Considering it had already been a full week since arriving in Kalos, Ash was understandably concerned. He knew it wouldn't matter all that much, but he was still concerned that he hadn't delivered the papers. He had been so wrapped up in everything else, actually getting to Kalos, seeing Serena again, and such in such an eager mood to begin his traveling again...

Ash sighed. He had screwed up, big time.

'Okay, this is no big deal, I can sort this out.' Ash thought to himself, looking over the complicated dats he had helped compile over the two years. Flipping through it, he saw pictures used as material source, that he remembered. 'Okay, i can - I can just use one of those teleporters and send this stuff to Professor Sycamore that way. That should be fine.' Ash had always wondered why Oak hadn't ever sent his research through computerised methods. His explanation was that he had had bad experiences with teleporters before. Something about them ruining his data. As for not making everything on computers, Oak stated he simply preferred the feeling of writing everything in a more traditional manner, which was fair enough, Ash supposed. To each their own. But it had sending things very awkward. Like right now, for example. Then again, Ash didn't have much of a choice. Long range teleporters, he would be able to see where Oak was coming from. He had had issues with cross regional ones before. But an interregional one should be virtually flawless.

Gathering all the papers, flattening them, and getting out any of the crinkles, and ensuring they were in the correct order, Ash left his things and made his way downstairs. It was late, but not unreasonably so. It had just gone past 2200, or 10PM. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume the Professor was still working. If Ash had learned anything about professors in his two years working with one, it was that they often got lost in their research. It wasn't uncommon for Ash to go to Oaks lab and find out he hadn't actually gone to sleep.

Ash quickly made his way down the stairs, jumping two or three steps at a time, making his way down as quickly as possible. He walked quickly, not quite running, but not quick walking either. More like a very quick pacing. While he knew it didn't matter too much if the papers were delivered today or tomorrow, he thought it would be the sooner the better. He passed some other trainers, headed the opposite way, whispering to themselves about something or other. Ash ignored them and carried on.

Turning into the room where he had held Serena not too long ago, he eyed around for the teleporting machines. His search was short lived, as he found them very quickly.

It was whom were using them that made Ash freeze in his tracks.

Beta and Sierra, the only two in the room. Ash figured that the trainers he had passed were leaving the room out of intimidation. It would be hard to blame them. The winners of the tournament had been absolute savages.

"Have you completed your objective?" The voice that was apparently on the phone they were using rung out. It was a very... Presenting voice, was the best way Ash could describe it. It told people in the room, this was the person talking. Pay attention to him.

"Affirmative." Beta replied, still stiffly uptight. "Objectives have been completed. Tournament victory achieved. Training exercise a success. Additional plans have been formulated."

"Marvellous."

Ash's eyes raised. A training exercise? Scanning the room, he saw Sierra and Betas bags. There were a few bits and pieces already out of their bags. And the trophy they had received for winning. On its side, unattended, nor any real care as to where it had landed. They had just tossed it aside, like a T-shirt they had won at a carnival fairground game that neither of them had any interest in. Like it was a travelling inconvenience.

"Beta, has Sierra been living up to expectations?" The voice asked. "Please, be as honest as possible. It is data that is valued by many, so I ask you to present the truth and nothing but."

Ash saw Sierra shoot Beta a worried glance. Whoever this person was, it was clear that Sierra was intimidated by them. They had power over her. While softly snd politely spoken, Ash felt that this wasn't much of a request. It was a demand of honesty.

"Attitude displeasurable. Arrogance unchecked. Authority respect, minimal. However, additional elements should be considered. Faith, expected levels. Battling, above average. Resilience, high. Priorities, followed. Orders, obeyed."

"What Is your opinion?"

"Satisfactory, sir." Beta acted like he was addressing some sort of drill sergeant, minus the uniform and saluting. He left his assessment of Sierra at that. Not a ringing endorsement, but not a negative one either.

"I suppose that will be acceptable." The voice said. "Very well. Keep up your excellent research. Remember, you're doing a good thing, for both humanity and for Pokemon. Wear that with pride."

With that, the call ended. Sierra seemed to let out a sigh of relief at that. She immediately sat on the nearest couch once it was done, and threw her head back, so she stared at the ceiling. "You... Really know how to keep someone on their toes, Beta."

"My endorsement was honest, and little else." Beta informed her, being as clear cit as he could. He showed absolutely no emotion in doing so. This wasn't anything new, but he seemed more forceful this time. Like he was getting tired of having to explain himself.

"Synthcorp needs to really work on their sales pitch..." Sierra sighed. Bringing her head back into its default place, is when she spotted Ash.

