Distant Memories

((Eww. Back in the days where she liked Nathan. Great idea. But, she was nicer back then.... She'd be... 19-ish. Idk if you know, but that's when she was away from Rocket {Like, right before Pedro, I think}, so she should be somewhat nice... -ish. Well, whatever works. I'll see what I can do. That's so back when she was a total science freak. Oh dear..... Bear with me, I haven't portrayed her in youth for awhile. It might be a bit funny.))


With a growl, the desk went flying. Granted, it was a small desk, and it didn't go very far, but it did burst into flames. "Why the hell is it NOT WORKING!" She stormed out of the abandoned building, not exactly the nicest place in town. It was definitely proving to have a good deal of wear and tear on it, and she regretted even coming back to it. But, what with leaving Rocket to do more field work, she had to store her results and plots somewhere. The placed held many memories, that was for sure. Memories she wished wouldn't conjure themselves up while she was trying to work...

It was years ago. About three by now, she figured. I don't see why it even matters anymore... It's not like they obviously care much, considering they haven't found me yet... And to think we spent all those years together. To think I thought they were friend enough to find me if they wanted to.... Her mind was scattered, her face solemn. She was headed out of the building, grabbing a parka on the way out. The weather was nasty, but she needed a break from the mess she was remembering. The mess of her childhood friends, her best friends, Nathan and Sunaachi. Every time they came to mind, she couldn't accomplish anything. Her mind held no focus when she had no idea juat what had happened to her friends.

Serena was a very small girl, a young adult at this point. She stood barely at five foot, and she weighed very little. She had the rust color ears and the pale blonde tail of a Flareon, but not the usual morph everyone loved. She was a hybrid, born and raised in Team Rocket's labs. Neglected by the humans and morphs that had lives not belonging to Rocket, she grew up craving attention and receiving little of it. She did all that she could, and put every ounce of faith in her pokemon, especially her Arcanine and Ninetales. They were the closest things she had to family at this point, and she adored them. The girl had left Team Rocket only a year ago, to see just what she could accomplish on her own. She left no trace for those that didn't know her, but all the trace for the people she'd spent her youth with.

The moment she stepped outside, she almost regretted it. The fierce winds practically knocked her over, being that there wasn't much to her petite frame. Pulling the jacket tight around her, she began to walk away from the silent city, away from her memories. The streets were practically abandoned, considering the weather was horrid. But, then again, everybody that was indoors had the opportunity to be warm and amongst people. Being that she was a hybrid, and part of Team Rocket, she wasn't welcomed by many people, if at all, any. And, considering the warehouse was indeed abandoned, she had to keep it warm herself, to avoid raising suspicion.

Just out of town, her ears picked up the faintest roar. Perking up, she scanned the area, hoping for some possible action. Beside her appeared a flash of red light, and an Arcanine following the reaction. Glancing at her companion, she nodded, and hopped onto her back. She leaned forward, clutching the mane of the huge Arcanine and trying to stay out of the blowing winds. Arcanine took off in the direction of the noise, huge paws pounding on the ground. It made the air colder, not doubt, and Serena clinged to her friend, trying to keep the wind off of her. As they arrived closer to the intense howling, Serena easily noted it was a Flareon, and there was something wrong. A soft spot for fire pokemon, she urged Arcanine in it's direction.

Immediately upon reaching the area, Serena jumped off her Arcanine and ran over. Realizing the apparant connection between the girl that was freezing and the Flareon, as well as the frozen boy in close proximity, her Ninetales appeared on the opposite side of her Arcanine. Raising a Psychic sphere around them all, Arcanine lit a blazing fire in the direct center of the area, while Ninetales kept the barrier up to keep them from the wind and snow. She walked over to the girl and knelt beside her, cautious, but concerned. "Are you okay? May I ask what happened?"

"We're homeless...This storm has killed my trainer, the Jolteon Hybrid. Vanessa is going to die...She needs shelter. Honestly I'm surprized she even survived the night. Have you got anywhere for us to stay?"

