FOURTEEN
"Serena, we're going to a party. Could you at least pretend you're enjoying yourself?" Augustine asked, giving her hand a squeeze. He had noticed the subtle scowl on her face.
"He's making us miss Tierno's show for this," grumbled Serena. She looked ahead, seeing that the two of them were not too far away from Hotel Richissme. Christmas trees were in the windows, decorated with glimmering garlands and colorful ornaments.
"I know, and I honestly thought the party would be later in the evening . . . but he's my boss, so I'm required to go, and he wanted me to bring you along too."
Serena sighed. "Nothing like a Team Flare Christmas party to get you in the holiday spirit."
The two of them entered Hotel Richissme, finding a posted sign that directed attendees of the State Christmas Party down a hall into the Main Ballroom.
"But really, why did I have to come?" asked Serena. Up ahead in the hallway, she saw a small group of well-dressed people talking outside the entrance to the ballroom.
"Anyone who's anyone will be here. I know you try hard to live a normal life and forget that you're famous, but it's not a party for the rich and powerful unless the Champion is here." Augustine told her. "Besides, if you didn't come along I'd be bored to tears."
"Isn't Diantha supposed to be here?" Serena let go of his hand and started unbuttoning her off-white peacoat.
"I suppose . . . that reminds me. We need to make sure there's plenty of distance between her and the Governor at all times. She doesn't care for him."
"Who does, though?" Serena said. She shimmied out of her coat and draped it over her arm, then looked back up at Augustine, expecting him to react to her previous statement. Instead, he was scanning up and down her body, taking in the sight of her green satin dress, pausing for a split second as his eyes rested on the dress's sweetheart neckline and the small amount of cleavage it revealed.
"I, um, don't think I've seen this dress before," he commented, fidgeting with his bowtie and tuxedo jacket.
"It's new," said Serena idly. She noticed how his eyes darted between her face and her neckline. "I'm up here, sir!"
"Are you sure Christmas can't come early for me?"
Serena whacked him in the arm. "You're such a teenage boy sometimes."
As soon as their coats were handed to the coat checker outside the doors, Serena and Augustine entered the ballroom. The room was circular, illuminated by a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling in addition to the dimmed ceiling lights. Pillars were wrapped in gold and silver garlands, and Christmas trees were stationed along the walls. A jazz band was playing soft Christmas tunes to help set the mood.
Diantha, dressed in a sleek black evening gown, was the first to see Serena and Augustine. She rushed forward and hastily greeted them, holding her glass of wine out of the way as she did.
"So great to see you, my darling friends!" she said exuberantly.
"Who are you here with?" Serena asked her. She scanned the floor, looking for any sign of Teleurac.
"I came here as a group with the Elite Four – well, just the three I'm still speaking to, at least," said Diantha.
Augustine gave her a puzzled look.
"Did I not tell you about what Malva said to me? Apparently I need some work done or something so I can remain young and beautiful for my acting career – I am so tired of hearing that from people! And then I asked her what kind of rumors had been going around about Governor Teleurac, since she has a good working relationship with the man and I like to know these things. She seemed so offended by my curiosity, I – I – ugh." Diantha gulped down some of her wine, then cleared her throat. "Anyway, come have some food and drink! It's actually quite good."
Diantha led them to a long table laden with trays of finger foods and glasses of red and white wine. Serena scanned the food in front of her, most of which was arranged in foot-high stacks, and wondered if limiting food consumption did not apply during the holidays. She and Augustine prepared themselves plates of food, grabbed drinks, and joined the crowd of people behind Diantha, making small talk with the other partygoers, which included the Gym Leaders. She posed for a selfie with Viola, and then she and Augustine posed for Alexa, who wanted a publicity photo.
"I had to get a picture of you two. Kalos's top power couple, on your first major public outing since the Le Wow incident? People will love it!" Alexa said gleefully after getting a picture that satisfied her.
Serena locked eyes with Augustine, to find he was amused as she was. "Hear that? We're Kalos's top power couple!" she informed him, giggling.
Soon, Serena realized she did not need to pretend to enjoy herself. When Korrina came around to talk to them, she and Serena got into a lively discussion about roller skating techniques and playfully made fun of Augustine for his inability to keep his balance while skating. ("You'll have to help me teach him, Korrina. He's hopeless.") Augustine got his revenge when Siebold stopped by; the two men discussed cooking and recipes, and Augustine mentioned how Serena couldn't make crepes to save her life. After laughing at the joke which came at her expense, Serena glanced over to Diantha; the older woman's laughter quickly faded into a grimace as she looked on past their little group. Serena followed her line of sight to see Malva, who was dressed in a revealing red gown and pretending to be interested in the prattling of the Lumiose Museum Curator. Malva glanced away from the curator, and her eyes met Serena's.
