News of Team Flare's defeat quickly spread after a team of reporters appeared on the scene to investigate. What they found upon reaching the scene was beyond what they'd initially expected. The town was in shambles save for the lone structure that was the entrance to the lab which stood at the back of the town. When Seth emerged from the depths of the lab with an unconscious—but breathing—Allie, it didn't take long for reporters to swarm him. Question after question had been fired at him as he moved toward the Geosenge center where he could admit Allie to get looked over. Fortunately for him, Mathilde was there to bail him out of that awkward situation.

He now sat inside the center where everyone else had been waiting. When they asked him what happened, he wasn't sure at first what to say. But after reassuring himself that Allie was alright and that it wasn't a dream that Xerneas had brought her back, he disclosed the details about what happened. Before long, police had arrived into town to round up any members that were still inside the base. Some were walked out while others were brought out on stretchers due to injury, Mr. Dubois being among them.

"I... um... wow..." Jamie said, unable to put into words a proper reaction to what Seth had just told everyone.

"I'm just glad that it's finally over. Too many people have gotten hurt because of them. I hope they all rot in jail," Felicity said flatly, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Well, by the looks of things, I don't think any of them will be getting out of there anytime soon. All of the police are gone now so I'm assuming they got everyone. I know Serena will be thrilled to hear that. Speaking of, you'll be happy to know that she's awake and doing a lot better now thanks to Mathilde," Trevor said, his face burning up as he felt Shauna take his hand in hers.

Seth couldn't help but chuckle as he saw this. For the longest time Trevor had been trying to hide what he felt for Shauna and now it looked as though everything was out in the open.

"I should go and see her, shouldn't I?" Seth replied, earning a nod from everyone in the group. "Alright then," he said, "I'll be back in a bit..."

Seth rose to a stand and took a deep breath as he prepared himself to face Serena. He felt partially responsible for what happened to her and even though Mathilde finished what he started with her healing. After speaking to the nurse, he was allowed to go beyond the desk and into the room where Serena had been moved to after treatment. When he opened the door, Serena was sitting up with a book in her lap while her mother, Grace was sitting by her side. Her heart leaped the moment she saw that it was Seth who had come in to see her.

For a moment, she had forgotten how to talk. He looked as though he'd been put through the ringer with how torn up his clothing was. Remarkably, he was no longer injured thanks to some help from a certain new friend that he'd made in the lab. His strength had been restored which was why he was able to walk out of the lab and carry Allie without difficulty. Seth didn't say much as he approached them. He didn't need to it seemed, because the next thing he knew, Grace had pulled him into a tight, emotional hug while repeatedly thanking him for what he'd done for her daughter.

"Thank you... thank you so much..." she said again, tears spilling from her eyes as she held him tight for a while longer before letting him go.

"I don't think I'm deserving of your thanks. It was our friends who brought her here, not me..." Seth replied, casting his eyes down and away from Grace.

Grace wasn't having any of it. Placing her hands on her hips she fixed him with a stare saying, "but it was you who kept her alive was it not? Shauna told me that you healed her enough so that she would be able to make it here on time. Had you not done that my daughter wouldn't be here right now! Whether you think you deserve my thanks really isn't up to you since I'm the one giving it. Whatever happened back there doesn't matter anymore because Serena is alive because of you..." Grace finished, directing Seth's eyes to hers by placing her fingers beneath his chin.

"I know you feel bad because she got hurt, but she's okay now. And I think she would like to express gratitude as well," Grace smiled, stepping out of the room so he could speak with Serena alone.

"Serena I—"

"Don't you even think about apologizing because I won't be accepting it. It's not needed," Serena said in a determined manner as she stared Seth down. "All I want is for you to get over here and hug me. No apologies, no feeling sorry for yourself because I got hurt, just a hug from one of my best friends," Serena demanded, a smile spreading over her face as she opened her arms for him.

