Author's Note:

Hi all, sorry for the delay between chapters, but I wanted to keep these next three chapters nice and close. You can expect 18 and 19 in the next couple days.

Other than that, this one's a bit different. Back to Serena and Ash though, so there's that. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 17: Laverre University

Laverre City was one of the most beautiful cities in all of Kalos in Serena's opinion. While Lumiose City was big and grand with Prism Tower at its centre, Laverre was calm and serene, with little rivers and bridges throughout and trees that made it seem as though it was always Autumn. It was almost hard to believe that she and her Lumiose teammates were coming here for a fierce weekend of battling and performing to fight their way into the playoffs.

Next to her, Ash was looking out the window of their bus in excitement as well. He'd been training hard for this final match, especially after they'd arrived back from Kiloude City. She couldn't blame him, though, having worked just as hard. It was a crucial match, and despite Laverre already having clinched their spot in the IPL playoffs, it wouldn't be easy to beat the likes of Gabby and Anton.

"I'm so psyched to battle Anton!" Ash said after sitting back in his seat, the bus turning around a corner as it approached the Pokemon Centre. "I don't know if Greninja and I have figured out everything we wanted to when we went to Alola, but we've worked pretty hard. I know we can give Anton and Scizor a much better challenge this time!"

Serena was impressed with Ash's confidence, despite his struggles in learning more about the mysteries with Greninja. It wasn't so easy for her. She'd been trying to get Mega Evolution to work with Absol every day since they'd gotten the Absolite, Ash and Trevor having loaned her their Key Stones whenever she needed them, but it never seemed to be any different. If anything, it got worse sometimes, either with the Key Stone burning her wrist more or, in what she considered a worst case scenario, nothing happening at all. That always happened when she and Absol were most frustrated, though, and she supposed that was part of it.

"Still wondering what to do with Absol?" Ash gave her a sympathetic look. "You'll figure it out. Abe trusted that you would. He could see how close you two were."

Serena nodded, smiling as she looked back at him. "I know...I just wish we could've had it ready for the match with Laverre. If Absol could Mega Evolve in my performance against Gabby..."

Ash grinned at that, looking to Pikachu confidently. "Well, if you can't do it tomorrow, you'll be able to do it in the playoffs. It'll be even better then!"

Serena appreciated his confidence in her, as well as all her other friends. They'd all been so excited for her having found the Absolite, and even more so after hearing about Abe's quest. She was sure they had been hoping she'd be able to demonstrate a successful Mega Evolution, but they'd been extremely supportive nonetheless. Trevor had mentioned he'd struggled with his Charizard's Mega Evolution as well, so that had also been reassuring to hear.

I still wish I could do it now, though, Serena couldn't help but think. She could imagine the performances she could do with Absol soaring through the air on the wings formed by Mega Evolution. Braixen could fly on his back, using dazzling fire attacks, or Pancham could create pillars with Stone Edge for Absol to fly through. Popplio could almost fly alongside him with Aqua Jet, or Sylveon could cover him in a pink mist from Fairy Wind. There would be so many options if they could just pull it off.

There wasn't much more time to think on the issue at the moment, though, as their bus was pulling in front of the Pokemon Centre, where Serena could see the assembled Laverre students. She immediately sensed Ash tensing up as he looked out the window, while Clemont in the seat in front did the same. Serena knew why, noticing the coach who was standing behind his students, along with Valerie.

"I wish we could take care of him right away..." Ash muttered, Pikachu's cheeks sparking as he glared outside as well.

Serena put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I feel the same, Ash, but remember what Clemont told us. Korrina and Gabby don't want to risk the other hunters managing to get all their imprisoned Pokemon out. If we get Raphael arrested now, it could hurt a lot of Pokemon."

Clemont turned back, seeming as though he was calming himself down. "She's right, Ash. I want to do something, too, but it's too risky right now. We'll get our chance soon."

Ash nodded, taking a deep breath as he sat back down while the bus came to a complete stop, the engine turning off. "Yeah, I get it. Is your plan still working out, Clemont?"

Clemont smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Of course! Don't forget, the future-"

"Can you give this new invention of yours a proper name this time?"

"Bonnie!"

Serena giggled as Clemont's little sister interrupted, leaning over the seat in front of Clemont's to look at him in exasperation. "No girl is going to take care of you if you can't give your inventions a proper name."

"I don't know why Professor Sycamore let's her come on these things..." Clemont muttered as said professor called for the team to begin heading out, asking for Ash and Dawn to lead the way.

