TWENTY-THREE
As the elevator doors opened, Serena's eyes were immediately greeted by the lights in the office (somewhat blinding to her even though only half of the light fixtures were turned on) and a tall, slender figure in a long red coat practically flying around the office's partition. She took a step forward and stopped to process that this was Augustine standing before her, his face seeming more handsome than ever – it may have been that she hadn't seen him in two months, or it may have been the wide grin and the way the lines and skin crinkled around his joy-filled eyes. Her heart fluttered, and without a second thought, she ran towards him and jumped so that she could throw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, arms around her so tight that it felt like he was trying to press the two of them together to form one body.
He said her name softly, and cupped the back of her head with his hand. She wanted to look in his eyes again and kiss him, but his arms would not budge whenever she tried to wiggle loose.
"I missed you so much," she said. Had his cologne always smelled so good, or his hair been so soft under her fingers? When was the last time she had a proper shower – how did she smell to him?
"I missed you more," Augustine shot back as he clutched her hat and pulled it off her head, letting her braid fall freely down her back.
"You finally got an article of clothing to match your socks," joked Serena. Augustine chortled sadly, and he tightened his grip on her and gently started rocking her from side to side, burying his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder.
The two of them stood like that for a few moments, Serena closing her eyes and allowing herself to be lost in this moment. How scared she had been, watching that Flare Admin grab him and drag him away and being powerless to stop it – and here he was, seemingly unscathed. More than before, she believed things were going to be all right.
She heard Augustine mutter something in Kalosian. "What was that?"
Augustine relaxed his arms and pushed back so that the two of them could properly look at each other. "Nothing, chérie. I'm just so happy you're safe." He leaned his head forward and kissed her.
"Me too," said Serena airily after the kiss ended. Spending the winter in the wilderness had left her lips dry and chapped, or maybe they just felt that way because his were soft as always. She noticed that a single tear was trickling down his cheek.
"Crying? You're such a sappy dork," she chided him, leaning back in to kiss his cheek.
"I'm your sappy dork, Serena. Don't ever forget it . . . . Did you just want to come visit me before you continued your life as a fugitive?" he asked her, sliding his arms away. His hands grabbed her shoulders and glided down her arms until they found her hands, and he held them.
"No," answered Serena. She just felt so rough compared to him; perhaps she should have bought some lotion and lip balm while she was out earlier, if only so that Augustine could have smoother hands to hold and softer lips to kiss.
"You're not thinking about turning yourself in, are you?" Augustine continued, his tone a mix between jest and genuine concern.
"Why would I do that? I can't get my Pokemon back while I'm in prison," scoffed Serena.
"Of course you can't. Which is why I have them here now. Venez avec moi," said Augustine, walking backwards and leading her along with him. However, Serena broke free from his hold on her and dashed around the partition. There it was, on his desk: her Pokeball belt, the initials "S.C." engraved on the buckle, and all five Pokeballs affixed to where they should be. Her Mega Ring lay on the desk next to the belt. She gazed upon them for a moment, feeling like she had found a missing body part.
The first thing Serena did was pluck off the first Pokeball and send out its occupant: Greninja. Since Greninja was not much of a hugger, Serena stuck to stroking his head affectionately. "How are you, my friend?" she asked Greninja, who responded with happy bubbly croaks. She smiled widely, and her starter Pokemon was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
She left Greninja out while she greeted Meowstic next. Although Meowstic usually maintained a stoic countenance, she smiled slightly upon seeing Serena and let out a high-pitched "Mrreww!" Serena scratched Meowstic under her chin for a moment, and she was unable to control the big, stupid grin on her face. Two out of five, unharmed – not bad so far.
Next came Charizard. The large Fire-type roared excitedly when she saw her Trainer. Serena wrapped her arms around her Pokemon's neck for a hug, and she felt some of the heat coming from the fire on Charizard's tail. There was no sign of ill treatment on Charizard, and her Charizardite still hung on a pendant around her neck.
Lucario, who was perhaps more stoic than Meowstic, nodded to Serena in greeting. He still had his Lucarionite pendant, and Serena scratched him behind the ears to display affection. Before she reached for her final Pokeball – Ampharos – she glanced up at Augustine. He was leaning against the partition, watching her and her Pokemon, with a small, sad smile. She looked in his eyes to try to figure out what he was feeling – they were unreadable to her.
She let Ampharos out of her Pokeball. Ampharos bleated merrily, her face lit up with a smile, and she held her arms up towards Serena, who crouched down to hug her Pokemon. The first thing Serena noticed about Ampharos was that there two small bumps on her head, made of scar tissue.
"What happened to you?" she asked, looking at Augustine. "They – they didn't – did they?" She didn't want to think about how those scars were made.
"I saved her at the very last minute," said Augustine, somber and soft. Now, she could see in his eyes that something was troubling him, and his lip quivered slightly. She stood up and crossed the floor to meet him, pressing her hand against his cheek.
