"Okay, enough sulking." Goh said, tossing a pillow at Ash.
"I'm not sulking!" Ash argued. "I should be allowed to though."
"Look, I do fine without Marnie, and Chloe's managed without Seb. Plus you saw Serena off at the airport. Now, get ready, I found something." Goh said with a bit of force.
In the main lab
"So I heard about this last night and decided to look into it." Goh said. "A mysterious cavern has been found on the side of mount chimney, no one has been brave enough to enter it yet, this could be a discovery waiting to happen."
"Brave enough, or stupid enough?" Chloe asked. "It's an active volcano."
"That hasn't stopped us before, you're with me, right Ash?" Goh said expectantly.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds great." Ash said, his mind not focused.
"So we've decided to sacrifice you to the volcano once we get there." Goh said nonchalantly.
"Sounds like fun." Ash said not paying attention.
"You'll have to be dressed in proper sacrificial clothes, only princesses can be sacrificed." Chloe added.
"Yeah, sure, great ideas, lets do it." Ash said still looking at his phone.
"Okay, what's on there?!" Chloe said pulling the phone from Ash's hands.
"No! Give it back!" Ash yelled, holding on tightly.
"Okay, enough!" Professor Cerise snapped. "Ash, either hand over the phone or don't go on the mission!"
"We have a mission?" Ash asked in confusion.
"Okay, let's see what this is about." Goh said, easily grabbing the phone between the two. "Seriously, I thought you said you weren't sulking about Serena?"
"I'm not!" Ash argued.
"Then explain why you've been messaging her the past few days with no response?" Chloe asked, peeking at the phone.
"She hasn't responded." Ash said.
"That much is obvious, but she left to spend time with her mom." Chloe said.
"She never said she landed." Ash said through gritted teeth. "She was going to at least send that."
"My statement stands, Goh and Chloe head out and be careful, Ash you're being sidelined." Professor Cerise said.
"You can't keep me at the lab!" Ash began to argue.
"I'm not, but your head isn't in the game, and you're worried about Serena. Until we get a response, I don't want you on high risk missions for everyone's safety." Professor Cerise said.
A few hours later
"Ash, open up. It's only me, I just want to talk." Chrysa said to Ash's door.
No response
"Ash! Open up! We're worried about you." Chrysa said. "Computer, where is resident Ash?"
"Resident Ash left four hours ago on Charizard." The AI declared.
"Oh no." Chrysa said, rushing to the main lab.
"Chrysa what are you doing!" Professor Cerise exclaimed as she began typing away frantically.
"I think Ash did something really dumb!" Chrysa said. "He left with Charizard a few hours ago and hasn't come back!"
"You don't think he would have flown to Kalos? Do you?" Professor Cerise asked.
"Maybe not on Charizard, but maybe via a plane." Chrysa said. "Come on why does it say his phone is here! He isn't here!"
"Who isn't here?" Ash asked, walking in.
"Ash! We thought you went to Kalos!" Chrysa said.
"I tried, no plane tickets for a few days. Went to Saffron, got some lunch. Fought in a tournament, won a prize." Ash listed off. "You might have a good idea though." Ash said.
"What good idea?" Chrysa asked.
"There!" Ash exclaimed, a ping going off in Lumiose City. "Serena's phone is in Kalos, which means she made it, but why hasn't she responded?"
"Okay, keep your mind off that. What do you mean you fought in a tournament, I thought I told you to do nothing dangerous." Professor Cerise warned.
"And a food eating contest with a Snorlax is only dangerous if you're jelly filled." Ash said.
"You said it was a tournament though." Professor Cerise said.
"Professor, it was, but when it's double battles against Pikachu and Charizard, even legendary Pokémon are going to struggle fighting me, and they have!" Ash said. "It got my mind off things for a while. Helped me be happy for a bit."
"Sorry I doubted you." Professor Cerise sighed.
"What'd you win? Anything exciting?" Chrysa asked.
"A round trip to Melemele island for four people." Ash said.
"Can't you get that for free?" Professor Cerise asked.
"Yep, usually I'm obligated to as well." Ash said, handing him the envelope. "Schools out here, send the new kids there to do some hands-on learning, I'll contact Principal Oak."
"And he'll be okay with it?" Chrysa asked.
"Yeah, Kukui'll get wind and do something crazy probably." Ash said.
"Crazy fun, or crazy dangerous." Professor Cerise said sternly.
"Alolan crazy." Ash replied.
"You had no idea that was the prize, did you?" Chrysa asked.
"Not a clue. If I did, I wouldn't have entered a tag tournament." Ash said.
"You had no clue except that it was a battle tournament." Chrysa laughed.
"Yep." Ash said.
'Incoming collect call, from Vaniville Town'
"We get collect calls?" Professor Cerise said in shock.
"Those are still a thing?" Chrysa asked.
"I'll accept the cost." Ash said.
"Ash? Can you hear me?" A crackled voice with a poor video quality called out.
"Serena? Are you okay?! I've been worried!" Ash said.
"Yeah, my phone got busted and I haven't been able to use it. Sorry if the quality is bad, Clemont could only do so much." Serena apologized.
"It's fine, but why is it collect?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, I lost the SIM card when it got busted." Serena admitted. "I hope you weren't too worried."
"It's fine, just glad to know you're safe." Ash said.
"Twenty two messages." Chrysa coughed.
"Enjoy your time in Kalos, we'll send a new phone your way soon." Professor Cerise reassured.
"Thanks guys, I'll be back before you know it!" Serena said as the call ended.
"See, she's been fine the whole time." Professor Cerise reassured. "Now, make those arrangements in Alola, and then we'll talk about a mission for you."
"Aye aye captain." Ash said with a laugh.