This chapter is named from the Imagine Dragons song. Make sure to give it a listen, I think it suits a lot of things well. Three chapters left for this story, then I have two more before we come back to Serena's direct sequel! It's a long way, but I live for the drama of it all XD Added some lyrics for drama effect, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!


Ever since I could remember,
Everything inside of me,
Just wanted to fit in (Oh oh oh oh)
I was never one for pretenders,
Everything I tried to be,
Just wouldn't settle in (Oh oh oh oh)


Serena paces the kitchen, hot mug of coffee in hand while her father watches with tired eyes. She had a rough night, and though she's sleepy, the churning emotions in her stomach prevents her from taking more sips.

Ever since hearing about what Aaron and the G-men found in Giovanni's gym, she's been on the edge. During the siege on Saffron, the gym was ransacked by Rocket members since all stations were in a frenzy focussing on Saffron, no one saw anything until it was too late.

It's been on lock down for the past few days, G-men agents have been stationed outside to keep an eye on the gym, no one gets in or out without Aaron or Wesley knowing. Giovanni's threat of returning has hit everyone hard and while the news tries not to cover it too much, everyone is on edge.

None more so than Serena. Her Uncle's threat wasn't a joke and she'd be dumb to think he's actually gone. The same can be said for her father, he's double down on keeping his daughter safe. She has one agent guarding her during the day and she gets teleported home each night where two more agents stand watch until she's at work the next morning.

With all the interviews going on with the Association, Council, Gym Leaders andG-men, they've been a small blip on her radar.

"Honey, it's been one day," he tries to soothe her. "The gym was cleared out. It's been under surveillance ever since. Nothing's changed."

"I know, but still," she sighs. "Where is Lance?"

"Here," the red headed man turns the corner and chuckles. He's donning his usual cape, and jumpsuit combo. A look she has been favoring for awhile now, but will never say out loud. "Let's go before you explode."

"Ha ha," she rolls her eyes and sets her mug down in the sink. It's still steaming and she mourns never getting to experience the energizing feel of caffeine.

Aaron has a league pokemon out of its ball as they step outside. The teleport there doesn't reduce her anxiety and she finds herself nearly getting split apart in the process by stepping out earlier than she should. She stumbles out of the space of the league pokemon and steadies herself with a quick shake of her head. Lance and Aaron share a worried glance as she scurries up to the entrance of the gym.

The two cops on duty move to stop her, but pause under her murderous gaze; they back off fully when her father flashes his badge.

"Serena, slow down," Aaron rushes to her side and grabs her hand. "Against all my instincts, I'm letting you see that thing . Blaine has been studying it and said to be extra cautious."

Her shoulders relax and she sighs. "Okay, okay. Lead the way."

Her father smiles and turns on his heel. His broad shouldered outline prevents her from peeking past him, no doubt another way to keep her under control, as they take a more leisure pace through the gym. Lance stays behind her, keeping an eye out for anything that might spring into action with her presence. Her uncle's threat rings clear in his head and, although not upfront about it, he's been paranoid ever since.

Serena remembers the field with bitter nostalgia. She remembers the moment Giovanni stepped out of the hallway and greeted them with a sneer. The feeling of helplessness and terror gripped her then as it threatens to now. As much as she's scared to see what exactly this machine is, she wouldn't be able to live with herself for not getting a peek.

The office comes into view, it's door ripped from the hinges as if to make room for something coming through. She touches the cracked and destroyed frame as if she had the power to discern what happened with that sense.

The rest of the office doesn't stir any new feelings in her. It looks like a standard office, a large wooden desk being the focal point, a coffee table with lounge seating in front of it and bookcases lining the right and left walls. Everything looks ransacked. The desk has been pushed aside, the drawers ripped out and strewn across the room, if there were any papers left behind, the G-men already got them.

She ignores the rest of the room, her eyes honing in on the back wall and widening. Instead of the regular wall, a large glass window lined with metal greets her, it's tilted forward as if to keep watch on something down below. Her heart hammers in her chest as she steps up to the glass and stares at the machine her father described.

Right along the glass runs an elevated platform small enough to fit a line of spectators one person in width. Down below she spies the machine; a tangle of metal arms and wires running up to the ceiling and supported by a wide base with a small interface on the side. At the front of the machinery, sits a rounded platform surrounded by shattered glass, possibly a container?