Glancing back at her partners, she nodded, and the two pokemon approached them. It was a look of concern from Serena, unsure of whether to take them to her temporary home for a fear that she'd be rejected after saving them. But, her pokemon seemed to think it she should, and she never doubted their judgement. "I can't say it's the best thing in the world, but it is shelter. You're welcome to come and stay until she's better, but I ask that you do not judge me on my profession. Ninetales, please get the boy."

Ninetales lifted the frozen boy with her tails, wrapping him in them to help him avoid further torture, despite already being too far gone. Serena rushed over to the girl's side, forcing her to stand and lean on her, helping her to get over to Arcanine. She aided her onto Arcanine and hopped on behind her, her body radiating heat much more than normal. While bracing herself around Vanessa and gripping Arcanine's mane, Ninetales had already headed off ahead of them. "I don't know whether you'd like to follow or hop on. I won't be able to hold on to you though, seeing as I'm going to try to keep her warm while Arcanine runs."

Her skin was slightly glowing red, heat flowing from her body and around her, especially to Vanessa. "We're going just into town.... The abandoned warehouse. Ninetales is going ahead to get a few fires started inside, to get the area warmed up. It's not the nicest place in town, but it's better than nothing..." Arcanine began slowly circling, slightly worried that the Psychic barrier would die before they got going. Sitting still any longer in this weather wouldn't help at all.

"As much as I'd like to be with Vanessa, I'm not much use down here. This is my pokeball... I dunno how it works... How long will that take?"

Picking the pokeball from the small Flareon's mouth, she offered a smile of reassurance. "Okay. It's not too far from here, and Arcanine's one of my fastest pokemon. We should be there in no time at all. I'll let you out as soon as we arrive. Oh, nuts...." As she listened to the police sirens close in and saw them stop beside her, she couldn't help it. She hadn't been able to hear them at all because of the raging wind, and it was far too late now.

"Excuse me Ma'am.. Ma'am, is that boy...is he dead? He's blue... This is police business."

Serena had a bad enough record with the police, especially when she worked with Giovanni on special cases. She was in no position to go quietly, especially with the dead boy and the freezing girl. If Jenny wanted to, she could blame it all on Serena, and she could do nothing about it. "It isn't your business. This is my business. You should've came sooner, but you didn't. So, keep your mouth shut and go home." At this point, she returned Pyro to his pokeball and pocketed it in her parka, tapping her finger lightly on another.

There was a small flash of light, but no pokemon seemed to appear. But, out of the shadows of the surroundings came three fierce Razor Wind blades, and they slashed at the vehicle's tires. Serena gave a side glance to Ninetales and mearly whispered, "Teleport to the base. I'll meet you there." With the boy wrapped in her tails, Ninetales vanished in thin air, using her recently mastered Teleport to get to the base, and starting fires deep within.

Once again from the shadows, in a different area, an Ice Beam attack flew at the feet of Jenny and her Growlithe. Arcanine took this as a signal to unleash her Hyper Beam in the surrounding area, and took off amidst the explosion, using Extremespeed.

Nearly halfway back to base, Arcanine slowed to a normal run, and an Absol appeared shortly after beside them. It gave a slight growl, in joy, and returned itself to it's pokeball, pleased with the damage it'd caused. "I tend to enjoy the fact that you all know just what I ask from you without me saying anything." Her voice was barely a whisper, but she was laughing lightly.

Just outside of town, Serena climbed off of Arcanine and let her return as well, taking Vanessa and drapping her over her back, holding onto her legs. "Hold on. We're almost there. We just can't risk being see." She walked casually, with a quickened pace, toward the abandoned warehouse, entering and going deep inside, where Ninetales had roaring fires waiting.


((Kks. ^^))

They were deep within the building before Serena stopped, at least 6 levels in. It was relatively dark, and rather dank, but she knew her way around like it was nothing. With Vanessa on her back, she navagated relatively well, only knocking her feet into walls on a couple occasions. As they walked down a corridor, a light could be seen, and she turned in that doorway. "Thanks, Ninetales. I'm glad to see it worked successfully this time."

Entering the room, she propped Vanessa up on a lounge chair she'd scrounged, in perfect condition, and coated the girl in blankets that had been sitting next to the fire for a good while. She pulled out Pyro's pokeball, and released him into the room, setting it down beside the chair. There was a roaring fire in the center of the room, confined by Ninetales, but still releasing mass amounts of heat. Ninetales had placed the boy in another chair, off in a corner of the room, and placed a blanket over him completely, for the time being.

