Chapter 4

Sera picked herself up from the ground beside her unconscious Furret. Their pokemon had fought their best but it hadn't been enough. They lost the battle and Lugia then targeted the trainers. Sera spit out blood from her mouth and tried to stand, every muscle in her body ached, but she couldn't stop now. She couldn't just lie down and let Lugia take her life. Furret and Alzack had fought so hard for her. She had to prove to them she was worth it.

Sera caught sight of Alzack across the expanse of felled trees. He was unconscious, his head lolled on a rock. His pokemon were nowhere to be seen Sera could only hope they hadn't been eaten.

She looked at Lugia who was still raging and shooting fire in the sky as if to show off. I thought this legendary lived by the sea? What is it doing here and why is it trying to kill me? Her questions were unanswered, Lugia came in for another attack but something hit it's face.

"Hey! Ugly!" Alzack crouched by the rock obviously hurt and holding on to the rock for support as he stood up and threw another rock. "Come and get me!" He growled and Lugia roared but readied a wing to blast him away.

"NO!" Sera ran as fast as she could to get to him, she ducked under Lugia's raised wing and turned around to feel a claw slash through her body. The force sent her back. She stumbled and fell to the ground a few feet away.

On the ground she could see dark storm clouds in the sky, it began to rain. Blood rushed through her body and her chest pulsed with pain. She found it hard and breathe and soon hard to hear Alzack's voice. Rain fell in her eyes, she closed her eyes but as soon as she did she fell to the darkness.

Warmth and comfort, Sera felt the warmth and comfort of blankets around her. It was quiet but if she listened she could hear the calls of various kinds of pokemon, one came to her and it sounded so familiar she snapped her eyes open. She heard the call a full grown Maganium, just like the one Mom and Dad used to have, to keep the young pokemon they raised in check.

Sera looked around and noticed she was in a room with a beautiful color scheme. Silver walls were outlined by blue trim and blue furniture. Much like her own room back home. Sera sat up rubbing her bandaged chest to make the pain lessen. Wait-this is my room!? She realized when she saw the pictures of her and Vulpix. Another thought crossed her mind then. If I'm home, then that means...mom...dad? Sera swung her legs over the bed and ruffled through her old drawers for clothes. Some didn't fit her as it had been so long since she'd worn them but in the end she picked the biggest clothes she had and threw them on. A purple tank with denim jeans.

When she looked in the mirror she was pale. Very pale and she looked sickly, she also had the biggest bedhead ever known to man. Sera grabbed a brush and began brushing the tangles out when the door opened a crack.

She turned around a little too quickly when the door creaked and her head exploded. She didn't give in to the pain though, as she looked at who walked in.

It was a man wearing a green apron with a white pokeball logo on it over plaid farmers shirt and dirty jeans. She recognized the gruff face as it had not aged a day in two years. Although his strong jaw line was much more noticeable with a half grown in beard.

"Y-you're awake."

Sera didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Nothing had kept her from coming back home after that night two years ago. She'd woken up in the woods with a massive headache and an even larger Furret looking at her quizzically. Sera tried to come home many times in those two years but nightmares and bad memories always kept her away from it and away from humans.

"I was going to check on your wounds. Your bandages might need to be changed soon." Her father said stiffly. She knew he wanted to say more, to ask her where she'd been this whole time to hug her possibly to yell at her for not coming home. She expected him to do all three but instead, as she sat down on the bed again, he calmly treated her wounds.

There was an awkward silence in the room, it made her wonder if he even knew who she was. She doubted it, she'd changed a lot, cut her hair, grown two sizes and probably looked more mature than before.

Her father removed a few bandages but kept the private parts covered and rebandaged what was needed. "You look like you'll be fine. It's not infected but you're lucky we found you when we did. I don't know how long you had been lying there for but you've been out cold for three days."

"T-three days!?" She questioned and even her voice sounded strangely grown up and different to her ears. Then she remembered something. "Furret is he-?"

"Your Furret friend is fine. We actually found him right next to your body, almost wouldn't let us get close to you to help." He got up and pulled back a window curtain to reveal a yard full of pokemon young and old. A Maganium trailing the younger ones and soothing them with it's scent when they needed it. But there was one pokemon away from the others, huddling under the shade of a dugout. It was Furret. Sera breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he was safe, though he looked rather lonely and out of place. "Doesn't like the other pokemon too much though." Her father observed.

"Furret was abused by all kinds of pokemon even abandoned by it's own parents. He also doesn't trust people at all. Except me."

"It sounds like Furret and you have had a rough time." He turned back to Sera and said; "I'll let you get your bearings before asking you what the hell happened in that forest. My wife will want to know you're awake too. Take your time." He said as he gathered up the bandages and medicines and walked out.

Sera sighed and collapsed on the bed. All she remembered was Alzack, fighting together with him...but they were...defeated? Furret, he was badly hurt from the fight and yet he still protected her afterwards. But how had she ended up with this wound? Suddenly claws and blood filled her vision. She gasped and jumped up startled. Her heart beat got faster and her palms sweatier, Sera's vision was swaying in and out. She had to stop these memories before she passed out. She shook her head and took a few deep breaths. After a few long minutes her heart calmed, her fingers stopped jittering.