She flinches at the thought.

"Take your time," Aaron pats her back.

"Has it done anything?" she questions.

"No," her father shakes his head. "We've disconnected all power sources to it. Unless it's running on an off site backup, it's completely disconnected."

"Blaine doesn't know what it is?"

"He's been as baffled by it as us."

Hands trembling, Serena takes a breath. "I don't know what that thing is, but it's making me extremely nervous right now. It's almost familiar but not at all."

"Do you wanna leave?" Lance steps up to her right side.

She shakes her head. "I want to get a little closer."

"Okay," Aaron nods.

He leads the way to the door, sliding it open and greeting the two agents stationed inside as extra security for the visit. Ahead of the door, stairs lead down to the ground floor, where two policemen stand with pokeballs at the ready. They eye Serena before turning to scan the room as she steps in.

She steps a foot into the room and freezes without warning. Lance bumps into her, his hand grabbing her shoulder to steady them both.

He notes her tense muscles with a frown. "Want to take a break?"

"N-no,"she stammers and moves to face the machine from the platform. She repeats her question hoping for a longer answer. "Has it done anything?"

"No, not even when we connected it to a power source," Aaron shakes his head, understanding her need for details. "It's frustrating. Any of the Rockets we did arrest have no idea what it is either."

"Or they're lying," she says in a harsh tone.

"Not everyone knows everything," Aaron responds in a more even tone.

"Right..." she replies and let's it go. Her eyes peer more at the glass scattered on the floor and she frowns. "Do you think it was to hold something?"

Me... the thought slips out of her mind, but leaves an icy stab of fear in her chest.

"That's what Blaine was guessing."

Fear settles into her stomach the longer she stares at the machine. Her eyes trace every line, nut and bolt, memorizing it to describe later in her journal. She recalls the dream she had when she passed out in Cinnabar.

A glass tube... filled with an orange liquid.

She gasps at the image almost coming to life in front of her, it looks strange but maybe it could have been this place?

"I-"

Crash!

The crashing whirr of the machine coming to life in front of them all interrupts her words. Everyone startles into motion, the guards from the stairs call out their pokemon while Serena stumbles backwards. A familiar voice cackles overhead from speakers, forcing the men into action above and below. Her father and Lance grab her, one hand on her the other holding their pokeballs, and dragging her towards the door.

"Don't think so," Giovanni's voice growls over the intercom. A metal covering slides over the window and door, preventing their escape. "A promise is a promise."

"You must be desperate if you're going this far for her," Aaron sneers back towards the ceiling. His arms raise up behind him to keep Serena close as they search for another exit.

"She may have escaped once but let's see how she fares against this! " her uncle snaps in return.

There are a few clicking sounds and wires tossing sparks before the metal arms jerk to life. Serena watches in horror as they grab the agents' Arcanine and Alakazam, tossing them aside as if they weigh nothing. Blue sparks spit out from the ends of the claws at the pokemon, shocking them unconscious. Their trainers are next, Serena watches with horror as the claws swoop down to grab them and slam them against the wall, and shock them unconscious.

"I'll distract the machine, you get her out of here," Aaron rushes forward with his pokeball in hand.

Lance has his pokeball out while pulling Serena to him when both men get wrenched away by a flurry of arms. Serena dodges a third coming for her, missing the chance to catch Lance's or her father's falling pokeballs. There's small clinking sounds as the balls hit the platform and roll to the side out of reach of any of them.

"Rena, run!" Lance shouts while struggling against the metal claws grip.

To where?

She ducks under an arm swooping at her, she slides under the grate and falls to the ground below. The impact forces air out of her lungs and she struggles to find another exit amidst the chaos. Her head swings around to find the interface on the machine glowing faintly and feels a bit of hope rise up at the thought of being able to stop it from there.

Gasping, she heaves herself to her feet and sprints for the interface, her eyes tearing up.

"Don't even try," Giovanni laughs while another arm strikes out at her. Serena dodges, barely missing getting caught, and rolls to the side again. "Come quietly, and no one gets hurt."

This makes her pause and glance up at her best friend and father. Both of them hang in the air, unable to break free and who knows how far away from a nasty shock. They shake their heads at her, urging her to do something when she feels something cold wrap around her ankle.

"Took too long!" her uncle laughs.

