When the survivors had time to rest and pay respects to those who died, they gathered what supplies were in good condition and began the journey to the nearest settlement. Captain Drake helped Serena carry her chest, but she ignored what was happening. She stared at nothing with a crestfallen face, still grieving for Timothy on the inside. Captain Drake looked at her sympathetically as they walked, for he could only imagine the pain of losing a sibling.

They walked north from early morning to late afternoon before they found themselves in the small settlement of Pallet Town. The residents quickly came to their aid, giving them warm clothes, food, and rest. Captain Drake, Serena, and the other survivors stayed in Pallet Town for 2 days before they left with provisions to make the journey north to Viridian City. They traveled for another 2 days until they reached Kanto's capital and stayed with a wealthy scientist named Professor Cerise.

After settling in the professor's home, Captain Drake and the other survivors went out to arrange voyages at Viridian City's port. Serena, however, stayed in one of the guest rooms close to the servant's quarters, sitting on her bed. She remained downcast with only her chest of acting equipment and a picture of her and Timothy to keep her company. She only left her room when she needed to eat or use the lavatory.

On the evening of the second day of staying at Professor Cerise's home, there was a knock on Serena's door and Captain Drake waited a moment before he let himself in. Serena turned to see Captain Drake and gave a slight nod before turning to stare at the wall glumly. Captain Drake sighed, worried for the young woman, before he sat down on the bed beside her.

"I just returned from port," Captain Drake said. "The passengers are set to take the next voyages to their respective home regions."

"Good," Serena said, still not looking at Captain Drake.

"I have also arranged for my men and me to set sail to Hoenn, my home region," Captain Drake said.

"Good," Serena repeated.

"You are more than welcome to join us if you wish. I can also arrange a ship to Kalos if you prefer," Captain Drake said. "Or perhaps you have a home in a different region?"

Serena shook her head.

"No, I'm a native of the Kalos region," Serena said.

"Do you have family there?" Captain Drake asked.

Serena shook her head again.

"My father died when my brother and I were very young, and my mother passed away a few years ago," she said.

"So, you have no other family?" Captain Drake asked.

"No. It's been just me and my brother," Serena said. "We've been traveling performers for years. We hoped to find more work in the Alola region with our ensemble. Timothy and our acts were all I had left for all intents and purposes. There's no reason for me to return to Kalos except for out of sentiment of it being my home region."

"Oh, I see," Captain Drake said. "Well, if you have no desire to return, you'll have to think of something. It's no good for a woman to be alone with no father, brother, husband, or other male relative."

"Do you know of any places where I might find a job and collect enough money to afford a place to live?" Serena asked.

"I'm afraid you'll find very few jobs available for women that could sustain you financially," Captain Drake said. "Unless you are someone like Lady Sonia Magnolia, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to have the finances to find a place you can safely call home."

"Lady Sonia Magnolia? Who is that?" Serena asked.

"She is a lady of the court here in Viridian City," Captain Drake said. "Her father was a count who passed away a year ago, and I've heard from the sailors at the port that she has just recently lost her brother. Now, Lady Sonia's living in her estate with no one but her cousin and her staff for company."

"Really? She sounds like a woman I would love to work for," Serena said. "Not only would I have a place to stay, but I'd be working for someone who is experiencing the same kind of loss I have."

"I imagine so, but Lady Sonia refuses to see anyone, and she never leaves her estate except to attend church," Captain Drake said. "I heard she loathes to see any man, particularly the Kanto region's ruler, Duke Satoshi Ketchum."

Immediately, as though it were a reflex, Serena turned her head to Captain Drake, startling him. She looked at him like he said the most exciting thing in the world. Then she looked away in thought with an edge of a smile. After days of mourning, she might as well have been beaming upon hearing the name Duke Satoshi Ketchum.

"That's right. He is the duke," Serena said to herself. "I can't believe I've forgotten."

"Does Duke Satoshi mean anything to you?" Captain Drake asked.

