Late update today, busy day! This chapter I cut straight to business with the whole court thing, didn't want to drag that out. So we're following the game storyline a bit more closely and also laying the ground work for the Gen 2 games, which is the next story. More info on that later though.
Enjoy!
Serena struggles with sleep all night.
Ty snores next to her for all of it, his warm, soft body bringing her comfort but unable to pull her under. She stares at the ceiling as her clock ticks the minutes by. Her mind whirling with everything that has to happen in the coming weeks and how she's going to get it done.
She wants to go on the mission in the morning, but logically, she would be better suited with Elijah. All Elites and Gym Leaders have to go on trial and through thorough interviews to ensure there aren't anymore of Giovanni's lackeys behind. The process will take the longest, she knows the other leaders and elites are clear, it's more for the public.
Without a doubt, she will also have to go through a trial and interviews. The reporters will have already figured out the family resemblance between her father and Giovanni, no matter how well she kept the secret. Everyone will eat that up and the riots will get out of control again.
She flips onto her side, facing Ty, and buries her face in his fur. As it turns out, it wasn't Lance who destroyed all her hard work, it was her uncle and Team Rocket. No surprise, Lance's mess would have been easier to clean up.
In and out of sleep, Serena wakes up when she hears her father shuffling in the kitchen and joins him as he prepares to head to Viridian City. She's quiet as she munches on cereal and he makes several phone calls.
"You're not going to just show up randomly, right?" Aaron questions as he pours himself some coffee. "My guard is up."
"Dad," she chuckles. "I won't be there, I promise. I just think Elijah is going to need me more than you."
He sets his mug on the table and takes her hand while plopping down across from her. "I'm glad you're thinking of other things, especially with how much I know you want to go and see for yourself. I promise we will look hard and show you all that we find."
"Thanks, Dad," she squeezes his hand. "Just be careful."
"Of course."
They finish breakfast in companionable silence until there's a knock at the door. She figures it's Wesley and Lance coming to pick up her father and scurries up the stairs to avoid seeing them leave. The temptation to join them would be too much at that point and she's sure she would follow.
Instead, she takes a cool shower and changes into formal apparel for her day with the press. She grins at her reflection in the mirror, part of her hair pulled back and fastened with a clip at the back of her head leaves her waves to fall around her shoulders. Donning a navy blazer over a black shirt with a pencil she feels official and much older.
By eight, there's another knock on the door and then the creaking of it opening.
"Hello?" Lance's voice floats up the stairway.
Serena frowns as she descends the stairs, black pumps in hand and a work bag slung over her shoulder. "I thought you were going on the mission? What are you doing here?"
"Elites have to be at the league," he shakes his head. "I'm an elite member."
"Well, yeah, but G-men business always takes precedence," she raises a brow.
He shuffles in his spot and adjusts his cape. "Not this time. Let's go, you ready?"
"Uh, yeah. Let me go grab Ty," she huffs realizing she left him upstairs. She drops her things at the foot of the stairs and rushes back up.
Ty grumbles at being moved, but welcomes his pokeball nonetheless. Serena gathers her things and leaves a note for her mother on the kitchen island. Lance leads the way outside and helps her onto Ryu's back. The pokemon's muscles are rock solid as she adjusts herself to him and squeezes her legs to hold her rather than hold Lance's waist.
He settles in and glances back. "Shy?"
"Shut up," she rolls her eyes and wraps her arms around him. "Let's go."
OoO
The world must have ended or something for Lance to take charge. Serena watches as he directs staff to their appropriate posts, and leads the press to the main meeting room in the old league building. Three major news channels have shown as well as some smaller ones with notebooks, recorders and cameras. His charming smile radiates as he directs conversation away from the hot topics to avoid misspeaking and tells everyone to wait patiently for Elijah.
In Elijah's office, Serena gathers the documents needed for the press conference and updates Lance on who's arriving from the Association and Council. Of course, Ren Tanaka will be there along with some other highly respected members. Lance memorizes their names and asks questions as Elijah preps his speech.
His office has turned into an HQ of their own. Clyde sits at what was Serena's desk, on his laptop keeping tabs on the G-men and current news outlets to keep track of what's being reported on. Elijah has a live feed of the upcoming press conference up on the computer on his desk.
It all looks straight out of a sci-fi movie... with a mediocre budget.