As they exited, Serena was glad to see Ash and the rest of the team managing to hide their new understanding of Raphael, with only a couple glares, that could easily have been misinterpreted as just some bad sportsmanship. Fortunately, Raphael didn't seem to notice, appearing bored and uninterested in being there anyway. He even left shortly after Sycamore and the coaches had greeted him and Valerie.

As Raphael disappeared, Ash and Dawn headed forward to shake hands with Anton and Gabby, the latter quickly looking excitedly to Serena as the formal greeting was finished. Serena was a little surprised by that, but smiled as Gabby headed over to greet her. It appeared the Laverre group was a little less hostile this time, with Tierno and Jimmy, the resident Laverre dance enthusiast, vowing to have a good dance-off in their next match, and Dawn and Shauna having a reasonably friendly chat with Casey of the Performance Team. Anton and his Battle Team, along with Lisa, who'd performed against Shauna last time, were immediately leaving, however.

"Serena! How are you?" Serena returned her focus to Gabby as the other performer reached her, looking surprisingly relieved to see her. "I've gotta say, it's good to see you."

"I'm pretty good, thanks," Serena said, a little cautiously. She knew she could trust Gabby since Korrina did, but she was still a bit of an odd case. Her fierce competitiveness had been intimidating in their last match, and Serena still wasn't sure what to think of her ideas on performing. She'd figured the friendliness was a bit of an act, but this seemed somewhat different.. "Um...how are you?"

Gabby seemed to sense Serena's uneasiness, sighing as she looked back at the other students. "I'd be better if we could talk. How about I show you around Laverre a bit, okay?"

"Oh...well...I'll need to-"

"Hey Ash!" Gabby suddenly called out, getting the raven-haired trainer's attention as he was talking to Clemont. "Serena and I are heading out. Just in case Professor Sycamore needs her."

"Cool, have fun!" Ash told them, waving. "I'm planning on doing some training. See you later, Serena!"

Serena gave an awkward wave herself, before Gabby pulled her away. She wasn't quite sure what this was about, but decided there was no point fighting it. Perhaps Gabby just wanted to talk about Absol, given that when she was in Lumiose for the first IPL match, she'd visited while Serena was caring for the Disaster Pokemon and mentioned her own Swablu, now Altaria, had come to her in a similar state.

After the two girls had walked a few minutes, heading over a bridge and in the direction of what Serena was sure looked like the Laverre City Gym, Gabby finally spoke up again. "So, I guess Korrina's told Clemont about...everything?" Her tone was a little more serious now, which Serena actually appreciated.

"She did," Serena said carefully, looking to the other girl curiously. "Is it true...about Anton's Vivillon, and Raphael...and...all of it?"

Gabby sighed, gesturing to a bench nearby and sitting down. "It's all true," she said, burying her face in her hands a moment, before looking back to Serena. "Honestly, I can deal with Raphael. He's an enemy I can fight eventually. Anton, though...how do you deal with that?"

Serena wasn't sure what she was supposed to say in response. She wasn't exactly experienced in dealing with frustrating brothers. "I...I don't know. Is he really convinced that Vivillon isn't his? Even though you saw it and you recognized each other?"

"I think Anton just doesn't want to think about it," Gabby muttered, standing up as though frustrated already with sitting down. Serena followed as she hurriedly walked away. "The day he lost his Shalour gym battle and abandoned his Pokemon, he lost more than just them. He'll probably never be the same." She fiddled with the bow in her hair, looking to Serena as she tried to settle down. "He can barely acknowledge those Pokemon existed, and when he does, it's someone else's fault they're gone."

"It might've been a lot for him to take in all at once," Serena suggested, not sure if she was helping, but hoping Gabby understood what she was trying to say. "If you were telling him about Raphael at the same time...well, that would be a lot to take."

"I learned it all in a short time as well, and I didn't go running off into the forest," Gabby muttered, appearing dismissive of the idea.

Serena tried to continue, though. "Gabby...it's different for Anton, though. He might blame others for what happened, but he almost surely blames himself. To know that he's been spending all this time with a man who's part of the group that likely hurt his Pokemon and that he never even figured it out...that might make the feeling even worse. It's like knowing he could've saved Vivillon all along and missed the chance to save it."

She jumped in surprise as Gabby chuckled a little at that, before responding. "You just have to be a good person about this, don't you?" She sighed again, nodding after a moment. "You might be right, but it's still extremely frustrating. We've got this big problem to deal with and it's not like Vivillon's the only Pokemon of Anton's that went missing. But instead of helping, Anton's pushing it all out of his mind. He's even training with Raphael!"

That certainly surprised Serena. If she had been given any hint about someone she knew being the one that had hurt Absol, she would've done something for sure. Or would I? She frowned, realizing that perhaps she did know who hurt Absol, even if not directly. For all she knew, maybe it was Raphael who had hurt Absol most of all. And she wasn't doing anything now, because she had to bide her time.

