If you're reading this at 2:05 p.m. ET on Friday, April 11, 2025 then that means I'm about to leave the office. What a week. Anyway, what's up?
Question of the Week: If you could choose to be a Pokémon, who would it be?
Always happy to hear thoughts and feedbacks, have a great weekend and see you in the next one!
Chapter 20: Barricades
With the Earth Plate secured, but the Fist Plate lost to Professor Kukui, Ash, May, and Red were summoned by Cilan to Unova after the Pokémon Connoisseur called May in Alola. As it turned out, Cilan believed he knew someone who could help them in their endeavor to save the plates and the world. The trio was currently on a helicopter approaching Unova's airspace. While Ash and May wondered who Cilan's contact was, Red focused on the events in Alola. "You look like something is bothering you," May said to Red.
Red didn't deny it, "There's something I can't shake off."
"What's that?" Ash asked, also curious to hear him out.
"Up until Seafolk Village, our enemy was intent on destroying the plates we discovered. However, when we handed the Fist Plate to Kukui, he didn't destroy it," Red pondered what it meant.
"He stored it in a case that blocked the plate's reading," May recalled.
Ash was puzzled, "That is odd. Do you think they planned to destroy it later?"
The trainer from the future didn't believe so, "I don't see any reason as to why they wouldn't destroy it then and there, unless they found some other utility for the plates. We're missing the bigger picture. Something's up, and I don't like it."
May's face was that of concern. "We won't learn anything until we continue tracking down the other plates." She hoped Cilan's help would make a difference after their defeat in Alola.
"Before we set out, Professor Cerise noted there were a few plate readings missing on the map. Maybe they found those and cased them too," Ash deduced.
"That's also another concern of mine. We don't know enough to draw a conclusion, but we'll have to continue with what we have. For now, let's see what Cilan was talking about," Red tried to get his mind off the plates.
The couple agreed. May peeked out the chopper window and saw they were flying over Unova waters. "Hey, look! There's Blueberry Academy," May saw the famed school.
Ash was awestruck, "It's like an island. I wonder how long it took them to build it." He'd seen many schools before, but none like Unova's most prestigious academy.
Red also saw the academy through the window, "The school is accessed through an undersea tunnel. If I recall correctly, the academy is run by Director Cyrano. I don't know if I should mention this, but Blueberry Academy also has its own Elite Four and Champion system."
"What?!" Ash's eyes dazzled.
"No!" May scolded him before he could say anything else.
Ash whined, "Aaaaaaw, but May."
May held her waist and poked her face at him, "No buts, we're here to see Cilan and meet his acquaintance. We don't have time to watch you battle."
"You're right," Ash relented like a child.
"I'm positive that whatever Cilan was thinking of would serve us better than battling with Blueberry Academy's League. I'll admit that I'm curious to see what he has to share," Red noted. The trainer also wondered if there would be time to check in with Professor Briar, who he still hadn't made direct contact with nor had he informed Ash and May of out of the possibility that it'd prove to be a dead end.
"Cilan looked relieved when his memories of you were restored. It must've reminded him of our last adventure together," May surmised.
Red nodded, "Yeah. That feels like a lifetime ago. It will be good to see him." The trainer was fond of the eccentric Pokémon connoisseur, and given his sharp mind, he had faith that whatever Cilan presented would serve of use.
Their helicopter descended when it reached Blueberry Academy's helipad. "Look, there he is!" May saw Cilan waiting for the helicopter to complete its landing. After the chopper settled, the doors opened for them to disembark.
"Welcome to Blueberry Academy!" Cilan raised his arms. The cordial gym leader reached for May's hand to help her get off the helicopter.
May appreciated him, "You're a gentleman and a scholar."
"It's good to see you, Cilan," Ash greeted him.
Cilan bowed, "It's a sweet treat to have you here. Thank you for taking the time to come out."
"We heard you knew of someone that could help us," Red revealed himself.
"Red, it's been a long time. I can't tell you how happy I'm that you're with us again," the connoisseur extended his hand to him.
