TWENTY-FOUR
Earlier that day . . . .
Augustine was starting to wonder when it would be a good time to take a bathroom break. Teleurac would go with him, of course, but he would be standing outside the stall while the Professor pretended to answer nature's call. It was hard to focus on the topic of discussion in front of them when he was consumed with a burning curiosity about the note Bernard had slipped to him. Who sent it? What did it say? What did they want? At the same time, it was hard not to get his hopes up.
"Professor, how do you pronounce this word here?" Teleurac was sitting at Augustine's desk, reclining back in the lone chair and reading a paper that had been written four years ago. Augustine leaned over the Governor's shoulder and saw the word in question.
"Virtumultite," said Augustine, carefully enunciating each syllable.
"Good, thank you. If I'm reading this correctly, it's believed that this substance could allow one to Mega Evolve multiple Pokemon at a time? Also, could I borrow a pen?"
Augustine began digging through his pockets. Surely there was a pen in there somewhere. "According to ancient accounts of the war three millennia ago, elite soldiers decorated their armor with this stone, and yes, they managed multiple Mega Evolutions. King AZ also incorporated it in his great weapon. And after the war its use was banned because – merde." He found a pen, but pulled it out so swiftly that the other contents of the pocket flew out as well: a box of mints, some rubber bands, and the note Bernard had handed to him.
"What's this?" asked Teleurac as he saw the folded-up scrap of paper fall to the floor. He bent down to pick it up.
"It's just – sir –" It was too late. Teleurac had already unfolded the note and held it up to his face so he could read it.
He laughed jubilantly, very pleased by something. "Before I send you out with a team to collect some virtumultite, I have another assignment for you. To be completed posthaste." Still keeping a satisfied smile on his face, Teleurac handed the note to Augustine to read.
I'm in Lumiose. Meet me somewhere soon? –S.C.
Augustine's mouth gaped open. That was her handwriting all right. He felt relieved briefly: this meant that she had survived this long, and was perhaps planning something, or at the very least wanted to see him. Then he realized what Teleurac would want him to do.
"No. I'm not doing it."
"I don't recall asking you what you wanted . . . and you're not in much of a position to refuse," said Teleurac authoritatively.
"Then send me to prison. I'm not helping you capture her."
Teleurac let out a soft, menacing chuckle. "How cute, thinking you can bargain with me . . . tell me, Augustine, has your Charizard ever received any proper medical care after that unfortunate incident a few days ago? No? I could secure it for you. I could send Charizard to someone who specializes in Pokemon neurosurgery, who lives in Dendemille and won't ask questions . . . or, your other Pokemon could suffer the same fate and none of them will ever see so much as an Oran Berry again for the rest of their lives."
Augustine closed his mouth into a thin-lipped grimace. He crossed his arms across his chest, remaining conscious of how his hands shook in fear and anger and hatred. It seemed impossible to him: he promised himself to never let any of his Pokemon go through what Charizard went through, but could he definitively decide if they were more important than Serena, or Serena more important than them? And damn Teleurac to the deepest bowels of hell for making him choose . . . yet did he really want some other members of Team Flare, such as Malva or the scientists, put in charge of the hunt for Serena?
"I'll tell her to come here at midnight," he said with a sigh.
"Very well," said Teleurac. "Keep her for fifteen minutes, to give us enough time to prepare a trap, and to lull her into a false sense of security. Having her Pokemon present will also add a nice touch, but we won't let her get too far with them."
She was still running, her feet slamming into the pavement repeatedly, aching but not daring to stop for anything. Behind her, she heard the howls and barks of the Houndoom that were in pursuit, and the sounds of police sirens somewhere in the distance. The next turn she took led her to a dead end, but by the time she stopped and turned back, the Houndoom had arrived. One Houndoom, the leader of the pack, stepped forward, let loose its horrible howl, and pounced –
Serena awoke abruptly. She jolted up into a sitting position, gasping for air, and she soon registered that she was no longer in an alleyway but rather a small, cold cell. Her captors had brought her here and laid her out on a thin sleeping mat. The door to the cell was only five feet away, barred by an electric force field, and from her position she couldn't see what was outside.