His first instinct was to hide, but that would only look more suspicious. Instead, he made it look like he had been walking in here anyway. Before Sierra could lock eyes with him, he walked into the room, like he had come straight from the corridor. "Oh." Was all he said. Even faking, he had nothing he wanted to say to these two after what they tried to do to his Pikachu. To everyones Pokemon.

"The cute Kantoian makes an entrance." Sierra comments, standing upright now, looking at Ash, scanning him. She noted the pile of papers he had in his hand, how close they seemed to be held against him. She knew they were as important to him as to whomever wrote them, immediately. Lots of work had gone in, probably work he had helped with over a long period of time.

"I was just... Trying to use on of the phones here. I didn't think anyone else would be here." While Ash was normally friendly, he made it as clear that he felt animosity to these people as he possibly could.

"How much did you hear?" Beta asked. Clear, cut, and demanding. Beta had called out his lie within a few seconds of conversation. Without any indicator. Apparently he was just amazing at reading people.

"Something about Synthcorp." Ash admitted. "Thats it."

"Know what Synthcorp is?" Sierra asked Ash. She had walked past the sofas and was now to his immediate left. She was a few meters away, but she was way too close for Ash's comfort.

"Never heard of them." Ash chuckled to himself. "What, you guys secret agents or something?"

"An accurate summary." Beta said, devoid of humour. Ash laughed to himself awkwardly for a few seconds, before the slap of reality hit him. Beta was serious. The two exchanged a stare for about seven seconds before Sierra ended the suspense.

"Synthcorp is a group based organisation that studies the effects of synthetic Pokemon." Sierra explained to Ash, her arms folded, and taking a serious expression, not at all like her expression on the battlefield. "We all go out and test out synthetic Pokemon to the absolute limit. We find the limits, and improve those limitations, to allow for even better usage. We keep doing this until there is absolutely no way for the Pokemon to go any further."

"Why?" Was all Ash asked. If they were telling the truth... They were far more innocent than Ash had originally suspected. But Ash had his doubts. Something about both of them seemed off. He found it especially hard to come to terms that Beta was doing this for a noble reason, never mind Sierra. And nothing, nothing could ever justify their barbaric battling style. No science was worth that.

"For research. For the future." Beta replied simply. "Improvement of Pokemon. Synthetic recreation. Restoration. Advancement. Evolution."

"Basically, we use Pokemon, all of which volunteer, by the way, we don't capture our own Pokemon, they come to us, and push them to the absolute brink. This tests their limits." Sierra explained. "That data can then be used to help our own technology advance. For example:" Sierra said, pointing at the nearest healing machine. "Synthcorp provided the technical data needed for that. We test the data on Pokemon, and it gets translated into raw mathematical data for industrial usage." It was clear to Sierra Ash barely understood what she had just explained, so she simplified it for him. "Pokemon help us better ourselves. Lets leave it at that."

"So how on Earth does entering a tournament help you gather data?" Ash questioned, with an eyebrow raised. He wasn't even attempting to hide is barely concealed scepticism. He had a clear distrust of both of these people, and he doubted that pushing Pokemon would gather them data. Despite that, he wanted to avoid a confrontation.

"We were testing a hypothesis." Beta stated. "We have confirmed the hypothesis. That is all that we are permitted to say." Beta spoke with such clear purpose, Ash didn't even consider trying to pry. He knew it would be absolutely pointless. Like trying to knock down a brick wall with a matchstick.

Ash nodded, and stepped to the side. He knew they were hiding something, but he didn't think he would find out by pressing it out of them. He moved to let them pass. Both trainers grabbed their equipment and left the room, Sierra stopped by Ash.

"You know, you could join us." She told Ash. "I could get used to seeing you all day." Since she was eye level with Ash, she was able to look him straight in the eye. Her arms folded as she looked at Ash. Her voice was inviting, and for once, she didn't seem like a sociopath.

"Sierra. Your attempts at flirting are both inefficient and ineffective." Beta said, without turning around. He didn't show any signs of surprise at all. Instead, he just kept walking down the corridor, knowing she'd catch up. His patience had worn out dealing with his fellow Kantoean, and he wasn't going to show the same patience to Sierra. "Rendezvous when available."

On the other hand, Sierra couldn't have cared less about Beta at that moment. Her attention was focused on Ash. Completely out of character for the people that knew her, Sierra was acting somewhat polite and patient. Actually attentive, and seemingly socially acceptable, as opposed to her taunting, teasing and bullying perviously. That aside, however, this was one of the easiest choices Ash ever made.

"No chance." Ash said, pretty much the second he was sure neither of them were talking. He couldn't deny the invitation fast enough. "I've got someone very special to me to stay close to."

