Folding her blankets and stuffing her jacket into her bag, Serena ran a hand through her hair. Her fingers got stuck about halfway down as she plucked the few leaves out of her hair. While certainly not ideal, camping outdoors was becoming significantly more comfortable. The dirt splotches on her skin and grass-stained bedding was practically a second home now. Or at least, that's what she told herself each morning. No matter how much she had grown accustomed to the adventurer life, she still couldn't wait to finally get to Shalour city and take a proper shower.
It had been days since departing from Geosenge. Serena checked in with the others; Shauna and Calem had also yet to arrive. Trevor and Tierno kept busy in the city, learning what they could from the locals. From what she could tell, she could have very well reached Shalour City by the night before - the city that apparently had the answers she was looking for. Mega evolution was finally within her grasp, but she had an unexplainable sensation of dread looming over her. The closer she got to Shalour, the stronger this feeling got.
Something didn't feel right, and she didn't like it.
Sylvester, Chase, and Kristie snacked on the food Serena had served them as she prepared to continue her travels. Like it or not, she knew she'd have to get to Shalour eventually.
Swallowing a mouthful of berries, Sylvester watched Serena as she paced back and forth. He watched her play with the folds of her skirt before becoming more interested in the ends of her hair.
'Serena is nervous,' Sylvester noted. 'She hasn't said anything, but I can tell.'
'Me too. She's been zoning out for as long as we've been on this route; I thought it was only me who noticed.' Kristie agreed.
Chase stifled a scoff. 'Of course we'd notice. It's gotta be about Shalour. She's nervous about mega evolution.'
'I can see why,' Sylvester frowned. 'There has to be something we can do to help.'
'You could evolve.' Chase offered. He was only half kidding at this point.
'Funny.' The Eevee finished the last of his berries, swishing his tail in annoyance.
'I'm just kidding, Sylvs. You're great as is.' Chase mumbled between bites, almost bashful to be giving such a frank compliment.
"Guys," Serena interrupted. "I just wanna tell you guys how proud I am of you all for getting along better these days. I wish so badly I could understand what you're all saying, but I can feel that our teamwork is really improving; that has to count for something, right?" Reaching for the Pokéballs on her belt, Serena prepared to return her team. She stopped, however, when something nudged her hand from behind.
"Huh?" Serena exclaimed, reflexively bringing her hand back to her person. A Pokémon stood beside her. It seemed to be asking to be pet. "Uh, hello there." She inched her hand out, letting the Pokémon take in her scent before feeling safe enough to pet its head. Although fully compliant, the Pokémon only flinched when it heard a female's voice call his name.
"Morgan!" A blonde woman shouted in Serena's direction. "I'm so sorry," she huffed as she caught up to them. "My Lucario has never done anything like this before. Morgan, what's gotten into you?"
"Lucario?" Serena repeated, turning again to the proud-standing Pokémon beside her. "It's no problem at all. I'm happy to meet him. He seems very sweet." She grinned, holding her hand out to pet the blonde's Pokémon again. "Morgan, right? Would you like a berry? I have a few extra."
Morgan shook his head before joining the young blonde woman's side. He looked up to her expectantly as if she'd know what to do. Serena perked an eyebrow.
The blonde hummed inquisitively in response as if she were having a wordless conversation with the Lucario. "Ma'am," she began. "If it's not too much trouble, it seems Morgan wants to battle with you. Think you'd be up for it? Just one-on-one, for fun."
She can tell that just by looking at her Pokémon? Serena thought, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious of her bond with her own Pokémon. Is that where trainers and Pokémon are supposed to be?
"Well," Serena mumbled, turning to her three Pokémon. "It's up to my Pokémon, really. What do you think, guys? Does anyone wanna take on Lucario and - uh…"
"Korrina," the trainer finished with a proud smile. "My name is Korrina."
"And I'm Serena."
Without a moment to spare, Chase hopped up and stood between the two trainers, nodding once to Serena as the signal to agree. 'I got this one.'
"Cool, so your Quilladin against Morgan. I hope you're ready for a challenge," Korrina winked.
Serena clenched her sweaty hand into a fist as her heart began to pound with adrenaline. Even if the battle was off the record and just for fun, it was still a battle. "You bet."