"I wouldn't be surprised if something was up with her," Diantha suddenly leaned over to Serena and whispered in her ear. Serena didn't respond; she wanted to give Diantha some confirmation, but didn't know how to go about that or if this was even a good moment. Once she and Malva were done glaring at one another, both women turned back to their respective groups.
Valerie floated into the group next, pulling a sprig of mistletoe out of the sleeve of her velvety red furisode. "Would anyone care to partake in this Christmas tradition?" she asked, holding the mistletoe out to them. Augustine snatched it up and held it over Serena's head. He then bent down and gave her a brief kiss, using his free hand to cup her chin and tilt her head up to him. She heard the click and shutter of Viola's camera. When the kiss was finished, a blushing Serena stole the mistletoe from Augustine and used it to give Valerie a light peck on the cheek.
"She wanted someone to kiss her, you silly man," she said to Augustine. Valerie giggled daintily before moving on, her mistletoe in hand.
Making sure that Diantha was engrossed in conversation with Wulfric and Olympia, Serena and Augustine made their way back to the long table to grab some more food and drink. Teleurac was standing at the table, preparing a glass of wine for himself.
"Ah, Professor Sycamore! Mademoiselle Carlyle! I was wondering when I would see you two here!" Teleurac greeted them jovially. Augustine gave a polite smile, while Serena maintained a stony expression.
"This is a wonderful party, Governor," said Augustine, gesturing out to the ballroom.
"You think so? Why merci. I aim to pull out all the stops – in a sustainable manner, of course. All the refreshments here come from organic ingredients – no chemical treatments or genetic modifications of any sort." Teleurac had a sip of wine, and then turned to Serena. "You look absolutely gorgeous tonight, Serena." He commented, his eyes glancing down at her neckline.
"Um, thank you." Serena said, uncomfortable with the words that had just come from his mouth, as well as the fact that she was in the same space as him.
"Professor, do you mind if I have a minute alone with Serena? Just to talk?"
"Of course," agreed Augustine, although he sounded and looked concerned. He turned to Serena, taking hold of her free hand. "I'll be over with the others," he told her before leaning in to kiss her cheek. He then departed to rejoin Diantha and the Gym Leaders.
When Augustine had left, Teleurac grasped Serena's shoulder. "Follow me, please," he said, leading her away from the refreshment table and over to one of the columns. Serena glanced back at the center of the room, noting how almost everyone else was in that large group, and her mind began to run rampant with ideas of what he could possibly want to discuss with her. At the same time, her stomach began twisting into knots.
"Serena, you know that we are exploring Pokemon as a source of energy for Kalos. And I know that you are not a fan of such explorations. Pokemon are killed, and that is regrettable. But I think if we tapped into Mega Evolution, we could save some lives," he said calmly, studying her face. She kept her expression neutral, hiding her loathing and her dread of what he was going to say next.
"I would like for you to submit your Charizard, Lucario, and Ampharos for testing immediately, as well as be present so you can Mega Evolve them – keep in mind that they would be in the very capable hands of Professor Sycamore, so you'd have no reason to worry for their –"
"Not a Snover's chance in hell of that happening." Serena snapped.
"I don't recall asking you if you wanted to submit them."
"I don't care. You can't have them."
Teleurac sighed.
"Do you remember that you agreed to cooperate, and do exactly as I told you?" he asked her threateningly.
"I remember. You threatened to kill Augustine. Go ahead – do it. Good luck finding another Mega Evolution researcher to help you with your cruel plans," Serena replied coolly, although she felt like lashing out somehow. She glanced away from him to confirm that Augustine was still amongst the group of people he had joined.
"What makes you think we're planning anything, hmm?" asked Teleurac.
"Please. If your intentions were so great, why have a facility underneath the city? Why not be public about who you really are? Why put up walls around Centrico Plaza while you build a park? Why are you so scared of me?"
"I'm not scared of you. I have Team Flare, the Kalosian Guard, and the police force at my disposal. You are one Pokemon Trainer – a remarkably talented one, I'll admit – but you are still only one. I have no reason to fear you."
"And yet I'm under constant surveillance and my boyfriend wears a wire, to ensure his silence . . . these 'foreign ears' that have heard rumors about you, who are they? President Oria in Unova? Prime Minister Bexx of Johto? Doesn't matter; I can just give them all Christmas Holo Caster calls from inside Centrico Plaza. They'd enjoy seeing the park you're building there." Serena said, shrugging dramatically but speaking as if she was telling him her plans to do something mundane.
"Don't you DARE!" Teleurac raged, his hand flying up and swinging swiftly across her face. His hand struck, letting out a loud clapping sound and turning her head to the side. Past the ringing in her ears from the sound of the slap, she heard the other partygoers quiet down after an initial wave of surprised gasps.
