AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'll admit, this chapter is somewhat random...I'm experimenting with writing time skips, which as it turns out, makes chapters a lot shorter. But still a useful skill to have long term. I'm also trying to wrap up one or two of my storylines, so I used this chapter as an opportunity to revisit them. So don't worry if some of this seems out of place, it will all come together in the next few chapters.

CHAPTER 14
A Means To An End!

It was a beautiful day in Lumiose City. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and anyone who had bothered to take a look around would have seen plenty of other cliche things going on in town at that very moment. But the chipper perfection was lost on three of the city's newest residents, sitting dejectedly on the sidewalk in one of the many alleyways found throughout Kalos.

"I can't believe he took that Pikachu back to Kanto," Jessie said dejectedly.

"I can't believe we didn't follow them," James bemoaned.

Meowth looked up at both of them before letting out a sigh of his own. "I can't believe we skipped lunch."

Of course, all three of the things they couldn't believe were true, and all had good reasons. Ash and Pikachu traveling to Kanto was out of their control, but their decision not to follow him stemmed from concern for pushing their aging balloon to make the journey, when chances were good Ash would have returned to Kalos before they had even arrived. And as for lunch, well, that was simply because they were poor, and had to save what little money they had for more important things.

"How can you think of food at a time like this?" James asked, looking incredulously at his friend.

"Easy," Meowth said. "I listen t' my stomach."

Silence fell over the trio once more as they contemplated their choices in life. Truth be told, Team Rocket was tired, and it extended well beyond pure physical exhaustion, though they experienced their fair share of that as well. No, they were tired of running all over the world, experiencing only the worst life had to offer as they chased after a twerp and his overly-powerful Pokemon partner. They had tried to move onto grander plans before, and had even experienced some range of success with them, but those still boiled down to one thing, and one thing alone: catch that Pikachu.

"You know..." Jessie contemplated. "This might not be a bad time to make our move on Prism Tower. Those other twerps won't give us any problems."

It did not take much thought to know that while the idea, while a good one, did not feel right. They were Team Rocket! If they were going to take on something as momentous as overtaking Prism Tower and the Lumiose Gym for the new Team Rocket headquarters in Kalos, they were going to make sure to accomplish their life's goal at the same time. Besides, as a powerful Electric-type, Pikachu's proper place would be in the Gym, sitting by Giovanni's side as he took over as the new Gym Leader.

"It's just not da right time t' strike," Meowth said, putting words to what they were all thinking.

"Somehow I don't think the boss would agree," James said, and the others nodded at this. Why did they do things for that man, again? It wasn't as if he had ever been particularly nice to them, nor had he given them a pay raise even once in the years they had worked for him.

"Oh, what does he know?" Jessie scowled, and tightened her grip on the sidewalk, being careful not to let the concrete come in touch with her perfectly polished fingernails. "We're the experts when it comes to full scale takeovers, not him!"

From the way they spoke, it was not apparent that at different intervals, each had considered leaving Team Rocket permanently. None of them really thought of themselves as being criminals, nor were they drawn to the industry of 'full scale takeovers', as Jessie had put it. Rather, they joined with Team Rocket to leave tragic pasts, knowing that the organization was desperate for devoted members, and remained on because they did not want to leave their friends behind. But this did not mean that any of them truly cared about what Giovanni had to say, except that recognition from the boss would result in better working conditions, a higher paycheck, and the praise they felt they so sorely deserved.

"Perhaps we can plan to take over Prism Tower as soon as the twerp gets back?" James suggested. "I mean, surely he's coming back to Kalos."

"Of course he is!" Meowth exploded, jealous of the good fortune that seemed to follow Ash with just as much fervor as they had. "Did ya ever stop t' think about what life's like for a champion? He's famous! An' he must be swimmin' in money. Only a fool would leave all dat behind." He practically drooled as he imagined crowds of people pouring gold coins at his feet as he walked by them, for once not being expected to use Pay Day to shower them with coins.

"Then it's settled!" Jessie exclaimed, jumping up from the sidewalk so quickly that she almost knocked both James and Meowth onto the street in front of them. "Watch out, Lumiose City! Once Team Rocket is done with you, you'll never be the same again!"

