Hot damn, I'm on a roll, aren't I? Fire Emblem Awakening; Unbreakable Ties, Bedtime Stories, The Summoning, and Reality of Serenity, all in less than two weeks?

Someone applaud.

*everyone claps maniacally*

YES! PRAISE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR AMY!

Amy47101 does not own pokémon. She only owns any OCs mentioned in the story. All rights go to their respective owners.

o.0.o.0.o

The Adventure Saga

The Reality of Serenity

o.0.o.0.o

Serena stood in the small dressing room, satisfied with the decision she had made.

In the route gate between route fourteen and the small park outside Lumiose, the bottom floor was occupied with swamp gear and showers, for those who planned on hiking through the swamp rather than flying over it. Since she and her group of friends didn't have enough flying types to support all of them, and Serena flat out refused to go ten feet near a bird, they opted to rent some swamp gear and hike their way to the next route gate and the Scary House.

She had just recently sold back the outfit she had impulse bought back in Lumiose. All that was connected to it were bad memories, and she didn't want to remember her little explosion. So she sold it back to the store via her PC and received a gift certificate for boutiques across Kalos. Though she would have preferred the actual cash, she supposed, after the money she made Calem spend, they were even.

Now for a more pressing problem...

These Arceus-awful hiking uniforms.

It was recommended they wear old clothes, such as T-shirts and jeans, under the water-resistant overall pants and boots. Serena despised the stupid overalls and boots. They were clunky, made her feel clumsy, and neon orange. Of course, she understood the reasoning behind them being neon orange, so that they could be spotted from far away should they get stuck or harmed.

But did they have to be so ugly?

Storing her hat in her PC, she shuddered at her reflection. She had chosen a purple tassel bag she had found in a sales bin in Lumiose-which she bought herself- thinking that it would make her easier to spot should she get lost. But now she felt stupid with her neon orange suit and bright purple purse. Sighing, she pulled her hair into a bun atop her head, and came out of the dressing room, the boots making an annoying clunk, clunk, clunk every time she moved.

"Looking spiffy, Seré!" grinned Calem, giving her a thumbs up while holding out a pair of gloves. Serena glowered slightly, snatching the gloves as Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno clunked up to them.

"Lets just get this over with." she whined, pulling the gloves on and praying she didn't get to much mud on her.

o.0.o.0.o

"Someone tell me again," Serena asked as she stood knee-deep in marshy sludge. "Why they don't just build a bridge over this?!"

"Because were's the fun in marching through a nasty, sludgy swamp if you can just climb over it?" Calem grinned, holding out a hand to help her over a fallen log.

"There's no fun in marching through a marshy swamp!" Serena snapped back, though accepted his hand.

"Be careful around here." Trevor warned. "It's a far stretch and there might be sinkholes."

Serena glowered at the swamp, but reluctantly began the tedious task of wading through it. She tilted her head up, hoping to ignore the smell and the fact that she could still feel how nasty the swamp was through her stupid orange jumpsuit. Suddenly, she felt her boot sink in the mud. Glaring at the offending mud that dared to entrap her leg, she tugged to free her foot.

And tugged to free her foot.

And tugged to free her foot again.

"Of all the..." she huffed, struggling to pull her foot free. "Crap." She glanced up, seeing that Calem and Tierno were already out, Shauna offering a hand to Trevor. Her eyebrows creased in worry, struggling so she wouldn't be left behind.

Then she was at her waist in mud.

"G-Guys!" she stuttered as the sickly substance continued to crawl up her sides. Or was she sinking? She really didn't care, she wanted out! "Guys! Guys, I think I'm sinking!"

Everyone snapped their heads up. Shauna widened her eyes in surprise and fear, Tierno began glancing around for help, and even Trevor looked unsure how to handle the situation. Calem, however, seemed to have had a one-track mind or something, because the first thing that Serena supposed came to mind was to help her.

"Calem, don't!" Trevor cried, also seeming to catch his gaze. Calem either didn't hear him or didn't care, as he splashed into the swamp, wading over to her.

"Serena, grab my hand." he said, voice sounding oddly calm, yet demanding. Serena's immediate response was to flail her limbs desperately, trying to reach for him.

She was sinking deeper.

"Don't panic, Seré!" Trevor called.

