A/N: Hi, everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
To address a question from a reviewer: I always assumed that Lysandre died when the ultimate weapon/Flare HQ caved in towards the end of the game. So in this story he is dead, gone, pushing up the daisies, etc.
FIVE
Serena woke up the next morning to the sound of her beeping Holo Caster. She rolled over onto her stomach, stuck her arm out, and felt around on her nightstand until her hand landed on the device. She pressed the "Answer" button.
"You have three new messages." The automated voice of the Holo Caster said. "First message."
"Breaking news. Last night around nine-thirty, there was a break-in at the Lumiose Police Station. Surveillance cameras caught footage of a hooded, masked person with a Haunter putting those inside the station to sleep via Hypnosis, and then ransacking the entire station until removing an unidentified object from the collection of contraband. Citizens are asked to keep an eye out for suspicious activity and report it at once to the police."
Serena chortled at the fact that her exploits made the news. She also felt a twinge of panic, wondering if the cameras caught enough of her exposed face to show it was her.
"Next message," said the Holo Caster.
"Serena, it's Bernard. The police stopped by my apartment this morning – I guess they figured out that my Pokemon were what the thief took from the station last night. I told them I didn't know anything and that I hadn't seen my Pokemon since I was arrested. It was so nerve-wracking. What am I supposed to do? I can't move back to Laverre, not since I got laid off from my job at the factory, and it would look bad if I suddenly left town. Do you think you could find out who took my Pokemon and why? I know it's a lot to ask of you, since you've already done so much for me, but I know you're capable of sleuthing around. Talk to you later, I guess."
"Next message."
"Come by the lab today, Serena. We need to talk. You may be able to fool your friends into thinking everything's all right with you, but you can't hide anything from me."
Serena rose to a sitting position, cursing Augustine under her breath as she did. She glanced over to the Holo Caster just in time to see his holographic image shrink back into the device, and the automated voice say "End of new messages." She got out of bed, showered until the water shut off on her, and got dressed. She went into the kitchen, saw that the inside of her refrigerator was practically bare, and resolved to get a Galette for breakfast on her way to the lab.
Before leaving, she recorded and sent a message to Bernard:
"Hey Bernard, this is Serena. I already have a hunch as to who took your Pokemon, but I'm not going to say over this message. There's something else I need to take care of first, and then I'll drop by and tell you everything."
With Eevee scampering along by her side, Serena walked from North to South Boulevard while munching on her Galette and wondering what she was going to say to Augustine. Telling him about Bernard seemed like both a good and bad idea: other people needed to know that something was up with the police, but how would he react if she told him that she was the one who broke into the police station the previous night?
After observing that there was barely anyone out and about this morning, something red caught her eye. She looked to the side, and what she saw made her stomach lurch. There were two people dressed in red suits in an alley, both wearing sunglasses, loading crates into the back of a van. One of them would glance out to the street on occasion, as if to make sure nobody was seeing them. A man and his son were about to pass by, and that suited person turned to his companion and said something Serena couldn't understand.
The two people in red hopped into the back of the van, closed the door behind themselves, and the van drove off into the alley. Serena reached down and scooped Eevee up in her arms (dropping the remains of her Galette on the ground in the process) and sprinted towards that alleyway, taking care to leap out of the way of an oncoming Gogoat. She wound through the alley, past knocked over trashcans and two Trainers having a quick match, listening to the best of her ability for the sounds of the van's engine. Once the sound of the van driving away was lost, she slowed to a stop and looked around, her heart racing and her breath labored.
It made no sense, she told herself. Any reason for Team Flare's existence ended three years ago, with the destruction of the weapon under Geosenge and Lysandre's death. They would be nothing without their fierce, charismatic, passionate leader. Yet Serena knew that regular delivery vans would not go through alleyways to their destination, and nobody else wore suits in that exact shade of red.
The elevator that took her up to Augustine's office moved too quickly for Serena's taste. The whole ride up, she had held Eevee close to her chest for comfort, trying to focus on the feeling of the Pokemon's soft fur under her fingertips rather than the dread building up inside of her.
When the doors to the elevator opened, she stepped out tentatively, took two steps, and stopped when she saw Augustine plucking a book out of a bookshelf. He looked up towards the elevator, and immediately set that same book back in its place.
"It's about time you got here," he said grimly as he crossed the distance between them.
"Good morning to you too," she replied.
Augustine extended his hand to scratch Eevee on the top of his head; Eevee purred in delight. "Won't take long for this little guy to evolve," he commented as his mouth curled into a little smile. His eyes darted up to meet Serena's gaze, and that smile quickly faded.
"Serena, now that we're in a more private setting, do you mind telling me what's going on?" asked Augustine, gesturing for her to follow him around the partition to his desk. Once there, he leaned back against it and folded his arms across his chest.
"Uh . . . well . . . ." Serena bent down and released Eevee from her hold. Before she could invent some academic woes or a random crush on Calem, she took one look into his eyes and saw the concern and irritation there.
"It's the police," she spilled. "They usually don't use their Houndour to attack people, do they?"
"This is about the man who 'disturbed the peace' a couple of days ago, isn't it?" inquired Augustine.
Serena crossed her arms as well. "Bernard? Yeah. It was a cruel thing to do, you know? All he did was talk back to a police officer. It's not like he killed anyone. He shouldn't have been attacked, and his Pokemon shouldn't have been confiscated."