Serena left the room for a few moments, and returned with four steaming cups of hot cocoa. She placed two near the chair, intended for Pyro and Vanessa, and placed a third beside her Ninetales, who was laying down near the fire. The room was average size, but nothing extravagant. The walls were white, and there was basically nothing within it. Serena could barely remember it, but figured Ninetales had rearranged in the time she'd been back with the boy.

"I have to apologize, this place is nothing special. It's rather cold, majorly unappealing, and otherwise useless. But, it works as shelter. And, being that most of my pokemon are fire types, we all manage to keep ourselves warm." Pushing the chair that Vanessa was sitting in closer to the fire, hoping she'd warm up faster, and sat on the floor beside her Ninetales. The sleek fox pokemon shifted so that her head was resting in her partner's lap, curled up in a petite ball. Serena stroked Ninetale's head, sipping at her drink lightly. "She should be okay soon. I kept her as warm as I possibly could on the way here."

"All there is left is to make sure he receives an appropriate burial."

She couldn't help but feel bad that she hadn't been out sooner. Of course, she never even would've known about Vanessa and Pyro if it hadn't been for Pyro's howling. "Yeah, we can manage that. I can get us anywhere in the Kanto region in little time, but we're waiting for the storm to pass first. We can't fly in weather like this." Serena noticed how Pyro looked away from where the boy's body laid, and she couldn't help but offer, "Would you like us to move him out of the room? There's an infinite number of places in here. It'd be no trouble."

"Thank you for helping us. You're a kind young lady. I only wish you'd gotten there sooner... So...who are you, anyway? You are the same as Vanessa and Jay... You're a Flareon hybrid. The three of you, you complete a set..."

"Of course, and you're welcome. It's not often I can be kind to people without them lashing out at me..." Anybody that knew of Rocket in Kanto knew about Serena. She was Giovanni's pet, his plotting, scientific pet, and she was always doing work for him. No matter what it'd been. And people hated her for it, because she was practically a genius. Plain 'thank you's were a childish pleasure of hers, and she adored them. All because it meant she'd done something right.

She completed a set, eh? Well that was something she hadn't heard, like, ever. But, was it really a set with the boy dead? "That's an odd thing to say, certainly. And, no offense meant to either of you, but there isn't much of a set now... Now that the boy's dead.... I'm sorry about that...." She couldn't help but feel sorry for the Jolteon boy, dead without much of a choice.

When the adorable little Flareon questioned her, she felt like drawing back from him and not answering. She took pride in who she was only amongst her co-workers, and they were far from Kanto now. "... I'm... There's no easy way of putting this for me, but there's no point in hiding it either. Serena. Serena Nonaka. I... I used to work for Team Rocket, practically as Giovanni's right hand lady. I left to do some field work, and gather some data... But I do intend on going back." She had to point it out, because normal people would be glad to know she'd left for good. But, she hadn't. And she didn't plan on staying away. Nobody else knew, but she had it set in her mind from the moment she'd left; she was going back.

She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to explain it. Thinking more on that feeling, she realized she wanted to explain it. So somebody at least knew. Maybe even understood. "It tends to be a disgrace amongst normal people that don't understand, but I love my job. I loved every minute of it. I had the ability to create anything my heart desired, and not just for me. For the people of my work that were ranked higher than me. I never had to do something I didn't want to, but I enjoyed every minute of it." Her voice was slightly louder than a whisper, but it was indeed loud enough for the room. Her gaze was focused on the fire as she remenisced over the years she loved so much. "I always lacked in the field, and combat. But I made up for it in intelligence. I was better than most of the people in the lab before I was 10. It was my forte, and it was my passion... And I never want to fully stray from it. I'm going back... Soon."

Serena glanced up, hearing Vanessa rustle ever so slightly. She stared for a moment, thinking intently, and she concluded something, and it was all in a matter of seconds. "A Vaporeon Hybrid shares the DNA of a Vaporeon, obviously... Which means she shares their ability, Water Absorb. I can't believe it took me so long to realize, but it's probably a good thing. She needed to warm up before it'd be able to be a completely useful process." Tapping on a pokeball in her pocket, her Absol appeared sitting beside her. She turned to Pyro, a determined look to her.