"C-C-Calem...!" her cry cleft the air, stretching out for Calem. While her arms extended as far as they could, another sensation took over.

Serena could feel herself being dragged further into the swamp, the murky waters pulled on her feet, trying to take her to the depths of the mud, hoping to mold her into another part of the eerie route fourteen.

Her limbs slowly grew numb as claws of coldness closed around her legs. A cold prickling sensation surrounded her chest.

"Serena!"

Calem was but a few feet away from her, but with a sinking feeling, pun not intended, she realized he was sinking too.

Dreadful seconds passed, in which Serena felt the swamp, close around her neck, coldness threatening to take over. Her head fell backwards, pulled by invisible fingers, clamping themselves around her body, dragging her deeper. She tried desperately to keep herself above the water, taking large gulping breaths, her outstretched arm shaking as a slowly sinking mast.

Calem's arm seemed so, so far away.

He wouldn't make it in time, and if he did, he'd sink and die too. She was suddenly suspended plants and water engulfed her body, an odor of disgusting, swampy decay penetrating her nostrils… her blood froze, ice filling her heart…

And then, a hand closed around her wrist. A strong force pulled her up, out of the waters. Said hand released its grip, wrapping around her waist.

She could still feel the coldness around her legs, but she was breathing again. That was enough.

"You okay, Seré?"

She glanced up, and saw Calem smiling down at her. His right arm was around her waist, keeping her from sinking into the water. His left arm was holding them aloft with a rope, a rope which was hooked over a convenient tree branch, being held by Tierno on the other end.

"C-C-C-C-Cold." she muttered, flopping her head down on his chest, accidentally splattering mud all over him.

"That's to be expected." he stated calmly.

"S-S-S-S-S-Sorry." She wasn't sure if she was stuttering over her words due to her stupid speech impediment or being so cold.

He rolled his eyes, smiling gently.

"It's fine." he turned his head to Tierno. "Alright team! Heave!"

Serena watched in an odd fascination as the rope left the branch, and they were suddenly being dragged through the bog. Suddenly, they were on land. Calem stood, albeit, shakily, but dragged her the rest of the way onto land.

"The Scary House is just around this corner!" Shauna exclaimed.

"Shauna, you can't seriously be thinking about your little pit-stop." Trevor said in an almost scolding manner, though tried to keep calm in light of the situation. Shauna shook her head.

"It may not be a rest stop, but it's the closest we've got right now." Shauna said.

"She's right." Tierno chimed in. "We shouldn't force Serena to trek through the swamp, even if it's a small stretch to Laverre City."

"Good point." Trevor said.

"C'mon, Seré." Calem said, pulling her up.

o.0.o.0.o

Calem ended up half-dragging her to the Scary House, where an old man greeted them.

The room was dark with the exception of the fire that crackled in the fireplace, and Serena vaguely registered the swamp gear coming off.

Then she was boiling.

"Gwah!" she yelped, jolting up.

"It's okay, Seré!" Serena snapped her head to Shauna, who gently was holding her down. "It's just a hot bath. You got undercooled in that swamp, so Trevor said to do this to avoid hypothermia."

"Hot?!" Serena hissed. "It's boiling me!"

"That's just 'cause you're cold." Shauna said. Serena frowned.

Then something hit her. If she was in the bath, then wasn't she...?

She glanced down, slightly confused and equally relieved to see that she was still in her jeans and T-shirt. Sure, it was uncomfortable, but it was better than having nothing on at all.

"Yeah, we kept your clothes on." Shauna smiled. Serena said nothing, lowering into the water up to her chin. She must have been getting accustomed to the water, as she didn't feel like she was going to be boiled to death anymore.

After insisting she was okay, she shooed Shauna out of the bathroom, drained the tub, and stripped of her wet clothes. Hanging them on the towel wrack, she rummaged through her bag, which Shauna was holding earlier, keeping it safe from the swamp, pulled out her shampoo and conditioner, then turned the shower on and began to free her hair of the nastiness from the swamp.

Feeling refreshed, she changed into her pajama's, despite having a spare pair of shorts and a sweatshirt in her bag. She just wanted to wear her comfy jammies at that point.

"Feeling better, Seré?" Calem asked as she huddled near the fireplace.

"Little cold, but all in all, fine." she shrugged. "What's going on?"