"Are you sure Anton's dismissed everything?" Serena asked, pausing as Gabby walked a few steps ahead. "About Vivillon, Raphael...all of it?"

Gabby looked confused by the question, before throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "Why do you and Valerie bend over backwards to defend him. Even Korrina's not too hard on him, and he's insulted her and her grandfather over and over again."

"I was just-"

"I know, I know," Gabby shrugged, continuing to walk, forcing Serena to rush to catch up. They were outside a location familiar to Serena now, and she couldn't help but stare at the famous fashion store that Valerie owned. Gabby noticed her staring. "You know...Anton got me an outfit here when I got into Laverre University. Despite everything...I guess there's still something of the old him still there."

Serena was unable to hide her surprise, not imagining Anton of all people to have gotten anything from Valerie. More so due to the fact that she was a Gym Leader than anything else, though. "That's nice. Is it for performances?"

Gabby nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, it matches Altaria perfectly. I guess you'll see it tomorrow." She turned to Serena at that, raising an eyebrow. "Speaking of that...I've gotta get Valerie to get you something good for matching with Absol. Korrina mentioned that you headed off to find a Mega Stone for him?"

Serena bit her lip nervously at that, a little bothered that Gabby knew about that. Not that it mattered much since they hadn't perfected it, but it could've made for a surprising move in a performance against her. "Ash and I went to Kiloude City and I got it there. I don't have a Key Stone, though...and we haven't been able to succeed with it when I've borrowed Ash's or Trevor's."

"That's not too surprising," Gabby said simply, looking like she'd expected that. "Let me guess...the Key Stone burned your wrist when you tried it?"

"How'd you know that?"

Gabby smirked, but didn't answer right away, continuing to walk and leaving Valerie's fashion store behind them. "Anton figured out Mega Evolution with his Scizor pretty quickly, but I think the final result is a lot stronger if the trainer and Pokemon struggle for it." She adjusted the bow in her hair again. "It's how a strong bond is developed in the first place anyway."

"It just doesn't make much sense to me," Serena admitted. "I love Absol, and I know he feels the same, but...for some reason the connection fails. Abe, the man who gave me the Absolite, says we need to be connected on what drives our bond, but...I don't know what he means. I thought we both wanted to perform and make people and Pokemon happy, but it doesn't work."

Gabby shrugged, stopping as they came to a small bridge and she leaned against the edge of it, looking over the small river. "Absol's got a complicated past, right? You can't expect it to be as simple as that. My Altaria gave me struggles, too. It's just part of coming to terms with what's happened, and what you do to move on."

Serena frowned at that, remembering Gabby's words way back about using performing as a way to forget the past. "I think Absol and I have a different approach to things."

"Maybe," Gabby admitted, laughing lightly as she looked to Serena. "Maybe we need to learn to be more like you two," she added, apparently realizing what Serena was thinking about. "It still applies, though. Just think about it."

"I will," Serena told her, smiling back as Gabby grinned. "But it might lead to you losing!"

"We'll see!"

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Rockruff, counter with Bite!"

Ash pumped his fist excitedly as he watched the two Pokemon in front of him, Pikachu rushing along the forest clearing they'd found for training and lashing out with his glowing tail. Rockruff meanwhile, was bracing himself for impact, baring his fangs and preparing to latch his jaws onto his opponent. Each managed to land their attacks, though, with Pikachu striking from above and being caught by Rockruff just in time. Unfortunately for the latter, Pikachu was too strong, however, with Bite soon being overwhelmed by the force of Iron Tail and forcing the Puppy Pokemon to let go and stumbled backwards.

"Ruff!" he barked out happily, panting tiredly from the exchange.

"You did a great job, Rockruff!" Ash told him, happy with the rock type's progress. It wasn't as though Rockruff was at Pikachu's level just yet, but he definitely couldn't have taken that Iron Tail standing up a few weeks back. His stamina had been improving greatly.

"Ruff!" the Puppy Pokemon barked again in response, wagging his tail as Pikachu headed over to congratulate him.

As the two of them had their rest, Ash looked over to where Hawlucha was working with Riolu, the latter trying to increase the accuracy of his Focus Blast. It was still tough for him, but Riolu never let it bother him too much. And, with Hawlucha at his side, the Emanation Pokemon didn't ever seem to lack for a congratulatory pat on the back for his efforts.