She reached up to wipe a bead of sweat off her brow – her hands worked again, she realized, and the Mega Ring was still around her wrist. Briefly rolling her ankles showed that feeling had returned to her lower half as well. Her Pokeball belt was still fastened on top of her hips, but no Pokeballs were attached to it.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
Someone on the other side of her cell spoke in a condescending tone. Serena slowly got to her feet and walked to the door of her cell – Teleurac was there, holding a black sack in his hand and wearing a self-assured, delighted smirk on his face.
Serena gave him an icy glare.
"It's good to see you again, Serena. And now that you're here, I have something to show you." Teleurac said next. He leaned over to a control panel, input a six-digit code, and the force field on the cell door vanished instantly. From the black sack, Teleurac pulled out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs, which he used to shackle Serena's wrists together. Finally, he pulled a Pokeball out of the sack and sent out an Abra.
Serena remained silent as Teleurac grabbed her arm, told the Abra to Teleport them ("Shiny Flying Litwick") and was subjected to the nauseating, compressing feeling of being transported. When the world rematerialized around her, she instantly recognized the large room with the glass circular chamber in the middle. The chamber had all of its glass panels intact, and it was filled with thick, swirling glowing green gas. A low, vibrating, mechanical hum filled Serena's ears, and it sounded like it originated from this chamber. Pipes ran along the ceiling, leading from the top of the chamber down along the walls and further into the ground.
Along one section of wall was a tall red screen, extending all the way to the ceiling; in front of this screen was a panel covered with buttons and knobs, and the screen's display read "NEXT LAUNCH in 10:36:24 – TARGET CASTELIA CITY" with the seconds ticking down. Celosia, Bryony, and Aliana stood in front of the screen, talking about something, until they saw Teleurac; then, they snapped to attention.
"I've already seen your device," snapped Serena. The three scientists were currently the only other people in the room – where was Augustine? He had better be hiding somewhere in shame, she thought angrily.
"Yes, but you didn't see it while it was fully operational," said Teleurac. He pulled her along as he walked closer to the circular chamber. "See that green gas? All of that is energy we have extracted from Pokemon. Don't grimace at me like that, Serena. You have a scientific mind, don't you? You ought to appreciate this . . . all the molecules in the gas react with one another, giving off heat as they do. There is a bit of radiation generated as well. The heated gas is then conducted upwards, activating the turbines we built into Prism Tower."
"And then those turbines generate electricity needed to power your doomsday device?" Serena couldn't take her eyes off the green gas inside the chamber. Watching swirling tendrils move around cloud-like forms mesmerized her – she thought about what was happening at the molecular level that affected the shape the gas took, but then one burst of gas formed a shape that resembled a skull. She wondered how many Pokemon were needed to make this happen, and how many smaller reactors such as this one were hidden throughout Lumiose, providing energy without anyone knowing where it came from.
There was a sign posted on one of the glass panels: yellow, bearing the symbol that warned of radioactive matter, and a caption that read "CAUTION."
"It's not just a doomsday device," snapped Teleurac.
"What else could it be? You're going to fire at Castelia in less than eleven hours, aren't you?"
Teleurac took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly. "Do you know why we're at war, Serena? Unova has forced my hand. The world is in danger of being ruined, and it is not fair if only Kalos benefits from my efforts to change things for the better while the rest are left in their filth. President Oria does not understand that. She would rather allow her people to continue on the path to self-destruction in the name of 'individual freedom.' With her and Castelia City out of the way, I can help Unova save themselves, and they can take their place in our beautiful future."
"What about the innocent people living in Castelia City? They won't get to be part of your future," Serena pointed out. Nothing the man said could be more shocking or horrifying than what she had already seen or heard from him.
