A/N: Okay, so I made a text post about how it would have been if Sycamore had been the Team Flare leader instead of Lysandre. And then I saw a bunch of leader!Sycamore on tumblr and finally decided to write this up. This is going to be a very short (or very long) story, depending on where my muse takes me. But this is just gonna be a oneshot because as always, I don't really have the motivation (or the time) to update a longfic on a regular basis.

Warning: Spoilers to Pokemon X/Y, slight AU

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

A soft click filled the air as the Ultra Ball captured Yvetal, the Pokemon of Destruction. Silence rang out soon after, followed by an unsure tenseness. Calem let out a harsh breath and nearly fell to his knees in relief. His could feel his hands still trembling, even after the battle was completely over. He had had no idea what to expect going up against the Pokemon that was rumored to steal the souls of living things. And quite honestly, he had felt the urge to run rather than to fight up against the opposing beast. But he held strong. If he had let such a dangerous Pokemon out into the world, who knew what would happen?

Glancing over to the Ultra ball, Calem stared at it for a moment before shuddering and moving over to pick it up. He could practically feel the evil energy oozing from the ball. It made him want to drop it in fear. But he couldn't. Now, this Pokemon was his responsibility. He was the guardian over Yvetal, and he had absolutely no clue what to do with it now.

But before he could linger too much on that fact, he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him. Tensing, Calem turned around in an instant, hand going to his belt to grab one of his Pokeballs. Most of his team were weak after the fight and he needed a moment to heal them if he was expected to continue fighting. But if need be, he would be able to buy time during battle to heal up as needed. But thankfully, instead of a hoard of grunts coming after him like he had been expecting, it was just Shauna and Serena.

"Oh my gosh Calem, I'm glad you're okay...and you caught the legendary Pokemon...! Now they can't use the Ultimate Weapon...," Serena trailed off, almost breathless. There was a flicker of fear in her eyes, but she was smiling in relief at Calem. He almost wanted to smile back, but a pit in his stomach wouldn't let him. Perhaps it was still the adrenaline and worry racing through his veins, expecting another battle.

A flinch went through his body as Shauna bound towards him, grabbing a hold of his hand. Eyes widening, he looked down at the younger girl, noticing that she was smiling as well. But unlike Serena, her eyes were just full of awe and happiness. "You're so amazing, C-Meister! I can't believe you caught a legendary Pokemon all by yourself!" she exclaimed.

A faint blush came to Calem's cheeks and he smiled sheepishly before turning his head away. It wasn't nothing to really be proud of, especially considering the fact that it was Yvetal that they were talking about. He had no idea what to do with such a Pokemon of vast power. He couldn't just let it go, because then it would probably reign destruction down on all of Kalos. But then again, using it would probably incur the same result.

It was a lose-lose situation for him either way.

"Such a starting development! I never would have thought that the very child that I had set my eyes on would turn out to be the Chosen One."

A sense of coldness entered Calem's veins and his eyes widened. He recognized that voice instantly, and it wasn't Lysandre's or any of the people that he had met that worked for Team Flare. Actually, he heard it nearly every week that he had been on his journey, as he regularly talked to the man whom the voice belonged to about his Pokedex. But...there was no way that he would be down in Team Flare's Headquarters. There was no need for him to be down in Team Flare's HQ when his lab was all the way in Lumiose...

Serena and Shauna turned around to look at the person in question, both of them gasping in shock. Calem didn't make a sound, although his face was twisted in shock as well. All three of them watched as Professor Sycamore walked into the light, now dressed in a bright red jacket as opposed to his lab coat. It was the same length as his lab coat, but much more elaborate. He was wearing a pair of clear eye gear, similar to the scientists who worked for Team Flare. And quite uncharacteristic of the Professor Sycamore that he knew, there was an amused smirk on his face. The man came to a stop a yard or two away from the kids, hands stuffed in his pockets and head tilted back.

"P-Professor?! W-what are you doing here?" Serena stammered out, still very much so in shock.

Sycamore's eyes flickered over towards Serena for a moment, amused smirk still in place. "Hmm? Oh, Serena. Shauna. I didn't realized that you had joined in on this little escapade. But it is no matter. Come, you are more than welcome to join your friend and watch as I take the world for my own," he said, a gentle smile coming to his face.

"T-Take the world?! What do you mean?!" Shauna exclaimed as she brought both of her hands up to his face in horror.