"You'll have to sit this one out," the champion glances at Serena. "I have to confirm your relation to Giovanni. It'll make things easier in the process, and," he turns to Lance to place a hand on his shoulder, "lucky for us, Lance is a fast learner. The fourth member becomes my second in command during times like these."
Lance nods. "I'll do my best."
"You better," Elijah nods. "Follow my lead and don't speak from emotion."
"I'll take notes on what's going on then," Serena huffs, trying to hide her hurt at being left out.
"It'll be over soon," the champion taps her chin a few times. "It's going to be okay."
He gets a small smile from her, allowing the two to disappear out of the office. The smile evaporates, leaving Serena anxious and unsure about how the day will unfold with each passing second. She slumps into Elijah's chair and digs out a notepad from the top drawer and a pen.
"News vans have arrived in Viridian and are waiting for the G-men to emerge," Clyde yawns into his mug of coffee. "So far, everyone thinks it was a ruse by the G-men to force Kanto and Johto away from each other."
"Ugh," Serena grumbles just as Elijah appears on screen.
"Hello everyone," he smiles into the cameras. "Thank you for your patience."
Serena watches as the room settles down and microphones pop up towards Elijah as he goes over the events of yesterday. Her stomach churns at the mention of Team Rocket and Giovanni. Murmurs rumble through the crowd at those names as well as the mention of the Viridian gym being raided.
"We will be conducting a full investigation into League Officials," Elijah states. "Members of the Pokemon Association and the Grand Council will be conducting interviews on every employee, Gym Leader and Elite Four member to ensure there are no more problems with Team Rocket. Our evidence suggests this was their final act before dissipating for unknown reasons."
"Elijah! What do you think about Aaron Lockwood being related to Giovanni? Can you really trust him in the G-men? And what of his daughter, Serena?" one of the reporters bursts before any other questions can be asked.
Serena flinches, but watches Elijah take a deep breath. "I have worked with both of them for a while now and I can assure you they are not on speaking terms with Giovanni. They have been spearheading this operation to capture Giovanni with as much fervor as anyone else on Aaron's team."
"So there is no bias in the family?" the reporter asks for confirmation.
"No there is not."
"Lance, what about you? You've been Serena's friend for a long time, who's to say she isn't fooling you too?"
Before Proton, Serena would say a question like this would make Lance mad enough to send Ryu raving on the innocent crowd. Now, she cringes and wonders what half assed answer he'll give that will neither hinder or help her situation.
The redhead leans over to the mic with a serious expression. "I have no doubt in Serena. Just because there's a bad apple on the tree doesn't mean the whole tree is bad. She and her father are working hard to trim their tree and I will do what I can to help."
"Will she be conducting the interviews?" a different reporter shouts. "What of her work with combining the regions? Will that still be ongoing?"
"She will not be conducting the interviews, she will be interviewed publicly along with her father and other members of the G-men," Elijah takes the mantle again. "I am hoping the people of Kanto and Johto will want to stand together during times like this so that we may become stronger together. Ultimately, it will be up to the people if they want her work to continue. But seeing as how the Magnet Train has already begun construction, we will be using the policy she pushed to conduct background checks and the league will need to be remodeled, it will cost a lot more to cancel."
He answers a few more questions before Tanaka takes the stage and explains what the process for the next couple of weeks will look like. Elites will be interviewed first, as well as Elijah. The rest of the G-men will be examined as well at the same time. By the time that's done, it will be the Gym Leaders and their staff. It sounds easy in words, but the mounds of paperwork behind it all gives Serena a headache.
While the conference continues, Serena preps for her interview in a courtroom on the other side of town. The league pushed for theirs to happen right away to avoid any rumors down the road and to speed up the process in the long run. By knocking her interview, Elijah's, the Elite's and her father's out of the way, all ending with an innocent verdict, hopefully, they can focus on getting back on track.
Her father, Elijah, Lance and the other Elites all gather in cars to reach that side. Reporters flood the broken steps of the league entryway, police forces keeping them back but unable to block the flashes of their cameras. Serena feels worse than she did getting Wynn from the village elder's years ago.
Finally, she slips into her seat beside Elijah and the other Elites in the safety of the car. They decided to keep her and her father separated to make it look better to the public. Her lungs feel constricted and her hands can't stop wringing themselves out. Lance sits beside her, eyeing her heaving chest and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
The two sit in silence as they wind their way to the courthouse, Serena watching the views pass by while Lance avoids any eyes and keeps his own downcast.
