TWENTY-TWO
At the gate into Lumiose City, three Team Flare grunts were waiting with Mightyena and Houndoom at their sides. Serena took a deep breath when she and her friends went in – she could pull this off. Her fake accent wouldn't sound too fake, would it? Was the wig on straight, hiding all of her golden blonde tresses? What was her name supposed to be again?
"Back so soon, Genevieve?" asked one of the grunts, standing behind the reception counter and barely looking up from the tablet in front of him.
"Ah, oui," said Serena in her fake accent. She gestured to her friends. "These four insisted on talking back to me at every opportunity. If I let them go ahead and train their Pokemon after that, I would be rewarding their insolence, non?" She sounded ridiculous, having overdone it on the th sound in "their."
The other grunt nodded. "Tu est vrai. Are you going to escort them home for the day, then?"
"I am," Serena replied. She pushed Tierno forward roughly, and he played along by saying "Hey!" in feigned annoyance.
"Come along, you four." Serena continued, trying to sound stern. She nodded to the other grunts as she left the gate and entered Lumiose.
Once inside the city, she paused for a moment to look around. Even though it mostly looked the same, Lumiose felt completely different – or perhaps it was because it was the first time in months that she was here. Some buildings were boarded up, with windows or brick missing and signs on their front doors. There were even empty spots on street corners where a house or a shop once stood – she had known South Boulevard like the back of her hand, and the riot on Christmas Eve must have changed a thing or two. It seemed to her that there were more police officers and members of Team Flare out and about than regular civilians; they all walked up and down blocks, stood vigil at corners or in front of certain buildings. Civilians who were going about their business looked down at their feet as they walked, afraid to make eye contact with anyone. Serena watched one police officer randomly stop a teenage boy and search his person and bag, but then let him go when the only things on the boy were his lone Pokeball and some chewing gum.
And, of course, there were half a dozen Team Flare grunts posted outside of Augustine's lab.
"Let's go to my place," suggested Trevor quietly. He led the way down South Boulevard, onto North Boulevard, and onto the side street off of Jaune Plaza where his home was located. On the way there, Serena glanced around at the various Flare grunts and how they behaved around civilians, and she maintained her straight posture and nose-in-the-air facial expression, occasionally saying things to her friends such as "Pick up the pace," or "I've seen Slowpoke that move faster than you." She didn't want to be mistaken as the nice grunt, especially since she didn't know what Genevieve's rapport among her peers was. Hopefully she could lose the disguise and disappear before Genevieve showed up in town and told anyone who the imposter with Calem, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor truly was.
"My sister's out with her boyfriend today," explained Trevor as he opened the door into their home. Once inside, Tierno headed straight for the bathroom while Calem, Shauna, and Serena stood in the entryway.
"What are you going to do now?" Shauna asked.
"Do I not need to stay with you guys?" Serena inquired, glancing over her shoulder back into the street.
"No. Escorts are for only if we need to leave town," responded Calem. "But, um . . . I would like my Pokemon back, now."
"Oh, yeah! Sorry!" Serena opened the messenger bag on her shoulder and pulled out a belt with six Pokeballs attached to it. She handed it to Calem before fishing out Shauna's, then Trevor's, then Tierno's. One Pokeball was left in the bottom of the bag.
"And that leaves her Toxicroak," she said, pulling out the ball and holding it in front of her. Noivern's Pokeball was on her belt, in Toxicroak's appointed spot.
"I'll take it," offered Trevor. "If anyone asks, I found it abandoned in the woods – but I don't plan on letting it out after I've healed it." He took the ball from Serena, and then looked long and hard at her. "You could just hide out here if you wanted," he offered.
"What if your home is one that is randomly searched today?" asked Serena.
Tierno returned from the bathroom, and he received his Pokeball belt back from Serena gratefully.
"I guess I'll be on my way then," said Serena, reaching for the doorknob. Before she grabbed it, Shauna threw her arms around Serena's shoulders.
"Be careful, please," pleaded Shauna. All Serena could do was nod and hug her friend back.
When Shauna detached herself and stepped back, Serena took final looks at each of her friends. She had chosen them well – they might not have been the best or most dedicated Trainers (besides Calem) but she could count on them, and she told herself to do whatever it took to keep them out of harm's way.
"Good luck," said Calem, looking determined.
"Same to you," she said as she opened the door. "Vive le Kalos."
