This chapter discusses gym leader applications and renewals, applications are for trainers wanting to be a gym leader to fill in an open spot if one becomes available. The renewals are for current leaders wanting to stay for the next year or more. If a gym is with a family, the one its being passed down to has to apply for it for the gym to become their responsibility.

Hope that makes sense, enjoy the chapter!


January 28th

I'm not sure how things are between Lance and I. On one hand, he's talked to me during our mutual suspension. On the other hand, he showed up to a meeting hungover and had to be sent to home by Elijah. I think Celadon was a step in the right direction, but not enough. Im just glad it was Elijah that had to send him home and not me.

He was suspended a second time and for me a first time. A reporter got a picture of Lance and I at the casino which drew attention to the G-men and their lack of support. Mikey + Hen were furious when they found out and the only thing stopping them from firing Lance is they wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him.*

*Mikey's exact words

I'm on a two week suspension, given by Elijah for my safety, which will be spent at home in Blackthorn with my mom and Clair. It's only been 2 days and I'm already out of my mind not being able to work. Elijah promised to keep me updated (and he has) but it's not enough.

The riots have started up and are worse than before. Rumors are circulating Lance and I are undercover in the league for Team Rocket. Even though I'm not, it just hits too close to home and I'm terrified if anyone were to find out about my relation to Giovanni. Elijah and Dad had a talk about it and he was supportive (a relief) but not everyone is willing to listen to the facts like he is.

With these riots popping up all over Kanto, hatred is easy to come by and easy to control people into a hive-mind way of thought. My career, my projects and good standing in the league would be all over. No one would be able to look at me without seeing Giovanni and that murdered Marowak... I'd be run out of town! I-

Serena feels her heart race and tosses her pencil aside and shuts her journal. Leaning back in her chair, she lets out a gust of breath to focus on the present. She rubs her eyes and glances around her room. Being in the house is running its course on her nerves.

What else am I supposed to do? She peers at her book bag in the corner and beams at it. "The handbook!"

She dives across the room, waking Ty in the middle of his nap on her bed, and digs out the thick book Clair gifted her for her last birthday. There are already some noted pages, but she's been meaning to take some notes and compare places she wants to visit. She whips out a notebook, highlighters, pens and dives into the manual to kill at least a few hours of mindless boredom.

Her mind falls into a trance as she gazes at the scenery in the book of Sinnoh, Hoenn and even the Sevii islands in the southernmost part of Kanto. While her notes are sprawling with ways to prepare for the differing climates in each region, she has a feeling she'll need to stick around Kanto. If only she could speak with her uncle...

"Honey!" Rowan interrupts her train of thought. "Elijah is on the phone for you!"

"Coming!" Serena shuts her book and takes a deep breath. "Don't be foolish. Giovanni wouldn't divulge any information... would he?"

She heads downstairs to the main room where the video phone sits up against a wall on a desk.

Elijah grins at her as she picks up the receiver and salutes her. "Here for the daily check in, Captain."

"I'm losing my mind here," she groans. Behind her, her mother clears her throat and Serena coughs. "I mean, I'm having so much fun spending time with my favorite mom."

"Good save," he winks. "So, Erika is going forward with her charges. Do you have a copy of the contract the league and G-men signed? Is it on your computer?"

"No, it's in the top drawer of my desk. The folder is labeled with the League insignia," she chuckles.

He disappears from the screen for a minute, leaving Serena to listen to him rustling through her precious papers in her desk before he comes back with the folder. "I'm glad you're reliable."

Serena laughs. "Yeah, right. How is Erika?"

"Rightfully angry," his body droops with a sigh. "The G-men agreed to help out local PD as well as gym leaders when they signed the contracts last year. She was left high and dry when those idiots refused to comment on why they didn't come to her aid. I'm pleasantly surprised she's pressing matters! It's a good way to show the city she'll always fight for them, us too."

Since their legal agreement, the G-men and League will be treated as one entity in moments like these. At least that's what Serena understood after the higher ups were done with her proposal, turning her little packet into a large stack of legal jargon. Since the G-men (and League) did not act even after the news was cast, the agreement was breached and she can now press charges to get funding for damages done in Celadon. Without hesitation, Elijah got the legal team together to move forward in her favor so Michael and Hendrick couldn't weasel their way out of it.

