Chapter Seventeen – Awake

The next thing Serena was aware of was not a sensation of the presence of something, but rather the total absence of anything whatsoever. It was not that she didn't feel anything. She felt nothing.

She opened her eyes. There was nothing there. Nothing at all.

Involuntarily, she attempted to gasp. Her attempt failed. She could not draw breath, nor could she make a sound. Panicked, she flailed her limbs. It was useless. There was no ground for her to push against, no water for her to tread, no air to resist her futile struggle. She looked all around. She could see nothing but herself.

All alone, she floated in complete and utter nothingness, suspended in a blank void. The darkness in all directions was impenetrable. The silence was absolute.

Panic struck again. She had experienced something like this once before, a memory she wished she could forget. When Nebby teleported everyone to safety, for a few seconds at most, she was certain she had been in space. She remembered the cold and the dark, and the absence of air, but that was not the memory that persisted the strongest.

What she remembered the most was the silence. Never before had she truly understood the concept. It was not silence in an earthly sense. Everyday silence was not true silence. No matter what, there was always something to hear. Not in space, though, and not wherever she was now.

The longer Serena thought, the more obvious something became, something that only left her with more questions. She could see herself, but how? Even in the distance, there was nothing whatsoever, not even the faintest pinprick of light. She could not possibly be in space. She did not feel cold. Despite her inability to do so, she felt no need to draw breath. She held two fingers to the side of her neck and pressed. She felt no pulse.

Had her heart been beating, she was sure it would have stopped. The memories of the previous few minutes played back in her mind in rapid succession. Another question came to her, the most terrible of all.

Was she dead?

She drifted. Or rather, she supposed she did. There was no way to tell if she was in motion or not. It was not clear that the concept of location mattered where she was. She wasn't anywhere. She was nowhere. It only made her more and more certain that this was the end. Where else could she be?

She closed her eyes. There was nothing to see, anyway. She thought. Oddly, the panic faded. She wasn't sure why. For some reason, the idea of being dead didn't seem so intimidating anymore. It didn't make much sense to her. Somehow, being alone in perfect nothingness felt more like a relief than anything else. The images and words in her mind played over and over again, each time becoming a little more distant, a little further out of reach. Her Pokémon falling in battle, Palermo's final insult, all of the pain and fear she had endured… none of it mattered anymore. It was all gone. Her fight was over. Her story had ended. Peace, at last.

Time passed, or perhaps it didn't pass at all. It didn't seem to Serena that time had much meaning in this place, either. An ethereal calm came over her. If this was death, it was not so bad. It was like a pleasant night of restful sleep that just so happened to last forever. After everything that had happened, she had never felt more in need of a rest. She had earned it, she figured.

She wasn't sure what to call the emotion she felt. Smug sounded wrong, but she couldn't think of a better word. She supposed she had forever to come up with a better one, eventually. But in a way, she felt smug to finally know the answer to the question that humanity had struggled and failed to answer throughout its entire existence. This was what happened when you died. How wrong everyone was about one's life flashing before their eyes. It never happened. But then again, she figured, it happened so quickly for her that there simply wasn't any time. Maybe that really did happen for other people. There was no way to know, and that was okay. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.

It was nice.

More time passed, or at least something resembling time. Serena's thoughts wandered. If she had been deprived of the experience of having her life flash before her eyes, there was no reason she could not simply recreate the experience on her own. She had forever, after all. There was so much to think about, though. It was tough to decide where to begin. There were plenty of things she did not want to remember, but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered why. If nothing mattered anymore, what harm was there in admitting to herself that she wished she had made some different decisions? There was no point in hiding anything anymore. The only person she was hiding from was herself.

She thought of everyone she had left behind. She wished she could have done more. She supposed it could not be helped. At least Aria and Lillie had managed to escape. It wasn't all for nothing. She wondered what would become of Ash, and everyone else. She would never know, she supposed. Maybe her death had brought about Palermo's downfall. She liked that idea. At last, Palermo was caught doing something that nobody could ever excuse. It was such a shame that it could not have happened another way, though.