"Answer truthfully," Elijah preps her as they pass through the streets with ease. "They won't ask about the past stuff. Just about now and if you were involved at all. It's a judge, Tanaka with three more of his staff and three members of the Grand Council. They will review your answers, and all the work you've done. By this time, tomorrow you should be cleared for work."
Serena sighs deeply. The weight of Lance's arm keeps her from fidgeting or jumping from the moving vehicle. "I hope you're right."
The courthouse in Silver Town is elegantly built and sits atop a hill towards the North end of the city. Reporters, police officers and a large crowd of rioters greets Serena as she exits the car with her group and heads up the steps into the building.
The roar of the crowd swallows her up, nearly making her stop in her tracks as people shout questions at her and others accuse her. Aaron spies his daughter's fearful look and ditches protocol to jog to her side, reaching his hand to grasp hers and pull her close. He covers her from the onslaught of questions as they head up the steps.
Their group manages to get inside in one piece before breaking off to several different rooms for their trials. Lance gives Serena a nod and an arm pat before stalking off after his League lawyer. It gives her little comfort, but with their distance nowadays, she'll take it.
"You'll be okay," Aaron kisses her forehead. "Your mother is watching from home, if you want to go to her right away after, I'll head there to talk to you about Viridian."
"Okay, Dad," she nods as Tanaka steps up. "Hello, sir."
"Hi, Serena," the man grins at her. "Let's make this as painless as possible, okay?"
"That's the goal."
OoO
The murmurs of the courtroom unsettle Serena as she stares at clock on the back wall. It took a few minutes for her to speak with her attorney from the league before she got escorted out to sit in front of a judge and the other member's Elijah warned her about. Their grim faces, except Tanaka, didn't change when she entered and she's not daring a glance over as the Kanto attorney stands up to question her.
Serena sits at a central desk across from the attorney. Behind the attorney, in a rounded row of seats, sit the judge, association and council members all staring at her and jotting down notes after every question. She feels a trickle of sweat down her back as some reporters mumble amongst each other and some take pictures.
Her hands squeeze each other in her lap as she watches him step forward and stare at her from behind his sleek glasses. She gave her oath and knows she's innocent, so why does she feel the need to scream and confess a crime she clearly hasn't done?
"What is your relation to Giovanni?" He starts in a firm tone.
"He's my uncle," she clears her throat.
"Describe your relationship with him, please."
"Um," she bites her lip. "We don't have one. Before working at the League, I'd only seen him once or twice growing up."
"So there was no contact between the two of you before you became an assistant to the champion?"
"Correct."
"You were present at each instance of a Team Rocket scheme, can you explain what you were doing?"
"I was trying to stop my uncle," she states.
"How so? Are you the only one that can stop him?" the attorney raises a brow.
"No, I was not attached to the G-men or the police force, so I operated under my own orders," she shrugs.
A rumble of laughter shifts through the crowd at her answer. She manages to crack a smile even though the attorney keeps an even stare.
"So you went on your own, to fight your uncle, an adult male," he paces from side to side. "Why?"
Serena starts at the question and ponders it. "It's like Lance said, he's my family's bad apple and we're trying to take care of it."
"You're 19? 20?" the attorney frowns. "You're taking responsibility for an adult?"
"I'm trying to," Serena blushes. "I didn't want him causing trouble. Having him for an uncle has painted a bad picture for my family. Look at me now, standing on trial for being related to him, but I tried so hard to stop him. I want Kanto and Johto to prosper, while Giovanni isn't arrested, I'm hoping it'll be better with him gone."
"So you don't know where he went?"
"No I do not."
"Will you be aiding the search in finding him?" he grins.
"I'll do my best," Serena finds herself smiling back.
"I believe that you will," he chuckles and moves to stand at his desk. "Those are all the questions I have for you, Miss Lockwood."
She walks out of the courtroom and inhales deeply as Elijah greets her with a grin. He takes her back to the league while her father and other G-men continue their line of questioning. With parts of the league building closed, the two pack up what they can and leave for the makeshift building in Silver Town.
"Whoa, hey guys?" Clyde pops in, having joined their little team to offer what help he can. The two glance up as he strides in holding a computer with wide eyes and a smile. "Look at this! The president of Silph is making a statement and releasing footage from his office."
Elijah clears the desk and all three huddle around the screen as Mark's face fills it. Serena's heart pumps as the volume turns up and she hears him praising her.
"Serena burst into my office with the determination of someone seeking justice. There were tense words exchanged between her and Giovanni before an all out battle took place. He offered many times for her to join him and each time she refused and promised to be his downfall.