Serena tugged nervously at her dress, waiting to go up on stage. It didn't matter how many showcases she performed in, or how much she was loved by the crowds now that her name was getting to be fairly well-known. She always remembered how she felt her first time, putting herself out there, and the nerves would come rushing back just like she was in that same place again. You can do this, she told herself silently.

"Braix," Braixen said comfortingly. As Serena's first Pokemon, she had been there through everything; experienced the same nerves and doubts through a variety of performances. But this was something the Fox Pokemon had made her peace with long ago. She had evolved, in more ways than one, and even if Serena couldn't see it she had too.

"Thank you," Serena said. "You always know just what to say, Braixen." She smiled, even as she heard the ending of a performance that indicated she would be the next in line. "It looks like it's our turn!"

Despite whatever nerves plagued her backstage, once she walked in front of the crowd, things were different. At first, she had suffered from stage fright - but this was replaced with confidence as she realized that she could not truly see the audience or anyone in it. Though she knew the reverse was not true - certainly, no one would have a problem seeing her - it did give her that false sense of security that she was alone, and that it was just like practice - which, indeed, is what she murmured to Braixen as they begin their routine.

There was a certain exhilaration that came with the thrill of performing, and Serena laughed even as she twirled on stage, Braixen's fire-based attacks surrounding her in a whirlwind of orange and yellow light. She could hear the gasps and applause that told her she was delivering a shockingly good performance, and it encouraged her to keep going despite a misstep that sent her act just slightly off-tempo. Before she knew it, she was finished, and she bowed as the stage went dark once more.

In the end, she only placed third in the showcase, but the loss did not sting as it once had, and she lingered in the shared dressing room afterwards to congratulate the winner, a young girl who was thrilled to have gotten her first Princess Key. From there, she had planned to simply leave and return to Lumiose City, but the sound of her name stopped her just before she exited the building, and she looked around for the person who had called out to her.

"Wow, Serena! You were great out there!" The voice sounded familiar, and Serena caught sight of someone pushing their way through the people streaming out of the auditorium, crying out in surprise as they reached her.

"Calem! What are you doing here?" She would be lying if she said she wasn't delighted to see him again, and her heart fluttered nervously as she looked up at him.

"I was just passing through," he explained with a smile. "These...showcases, are they called? They seem to be very important in Laverre Town." In fact, they were so important that he had been turned away at the Gym because all battles halted while preparations for the performance were going on. With such a ringing endorsement from the lady charged with breaking the bad news to challengers, he figured he might as well go see it for himself.

"Oh, they are!" Serena told him eagerly, and proceeded to explain why Valerie, the Laverre Gym Leader, was so involved. It was a nice change to have someone actually listen to her talk about the showcases that had become such an important part of her life, and she noticed that he did not seem to be gazing off politely in the distance like her friends often did when she started rambling, instead keeping his focus solely on her. However, the realization made her blush, and she stammered out a quick apology regardless.

"Oh, that's quite alright," Calem told her, and he meant it. "It's fascinating really, how much work goes into these. Though I must confess I don't understand the whole fashion side of things."

"You don't really need to," Serena said, and giggled. She walked outside and breathed in the fresh air, reveling at how Laverre always smelled of fresh springtime flowers, even though it looked like the middle of a snowless winter, with the grey cobblestone streets and stone buildings. "How long will you be staying here?" Serena asked, seeing that Calem had followed her.

"Until I'm able to challenge the Gym," he replied. "And win, of course."

"Of course," she murmured. "But, um, that's likely to be another day, at least. It does take a little while for operations to return to normal after large events."

"I've waited in worse places before," he said cheerfully. He paused for a moment, and then said: "I know this may seem a little forward, but if I'm going to be staying here for an extra day or two, it would be nice to have some company." He did not feel as comfortable as others did traveling to places he had not been before alone, and since he had started his Pokemon journey so much later than his friends, he rarely saw familiar faces. He may not have known Serena well, but that was something he wanted to change, and unless he was mistaken, it was something she would not object to either.

"Are you...asking me to stay in Laverre City for a couple days?" Serena asked, blushing deeply.

