THIRTY-TWO

Serena surveyed all of the things attached to her body. There was the tube running across her face, under her nose, that had helped her breathe before she woke up. There was the needle inserted in her arm that pumped nutrients into her body intravenously. There were little sensors taped to her body keeping track of her heart rate. There were the bandages running up and down her arms, and the one wrapped around her head that was stained dark red over her temple. There were stitches on her cheek, and stitches holding together her chest and shoulder where she had been slashed by Liepard. There was a bandage over her shin where Charizard had accidentally burned her while trying to get her to safety. Finally, there was the cold silver handcuff that secured her left wrist to her hospital bed.

"I wish they would go away," her nurse said while changing out bandages. The nurse was referring to the two police officers who stood outside the small hospital room, staring down everyone who walked by or glanced towards them. "This is a hospital, not a prison. You're not going anywhere."

"Except back to my cozy little cell," said Serena. She kept her eyes forward, at the blank TV which was mounted onto the wall opposite of her bed.

"I heard your friends are back, and your mother's with them," the nurse said, trying to sound encouraging and optimistic. Serena smiled sadly; it had been a relief to learn that her friends were safe and for the most part unharmed, but the idea that Grace was here afforded her little comfort.

"What's the point if I'm not allowed visitors?" Serena glanced to the closed door and the windows of the room that would allow her to look out into the hallway, if the curtains had not been shut.

Outside, she heard a woman speak a few stern words – all in Kalosian, and muffled due to the wall creating a barrier. Two men, presumably the police officers standing guard outside, said something in response. There was then a knock on the door.

The nurse looked at the door uncertainly and then said "Come in!"

A woman dressed in a blue suit entered the room, her dark hair pulled back into a very sleek ponytail that accentuated her strong jawline. There was a pin on her lapel, in the shape of the blue-white-and-red pentagon of Kalos. She immediately crossed the room, approaching Serena's left side as the nurse watched cautiously. In her hand was a small key, and in her other arm she held a vase full of colorful flowers.

"Excuse me for a moment," the nurse said, scooping up Serena's old bandages and scurrying out of the room.

"Good morning, Serena," the woman said, warm and polite although there was a steely look on her face. She set the vase on the nightstand, and then used the small key to undo the handcuff around Serena's wrist.

"Who are you?" Serena asked suspiciously, as she pulled her left hand in to her lap.

"My name is Claire Pontmercy. As of three o'clock this morning, I am the new Governor of Kalos – please don't look at me like that, Serena. I promise you, I'm not a member of any criminal or terrorist organization."

"That's an awfully fast regime change, though," commented Serena.

"When Governor Teleurac's death was announced, I had to act quickly. Setting up my office in Anistar City, asserting myself as Governor before anyone else from Team Flare did, starting to organize efforts to track the rest of them down – I've been a very busy woman." Pontmercy said with a slight tone of self-congratulation.

"Wait – Teleurac's dead?" Serena blurted out. She pondered on that for a minute, until the image of a man burning alive appeared in her head. "Oh, right . . . ." Charizard had done that, she recalled.

"He is. As is most of Team Flare. His body was found under Centrico Plaza, burnt to crisp and crushed to pieces . . . . Also, Serena, all charges against you have been dropped. You're free to go upon being discharged."

Serena exhaled heavily; for some reason, it didn't mean much to her. "And what do you want in return?" she asked.

Pontmercy snorted. "You're quite right to be suspicious of us politicians. Goodness knows we deserve it. But I don't want anything in return. Alexandre Teleurac saw you as a threat to his power-hungry, warmongering ways, so he tried to have you put away. Did he truly want to make Kalos a better place? I'll let the historians decide that one. But I see you as someone who truly loves Kalos and wants to do right by it. Am I correct?"

"Yes," agreed Serena, uncertain of the direction Pontmercy was going to go.

"However, I will invite you to hunt down the remainder of Team Flare with the task forces being put together, once you're out of the hospital and you feel up to it. Many were killed or scattered when that cannon atop Prism Tower fired on Lumiose City. Nobody knows what has become of Malva Pachira, but without her or Alexandre Teleurac I doubt they'll have an easy time regrouping."

"Count me in," said Serena instantly as she studied Pontmercy's face. Kalos's new Governor seemed all right – then again, that was her initial impression of Teleurac.

"The doctors said you were found in their headquarters underneath Centrico Plaza with your Charizard. Naturally, that's where you would be. The brave, noble Champion, doing all she could to protect the innocent from a madman – honorable, although it is unfortunate you failed," continued Pontmercy, leaning in slightly.

As Pontmercy spoke, Serena opened her mouth a few times to see if she could get some words in. The Governor's assessment of what happened felt off, and terribly wrong – Serena remembered the timer counting down, and a screen showing a map of Unova and Kalos, dots representing the major cities of those two regions, and the words "TARGET – LUMIOSE CITY."

Serena opened her mouth to speak one more time, just as Pontmercy finished checking her Holo Caster and reading a text message.

