did bad things, does that make you bad?"
"What do you mean?" he frowns.
"Like, lets say your family is full of villains. They've done evil things all your life and, for a while, you learned to do the same things. But when you got older and realized you didn't like it and that it was bad, you left and worked to... I don't know, repent for what you did," her eyes stray from his, following random patterns as she struggles with her words. "But it's your family. The very core of your existence, the ones who gave you life and took care of you. Does that make you, or your kids, bad too?"
He takes a moment to consider. His eyes gauge her face as he lowers his hands and taps his fingers along the top of his desk. Serena is about to laugh and ask him to forget it when he clears his throat. "No. If I chose to be good, despite being surrounded and taught to be the opposite, that makes me good. Whether it's me just walking away and living a normal life or me moving away and becoming a cop. Choosing to go against my 'family legacy', the base my family has built itself up on and thrives on, makes me a good person by choice. If my kids follow me, then they're good too because I'm going to raise them to understand that our choices matter and we have control over ourselves. And they're going to know right from wrong."
Serena takes in his words and nods. Her father is a good person because he chose to stray from his family. He had to leave in the dead of night to get away from his brother and mother, strike out on his own and make a name for himself to be where he is now. Him leaving led to meeting Wesley, the two of them becoming best friends and, eventually, he met her mother and they had her. He always let her make mistakes and tried to get her to see the good in everybody while she was growing up, giving her the chance to make the choice of being good despite the injustices handed to her.
"What brought this on?" Elijah presses further, noticing how deep she's reading into his answer.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about the Clan," she lies. "Thank you."
He smiles at her and turns back to his work without another word. Serena does the same, though her mind refuses to follow along the words on the paper. That takes care of part of the problem, for now. The other is the possibility of there being more family than originally thought. Rowan is an only child, no possibility for aunts, uncles or cousins on her side. No contact between the brothers leaves the mystery of whether or not Giovanni has ever fathered children that he calls his own.
Could there be a cousin out there with him?
In his documents, Serena checked, nothing is noted. No dependents and no requests for support money to be paid, either. She can't imagine her stony uncle being a father. His sharp voice couldn't comfort a baby, would he even hold a baby? Or change its diaper? She imagines a kid, boy or girl, growing up in a bleak household forced to attend lessons of corrupted nature, without a choice, forced to carry a legacy on their shoulders.
Aaron promised he'd look into it. Ask around, but with her uncle putting on good behavior and keeping his name and self out of the crimes happening, it's going to be difficult.
"Are you coming to the application committee meeting?" Elijah begins packing his bag. "You're standing in for Lance, right?"
Hearing that name brings on a small headache. It's been days since their argument and they haven't spoken with each other since. She feels terrible for making her assumption and then making him leave. But it was just too much...
"Yeah," she yawns. "Only because he doesn't feel good about picking and choosing applicants. He knows I'm more opinionated on the topic."
"Right," he responds in an airy voice.
He's aware they had a little spat and has been trying to get one another to make up for the past day. To no avail.
Evidently, Lance's tantrum is spreading to the workplace. While he shows up for work, does his training and does his interviews just fine. There are times he shirks a meeting, or 'forgets' some paperwork to turn in to Serena and it's been getting on Elijah's nerves. To avoid conflict, Serena has been filling in on those meetings or doing the paperwork herself as his signature is easy to flub.
There are times Elijah wants to ask if Serena is sure her best friend isn't taking advantage of her guilt; but Serena doesn't seem to mind. Honestly, Elijah likes the way she operates and it's more effective to have her do Lance's work than waste time going over it all again to fix what he doesn't do, or catch him up when he's missed a meeting.
"I'd just like to see him work harder, he's a great trainer and I'd hate to see that go to waste."
"I can talk to him about it," she offers. "I think he's just taking his suspension real hard right now."
Despite the offer, she doesn't want to do it. Asking him to do more might make him act out in other ways. He's already using his spare time to rack up those notches on his bedpost, drink and skirt most of his other duties. She's sure he'll get over it soon and calm down, he just has to get it out of his system first. Right?