Then again, Serena wondered if there was anything for which that wasn't the case. There were so many things she would have done differently. It all seemed so stupid now. Why hadn't she just kissed Ash years ago? She had a million opportunities. Why had she waited until the last possible second and set off a chain reaction in the process? It was so unnecessary. It all could have been avoided. Or, maybe it was unavoidable. She wasn't sure. So many things all had to happen in exactly the right way for things to end up how they did. It was impossible to know what would have happened if even a single one of them had been changed.

Whether it would have been possible to change anything or not, there was one thing Serena knew. There was no one, not one single person, with whom she could not have had a better relationship. She wished she had done better with everyone. Absolutely everyone. She could have been a better friend, a better lover, a batter daughter, a better trainer.

Clemont, Bonnie, and Korrina… she wished she could have pulled herself out of her shell and opened up more with them.

Lillie… she wished she had never hurt her.

Aria… she wished she knew what they could have been.

Ash… she wished she had been able to fully put her faith in him.

Her mother… she wished she had let it all go years ago.

Her Pokémon… she wished she had not failed them.

Serena.

Serena's eyes shot open. Impossible as it was, a voice called to her. She could not determine from where. It sounded like everywhere. There was no one, absolutely nothing to be seen, though. She was still completely alone.

"Hello?"

Serena covered her mouth in shock when she realized she had spoken. She had no idea how she did it. Her words seemed to vanish into the void, swallowed by nothingness. There was nowhere for them to go, and no one to hear them.

Yet, unsure at first if she could actually do it, she spoke again.

"Is… anyone there?"

Serena.

The voice came again. Serena could not understand how, but it felt so familiar.

"Hello?"

You did not fail.

Serena's jaw hung open. She could not understand.

"What? Who is this? Where are you?"

I am with you.

"I can't see you!"

You are not looking.

"What?! Yes I am!"

Your mind. Not your eyes.

Serena looked over her shoulders and all around once more. It was useless. She was all alone. The voice came from everywhere, but there was no one anywhere.

Serena. Look.

Serena saw nothing. Seeing no other option, she acquiesced. She closed her eyes.

At first, nothing changed. The only difference was that she couldn't see her own limbs floating in the void. But then, the voice spoke again.

Do you see me now?

For the first time since arriving, Serena felt something other than absence. She felt presence. A feeling of warmth washed over her. As if receiving a jolt, she gasped reflexively.

"Delphox!"

Serena's eyes shot open. There, before her in the void, Delphox floated with her.

"I- I don't understand!"

I know.

"What's going on? What happened? Are you… talking?"

No, but yes.

"Huh?"

I cannot speak in a way you can understand, but I am talking to you.

"How? What is this? That voice- it's… yours?"

Yes.

"I-"

As if it were a reflex, Serena gripped her head with both hands. A tiny flicker of pain flared between her eyes for the briefest of moments. A staggering realization came to her.

"All this time... that was you?"

Yes.

"All those times I thought my head hurt because of stress... you were talking to me?"

I tried.

"You were trying to talk to me telepathically?"

Yes.

"I-"

Serena ran her hands down her face, stopping to massage her forehead. Her face partially obscured, she shook her head. The voice in her head. The headaches every time she tried to interact with Delphox. It was all so obvious now.

"I can't believe I didn't realize."

I can.

Serena scoffed at herself.

"I'm sure you can. I'm really sorry. Not just for not realizing what you were doing. For a lot of things.

Do not be sorry.

"What? Really? You too? How can I not be sorry? You're dead because of me!"

You are wrong.

"None of this would have happened if I didn't try to fight Palermo! You didn't have to do it! I got you killed!"

You did not.

"Yes I did!"

I am not dead.

Serena's face went slack.

"What? Then… how are you here?"

I am with you.

"I'm dead!"

You are not.

Serena stared at Delphox, unable to understand.

"Then… where are we?"

Together.

"Yes, I know we're together, but where?"

Delphox slowly raised one hand. Serena followed the motion with her eyes, as if expecting Delphox to suddenly illuminate the surroundings and show her the way.

But instead, Delphox placed her hand on Serena's forehead.

In here.

Mouth hanging open, Serena stared up at Delphox's hand.

"You mean…"

Yes.

Delphox withdrew her hand. Serena looked her in the eye again. It took her quite some time to figure out anything to say.

"How?"

It sounded so foolish. Serena was embarrassed to even ask. Delphox held her gaze.