"Very much so," Serena said. "He is a native of Kalos, just like me."

"What? A duke ruling a region that isn't his homeland? How is that possible?" Captain Drake asked.

"Duke Satoshi is Kanto nobility by his mother, Lady Delia's second marriage," Serena explained. "Before that, Lady Delia was a lady of the court in Lumiose City, and Duke Satoshi lost his father, who was also a duke, when he was very young, just like Timothy and me. At that time, my brother, my mother, and I were traveling throughout the region, performing to put food on the table and have rooms to stay at the nearest inn."

"And I assume your travels led you to Lumiose City?" Captain Drake asked.

"That's right," Serena said. "We were performing at the park near Lumiose Tower. One day, my mother, Timothy, and I split up to grab food from different marketplace sections using the money we had just earned. I was heading back to the park where we decided to meet up with a basket of fruit when I heard crying in an alley I was passing. I went in and saw a boy my age with raven hair and z marks on his cheek wearing a blue suit."

"Raven hair and z marks on his cheeks? That's how the people here describe the duke," Captain Drake said.

"That's because it was him, though I didn't know it then," Serena said. "He sat on the ground crying, for he had tripped and cut his leg. No one else was around, so I asked if he was okay. He was so scared that he thought I was going to kill him until I assured him I meant no harm. I used a spare piece of cloth to cover the cut on his leg and he calmed down after I helped him on his feet."

"What was the duke doing in an alley?" Captain Drake asked.

"He was exploring with an escort until he decided to sneak away to explore the city alone," Serena said. "I decided to take him to the park, thinking my mother would know what to do. When we arrived, Timothy and our mother hadn't returned yet, and the duke was still worried we wouldn't find his escort. He was so scared that you'd think he was a 4-year-old as opposed to being 10. So, I decided to perform a dance to cheer him up. The duke was initially confused, but then he smiled and applauded as he watched me dance. It was like watching me dance took away all of his fear and pain from his leg. As a performer, seeing him so happy warmed my heart."

"Did you and your family find his escort?" Captain Drake asked.

"No, his escort found us while I was still dancing," Serena said. "They thought I kidnapped Duke Satoshi until he explained what really happened. His escort thanked me and tossed a couple of coins at me as a reward then told the duke to follow him. But before they left, Duke Satoshi asked for my name and to give him something to remember me by. I told him my name was Serena Durbin, gave him my blue ribbon I was wearing around my neck, and he promised to always treasure it. I never saw him again after that. The last I heard of the duke, news spread across the region that his mother married the Duke of the Kanto region, and he took them here with his new stepson to be his heir."

Captain Drake stared at Serena, puzzled. Her story sounded made up, for the idea of a homeless peasant interacting with a person of nobility, even as children, was unheard of. It was more plausible that she created her own fantasy where she had befriended the ruler of a region before he received his title. Still, Captain Drake saw no deception in Serena's ocean-blue eyes, and people of nobility marrying their kind from other regions wasn't unheard of.

"You tell an interesting tale, young Serena," Captain Drake said. "I imagine you would like to see Duke Satoshi again out of curiosity about whether he remembers you."

Serena smiled, her cheeks pink, and said, "Yes, even if we knew each other briefly, it would be a lovely dream come true if Duke Satoshi remembers me. If Lady Sonia won't see anyone, then I would be content to work for Duke Satoshi even if he hired me as a maid for his wife."

"That does sound nice, but the duke doesn't have a wife," Captain Drake said.

Serena's face fell, and she turned to the captain.

"He doesn't have a wife?" she asked. "I would imagine a man of nobility his age would have found a woman who would be delighted to marry him."

"Aye, it's unusual for a ruler in their mid-20s to not already have a wife, but it is so," Captain Drake said. "From what I've gathered, it's common knowledge throughout the Kanto region that Duke Satoshi remains a bachelor. Many noble ladies have tried to court him, but unfortunately, Duke Satoshi has fallen for Countess Sonia, and ever since she lost her brother, she refuses to allow any man to see her, much less attempt to win her hand in marriage."

