If you have read the story before this one, Truth Be Told, there is a character we know returning here. They had a short appearance at the beginning of the story, but now we see a different POV of them. This is where we see Layla and Serena's lives intertwining here. Also, just a head's up, I will be switching to every other week for posting updates. With work getting crazy busy, I can barely keep myself fed, so that will be the schedule for the rest of this fic. I appreciate your patience!

Reading up on Team Rocket only made Layla furious. Her search has brought her to Lavender Town. The place of the infamous Marowak Incident; the murder of a mother Marowak protecting her cub. She didn't want to visit but after reading up on the story, a reminder really since she read it in the news years ago, she had to pay respects to the late pokemon.

And to Mr. Fuji.

His work has inspired Layla to become a nurse, taking in wild or previously owned pokemon until they either find a home or can take care of themselves. When she was younger and in school, she wrote a letter to him, telling him about her dream to work with pokemon and he wrote back. He was sweet and encouraging, wanting her to chase that dream and she did. She's met him only once when she was in Nursing School, he came to lecture. He was kind, polite and still supportive.

His house for abandoned pokemon, for various reasons, is the most popular way to get volunteer hours for any program. He welcomes all with open arms and an open mind.

The one part of this trip Layla knows she will enjoy.

"Welcome!" A receptionist greets her with a grin. "Here to work?"

"Here to drop off flowers for the Marowak shrine. Is Fuji around?"

"Sure thing!"

Since the body was dumped, Fuji created his own grave for the Marowak sitting outside by the yard. It's kept safe behind a gate, unlocked during certain hours of the day Fuji can keep an eye on it and closed after that. It's quite common for someone to walk in and request it be opened as the story has touched the hearts of people across both regions and Fuji believes in pokemon getting their due respects.

Mr. Fuji comes when called, his face set into his usual smile as he hobbles over cane in hand. The cubone at his feet gazes at her warily and she feels a stab of sadness for the little pokemon.

"Hello there," Fuji greets Layla. Recognition dawns on his face and he grows happier. "Layla!"

"Hi, Fuji," she laughs.

"I was wondering when you'd come by," he gestures for her to follow him back out the door.

"I was doing some research and got reminded of this terrible story," she sighs.

Fuji opens the gate to the humble shrine he built himself. It sits on a pedestal reaching her hip in height. Built of mud and clay, it houses a picture of a Marowak on top of a stone slab describing the event. With a swirling stream of water around it, it looks peaceful and serene.

Cubone whines, near tears, but seems better when Layla lays a couple flowers amongst the assortment of gifts offered.

"Oh? What type of research?"

"I've been looking into Team Rocket."

Layla can feel his demeanor change like a flip of a switch. He goes from happy and casual to guarded and tense. Normally, the name causes people to act fearful and wary. Given the shrine though, she can let this reaction go, Team Rocket is the reason the shrine exists in the first place. It makes sense he gets tense thinking about that day.

"Why on Earth are you doing that?" he finally speaks, closing the gate.

"I had a run in with them, I thought it was a one time thing, but apparently not."

"I don't think it's wise," he shakes his head. "They're ruthless killers in all forms of the word, you're actively searching for evil."

"So I'm learning," she replies in a heavy tone.

He grunts. "Did your research lead you to Marowak? Or me?"

She frowns. "Marowak. I mean, you are in the article too."

"I will not be questioned about anything pertaining to Team Rocket," he continues on in a huff. "Those days are over."

"What?" She frowns harder. "What do you mean 'those' days?"

"Mr. Fuji! The pokemon are fighting again!" One of the volunteers calls from the door.

"I told that man I had no idea about it and I will stand by that," Fuji grumbles. His hard eyes turn soft as he regards Layla. "Please stop this. You'll regret what they'll do to you. Even just associating with the name."

Shock renders her speechless as he hobbles away, bidding her farewell and to return soon.

What just happened?

Layla shudders and takes a walk to process everything, her mind reeling from the info just received. Maybe he wasn't reacting to what happened to Marowak.