"My Absol, he knows Water Gun. Please don't inquire as to why, it's difficult to explain, but he can use a weak form of it to sprinkle some water onto her. It'd be painless, certainly, and it should help to heal her faster. Would you mind me doing so?" Her Absol listened to what Serena wanted him to do, and waited for Pyro's reply. If the Flareon gave the okay, he'd proceed to take the blankets off of Vanessa and drizzle water on her, slowly enough for her to absorb it and long enough for her to heal.

"It would be for the best. Vanessa won't want to see him like that when she wakes up... The girl was oblivious to his obvious affection. She'll never understand..."

Glancing kindly at her Ninetales, the fox pokemon stood and walked over to the boy, carefully picking him up in her tails and carrying him out, wary of the doorway. She carried him just down the hall and placed him in one of Serena's lab rooms, in a chair off to the side that she rarely used. "I understand her pain, in a way."

"I know that. What I meant was, I suspect the three of you were created by the same scientists... from what I gather, they were created in the rocket labs and abandoned at the age of seven as failures. Then again, rocket never knew of Vanessa's enhanced abilities..."

"It's definitely an off night for me... I apologize, I'm not normally this oblivious. It's hugely possible, how old were they both? As of my creation, I'm 19." She knew all the statistics of her creation, and exactly how to successfully create a hybrid. She knew she was one of the older ones, at least the truly successful hybrids, and Rocket had been faultering every so often ever since.

"I knew it! You're from team rocket! This is great!"

Serena couldn't help but laugh as Pyro seemed far too enthusiastic. It was an odd sound to her, but she ignored it. "Yeah, I get that a lot. But, normally it's not with such enthusiasm. Glad to see it seems to be a good thing in this situation."

"Oh, Serena! This is wonderful news... You have to bring Vanessa back with you! She's one of the best lock pickers I've ever seen; she pick pockets without the victim even knowing their stuff is gone. Really! Check your back packet...is your change pouch there? She isn't afraid to hurt people who get in her way, and best of all: She's loyal, and can keep secrets better than anyone I know... Please consider it. As you're a Flareon morph, Vanessa is your natural ally! She can stand against any water attacks that come your way, and heal off prior damage while removing the threat against you. No...she's not very well educated, and she'd be lacking in your science wing...but, she's like your polar opposite. She'd be great at fighting, and field work....And best of all, she'll have me at her side!"

She looked down at the Ninetales that laid beside her, and the fox nodded. There was no pouch of money in her bag. This brought another smile to her face. Apparently, her life was looking up, if only a little bit. "I'll definitely consider it, but I can't agree to it just yet. I dislike making promises that I'm unsure of, and I do hope you understand that. But, she'd definitely make for a wonderful ally. My pokemon and I work together to heal each other, because we're mostly all fire types. But, if she could ward off attacks while we heal, that'd be nice. That's always a problem we've had..." Serena had bad luck with battling to begin with, especially when she was injured. It was always a difficult task to heal while still battling, because the flames worked best when still.

"I could help to educate her, it shouldn't be too hard. She'll just have to let me know what she'd like to learn. If I request it, I'm sure it'd be no problem to have her be a personal assistant of mine, and she could do the work I have trouble with. I absolutely hate the field..." She was laughing joyously, enjoying the perky Flareon's different antics. She'd never been as spunky, at least not in her memory, so seeing him cheered her up.

"Yeah, hit her with the water... it'll be both refreshing and rejuvenating for her, and might even heal that pnemonia she has."

Absol walked over proudly, loving the multitude of attacks that Serena had given him recently. He carefully pulled the blankets off of her, and moved to the back of the chair. Placing his front paws lightly on the back of the chair, proceeding to create a weak trickle of water over Vanessa's head. He knew full well that the head was always the first that needed healing, because it'd heal the rest of her quicker. "Between the heat and the water, she should recover in no time. Which would be a nice addition to the conversation."