"If President Oria surrenders control of Unova to me by eight o'clock tonight, before that countdown hits zero, then they will," said Teleurac. "But as far as I'm concerned, the state of affairs in that city is all the fault of those innocent people you speak of."
"I'm assuming that you'll eventually extend this same courtesy to Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto?"
Teleurac smirked. "Naturally. This is not a doomsday device, Serena. It is a tool of salvation."
Serena swallowed hard, but it did nothing to assuage the lump in her throat. "Why did you show me this?" she asked him, looking to see if there were any loose wires or pipes between the chamber, the floor or the ceiling – none were in sight.
"Because you and your Pokemon will help make the future happen. Your Charizard, Lucario, and Ampharos – Mega Evolve them, and they have more power to offer."
"No. I may be your prisoner now, but I'll cut my own hands off before I Mega Evolve my Pokemon for you." Serena said indignantly.
Teleurac chuckled. "It's not just those three that will participate. Your Meowstic and Greninja will have energy extracted from them too – and so will that Noivern of yours. It's a shame that their Trainer doesn't care enough about them to make sure they are well taken care of between procedures. Your refusal means abandoning them to small, crowded cages where they wallow in their own waste and live out their lives in fear and sorrow."
If Serena's hands weren't cuffed, she would have slapped him. Instead, she sighed and said "Fine, I'll do it . . . but how long am I expected to do this?"
"The rest of your life," said Teleurac plainly. "Odds are you will outlive your Pokemon by decades, but fear not! Under heavy supervision, you will then train up a new group of six for energy extractions – all with Mega Evolutions. Your cooperation and good behavior will slowly make your incarceration easier. I could move you out of that cell into a small apartment if you wanted, maybe even a house on down the line. I may even let you marry and raise a family, and you can pass on this incredible responsibility to your children."
Serena shook her head as she stared angrily into his eyes, wishing she could shoot fire from them. Her blood was on the verge of boiling. How could he expect her to raise another group of six Pokemon after her current team had died? How could she willingly train and become attached to them, knowing well what their fate would be? She would never allow herself to bond with those Pokemon enough to successfully carry out Mega Evolution with them. And she would never have children under the conditions he described – not even with Augustine.
"Serena . . . it won't be all for the weapon," said Teleurac. He looked away from Serena, towards Celosia. "Have you made any progress on the Geosenge parcel?" he asked the purple-haired scientist.
"I found it, sir. It's waiting in the warehouse," answered Celosia, glancing at Serena uncertainly. "You're showing all of this to her? Really?"
"Why not? She can't do anything about it, and I'm about to explain to her the primary purpose of this device . . . when will it be ready?"
"Hmm," intoned Celosia. "The Geosenge parcel is not compatible with the device in its current status. To use it, we would have to completely overhaul our device, re-circuit and reroute everything -"
"That's unacceptable," said Teleurac shortly. "I need that parcel integrated as soon as possible."
Celosia sighed. "Right now we need this reactor powering the cannon, so what if my team and I built another one with the Geosenge parcel? It would take us some time, though – six months to a year – but it would mean that your daughter would be brought back sooner than – oh, I've said too much haven't I?" she gave Serena another tentative look. Serena whipped her head around to look at Teleurac, trying to wrap her head around what she just heard.
"No, it's all right, Celosia," said Teleurac, whose eyes then met Serena's. "We had found some of the materials the ancient king used to build his great weapon, the ones that granted him the awesome ability to raise his beloved Pokemon from the dead. Now I plan to use them . . . Serena, my daughter was only eight when she died. Roselie had a pure, gentle heart, and she deserved a long happy life. I can give that back to her, and you can help me."
If it was any other man, the story of a daughter's premature death may have stirred some emotion in Serena. It was nothing against Roselie – Serena just couldn't bring herself to pity Teleurac, no matter how much he pleaded. She shook her head at him.