Augustine sighed. "Je sais, mon amie. Teleurac campaigned on a platform of fixing Kalos's problems . . . he should start with that police force. Unless he is in the business of eroding our civil rights –" His facial expression suddenly changed, as if he had a sudden realization about something unpleasant.
"The police station . . . that wasn't you, was it?" he asked her urgently.
"They had no right to do that to him," Serena said firmly.
Augustine groaned. "Why? I thought your days of recklessness were behind you! You're an adult – think about your education and your friends – and your mother!" His hands flew out, gripping her by the shoulders.
"I honestly think I'm the least of their problems right now," said Serena.
Augustine shook his head. "At least you had the common sense to not use a member of your main team to help you . . . but how can you say that?"
"Because on my way here, I saw Team Flare."
The color drained from his face. "Wha- what?"
"They were loading things onto a van and driving off into an alleyway," said Serena, trying to sound persuasive.
"Team Flare disbanded three years ago! Are you sure it was them?"
"I'm pretty sure, Augustine." Serena took a step back, pushing his hands off of her. "Of course, they got away from me before I saw where they went, but if I check those alleys again –"
"Let's go to dinner tonight." Augustine interrupted her. "No excuses, no conflicts, no surprise inspections are getting in our way. And then I think afterwards we should go dancing and stay up far too late, so we can fall asleep the moment our heads hit a pillow."
"That sounds like a date," said Serena, perplexed yet pleased. "Random timing, too."
"I'm serious! I-I . . . I've actually been thinking about asking you out for a while now," confessed Augustine.
Serena opened her mouth, intending to speak, but she felt as if all the words had been knocked out of her. If her mind wasn't preoccupied with Team Flare and the police's actions, she would be thrilled by what Augustine had just said, but for some reason the prospect of going on a proper date with him seemed so inconsequential.
She was saved by the sound of the elevator door opening. A few seconds later, a bald man dressed in a crisp black suit and red tie rounded the partition and located Augustine.
"Are you Professor Sycamore?" he asked.
"I am indeed," replied Augustine. Serena stepped out of the way.
"Just the man I was looking for. I am Alexandre Teleurac, Governor of Kalos – but I'm sure you knew that." Teleurac walked up to Augustine and extended his hand for a handshake.
"Pleasure to meet you, Governor," said Augustine politely.
Teleurac turned his head to make eye contact with Serena. "And who is this?" He slowly slid his hand from Augustine's grip and sauntered over to Serena, his mouth curving into a charming smile that showed off two rows of perfectly straight, white teeth.
"Serena Carlyle," she introduced herself, holding her own hand out with intentions to shake his hand. Instead, Teleurac gently took her hand in his.
"Mademoiselle Carlyle, the League Champion? Oh, enchanté," said Teleurac before he raised Serena's hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to it. "You are far lovelier in person than you are on television."
"Thank you," said Serena. In her peripheral vision, she saw Augustine roll his eyes.
"Are you adapting well to the new conservation policies?" he asked her.
"Yes I am, thanks for asking." Serena said. She took another breath to continue talking, but Teleurac beat her to it.
"Très bien! Perhaps you would like to schedule a time to go to the film studio and shoot a PR video promoting the environmental initiatives? Your star power – and radiant beauty – would be a big boost towards getting more of the public on board!"
"Sure, I'd love to. Governor . . . I think the police department has abused its power in the case of a Mr. Bernard Lecroux. He may have disturbed the peace, but I don't think he deserved to be brutalized and have his Pokemon confiscated over it."
Teleurac nodded his head in agreement feverishly. "Agreed, ma chérie. I shall launch a formal inquiry. Now –"
"Also, I believe Team Flare is resuming its criminal activity." Serena continued.
His face went blank. "Is that so? Well, I'll launch a formal inquiry into that as well. Now, mademoiselle, I would like to have a private conversation with the Professor here, if you don't mind."
"Of course," said Serena agreeably. "I was just leaving anyway." She glanced over to Augustine before taking a step away.
"I'll send you a message about . . . erm . . . what I just suggested," said Augustine.
"Okay," Serena responded noncommittally. She whistled for Eevee to come to her, and then scooped the Pokemon back up into her arms. "Pleasure to meet you, Governor."
"The pleasure's all mine, Mademoiselle Carlyle." Teleurac gave her a crooked smile and watched her as she rounded the partition to the elevator.
Teleurac watched her leave, and then turned back to Augustine once the elevator door shut. "Charming girl," he said. "Professor, I hear you are an expert on Mega Evolution, correct?" He walked towards the shelf holding Augustine's collection of Mega Stones.
"I wouldn't call myself an expert, just a dedicated student of its secrets," said Augustine humbly.
"No matter what you call yourself, you must be very knowledgeable of the subject. Surely there are applications for such a Pokemon's unleashed power outside of battle?" Teleurac asked, using a finger to slowly stroke the top of the Aggronite.
"Honestly, Governor, Mega Evolution has only been a field of serious scientific study for five years now, even if we have been using it for millennia already. I am still working to characterize the phenomenon before I think of broader applications for it," explained Augustine.
"Hmm," muttered Teleurac, now running his thumb over the Aggronite. "Well, Professor . . . how would you like funds to research broader uses for Mega Evolution . . . and a position in the Department of Environmental Sustainability?"