Deciding to leave them to it, Ash then turned to where Greninja and Decidueye were waiting, each having been watching Pikachu and Rockruff's sparring match. Ash grinned as they each locked eyes with him, both apparently ready to start on their own. Ash couldn't blame them, excited to see what they could do as well. With Greninja set to battle Anton's Scizor in their upcoming match, Ash wanted him as ready as ever, and he felt Decidueye would be a perfect sparring partner with the progress he'd made.

"All right, you two, let's see what you've got!" Ash said, each of his Pokemon leaping out to opposite sides of the clearing. He chuckled, seeing each tensed up and ready to attack immediately. "Don't go too hard on each other," he added quickly, hoping they understood it was just a training match. "We'll have plenty of chances for real battles soon enough."

"Gren!"

"Dooo! Sidueyeee!"

With their battle cries made, Ash gave them their commands. "Greninja, use Night Slash! Decidueye, counter with Leaf Blade!"

"Pika!"

"Ruff!"

"Lucha!"

"Ru!"

"Whoa!"

Ash and the other Pokemon were all stunned by the speed the two fighters exhibited, their starting points in the clearing left in clouds of dust as they met one another at the centre. In Greninja's hands were two purple blades, while Decidueye held green ones in his. The clash of their attacks shook the clearing, with each blade crossed over the other. That lasted only a moment, though, as within seconds, they were in what appeared to be a mighty sword fight.

Ash might've thought the two were over doing it, but he couldn't bring himself to stop it, amazed by the speed and strength the two displayed. Decidueye in particular was impressing him, considering few could match Greninja's speed. At one point, the Ninja Pokemon brought up an arm to slash at Decidueye's side with one of his blades, the Arrow Quill Pokemon ducking under it and blocking with his own, before stabbing forward with his other blade, forcing Greninja to roll back and hold a blade up to block. In response, Greninja, leaped into the air, unleashing an assault from above, forcing Decidueye to roll forward and leap up himself, using his wings to propel himself higher and engage Greninja as he descended to the ground.

There was no need to give another order until both Pokemon came to a stop, each kneeling down at their respective starting points, panting with exhaustion from their sparring. Ash grinned, exchanging a look with Pikachu who looked equally impressed. "Wow you guys! That was so awesome!"

Greninja was the first to manage to get to his feet again, with Decidueye scrambling up a moment later. "Gren greninja!" the Ninja Pokemon said, nodding to the grass and ghost type, who nodded back.

"Did you enjoy sparring with Decidueye, Greninja?" Ash asked, his fierce fighter nodding in response, looking pleased. "That's great! You should both be able to get even faster by training with each other. This should be good for handling a speedy opponent like Anton's Scizor."

"Gren!" Greninja nodded in response, looking more fired up at the mention of their rival and his Pokemon.

"We're going to have to work harder, though," Ash said, looking to all the others as well. "If we're going to get into the playoffs, we need to make sure we're ready for anything. Anton knows how to get the best out of his Pokemon, and can use speed and raw power to win. We need to do the same if-"

"You don't actually think you can beat me, do you?"

Ash turned in surprise at the voice. He almost thought he'd imagined it, until he saw Anton emerging from the shadows of the forest, looking bored as he surveyed the clearing. The only hint of any emotion was when his gaze passed over Decidueye and Rockruff and he appeared slightly interested.

"Of course we can!" Ash said challengingly, holding up his fist in excitement. "We've gotten way better since last time. We've even done some special training in Alola."

Anton's gaze locked on to Ash. At least, Ash assumed it did, not really knowing since Anton had his sunglasses on as usual. "Alola?"

"Yeah. It's got beaches and these things called Trials instead of a gym challenge, and-"

"I know what Alola is," Anton interrupted dismissively. "Why were you there?"

"Hala, one of the teachers at Melemele University, thought he could help me with my Greninja. We didn't really figure too much out about his form, but we got to work against Z-Moves and train against his super strong Crabominable!" Ash couldn't hide his excitement, despite Anton's apparent lack of it.

Anton did seem slightly interested, though. "Is that how you got a Decidueye? And the Rockruff?"

"Rockruff followed me on the plane here," Ash admitted with a laugh, Rockruff looking embarrassed as well. "But Decidueye I got in a class at school. Don't you guys have a class where you get a starter Pokemon and need to train it?"

Anton stared at him in shock, even raising his sunglasses up a moment to peer at him. "You actually trained one of those weak Pokemon into..." He didn't finish, turning his gaze back to Decidueye a moment, before lowering his sunglasses back down and shrugging. "Whatever."

Ash frowned. "What do you mean?"

Anton didn't answer a moment, simply surveying the clearing, his gaze pausing on each of Ash's Pokemon. "The Riolu...it's from school, too?"

