A/N: Guess what? I'm back from Spring Break!

SIXTEEN

Augustine was taken to a room he had never seen before down in the facility. It was cramped, with computers, television monitors, telephones, and other communication equipment lining the walls. He was handcuffed to a wooden chair in the middle of the room, facing Teleurac and one such monitor.

"Lumiose is often called the City of Light . . . it's a very fitting description tonight, don't you think?" Teleurac looked upon the screen in front of him, which showed an aerial view of Lumiose City. The glows of fires could be seen in various places, smoke rose from the streets, and Flying-type Pokemon swooped in and out of view.

"I've been informed that Alexa successfully broadcasted Serena's little message to her. So you can thank them for this mess," added Teleurac, visibly annoyed by what had happened earlier.

Augustine did not respond. He locked his eyes on the monitor, his gaze unfocused so that the scene of the city depicted there were only blurs of sinister orange flames contrasted by abyssal shadows to him. Serena was out there, probably trying to find her way back into this place; for all he knew, she was finding ways to contribute to the riot even without her Pokemon.

"Believe me, Professor. If I hear anything about dear Serena's whereabouts, you'll be the first to know."

Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped; Chief Renshaw had called.

"How are things out there?" he asked her.

"Eventful. There was a group of teenagers looting Richissme and setting their Pokemon on anybody who got close, and then we sent out the Emolga squad to paralyze them all. Made arresting them easier – we fainted and confiscated all their Pokemon too." Renshaw recounted.

"Good. I want the Pokemon of all detained persons to be brought here as soon as possible. Also . . . keep your eyes peeled for Serena Carlyle, would you? She's dying to be reunited with her darling Pokemon."

"Got it, sir. Anyway, I called you because we finally apprehended Alexa Papille, the one responsible for broadcasting the footage exposing Centrico Plaza. She's currently being held at City Hall . . . what would you like to be done with her?"

"Make sure the rioters keep their grubby hands off her. She may either be their next hero or their next victim. And don't hurt her, either. Keep her there until I arrive, then we'll have a little chat."

"Yes, sir." Renshaw ended the call.

Teleurac stuck his Holo Caster back in his pocket, then turned to Augustine. "See? No reason to fear. I have people looking for her as we speak . . . what's wrong, Professor? You've been rather quiet since I cuffed you to that chair."

"I have nothing to say to you," said Augustine, his voice low.

"That's not necessarily true. You could start by saying 'I'm sorry, Governor, for betraying you and Kalos because I thought my boneheaded actions would help me get into my girlfriend's pants sooner.'"

"See, that's not necessarily true," retorted Augustine. "I'm not sorry. I did what I thought was right after trying to talk her into waiting failed."

"And you had your derriere handed to you in a battle, in front of your darling Champion no less," sneered Teleurac.

"She has mispronounced scientific terms in front of me. My pride is not wounded." Augustine shrugged.

Teleurac narrowed his eyes, looking upon Augustine's face with a scheming scrutiny.

"Are you going to send me to prison, Governor?" asked Augustine.

"Non, je ne pense pas," said Teleurac, running a hand over the top of his bald head. "Unfortunately, I need you. So . . . your leash will be much tighter from now on."

A boom was heard in the distance, followed by the roars and cries of Pokemon.

"Looks like they've broken through one of our little barricades," noted Teleurac. "I doubt they'll get far, though. Ah, Professor! Did I ever thank you for what you have done for my Aggron?" The Governor gazed down at the Mega Ring on his finger.

"No, but being thanked for allowing you to steal one of my Mega Stones is a first," said Augustine.

Teleurac shook his head, then gazed at the closed door. The Pokemon outside roared again, and the room shook as one of them crashed into something. "Unbelievable. It's been three years, and people still hate us. They've evidently not forgotten, and a short video was all it took for them to go ballistic . . . I have quite the mess to clean up."

"Were you involved in Team Flare three years ago?" inquired Augustine.