Then what?

He'd been a part of Team Rocket? He got out and lives life with regret, then?

It would make sense why he created the house here in Lavender if he did want to repent meaningfully. When had he left the organization?

Layla's thoughts prevent her from seeing the looming figure in a nearby alleyway or the hand that reaches out and jerks her backwards. A strangled sound escapes her lips at the force of the being pulled back by the collar of her shirt. Her hands fly back to ease the fall as her back slaps the ground. The air rushes out of her lungs, leaving her breathless as the world spins around her. Pain explodes at the back of her head as she gasps for air.

"The first time was a coincidence," a voice snarls at her. It's familiar and Layla blinks away the darkness, her mouth moving like a Magikarp to get air into her lungs, as Archer glares down at her. "Now, it's interference."

She can feel the panic set in, the tingling feeling grips her body as if pulling her into the ground beneath her. Her gaze drops from Archer's to find Houndoom glaring right at her, past her feet. This sets off her heart, slamming into her chest threatening to explode. The pokemon growls deep in its throat, the noise making her body vibrate and unable to move.

The inclination to create illusions goes out the window. Not with Houndoom this close, she can't think straight.

"Now that I know you won't do your little magic trick," Archer kneels down a few feet away, blocking her view of Houndoom as the pokemon rounds his trainer. "You're sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong. Normally, I'd be impressed, but instead I'm annoyed."

Houndoom snaps his jaw at her, making Layla flinch and whimper as she crawls backwards. Her legs scuff the ground as she tries to be quick but her limbs feel heavy, making her clumsy.

"This is your only warning," he growls at her, snapping his finger.

Her head jerks up to see Houndoom rounding Archer's side and lunging at her. The pokémon's teeth shine in the light in the alleyway, her breath gets stuck in her throat as she tries to scream, tossing her hands up as he collides with her body. The world spins as her head smacks into the dumpster behind her, but terror pulls her back as the sting of his teeth grip her neck.

Houndoom's hot breath burns where his teeth threaten to pierce the delicate skin of her neck, his searing drool drips over her skin and his weight bears down on her. Unable to move, her eyes roll up to the sky, her body becoming limp as she accepts her fate.

Willing this moment to be over. The thrum of Houndoom's body over hers drives her skyrocketed pulse further.

"If I run into you again, the next snap kills you. Do not test me."

Tears fill Layla's eyes as the pokemon lets her drop to the ground with an unceremonious plop. She sobs to herself, curling into a ball, watching Archer disappear out of the alleyway. Her blurry vision distorts him and his pokemon as he does so.

Nothing feels real, her body, the ground or the sky above her. Her ears ring with the sound of Houndoom breathing down her neck and Archer's threat.

A flash of light catches her eye and Pocha leans down in her blurred vision, his blue eyes filled with fear and worry. He opens his beak to let Icy Wind cover her face, the bite of the cold against her skin forces her to the present. She gasps for air, struggling to sit up while checking her neck wounds.

Tiny pinpricks of blood speckle her fingers red when she pulls them away to check. Touching them stings, but they're not open wounds.

Pocha drags her bag over, knocking her phone out of it and shoving it towards her.

"I-I don't," she cries. She doesn't want to deal with her parents freaking out right now.

They'd be furious if they found out what she'd been doing behind their backs, even if it started as a visit to Fuji.

Amongst her belongings, her eyes flash to Wesley's card and she scrambles for it. Her fingers fly across her phone screen without thinking. Someone needs to get her, but Eusine is busy and Morty... Well, she can't scare him away with this and he has no pokemon to get him here fast enough.

She crosses her fingers, eyes closed, as it rings a few times.

"Hello, this is Lance." The champion answers formally. "Wesley is out of the office right now."

"L-Lance?" Layla sniffles, unable to contain herself much longer.

"Layla? What's wrong?" his voice changes immediately to worry.

She wipes her tears. "Don't say anything to my mom, please. I'm in Lavender Town."