A soft chuckle left Sycamore's mouth and he took a moment to brush his bangs out of his face. "Why, I meant quite what I say. I mean to take this world as my own, and none of you shall stop me from my prize. After all, that is what Team Flare's goal is, after all."

A horrified noise left Serena's mouth and she moved forward as well, her hands curled up into fists. "You can't just do that! The world isn't anyone's to take! It belongs to everyone!"

"Heh. Foolish girl. The world has belonged to everyone for quite a long time, as you say. But do you not see where it stands right now? War, plague, hunger...it all roams this land and ravishes everything where ever it goes. There are far too many idiots here taking away the beauty of this world and replacing it with a bleak future...and I shall change that," Sycamore said, his eyes glittering with promise.

Calem stood back as he watched Serena and Shauna continue to argue with the Professor. There was a lump in his throat, keeping him from speaking at the moment. He was still shocked to find that it was actually...Professor Sycamore that they had been fighting against all along. He had thought...had believed rather, that it had been Lysandre's plan all along. Heck, he had fought the other man in his own lab! The man had even said that it was his plan! But now...now that he was standing before Sycamore, who was giving a similar speech that Lysandre had given him...

He wasn't quite sure what to believe anymore. Were both men involved? Was it just Sycamore? He wasn't quite sure...

"...What about Lysandre?" he asked suddenly, eyes narrowing on Sycamore.

A curious hum left Sycamore's mouth and the professor tilted his head to the side, eyes widening a bit. "I'm sorry? What was that, Calem?"

Gritting his teeth at the light tone, Calem glared at Sycamore. "I said, what about Lysandre? Wasn't he the one behind everything? Why are you here, if he's the one in charge of Team Flare?" he asked simply, although he had a feeling that he already knew the answer to the question.

Sycamore seemed fairly shocked by the question and for a few moments, remained silent. But then, after those moments of silence were over, he let out a loud laugh. The irritation that Calem had felt before skyrocketed, changing into minor anger. "What is so funny?"

Sycamore just continued to laugh, wiping away a tear from his eye before straightening him and looking at Calem, shaking his head in amusement. "Oh Calem, you're what's so funny. You honestly thought someone like Lysandre could actually handle running Team Flare? The poor boy can barely defeat me in a battle, let alone semi-capable trainers. It would be a wonder if Team Flare hadn't fallen to pieces, should he have been the leader. As much as I adore my dear friend, I would never trust the livelihood of this team with him."

"But you lost to C-Meister!" Shauna pointed out in indignation.

"Silly girl, that is what you call acting. What would make you think that I wished to give myself away before it was my time to do so?" Sycamore pointed out, waving away Shauna's statement.

Turning his full attention back on Calem, Sycamore gave that innocent smile that he always gave to the male trainer, the smile that made people think that he couldn't hurt a fly. And oh, how they had fallen for that smile. "Now, what was this about you thinking little Lysandre was in charge of Team Flare?" he asked curiously.

"He...he was the one who gave the announcement. And I fought against him in his lab! Why would he do all that if he wasn't the leader of Team Flare?! Or at least involved with your plan?" Calem asked, face turned up in confusion. Even while he had wrapped his mind around the fact that Sycamore had fooled them all, he still was confused about Lysandre's part in all of this. The man had seemed a bit too invested in the entire thing just to turn around and not be involved with anything.

Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Sycamore just sighed. "I must explain everything to you, don't I Calem? And here I had been hoping that you would understand everything that has been put in front of you, since you seemed to be a very bright boy. But alas...," Sycamore trailed off, shrugging his shoulders and sighing dramatically. "Very well. I shall tell how Lysandre was involved."

"You see, Lysandre and myself have been friends for quite a long while. Since we were both in our teens, to be more specific. And although we shared similar interests in Pokemon and studying Mega Evolution, our true interests lied with fixing this ragged world from the idiots that misuse its potential. Who take away its beauty and destroy it without a second thought." A disgust frown came to Sycamore's face and he narrowed his eyes a bit.

"Lysandre had come to me about somehow preserving the beauty of the world, and how we could work together to change the people inhabiting lands all across the globe. He created the Holo Caster in hopes of changing people's outlooks on life and getting them to see just how idiotic they were acting. But instead of that happening, all that was accomplished was Lysandre's fame and fortune. Sure, quite a few people seemed to change, but the world as a whole was just as idiotic as always. It was quite...infuriating. But Lysandre...he assured me that things would soon change. He told me to just wait and see as people realized how they have acted."