I have been trying for a long time. It finally worked.

"You mean, to talk to me? Telepathically?"

Yes.

"All those headaches were from you, weren't they?"

Yes. I did not mean to cause pain, though. Your mind is just particularly well-guarded. I could not find the entrance. I was able to find my way inside a few times, but I was soon pushed out again. This time, I think I may have forced my way inside, hence the difficulty.

"But… why? Why did you do this? Why did you keep trying?"

So that we could talk.

Serena looked away.

"We haven't talked much since you evolved, have we?"

No.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault, really. I don't know why, but I didn't feel like there was anything I could say to you anymore. You went through so much, and you changed so much, and I wasn't ready for it. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I had completely failed you as a trainer."

You did not fail.

"I couldn't help you at all when you needed me the most! You put yourself under so much pressure that it almost broke you, and I didn't do anything to help! You gave me everything you had, and I gave you nothing! You grew on your own in ways that you never could have grown with me! You surpassed me! Why did you even stay with me? I completely failed you! I've done nothing right with you in what feels like forever!"

You did not fail.

"How can you say that?! I even gave you the opportunity to leave! I felt like it was the only thing I could do to help you! Ash would have been able to help you grow so much stronger than I ever could! You would have been able to be with Greninja, too!"

I could not leave.

"I gave you the chance!"

I would have failed you.

Serena made a very confused face.

"What? You've never failed me! You've always done your best for me, no matter what! No matter whether I deserved it or not!"

Had I left, I would have failed you.

"Delphox, this is ridiculous! You don't owe me anything!"

I owe everything to you.

"I've done nothing but get in your way!"

That is false.

"Okay, fine. I've done nothing but get in your way recently."

That is less false, but it is still not true.

"Why would you ever think that you could fail me? Why are you even loyal to me in the first place? I don't deserve this from you! All I do now is weigh you down!"

You are the only one who ever wanted me.

Serena went silent. She hesitated for several seconds.

"...what?"

I lived for some time before I met you. I do not know how long. Long enough that I can remember. I remember many things.

"Like what?"

I do not remember where I was born, but I do remember that I had a mother. I had brothers and sisters, too. I do not remember how long I knew them, or if any of them had names, or what any of them were like. What I do remember is being very warm, until I was taken away.

"Taken away?"

Yes, by humans.

"Is... that how you ended up at Professor Sycamore's lab?"

Eventually. I went to many places before I went there. Each one was as cold as the last. I met other Pokémon along the way. I learned that humans were the masters of the world, and that we were to obey them. I learned that some Pokémon were lucky, and that they were chosen by humans who saw them as equals and provided them with tender care and fulfilling lives. I learned that others were not so lucky, and that they came into the hands of cruel humans who viewed Pokémon as tools, destined to spend their lives in bondage.

Serena felt incapable of looking Delphox in the eye.

"Were you scared?"

Yes.

"I'm… sorry."

Serena wanted to ask if she had given Delphox the kind of life she desired, but she knew she was not ready to handle the consequences of the answer. She did not speak. Delphox continued.

We were all scared. Some hid it better than others. I think I hid it well. I watched many Pokémon pass in and out of the laboratory. Some were strong. Some were not. They all left in the arms of young humans. They all hoped they found a kindhearted one. Not me, though.

"Not you?"

No. I did not leave with anyone. Nobody chose me, for a long time. I think it was because I did not want to go with a human who would treat me as their equal.

"You didn't?"

No. All I wanted was a human who was as warm as my mother. I never found anyone like that. Not until you showed up.

Serena's mouth opened, but she failed to form words.

You wanted me the moment you saw me. You did not hesitate at all. You already knew. When I went with you, I discovered that you were the warmest person I have ever known. You cared for me like no one else ever had. You took me to places I never could have imagined. You made my life greater than I ever could have dreamed.

Serena's heart ached. She winced and shut her eyes, only for a moment. She was surprised to feel a tear roll down her cheek. She hadn't realized such a thing was still possible.

You taught me everything. You taught me how to have courage, how to stand up against those who hurt others, how to never give up. You taught me how to live.

"But… I don't know how to do any of those things!"

You are mistaken, and I do not understand how. I do not understand how you cannot see the truth.