"Thank you. So much . . . you're just wonderful."
Augustine shook his head. "No. I'm not wonderful. Serena, I've been letting Teleurac boss me around, I've been doing his bidding without question to make my own life slightly easier, so I could be in one piece as I waited for you to come back. I've been a doormat, and I've done things that I can never be forgiven for –"
"Stop it, Augustine." Serena stroked her thumb across his cheek. "The way I see it, you have a chance to redeem yourself now."
He smiled faintly. "Wherever you go, I'll follow. I will help you in whatever you pursue, and we will never be separated again."
"Damn right we won't," agreed Serena. "That reminds me," she pulled away from him and turned to face her Pokemon, who had been watching her and Augustine patiently. "You five need to meet your newest teammate."
With a swift motion, she grabbed the Pokeball in her pocket and sent out Noivern. Flapping his wings to hover in one spot, Noivern surveyed his new surroundings, chirping to greet each Pokemon as Serena introduced them – and then he saw Augustine and began to shriek angrily.
"Noivern STOP!" Serena lunged between Noivern and Augustine, preventing the Dragon-type from swooping forward or launching an Air Slash at him. She held her arms out in front of her, palms open.
"Where'd you find this one?" asked Augustine, his voice trembling. Serena glanced over her shoulder to see him pressed against the partition, hands in front of his face.
"Terminus Cave," answered Serena. "Sorry, I don't think he likes Team Flare very much. Either that or he has a thing about the color red . . . Noivern, this is Augustine. We like him. He's on our side."
Almost as if it was on cue, Ampharos waddled over to Augustine and hugged him. Noivern watched this, and the aggression in his eyes dissolved. Serena smiled warmly at Noivern, and then recalled him to his Pokeball. She recalled all of her Pokemon, clipped the six Pokeballs to her belt, affixed the belt around her hips, and then slipped the Mega Ring onto her wrist.
"You were at Terminus Cave?" asked Augustine curiously. Serena nodded, then told him about what she saw and did in the cave, including how she met Noivern when he was a Noibat and how they barely escaped being caved in with the rest of Team Flare. As she talked, she slowly walked up to him until only a foot of space separated them. She ended by confessing that she never saw Zygarde with her own eyes.
"Nobody in Team Flare has seen it since, so don't worry. I believe Zygarde has either fled deeper into the cave or is using its ability to camouflage itself to avoid detection," said Augustine when she finished talking. He glanced at his watch. "Erm, what else happened while you were out there on your own?"
There would be time for storytelling later, Serena thought testily. Right now, they needed to get a move on. Nonetheless, she indulged him and told him about the time she spent in the Pokemon Village with Wulfric and the other Pokemon.
"Have you heard anything about Wulfric in the past couple of days?" Serena finished with that question. If Wulfric had gotten into trouble on her behalf, she would never forgive herself.
"No," answered Augustine. He glanced at his watch again, then hardened his face.
"Is there anything else you want to discuss? Or can we go now?"
"Ah, ma chérie, you are so impatient." Augustine reached out, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her closer to him. Serena's hands flew up to rest on his chest, her fingers sliding slightly on the silk black dress shirt he wore under his coat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw on her watch that it was twelve fourteen.
"We'll have plenty of time later, to catch up and recover and celebrate our victory," she said, throwing in a small suggestive eyebrow wiggle. "Not that these past fifteen minutes or so haven't been the highlight of my new year so far –"
"Yes. Let's go now," said Augustine hurriedly. His hands slid up from her waist to her back and shoulders. He leaned in, pressing his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. She kissed him back, deepening the motion, running her hands and fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck while his arms pressed her harder and closer to his body. Serena treated this kiss as if it were for good luck, but Augustine was kissing and holding her with such passion and intensity, as if the two of them would never kiss again after tonight and he wanted to pour everything he had into this.
Augustine broke away slowly, keeping his arms around her, and gazed deeply into her eyes as if there was more he wanted to say – needed to say – but couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he turned his head away and let his hands find hers, letting go of one and keeping hold of the other so he could lead her to the elevator.
"What's your plan?" inquired Augustine as the elevator doors opened to the first floor. He used his Holo Caster's display to provide them with a scant amount of light.
"I was thinking about Mega Evolving Charizard and then flying up to Prism Tower," said Serena, lacking confidence in a plan she devised on the elevator ride down. "She could probably breathe fire hot enough to weaken whatever has the cannon bolted to the tower, and I could send out Lucario to finish breaking it."
"Perhaps Garchomp could help," said Augustine as he moved to the front entrance of the lab's lobby, pulling her along with him.
"Definitely . . . Augustine, shouldn't we go out the side door? What if we're seen?" she asked him, slowing down her pace and forcing him to slow down as well.
"There are hardly any patrols out and about at this hour," he assured her. "And if we're flying, does it really matter which door we use?"