"I'm asking you if perhaps you would do me the honor of joining me for a cup of coffee," Calem said gently. "And then, if you want to stick around, well, I think I would like that very much."

Bonnie sat on the couch in her Prism Tower apartment, shaking her head in frustration as she crossed out line after line in her notebook. It had been a nice, quiet two weeks without Ash, but those two weeks were almost at an end, and she still had not come up with any sure-fire way to make sure he would burst through the door upon his return and immediately confess his love for Clemont. It wasn't so much that she expected Ash to do such a thing, but she was convinced that if she thought about it long enough, she could influence the events around her so it would happen.

"What are you doing?" Clemont asked her curiously, looking up from the inventions that he had been idly working on over the past several days. He was used to Bonnie writing while curled up on the couch, but he had never seen her concentrating so hard before. Her notebook was nestled into her lap and the end of a pencil was stuck in her mouth as she mulled over her next idea, and she kept muttering "No...definitely not..." as she flipped through the pages.

"Nothing," she told him, the word coming out a little garbled from the pencil. She moved to cover her notebook protectively, in case Clemont decided to get a closer look. The last thing she needed was for him to see the results of her brainstorming sessions. "How are those inventions coming?" she asked, more to get his mind back to electronics and off of her activities more than out of any real curiosity.

"Quite well, actually." Clemont gestured at them in pride, and Bonnie glanced at him skeptically.

"Oh yeah? What do they do?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked!" Bonnie rolled her eyes as her brother launched into an explanation of each of his machines. All had long names that made her immediately uninterested in their function, and she was happy when the ringing of their telephone provided a distraction.

"I'll get it!" she yelled, jumping up from the couch.

"Bonnie!" Clemont cried. "You know you're not supposed to answer the phone!"

This was something Bonnie was perfectly aware of, but it had never stopped her before, and Clemont was the only one that seemed to mind - both Ash and Serena were fine with her answering the phone for them. So she stuck her tongue out at him as she raced for it, and because she was faster and was sitting closer to the phone to begin with than he was, she reached it first.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully into the phone, and as the video screen flickered to life, she jumped up and down in excitement. "Serena! How did the showcase go? Did you win?"

"One question at a time, Bonnie." Clemont came to stand behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, come on!" she complained, shaking off his hand. "They're practically the same question! Well?" she demanded, looking expectantly at Serena.

"It went just fine," Serena said, smiling at them. "I had a lot of fun! I didn't win, though."

"Aw," Bonnie pouted. "So wait! Then why are you calling?" Sometimes when Serena won a showcase, she would call because she wanted to share the news with everyone as soon as possible. But if there was no good news to share, her phone call simply didn't make sense in Bonnie's mind.

"Well..." Serena said, glancing at something off camera. "I know I was supposed to be coming home tonight, but there's been a change of plans. I think I'm going to staying in Laverre an extra day or two."

"Are you alright?" Clemont asked her, sounding somewhat concerned. "It's not like you to be late, Serena."

She eyed him nervously, wondering how much more she should say. It wasn't that she was worried he would be upset; no, in fact, he might even be happy that she was spending time with someone that wasn't Ash. But if there was a wrong way to interpret the situation, she felt like Clemont would find it, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. But as it turned out, she didn't have a choice, for just then a muffled voice came through the speakerphone.

"You're all set," the voice said, and Serena looked up and smiled. "You were lucky! They only had one room left. I suppose a lot of people decided to stay here after the showcase."

"Yeah, I guess," she said, and as her eyes flickered back to the screen she noticed that both Clemont and Bonnie were gaping at her, something which she decided to ignore for now.

"Are you hungry? We could grab a late lunch, or maybe you would like to go shopping? That seems to be a popular activity here."

"Either sounds great," Serena replied, and Clemont silently excused himself to go to his workshop for some spare parts, not really feeling the need to eavesdrop on what would have been a private conversation, had the line been disconnected. Bonnie, on the other hand, watched in rapt attention, hoping that the owner of the voice would make an appearance on camera.

The softness of the response and the return of Serena's attention to the phone let her know that she would not get her wish, and she decided to resort to a different tactic to get the information she was looking for. "Ooh, who was that?" She gave Serena a sly look, smirking at her as she blushed crimson. "Is he why you'll be home late?"