A dark look came across Sycamore's face and he growled softly. "Except that they didn't. These stupid idiots, they didn't realize what we were doing for them at all! They just took what was given to them, and continued on making the same mistakes that they had made! And no matter how many times I pointed it out to Lysandre, he always told me to just wait and see. Well, no longer! I am done waiting for the moment to kick in. I have waited for far too long, and now, my plans will come into full bloom!" Sycamore shouted, spreading his arms out wide and grinning manically.

"I had told Lysandre that I would be moving forward with my plan and I suppose my dear old friend had finally realized that there would be no talking me out of this one. He agreed to assist me with whatever I needed. So, I used him as my communication expert. He would give me any and all details of things occurring throughout all of Kalos, and would project the news to show what we wished to be showed. And in return, I would check in with him to keep him updated," Sycamore explain, lowering his arms for a moment and glancing down at his open palms. "I suppose that put him to rest, him knowing that I was not completely involved with the plot and was just watching from the sidelines."

Another dark look came to Sycamore's face and he could barely hold back a snarl this time. "But then Lysandre started to interfere. He accelerated the plan much faster than I had wished, giving the announcement days before the plan was to go in motion. Of course, it made no difference either way since all preparations had been made. But I suppose that Lysandre had been hoping that we wouldn't be prepared...," Sycamore trailed off, his eyes falling shut for a moment before they reopened, narrowed and dangerous.

Silence followed and all three kids looked at each other in discomfort. None of them were quite sure what they should say. On one hand, they just wanted to just yell at Sycamore and call him a monster, a liar, and a traitor for betraying their trust. But on the other hand, they couldn't really do nothing other than just stand there awkwardly.

As Sycamore focused his dangerous gaze on Calem, the boy flinched a bit. Taking a step back, Calem looked at Sycamore with fear as the man took a step towards him. There was a dangerous glint in the man's eyes, one that Calem wasn't acquainted with. He had never seen anyone look at him like that before, especially not the Professor. However, this man wasn't the Professor that he had come to know. No, this man was the supposed leader of Team Flare, the man truly behind all the evil schemes that Team Flare has been up to. And he felt absolutely no remorse for what he has done or for what he was about to do.

Clenching his hand into a fist, Calem started a bit when he felt that he was still holding onto something. Glancing down a bit, the boy blinked as he realized that he had never let go of the Ultra ball that had caught Yvetal. Gasping a bit, Calem snapped his head back up at Sycamore, who now had one eyebrow raised. Piercing his lips together, the boy glanced back down at the ball before running through the pros and cons of what he was about to do. It was probably the stupidest thing that he had done to date, but it was the only thing that he could think of to do to save all of them.

To save Kalos and the entire world.

Stretching his arm back, Calem threw the Ultra ball into the air, all feelings of regret flowing out of his body as he tried to focus on the bigger picture of saving everyone. "Go Yvetal!"

Everyone stopped dead as the Ultra ball popped open, bright light flowing from it. Out of the ball came the legendary Pokemon of Destruction, Yvetal. The dark/flying Pokemon flapped its wings for a moment before arching its long neck back, giving a loud cry that rocked the foundation of the entire building. At once, the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees and a shiver went down everyone's spines as they stared at the Pokemon in apprehension.

Calem, not for the first time during his journey, wondered if perhaps he had made the right choice. Letting out the very Pokemon that he had been afraid to catch wasn't very smart, perhaps. But maybe, just maybe, Sycamore would see that it wasn't actually worth destroying everyone if he saw that he had a legendary Pokemon on his side.

But instead of that, Sycamore just looked at the Pokemon with obvious awe. There was a smile pulling at his lips and his fingers were twitching by his side, almost as though he wanted to touch the Pokemon. He could see a bit of the Professor that he knew under the surface, threatening to show up right in the middle of their argument. However, it was quickly squashed down just as quickly as it had shown up, leaving behind the new, evil Sycamore. The man shook his head several times before smirking viciously at Calem. "Do you honestly believe that I would cower before such a Pokemon? You will have to try better than that, Calem," the man taunted before taking a step forward.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I shall be taking back Yvetal and powering up the Ultimate Weapon so that I can finally obtain the world that I had always been dreaming of," Sycamore stated, walking closer and closer to Calem.

"Over my dead body!" Calem shouted, tensing his body and getting into a battle position.

A sick smirk came to Sycamore's face and he chuckled darkly. "With pleasure," he said before pulling one of his Pokeballs off of his belt.

A/N: And awkward ending point because I suck at writing Pokemon battles. Yeah.