"I was," replied Teleurac.

"Then you should know why people still hate you so much. You tried to destroy Kalos back then . . . and I saw the plans to build those cannon towers. Are you going to try to destroy Kalos again?" Augustine continued, his tone accusing and haunted.

"I'm trying to save Kalos!" Teleurac snapped, gesturing harshly towards the door. "The land itself, its people, and its Pokemon. Do you really think I wanted this? Violence, fear, hatred? No! All of that has no place in a peaceful, beautiful world."

Augustine shifted slightly in his chair. The Governor's words sounded too familiar for comfort.

The ground trembled slightly, and Teleurac dialed into his Holo Caster. "What's going on out there?"

"We got them, sir." The image of a female Flare Admin spoke. "Everyone who tried to get into the facility has been apprehended and are now being hauled off to jail. Their Pokemon have been taken as well."

"Good! How is Aggron doing?" a satisfied Teleurac responded.

"Aggron is still going strong. Mega Evolution gave it a huge advantage, I think."

Teleurac nodded, his eyes glinting with self-assured pride. "I will be out shortly to retrieve my Pokemon. In the meantime, find someone with a Steel-type to fix that hole in the wall . . . . Also, contact police forces in the surrounding cities: Santalune, Camphrier, Coumarine, Laverre, and Dendemille. Have guards outside the Pokemon Centers in those towns at all times. And call Cassius. Have him hack into Serena Carlyle's PC Box, withdraw all Pokemon she has stored away, and hand them over to us."

"Yes, sir."

"Finally, nobody enters or leaves Lumiose City until further notice. Anyone who attempts to Fly in will be arrested and their Pokemon confiscated. When rioting dies down, check to see if any corpses have long blonde hair and heads too big for their shoulders."

"Erm . . . yes, sir."

When the call ended, Teleurac saw that all the color had drained from Augustine's face.

"Relax, Professor. I was only joking about the corpses. She's no good to me dead . . . sadly, I need her too."

"She won't do anything for you willingly," Augustine reminded him, wishing that Serena would be much quicker than Cassius and the police were.

"It doesn't matter whether or not she's willing. I have everything I need to easily bait her into attempting to come back." Teleurac said smugly, gesturing to the captive Professor.

"In the meantime, I expect you to resume work at the end of your vacation. I think a fitting punishment for this insubordination is to keep you on board, with every move, thought, and word of yours carefully monitored." Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped again.

"Sir, a whole block on Vernal Avenue was knocked down by some rampaging Rhyhorn, including your favorite café and the Printemparre Apartment building." The Flare grunt who had called reported.

Augustine bit his lip. His apartment was in the Printemparre.

"Then neutralize the Rhyhorn, find their Trainers, and stop any looters. And don't bother me again unless it's about Serena Carlyle!" Teleurac hung up, then looked back at Augustine. "Looks like you're without a home. Good thing my penthouse has a guest bedroom."

"I'd rather live on the streets," spat Augustine.

"But if I allowed you to do that, I would not be a very gracious employer or Governor, now would I? Stray Skiddo would make lousy informants, anyway."

Augustine sighed.

"And the other part of your punishment will be to make you an official member of Team Flare. This hatred from the people you speak of? I want you to feel it."

Instead of feeling outraged or saddened, numbness came across Augustine, as if the events of that night were so much that nothing else could really get to him. All that was likely to change was the uniform he wore, trading in his lab coat for red and black attire, since he had already been doing their dirty work for the last two months.

A crooked smile formed on Teleurac's face. "Oh, Augustine, you are finally one of us, among the most powerful and stylish people in Kalos. If only Lysandre were here to see this . . . ."

If those words were a knife, they could have stabbed Augustine in the gut. He thought of his old friend, whose remains were still crushed beneath the rubble under Geosenge. Lysandre had indeed wanted Augustine to join him in the beautiful new world he envisioned, to become his right-hand man in the formation of that world. Augustine had refused, though, when he learned exactly what Lysandre was aiming to do. For Teleurac to act like he succeeded where Lysandre had failed, to be so casual about the man whom Augustine had loved like a brother yet failed to help . . . it renewed a sense of contempt and guilt in him.