"I-I have to go!" Serena stammered into the phone, making a move to hang up.

"Wait!" Bonnie yelled, and Serena's hand wavered over the "End Call" button. "Do you like him?"

Serena cast her eyes downward, thinking. She had never clicked so well with anyone in her life before. He always treated her with the utmost respect, and he was rather adorable, in his own way. But she still didn't know him all that well, and while she had an open and trusting nature, she was always scared to give into new feelings. "I don't know," she said in a small voice.

"Then find out!" Bonnie told her, with a wink and smile. "Stay those extra days. Or even longer - if you think he would want you to, that is."

"But..." Serena objected, her face expressing concerns that she could not yet put a voice to.

"Lavarre has a clothing shop," Bonnie pointed out, remembering that she had only intended to be gone for half a day originally. "You can use it as an excuse to buy some of Valerie's exclusive designs, guilt-free!"

"I suppose," she said, and smiled tolerantly, knowing that Valerie's designs were too costly to buy on a whim, even if she did have a good reason for it. "And I guess...I would like to get to know Calem better."

Smiling back at her, Bonnie said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. She couldn't help but wonder, that if Serena liked Calem, did that mean she didn't like Ash anymore? She liked the implications of that, mainly that Clemont would be able to pursue Ash without competition.

However, she did not have time to think it through any more than that, for the phone rang again shortly, and Bonnie picked it up on the first ring.

"Hi, you've reached Prism Tower - oh, hi, Ash! How's Kanto?" She broke out in a grin as his face lit up the screen, and turned slightly towards the staircase, wondering if she should call Clemont downstairs.

"It's been great!" he said enthusiastically. "I can't believe I waited so long to visit. I've been able to catch up with most of my friends, and Professor Oak has been really interested in hearing about all the Pokemon native to Kalos! I do miss you guys, though."

"We miss you too," she told him, then grinned. "Especially Clemont. He seems to really be missing you - he's been marking off days on the calendar and everything." As soon as Ash had left for the airport, a large calendar with his return date marked on it had mysteriously appeared on the fridge, and every day a red X had graced its box on the calendar. "Two more days, right?"

"Um." Ash fidgeted uncomfortably. "Actually, that's why I'm calling."

"You're staying longer?" Bonnie asked him, glaring at him through the phone like she could somehow travel through there and knock some sense into him. There was no way she was going to stand for that, not with her brother trying to pretend he wasn't still worried that Ash might decide not to come back at all.

"Of course not!" Ash grinned at her, and then looked embarrassed. "But uh, I might have made a little mistake. I forgot that Kanto is nearly 8 hours ahead of Kalos...so I didn't factor that in when I booked my flight...anyway, it turns out my flight is leaving tonight. I'm actually at the airport now!"

Bonnie tried to look beyond Ash into the background, but for the second time today, trying to see things that were off screen didn't go well. "That's awesome!" she told him, looking thrilled.

"It sure is!" Ash said, somewhat relieved that she hadn't asked him to delay his flight. "Hey, is Clemont there?" He asked, trying to peer around her. While he certainly trusted Bonnie to pass the news on, he had been hoping to see the look on Clemont's face when he told him he would be coming back early.

"Um, no, he's with a challenger!" she lied with a nervous high-pitched giggle, hoping her brother wouldn't choose this time to walk back in the room. Certainly she could find a way to make use of this information, especially since Clemont wouldn't be expecting her to do anything with Ash out of town.

"Oh." Ash was clearly disappointed. "Well...that's fine, I guess. I'll be seeing him tomorrow anyway!"

"Right!" Bonnie agreed, smiling broadly at him. "Bye, Ash! We can't wait to see you!"

"You too," Ash said, and within seconds the video screen had gone dark, indicating that he hung up. Bonnie followed suit, and practically skipped back over to the couch to pick up her notebook again. She looked quickly through some options she had scribbled down this morning, and stared intently at an idea she had crossed out because the timing seemed too tricky. But with both Ash and Serena gone for today, perhaps that would do nicely after all. Now she just had to make sure she had everything ready by tonight.