"All right, that's enough." Korrina declared, waving her arms to signal the end of the battle. Chase retracted his vines as the leaf storm around the two Pokémon fell to the ground. The Lucario pushed himself up out of the ground, wiping the dirt off his face. "Looks like you win, Serena. Congrats!"
Serena grinned as she soaked up the proud look on Chase's face. Even in a friendly match, that smile was always the best part of battling for her. "Thank you, Korrina. You weren't lying; you and Morgan are tough."
As the trainers chatted, the Chase offered a handshake to his opponent.
'Good match, Morgs.' Chase greeted.
'Indeed,' Morgan replied as he returned the handshake. 'Forgive me for intruding, but I must know. How long have you and your trainer been traveling together?'
Chase brought a hand to his chin. 'It's been a few months now. Pretty impressive, huh?'
'A few months?' Morgan's eyes narrowed as he bit out the words. 'Your trainer knows your strengths and utilizes them while still taking your wishes into account. She is no mere trainer who barks out orders for you to carry out. Connections of this sort can take years to form.'
'I guess so,' Chase shrugged. 'Don't get me wrong, we know Serena is amazing. But she's put us first since day one; that's why we do our best for her.'
'So that's what I sense.' Morgan continued, mostly to himself. Upon seeing Chase's confused expression that carried traces of judgment, Morgan continued. 'Every Pokémon of my race is able to sense the aura of not only other Pokémon, but humans as well. I knew from the beginning that your trainer is overwhelmed with a sense of duty and maybe even slight vengeance, yet not once could I detect any malevolence in her heart.'
'I would say this is some freaky mumbo jumbo, but I also can't say you're wrong." Chase hummed. "I don't know, Serena's always just sorta got me, you know? That's all I thought of it. But still, pretty impressive, bro.' Chase noted.
'Bro?' Morgan repeated, unused to such improper colloquialisms.
"Morgan, let's get going! Grandfather expects us by noon." Korrina motioned for Morgan to follow. "Serena, it was wonderful meeting you. No doubt you're a great trainer - you should come challenge me at the Shalour Gym!"
"I'm sorry?" Serena asked. It took just a few seconds too long for the words to settle in. "No way. You're the gym leader?"
"You bet!" The quirky girl winked. It seemed to be a habit of hers. "I'll be waiting but don't expect to win as easily as you did today. I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve."
"I wouldn't doubt it." Serena forced out. As she watched Korrina and Morgan walk out of sight, all she could think of was the fact that she just technically won against a third gym leader without realizing.
It appeared that Serena was closer to Shalour than she realized, for she could not delay arriving any further. She strolled through the streets of Shalour, consciously looking for the Tower of Mastery, but subconsciously avoiding asking for directions.
It was a coastal city; there seemed to be a lot of beaches in Kalos, not that Serena was complaining. If she were going to be delaying the journey, it may as well be a scenic route. Although she couldn't praise the multitude of hills in the city with the same admiration; her legs were already begging for a break.
It was fine, she decided. She could say she got lost in the city, which wasn't completely a lie. She would walk this path for as long as she could, as long as nobody -
"Serena."
- found her.
Damn it. She stopped in her tracks at the sound of her name. And she knew damn well whose voice it belonged to. "Calem." She vocalized before turning around to meet his eyes. "Hello."
"Hi." He smiled, palpably beaming with anticipation for what awaited them in this city. With just one look, Serena could tell Calem didn't experience the same inclination to avoidance when anxious. How it was possible to take on life without an ounce of the crippling fear she often felt, she couldn't imagine.
"Did you just get here?" She asked.
"I've been here since earlier this morning. I thought I'd just explore a bit while we waited for you and Shauna." he answered, his face growing grim at the mention of their friend's name. "Speaking of Shauna, have you talked to her lately?"
"A couple times, just to check in on her location for the past week or so. Why? Is everything okay?"
Calem frowned. Just what was wrong with Shauna the last time he bumped into her? Clearly something was bothering her. "It's just, she hasn't answered my calls. And - you know what? Never mind." It was Shauna's business. And as long as she was talking to others, that means she was fine, right? If nothing else, he could confront her once they finally met in person. "So, think we should head over to the Tower of Mastery?"
Serena sighed. "Give me a minute? I've been walking all morning and these hills are killing me." That wasn't a lie. But it also didn't hurt to delay the inevitable by just a few more minutes.