The champion nods at her offer. He heard about the failed mission and was even at the meeting where Wesley and Aaron were threatened with termination for running something under the books. He doesn't like Hendrick, or the deputy director, Michael, and anyone in his band wagon. Not since the beginning of his reign as champion and it won't end after he's gone. There's always been a strange air around the director of the g-men and Elijah knows there's something fishy being dealt between the higher ups and Giovanni. With no proof, Elijah nor anyone else in a higher position can do anything about it.
With Serena and her father in the building, he believes they have a chance, though. The two are much the same when it comes to solving a problem, they bide their time to gather the power and knowledge needed before striking the killing blow. It's because of that, he hopes to stick around at least a year until the mystery is solved and everyone working in the league is clean.
He shakes off his musings and grabs his case. "Ready?"
In the meeting room, Serena remembers the day Blaise did his exit interview when Lance took over his position as the fourth elite. Despite his negative comments towards her behavior (too uptight), the former elite member was kind to her on his last day here and wished her luck. Now she sits in the room with Lorelei and Agatha, both of whom have expressed their wishes to retire from their positions.
Both are formidable trainers in their respective types, and they've been here nearly as long as Elijah has. Serena respects them both and understands that it's on her shoulders to present at least four capable applicants to the table for the group to discuss. Normally Elijah would pick, but he wanted her opinion first to see if she was a good judge based on the basic info presented. He gave her the 100 applications the elites, minus Lance, narrowed down to and the two of them went over each until they cut it in half. Then the association picked out half of that and the elites broke it down again and the cycle continued until the four she now holds in her hands.
In other circumstances, they would hold a tournament for the position. They could, but the yearly gala is a month away, and there are no resources or time to set it up. After next year, the two are done. So, instead, they're going to do interviews in January, exams during the conference so the four applicants know what the season is going to be like and with the exam scores and interview notes in hand, the committee will come to a decision.
"Two are from Hoenn, one is from Johto and the other is from Sinnoh," Serena slides the applications across the table. Agatha, Lorelei, and Bruno take time to look through each application and jot down their own notes about each person. "These are the four I believe we should invite to do interviews and see their test scores. Hoenn and Sinnoh are a little different in terms of how they run their League members, so I wanna be sure the changes are good for those guys. I think having a native elite member will be a good image for us."
The three adults nod, impressed by Serena's knack for publicity and professionalism. Over the next hour, the three offer their opinions and eventually they agree on the four. They take time to prepare interview questions and settle on a date to invite them all to the league. They also smooth out other details for current business before they're released to go eat.
Serena's stomach growls as she heads back to her apartment. Her mind buzzes with her to-do list expanding in her head. Rubbing her face, she pauses at her door and turns to Lance's wondering if she should show him the four applicants. It would be nice to have him do his work and take a lot off her plate in the process. But she wonders how seriously he'd take it and if things would go the way she hopes they will.
By letting her sit in on the hiring committee she can picture the kind of league the two regions should have. A strong elite four, well trained in the G-men, advocating for the proper raising and care of their respective type, compassion towards problems in each region and a sense of loyalty to each other. They're here because they're the best of the best and they are a part of a tournament important to people of all ages. It should be an enjoyable experience and she hopes to bring that to light with the applicants.
Her work with Elijah, while not perfect by any means, is bringing new opportunities to families in the regions. By having gym leaders do classes, crime has decreased, the abuse of pokemon has decreased and the test scores in each school have increased. Serena feels a swell of pride when she thinks about the programs she implemented and hopes, sincerely, that they're truly benefiting.
With that warm surge, she steps up to Lance's door, fist raised to knock, and pauses at the sound of breathy moans from the other side. A grimace forms on her face and she dashes back into her apartment, deciding it'd be better if she did it herself.
XxXxXxX
"Have you turned in your application yet?" Clair ponders from across Serena's room.
The next week is the 2005 League Gala and Serena couldn't be more stressed with reports swarming in, applications for gym leader positions in Johto, maintenance budgets for gyms, paychecks and her two presentations for the magnet train and the league remodel. Almost all the planning for the gala is relegated to Mr. Goodshow and he does an amazing job each year.
Thank the Lord she doesn't have to plan anything but Elijah's schedule for the gala. The champion has a few speeches to make, interviews for the press and meeting some well known members of the Council and Association sometime in the night. She set up the areas and times accordingly and gave Elijah the rundown, after that all she has to do is try to enjoy her night.