"I know this is a scary time for us all. But we shouldn't lose faith in those who have continuously stepped up for what is right," he smiles at the crowd gathered in front of his building. "My faith in that young woman has doubled because of her efforts to keep me safe. If you don't believe my words, believe my footage."
The screen turns dark before revealing the office scene Serena knows all too well. It feels weird to watch the scene play out in front of her after living through it.
"That's it, you're done," Serena moves to stand by Red in the wreckage of the office. "Give us the President of the company and surrender yourselves."
Proton bursts into laughter. "Demanding. Must be a family trait."
"No one is coming to back up your attempt at heroism," Giovanni rolls his eyes. "The League is occupied by those fools. No one in Kanto or Johto is going to trust the G-men, the league or any authority again after today. The public thinks you're all in on it, they'll be eating out of Team Rocket's hands in no time."
Serena clenches her fist. "I don't care how long it takes, but I will out you and those working for you, to the world."
Both on and off screen, Serena feels those words ring true and even clenches her fist like she did before.
"You are going to help me look for what I lost," he shakes his head.
"I don't even know what you're talking about!"
"Then come with me!"
Serena lets out a disgruntled noise. "Leave me alone!"
Thea lets out a psybeam at Proton, knocking him away from the oldman and giving Red a chance to dive forward and grab him. Giovanni moves to intervene but Thea attacks again and Serena steps between them.
"You bitch," Proton stands from the floor and rubs his chest. "I'll have my revenge for that."
"No matter," Giovanni holds up his hand. "We've gotten what we needed. We'll have to regroup to get the rest."
"You're not getting away!" Serena lunges forward.
He catches her with ease. Arms splayed out, she fights her uncle's grip as he grabs her throat and holds her in the air. With her airway restricted, Serena struggles against him, her legs kicking and arms grabbing his as he laughs. He moves her body to be in front of his, blocking Thea's clear shot.
"I'll be back."
The screen goes back to Mark and there's a murmur rumbling through the crowd at the video. Elijah and Clyde share a look as Serena turns away from the screen and takes a seat on the couch. Her face has paled, her hands touch her throat, and she looks ready to vomit.
"Hey, you're safe here," Clyde rounds the desk as Elijah moves to get her water. He kneels beside her. "I know we aren't familiar, but I know everyone will see the truth and be on your side. I'm, also, sorry. I didn't realize what happened, I wouldn't have shown it to you."
She clears her throat and swallows. "It's okay. You weren't at dinner to know what happened. Thanks, Clyde."
"Of course," he pats her knee and moves to grab his laptop. He passes by a large window facing the city and pauses. "Uh, Serena?"
"What?" she responds, accepting a cup of water from Elijah.
The two glance up as he opens the window and the flood of voices cheering filters into the room. She frowns and scurries over to his side and peers out the window to see a small crowd of people holding up signs with her name on them. They see her face and cheer once more.
"We believe in you!" they shout. "We knew you were good! Keep doing what you do!"
She covers her mouth, tears coming to her eyes. "Oh my god."
The cheers continue as more people join and she finds herself running out of the office and to the front doors. Outside, the group swallows her up with hugs and stories of their own.
"You bringing the regions together helps me see my extended family in Kanto for much cheaper prices!" one woman exclaims after a tight hug.
"With the train in the works, I'll be able to put my degree to good use!" a man cheers, his sign reads 'Thank you, Serena!'.
"You heard us and are bringing the regions together," another woman walks up and puts her hand on her shoulders. "The least we can do is put our support behind you. It's not just us cheering for you, we're all over the regions. Work hard, rest well and don't sweat the small stuff. We're not perfect, but we're in this together."
Tears spill over and she hugs every last one of them. Returning to work ought to be tiring but hearing their stories fuels her to gather a list of all that needs to get done. Elijah helps her delegate most of the list and by the end of the day, their game plan is ready.
"There's a little less than two months until the tourney. Think we can make it?" the soon-to-be former champion grins at her.
Serena puts down the marker and stares at their game plan board with confidence. Gym Leader interviews begin tomorrow with mainly Grand Council members, including three Officer Jenny's. Then the Elites with the Association and those mentioned previously. The G-men will be combed through and rebuilt with the addition of the League in their protocol. Renovations will be done by the end of the year, just in time for the yearly Gala where Serena will be announcing all the changes, including a new champion.
"To be honest, I think it'll go smoothly."