Seth wasn't sure what to make of what Serena had just said. How she wasn't completely angry with him after everything that happened was beyond his ability to comprehend. Conceding to her demands, Seth couldn't keep himself from smiling as he got down to her level and embraced her in a warm hug which graduated into a tighter one due to the wave of emotions that washed over Serena.

"I know mom already said this a million times but... thank you so much! I was so scared... so scared I was gonna—hic—die..." Serena sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she held fast to her friend. "But... you didn't let that happen. I know you blame yourself for what happened to me but please don't..." Serena cried.

Seth remained silent as Serena let it all out. After a few minutes, Serena pulled back and wiped her eyes. Reaching for a tissue, she blew her nose a few times.

"Sorry... I must have snotted all over you," Serena apologized, laughing slightly out of embarrassment.

"It's alright Serena... I don't blame you," Seth replied smiling. "I'm just happy you're doing better."

"Lots better now that I know you're—oh my Arceus, Allie! Where's Allie? Is she okay!?" Serena suddenly exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry.

Her worry subsided, however, the moment she saw Seth give her a reassuring smile. A wave of relief washed over her as she fell back onto her pillow and let out a long sigh. "Thank Arceus, I was worried for a minute there. Mind filling me in?"

Those were four words that Seth had expected to hear from her. Seth began to go into detail about everything that happened while he was in the lab. By the time he was finished, Serena was left in shock. Hearing that Seth had fought Charles in a death match and then faced down Lysandre directly afterward, all while being left in the dark about Allie's fate, was mindblowing and terrifying to her. She would have cried more had Seth not told her what happened after Lysandre's death.

"You... you saw Xerneas—no, you awakened Xerneas!?" Serena exclaimed, flabbergasted at what she'd just heard. "Why am I even surprised, it's you for Arceus sake, of course something like that would happen. Dammit, I wasn't there to see it!"

Seth blinked at her reaction. "After all that I told you, that's what you focus on?" Seth replied with a raised brow.

"Well... I mean... can you blame me? You met Xerneas, and you got to witness it bring Allie back to life! If that's not a win, then I don't know what is. Besides, this also means that you've been given the chance to finish what you set out to do," Serena replied smirking.

Seth knew Serena well enough to know what she meant by that statement. She had become one of his biggest supporters in his endeavors after all. She'd gone to the ball with him and helped him pass the test there with flying colors. This meant that he had no choice but to finish what he started.

"She's in the other room right?" Serena asked, snapping Seth out of his thoughts. "Right?" She pressed further.

"She is, but—"

"Nuh uh! No buts! You literally went into the fire to get to her, so you are going to march into her room and lay it all out there for her. Let her know how you feel Seth. This has gone on for a shorter time than Trevor's crush on Shauna and yet he's already asked her out! Meanwhile you're still here talking to me when you could be talking to the woman you love," Serena said firmly. "And don't try to tell me that it's not been determined yet because I will call you out on it."

Seth held up his hands in defeat and chuckled. He had to admit it, she was right. Seth shook his head and leaned down to give her one more hug before he left.

"Go get her," Serena said with a grin as she squeezed him tight before letting him go.

Seth nodded saying, "when do you think you'll be out?"

"Probably by the end of the week. The nurses say they want to monitor me for a day or two so they can be sure I've been healed properly. Now, no more worrying about me. Shoo! Go see Allie," Serena said laughing.

Seth smiled and gave her a wave before heading out of her room so he could seek out Allie.

Allie was sitting up in her bed, lost in thought as she mulled over the events that transpired. She couldn't help but look down at herself in disbelief. She was one hundred percent certain that she had been killed while in Team Flare's base and yet... here she was, alive and breathing as if nothing happened. She could still feel the cold metal of the shackles that were attached to her wrists and ankles while she was held in captivity. Flashes of her little friend, Floette, screaming as the machine sucked energy from her body, echoed into her mind.