"No, I'm not done with it yet," she sighs. Her hands fall away from her attempt at a braid, she's home for the weekend to help her mother prep for the New Year's dinner in Blackthorn. It's a tradition that the main families put together to discuss news in the Clan. Rowan brings some food each year and while Aaron isn't allowed to go, Serena is welcome and she is happy to be part of the Clan business.
The application, however, is to be a gym leader. She couldn't turn it in now and even expect for it to make it to the association meeting. Applications are due soon after that year's tournament schedule, so by the end of April, mid May if they need more. It's December and so she'll have to wait a few more months to turn it in, but by that time she'll be absolutely sure she wants the position.
In an odd turn of events, Giovanni has been missing meetings and withdrawing from his duties as a gym leader. Aaron has been on the fritz, desperate to keep ahead of his brother and whatever he's planning. Though not officially announced, Elijah will jump at any chance to replace him and let Serena know that she's allowed to apply for the position. She felt a rush of pride at having the champion's vote of confidence, enough so to even imagine herself as the eighth gym leader of Kanto.
Standing just like Clair in Johto, her eighth counterpart, and a force to be reckoned with. The exam to be a leader would be a breeze, she's taken one a lot like it already and she's done so much more than they do now. The job is practically on her doorstep... and yet, she doesn't get a rush of excitement knowing she'd have to make Viridian City her home. Thoughts of staying in Kanto and going to Johto for visits, doesn't get her excited like it should.
"What's the hold up?" Clair demands from her bed, she's reading the latest magazine on the drama produced between some gym leaders.
"I'm not sure I want to stay here," Serena admits turning to face her best friend sprawled on her bed. "I think I want to travel."
"What?" she sits up. "Where?"
Serena shrugs. "I don't know. I just feel like I have so many things to discover."
Like what happened to me and why I'm like this.
"Your scars?"
"Yeah," she nods. "They've been so quiet lately, but sometimes I feel like something is watching me and I hear a voice... I know it sounds crazy, but I need to know whose voice that is."
"Where will you go?" Clair sounds sad and Serena hates to hear her that way.
"Well first, I'm going to travel to southern Kanto and see what I can find. I just need time to focus on myself, you know?"
Her response is to let out a sigh. Clair is the first person she's told of her plans and Serena watches her best friend process her words before smiling. "Yeah, I get that. You spend so much of your time working and planning. It's your turn."
"After this next year," Serena points out. "I think Dad is hot on Giovanni's trail, so I want to help with that and possibly see if my uncle will tell me what's going on. I want to be on my own again."
"I know you do," she sighs. It falls silent for a moment before Clair clears her throat. "Have you-"
"No," Serena cuts her off and turns back to her papers. "We haven't spoken since last week."
"Not that I care about him, it's clearly bugging you," she sits up. Serena didn't need the clarification, but it makes Clair feel better. "You could at least make him do his own job."
"Yeah, and give him the chance to mess it up to get back at me?" the brunette turns back with a raised brow. "Fat chance. I'm waiting for his tantrum to be over."
"And what if it's never over?" Clair tilts her head. "A week is a long time, but he's having the time of his life. And you're still covering for him."
"Which I will do for as long as I have to!" Serena turns to her. "His work impacts mine, if he doesn't do his work then I'd have to hold separate meetings with him every time the Elites and I gather. I don't have time to hold his hand that tight."
Clair stands up, rising an inch or two above Serena. "My fool of a cousin doesn't understand how easy he has it with you working there. Just remember he gains nothing from this. You won't be here forever and he's going to have to do his job eventually."
"I know!" Serena breathes as though she were holding her breath. Tears rim her eyes as she stares at the desk full of papers. "I just need to get my projects out of the way."
"How long are you going to say that? I don't want to see you crushed under him because of your need for everything to be perfect for your 'projects'," Clair pulls her in for a hug. "Let me know what I can do to help, okay?"
"Okay," she mumbles into her friend's shoulder. "Thank you, Clair."
"Of course, get some sleep. I love you."
After Clair leaves, Serena gets to thinking of the mysteries in her life. That day in the mansion in the basement, the little secret door that got smashed by the upper floor, and what it held behind it. Blaine's involvement in the whole thing, where she was taken to and what her scars mean. As she practices her powers her scars remain inactive but she feels a nagging sensation. One that makes her believe there is something more to them than their outer appearance.