"Sure," Calem chuckled, motioning to a bench that overlooked the shore. She held her breath as she sat down next to him, forcefully ignoring the fact that his laugh sent her heart into a fluttering fit. She stared out into the horizon, thinking of nothing in particular, yet somehow everything all at once.
"Are you excited?" Calem asked, breaking her trance. "To meet the Mega Evolution Guru, that is? This could be it. All the answers we need to finally use mega evolution for ourselves."
"Yeah!" Serena forced through an overly zealous smile. "Of course!" She inhaled. Exhaled. In and out. "Sort of." Her eyes were anywhere but his. She bit her tongue. Get it together, Serena; don't you dare put this burden on him.
"What? Why 'sort of'?" There was surprisingly no judgment in his voice; only concern. He inched closer to her in attempt to get her to look at him.
"Sorry." She didn't realize she had started holding her breath again until she started to feel dizzy. "It's nothing. Just a silly, passing feeling."
"Serena," he said firmly, placing his hand atop of hers. "Don't you shut me out too. We may be rivals, but we're friends first, you know? Talk to me, please."
Friends. Something about that word coming from him sent a wave of warmth throughout her body.
No matter how he messed around with her from time to time, he sure did make her feel safe. She swallowed her fear and let her wall down, hoping that maybe, somehow, he could understand.
"I'm scared." She finally admitted. He kept eye contact even when she couldn't. He clearly didn't understand, but he wasn't dismissing her feelings, either. "What if I can't use mega evolution? Is becoming champion out of the question if I can't? What if my bond isn't strong enough with my Pokémon? Sometimes I think I'd rather live with the uncertainty than face that reality."
"You don't know that any of that will happen." He interjected. "The answers to all of those questions are just minutes away, and finally you can silence those thoughts, for better or worse."
She knew he was right. Silencing the thoughts would give her more room to panic about other things - like the rest of the gyms ahead of her, or these Team Flare fellows whom she can't seem to stay away from.
"Besides," Calem continued. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, reminding her that her hand was still in his. "We'll have each other's backs, no matter what happens. That's what friends do."
He was her friend; her rival; he was her drive to push forward. His gaze was so piercing and his words so sincere. For a single second, she could have forgotten her worries and lost herself in the pounding of her own heart in her chest, the sound of his voice, the intensity of his eyes, the feeling of his fingers grazing against her cheek, trailing down to pull her chin closer, closer…
Or the nearby screeches of a wild flock of Fletchling.
The shrill sound yanked Serena back to the present - to what was about to happen with Calem. She pulled herself away from him, not daring to look at the flustered expression on his face.
"Let's get going, yeah?" Serena sputtered breathlessly. Did Calem really almost just -
No. There's no way.
"Y-yeah." He replied, standing right on cue. Serena prayed that he wouldn't apologize, or bring it up ever again. Thankfully, he didn't.
"Yo, Calem! Serena! Took ya long enough." Tierno shouted from across the room. Trevor stood next to him, offering a polite wave. The two had barely entered before receiving such an abrupt greeting, they hadn't had a chance to take in exactly what they were seeing.
The Tower of Mastery. The first thing that grabbed Serena's attention was the massive statue of a familiar Pokémon in the middle of the tower, standing almost as tall as the building itself. She recognized it as a Lucario from her encounter with Korrina just hours earlier.
"It's a big town, we got held up." Calem said, exchanging a weird handshake with Tierno. Serena wondered how many times they had to practice that before perfecting it.
"Shauna told me she'll be here soon," Trevor added. "In the meantime, how are your Pokédexes coming?"
Serena and Calem both opened their Pokédexes. Serena had seen twenty, caught four. Calem had seen twenty-four and caught eight. Of course he was winning, but Serena wasn't much for catching them all, anyway.
"You guys are doing great," Trevor beamed. "Professor Sycamore was happy to hear I've already caught ten."
"That's awesome!" Serena exclaimed. Why was it easier to be happy for Trevor's progress than Calem? "I didn't realize I was lagging so far behind in the Pokédex. Maybe I should focus on catching more."
"If that's what you want," Trevor suggested. "But we all have different goals. You and Calem are taking on the gym challenge whereas I wouldn't stand a chance doing that. It'd be boring if we were all after the same prize, wouldn't it?"
He wasn't wrong. It did make for interesting reunions along the way since each had some unique progress to talk about. That is, except for her and Calem.