A pleased Red shook it, "Unfortunately, under the wrong circumstances again."
"Whatever threatens reality this time is not your fault. I hope none of you blame yourselves for all the misfortune that's happened," Cilan lamented to learn of Professor Kukui's fate prior to their arrival. He also confessed, "Ever since the incident at Professor Oak's, I haven't stopped thinking about what happened to Iris. Who she's become haunts me. She's not the Iris we traveled with. She's not the Iris we befriended. I know I can't do much, but I want to help, and that's what brought me to Blueberry Academy. I hope what you find here will bring us one step closer to freeing Iris of what has a grip on her," Cilan clenched his fist.
Ash, May, and Red lowered their heads. They found some solace in Cilan's comfort, but they wouldn't be relieved until the fiasco was resolved. "Thank you," May's voice was soft.
"So, what do you have for us, Cilan?" Ash lifted the brim of his hat.
"You mentioned you knew of someone from the Blueberry faculty that recently had a breakthrough," Red recalled.
Cilan nodded, "That's right. If you'll follow me." The connoisseur led them down Blueberry's pathway from the helipad to the academy entrance. "As a gym leader, we have the honor of networking with the faculty of Blueberry Academy and staying updated on their exploits for the improvement of the Unova Pokémon League. The researcher who can help us has a brilliant mind, and her latest development is similar to a practice you had Ash and May try when Unova was in danger the first time."
Red raised an eyebrow, "Are you referring to the aura training?"
"Something like that. Her work doesn't revolve around aura, but there is something along those lines," Cilan acknowledged.
"Oh man, I have to see this!" Ash became excited.
"Maybe that will help us make up for the years we've been slacking," A bashful May rubbed her head.
Red was astounded by the development. He reflected on technology's advancement in Ash and May's timeline thanks to the years of peace. Tech that can rival aura. Who would've thought? Red was just as eager to see what Cilan's acquaintance had in store for them.
Cilan had them access the undersea tunnel, "This way, please." Ash, May, and Red were impressed by the design and felt like they were in the future when they were transported through the academy.
"Is the floor moving?" May looked at her feet.
"Nope, the gravitational pull on your feet is what moves you forward," Cilan corrected her. They remained still as they were directed through the academy. "Right this way," Cilan led them into a room unlike any they've ever seen.
Red knew of its existence, but to see it in person was extraordinary, "The Terarium."
"It's huge!" Ash saw mountains, glaciers, a savannah, and beaches in the horizon.
"Blueberry Academy worked for years to establish the Terarium, and they were successful thanks to research efforts in Paldea and Kitakami. It's a state-of-the-art and one-of-a-kind facility where Pokémon from various regions are allowed to roam in four different biomes with carefully regulated climates and ecosystems. Plus, the dome's Terarium core allows the Pokémon here to Terastalize," Cilan pointed at the core hanging over them.
May's jaw fell, "That's amazing." It was hard for her to fathom that such a place existed.
Cilan chuckled, "Even as a connoisseur, I had no words for it myself when I witnessed such exquisite splendor. It thrills me that you found it just as marvelous."
"Your contact is in the Terarium?" Red regained his focus.
"Right over here," Cilan and his company walked across the plaza to a dark-haired woman in a lab coat. "Good afternoon, Ms. Synclaire. These are the friends that I've been telling you about. I believe they can benefit from your experiment, and you can benefit from their abilities," Cilan presented them.
Before May and Ash could introduce themselves, an overjoyed Synclaire reached for their hands and shook them. "Oh my, Cilan! You never said your friends were a Contest Master and the Monarch. It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman beamed. Ash and May sheepishly smiled as Synclaire expressed her honor to have them. The scientist noticed Red and rubbed her chin, "Forgive me, but I'm not familiar with who you are."
"The name is Red. I'm here to learn about your latest work," the stern trainer gave her a firm shake.
Synclaire bowed, "Well I appreciate you for taking the time to visit Blueberry Academy. Cilan says you're in the middle of an adventure and believed my research could help you."