Unlike her friend, she wasn't immortal and therefore was unable to endure the pain for the duration of the hour. Her mind became foggy and her vision went blurry within minutes of the machine being activated. She could feel her heartrate accelerate faster and faster as her body writhed in agony. She could see her own life force resonating with Floette's, fueling the power meter at an alarming rate. It wasn't until the fight with Charles was halfway over that she'd lost consciousness as the life was drained from her almost completely.

Waking up in a center felt almost like a dream to her. She was tempted to think that she was still dead and that she'd been taken to the afterlife. But after speaking to several nurses who gave her the assurrance that she was indeed doing better, she had come to terms with the fact that she had somehow, impossibly, been brought back from the dead. That could only have meant one thing. Seth had succeeded in rescuing her. One thing still bothered her, however, and that was her not knowing if he was okay.

As those thoughts intruded, she heard the door open. Thinking it was a nurse, she turned her head toward the door. That's when time seemed to stop. There he was, standing in the doorway looking straight at her with his icy blue eyes. The moment she saw his face was the moment she recalled the last details of the day prior to her arrival at the center. She remembered waking up and briefly seeing his face. Her words were caught in her throat as she didn't know quite what to say.

Tears threatened to spill from her already watery eyes. Her lips quivered and her body trembled. She gripped the blankets tight as he drew closer, her heart hammering against her chest as he stopped at the foot of her bed.

"Allie I—"

"Not. Another. Word," Allie said sharply, steeling her nerves as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sit..." she demanded, patting the seat beside her, doing her best not to shake.

Seth adhered to her request and went silent before moving closer to her. Allie watched him intently, making sure that he sat down as she'd asked. She pulled the covers off of her and swung her legs over the bed as he came up beside her. Hesitantly, Seth took a seat. For a while, he didn't look at her as he was unsure of the feeling he was getting from her. After a few moments, he felt her hand slide ontop of his, prompting him to look up into her rose-colored eyes.

What he saw wasn't what he expected. He thought she'd be angry at him for what happened to her. In his own mind, he'd failed to keep her safe and for that, she had every right to have him ejected from the competition. In fact, he was prepared for it because that was what he expected her to do. What transpired next, however, was something that all the training Mathilde had put him through could never have prepared him for. As he opened his mouth to speak, Allie reached out and cupped both sides of Seth's face and threw all caution to the wind as she closed the gap between them and firmly pressed her lips to his.

The world seemed to fall away around them. It was as if time had suddenly come to a screeching halt the moment their lips met. The heat rose to Allie's chest as the pounding of her heart intensified with every passing moment. Though her body was still weak, she ignored it, focusing more on the softness of his lips against her own. Her arms snaked around his neck and locked into place as she let go of all her inhibitions.

Seth wasn't entirely sure if he'd somehow crossed the line between reality and a dream, but what he did know was that she'd invaded his senses and and ensnared his mind to the point where he couldn't care less if any of it was real. His whole body tingled as his arms found their way around her waist while she proceeded to climb into his lap, the feeling of her body pressed against his own almost criminal in regards to where they were. Neither of them seemed to care as they had already gone beyond the boundary of no return.

Allie wanted more, that much was evident in her persistance in kissing him even after they'd broke the first one. She didn't want to stop, but she knew she had to eventually. Slowly, she prolonged the feeling of her lips against his before begrudgingly letting them go, her arms still draped about his neck as she breathed heavily against his mouth. Seth swallowed hard, words escaping him as there wasn't anything he could think to say. She removed her arms from around him and gently stroked his face, her pink eyes staring deep into his icy blue depths.

"Allie... why did you—"

Allie placed a finger over Seth's mouth gently as she said, "because I wanted to. I've always wanted to. I was just too afraid to admit it so I did the only thing I knew would make sense. So Pauper, I have something to ask and it's very important so I expect an honest answer, as it will determine where this goes, we clear?"

Seth nodded, and locked onto her determined eyes as she began to speak.

"Seth Da Silva... do you love me?"

Seth didn't need to think about it. He'd already admitted it to her mother and hinted at it at least a dozen times. With a confident smile, he reached up and gently stroked her cheek.

"Yes, Allie... I love you..."