"All the excitement happens when I'm not there!" she sighs. "Anything else new?"

"Your father is hard at work making sure no one finds the connection between the two of you and Giovanni," he leans back in his chair. "We're not even sure if those two dumbasses even know."

Serena clutches the receiver tight and whispers in a tense voice. "Good."

"Hey, don't sweat it," Elijah's fatherly tone kicks in. He sits up straight and stares right into the camera, as though he's staring right at her. "You're so well put together I forget how young you are. I won't let anything bad come of your secret getting out. Remember when you asked me about good and bad?"

She doesn't trust herself to speak and only nods at his question.

"You and your father are good. You have plenty of officials that will stand up for you. Don't stress this, okay?"

A stray tear slips but she swipes it away. "Thanks, Elijah."

"Anytime, dear," he grins. "Get some rest, everything will be okay."
With that they hang up, leaving Serena to stare at an empty screen as her stomach churns at her current situation. This is just the start, she can't lose her cool now. Her father warned her Giovanni will see her as an equal. Her hands shake as she realizes she's in for a bigger storm as they home in on his secrets and plans.

"Reminds me of something," Rowan pops in around the corner and leans against the wall.

"What?" Serena turns to look at her mother, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"It's one of my favorite quotes because it reminds me of your father," she approaches and pulls out a chair next to her daughter. She grasps her hands and pulls her in close. "'"You are so brave and quiet, I forget you are suffering.' You and your father are the same. You two would rather stay quiet about your pain than reach out and find comfort. It makes you seem older than you are and causes everyone around you to treat you as such. Only," she pulls away to cup Serena's face in her hands. "You're suffering. You're scared and you think by keeping up, it'll all work out and be okay."

"But it will be."

"Yes, it will be. But it's okay if you feel like it's not going to be," her mother wipes her tears away with her thumbs. "Baby, you're not yet 19. You have a whole life ahead of you, don't grow up too fast."

Serena absorbs her mother's words in silence. Leaning into her shoulder, breathing in her sweet scent and letting loose a few more tears. They stay like that for a few minutes more, rocking back and forth while her mother hums a soothing tune. While she can't hide forever, Serena realizes her support system will take over when she needs it to and that's what they're there for.

Her scars stir, sending tiny shocks down her spine as a distant giggle nags at the edge of her consciousness. She shuts her eyes and clings to her mother tighter if only to let the safety of the moment last a little longer. A long time ago, her choice of not growing up too fast got taken away by her uncle and she needs to use what time she has now to find out the truth. Only then does she feel like she can truly be free.

OoOoOoO

January 30th

It's only been two more days but it feels like years. It's been quiet on Elijah's end, but I get it. It's time for interviews. Agatha wants to retire to Ecruteak City for a while, and Lorelei wants to go home to the Sevii Islands. We've sent out invitations to the four applicants we decided on, so that much is done.

I wonder who will be selected?

But now we're prepping for Gym Leader applications as well so that's added on top of that too.

"You have a visitor!" Rowan calls up the stairs.

Serena frowns at the clock, three o'clock, and puts her stuff away. "Coming!"

At the bottom of the steps she pauses to see her mother in the living room watching tv and frowns again. Her mom rarely leaves a guest at the door without inviting them in to get comfortable. She assumes the worst as she turns her heel and faces the door.

"Oh, hi Lance," she stands up straighter.

"Hey," he runs a hand through his hair. He looks awkward standing in the entryway, he's never had to in his life. Hair and jacket tousled probably from flying from the league here. He tries to smile but it comes out strained. "I, uh, wanted to stop by and show you the applications from today."

"Oh," she says and curses her stupidity. "Why?"

He clutches his laptop bag a bit tighter and lets out a stiff laugh. "I thought you would be curious about what was going on without you there. Am I wrong?"

"No!" she shouts and grabs his arm. "Come into the kitchen."

He laughs more loosely this time and gets comfortable at the island. "Okay. I brought you new leader applications and renewals."