"What are you talking about? What truth?"

You do not see yourself in the same way anyone else does. The reason no one else believes that you are a failure or a horrible person is that you are not any of those things.

Serena dug her fingers into her hair. She shook her head, then reached out as if begging.

"Then… what am I? I mess everything up! I make the same mistakes over and over again no matter how hard I try not to repeat them! I never say anything or do anything until the last possible moment! I'm not brave! I'm not even smart! I'm nobody! I'm a failure!"

You are not.

"I hurt people! I use them for my own good! I lie! I'm weak! I'm nothing but a burden on other people!"

You are not.

"Then what am I?!"

You are Serena.

"What kind of answer is that? That means nothing!"

It is all there is. It is the truth.

"What truth? Everyone keeps telling me I don't understand the truth! I don't even know what the truth is anymore! What am I missing? What don't I understand?"

You ignore the lessons you impart on others.

"What could I possibly teach anyone?"

You taught me everything.

"You taught yourself! I failed you!"

You did not.

"Stop saying that!"

No.

"It's the truth!"

It is not.

"What do you see in me? What does anyone see in me?!"

A hero.

"I'm not a hero!"

You are.

"I'm not!"

You have to be.

"I can't be!"

You must be, because you are my hero.

Serena froze. She was beyond words, beyond comprehension. She could do nothing but stare.

You believe you need a hero because you do not understand that you are already one. You do not need a hero. You do not need anyone. You are enough all on your own. Palermo is wrong, and so are you. You do have what you seek.

Serena looked down. She shook her head. She placed both hands on top of it. She didn't understand. The tears flooding her eyes did not make it any easier.

"What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to be a hero? I don't know how!"

Everything you need is inside you.

"Where? I've been looking this whole time! Why can't I find it?"

Because you have not yet looked here.

Serena looked up at Delphox, confused.

"Here?"

Here.

"But… there's nothing here!"

Yes.

"What do you mean?"

That is the point.

"What point? This place is empty! If this is inside my mind, what does that say about me?"

You are missing the point.

"What point?!"

There is nothing here because there is nothing for you to find. You already have everything you need. You simply cannot see it.

"What am I supposed to see?"

You will see when you open your eyes.

"My eyes are already open!"

They are not.

"What? I'm looking right at you!"

Yet you cannot see a thing.

"...huh?"

This is why I am here, Serena. You are my hero. You taught me how to live. Now, it is my turn.

Delphox drew closer. She raised one hand.

I will help you see.

Serena stared at Delphox, lost.

"I just don't understand."

You will in a moment.

Once more, Delphox placed her hand on Serena's forehead.

You do have it. You showed me the way. Now, I will show you.

There was an instant in which it occurred to Serena that there was much more she wanted to say, but the moment passed before she could say or do anything. She felt Delphox's hand vibrate. The feeling resonated inside her head.

Then, she had a completely ineffable experience. She had the distinct sensation of her mind leaving her body. The void surrounding her filled with sights as indescribable as they were numerous. Nonsensical trains of thought streaked overhead like shooting stars while her mind raced through impossible geometries, her mere observation of them causing them to metamorphose before her eyes. She saw in all directions, even in ones which had no name. She saw herself, and everyone and everything else, from both inside and outside at the same time, at all times.

She felt herself rising as if pulled from behind by a string, slowly being reeled in by a fishing rod. As she rose higher and higher, she saw more and more. More than she ever should have been able to see. More than her brain could comprehend. Everything blended together, jumbled into a mess that made both more and less sense at the same time. She realized that she was not moving up. She was moving out. Her senses overwhelmed beyond all imagination, her thoughts seized as she was ejected from one plane and transposed into another, pulled simultaneously in all possible opposing directions.

The pressure grew. At last, it overcame her. Her brain caved in, collapsing upon itself. Everything both in and around her, all that ever was or ever could have been, ripped apart and disintegrated.

Serena passed out of existence, and static filled the void.

Serena became aware. Of what, she was not sure. She was only aware of some kind of sensation. She could not describe it. It prompted her to open her eyes.

At first, she could not comprehend where she was. Everything was tinted blue. But then, she saw Palermo and Florges standing in front of her, and Delphox on the ground by her side.

Except not actually, because she was in the air.

