Day 2 of being in the incorrect rooms
"Okay, where are they?" Ash said angrily, looking at one of the screens the AI had begun to use.
'Resident Ashley, what are you looking for?' The AI responded.
"First off, it's Ash, and secondly my pants. I set them down when I came in, and now they are gone. Where are they?" Ash said, growing impatient.
"My primary function is to monitor the health and safety…". The AI began before being interrupted.
"I know what your primary function is! What did you do with my pants!" Ash yelled at the monitor.
"I can only observe and comment.' The AI said.
"You can also lock me out of my own room." Ash muttered. "So let's say you didn't take my pants."
'As I was saying, I cannot.' The AI stated.
"Then who did?" Ash asked.
'The only one that has entered the room is an Impidimp.'
"Impidimp! All of it out. Now!" Ash yelled, banging on the vent.
Out piled out pens, plastic forks, chopsticks, even a few hair brushes.
"I said all of it Impidimp." Ash said his tone serious.
Impidimp came back out with a shoebox. Inside was a yo-yo, a few marbles, a button, and a hard Candy. Impidimp however had tears in his eyes.
"Impidimp, sorry. I, I thought you grabbed something of mine. Are these your special treasures?" Ash asked.
Impidimp nodded, trying to hold back the tears. He didn't want to lose those few things no one looked for.
"Here, you can have them back. I'm sorry for yelling at you." Ash said, putting the box back in the vent. "I'll figure something else out for what happened to my pants."
Impidimp scurried back through the vents with his treasures in tow.
"Kinda warm for pants anyway." Ash said, grabbing a pair of drawstring shorts.
As Ash exited his room, he saw Chloe already waiting. She had yet to give up on giving Ash a makeover, and his resistance had only made it worse.
"Why do I get the feeling this is somehow your fault." Ash said plainly.
"I have no idea what you mean. But I'm sure I can help, for a price." Chloe offered.
"I've gone without pants before, I'll do it again." Ash said triumphantly.
"It might be fine for you, but Serena will be trying extra hard to make it up to you now." Chloe said under her breath.
Serena was relaxing in the upper part of the lab, when she saw Ash walk in. Those nice and smooth legs on display, Ash must have forgiven her. No, he would've said something, she can't jump to conclusions.
"Hey Ash, looking for something?" Serena asked, trying to not make it awkward.
"Aha! Got it." Ash said, leaping up and grabbing a box from a cabinet.
"What is it?" Serena asked curiously.
"Pants." Ash said. "Chloe's been taking all of mine somehow, and I hid these a while back."
"Didn't hide them well enough." Chloe said walking in.
"Seriously Chloe! Just give me my pants!" Ash complained. "I haven't even done anything this time!"
"Not until you agree to a spa day." Chloe bargained.
"Yesterday it was a in house makeover, this is getting ridiculous." Ash said, walking off.
"Chloe, just give them back to him." Serena said.
"I thought you'd be all for it, more than anyone." Chloe said.
"As much as I like it, this isn't fair to Ash." Serena said.
"But with the rooms, I thought." Chloe struggled to think of a good reason.
"I get that you find it fun, but we aren't the same little kids that could do those things. You have to let Ash make his own decisions. And the rooms, not even our fault, so just lay off him." Serena said calmly.
"I guess you're right, it's just I thought it'd be fun." Chloe said.
"Then just offer it to him, don't punish him for saying no, try and make a compromise." Serena said.
"What about you? Don't you want a makeover?" Chloe asked.
"Before I was trapped, sure. Nowadays, it feels weird. I'm stared at if I go into a salon, and not in a wow look how beautiful she is, kind of way." Serena said. "I'll leave the pampering to Ash, I'll just observe and be grateful."
Back with Ash
"You know the lounge upstairs and that entire floor was so you could relax not in the lab, right?" Professor Cerise said, seeing Ash sprawled out on a chair.
"Not relaxing, I'm thinking." Ash said.
"Should I be worried?" Professor Cerise joked.
"No, I was thinking about the top eight. They all had masters. Seb has Lance, Raihan and Leon trained with the former champions, Cynthia with her grandmother, Steven with Archie and Maxie, Lance had the dragon elders, Alder had his dad,and Diantha had her acting coach." Ash said, pulling out files.
"And you're worried you're not good enough because you aren't like them?" Professor Cerise said. "Also this is some impressive research. How's you even find most of these articles and magazines?"
"I didn't start last week." Ash admitted. "When I ran out of time, I thought maybe if I had a teacher. My first thought was my dad, I know he's not perfect, but it was a hope at the time. That's not happening anymore."
"What about Professor Kukui, he's taught you plenty, maybe he could help you even further." Professor Cerise said.
"I thought so too, but he said he has more to learn from me, than I can still learn from him." Ash said.
"Some of these masters aren't known battlers." Professor Cerise pointed out. "Or even trainers by the looks of it, maybe you don't need one like them."
"What's your point?" Ash asked.
"I'm not saying there's much that I can teach you, but perhaps I can help you rotate your Pokémon evenly, and maybe even look into ways for improving your team." Professor Cerise said. "I am a researcher after all."
"You'd really do that?" Ash asked, surprised.
"Ash, your research alone has provided the funding for the second floor of this building, I'll see what I can find to help you, the best that I can." Professor Cerise said.