Teleurac's Holo Caster beeped yet again.

"I swear, these new recruits," he muttered as he answered the call. It was a police officer. "Yes? . . . erm, who are you?"

"I am the captain of the Laverre City Police Department, Governor. As guards positioned themselves outside the Pokemon Center, Serena Carlyle began to approach. She saw the guards and ran towards Route 14, and we have a unit in pursuit."

"Finally, some good news," said Teleurac, side-eyeing Augustine. "Please make sure you catch Serena posthaste. I would hate for her to spend a long, cold night in the swamps."

"I don't think it will be easy finding her, sir. She is the Kalos League Champion, after all."

"Yes, but a Champion is nothing without her Pokemon." Teleurac ended the call.

"I do believe you and Serena will be reunited very soon," he said to Augustine. "The sooner the better, because we have machines and devices to rebuild, and having her Mega Evolved Pokemon to power them will work wonders in accelerating our plans."

"Which are . . . ?" Augustine began, thinking that now being an official member of Team Flare would make him privy to this kind of information – and if it would take time to repair the damage he and Serena had done, then maybe there would be sneaky ways to impede that progress.

Teleurac smirked. "Why, saving the world, of course."

The Governor's penthouse had miraculously survived the ire of rioters. As Augustine was taken there, he kept looking out the car window, surveying what had happened. Now that most of the chaos had subsided, people and Pokemon were working together to clean debris off the streets, administer care to the injured, and put out the remaining embers in ashen ruins that were once homes and business establishments. A group of teenagers were helping a woman carry a Furfrou to a Pokemon Center; this woman's golden blonde hair hung so that it completely obscured her face, and Augustine watched her with intense curiosity and optimism until she pushed her hair back to reveal a thin face and a blotchy birthmark on her cheek. He bit the inside of his lip, careful to not let Teleurac see him react from the front seat, and then sighed when he saw his lab was still standing.

Once at the penthouse, Teleurac escorted Augustine inside and then left after saying "Make yourself at home," locking the door behind him. Augustine peered through the peephole in the door to find two Team Flare grunts keeping watch outside, and he let out a huff. He dragged himself through the penthouse, which was lavish and luxurious while still sporting eco-friendly lights and furnishings, becoming acquainted with his new prison disguised as a home. After passing the kitchen in all of its stainless steel glory, he found a room which was rather empty aside from neatly-made queen size bed; he assumed it was the guest bedroom. He practically fell onto the bed and instantly succumbed to an uneasy sleep.

When he woke up several hours later, he groaned when he saw that he was still in Teleurac's penthouse. Everything that had happened in the last eighteen hours was so surreal to him; it had to be a dream. He should have woken up the morning of Christmas Eve to find himself at Serena's apartment, in her bed, with her curled up in his arms. Instead, he had slept away what was supposed to be their first Christmas together while trapped in Teleurac's penthouse; on top of that, her mother was probably wondering where they were.

He went back into the living area and looked out the window, his mouth gaping open slightly as he took in the sight of the destruction in the city. Smoke was still rising from burned buildings, people and Pokemon were digging through rubble, and arrests of unruly citizens were continuing. The train station was in view, and the whole western end of the structure had been reduced to a pile of bricks and stone. One of the stray Skiddo nudged at the head of another Skiddo, which was lying on the ground as rubble covered the rest of its body. After watching that Skiddo's futile attempts to rouse its companion, Augustine turned away and slumped onto the couch, staring at the television mounted on the wall as tears slid down his cheeks. A life goal of his was to reunite both of those Skiddo with their original Trainer or otherwise find a new home for them . . . now that goal would never be realized.