All heads turned when the entry doors swung open, surprising considering how heavy they were.
"I'm here!" A shrill voice boomed, echoing throughout the entire tower. No surprise who that was. "Let's get this Mega Evolution party started."
"Shauna!" Serena hugged the practically bouncing girl.
"Serena! Guys!" Shauna chirped. "It's been so long, we totally all need to catch up after -"
Cutting off her bubbly small talk, Calem took the brunette's arm in his hand, pulling her aside so the others couldn't hear.
"Shauna, hey - you haven't talked to me in over a week. Is everything okay?" Calem asked in a low whisper.
Shauna blinked a few times with her lips ajar, looking thoroughly confused if he didn't know any better. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Come on, the last time I saw you, you completely ignor-"
"Calem." Shauna interrupted, taking both his hands in hers. A smile crept its way onto her lips once more, but her eyes remained serious and penetrating. "I'm fine. Just let it go, okay?" With that, she dropped his hands and skipped back to the others. That was the end of that, he decided.
Tierno notified the man in charge that everyone had arrived. Within minutes, an older man entered. He appeared tired and worn, but looked as though he carried a lifetime of wisdom.
"Welcome, everyone." The older man announced. "My name is Marius, probably better known as the mega evolution guru."
All were silent, welcoming his presence with courteous, yet anxious smiles. He proceeded, "I have been working with Professor Sycamore to unearth the mystery of mega evolution, but alas not to much avail."
"What's the problem?" Trevor asked, breaking a seemingly sacred silence.
"There are very few trainers who are able to use mega evolution, either due to our lack of mega stones, or due to the lack of an emotional bond between trainer and Pokémon. Neither is an easy feat to overcome, you see."
Serena felt her heart sink. So all her fears weren't so irrational after all.
"So where exactly do we come in?" Calem asked.
Marius cleared his throat, knowing that tension was brewing with every passing second. "There are currently only two others who are able to successfully carry out mega evolution: my granddaughter, and the champion of Kalos. At least, they're the only two whom I know of. While they are both helping me with my research, it would help both Sycamore and me immensely if we had more trainers working under us, mastering mega evolution and sharing your progress with us."
"So you're gonna help us all learn to mega evolve?" Shauna beamed. Marius' heart sank at the excitement in her eyes.
"You see," he began. "That's why I required seeing you all at once. I mentioned a shortage of key stones, and the unfortunate fact of the matter is, I've only one key stone to share with you. So I thought it best to allow the five of you to decide amongst yourselves who would begin the training."
….Oh.
Tierno exhaled a small, nervous and admittedly inappropriate laugh. Trevor shifted on both feet, folding his arms in front of him. Shauna frowned, knowing things were about to get ugly.
As for Serena and Calem - they didn't dare look at each other.
"Well," Tierno began, everyone praising Arceus for breaking the long silence. "Battling isn't really my thing. Don't worry about me, I'm out."
Trevor followed. "Me too. I think I'd rather focus on completing the Pokédex before I worry about mega evolving."
"Yeah," Shauna sighed. "I'm mostly in this for the sake of adventure. I'm not the battler." She smiled to lighten to mood, but her heart broke at the words. She would have loved to mega evolve, but she knew it was worth it to make things easier for her friends.
Serena held her breath, hoping that may Calem would follow suit. But of course, he was thinking the same thing.
"That leaves Calem and Serena," Tierno urged the conversation forward. "You're both neck and neck with the gym challenge. You're definitely the best battlers out of all of us."
"Serena …" Calem hesitated. "This is a major part of my goal."
"I know," she looked down. "But it's part of mine, too. Calem I really need this."
"I need it, too! Otherwise I'll just be a regular trainer." He paused, grimacing at the words alone. "I know I can be so much more than that, and mega evolution is the key to unlocking my full potential." Serena had seen Calem get worked up in the face of Team Flare before, but this was different. He was almost pleading. "I'm sorry, Serena. I really am. If you're not going to back down, then I challenge you to a battle for the mega ring."
A battle with Calem? While he was her rival, they had yet to have a formal battle together, aside from sparring when he helped her train to face Viola. While she had been trying to convince herself that she was his equal, part of her still saw him as more of a mentor; how was she supposed to win against that? Maybe he knew she didn't stand a chance.