Serena gasped for breath. Her eyes and her mouth both shot wide open, and air filled her empty lungs. She floated above the ground, her body and her limbs buoyant as if she were treading water. Her arms floated at chest height without her holding them up. She wasn't certain what was happening.

The one thing she knew, though, was that it was not Florges' doing. Both Florges and Palermo stepped back a few steps, visibly concerned and confused.

"What in the world is this?" said Palermo.

Serena couldn't respond. She could not have given Palermo a meaningful answer, anyway. She had no idea. She continued to float, her body awash in indigo light. Whatever was happening was completely out of her control. She felt helpless, yet somehow not at all afraid. Even as her mind shook as though an earthquake were taking place inside her skull, somehow, she knew.

She was safe.

Tears streamed from her eyes. She didn't know why. It didn't hurt. It didn't feel like anything she had ever experienced.

"Florges, put a stop to this at once!"

Florges did not comply. Instead, she backed away another step.

Serena's head snapped abruptly upward. For a moment, her vision went completely blank, solid white. When her sight returned, she looked down at the ground again. Her heart leaped. She saw Delphox stir to life.

And then, even though Serena's eyes were already open, they opened again.

Serena floated in the air, astonished, speechless. Serena also grabbed her wand, pushed against the pavement with her spare hand, and rose to her feet. With two sets of eyes, she looked at Palermo. Then, like seeing herself in a mirror, she gazed upon herself from the outside. She understood.

There was someone else inside her head.

Now do you see?

Delphox's voice called to her. Even though she saw Delphox's body standing before her, the voice came from within. All the while, she saw herself floating in the air, through Delphox's eyes.

Uncertain whether or not she was controlling it, Serena began to sink, slowly lowering toward the ground. Her feet touched the pavement, and then her arms lowered to her sides, as if the water in which she floated drained from an invisible tank.

The light surrounding her faded. Standing under her own power, she looked at both of her hands. Wordlessly, she stared, tears continuing to fall in silence. Though she did not look with her own eyes, when Palermo spoke, she looked.

"What nonsense is this?" said Palermo. "What? You played dead? What did it get you?"

Serena continued to stare at her hands while she stared at Palermo. She did not respond to Palermo's questioning with words. Instead, not acknowledging her, she continued to cry. She couldn't seem to stop. She didn't know why.

But she did know one thing. Palermo's demeanor had changed. There was fear in her eyes. Serena smelled blood.

"Do you have nothing to say for yourself? Do you intend to stand there and weep over your imminent demise? What have these last few precious seconds gotten you? You are nothing to me. I will reduce you to nothing more than dust in the wind."

Serena ignored her. It was incredible. She felt it not only in her hands, but everywhere, inside and out. She was almost afraid to move. It felt too dangerous. The power was phenomenal. She could barely restrain it. It defied belief.

"Say something you insolent brat!"

Serena looked up at Palermo, now with all of her eyes. She met Palermo's gaze. She saw such a strange reaction in Palermo's one visible eye. She wondered what she saw. She did not feel any words coming, but oddly, felt something to say. Uncontrollably, she felt it bubble to the surface.

Serena felt her face contort. Her fangs bared, she took a menacing step forward. She screamed, louder than she ever had in her life. Deafening, it pierced the snowy night sky. Both Palermo and Florges backed several steps away. And then, Serena realized it wasn't really her. It was not her voice. It was Delphox's roar. Yet, somehow, it was not Delphox alone. She was part of it, too.

Standing still, tears continuing to fall in silence, Serena advanced another step toward Palermo. As she advanced, she continued to stand there like a statue, overwhelmed by everything. She was losing track of where she ended and where Delphox began. It was becoming less and less clear by the moment.

She raised her wand. She aimed at Florges.

Palermo raised a hand.

"Moonblast, now!"

Florges erupted in indigo light and rose into the air. She raised both hands. She summoned a shimmering, silvery sphere of energy between them. Serena felt the power. It was terrifying, awesome, pitiful.

Unmoving, she watched, her wand trained on Florges. She waited.

Florges swung the blast down toward the ground. Serena waited. It streaked toward her. It grew ever closer. It made her fur stand on end.