"Dad! Lance!" she cries, tears pouring down her face before she slams onto the ground.

Her ears ring with the impact, her jaws snapping shut and nearly catching her tongue in the process. Her hands slip and slide along the grubby floor, looking for anything to give her an edge while she kicks against the claw around her ankle. Her breathing comes out ragged as she gets pulled closer and closer to the machine, the dirt turning into glass cutting her hands as she tries to grasp something.

"Let her go!" Lance demands from above. His voice echoing around the room, hiding the tears springing to his eyes.

That's my best friend. And I can't protect her from this, I'm not strong enough, his head hangs to stare at Ryu's pokeball on the ground. Ryu, we can't fail her. I need you, I need you to use Hyper Beam on that fucking machine! Ryu!

As if summoned normally, Lance watches the dragon type's pokeball tremble, balloon and pop open. White light splashes out in the shape of Ryu preparing a Hyper Beam and aiming it at the machine. Giovanni's shout rings in their ears as the pokemon leans forward and the beam crashes into the middle of the machine. The explosion rocks the room as the pokemon trails the beam upwards and blasts a hole in the ceiling.

The arm clutching Serena tosses her into the air as if she were a doll.

Her scream cuts off when Ryu catches her, his soft scales oddly comforting as her arms wrap around him. She sobs into his neck, uncontrollably. He curls his body around her protectively as she cries in a barely intelligible voice. "I want to go home."

The pokemon grunts, spreading his wings with a sharp movement, and flies out of the hole in the ceiling and away from the smoking gym.

Stuck in the tangle of the arms, Lance and Aaron struggle to free themselves until the coverings slip away and the other agents rush in to help. Aaron and Lance rush to the floor below to grab their pokeballs. Police and firemen arrive within minutes while Aaron barks orders for the dismantling of what's left of the machine and for someone to call Blaine and update him on the situation.

When that's settled, they finally dash outside to find Serena. The two check the surrounding area, wondering if Ryu brought her into fresh air, but spy nothing.

"Where did he take her?" Aaron looks at Lance as they stand by the scene. "She said something to him, but what?"

"I... I don't know," he gazes at the smoke rising from the gym. "I didn't tell him to take her anywhere... You think she's at the house?"

Aaron snaps his fingers in an 'oh duh' moment and calls forth the league Alakazam to teleport them to Blackthorn.

This time the two men nearly get split between locations as they pull away from the pokemon and sprint up the steps of Aaron's home. Through the front door, Espeon greets them with her calm presence. It forces them to come to a halt, and take a breather as she paces the floor in front of them. When they have gathered themselves, she turns on her heel and dashes off to the stairs up to Serena's room.

At the top of the stairs, Rowan waits there with a stern look on her face and some clothes in hand.

"She's fine," she speaks before either of them can reach her. They slow down as she urges them to take a few steps back. "Ryu kept her covered and flew at top speed. She's terrified, but in a bath with Ryu and Ty keeping watch."

"Can we see her?" Lance demands.

" I'll go see her," Aaron interjects. "Go downstairs and tell Rowan what happened, please."

Lance opens his mouth to argue, but stops when Rowan steps between them.

"She's naked, and shaken up pretty badly. I think seeing her father first would be more important."

Unable to argue without revealing too much, to her parents no less, Lance relents and descends back down the stairs with Rowan behind him. Aaron presses on to her room and knocks on the bathroom door gently. Ryu peeks his head out, his massive size blocking the doorway from opening with his body. The pokemon sees who it is and backs up to give him room to enter.

Serena's bathroom is by no means tiny, but both Dragonite and Typhlosion makes it seem so as they crowd the tub. Aaron tugs at his collar, the heat and steam swirling around the room making him sweat as he approaches his daughter. Ty has placed his head towards hers, his body hunched over the edge of the tub while Ryu sits at the end towards the back wall.

"Honey?" Aaron pauses on Ty's left and glances down at her face. Tear streaked and pale she meets his gazes with an odd amount of serenity. "Tell me."

"Not all of that fear was me," she croaks out. She moves all the bubbles in the tub towards herself as she sits up a little more. Her hand reaching out to stroke Ty's soft nose with the shift, she kisses the pokemon's face. "There was something, in my head, telling me what that machine could do. Remember when I passed out in Cinnabar?" At her father's nod she continues, "I saw something like that in my dream. I'm not sure if it's the same, but it is a container."