Serena's next stop was a clothing store known for offering the season's fashions at affordable prices. There, she picked up a new set of clothes: a mauve top, a black pleather jacket with pockets deep enough to hold a Pokeball, dark blue skinny jeans, the lace-up boots which were the only shoes she could possibly run in since all the others had ridiculous heels on them, a watch, a pair of wide-frame sunglasses, new socks, new underwear, a slouch beanie, and a set of hair ties. The sales clerk seemed confused as to why there was a Flare grunt in her shop: "Most of your, erm, coworkers like to shop at more upscale places, don't they?" she had asked while bagging Serena's items.
"I suppose. Boutique Couture is very stylish, but they are so expensive," Serena responded, still speaking with a Kalosian accent. "How much do I owe you?" she asked.
The sales clerk chuckled nervously. "A member of Team Flare paying for something . . . that's unheard of."
Serena bit the inside of her lip. She must have broken character by even coming into this store, and apparently by wanting to pay for her purchase. Naturally Team Flare would want things for free, she thought with resentment.
"I'm feeling generous today," she said coyly, opening Genevieve's wallet and pulling out twenty thousand Pokedollars, which she had estimated how much all of her items would cost. "Keep the change. I'm in a hurry."
In a South Boulevard alleyway, Serena changed out of her Team Flare disguise into the clothing she had bought, and she pulled her hair back into one long braid. The Flare uniform was stuffed into the shopping bag and tossed into a nearby dumpster, and as she threw it in, Serena noticed a flyer had been thrown in there. She leaned in to pull it out, and saw that the flyer was advertising a special event at Friseur Furfrou that occurred the previous week.
"Are you all right?"
Serena jumped when she heard someone call out to her. She stepped back, pulling Noivern's Pokeball out of her jacket pocket and clutching it tight. However, when she recognized who it was, she relaxed slightly, although her heart still pounded.
"Is that you, Bernard?" she asked apprehensively. It looked like him all right, with his dark complexion and the crescent-shaped scar on his cheek that he got from being bitten by a Houndour.
"Yeah," said Bernard. He was standing at the entrance to the alleyway, and he took a couple of steps forward, moving closer to her. "Who are you, and how do you – no . . . ." Bernard gasped, his eyes growing wider the longer he looked at her.
"Surprise! I'm back in town!" said Serena quietly, throwing her hands in the air. "But, um, how are you doing?"
"I'm all right, I suppose. Um, I got caught with my Pokemon, so I was forced to help Team Flare with some experiments they were doing involving Mega Evolution and renewable energy, but Professor Sycamore decided my Medicham wasn't worthy to continue testing, so I was let go, but I still have to go see Chief Renshaw once a week," said Bernard, his voice trembling when he mentioned Renshaw.
"Wait a minute . . . you've been working with the Professor?" asked Serena. Her curiosity was piqued, both for Augustine's well-being and for whatever Bernard was doing with him.
Bernard nodded. "I was actually about to go visit him. He's at his lab today, for once."
Serena smiled suddenly, but then it faded as she remembered all of the Flare grunts posted outside the lab. She was silent for a moment, looking from Bernard down to the ground, and then to the Friseur Furfrou flyer that was still in her hand. There was a brown stain on the flyer, probably from some of the other trash in the dumpster.
"If you're going to see him – wait, first, do you have a pen?" she asked.
"Um, yes," said Bernard, pulling a pen out of his pocket and handing it to her. Serena ripped off a piece of the flyer and held it against the wall, and she wrote on it: I'm in Lumiose. Meet me somewhere soon? –S.C.
She folded up the paper and handed it to Bernard, along with his pen. "Deliver this note to him, please, and don't leave without a response. Give it directly to him, and don't let anyone else see or hear about it. I'll be waiting here, behind that dumpster."
"Sure. I can do that." Bernard said as he put the note in his pocket.
"Thank you so much," said Serena gratefully. Bernard turned and left the alleyway, and Serena crouched behind the dumpster, putting on her hat and sunglasses. An hour went by, which she spent by thinking about Augustine. She would see him again soon, hug him more intensely and affectionately than a Goodra could, tousle that magnificent hair of his, kiss him fiercely – and he would more than happily show her where her Pokemon were. If he was being paraded around as a member of Team Flare by Teleurac, then surely he would be privy to all of the organization's secrets and information.
Bernard returned at the end of the hour, finding Serena and handing her Augustine's response, which was written on the same scrap of paper:
My office. Midnight tonight. Can't wait to see you. XOXO –A.S.