"Send me your location, I'll text this number."

They hang up and Layla does as told when she receives his text and she brings her knees up to control her breathing. The blood from her neck trickles down to her shoulders, her elevated heart rate making them bleed more than they should. Every once in a while, Pocha uses Icy Wind to keep her from delving back into a panic attack.

Layla goes over any and all comforting thoughts to keep herself in check. While the world spins around her, she thinks of her parents, of Eusine and his excitement in finding the trio, and of her time with Morty. She could really use some tea after this.

Footsteps pull them both from their bubble, Pocha takes a step in front of her ready to attack until he sees its Lance. The pokemon steps aside, allowing Layla to meet the golden eyes of the champion. Relief floods her body and she slumps against the dumpster.

"Layla," he breathes, rushing over with Dragonite and Alakazam behind him. "Who did this? What happened?"

Beside him, Pocha pops back into his ball while Layla struggles to form a sentence. Lance glances around the alley, behind him and upwards as if the answer will be found in the evidence. He sees a familiar paw print and understands immediately.

"Okay, okay," he hushes her, grabbing her bag and zipping it up. "Let's get you to a hospital first."

She struggles to stand, her legs trembling and weak, as the world continues to twirl around her. It's frustrating, even after telling herself that Archer wouldn't come back with Lance around, her body won't come down from the terror.

She's safe, everything is going to be okay. So why won't her body listen to her?

Lance sees her struggle and the tears gathering in her eyes and nods for Ryu to carry her. The pokemon grunts, stepping towards her to gently lift her up and shield her with his wings. Layla's head sits against the pokemon's chest, blocking her view of the world. It reminds Lance of the day Ryu saved Serena...

He shakes his head, pushing the memory away to focus on here and now.

Face dug into Ryu's scaly chest, Layla prays no one stops Lance for a photo or to freak out as they cross a couple streets to the clinic. He gets her checked into a private exam room and waits while the doctor cleans and bandages her wounds. Houndoom teeth, and mouths in general, hold a chemical that causes skin to feel warmer than normal. So Layla sighs in relief when the nurse applies a cooling cream before the antibiotic one.

Within fifteen minutes, the doctor and nurse are out the door, leaving Lance to watch as Layla nurses a mug of juice. He waits a minute more, expecting a story but realizing she went through a lot for her to call his father instead of her own.

"U-um, thank you," she clears her throat. Her brain feels fuzzy and she's exhausted. "I'm more glad it was you that picked up."

He tries to ignore that and crosses his arms. "What happened?"

"I...I ran into Arc-Archer," she stutters, setting the cup aside. Lance nods, so he was right from the paw print in the dirt. "I came here to pay respects at the Marowak shrine..."

She describes what happened all the way to Lance getting her, from her first dive into Team Rocket's past to now. It feels worse to talk about it, out loud, while it's still fresh and under Lance's harsh gaze. She deserves it, though, playing a detective with no training or understanding of all involved.

"Here," she inhales, grabbing her bag to pull out her notes. "I'm sure you're aware of everything in there. This is just me leaving it all alone."

Lance takes it, his eyes never leaving hers as he absorbs the story, and sets it on the counter. It's silent for a few seconds until he sighs and takes a seat next to her. The bed dips a bit under their shared weight and Layla resists the urge to lean on him.

"You and I are more alike than I thought," he says in a gentle tone.

Layla feels soothed by it, though realizes what he said and frowns. "What?"

"I'm serious," he laughs. "I got Serena into the worst trouble... I just thought it'd be harmless if I, we, investigated by ourselves. We were teens, though."

She manages to laugh back. "Oh, god. That sounds like Eusine and I."

"Why-Why do you feel safe with me?" he blurts out after a moment. "You've said it before, and again today."

"Well, you're the champion," she tries to joke, but the intense air in the room has her sigh and try again. "I'm kidding. I just assumed since I pissed you off, you'd be less inclined to tell my parents, like an asshole. You're a strong trainer and have this resting bitch face that no one would mess with."