Squealing with glee, Serena runs around the whole kitchen getting snacks and drinks for the two of them as he splays out the papers. He watches with a smile as she organizes each into different categories and dives in.

"I like this one," she picks up an application for a Johto Gym in Azalea Town. "His-er- their name is Bugsy and they want to work with bug types. I think it's a good way to get people less scared of them."

Lance looks over her shoulder at the application along with a trainer card picture. "That's a cool idea. There's not many bug type leaders in either region, they'd be fronting that type on their own. I like them, too."

Beaming, Serena places it in a pile of its own before picking up another one. "This is Morty, he's applying for the position his father held. Ghost type. It's in the family, so this is a formality, unless you want a different type of gym?"

"Why break up a family tradition?" Lance shrugs. "If I remember from the first round of looking at these, he works hard with his community already. He's a good role model and I hear his Gengar is pretty tough."

They continue to discuss each application until they have a better idea of their leagues for the new year. Serena packs away the accepted ones in a main folder while placing the others in another to file away for future reference. She takes a seat at the table across from Lance as he stares at his phone.

"Hey, Lance?" she starts, biting her lip as he takes a moment to look up. "What would you say if I applied to be a gym leader?"

His brows raise as he slips his phone into his pocket. He clasps his hands together on the table and purses his lips. Serena wrings her hands as he hums before finally speaking. "Well. You'd be a multi type gym, which is rare but good. I think you'd be good for the community, maybe too good. You'd have to be a seventh or eighth gym leader."

Serena grins at him. Relieved he approves of her, though she wasn't looking for his specific approval. "Thanks."

"But, Rena," he holds up a finger. "I wouldn't hire you as a gym leader." Before she can ask, he continues. "You aren't a battler, you were in the tourney just to follow through with you collecting badges. Plus, you're a workaholic and that's not good for gym leaders, it's a tough job to be in the gym all the time. As much as your application would look good, I personally could not do that to you."

"O-oh," she leans forward on the table. It makes sense, she would pour her heart and soul into her gym. She'd rarely leave to see the world with all the work that would have to get done. Still. It hurts to think she couldn't be like Clair, or stay in the League at some level that wasn't an assistant. "It makes sense."

The air turns awkward as they avoid looking at each other. Serena understands he wasn't being mean, but to have an idea shot down in one sitting hurts when it's a personal idea and not one for the regions. Or maybe, it's because of the awkward air between them. She can't tell if it's him saying this as her best friend or him being angry.

On the other hand, he feels bad but she follows logic more often than she does her own dreams and ideas. As good of a gym leader she'd be, it isn't the job for her. It's just poor timing on them to talk about it now.

"I'm sorry," he mutters. "After everything that's happened between us, I don't want you to think it's because of that. You'd be great, but it's not a job for you."

"It's okay," she forces a smile at him. "I get what you're saying. Honest."

She finishes her clean up and collects all the files for him. He packs it all away and follows her to the door wondering if he should have said more to help her understand. Rowan eyes them from the living room, but makes no comment as her daughter steps outside and shuts the door behind her.

Lance turns and sighs. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not," she tilts her head. "You were being honest, I appreciate it. I was going to turn in my application, but I think you're right. I have other things I want to do more."

"Okay, good."

Without another comment, he waves and shuffles down the steps towards the front gate. Serena feels hurt he didn't want to talk about things, but decides it's for the best with the tourney season coming up. He's going to have to focus on training with the other elites if he wants to keep his pokemon strong.

Inside, she closes the door with her body and heaves a sigh. She glances up to see her mother gazing at her with a gentle smile.

"He'll come around," she offers. "He and Wesley are the same, can hold a grudge for months even though they know it's partially their fault."

"How was I supposed to know he actually took missions seriously?" Serena replies with a roll of her eyes. "I'm surprised he even had opinions on the applicants today."

"And that's why it's fair you assumed otherwise, you've never seen him as a G-man," Rowan chuckles. She gestures to the kitchen. "Now, do you want to help me get started on dinner?"

Serena pushes off the door and joins her mother. "Sure."