"I should go now . . . . Everyone you know and love is out in the waiting room, drawing straws to figure out the order in which they get to visit you. They all unanimously decided your mother would be first, of course . . . I wish you a fast and thorough recovery, Serena. À bientôt."

It then dawned on Serena, once she made connections of all the mental images in her head. The Team Flare facility, Teleurac's death, destroying Lumiose – that was all her. All of those who had died or were hurt had suffered because of what she had done, and here she was, alive in the hospital. What a cruel joke the universe was playing.

Less than a minute later, Grace Carlyle bolted into the room. She stopped in the doorway and steadied herself on it, taking a moment to gaze upon her bedridden daughter while clutching a hand to her mouth.

"Mom?" Serena croaked as tears started to fall.

Grace's mouth formed a shaky smile as she swooped in and caught Serena in a tight, bone-crushing hug. Serena hugged her back, crying into her shoulder, as Grace rocked the two of them back and forth while murmuring "My girl, my precious baby girl, I've got you, you're okay." She surrendered herself to the secure, comforting embrace, feeling like a helpless child again who could only find security in her mother's arms. At the same time, she felt sick and tense; how many mothers had just lost their children, or children lost their mothers, thanks to her?

"You're too brave for your own good," Grace said as she gently pulled herself back to look at Serena.

"I-I just did what I thought was right," muttered Serena, hoping her mother would assume she was referring to standing up to Teleurac. In the meantime, Serena felt as if she was lying to herself.

"I know you did, honey," cooed Grace as she stroked her daughter's hair.

"Where – where are my Pokemon?" asked Serena anxiously.

"They're fine, honey. Diantha has them. She had to go to Coumarine today, but they're still with her. They're safe and healthy."

Smiling, Serena hugged Grace again.

"Sorry I missed Christmas," continued Serena in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Grace chortled. "You were a little busy, I hear. Don't worry. You can open your Christmas presents when we get home."

Serena nodded as she broke off the hug. "Sounds great, Mom . . . I won't be staying for long though. Claire Pontmercy – you know, the new Governor – wants me to go hunt down the rest of Team Flare with her."

"Ugh, that woman's a piece of work," whispered Grace. "Just up and declaring herself Governor like that before Teleurac's body was even cold. I guess it's a good thing she's finishing the ousting of Team Flare, but who gets to visit you in the hospital before your own mother?"

"I know, right? The first thing she told me was that she wasn't secretly a member of any villainous team. Watch her be Giovanni Razzozi's sister or something like that." Why they were bantering as if nothing had happened, Serena wondered. And would Grace still love her, even after learning her daughter was a mass murderer? Thinking about that made Serena feel queasy and slightly jittery.

"Team Rocket should know better than to try any funny business in Kalos. They'd have to deal with you! . . . You toe the line between bravery and recklessness, Serena. It makes me both proud and terrified, but I know you have a good heart who will always do the right thing."

Serena shook her head, and she felt another round of tears forming. "No Mom," she said, her voice shaking as she started to cry again. "Lumiose . . . that was me. I destroyed it."

"W-what?" gasped Grace, her eyes growing wide in disbelief. She shook her head, continuing to eye her daughter tentatively. "Serena – no – you didn't –"

"Yes I did," sobbed Serena. "I had so little time left, and it was the only thing I could think of to destroy that cannon and save Castelia. But I destroyed one city to save another. I-I'm worse than Teleurac or Lysandre or any of them –"

"Shh, honey, no you're not," said Grace as she pulled Serena into another tight hug. Serena continued to weep heavily into her mother's shoulder, thinking about how she didn't deserve to be offered this comfort.

"How many are dead?" mewled Serena, her voice still muffled.

"Don't worry about that . . . Serena . . . I love you, always, I understand . . . you're not a bad person . . . you just did what you thought had to be done . . . it'll be okay, honey . . . ."

No it wouldn't, Serena thought. If Grace was refusing to say how many people and Pokemon died, then it must have been a really high number. Thousands? Tens of thousands? She didn't know how people would react once she told them what she had done. Perhaps she would still return to that prison cell.

She leaned back, pushing herself out of Grace's embrace. "Will everyone think I'm a bad person when I tell them the truth?" she asked while wiping her face dry with her hands.

"I was going to suggest that you let them all keep thinking it was Team Flare," said Grace, reaching out to run her fingers through Serena's hair.

"That's not fair," objected Serena. Lying by omission did sound enticing, though.

"I know, honey. I know. You're going to do what you think is right, like you always do . . . just, use discretion in how you handle it, okay? And as for whether or not people will think differently of you, we'll just have to wait and see." Grace offered another small, comforting smile. "But no matter what, I'll always love you."

Somehow, the gang had managed to talk the nurse into letting all four of them visit Serena at once, instead of just one at a time. However they did it, it involved Shauna carrying in a tray of food while the boys followed behind her. Upon entering the hospital room, Shauna scurried over, placed the tray of food in Serena's lap, and then threw herself onto her friend.

"We were really scared that you were going to die," said Shauna.

"So was I," responded Serena. When Shauna stepped back, Tierno hugged Serena next, followed by Trevor, and finally Calem. "How are you all doing?" she asked them before looking down at her food: soup that was just some pale yellow broth with noodles and chunks of vegetables, a cup of Jell-O, and an apple.

