Seras’ heart dropped like a stone as Germaines lashed out against the Porygon-Z. [i]Arceus purge it. Why here? Why now?![/i] The surrounding crowd was frozen in terror, caught between the desire to flee and reluctance to break the tension. [i]There are[/i] so [i]many ways this can go badly wrong.[/i]

She gave the young girl a short, tight squeeze, for herself as much as the child, then laid her gently on the ground and rose to her feet. With a thought and a push of energy, each gemstone in the surrounding area began radiating a brilliant light - the statue, her orbiting gemstones, even the feathers piled on the desk near the avatars - until both the avatars and the space around here were shaded in pink. Illuminated by the dazzling gleam, she quietly strode towards the assembled avatars. No sudden movements. Slow, measured steps.

[i]So many ways this can go [/i]horribly [i]wrong.[/i]

As she stepped into the line dividing the avatars, she felt her heart skip a beat. The cherry-pink light flickered briefly, but did not fade. Gazing up at Germaines, she swallowed deeply and began to stutter. “You’ve been gone for a long time, and by my word as an avatar, you’ll be [i]back[/i] for a long time as well. Let’s do things better than the fools of the past.”

[i]Or the present,[/i] she thought darkly. As the adrenaline set into her blood and the chains wrapping around her chest loosened, the words began to flow off her tongue smoothly without passing through any censors.

“As an avatar, you have ample time to settle old scores and ample space to travel the earth - none of us lack for either.” She gestured broadly at the assembled crowd. “But this event isn’t [i]about[/i] us - it’s about the people who came here to [i]welcome[/i] us. Thousands of strangers who’ve never met us and have no concept of any of our separate lives, but who cared enough [i]regardless[/i] to travel across the globe to be here.”

Her tone softened.

“None of us can comprehend your past - that goes without saying. But if you want your future to be any different, then it has to start [i]today[/i], in front of everyone who came to welcome you. We don’t need to comprehend your pain to hate the fact that you’ve suffered.” She offered a feeble smile.

[i]And if the speech didn’t work, then he’ll probably kill me.[/i]

With cold sweat pooling down her spine, she turned her back to the looming terror and faced the rest of the avatars, face etched deep with the resigned determination of a woman with nowhere left to run. Her voice was level and stern.

“If this is a matter for avatars, then let us [i]keep[/i] it among avatars, where we can freely exchange thoughts that do not reflect our group as a whole. If this is a matter of pride, then we have already have a time and date for combat. But brawling a public space will do nobody good, [i]especially[/i] the people who came here to thank you.”

She shot Wells a disgusted glare. [i]Maybe I should have waited until [/i]this[i] guy was out cold.[/i]

“Or you can pick a fight surrounded by [i]thousands[/i] of experienced trainers with families to protect,” she remarked snidely. “Oh, and several trigger-happy avatars as well. Your call there.”