Or maybe that's what her brain told her to think, and she for the first time, she recognized this. Something in her felt different. Serena had never been one to put up a fight for what she wanted. Putting others first was second nature to her by now, and to do otherwise felt selfish and foreign.
But not this time.
"Fine." She uttered, biting the inside of her lip almost enough to draw blood.
Calem straightened his shoulders, his eyes narrowing. "I am not going to hold back, Serena. I am going to master mega evolution and go all the way to the champion."
He spoke as if he had already won. It nearly made her consider backing down, but no. Even if this was Calem, the person who pushed her forward and motivated her to continue when she wanted to give up, that was all the more reason to take this challenge head on. She would just ignore her shortness of breath and trembling legs, for now.
Sylvester panted vigorously, a slight limp in his posture. Yet he stood tall and proud as a small Eevee could.
Calem was down to one Pokémon. Serena recalled Sylvester. She still had Kristie, so it was all fair game from here.
"Sylvester can still fight, why call it quits while he's still pumped?"
"He can still fight, but he was clearly exhausted. He wanted to stop." Serena probably evoked more attitude in her answer than she intended. "So we're tied now."
"..." Calem gripped his last Pokéball - his trusty Meowstic. He didn't understand Serena's battling style. She didn't always make the obvious choice, and it sometimes worked in her favor, sometimes didn't.
Calem had already set up spikes and light screen earlier in the battle. He thought ahead and planned out the battle strategically before it even began.
Kristie flinched from the initial impact of the spikes, but quickly shook it off.
Serena knew Kristie was good with long range moves, but had higher physical attack. She also knew how Kristie loved to get close up with her foes.
"Bite," Serena ordered, and Kristie willingly charged in. It was perfect; she even had the type advantage.
However, Serena didn't consider the possibility of Kristie becoming confused after a single Confusion from Meowstic.
"Shit," Serena hissed under her breath. "Focus on my voice, Kristie. We can do this!" Because damn it, we're too close to let this stop us. "Can you still battle?"
Kristie clutched her throbbing, spinning head, but was able to muster up a solid nod.
That's all she needed for now. As much as Kristie loved getting up close and dirty with her opponents, she would be more likely to land a successful hit in her confused state with a longer range, widespread attack. Water pulse it is, then.
It worked, albeit soaking the entire arena with her hindered accuracy. Meowstic coughed violently upon recovering from the blow.
"That was amazing!" Serena praised.
Calem grinded his teeth, not expecting such a brute blow from the small water starter. "Psyshock," he commanded.
Another blow. Kristie wouldn't be able to take many more hits, especially accounting for her self-inflicted wounds due to being confused. Hearing Calem praise Meowstic became more and more antagonizing each time. Serena clenched her hands into a fist. If I could get one more Bite in, I'd be looking at nearly guaranteed victory …
But how to get that close?
"Confusion, one more time."
"Gotta dodge it…" Serena mumbled. "I know. Kristie! Can you use dig?"
Without waiting for further order, Kristie burrowed underground.
"Get ready to jump!" Calem ordered.
Meowstic closed his eyes, zoning in on the vibrations in the ground beneath him. It wasn't a surprise when Kristie emerged from the ground; Meowstic easily dodged the attack.
"Now Bite!" Serena ordered.
"D-dodge!" Calem whispered a curse for not seeing that Dig was just a way to safely get closer; she didn't mean it to be her attack.
Meowstic growled in pain as the Kristie's teeth mercilessly sunk into his skin.
Kristie smirked in the midst of her attack, taking great pleasure in making a male Pokémon squirm at her power.
Meowstic saw this, and all his trainer's pride flowed through him like a rushing river. He had to make Calem proud, and he wouldn't let himself be brought down and disappoint his trainer.
"Get her off! Confusion again!" Calem shouted.
Confusion. Confusion. Psyshock. Confusion. Calem spewed out the orders, one after another. He was getting sloppy; surely he realized how close this was.
"Kris use Protect!" She just needed a second to think, and Calem wasn't about to give her an opening.
"Stop hiding and fight!" Calem growled, rage filling his voice and frustration evident in his composure.
Serena's teeth clenched, almost offended at his remark. Wouldn't you like that?
In the moment it took Meowstic to stop and take a breath, Serena's heart fluttered; this was her chance!
"NOW!" She commanded, and Kristie knew the code.