Holding her hand to where her face was stinging in pain, Serena turned her head back to look at him with contempt. "Or what, you'll slap me again?"
"No, but you'll have to live with the consequences. President Oria will likely declare war to try and oust me if she suspects anything else is afoot. Would you really want to subject the good people and Pokemon of Kalos to that?"
Serena did not respond.
"What's going on here?" Augustine walked briskly to Serena's side, moving her hand from her face so he could see the bright red handprint on her cheek.
"A, erm, brief lapse of judgment on my part, I'm afraid," Teleurac said quickly, glancing at Alexa and Viola. Both sisters were watching the Governor, and they had their cameras in hand and ready to go at a moment's notice. He cleared his throat.
"Now, if you two will excuse me." He turned his back to the pair of them and strode out of the ballroom. Once he had rounded the corner into the hallway and was out of sight, Serena raised herself up so that her lips were an inch from Augustine's ear.
"I threatened to tell people the truth."
"You're lucky all he did was slap you, then," said Augustine.
Now that Teleurac had departed, it did not take long for Alexa and Viola to descend upon Serena, followed by several other partygoers. Everybody wanted to know why Teleurac had just slapped her, and where he had gone. Malva stood off to the side of that group, watching Serena with a fiery glare.
"Here's the deal," Serena spoke loudly, holding up her glass of wine to get everyone's attention. "These awful accusations against the Governor are going around. We all know that. I'd heard someone say something about Team Flare, and I just asked him if that rumor in particular bothered him the most."
Several partygoers gasped softly. Ramos and Wulfric whispered amongst themselves. Malva pursed her lips.
"I mean, he could have just said no. He didn't have to slap me. And if you ask me, his reaction to my question was rather damning, don't you think?" She turned to Alexa. "I think people will love that more than a picture of Augustine and me. Is there still a handprint on my face? Get a picture of it, will you?"
"Oh no, Alexa. You don't want to publish a story about Governor Teleurac physically assaulting our darling Champion, do you?" Malva then stepped into the fold, holding her open palm out to Alexa.
"You're a journalist too, Malva. You understand our duty is to the public, to keep them informed on everything that is –" Alexa objected, tightening her grip on her camera.
"But this is Christmas! A joyous time to celebrate love and peace. There is no need for you to run the story about this incident. None at all."
Alexa sighed. "I liked you better before you became a government official."
Malva smirked in self-satisfaction, then turned to face Serena.
"I believe you've had too much to drink tonight, Serena," she said coolly. "Perhaps you should go home and rest."
"I feel fine, thank you," Serena retorted. She felt Augustine draw closer to her, and his hand resting on her shoulder.
"But . . . I do think I've had enough of this party," she added before gulping down the rest of her wine. She looked up at Augustine, who nodded at her to indicate he was ready to leave as well.
Once they had exited Hotel Richissme, Serena received a call from Calem, who was inviting her and Augustine to the after-party celebrating Tierno's first paid show. Calem was also itching for a battle, so Serena and Augustine decided to make a quick detour to her apartment first.
"I wonder what Teleurac's going to say to the other partygoers," Serena wondered as she made her way into her bedroom, where she had last left her Pokeball belt on the nightstand.
"About what?" Augustine asked as he followed her.
"The slapping incident, of course," she said, looking down at the floor and noticing that her rug was crooked and one of the corners had been folded back haphazardly on top of the rug. She then looked up to her nightstand, where she had though she had left her belt, to see that it was not there.
"Hmm, that's odd. I thought I had left them there," mused Serena. Augustine perched himself on the edge of the bed and watched as she scoured every inch, nook, and cranny of her bedroom. She dashed back into the living room, overturning couch cushions and sending pillows flying around the room, checking under tables and chairs and her entertainment center, growing more frantic by the minute. In the kitchen, the pantry door had been left slightly ajar, showing Serena that her new package of cookies had been opened and were missing a few of its contents.
She froze on the spot, feeling her heart race and her insides tense up. Her Pokeball belt – and by extension her Pokemon – was nowhere to be found.
"Serena?" Augustine called. He made his way into the kitchen, standing next to the dining table and watching her with concern. She was standing by the slightly opened pantry, a hand resting on the door; she brought her eyes to meet his gaze.
"I can't find them," she choked, feeling like tears could start falling that instant.
"And you've looked everywhere? Do you want me to double check?"
"Yes! Everywhere! I'm such a bad Trainer, I should have taken them to the party with me, so at least I could have known where they were at all times." Serena's hand slid off the pantry door, and she leaned back against it, folding her arms across her chest.
"Of course, I bet Teleurac would have wanted me to hand them over right then and there – oh . . . Oh." It dawned on her.
"That bastard."