Then, the blast contacted the tip of her wand. Her wand passed a few inches beneath the surface. The blast stopped. Impaled, the blast froze in place, transforming her wand into a makeshift mace. Serena watched herself as she sprang into the air, clearing the height with one simple jump and effortlessly levitating opposite Florges.

Below, Palermo staggered backward, agape as she looked up at Delphox above.

"What is this?"

Florges glared. She spread her arms, summoning a barrier. Serena saw the uncertainty in her eyes. She knew that Florges didn't know if it would hold. She also knew that it would not.

She flew forward, her makeshift mace held high above her head. From above, she pounced, roaring as she sent the borrowed Moonblast crashing down on Florges' barrier. The shield shattered as if it were nothing more than an unfortunate window in the path of a flying rock.

She closed in. Florges raised an arm to protect herself. Serena reared her head back and shrieked, ejecting a fireball from her mouth. It collided with Florges and exploded, sending her rocketing toward the ground. Serena followed in hot pursuit.

Before Florges could crash, she broke her fall with a cushion of energy. Flying away backward, she barely dodged as Serena landed in the spot where she had hovered mere moments before. Serena sent a jet of flame flying from her wand, then took off after Florges.

Florges ascended back into the sky, dodging several more jets of flame. Serena felt snow accumulating in her hair as she stood there on the ground, watching herself soar high into the air above. She had been so focused on following Florges that she had lost track of how long she had been standing still. She remained there, transfixed, totally stationary.

Meanwhile, above, she quickly drew level with Florges and bypassed her. Cut off, Florges stopped, made an abrupt turn, and attempted to fire a Moonblast. It was immediately blown away with an effortless Fire Blast. Using the splash of flames and light as cover, Florges attempted to make another escape, this time from below. She dived underneath Delphox, then fired another quick blast. It was tossed aside with a mere wave of the hand. It splashed onto the tarmac like nothing but a can of silvery paint.

"Moonblast! Hold nothing back!"

Florges rose her hands above her head again. Once more, a ball of energy condensed between them. Serena was fully prepared to swat it aside again, but something different happened this time. The ball did not stop growing when it reached its normal size. Florges pulled the ball down from over her head, and then it kept growing until it was as wide as her arms could stretch.

And then, it continued. It grew as tall as Florges, then twice as tall. The mere reflection of the light on the pavement was blinding. Still, it continued. The ball grew and grew until Florges held a blast large enough to have easily contained the hangar in the distance.

Resolute, Serena stood her ground, both on the pavement and in the air. She remembered the full-power Moonblast that Diantha had commanded her Gardevoir to fire at Greninja. It had been so precise, so finely controlled. Florges' blast was its antithesis in every way. It was devoid of precision. It was beyond control. Her typical aloof poise was gone. She quivered with fury.

"Now, end this!"

On Palermo's command, Florges fired. Lazily, almost as if the ball struggled to take off under its own weight, it rose into the air. Serena gazed down at it. It was too bright to look at for more than a moment. It shone in impossible colors, colors which she had never seen before and for which there were no words. There was no doubt at all that the attack would consume whoever was on the receiving end of it. It was dangerous, reckless, beyond all sanity.

Below, Palermo smirked.

Serena growled. She raised her wand. This was it.

This was the end, for real this time.

She closed her eyes. It accomplished nothing. The incredible light from the blast penetrated her eyelids as though they weren't there at all. The heat lashed at her, waves of energy radiating over her fur like tongues of fire. She felt it draw closer. Fighting every urge in her bodies and minds to run, she tried to concentrate. She had to. There was no other choice.

Serena did not breathe. She waited. The moment finally came.

Mere inches from the tip of her wand, the blast stopped. Everything went blue. Serena growled, her eyes alight with blue fire. Energy shot down her wand and spread over the giant Moonblast, enveloping it.

Then, it returned from whence it came.

From above, Serena saw nothing but intense light. From below, Serena saw both Florges and Palermo cower. Palermo dropped her cane and toppled over backward. She crawled, scurrying a few more feet away on her one good hand and her knees before ducking for cover.

Florges froze. Serena knew what Florges had realized. There was nowhere for her to run. The blast was too large. There was no escape.