SNAPSHOTS
Pokemon the Series: XY
XY036: Battles In The Sky!

There were certain times in Clemont's life that he had been jealous of Bonnie, and as he smashed face-first into the glass of the flying simulator, looking out at her sitting down on the bench outside with a perfectly acceptable reason to not join them, now was definitely one of them.

Wing suits and the flight simulator had sounded like an interesting concept, at first. While meteorology was not his favorite branch of science, the constant updraft found in Kalos Canyon was fascinating, and surely there was a lot to learn with a hands on approach. Besides, their flight instructor had explained the concept to them in terms everyone was able to understand, which was a rare talent.

Unfortunately, flying also seemed to be a rare talent, to the point that even Ash was having difficulty staying afloat at the beginning of the lesson. He was not nearly as uncoordinated as Clemont, though, nor as terrified of falling while up in the air, and so when another trainer banged on the glass and asked to battle, he was immensely relieved that she had been talking to Ash, and not him. Not that he could have accepted such a proposal anyway, not having any flying Pokemon of his own.

Watching the battle, he wasn't sure what he really was more interested in - watching the Pokemon move entirely through the sky, or watching their trainers float alongside them.

"Since those Pokemon are both flying, it's hard to land a move," Clemont said out loud, mostly for Serena's benefit. She had become a proficient trainer during their travels together, and was proving herself to be a quick learner, but she had not grown up immersing herself in battle techniques the way both Ash and Clemont had.

"You're right," she said, looking down at the action that had fallen halfway down the canyon. Every time Hawlucha tried a move that would have landed on any other opponents, Talonflame was able to move out of the way, using the wind to his advantage.

"Although Hawlucha's a Flying type, it's only able to glide," Clemont commented, noticing that Hawlucha was hovering in the air much in the same way Ash was, rather than truly swooping around the canyon like the other Bird Pokemon they had seen could do. "That's not good."

"Since it can't really fly, it's at a disadvantage," Serena noted.

The comment itself was nothing special; Serena had probably only mentioned it because it would have an impact on the outcome of the battle. But just because Hawlucha was at a disadvantage didn't mean winning was impossible - and somehow, this got him thinking about science.

Talonflame, of course, was a Pokemon who was made to fly. The large wings and sleek body design moved well in the air, while if it was grounded, it would move slowly and awkwardly. Of course it had an advantage in a sky battle - this was the only way it knew how to fight. The updraft just made it even easier.

Hawlucha, on the other hand, had an advantage in that it could move just as well on land as it did in the air, if not better. Strong legs made it easy to walk, while wings that connected its arms to its body allowed it to glide through the air much in the same was as the flight suits.

The flight suits.

It was an epiphany he could not ignore, the kind that would have made him pull out his schematics then and there had he not been wearing his own flight suit. Why hadn't he thought of it before? If Hawlucha could fly, if humans could fly, then so could any Pokemon!

There was a danger involved, the one that had excluded Bonnie from the days activities, in fact. Small bodies meant small wings, and small wings would not be able to catch the updraft. This was why he would have to find a way to move the functionality of the flight suit somewhere else. As it was now, Pokemon like Chespin and Bunnelby would have also been excluded by their size. Other Pokemon would be excluded because they were too heavy, or because they lacked arms. There had to be a way he could make a device that would let all of them experience the joy of flying. It would be revolutionary! Sky battles could be a choice made because the trainer enjoyed flying, and wouldn't have to be based on what Pokemon they had. Even smaller children, like Bonnie, would be able to start training for Kalos Canyon earlier. In fact, just thinking about it, he was already mapping out a prototype in his head.

One day, he knew he would be able to bring his invention to life.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

So, this chapter almost didn't make it out in time, and I wanted to give you all a heads up that I may have to delay a chapter or two, though I'm not quite sure at what point. Something big might be happening soon, and I don't really want to say more until I know for sure, but there's a chance it will impact my free time at certain intervals. While I'm still going to strive for weekly updates, there are some really critical chapters coming up, and I definitely want to take the time to get them right.

Stay tuned for Chapter 15, and thank you for reading / following / favoriting / reviewing!