"Cilan was vague on details, but could you tell us what research it is?" May raised an eyebrow.
Ash raised his fists, "We'd love to know!"
"Of course," Synclaire laughed. She lectured them, "I've been working on a device that allows trainers to sense through their Pokémon." Ash, May, and Red's interest was piqued. It already sounded similar to the aura training they experienced. Their faith in Cilan was proven right. The scientist showed them a clunky square-shaped device with an antenna. Synclaire was passionate about her work, "What I'm holding is a prototype of the Synchro Machine. During initial trials, I used this prototype to conduct Synchro training sessions."
Red held his hand out, "May I?" He asked to examine the prototype.
"You may," the pleased Synclaire handed it to him. Red was fascinated by the technology. Despite the awkward appearance, he could see that the technology used to develop it was far more advanced than anything in the future other than the time machine. His attention reverted to Synclaire when she continued, "Recently, I've not only been able to perfect the Synchro Machine by allowing it to work outside of the Terarium, but I've also given it a revamped design." She presented a device smaller than a Rotom Phone SIM Card.
May narrowed her eyes to view it, "That's so small, how does it work?"
"Portability was a con of the prototype. The new Synchro Machine addresses that issue with its new size. Additionally, it's meant to be equipped on any wearable tech for easier access. I noticed you're wearing rings from the Aether Foundation," Synclaire pointed out.
"Good eye," an amused Ash showed her the ring.
Synclaire grabbed his wrist, "Allow me." She took the ring off him and inserted the microchip in one of the ring's compartments.
"I didn't even know Lusamine's rings had a place for that," May took off her ring to examine where Synclaire inserted the chip.
"Here you go," Synclaire returned the ring to Ash. She asked for May's ring and did the same. Once the two trainers had their rings back on, Synclaire spoke, "Unfortunately, I've only developed two upgraded Synchro Machines so far. You'll have to forgive me." She looked at Red.
Red shrugged, "That won't be a problem. I can observe it in action."
An enthusiastic Cilan crossed his arms, "The Synchro Machine will add a new spice to your training, as you'll see soon enough."
Synclaire used her wedding red as an example, "To activate the Synchro Machine on your ring, you need to press and hold it down for three seconds."
"Like this?" Ash pressed his ring down.
"Wait, not yet!" Synclaire waved her hands in a panic.
Suddenly, Ash's Lucario emerged from its Pokéball and sensed that its aura didn't belong to it. Lucario looked at its paws in confusion and growled. "Whoa, Lucario. Calm down!" Ash tried to put him at ease. His Lucario could hear echoes of Ash's voice, causing the jackal-like Pokémon to hold its head.
"Ash, Lucario isn't aware of what's going on. You have to calm it," Synclaire instructed.
"I'm trying," Ash tried to near Lucario, but Lucario tried to knock anyone that came near it. In its confusion, it fired an Aura Sphere at Ash and May.
"Watch out!" Cilan panicked.
Red gritted his teeth, "Lucario, go!" His Lucario interfered when it was summoned. Red's Lucario absorbed the Aura Sphere into its paws and dispersed the energy. Ash's Lucario lunged at it with Bullet Punch, but Red's Lucario grabbed it by the wrist.
Red's Lucario frowned. "Calm down. I know you're better than that." Ash's Lucario snarled at Red's Lucario as the voices continued to echo in his head. "We don't act. We react. Remember?" Red's Lucario communicated. That's when Ash's Lucario snapped out of its frenzy. Ash's Lucario learned to read an environment, then act based on its environment. "You taught me that," Red's Lucario exchanged stares with Ash's Lucario. Ash's Lucario knew that Red's Lucario was his blood and took a step back when the echoes died out. Ash's Lucario found their confrontation ironic.
"Press and hold the ring for three seconds to disconnect," Synclaire commanded.
Ash did so and ran to Lucario's side. "Lucario, are you alright?" Lucario nodded, apologizing for its acts. "I know you didn't understand what was happening. I shouldn't have been so careless," Ash rubbed his back.
