"Just hold still a few more minutes." Chloe said to Ash.
"Not sure I have an option." Ash said, keeping an aura barrier up. What had started as a simple painting project had gone downhill when all the supplies began to fall. Ash had been keeping them from going everywhere, but as a result he was now stuck between them and the ground.
"Just a few more things." Goh said grabbing a few more cans of paint.
"Are you sure you're doing okay?" Serena asked.
"Believe it or not, this is fairly easy in comparison to what I normally have to block. Most things fight against my barriers." Ash said.
"Okay, that's the last of it." Chloe said double checking the barrier.
"That's a relief." Ash said, stopping his focus.
'Sploosh!'
"Oops. I should've warned you about the spilled paint." Chloe apologized to the now rainbow Ash.
"I'm going to go wash this off." Ash sighed, spitting out some blue paint.
Back upstairs
"So do you want to tell me why Ash looks like that, or should I start guessing." Professor Cerise chuckled.
"We had a bit of a mishap trying to get some of the paint supplies." Chloe admitted.
"Are you all okay?" Professor Cerise asked worriedly.
"Yeah, thankfully Ash stopped most of the supplies from hitting the floor, we just forgot to warn him of the spilled paint above him." Goh said.
"What about the generator down there. Nothing hit it?" Professor Cerise asked.
"Thanks for making sure we're okay first." Chloe commented. "But yes the generator is okay."
"What's so important about the generator?" Goh asked.
"One of the upgrades to the lab was the generator. It has enough strength to use this lab as an emergency shelter if needed." Ren said. "Unfortunately because of that power, if it takes serious damage, the lab will go with it."
"So don't touch it, got it." Goh realized.
"If it had been hit, we'd get a crew out here to make sure it's okay, but we should be fine if nothing hit it." Professor Cerise said.
A while later
"You guys just love having me buy these, don't you." Ash said holding up a paint covered binder. "They aren't cheap."
"Sorry Ash." Chloe apologized again.
"Yeah yeah. Did you at least get what you needed?" Ash asked, flopping down in a chair.
"Ash! Skirt!" Serena scolded.
"Serena! Shorts!" Ash said lifting up the hem to show he had a pair of athletic shorts on underneath.
"Then why the skirt?" Chloe asked.
"Well, what I had on was my last clean pair of shorts with pockets." Ash said.
"And a skirt is better? Marnie always complained about them not having pockets." Goh said.
"That one does." Chloe and Serena said in unison.
To show the point, Ash stuck his hands in the pockets, flapping them around a bit.
"So now what do we do? The paint we needed was what spilled." Goh pointed out.
"I'm not aura bubbling paint off, it never works right with clothes." Ash said.
"Well, we were waiting for Ash since he's the only one who's allowed to drive a lab van anymore." Chloe said.
"Is that all I am to you three, a driver?" Ash jokingly guffawed at. "I'd be hurt if I knew it wasn't true."
"I could've drove." Serena commented.
"No." Chloe said. "That is the one thing you aren't calm doing. We're ready whenever you are Ash."
"I didn't say I was driving." Ash pointed out.
"But I thought." Chloe began.
"My replacement binders are coming in, and I have to sign for them. I have two loads of laundry, plus homework and training. For once you can clean up your own mess." Ash said.
"Then why'd you come in here?" Goh pointed out.
"To tell you you ruined my last binder." Ash pointed out. "Plus I have fifteen minutes left on the dryer."
A bit later out back
"Alright, laundry is done, package is signed for, now how about some training." Ash said to himself.
"SCRAGGY!"
"FANT!"
Ash heard the two Pokémon attacking each other in the distance.
"What in the?" Ash ran up to see Scraggy and Cufant battling with each other. "Scraggy stop picking on Cufant!" Ash called out.
"Scraggy! Scraggy Scraggy Scraggy Scraggy, Scra ggy ggy Scra." Scraggy began crying out.
"Okay, slow down. Let me see if I get why you're fighting Cufant." Ash said. "You're upset because of the fight against Scrafty."
Scraggy nodded.
"So you're training up to be a better fighter?" Ash asked.
Again Scraggy nodded.
"Scraggy, there's better ways than that to train up." Ash reassured. "Come on, I have an idea."
Ash, Scraggy, and Pikachu walked around the park a bit until they found another of Ash's Unovan Pokemon.
"Hey Krookodile! Come over here!" Ash shouted up to Krookodile.
The ground type jumped from the cliff, clawing his way down.
"Hey, so I was hoping you could train Scraggy how to use Crunch. He wants to get stronger." Ash said.
Primeape, Heracross, Infernape, Pignite, Hawlucha, Lucario, Sirfetch'd, Kommo-o and Urshifu watched from a distance. While Scraggy was a dark type, he was a better fighting type, and they had to step in. After a while of trying to get Scraggy to learn Crunch, Ash's other fighting types surrounded the four of them.
"Guys?" Ash said in confusion at his gathered Pokémon.
Primeape stepped forward making a pose towards Scraggy.
"Prime! Ape!" Primeape said, striking the ground with its leg, the stone turning to dust.
"Scrag?" Scraggy said, lifting up his pants. "Gy?"
"Prime." Primeape said, giving his approval.
Scraggy struck the ground with his foot, while it didn't do as much as Primeape's attack, it did still create a fair bit of dust.
"Primeape, are you saying you'll help Scraggy train?" Ash asked in surprise. In the time Primeape had been at the lab, he hadn't interacted with many of the other Pokemon, let alone in a positive manner.
"Primeape." Primeape said calmly, nodding the best he could.
"And you guys?" Ash asked, looking at the others. "Let's not make Scraggy the only one. Spread the word, help everyone get stronger, we're going to start fighting tougher and tougher opponents, we need to all be ready for them." Ash said.
Hawlucha and Heracross took off in flight to spread the word, there were plenty who needed to know about the newest plan.
"And Scraggy. Next time we fight a Unovan representative, you'll win." Ash said, getting down to Scraggy's level. "And if you keep working, you'll get to fight the champion."
"Scraggy!" Scraggy exclaimed pulling his pants high as he could before giving a salute.