She smiled in relief, and laughed. Nobody signed anything with "XOXO" anymore.
"Um, Governor Teleurac was in the lobby with Professor Sycamore, but I slipped it to him when he wasn't looking. Both of them went up to the Professor's office together, but he came down by himself to give the note back to me. He must have found a good time to read it and respond."
Serena nodded in understanding. Augustine must have been sneakier than she thought.
"Thank you again, Bernard. I don't know how I can repay you," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You can start by doing something about that weapon on Prism Tower. I don't want a war with Unova."
Serena originally planned to wait in that alley until midnight, but her stomach soon growled in hunger. Using the alleys and side roads connected with one another, she made her way back to Jaune Plaza, to the hole-in-the-wall known as Café Étudie. It was a small, cramped establishment: a popular hangout for students and young adults who considered larger, more commercially successful cafes in the city too "mainstream" for their taste.
She wasn't the only one wearing sunglasses indoors, which eased her mind slightly as she looked around the café from her small corner booth. A group of young men in a booth were wearing sunglasses as well, and a couple passing by wrinkled their noses at the men in the booth and said something along the lines of "how pretentious" and "wannabe sellouts." At least there wasn't anyone in a police uniform or a garish red suit inside the café.
"Um, do you mind if I stay here until you close?" she asked when the waiter brought her a sandwich and coffee. "I mean, I'll keep buying food and drinks. I'm just trying to kill time until tonight."
"Sure," answered the waiter.
That midmorning sandwich began what felt like the longest day of Serena's life, dragging out longer than the days she spent training her team for the Pokemon League three years ago. To her, it felt like twenty minutes had gone by, but a look at the clock would show that only four had passed. She soon imagined that instead of this establishment, she was at Café Soleil with Augustine, flashing back to when he first introduced her to the Gible that was now his beloved Garchomp. She then imagined that they were discussing what kind of condo or apartment they were going to buy or rent out – if nothing had gone wrong in their lives, they would probably be moving in together right now, she thought longingly.
Starting at two in the afternoon, she switched to drinking water instead of coffee; the caffeine was giving her a headache, and she lay her head down on the table as she waited for it to go away. At three o'clock, a group of three youths came in and sat in the booth in front of hers, talking about leaving Lumiose in favor of the Kalosian countryside, just in case Unova decided to attack the city with equal or greater force than what Aspertia had received. One of them suggested petitioning Teleurac to stop the fighting, and they all wondered if it was true that there were Trainers in Unova that rode fearsome Dragon-types, and if they would come to Kalos. The names of the Pokemon – Reshiram and Zekrom – were mentioned with fear-inspired reverence.
At three thirty, Serena noticed that Tierno, Shauna, and Calem had entered the café and went straight to the counter. She watched them talk to the barista, who then went to go get the manager. Tierno spoke to the manager quietly, and from her vantage point, Serena couldn't hear what he was saying. The manager seemed surprised at first, but then intrigued by the conversation, and then she nodded her head fervently in response. With a "Merci! See you then!" Tierno and the others turned to leave. As they passed her, Serena let out a "Psst," which caught their attention, perplexed as they were. She lowered her sunglasses slightly to make full eye contact with them, and then they scrambled over to where she was sitting.
"What's going on?" she asked as the three of them sat down at the booth with her.
"We're having a meeting here tonight," whispered Tierno excitedly. "The manager said she'd spread the word to anyone who might be interested – the authorities usually don't come here, you see, and she claims to be able to spot anyone who's undercover. Trevor had to go back to work, but he's going to talk up as many people at the lab as he can about coming."
"I bet the 'masked heroes of Kalos' will make an appearance," said Serena with a chuckle. "What time is it at?"
"Midnight," said Calem.
"Ooh . . . I'm meeting someone then."
"Someone who can help you?" asked Shauna.
"That's right," answered Serena. "Now, if anyone asks about me tonight, feed them a bogus story. I'm, um, on my way back out of Lumiose to find Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde. I'm also hoping that, say, Lugia and Ho-Oh magically appear to help me. Arceus is on my side too. I'll have a whole army of legendary Pokemon."
"Sounds good and reasonably preposterous," said Calem. He wriggled his way out of the booth and looked at Shauna and Tierno expectantly. "We're going out to talk to the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Diantha about joining us. Well, except Malva, of course."
"Great! Good luck," said Serena. Shauna and Tierno clamored out of the booth and joined Calem's side.