"What do you want to do?" he kneels down and takes her hand on the edge of the tub. Ty plops his face on their hands, his eyes full of worry and love.

"I can't handle this on top of everything else at the league," she clears her throat. "I'm going to finish out the year, Dad. Then I'm going hunting for whatever's in my head. I know it sounds crazy, but I think Blaine is right. I may be connected to a pokemon and it may be in danger."

Not yet. Aaron tells himself. He can't reveal everything just yet, she's too fragile and it would push her farther from the edge.

"Okay," he nods. "But, I want to do some training with you."

"Ty's strong enou-"

"No, I want to train you ," he replies. "I want you to go through self defense and some basic G-men training. If you're going to be looking for answers out there, who knows where you'll have to go."

She absorbs the info with a slight nod. "Okay," her voice comes out gentle, she manages a chuckle at him. "Trying to make me an agent?"

"Hah," he chuckles. "You never know, you could stumble upon something we may be following."

She smiles and leans on his hand. He watches her turn back into a child in front of him as fear washes over her features and her voice comes out small. "Today really scared me."

"Me too," he mutters and leans forward to kiss her forehead. Now that she's in front of him he feels tears well up in his eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to you fast enough."

"It's okay," she sniffles. "We couldn't have known. I think training is a good idea."

"If you run into trouble out there, tell me," he says in a firm tone. "I will come and get you no matter how far."

"I know you will."

They take a moment to get comfortable in each other's presence after that. Ty watching his trainer for more signs of distress, Ryu surveying the room in case something comes crashing in and Aaron wondering just what his brother got him into.

He leaves her to finish up after a couple minutes, taking Ryu with him and helping the dragonite turn this way and that to fit through the doorway and down the stairs. Lance greets them first, hugging his pokemon tight and taking him outside to talk. The pokemon chuffs at him, nudging his trainer a little rough and with an expectant look.

Lance grimaces and sighs. "I know, I know. She's important to me and we almost lost her today. I'm glad you were there, bud."

"Brraoo!" the pokemon nods before settling his head in Lance's hands for some scratches.

His trainer gives in, feeling a rush of love for his pokemon for literally saving the day and getting Serena to safety. He hates that there has to be this many close calls for his best friend for him to realize he needs to do better. There's so much work to get done, so much training to do to be there for her.

If he even has the right to be.

"Lance?" Rowan calls from the door, interrupting his thoughts.

The young man turns to her, his demeanor closed off with caution. "Yeah?"

"Serena's asking for you," she responds. As he approaches, she puts her hands up and touches his face. "It's okay, honey. No one here is mad at you," she gestures to Ryu hanging back to stay in the yard, "quite the opposite, actually. And if you're still mad at her, fine. Just keep that conviction."

"No, I got the sense knocked into me," he sighs, relaxing in her grip. "I overreacted."

"Did you?" she pulls away and pats his shoulders. "Betrayal cuts deep, remember that."

He nods and ducks into the house after her and scurries up the steps towards Serena's room. An action he's done countless times and yet fills him with anxiety this time around. He steps up to her door and knocks on it gently, another strange action.

It feels wrong.

"Dad?" her voice calls.

He twists the knob and peeks in. "I don't want to make a Daddy joke, so I'm just going to come in."

She snorts and rolls her eyes. "Of course."

He steps into the room and shuts the door behind him with a soft click. Her room has barely changed over the years, the post of him still hangs on the wall and her decorations remain the same. The only thing that changes is Serena, he tries not to stare at how beautiful she is even if her eyes are puffy from crying and she looks pale. It hurts to see her this way, he wants nothing more than to see her looking healthy, smiling even if they're fighting.

Espeon lays at the foot of the bed, snoozing away softly, her body curled up facing her trainer. Ty growls at him, deep in his throat as his body curls around Serena to prop her up to sit comfortably and keep warm.

"Stop it," Serena hushes her pokemon and gestures for Lance to come in and take a seat.

Pulling a chair, Lance does so and watches her with wary eyes. The sweatshirt she wears seems to swallow her, it's color and design look a little familiar, and given the size it might be his. It almost brings a smile on his face to know she still takes comfort in his things.

"How are you?" he mutters, glancing everywhere but her.