"My arm's broken, but otherwise I'm good," said Trevor, holding up his cast-bound arm. Serena winced, guessing that his injury was a result of the blast somehow.

"Our parents almost didn't let us come back up here after we flew back to Vaniville," added Calem. "But I knew your mom would want to see you, and we didn't want to leave you alone here too long."

"I mean, I have the nurse to keep me company," shrugged Serena as she scooped up some soup with her spoon. Besides a hint of salt, the soup was quite bland.

"You've also got a bunch of fans who want to come in and see you, but the hospital staff is just restricting it to family and close friends today," said Tierno.

"Hmm. I didn't realize Governor Pontmercy counted as a close friend."

Her friends all looked at each other. "I don't really know what to think about her," Shauna finally said.

"Neither do I," said Serena, "and she even came in to introduce herself to me. All the charges against me have been dropped, too."

"That's awfully nice of her," said Calem. "She's asked us if we're interested in going Team Flare hunting."

"Are you?" asked Serena before ingesting another spoonful of soup.

"After the benefit concert I'm planning. I want to raise money to help people affected by Lumiose's destruction," Tierno answered.

"The people that survived don't have homes, or clothing, or food, or much of anything," added Trevor.

"I'll make a donation once I get out of here," offered Serena. Her friends were such good people compared to her, she thought. Better than she could ever be.

It was quiet briefly, during which time Serena debated whether or not to come clean to them. Confessing was the right thing to do in her mind, even if it cost her friendship with the others. Then again, she wasn't sure that saying anything now counted as "using discretion."

"Did you four get out of the city in time?" she asked them, trying to keep conversation moving and about anything other than her experiences.

"No," admitted Tierno. "We were trying to find ways to get down to their HQ and help you."

"It's a miracle you survived," she commented before starting on her Jell-O, meanwhile wishing that the four of them had made it down there in time. Things could have played out differently.

"It was Professor Sycamore's idea," added Trevor.

Serena looked at Trevor skeptically.

"Professor Sycamore's realized that he was wrong to turn you in, Serena, and he wanted to make it up to you," Shauna said in Augustine's defense.

"Well where is he now?" asked Serena, not moved by Shauna's words. Was it fair of her to still feel so coldly towards Augustine? Shauna wasn't one to lie, after all, and life was too short to hold onto bitterness.

"He'll be in after us, even though he left the hospital for a while," said Trevor.

The room fell silent again as she considered what Trevor and Shauna had said, and as she wondered where Augustine was. Was he all right? Was he truly sorry? If he were to walk into the room right now, what would she say to him?

"Oh Serena! Did you hear what the Elite, erm, Three announced today?" Calem suddenly piped up, his eyes burning with excitement as he fished for a way to change the subject.

"What?"

"They've officially removed Malva from her spot in the Elite Four, meaning there's a vacancy, and any Trainer with all eight Kalos Gym Badges can apply to take her spot!"

"Go for it!" said Serena encouragingly. "I'll see if the Champion can put in a good word for you," she added with a smirk, but then the smirk faltered.

"She's gone missing, and if she's found alive she's going straight to jail," said Shauna.

There was a beat of silence, during which Serena's mind wandered back into her feelings of guilt and thinking about Pontmercy.

"Really, though, the hands holding power literally changed overnight. Do you guys think she has some sort of angle?"

"Maybe we should keep tabs on her and her administration, to see if something's up," suggested Calem.

Serena looked at him knowingly. "Why do you think I'm going to go with her to track down the rest of Team Flare?"

Shauna, Calem, Trevor, and Tierno stayed and talked with Serena for a couple of hours: Calem speculated about what the Elite Four application process would be, Tierno started visualizing what his benefit concert would look like, Trevor mentioned how relieved he was that his sister was all right, and Shauna repeated over and over just how happy she was that Serena was alive. The nurse eventually chased them out, insisting that Serena needed to get some rest.

An hour passed. Then another. Serena leaned back into her bed, feeling the firm pillow under her head. She had no business being alive, she told herself. So many were dead thanks to her, in a sloppy attempt to stop Team Flare, and she sat in the hospital having meaningless conversations with her mom and friends. Meanwhile, there were others who had lost their family and friends and homes, grieving and trying hard to figure out how to cope. If presented the opportunity, she would trade places with any of the victims, so they could live and she would be dead, in an attempt to restore some semblance of justice to the universe.

On the nightstand next to her bed was the remote control to the TV. She reached for it and used it to turn on the TV, flipping through channels until she found news coverage. What she saw filled her with dread and horror: ground covered in gray and white ash, stones and wood and bricks strewn across the earth chaotically, emergency crews picking through the ruin for survivors, and a Machoke pulling someone out of the wreckage of Café Soleil. An off-screen reporter was talking about something, but Serena paid no attention to those words. Her eyes flickered to the scrolling banner at the bottom, just in time to see the updated casualty estimate: four thousand five hundred and twenty-eight humans, six hundred and three Pokemon.