"Call us if you change your mind." Sierra added, and then followed Beta, with what, she was gone. And Ash was left alone.

He let out a sigh. He was still exhausted after everything that had happened today, but he found himself even more tired now. He hadn't expected to run into those two again. Given their personalities, he had assumed they would have minute there was no one for them to battle. Their talk had confused him too... Just what were they a part of?...

Ash shook his head. Deciding that he had to deal with a more pressing matter for the moment, he walked over to the teleporter, and dialled in the Kalosian professors number. He was awaited by a connecting screen, and a buffer icon, that span in its own circles. The call took a few moments to connect, leaving Ash concerned for a second that the professor actually wasn't awake at all. That worry, however, was put to rest in just a few seconds.

"Hello?" The Professor's voice came through crackled, full of static and white noise as the call connected. After a few seconds, the feedback was cut, and the clear audio and visuals were apparent on screen. Professor Sycamore hadn't changed even slightly.

"Hello? Professor Sycamore?" Ash asked, peering into the visual display for a moment. Once it cleared up, he stood back.

"Ash? Is that you?" Sycamore looked confused for a few moments, before his face lightened up. "It is! Well this is certainly a surprise!"

"Been a while since we spoke, Professor Sycamore. A few months at least."

"It has indeed. I was under the impression you were working with Professor Oak now?" Sycamore smiled. During Ash's stay with Oak, he had spoken with Sycamore frequently, throughout various calls and conferences. It was to a point now where Sycamore respected Ash as a professor in his own right.

"That was a temporary thing. He wanted help with researching, and running the place for a while."

"What about that assistant of his?"

"Tracey?" Ash asked. "I think he went to stay at Cerulean City for a while."

"I see." Sycamore smiled. "Well, what can I do for you?"

Holding up the pile of papers in his hand, Ash revealed the notes. "Professor Oak wanted me to hand you these to look over. They're his notes on Mega evolution, and the evolution my Greninja undergoes occasionally. He wanted me to send them to you." Ash didn't mention that they were over a week late. That was the last thing he thought he should mention.

"Oh, I see." Sycamore said with interest. He was flipping some switches on his side of the teleporter, reading it for the transfer. "Okay, lets get this transfer started then."

Ash nodded and placed the paper on the teleporter. Flipping a few switches, and punching in an address, Ash readied his own. Sending the notes away felt weird to him. There went two years of hard work. In an instant. Like it was never there.

"Ready to transfer." Sycamore declared from his end, with an eager grin on his face.

"Sending." Ash said, hesitating for just a moment, before hitting the send key. The notes were enveloped in a bright, white light, before disappearing completely out of existence.

"Okay, this might take a short while." Sycamore said aloud, watching the transfer progress on his side. He turned his attention to Ash, his voice friendly. "So, how've you been?"

"Great! I've decided that I'm gonna stay in Kalos for a little while, go do a bit more exploring around here, that sort of thing. Next stop is the Igneous region." Ash told the professor happily. Now that the tournament was over, Ash could go back to his journeys, exploring the region with Serena.

"Sounds exciting. My lab is always open to you if you come our way." Sycamore invited kindly.

"Thanks. Ill be sure to come visit if I'm in Lumiose City." Ash replied thankfully. He then paused for a second, considering his next choice of words. "Professor, have you heard of a group called Synthcorp?"

The Professors bright expression suddenly became dark and serious. This didn't look like Sycamore anymore. This looked like someone fuelled with hate. "Ash. Exactly where did you hear that name?"

Ash was taken aback by the sheer tone Sycamore was using. Never had he seen him look like this, so angry, so livid. "I ran into two people who claimed to work for them. Ive kind of been out of the loop for a few years. Thats why I asked you."

"Ash, listen to me very carefully." Sycamore warned. "Stay away from them. They're a group dedicated to synthetic progression of humanity and Pokemon. The methods I've seen them use are..."

"Barbaric." Ash finished the sentence. He knew what the sentence would end as. He had seen their methods they used, their cruelty, their brutality. "I've seen them in action."

"They do just enough to get away with it legally. But its... Sickening." Sycamore said, visibly disgusted. "They cropped up around the time you left Kalos. From what Ive seen, they have a small number of members, but they all are very skilled and experienced trainers. Some of them have... Questionable psyches. All of them are dangerous. Stay away from them."

"No need to tell me twice, Professor. Thanks for the intel." Ash nodded. "Sorry. It looks like you have a history with them."

"Not particularly... But I hear things."