"I thought you didn't care...?" It wasn't a sarcastic reply. Ash was just dumbfounded by Anton's behaviour.

"I take it you'll be my opponent this weekend. I might as well see more about what I'm up against." Anton didn't sound quite as calm as usual, and Ash almost got the feeling the Laverre student had been looking for him...and not because he wanted to 'see what he was up against'.

He played along, though, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could get Anton to open up a bit. "Serena and I got Riolu from an egg for our Breeding class. Once the exam was finished, she thought I should continue with its training. He's still young, but he's been getting pretty strong."

Anton nodded, although he didn't seem to realize it, just watching as Riolu and Hawlucha resumed their training together. "It looks...decent. When I battled Korrina's Riolu way back, it looked a bit like this one."

"Don't most Riolu look the same?" Ash asked, chuckling as his other Pokemon began to continue their sparring. He was glad Decidueye and Greninja didn't go all out as they'd done before.

"You can always tell the little differences," Anton said, adjusting his sunglasses a bit. "I'm sure even you know that."

"I guess so." Ash waited a moment, sensing things getting awkward quickly, before speaking up again. "What is it about my Riolu that reminds you of what Korrina's was like?"

Anton shrugged, appearing uncomfortable again. "I don't know. Not like she's a great trainer." Ash didn't answer, part of him thinking Anton was hoping for a reaction just to end the conversation. When he didn't get one, he continued. "It just...looks like it has the drive. It won't..."

"It won't give up!" Ash finished, laughing as he looked to Riolu, who was firing off another Focus Blast, hitting a tree a few feet ahead and getting a big cheer from Hawlucha. "Great job, Riolu!" Ash called out, the Emanation Pokemon turning proudly to him, before getting right back to work.

"I guess not," Anton agreed, giving a short nod.

There was another silence, Anton now appearing to watch, but not really paying attention to the sparring Pokemon in the clearing. Ash broke the silence once more, deciding he'd at least try to see if he could get Anton to talk about the hunters. They were a common enemy, no matter what Anton thought of Ash and his friends. And, they might need to help one another in the future.

"I...uh...met your dad a few weeks ago. He was researching bug types in the forest where we found a Pokemon hunter location." Ash watched Anton carefully, seeing the other boy tensing up.

"The news got back to me," Anton answered after a moment. "Your friend Clemont told Korrina, who told my sister...always a bunch of gossip going around." He sighed, briefly looking in Ash's direction, before turning away again. "You want to talk about my Vivillon."

"Wha...no...well..." Ash bit his lip nervously, turning to see Pikachu looking over in concern. He gave his partner Pokemon a reassuring smile, before taking a deep breath and turning back to Anton. "Well...that did come up."

"I'm sure it did." Anton looked to the ground, fiddling with his sunglasses again, briefly brushing his nose as he did so. "My business is always on someone else's mind. My dad's, my sister's...even your friends'. Not a surprise it would come up."

Ash frowned, surprised by the response. He was almost sure he could hear the slightest shake in Anton's voice. "I'm sorry...I'm sure it's more complicated than what I've heard."

Anton shook his head. "It's not."

It was such a simple answer, and with what Ash's experiences with Anton had been like to this point, it took him off completely by surprise. "You mean..."

"I abandoned my Pokemon. Left them alone. Left them to be stolen, beaten and who knows what else. One of them might even be dead for all I know." His fists clenched at his sides, and he turned to Ash, taking a deep breath, before relaxing them. "I take it you've heard about the last IPL match as well? When Korrina claimed to have my Vivillon?"

Ash didn't try to hide it. "She said you didn't believe it."

"I believed it. I saw her and Gabby with it afterwards." Anton kicked a stone away that was at his feet. "I ruined Vivillon's life. I don't care if it thinks it forgives me. I can't let it come back to me."

"That just adds to Vivillon's pain," Ash argued, knowing Anton wouldn't care, but needing to try nonetheless. "Vivillon must believe you can do better with another chance."

"There's only one thing I can do for Vivillon now," Anton said, turning around and facing the path back to the city.

"What's that?" Ash asked, staring in surprise as Anton walked away.

"Crush my enemies." He was almost out of earshot when he finished. "I'll see you on the battlefield."

Author's Note:

I'll be honest, my original intention early in the story was for Gabby to be worse. I just ended up enjoying her too much as...well...not awful. Makes a nice change from pissy baby Anton I guess. Anyway, I suppose that's led to a bit of awkwardness at times with Gabby so hopefully that's not too glaring.

As for Anton, as I said before...he's a bit of a pissy baby. But...is he up to something? Hm...I guess we'll see.

Next chapter should be here in a couple days. Might even do a double upload...who knows. See you then.