"How many eight-year-olds in Aspertia City had their lives cut short?" she asked curtly. Teleurac's mouth gaped open in surprise at her response, but it quickly shut into a thin-lipped frown.
He looked past her towards Celosia. "Build the other reactor. Six months to a year? I'll have the world ready for her by then."
Back in her prison cell, Serena sat on the sleeping mat with a plate in front of her. On the plate was a piece of burnt toast, hard as a rock. She didn't try to eat it – in fact, she didn't have much of an appetite at all. Despite everything she had seen and learned about and was told, her mind was blank, as if it was all too much and her brain didn't even want to process it. There were not even thoughts about escape plans; the first thing she asked herself was simply "Now what?" and the question recirculated through her mind every few minutes.
She eventually moved the burnt toast off the mat and onto the floor next to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of feet outside her cell, clad in shiny black dress shoes and familiar-looking red socks. She looked up and sprang to her feet upon recognizing Augustine and marched to the front of the cell.
"Serena, I- I am so sorry," murmured Augustine in a shaky voice. He kept his eyes on his feet and his hands in his pockets. "Your note, Teleurac saw it. It fell out of my pocket when I was digging around looking for a pen – he read it before I got a chance to, and he told me to wait fifteen minutes once you arrived –"
"And you let yourself be used as bait to catch me," Serena finished his sentence. He still would not look up at her, but he nodded in agreement with her statement and muttered something along the lines of "threatened my Pokemon."
"So all of that you said about you following me wherever I went, and that we'd never be separated again . . . ?" How could he have had the gall to say any of that to her while knowing what was about to happen, she thought bitterly.
Augustine shook his head. Serena's heart sank.
"I tried to protect you, Serena. If someone else was in charge of hunting you down, you would have gotten hurt in the process of being captured," he explained.
Serena scoffed. "The goal was not to get captured at all!"
There was a beat of silence. She looked past him; Teleurac was leaning against the wall on the opposite end of the hallway, watching the two of them intently.
"I guess you don't have a plan to get me out of here, do you?"
He shook his head again. "I'm actually leaving Lumiose in an hour," he said quietly.
She sighed. "To do more of his dirty work? Augustine – you had a chance to rebel against him and you wasted it! I have no idea what you're getting out of handing me over to him, but I hope it's worth it."
He didn't respond.
Serena felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. In the past, she had excused his inability to deal with Lysandre because the two men had been friends. Now, she barely recognized him as the man who had always looked out for her, always been by her side, always fully supported her in everything she did. He was slouched, hunching his shoulders forward, with his hands in his coat pockets and eyes on his feet as if they were the only safe thing to look at. Serena knew that he was most likely forced into it, but why was it so hard for him to fight back? To say no and stand by it, no matter the cost? Perhaps he was more of a coward than she thought he was.
A thought popped into her head – a nefarious, soul-crushing one – that made sense for only an instant, but it spilled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
"Our relationship was a lie, wasn't it? You were just there to spy on me for him."
For the first time in the conversation, Augustine made eye contact with her. His eyes were large and sorrowful, as if she had just told him that someone he loved had died.
"Serena, how – how can you say that?" he choked out, unable to believe what he had just heard.
She turned her back to him and focused on a spot on the wall. Why did she say that? She wasn't sure she meant it – it had just come out. Her hands were shaking at her sides, her lower lip trembled, and she felt like she could start crying. There would be no help for her now, she thought with resignation. It was likely that Teleurac would soon saunter in and tell her that her friends had been arrested.
"Just go," she said with a defeated finality.
"If that's what you want, I'll go. All I know how to do is what other people tell me to do, after all," said Augustine with an edge to his voice.
As she listened to him and Teleurac walk away, Serena closed her eyes. She felt alone, friendless, hopeless – all of it was crushing her, pressing in from all directions until she couldn't bear to stand upright anymore. She lay down on the sleeping mat, curled up around herself, and let the tears freely fall.