"It's storming out." Trevor sighed. "Mr. Gabriel has offered to let us wait out the storm here."

"You'd be surprised how many people stumble across my little home." Serena turned her attention to the older man, sitting in a chair. "It's a desolate little place, but very close to the route gate. A lot of people mistake it for such, so I'm often carrying swamping equipment to the route gate and such." he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I should make a little business of this place, now that I think about it."

"If so many people come across it, then it's probably a good idea." Tierno smiled.

"Hey!" everyone turned to Shauna, who was grinning. "Since we're here, how about we hear the story of the Scary House?"

"Shauna!" Trevor muttered, nudging her for her rudeness.

"What?" Shauna whined.

"It's fine, really." Gabriel said, waving his hand. "Now," he clapped his hands, and all the lights suddenly went out, the only light source now being the flickering fireplace.

"Ooooooh," Serena heard Calem from behind her. "Scary, huh, Seré?"

"Terrifying." she said flatly. Honestly, Serena was never scared of ghost stories. Sure, they sometimes gave her a small jump, but never a full on freak out mode.

"I am going to tell you a haunting tale." Gabriel said, folding his hands, the fire ominously flickering off his face. Shauna was excitedly gripping Trevor's arm, and Tierno seemed to have zoned off. Serena heard a small click behind her and blinked, looking over at Calem. He grinned, nudging her arm then holding up his Halo Castor, a picture of Trevor and Shauna in their current positioning saved on the device.

"Blackmail." he whispered. Serena smiled, rolling her eyes as she pulled her knees to her chest, focusing on Gabriel, who was about to tell his story.

"It was a dark and stormy night many years ago. Lost, I arrived at this very house and went inside. The lights would not turn on, so I fearfully looked around the house. Eventually, I made my way into the kitchen. There was no sign of anyone being there... I found the fridge, and when I opened it, a faint light leaked out.

"I could finally make out my surroundings. I saw the faint outline of a man huddling in the corner of the room. I tried to tell him that I was lost and I was hoping he'd let me stay until morning, but when I approached him... The man suddenly screamed, "Stay back!" I apologized and continued to plead my case. "Please, can't you help me?" "I'm not talking to you!" he shouted. I looked at the man in surprise. When I did this, the man asked me... "Can't you see them? Behind you!"

He paused for dramatic effect.

"A horde of faceless men!"

A long pause.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to tip me?" Gabriel asked, taking his hat off and holding it out to her.

"You're charging us?!" Shauna exclaimed in surprise, jerking up. Trevor let out a grunt of disapproval for being shoved to the side.

"Only a tip. It's optional, though highly appreciated."

"Was that story even true?" Trevor asked, regaining his composure and now stating his question in a bored tone.

"Huh? Is it over already?" Tierno asked, as if snapping out of a daze. "Huh. I wasn't really listening."

"Sheesh!" Shauna said, standing up. "This is ridiculous. C'mon, lets go."

"Shaunee!" Trevor exclaimed. "Seré's still resting."

"Plus she has no clothes." Calem added.

"I'll lend her some of mine." Shauna said flippantly, waving her hand in the air. "C'mon, Seré."

"Shauna, seriously-" Calem began, only to get cut off by Serena.

"It's fine." she said, standing up. "I'm feeling better now, anyways. Besides, the storm broke, and I want to get to Laverre City before it starts up again."

o.0.o.0.o

"So what do you have on you?" Shauna asked as they moved into a second room. Serena picked through her spare set of clothes. It was nothing special, really.

She had the torn shorts and leggings she bought in Cyllage City, the brown boots she wore under the swamp gear, sitting discarded by the front door, and a simply T-shirt. She showed her findings to Shauna, who clicked her tongue a bit before rummaging through her bag.

"Put on the shorts and leggings." Shauna said with a grin, an idea lighting up her features. "I just thought of something."

Serena nodded, pulling on the leggings, then the shorts over them, folding her pajama pants neatly and placing them in her bag. Shauna turned, holding up two items proudly. A lime shirt with purple trimmings and a, well, exotic-looking purple hat.

"Cute, aren't they?" Shauna said. "My Dad always orders these shirts in a size to big. The hat's cute..." she trailed off studying it. "But hat's always made me look like a bobble-head.

"Your Dad?" Serena asked as Shauna turned, allowing her to change into the shirt.