Ash nodded again. At that moment, a blinking red light caught his eye. It was the progress bar, signalling that the transfer was done. At the same time, a faint white light appeared in Sycamores screen. The documents had arrived. Sycamores darker expression lightened when he sae this, and he took ahold of the documents. "Transfers finished!"

"Is it all there?" Ash asked, worried for a second that some would be lost in transfer.

"Looks to be."

"All four hundred - and - eighty - two?"

"Four hundred and -..." The Kalosian professor flipped through the handwritten notes, noting the page number with each. "Indeed Ash. All pages and notes are accounted for."

Ash sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"Ill make sure to start looking through these in the morning." The Kalosian said, skimming the pages.

"Did I stop you from sleeping?" The Kantoean asked, his voice full of apology.

"No, no. You called at the perfect time, in fact. I was about the turn pff and go to sleep, so you caught me at the perfect time." Sycamore replied with a hearty laugh and a smile.

Ash smiled back meekly. The thoughts of Sierra and Beta were behind him now. But he knew for the future, be weary of them.


Ash threw himself onto his bed with a loud sigh. He was exhausted beyond belief. The entire day had been one long mental hike through treacle. It had been one long battle after another, both mentally and physically. The battle had been fierce, brutal, and neither side showed a shred of mercy. They had defended each other, and followed each other into battle, and had fought until the very end. Ash wasn't upset though. He had done his best in the battle, and had absolutely no regrets about it. Well, one.

He regretted making Serena cry.

Doing what he had, It had been a heat of the moment thing. His Pokemon, his friend, was in danger, and Ash had to do something. But sitting there and watching it happen hadn't been an option. One Ash could, and never would, consider. But he wished there had been a better way to help than the way he had had to. A way that wouldn't have hurt Serena like it had done. He didn't regret doing it. But he wished there had been a better way. Had there been an alternate way, he would have most certainly taken it.

Serena had taken the battle hard. While she was okay with the fact they had lost, she seemed completely torn about what had nearly happened to Ash. She had fallen asleep immediately afterwards, showing how tired she had really been. The Kantoean could only hope that her rest would revitalise her.

At this moment, Ash sat up with a reluctant sigh. He couldn't sleep, no matter how much he yearned for it. Instead, he reached into his bag, and pulled out a map of the region. The Northern section of the region he had traveled in, diverse and rich in people and culture, was all mapped out for him to examine. Each town name was there on the A1-Sized paper map, detailing each town, village and river in the region. He scanned over it, hoping that he would eventually fall asleep.

He glanced over the names of towns, reading them all in his head. Dandemille Town, Aquacord town, Santalune town.

Vaniville Town.

Ash raised an eyebrow, wondering where he remembered that town name from beforehand. He then sighed, and put the map down on the floor, tossed carelessly, without care nor concern for where it ended up. He remembered now. It was Serena's hometown.

No matter what he did, Ash wasn't able to focus on anyone or anything else right now, even if he didn't want to. The feelings he had for the blonde Kalosian girl had no faded in the last few days. They hadn't faded in roughly two years, so Ash wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting. In spite of everything that had happened, the emotions, the thrill, the rush, the adrenaline, everything, the feelings he had for her were very present, and very real. The advice Miette had given him from before the tournament began flowed back into his head.

Ash laid back down again, on his hack, with his arms lazily thrown to either side of him without concern, and his head hit the pillow, with a loud slapping sound once he hit the thing. His head sunk into the feathers inside the pillow, while he contemplated things.

There wasn't really a whole lot of doubt that he was in love with Serena anymore. There wasn't much point in denying it either. He couldn't convince himself otherwise, so trying to convince others was utterly pointless. But now it seemed she was everywhere in his mind. His brain conjured up scenarios and memories in which Serena's presence made no sense, or never happened.

His mind drifted over to the Igneous region. Tough trainers, living on tough terrain, with tons of tough battling. Really, it was the best place for a trainer whom wanted a serious shock to their system, and wanted some hard battles that would force them to adapt and battle like they hadn't battled before. To fight the strongest Pokemon, and encounter some of the strongest trainers.

So why? Why was Ash hesitant to go there?

Serena. Again.

It just wouldn't be the same thing without her traveling with him...

He had grown used to Serena traveling with him. More so than anyone else he had ever traveled alongside. He enjoyed her presence next to his, her support, her just being by him. He just enjoyed her being near him. He couldn't find himself imagining her not being there.

Her smile, her laugh, her voice, her faith and support in him...

Just the thought of her made him feel warm, and made him feel sleepy. Not fighting it anymore, he allowed his thoughts to be filled with her.

He sighed happily once more, before falling asleep. 'Night, Serena...'