Serena stared at Captain Drake as though he had said something inconceivable. She neglected to mention to the captain that she thought Duke Satoshi was a cute boy when she saw him last, and so figured that he had grown into a handsome man. It was little surprise to Serena that multiple ladies of nobility would want to court Duke Satoshi, but she figured a beautiful woman of high class would've won his hand in marriage by now. She wondered what Countess Sonia looked like and what other aspects about her would drive the duke to desire her heart over all others.

As Serena dwelled on the idea, something clicked in her mind. She got up, opened her chest, and looked through her equipment. Captain Drake looked at Serena curiously as she browsed through costumes and makeup until she took out a long white sash, a case of green eye contacts, a fake goatee, and a brown wig that matched Timothy's hair. Serena smiled, relieved that what she was looking for was not damaged in the storm then turned to Captain Drake in confidence.

"If that is so, then I know how I'll support myself in this foreign land," Serena said. "I will disguise myself as a man and get a job as a page for Duke Satoshi Ketchum."

"I beg your pardon?" Captain Drake asked.

"I have the makeup and sashin my chest to look like a man," Serena said. "Timothy and I disguised ourselves as each other in many of our performances. You saw him disguise himself as a woman, and I can disguise myself as a man. I have a brown wig, green contacts, and a fake goatee that can make me look exactly like Timothy, and I can mimic his voice. I'll wrap this long sash around my breasts so I look like I have the chest of a man, and Duke Satoshi and his household can know me by my brother's name. Yes, that's it. Timothy Durbin the Page. It has a nice sound to it."

"Woman, have you gone mad? Are you so filled with grief that you want to imitate your brother for the rest of your days?" Captain Drake asked. "Even if you convince the duke into thinking you are a man and enter into his service, I can only imagine what punishment he would inflict on you if he discovers the truth."

"Better that than wandering the Kanto region looking for financial stability where it's near impossible because of my gender," Serena said. "Besides, as the duke's page, I'll be in the service of someone I know, even if it was for a short time. I'll also be able to continue my profession as a performer in a way, because I can sing, dance, and play the piano on top of showing my acting skill by pretending to be a man. I think Timothy would support taking such a risk for financial stability, and by taking his name and face, I'll be keeping his memory alive while he sleeps beneath the sea."

Captain Drake stared at Serena as though she were raving like a lunatic. In all his years, he had never heard someone devise such a plan, leastways a woman. He stuttered, trying to think of something he hadn't already said to rebuke Serena's plan. Finally, after giving it some thought, Captain Drake begrudgingly admitted to himself that Serena disguising herself seemed plausible after watching her and Timothy perform, and there was no other alternative to ensure she could sustain herself financially.

"Very well,' Captain Drake said with a sigh. "I'll tell our host that a young man is looking for work and ask if he can contact the duke's staff. If they arrange to put you into Duke Satoshi's service and you can pull off deceiving them, then may God grant you a satisfying life spending your last days serving the duke. But, if things go wrong and you doom yourself to imprisonment or worse, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

"I understand. Thank you, captain," Serena said. "I won't forget your kindness in saving my life and helping me secure my future."

Captain Drake gave Serena a half-hearted smile before he exited the room. Serena then proceeded to put on the wig, eye contacts, fake goatee, and change into her costume of a male scribe. She looked in her dresser mirror to adjust her wig, then did vocal warmups to practice sounding like a man.

As Serena posed with her back straight and head up like a soldier, her face softened as she saw Timothy's likeness in the mirror. She reached out to the mirror as though reaching out for her brother, and a tear ran down her cheek. With a sniffle, Serena wiped the tear from her face and forced a smile, reminding herself that she was performing in Timothy's memory. She could only hope she would be satisfied working for Satoshi Ketchum, the Duke of the Kanto region.