Just in time too, as a woman knocked on her door. She called her in. The woman had to be in her late forties, she held her hair in a tight bun, though a few stray hairs fell in front of her brown eyes. Brown like mine. She pushed the thought away as the woman addressed her.

"Hello dear." She spoke but her voice cracked. Sera knew this had to be her mother and that it had to be killing her when her lost child was right in front of her but had to contain herself to keep formalities in case Sera wasn't who she thought she was. "Are you feeling better?"

Sera couldn't contain herself, she didn't want to be treated like a stranger by her parents. That was the last thing she needed right now. Sera got up as the woman came out of the doorway fully. Tears fogged her vision as she threw her arms around her mother's neck. Sera buried her face in Asuka's shoulder.

"Mom." She whispered. Her mother responded by holding her tighter. Her arms rubbed her back reassuredly and Sera felt tears fall into her hair.

"I knew you'd come back. Seraphina...my baby came home." She squeezed tighter and held on longer, but Sera didn't care. After not seeing her mother or father in two years she wanted to ask them so many questions wanted to spend time with them but she knew Furret couldn't stay here, not with so many pokemon that would make him nervous. She also had to find Alzack, she didn't know if her parents knew where he was but she had to ask.

Sera pulled away quickly. "Alzack!" She shouted a little too loud.

"...H-he's not here, darling." She replied sadly.

"No, I know! I have to go find him! The forest and Lugia, he was there!" Sera began running around the room searching for whatever things she'd need for a trip but her mother's hands came down on hers and stopped her.

"Sera! What happened in that forest? What's this about Alzack?"

She looked at her mother's old face sympathetically. "I have to find him." She said and ran past her mother out of the room. Her father was sipping coffee in the kitchen and visibly jumped when she came running by. Sera found the door to the outside and whistled to Furret.

Almost instantly a large mass of fur bowled her over and wetted her face with licks. "Okay, okay! Ha ha ha! Furret stop it!" Furret let her up and she mounted his back.

Asuka and Reylan, her father and mother, came running out of the house. Asuka held on to Sera's leg and looked up at her. "Please don't leave? Sera, we just found you, don't leave again." Her mother was crying.

"Sera what the hell is going on?" Reylan ordered, he didn't ask he demanded an answer.

"Mom, dad…" She hadn't used those words in such a long time they felt foreign. "I have to find Alzack. He's out there in the forest and probably in trouble. I'll be back with him once I find him."

"No, Sera you are not leaving!" Her father stood in front of Furret and held out his hands trying to push Furret back.

"What!? But Alzack-"

"Is dead!" He shouted without hesitation. Sera faltered, her mouth dropped and she stared at Reylan unbelieving what he said. A tear welled up in her father's eye. "He died the day he went out into the storm. We found his body next to Snorunt's...What we didn't find was you. We could only assume you hadn't lived either." Her father grew silent.

Sera kept his words on repeat in her head. He died the day he ran out into that storm. We found his body next to Snorunt's. He's dead...he's dead.

"No…" She said, her vision fogged and she leaned back, pulling Furret with her. "No you're wrong." She said a little louder. "You're wrong!" She was shouting now. "I saw him! I saw him, he saved my life, he's in the forest and now he's in trouble!"

"No he isn't Sera!" Her mother yelled with purpose. "We know. It was hard enough to bury one child but to not even have anything of yours to find…" She shook her head as if to clear away bad thoughts. "And now you want to leave! After we just found you nearly dead in the woods and you want to chase after ghosts?!"

"It was real! I found him mom! I did!" She wept louder, and began pounding her fists on the closest thing. Which unfortunately for him was Furret. Furret cooed in protest and shook his fur a little to get her to stop. She crawled off his back and met with her father's arms. "He's not dead. I saw him...He was alive…." Sera cried into her father's shoulder and allowed herself to be taken inside.

Once inside Reylan and Asuka questioned her about everything, what happened that night two years ago and what happened in the woods. She told them everything without hesitating. Then her parents asked her something that made her speechless.

"Sera, why didn't you come back to us?"

She was silent for a while searching for a reason, searching for the words to say that would make it okay. Before she answered her father stood up.

"It doesn't matter. You're here now." He smiled and hugged her. Sera felt a feeling well up inside her core that warmed her bones.

Then her father got serious. "But this Alzack you met. Who is he really?"

"I don't know but he seemed confident we were siblings."

Asuka grew distant and her eyes wandered off. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"That's why I have to find him. I need to know the truth, and if he's even alive."

"There's one thing I don't understand though." Her mother stopped her before she could stand up. "Lugia is supposed to be the protector of the seas, why would he come here and more than that why would he attack you...twice?"

"I don't know. Maybe Alz-the other kid will know." She corrected herself. Then to her parents worried faces she said, "Don't worry Furret and I will be back as soon as we get the answers." Sera gave her parents a confident smile and hoped it didn't portray what she really felt inside.

Her father reached out a hand and grabbed hers. "I trust you." He said which made Sera's smile larger. Her mother was less confident of letting her go but she agreed.

Soon her and Furret were racing through the forest once again.