It's his turn to laugh, he holds his stomach and leans back. It fills the room and even brings a smile to Layla's face watching him. Tears show in his eyes when he finally calms enough to take a breath.

"I have been an asshole," he sighs and Layla sees the sorrow in his eyes. "And... and it's because I don't know how to handle it. Her leaving, I mean... maybe I've always been this way."

Layla reaches out to touch his shoulder, surprised he doesn't pull away and surprised he's opening up so much to her. "From what she told me years ago, I know you're not. An idiot? Yes. Asshole? No."

His eyes widen as he looks up at her. "You know Rena?"

"Yeah, we met when she was volunteering in Cerulean."

"That's right," he scoffs. "Leave it to Rena to volunteer at the beginning of her journey."

She snorts. "That's what I was thinking."

"I'm sorry for being an ass," he huffs. "I won't tell your mother as long as you do."

"I will," she sighs, pulling her hand away. "And it's okay, I'm not going to pretend to know your life because I don't need it to be understanding."

"I appreciate that."

"I'm sorry for assuming you don't care about things other than your fame."

"And I was the asshole?"

She smacks his arm. "You're a great Champion Lance, I'm sure she's proud."

He flinches at her words, making her frown and take on a gentler tone.

"You know, if you ever need to, my door is open anytime," she smiles. "I always make extra food and I feel like you need someone that doesn't know the whole story."

Lance drinks that in, his heart warming at the gesture of friendship from someone who cares. With Jax traveling his list is short. Karen and Will were in the thick of it and pity him, it's clear in their eyes, so they're not the first he thinks of to go to. Without Serena there to temper her attitude, Clair is definitely not on the list of people to go to when he needs it.

Layla knows Serena and treats Lance like a friend despite the apparent disagreement. If she knew the story, he doubts she would treat him differently, and he's already confided in her. She's level headed and unafraid to stand up to him when he's being a jerk.

"I'll try and take you up on it," he says as truthfully as possible. "You might hate me, though."

Her hand reaches up to stroke the scar on her arm at his words, she smiles softly at him. "Nah, I doubt it."

They sit in that silence for a bit, Layla recovering from the events while Lance deals with the momentary break from life with a new found friend. It's a strange feeling being understood by someone with a loose connection to your life. If Serena liked Layla, then he sees himself liking her too.

Right now though, he feels awful for what she's been through. He remembers seeing Archer for the first time in the casino basement in Celadon years ago. There were chills running down his back then, and those same chills run down his back now. Just seeing the man the first time, he knew there was a dangerous aura cloaking him, seeing Layla now only proves it more.

He waits for her to finish her drink, giving her enough time to come down from her panic and think clearly, before checking her out. The nurses give her some wraps for her neck and wish her well on the way out. At the entrance, Lance holds the notebook close as she promises to stay out of trouble.

Alakazam teleports her home and he stares at the spot she once stood, worry clear in his eyes. She had gotten close to something in Lavender town and almost died for it. Whatever Fuji is hiding he'll have to tread carefully to figure it out...

OoO

True to her assumption, Preston freaks out, rushing to her to examine her wounds. He asks a flurry of questions in his doctor voice, turning her head this way and that as he re-wraps her neck, worried about infection.

Juniper returns home, also in a rush after a message from Preston, asking the same questions. Layla stays quiet, rolling her eyes here and there as they don't give her a chance to speak.

"I ran into Archer while in Lavender Town after reading up on an article about Team Rocket!" she finally blurts out as Juniper makes coffee for them all.

"Honey, what did I say?" her mother glares at her.

"Yes, I know," she holds up her hands. "I just... His Houndoom is the one that attacked us years ago. I was trying to figure out a way to tell you, but I needed evidence! Then I got sucked into a whole thing with them... I'm sorry."

"You were gathering evidence?" her mother sounds incredulous, and it's made worse when she crosses her arms. "To tell me?"

"Yes, I wasn't going to come to you and sound crazy," Layla replies. "I have no proof it was the same one except this gut feeling."