Serena shook her head. It didn't seem right to her that they went out the front, but Augustine had been an official member of Team Flare for months now. He had been privy to more information than before, which likely included street patrols. With her free hand, she grabbed Charizard's Pokeball, rotating it in her sweating palm. This was it, she thought nervously as her heart pounded and her insides tensed up to the point that she felt like vomiting. There was perhaps only one shot at this, and it concerned her that Augustine hadn't suggested an alternate plan.
The two of them exited the lab and walked down the stairs onto South Boulevard. Serena raised her hand to release Charizard, but before she could, she saw the white flashes that accompanied Pokemon being loosed from their Pokeballs. Half a dozen Houndoom were now standing before her, with Team Flare Admins standing behind them. Soon, more Flare Admins appeared and sent out their Pokemon so that she was completely surrounded: Manectric, Clawitzer, Mightyena, Emolga, and Diggersby.
One Admin stepped forward from behind the line of Houndoom, a cocky triumphant smile on his face. "Good work, Professor! We'll take it from here."
Serena whipped her head around and looked at him in horror. "What?" she gasped, her mouth hanging open slightly. Augustine merely hung his head, refusing to look her in the eye, and he stepped away from her. She shook her head frantically, trying to process what the Admin had said – and its implications – but she forced herself to snap out of it when a Houndoom pounced at her. She ducked, allowing the Houndoom to fly clear over her head, then sent out Charizard. Charizard roared fiercely at Team Flare and their Pokemon, then allowed Serena to climb onto her back before beginning her ascent.
Three Emolga flew up after Charizard, but she drove them all away with a Fire Blast. "Go to the tower!" Serena whispered frantically into Charizard's ear. As Charizard reared back in preparation to fly as fast as she could, a blast of scalding hot water from a Clawitzer on the ground below struck her stomach, sending her reeling back and forcing Serena to hang on for dear life as the two of them rolled and somersaulted through the air chaotically, losing altitude. Some of the hot water had splashed onto Serena, not enough to burn but just enough to hurt slightly.
Charizard tried to regain the lost altitude as she flapped her wings laboriously, but all of hope of that happening was lost as another blast of water hit her in the side of the head. The Fire-type fell back to earth; Serena jumped off, recalling Charizard to her Pokeball in midair, and then she landed hard on her back. Team Flare and their Pokemon were only ten yards away, but the Houndoom were already charging towards her.
She clamored to her feet and ran for it. Her head swam, jarred from hitting the ground, and her shoulders and tailbone still hurt. She turned into the nearest alley and wound through the spaces and side roads between buildings and houses, trying to put as much distance between herself and the terrifying howls of the Houndoom as she could.
The path she was on led her to Estival Avenue, dark and deserted except for the flashing red and blue lights given off by police vehicles that came barreling down the street. Serena sidled against a wall, waiting for the cars to pass, before ducking her head out to see if anyone was coming. Her heart was hammering in her chest, she was out of breath, her back still ached in places, and she didn't know where to start looking for a means to heal Charizard. On top of that, Augustine had some explaining to do. If she could get out of here at all, it would be a miracle.
Seeing that the street was now deserted, Serena sprinted across, hoping to make it to the next side road as quickly as possible. However, she soon heard the cries of Emolga over her head, followed by the buzzing and crackling of electricity. Thunder Wave hit her from above, sending a weak jolt of electricity through her body and knocking her to the ground. She lay motionless on her stomach, her arms and legs throbbing dully. No matter how hard she tried, her arms and legs would not move or even twitch voluntarily.
Panic finally settled in – the kind of panic that kept her from thinking straight, from even recognizing what exactly was happening. A big black van flanked by police cars converge on her location, which pulled to a stop just a few feet away from her paralyzed, sprawled-out form. Two Flare Admins stepped out of the van, and one of them sent out a Machoke.
"Machoke, it's her naptime," said the Admin as she pointed at Serena. Machoke lumbered towards Serena, then raised up a fist with the intention of swinging it down on Serena's head.
"STOP!" came another voice from the van. Augustine ran forward, lunging in front of Machoke, and looked down at Serena uncertainly.
"Professor, what are you doing?" asked the Admin.
"We can put her out, but I doubt the Governor wants her to suffer any brain damage," Augustine said to the Admin. He then sent out Venusaur.
"A-Aug-sine . . . ." said Serena weakly, her tongue barely able to move. She looked at him, nonverbally expressing her desperation and pleading with her eyes. This was a plan within a plan within a plan, right? It had to be.
"Venusaur, use Sleep Powder," ordered Augustine, his voice filled with resignation.
The next thing Serena knew, Venusaur had sprayed a heavy powder upon her, one that smelled like lavender and chamomile. Her eyes slammed shut immediately, and the world around her that had been filled with the sounds of the Flare Admins and their Pokemon fell silent.