"Yeah. He's a sketch artist for a major clothing company." Shauna smiled. "He designs the clothes you buy, and all the things I've ever seen you in were always my favorites, including that shirt and hat."

"Are you... sure you want me to wear it?"

"No worries!" Shauna smiled as Serena pulled the shirt over her head. "I told you it was to big anyways." she glanced at her. "Can I do your hair?"

"Sure, I guess." Serena shrugged, settling on a random chair while Shauna pulled a hairbrush from her bag. Serena blinked. How many things were in that bag? "I'm guessing you don't see your dad much."

"Not really." Shauna laughed. "He works a lot all over, and has to travel everywhere to see what the newest trends would be. He still sends presents and stuff, but most of the time they don't fit me right or they aren't something I'm interested in. I haven't seen him in a long time." she shook her head, tugging at her hair. "Talk about daddy issues, huh?

"You wanna talk about daddy issues, just review my past couple of days." Serena laughed. Shauna blinked, then grinned.

"I guess!" Shauna laughed. "All done!" Serena stood up and Shauna squealed. "Oh, you're so cute! I love it!"

Serena touched her hair, feeling her long hair pulled into pigtails, shorter strands framing her face.

"I swear, when I become a fashion designer, you're going to be my model!" Shauna grinned.

"When did you decide on that?" Serena asked, putting the hat on her head. Shauna reached up, adjusting the hat so the brim was off to the side.

"Honestly, whenever I saw you and Calem." she grinned. "Every time I saw you two, you always seemed so in sync, even when you were out of sync! That time we all watched the fireworks together, and you were in your original outfits. Or when you were bike racing through the water? I watched that. Or the time you watched the the tower light up in Lumoise..." she clapped her hands. "I'm hoping to get some cute ideas if we can convince Calem to buy some clothes."

"I kind of cleaned his wallet in Lumoise, but we'll see." Serena smiled.

"I wanna publish my designs in magazines like that." Shauna continued after a laugh. "I feel like every time I see an article, it looks so stupid. It's because the couple doesn't know each other. It's not intimate, you know? Plus they're all twenty-somethings modeling clothes for teens. Plus the photoshop makes it all look so fake. I hate it. I don't wanna be that. I wanna create realistic clothes one realistic people who actually feel something." she grinned. "I know it's a newly discovered ambition, but..."

"Hey, better late then never, right?" Serena smiled. "I'll return this stuff when I get to Laverre-" Shauna cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"It's yours. I told you I the shirt's to big and I don't look good in hats." Shauna explained.

"Lets go before the old guy tries to haggle us for money again."

o.0.o.0.o

So has anyone else ever gotten the feeling that Shauna never had a set, lifelong goal? I mean, Trevor wants to complete the pokédex, Tierno wants to become a dancer, Calem/Serena wants to beat their rival, and the protagonist, well, wants to become champion. And Shauna...

...Wants to be a great means of an optimistic and kind of adorable support?

I don't know, but I never got a 'I wanna be...' something from her. And this is pokémon. You wanna be the very best at whatever you choose to to do! So I decided that Shauna would become a fashion designer/photographer, and publish 'real' people outside of 'fake'.

And you all know what I'm talking about. I can't stand it when they photoshop these obviously attractive people into being horribly thin and place guys that are OBVIOUSLY not teenagers in teenage clothing and try to sell it off. I mean, I get it. It's marketing. "Wear this and you'll look like these people". Even if I weighed a hundred and twenty pounds, which I don't, I'd still feel like a fat slob in comparison. I think it's a BETTER marketing idea to put some REALISTICALLY SIZED PEOPLE in these magazines. How about some slightly chubby girls? Tall and willowy guys? Maybe a zit or a scratch or something.

My thought process is this: If it looks realistic, it must be realistic, so it must be worth my money. If I see some skinny, hundred and ten pound, perfect skinned, goddess-like blond, I'm going to look at myself and think I'm not going to look good because I know I'm no freakin' goddess.

Now on another note, if anyone reading this KNOWS someone who is interested in the modeling industry, good for them. I'm glad they're beautiful. My beef is with the advertising, not the beautiful peoples.

Aaaaaaand wow. That became a rant. Well.

Buh-bye!

Amy47101 signing off! ^.^