She watched as her friends left the café, acting like they didn't know the person they just spoke to very well – Shauna had waved briefly, though. Over the next few hours, Serena ordered a pasta dish for dinner and slowly ate it, one bite every ten minutes or so. It felt like there was a weight in her stomach, destroying her appetite, and growing bigger and bigger as the time drew closer to midnight. At seven o'clock that evening, the light fixtures dimmed and the barista put out a sign at the register informing customers that there was now a reduced menu during curfew hours. That was when a police officer entered the café and informed the staff to watch out for any suspicious activity. Assuming that Genevieve had reappeared in town finally, Serena waited until the police officer left before rolling up her braid and tucking it into her hat.
The café closed at nine. Serena left calmly, but then dashed into side road that would deliver her back to South Boulevard via the long way. The long way was not a problem; she had three hours to kill and authorities to avoid. She eventually reached the alley on South Boulevard where she had encountered Bernard, and she crouched behind the dumpster, removing her sunglasses and setting them down on the ground.
Clouds obstructed the moon and stars from shining their light upon Lumiose. The city had felt eerie before, back when the curfews on energy use had been imposed, but now Serena did not have words to describe precisely how unreal it felt to be here, in the dark cold alleyway, waiting for midnight to come. She had to strain her eyes to see the time display on her watch. The temperature was dropping, and she stuffed her hands in her pockets to keep them warm. She debated letting Noivern out to listen for oncoming people or Pokemon, but decided against it; there wasn't a good place for him to hide, and he probably wouldn't hold still or keep quiet anyway.
She froze, holding her breath, as sirens went off out on the street. What followed was the crash of a door bursting open, people shouting, and a Furfrou barking. One sentence, screamed out, resonated with Serena: "She's not here! I swear!"
What could she do? What ought she do? She could appear before them, save those people from whatever punishment awaited them and lead the authorities on a chase, but run the risk of not making it to Augustine's lab on time. Noivern may have been able to handle one Toxicroak, but he couldn't handle multiple members of Team Flare or the police force.
Her friends! It was good that Calem, Shauna, and Tierno were planning on leaving the city, but what about Trevor? Would he be caught with the Flare grunt's Toxicroak? And how much trouble would they be in, even if they pretended to not know that they returned to Lumiose with an imposter?
People soon stopped shouting at one another, although the sirens kept blaring and that Furfrou kept barking. The sirens moved away, and guilt began to creep up on Serena. She should have done something . . . .
Eleven fifty-two. Eight minutes to go. Serena pulled herself up onto stiff legs and cautiously left the alley. A police officer went down South Boulevard, mounted on a Gogoat for his patrol. She waited for him to pass before sprinting across the boulevard. On the other side, she could see the gate out to Route 4 several yards ahead of her, but everything past that was covered in the shadow of a starless night.
Serena kept moving. She kept her head down, and her hands in her pockets, but she glanced out and around her every few seconds. Looking over her shoulder would seem suspicious, but what if she was being followed? She paused for a moment, stopping abruptly, but she didn't hear another set of halting footsteps behind her. Assuming it was safe, she kept going, moving briskly.
There may have been Team Flare grunts posted outside the lab earlier that day, but they were all gone now. Serena still turned left when she reached the lab, going around to the side door that was framed by ivy. In the dark, she ran her hand along the wall until her touch was met by smooth, cool vines rather than rough bricks. The wood door came next, and Serena traced the wood panels to find the doorknob; luckily, the door was not locked.
She slowly pushed the door open and tiptoed inside. Since the view before her was pitch black, she had no means of identifying where she was. Reaching her hand out to her side helped her find the wall, and she walked forward while keeping her fingertips in contact with the wall. Coming up, yet still seemingly far away, was a faint glowing something. Serena walked a little faster, feeling plush carpet under her feet and approaching that glowing something until she bumped into a counter at the level of her waist.
It was only the computer at the receptionist's desk. The monitor's screen was a soft blue, signifying that it was on standby for the evening.
This must be the lobby, Serena thought. She glanced over her shoulder, in the direction that the front doors ought to be, before reaching her arm out again and finding the wall. Following the wall behind the receptionist's desk took her to the elevator booth, and her fingers slid over the button once or twice before she finally pressed it.
The elevator doors slid open, making a noise that Serena considered far too loud to be reasonable. She stepped inside, and the first things to catch her eye were the little circular buttons that were giving off a faint orange light. Serena pressed "3," the doors closed, and the elevator began its ascent.