"Then I would have listened," her mother states, looking sad. "Honey, I will always listen to your gut, whether it's wrong or not. I appreciate you wanting to get evidence, but for this? It's dangerous.

"For future reference, I only want evidence from my co-workers. Not from my family. I'm sorry that wasn't clear."

It makes sense, Layla supposes she got caught up in the excitement of investigating under her mother's nose into dangerous situations. Uncovering secrets in a past everyone's been dying to put to rest. She supposes it was her parents' ability to leave it alone that made her keep quiet about it. If she found the truth, they couldn't ignore it.

When she says as much to her parents, they settle at the table, Juniper sliding the coffee across the tables to them. Layla accepts the cup though she wishes it were Morty's tea instead, probably the goal he had in mind the whole time. The thought of him brings a smile to her face as Preston clears his throat.

"We get it," he states, tenting his hands in front of him as if speaking with a patient. "We have been ignoring the attack, at least that's what it looks like. Your mother joined the G-men to see if she could figure out what happened."

"Yes, I know," Layla nods.

Preston shakes his head to continue. "The thing is, she hasn't found anything on who was here that night. Now, suddenly, this man- Archer- appears and his Houndoom is the one who attacked you."

"Us," she corrects him with a hard stare. "He attacked us. I refuse to be the only victim."

"We understand, honey," Juniper interjects. "I should have been more vocal about my own investigations with you. You already know Archer isn't the man who tranquilized me, but if the pokemon was his; then the man that did attack is from Team Rocket."

"Right," Layla nods. "But now, I'm not going to be looking into it anymore." She stares down at her mug, tears coming to her eyes. "Th-that was so sca-scary. I thought... I thought I was going to die."

Her parents take her hands in theirs, their brows furrowed with worry. Juniper speaks first. "I'm going to find him and kill him."

"Me first," Preston joins in.

"Get in line," Layla manages a laugh.

They share a laugh, Juniper squeezes her hand. "What have you been up to? I want to know all that you did."

Layla describes everything she'd been doing since that night in Cam's office. The list she found to visiting Sabrina in the hopes of figuring out the mystery girl on the SS Anne. It brings it back to what happened today and what led up to that. She finds herself shaking by the end and in tears once again.

Her father sighs, squeezing her hand tighter. "I understand why you would do it, but I am angry that you knew the danger of it and decided that was the reason you weren't going to tell us anything."

"I'm sorry," she sighs.

"We know you are," Juniper adds in, touching her daughter's chin. "You've already suffered the consequences, so we won't add to it."

"Thanks," she takes her hands back to wipe her tears. "I promise I won't do anything too crazy like that again."

Juniper gets up to cook some dinner while Layla washes up in her old room, she lets out Pocha and Belle for company as she changes into comfier clothes. Her mind buzzes with anxiety and fatigue as she gets the bath going, the steam offering her comfort and warmth. She remains careful of her neck, sinking into the tub with a relaxed sigh as she forces herself to relax.

The flashes of Archer's face and the ghost of painful pinpricks from Houndoom's fangs, tease at the edge of her consciousness. She wants nothing more than to dip beneath the water's surface and block out the world. It was stupid to think she could do something, but the feeling of figuring out the mystery only propels her to look that much harder.

She dashes the thought and gets ready for dinner, smelling the aroma of beef from the kitchen. She texts Eusine to let him know what happened, ensuring he knows she's okay so he doesn't flood her phone with messages and calls. Or worse; bust down her front door and pamper her with too much attention.

"Do you want to stay here for a few days?" Preston asks, wrapping her up in a blanket. "The pokemon would love that."

She debates it in her mind, then her phone rings. The sound makes her jump, but she pulls her phone from her pocket to see Morty's name flashing across the screen. Unable to stop it, the smile that forms on her face makes her parents stand closer and eye her with blatantly curious looks.

"Um, I should take this... outside," she stammers, gesturing to the back door.