Time stood still. Florges straightened her posture one last time. With breathtaking elegance, she stood tall, her figure cast in blinding shadow beneath the shimmering light. She lay her hands at her sides. Then, with grim certainty on her face, she looked up into the blast. She closed her eyes.

Serena shielded her eyes, both pairs of them.

There was a tremendous explosion of light, a flash that both illuminated everything and cast everything in shadow, a sound that was both deafening and silent at the same time. A blast of hot air followed by freezing cold radiated out from the impact in all directions, threatening to blow Serena both off her feet and out of the sky.

But Serena refused to move.

When she opened her eyes again, the entire area was bathed in a silvery glow, slowly fading. On the far side of the blast site, she saw Palermo struggling to sit upright, supporting herself with one hand. At the center of it, she saw nothing more than a black streak, less than ashes, something barely there at all.

As the light dimmed, like so many motes of dust, what little was left scattered in the wind.

Serena lowered herself to the ground. A short distance away. Palermo grabbed hold of her cane and shakily pulled herself upright. She shot Serena a vile look, then shoved a hand into her coat pocket.

For just a second, Serena's stomach clenched with fear. Florges was the only Pokémon she had ever seen Palermo use. What others did she have? Did some greater horror await? Was this only the beginning of the true fight?

But a Poké Ball was not what Palermo pulled out of her pocket. It was a walkie-talkie. She pressed a button and spoke into it.

"Come get me. Now."

Serena lowered her wand. She stared at Palermo in disbelief. Palermo smirked, but she looked past Serena. It was only then that Serena realized Palermo was looking at her. She clearly did not understand.

Likewise, Serena did not understand Palermo's expression. It was bizarre, almost incomprehensible given the circumstances. She appeared to be amused.

"Well, that's that, now isn't it?" said Palermo. "It looks like I was right, after all. There is always a greater power."

Palermo took a step past Serena, closer toward her. She stopped, with a sardonic smile on her face and a proud, bejeweled hand atop her cane.

"I do hope that you meet yours one day," said Palermo. "If this is how you choose to spend your life, you will. It's only a matter of time."

A gust of wind punctuated the long silence that followed. Snowflakes whirled around, blanketing the tarmac. Palermo grimaced as they buffeted her face. Ignoring them, she held Serena's gaze. All the while, Serena just stared. In perfect tranquility, tears continued to slowly streak from her eyes.

Serena blinked when she heard the sound of an engine. Her eyes slid back into focus. Out of what seemed like nowhere, a limousine pulled up behind Palermo. A door opened.

"It's time for me to exit the stage, my dear," said Palermo. "I doubt this will be the last time we meet, though. I have every reason to believe our paths will cross again one day. Until then..."

Palermo turned toward the open door. Before she entered, she stopped. She looked back one last time.

"I hope you're prepared to live with the consequences of all you've done."

With a smile, she slipped into the backseat. Serena stood there as Palermo unwittingly passed her, watching. In that moment, she was acutely aware of how easy it would have been to snap Palermo's neck with only one twitch of her wand. She could not bring herself to raise it, though. She just watched.

"Farewell."

With one final wave, Palermo shut the door. The limousine drove away.

Serena watched until the taillights disappeared around a corner. Then, all was quiet. Standing there in the snow, in two places at once, Serena had the very strange experience of being alone with herself.

But she wasn't truly alone.

You see now, don't you?

Serena heard the voice from within. There was no need for her to speak her reply aloud. She felt compelled to, anyway.

"Yes."

Her voice broke the silence. Again, out of what seemed like nowhere, dozens of cars appeared. In the distance, the limousine came to a halt as a swarm of police cars surrounded it.

As a horde of officers surrounded the limousine, Serena noticed that another swarm of vehicles was descending upon her location. It wasn't a caravan of police cars, though. It was different. She squinted. Through the glare of the lights and the swirling snow, she couldn't determine what she saw.

And then, she felt the disconcerting sensation of her mind turning inside out and back again.

She shook her head. A carpet of snow fell from it. She blinked. She saw only through one pair of eyes again. Delphox slowly walked toward her, a glint in her eye.

A van skid to a halt in front of her, its tires sliding on the snow-covered tarmac. The door swung open. A familiar figure burst out of it and ran toward her.

"Serena? Is that you?"

Alexa ran up to her, pen and paper in hand.