"Tired," she sighs and it's so deep he finds himself following suit. "I'm wondering if you'll be able to continue the interviews instead of me."

His head jerks up. "What?"

"I'm... taking a break," she glances away to look at Ty. Her hand reaches up to pet his ear between her fingers. "Today was... terrifying and has opened up so many things for me. I need time to recoup and I can't do it if I'm interviewing and planning the tournament."

Lance watches as Ty's eyes close and he hums in content at his trainer's pet. "You want me to do it?"

"You're not stupid," she chuckles. "I-I'm sorry about what I said. It was dumb of me to believe Proton over you."

"It's okay," he replies. "I shouldn't have been hurt by that because I haven't been as responsible as I should with all of my duties. I got talked to... by Clair and she made some good points. With everything changing, I'm not expecting to jump to the top of the list, especially with how I've acted. I just want to be back in the running for Champion after Elijah."

"Ugh," she reaches up and pinches the bridge of her nose. "This tourney is going to be the worst. If Elijah gets beat, that person is the next champion immediately. Not for the next year, for the next battle even if the next person somehow gets to them in fifteen minutes."

"Well, no one's getting past me," he shrugs as though it were a fact. "Don't worry about all that stuff. That's my job."

"If you have questions, let me know," she relaxes once more. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," he shakes his head. It's quiet for a second, but he takes the chance to take her hand. "You've been covering my ass for so long. The least I can do is my actual job. I'll try not to fuck it up."

"I won't let you," she replies with a grin, squeezing his hand. "Seriously, though. Let me know."

"How about I visit for lunch?" he proposes. Her face lights up and he can't help but laugh as she agrees and forces him to promise to come by for lunch each day. He pops a joke in there and manages to get a laugh out of her and it relaxes him even more.

She leans back against Ty and smiles at him. "Tell Ryu thanks again."

"It'll go to his head," the tamer rolls his eyes. It's quiet for a second and he checks her over again. He realizes the ache in his chest is from missing her and he yearns to spend time with her again. "How are you, Rena?"

"Scared," she admits without hesitation. She relays the dream from Cinnabar and how it compared to the machine in the gym. "I can't shake the feeling of terror just looking at it. There's no way it can be familiar, but it is."

"Nothing's certain," he replies. "Do you want to talk to Blaine?"

"No," she winces. "I am taking a break from that. Let's just focus on interviews and stuff."

"Sounds good."

She yawns after that and Lance takes it as time to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunch."

"Mmhm."

Without thinking, he leans over and kisses her forehead. Her cheeks grow warm and she can't fight the smile on her face as he pulls away. "Sleep well."

She watches him leave and once the door is shut, she nestles into Ty's side as the fire type stretches out to make room for her. The spot his lips touched feels warm and comforting, a fact she wants to forget but smiles about until she's fallen into a deep sleep.

Water runs all around her, she hears the sounds of bubbles fizzing underwater and popping at the surface. Light tempts her eyes open and she sees nothing but the blue sky above the surface of crystal clear water. There's no fear, no stress and no trouble. Her body floats upwards and bursts from the depths to look at the breathtaking view of a mountain in the distance.

It's unfamiliar, but too beautiful to care.

Fluffy clouds float by and a gentle breeze rustles the leaves of a forest surrounding the base of the mountain. Some pokemon cry out and a flock of Pidgey take off from a nearby tree. It's a scene of utter tranquility and Serena drinks it all in.

With the wind dying down, she feels herself sinking further and further back into the water, as if someone were pulling her under as carefully as possible. The mountain changes shape, growing larger until the peak is too far in the sky to see from the ground. It looks oddly familiar...

The water swallows her hole, going from light blue to pitch black as she gets dragged deeper and deeper. She finds it relaxing and closes her eyes.

Opening her eyes into the darkness of her room, Serena glances around to see the time when she finds her traveling book open on her bedside table. Without jostling Ty too much, she leans over to see a picture of Mt. Coronet, over in Sinnoh, facing her. It doesn't look like the initial mountain, but the one she saw while sinking.

With a yawn, she places a bookmark on that page and settles back into her fire type's body to sleep once more. This time with certain knowledge of a plan for the end of the year.


If I told you what I was
Would you turn your back on me?
And if I seemed dangerous
Would you be scared?
I get the feeling just because
Everything I touch isn't dark enough
That this problem lies in me