"Team rocket are our allies... it's not the first time agents of rocket have aided us. Although it is the first such time that such a beautiful Flareon Morph has! I should warn you right now...she's probably gonna tackle you with love when she wakes up. She's a little strange around other female eevees and evolutions. I can't quite figure it out..."

Serena couldn't help but blush at the comment. It wasn't often that she received compliments, especially these days. "Well, thank you. And, I guess a little strangeness wouldn't be too bad... Things do tend to get a little dull around here." She, of course, figured it be a normal reaction, not like it'd obviously end up being.

"Nineteen, huh? Well, maybe I'm wrong then, or maybe, they decided to complete the set later, after discovering that you turned out successful. I dunno...I talk and think like a human, but I'm clearly a pokemon. I dunno much about human sciences. Do you think I'm an abomination?"

Considering the appearance of the two morphs she'd taken in, dead and alive, she figured they were slightly distint in their age, which was obviously not equal to hers. "You know what? I might've been the one to help on theirs. If anything, Giovanni may have set me on my own to figure it out, because that's really how I do my best... But, they may have been considered failures because I was so young at the time..." She felt bad that she may have decided their life for them, forcing them into the streets because she lacked her full potential in her youth.

"Vanessa has some other interesting tricks as well, but it would be more fun if she showed you those herself. Thats the ability wish... She was praying last night that she'd survive, and now it's been granted by the almighty Arceus. Vaporeon's are durable, and this is likely the reason... Well, that and the ability to absorb water...Much like you and I feel a rush of energy when struck with a fire attack. Its exhilarating, isn't it?"

She nodded in agreement. She adored anything that had to do with her and fire. "Indeed, an amazing feeling. Vaporeon's are a very stable pokemon. They tend to be well loved, for their easy going nature. And having multiple ways to heal is always a benefit, most especially when you're badly injured or hurt." Serena liked having the ability to heal because of her type. It saved on being forced to go to the Pokemon Centers or be deemed unnecessary by the Rockets.

"She's definitely a fast learner. Thats for sure... if you has someone teach her how to fight, she could learn some abilities. She's a natural athlete anyway, so she'd catch on. Even some science stuff she should be able to at least get a basic grasp of. Though Jay was always the one who made the fire places and shelters for us... Hey, Serena... do you think that, with a little luck, and a lot of experimenting, we could bring him back?"

Serena averted her gaze, stroking the head of her Ninetales. "If there's one thing I've yet to figure out, it's how to bring back the dead... I could try, but I can make not a single promise. There is a chance, a very small one, but I don't know if it'd succeed. That, and if we do revive him, his lifespan will more than likely be shortened...." It was more of a forbidden science for her, because she never knew exactly how to revive them. And she was always afraid of what the result could be. For all she knew, they could come back to life completely different from how they were in life.

"Oh...I'm sorry... Apparently I steal in my sleep now too. I didn't take anything out of it, I promise...I feel bad. I like stealing, but I wouldn't do it to a Flareon. Not in my right mind set, anyway."

She laughed as Vanessa came to, accepting back her change pouch and tossing it over to her bag. "Don't worry about it. There wasn't exactly much in their to steal anyways. I don't exactly need the money when I can get basically everything I want and need.... So, please, don't feel too bad about it. It's how you go about survival."

"Vanessa! Glad to have you back! you always were a bit of a klepto, weren't you..."

"It's good to be back, Pyro! Stealing's not bad when it's for survival...and I've been homeless my whole life. Thank you so much for getting us out of there... I owe you my life, Serena."

Serena was taken slightly aback by the sudden hug, especially being that she wasn't used to such personal affection. Another flaw that came with being stuck in a lab with monotone workers for most of your life. "Well, you're indeed welcome. And you don't owe me anything. It was shear luck that I was outside when Pyro began howling... I wouldn't have even been out if I wasn't having bad luck with an experiment."

"Pyro introduced me, I suspect. I'm so happy to meet a new rocket agent!"

It was the kiss on her cheek that startled Serena the most. If she hadn't been expecting something, it'd been that. "Well, um... Yeah. You've definitely got a wonderful partner there in Pyro. And it is quite a change of events to meet you." Despite the unusual events, for Serena anyways, it was rather nice to have some company other than her pokemon.