Hey, guys! No! I'm not going to say what I've said for the past two chapters, because that would be dumb. Anyway, let's get straight to the chapter!


Ash looked at the man, watching him run over to him before slowing down at the last second, nearly tripping over.

"Can I help you?" Ash asked him, confused as to who he was and how the man knew who he was.

"I've heard about what happened!" The man exclaimed, to which Ash and Pikachu mentally facepalmed.

"I think everyone in the region has, so you're honestly not that special," Ash said, getting slightly irritated at the fact that this random guy in a lab coat way too big that it looked like a trench coat, not telling him who he was.

The man laughed a bit before looking over at the Garchomp on the top of the tower, who smirked before flying down to him.

"There you go, Garchomp," the man said, patting the Pokemon on the head before returning it to its Pokeball.

"So, it's yours?" Ash asked him, knowing the answer but not entirely certain.

"Yeah," The man said, pausing for a second before continuing. "Some trio of idiots put that collar on her, so I came after her. I only just got here."

Ash nodded, wondering what to say before the perfect thing came to his head.

"Why are you wearing a lab coat?" Ash asked him, looking at the lab coat curiously.

"I'm the Pokemon professor of this region," the man said, much to Ash's surprise. "I'm Professor Sycamore."

Ash stayed silent for a second, trying to process the information quickly while thinking of a question he could ask before he heard Sycamore speak again.

"I'm sorry, I have to dash! I've got to prepare for the summer camp I'm hosting here in Lumiose in three days!" Sycamore said, catching Ash's attention.

Sycamore nodded at Ash before turning around and walking off in the direction of a giant, white laboratory which he proceeded to enter.

Two words span around Ash's head: Summer camp.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked Ash, noticing the concentrated look on his face.

"It's fine, Pikachu," Ash told him, turning around and starting to walk in the direction of the hotel.


Serena fell backwards on the couch, relieved that Ash didn't die, and relieved that nothing too bad happened with the Garchomp.

"Well, that's a relief," Grace said, also slouching back into the sofa, turning the television off as she did so.

Staying silent, Serena started to think about something: How she would go and meet up with Ash.

Serena stood up, walking over to her bedroom and grabbing her phone, bag, money, etcetera.

"I'm going to go to Lumiose and find Ash," Serena told her mother as she walked through the living room towards the front door.

"Are you sure?" Grace asked her daughter, twisting her body around to look at Serena, who nodded. "Alright, be careful though! I don't want you to get caught up in something like what we just watched!"

"I will be careful, I promise!" Serena told her mother quickly, annoyed at the fact that she constantly asked her questions or told her to be careful when there would most likely be no danger.

Grace got out of her seat and walked over to Serena, pulling her into a quick embrace before letting go of her daughter, letting Serena leave the house with a smile.

As Serena walked out of her house, she grabbed her bike and started to cycle through the respective towns and routes all the way to Lumiose City.


Ash fell backwards onto the hotel bed, taking a long second to sigh before pulling out his phone as he felt a vibration.

Opening up his text messages with Serena, he saw that she had told him that she was on her way to Lumiose, and would be at his hotel in around twenty minutes.

"She'll be here soon, Pikachu," Ash told Pikachu who exclaimed his name in joy, hopping up the bed towards Ash, looking at his phone.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, pointing at one of Serena's previous messages from the day prior.

Ash scrolled up to it so it was in the centre of the screen, letting Pikachu read it, who laughed at how awkward she acted after Ash complimented her.

Smiling lightly, Ash shut off his phone, placing it on the bedside table before leaning back, placing his hands behind his head and starting to think about one specific thing from earlier in the day: The summer camp.

Thinking about the possibility of this summer camp having more-or-less the same activities as the camp he and Serena went to when they were younger, Ash started to relive the memories of that day.


-Flashback-


Ash chased the Poliwag through the forest, eager to catch it and hold it in his arms. However, the Poliwag jumped through a bush easily that Ash, while being young and small, couldn't jump through in more-or-less the same amount of time.

A scream echoed through the area, alerting Ash and the surrounding Pokemon of possible danger.

Brushing it off, Ash clambered through the bush, emerging on the other side with no sight of the Poliwag.

"Poliwag?" Ash called out, trying to see if it would respond, but Ash wasn't surprised when his call was met with silence.

Ash looked down at the floor in defeat, and with a sigh, walked forwards slightly before hearing a light gasp.

Ash looked up from the floor, seeing a girl sat on the floor, leaning against a tree with tears in her eyes, clutching her knee.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked the girl, who shook her head, looking down at her leg.

"I hurt my leg," the girl said, rubbing her knee lightly before wincing from the pain.

"I can help you," Ash said, kneeling down next to the girl, pulling out a handkerchief and wrapping it around the area she hurt, tying a knot tightly to make sure it didn't slip off.

Ash stood up, waving his hands in a magician-like way. "Pain, pain, go away!" Ash exclaimed.

The girl waited for a second before sighing. "It still hurts," she said, almost giving up.

"Never give up 'till it's over, 'kay?" Ash asked her, extending out his arm towards her, to which she grabbed it and Ash pulled her up, slightly over-doing it with the force and pulling her into a light embrace,

The girl pushed herself away from him, blushing slightly, but not letting go of his hand.

"You did it!" Ash exclaimed, happy that she managed to stand up.

The girl nodded for a second, smiling before looking around.

"Come on, I'll take you back to the camp," Ash said, leading her away from the forest.


-End of flashback-


Ash was pulled out of his trance by frantic knocking on his hotel door.

Throwing himself off the bed, Ash rushed over to the door, frightened that it was an emergency due to the style of knocking. However, to Ash's simultaneous bewilderment and relief, he saw Serena stood in front of him with a cheeky smile on her face.

"Serena!" Ash exclaimed, shocked, yet happy to see her.

"Long time, no see, Ash!" Serena replied, throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him into a strong embrace.

Awkwardly, Ash stood there with a slight blush evident on his face, wondering what he should say. He hated awkward silences.

"Well, come in," Ash said quietly, pulling away from Serena, who looked like she wanted that moment to continue for longer. Ash shrugged the thought off, she was just a friend, anyway. It's not like she has...

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, running across the floor and diving into Serena, who staggered lightly, catching him.

"Arceus! That hurt," Serena said, putting Pikachu on the floor with a smile.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu said, apologising while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you all right?" Ash asked her, walking over to Serena as she sat on the bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just slightly winded," Serena muttered, grabbing Ash's hand and pulling him onto the bed next to her.

Ash sat down, placing a hand on Serena's stomach and rubbing it slightly. "Is this helping?"

Serena nodded lightly, smiling. "You know, if we never met, I don't know what would have happened to me!"

Ash sighed. "You'd probably be happier," Ash muttered, looking around the room to avoid eye-contact. "I always seem to ruin things."

Serena shook her head. "I'm happier being able to talk to you," she said, placing her hand on top his, squeezing it lightly.

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Serena."

"Should we go out and do something?" Serena asked Ash, who nodded.

"I've heard something about a summer camp being held here, in Lumiose," Ash said, catching Serena off guard as they left the room. "I was wondering if you wanted to go, for old time sake."

Serena thought about it for a moment before nodding. "All right, let's do that!"


So, there's the chapter. I hope you liked it, as we're getting quite close to the main plot. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!