Why she had to call Alexa then, he thought, trying not to be too angry with Serena. In fact, why did she have to do any of the things she did last night? How hard would it have been to stop and make a plan instead of just winging it? And why didn't he try harder to make her do so? Also, why didn't he try harder when Grant gave him rock climbing lessons? Knowing how to climb seemed like a useful skill right now; he could open that window, climb down from thirty or so stories, and sneak out of the city somehow to go find Serena.

After realizing that a mental beat-up of himself wouldn't help anyone or anything, Augustine grabbed the remote control off the coffee table in front of him and turned on the television to a news channel. Malva was interviewing Paulette, a sales clerk at Boutique Couture who had heroically saved a toddler and that toddler's pet Azurill from angry rioters.

"Your bravery is inspiring, Paulette," Malva said, using her best generic journalist voice. "It is unbelievable that such things could happen here in Kalos, and on Christmas Eve no less."

"I know," agreed Paulette in a flat tone. She was still wearing her work uniform, but it was disheveled, her hair was untamed and wispy, and there was dirt and sweat all over her face.

"What do you think of people that can't take a holiday from stirring up conflicts, especially ones that lead to riots and destruction like Lumiose has never seen before?" Malva continued, pushing the microphone closer into Paulette's face. Paulette gave Malva a testy glance.

"Usually, I would be annoyed and angry, but I saw Serena's Holo footage on the internet. She was trying to warn us about –"

The broadcast instantly cut to a commercial break. Augustine rolled his eyes. How in the world was Teleurac, Malva, or anyone else going to cover anything up? If only he could get a platform to speak, then Kalos would know everything he knew. If barely thirty seconds of video where the Team Flare insignia was only briefly shown could get people riled up, he could only imagine how they would react to his account of the work he was doing for them.

At the end of the commercial break, the broadcast showed Malva standing in front of Boutique Couture by herself. Paulette was nowhere to be seen.

"Now, Governor Teleurac will give an address regarding last night's events."

The shot jumped to Teleurac, who was sitting at his desk in his office, staring straight into the camera. His face was perfectly grim and serious.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Kalos," Teleurac began. "I hoped to open by wishing everyone a Joyeux Noel, but that cannot be the case, especially here in Lumiose City. Instead, I must clear the air about a matter of highest importance." He paused to take a deep breath, perhaps to gather his thoughts.

"There is no point in hiding the truth anymore. Team Flare is once again active in Kalos, and I am its new leader. I regret that we had to conceal ourselves, but otherwise I believe that I would not have had the privilege to serve as this great region's Governor. Today's Team Flare wants to take the world in a much different direction than what we attempted to do three years ago. We hope to solve the world's problems through mutual cooperation and peaceful means, rather than through mass murder."

Augustine scoffed. What a liar, he thought as he recalled the models of cannon towers he had seen.

"I am very sorry for Team Flare's actions in the past. It is my wish that you, the good citizens of Kalos, would keep an open mind regarding myself and my administration, instead of giving in to any prejudices you may still harbor . . . like some already have. Serena Carlyle's feelings towards us are understandable, but her actions last night cannot be excused. She acted rashly, refused to hear me out when I tried to reason with her, and now innocent people and Pokemon in Lumiose City have paid the price for what she did. Right now Serena is an enemy of Kalos; as the region's League Champion, she is capable of anything and could be very dangerous. Until she is apprehended, nobody will be allowed to enter or leave Kalos, and travel to and from Lumiose City will be restricted. If she is watching right now, I ask her to stop and rethink the events of the past eighteen hours, and to come to me peacefully. I am willing to reopen the dialogue between myself and her so we can reach an understanding. Nothing would disappoint me more than if she let her personal biases and blind hatred get in the way of progress for Kalos."

Having had enough, Augustine turned off the television. Seething, he stood up, looked down at his shaking hand that was holding the remote control, and he clenched his teeth and shook his head. He resolved to make Teleurac regret keeping him around, and on impulse he hurled the remote control at the television, creating a spray of jagged cracks in the screen.