"Feel free to let us know who it is when you're done!" her mother calls after her.

Ducking out the door, Layla answers after a calming breath. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you okay? Eusine texted me, you were attacked?" Morty speaks in a flurry.

Hearing his breathlessness makes her smile even harder as her father's Empoleon ambles up to her on the deck. "Y-yeah. I'm at my parent's house now, Lance took me to the hospital."

"Are you okay?" he repeats, a bit calmer than before.

"Kind of," she admits, biting her lip. "I-I... It was scary. I really thought I was going to die."

"Layla... I'm glad you're alive," he says after a brief pause. "You don't have to tell me about it today, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you going to be staying with your parents?"

"I don't know yet," she shrugs, leaning against Empoleon. "I won't be looking into Eusine's list anymore. I know that for sure."

"Good," he replies. "If you need a break, you can always come visit. Nox wouldn't mind being spoiled more."

Her chest warms at his words, and she buries her face in Empoleon's feathers for a second. When her heart settles down, she returns to the phone. "Yeah, I'll definitely let you know when I want to come by. I'll definitely need some tea too."

"Of course, that's required. If it was possible, I'd have an IV set up for you."

Layla bursts out laughing at that. "That doesn't surprise me, but it'd come in handy for sure."

The conversation flows into less intense topics, once Layla is feeling better she promises to message him if she wants to come by and he welcomes the idea. They hang up, Layla buries her face in the water type's feathers once again and screams a bit. The pokemon jumps at the feeling, but allows her to do so, chirping at her when she pulls away.

"He's just... such a sweetheart," she answers him. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him."

The pokemon grunts and she takes it as her cue to head back inside and face the interrogation her parents no doubt have planned. Mom will be 'bad' cop and Dad will be 'good' cop. The difference is Mom will ask if they're dating while Dad will ask basic info, what's his name? Oh, the gym leader? How do you know each other?

Layla settles at the table across from her parents, already waiting patiently and smiling at her as though nothing had happened.

"So, that was Morty?" her mother asks first.

Layla starts. "How did you know?"

"Eusine came by and talked about your discovery and mentioned you and Morty getting along," she replies, then winks. "I just didn't think it was this well."

She rolls her eyes. "Stop it. He's a good friend."

"And a gym leader," her father grins. "He's a hardworking man, then."

"I mean, I guess."

"Is he cute?" her mother asks with a straight face.

"Mom! I just said he's a good friend."

"That smile said otherwise, my love."

"Stop it."

Her father holds up his hands. "We're just reading the signs."

"Guys!"

"It was just one of those smiles I used to make when your father would call."

"Guys!"

Her parents dissolve into laughter after that, easing her into dinner as they stay away from hard topics for the sake of their sanity tonight. Layla opts to stay for the night, unsure if she wants to prolong staying in Kanto after tomorrow. Hot food in her stomach and a long shower later, Layla collapses into bed feeling as though the world is weighing her down.

She stares at the ceiling as the house quiets down and the Hoothoot chirp outside. Summer is nearing its peak and she refuses to let this be the end of the potential fun she could be having. With or without Morty.

Leaving Team Rocket stuff behind is easier said than done. Even with what happened today, Fuji's words keep rearing their head as she recounts the way he acted. He knows something. He did something. And someone asked him about it before, couldn't have been Archer, Fuji was way too casual when she caught up to him.

So was it Lance? Or someone else in the G-men?

She shoves the thoughts away, leaving them for a different day, it's all too much to think about right now. The marks on her neck feel fine, her father re-bandaged them after her shower, but they're a reminder of how close she was to death today.

Instead, she turns her thoughts to Morty and their phone call today. He was so kind and it relaxed her to hear his voice over the phone. She closes her eyes, breathing in deeply to try to calm her emotions. Her mind swirls around him, the way he worried about her and how he was willing to lend her Nox to feel better...

It's what good friends do, right?

He's been huge in supporting her. Just thinking of him makes her smile and she falls asleep like that, a smile on her face and Morty on her mind.