Unfortunately for him, Calem didn't know. He couldn't have predicted the clean, forceful water gun that took Meowstic down for the last time that battle.
As the fallen water seeped into the ground beneath them, the only sound to be heard was Kristie's laborious breathing.
"Meowstic is unable to battle. Squirtle and Serena are the winners." Marius announced.
"..." Serena exhaled deeply, unaware that she had been holding it for quite a while. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. What was there to say that wouldn't rub salt in the wound?
A heavy silence ensued for at least half a minute (although it felt much, much longer) before either returned their Pokémon. Calem finally brought his eyes to meet hers as he approached her.
He stopped walking once they were side to side, facing opposite directions. He raised his hand, but stopped halfway, dropping to his side once more.
"You've gotten strong. Congratulations." He smiled gently before letting that fall as well. Ice filled his voice, matching the suddenly shrill gust of wind that passed, prickling at Serena's skin.
"I …" Serena stuttered. "Thank you, but …"
"Go." he insisted, motioning to their group of friends watching with a cautious intensity. "You'll do great, neighbor." With a second half-smile, Calem had left.
"..." Serena swiveled on her feet to face him, but seeing him walk away only pained her more. While it was a brief moment, part of her wanted to surrender the mega ring to him. Was it worth it? Because she felt horrible for snatching this dream from him. But no, she earned it fair and square.
Thankfully, the horrendous encounter was interrupted. "Serena!" Shauna cheered. "I can't believe you won! Against Calem!" Her hands clapped together; at least someone was happy with the outcome. "No no - I mean, I can totally believe it. You were great!"
Serena wanted so badly to celebrate, but that was hard with tears welling up in her eyes. "I… Thank you… but Calem…"
"Don't worry about him," Tierno interjected. "He'll be okay. Everyone has to deal with disappointment sometimes, even Calem."
Trevor nodded. "Although this is probably a first for him."
That certainly didn't help.
"Both you and the young man are talented, no doubt." Marius stated with confidence. "I see why Professor Sycamore chose you all, as you each have individual, valuable qualities to offer each other. There's no point in comparing each, as that would be like comparing a water type to a fairy type. But," he turned focus to Serena. "Your heart is palpably connected with that of your Pokémon, and that makes up for what you lack in brute strength and surefire confidence. That is also what is required for the mastery of mega evolution. Miss Serena, my granddaughter will show you what to do. Korrina? Could you assist me outside please?"
This was it. Time to face the truth. Please let me be able to do this…
Footsteps approached and Serena's heart sped up to match their pace.
"Serena." A young woman's face announced. "Small world, huh?" With her signatory duo of Lucario at her side, the woman whom Serena met that morning greeted her with a smile.
"O-oh. You're the Mega Evolution Guru's granddaughter?"
"You've met already?" Shauna asked.
"Yeah, we battled on my way to Shalour, actually."
"Well, Serena," Korrina grinned. "I hope you're ready to battle again. I'm going to teach you how to mega evolve." She turned her back to the group, only looking back to beckon. "Come with me.
Serena turned to her friends expectantly. "Guys?"
Trevor raised his hands in front of his body as he shook his head. "I feel like I'd be intruding."
Tierno agreed. "Yeah, it's like a private lesson, you know? I'd love to see once you got it down. But I think Trevs and I should probably go catch up with Calem."
Serena nodded knowingly. "Right."
Shauna scoffed. "Well I wanna see! Do you mind?"
Serena smiled. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she felt relieved, as if Shauna could be there for emotional support. When she agreed and Shauna linked her arm in Serena's, she felt just a little more ready to take on mega evolution. No matter how guilty she felt about Calem's loss, she knew she had to focus on the matter at hand in order to handle what was coming up.
Author's Note: Much like Serena, my solution to dealing with nervousness is avoiding what makes me nervous, which is why I've been avoiding publishing my writing like the plague recently. I hope you can forgive me and just accept that I'm working on this at a pace that is convenient for me, no matter how slow that may be. That being said, I can't even express how much your support means to me. I know how frustrating it can be to wait for a fic to update, so I appreciate y'all standing by me and this story! I've been excited to write this chapter from the time I barely started writing this fic (which is probably why I never liked how it came out). This is kind of a turning point in Serena's and Calem's relationship so I'm excited to explore what happens from here. Best wishes, until next time!