May sighed when she hunched over. "It's a relief no one got hurt," the brunette gave Ash's Lucario a warm grin.
Red was curious. "Why didn't you have Ash power down the Synchro Machine from the start?"
Synclaire raised her finger. "In order for the Synchro Machine to work properly, the Pokémon and its trainer need to be in sync. Since Lucario couldn't understand why its senses were altered, it went into a frenzy and lost its synchrony with Ash. The Synchro Machine does not work in an instant like that, as you just learned."
"Fascinating flavors," Cilan was intrigued by the machine's functions.
"Sorry," Ash apologized to everyone else in the group.
Synclaire brushed it off, "That's quite alright." She cleared her throat, "As I was saying, once you press and hold the ring, the Pokémon that leads your party will be summoned and both of you shall become one on the field. You will see, hear, feel, smell, and taste through your Pokémon's senses. To avoid the situation we just saw, I recommend you bring your leading Pokémon out before you attempt it the first time so that it is aware of what will happen. Afterward, it should recognize when the Synchro Machine is activated. You might discover some additional senses through your Pokémon that humans lack. The possibilities are unknown, but they are endless." Aura was the first thing that came to the heroes' minds at the mention of other senses.
Cilan raised his hand, "I'm guessing the next area of focus in your research is to identify senses exclusive to Pokémon and learn about them?"
"Correct," Synclaire smiled.
"And that's where we come in," May guessed.
"Precisely," Synclaire's excitement resurfaced.
Red scratched his cheek, "Out of curiosity, what prompted you to develop this project?"
Synclaire laughed. She turned to Ash, "Well, it was none other than from watching the Monarch himself."
"Huh? Me?" Ash pointed at himself.
"She said 'Monarch,' sweetie," May teased him.
"She could've been talking about Leon," Ash side-eyed her.
An embarrassed Cilan laughed at their exchange, "It's like our travels in Unova all over again."
"Enough, already," Red stood between them.
"Sorry," Ash and May blushed.
Synclaire was amused by their innocence and propensity for humor. "Where did I leave off? Oh yes! When I saw Ash battle with Greninja against Alain in the Kalos League, I was fascinated by their synchrony. Developing that type of bond through natural methods is difficult and rare, but it inspired me to create technology that could mirror it. I've been hard at work all these years."
Red and the others were gripped by her recounting. "Impressive," Red admitted. He was confident that the Synchro Machine would allow Ash to act in better synchrony with all his Pokémon, especially Lucario.
"So, what do you say to some Synchro training?!" the enthusiastic Synclaire tossed her arms.
A humbled Ash crossed his arms. "We do need the practice."
"Perfect!" Synclaire clenched her fist. "The Terarium is the ideal testing ground for our trials. All we need now is a pair of volunteers who will train with you."
"I'll do it," Red stepped forward. Red's Lucario gave Ash's Lucario a sly smile as they readied to face off.
Cilan pumped his fist. "Count me in as well."
"Awesome, this will be fun," a confident Ash rotated his shoulders.
"Training against Red and Cilan? There's something we haven't done before. I'm all fired up," May smirked when she brought Blaziken. Her Blaziken smirked at the pair of Lucario in anticipation of what would follow once May explained the Synchro Machine to him.
Synclaire nodded, "Let's begin then." She took them out to the Savannah. Ash and May got into their positions with their Pokémon while Red and Cilan watched from the other end.
"Pansage, come on out!" Cilan brought out the Grass-type monkey.
"Pan!" Pansage was thrilled to be up against Ash and May, and even more thrilled to be battling alongside Red's Lucario.
Synclaire set her watch to observe the trial and raised her arm, "Activate!" Ash and May pressed and held down their rings for three seconds. Blaziken and Lucario felt an abrupt change in their senses when May and Ash synchronized with them.
"I feel taller," May said when she saw through Blaziken.
"And I feel faster," Ash punched as Lucario.
Synclaire became stern, "Focus. It may be an experiment, but it is also still a Pokémon battle." Ash and May refocused when they locked on Pansage and Red's Lucario.
"Let's see what this is all about. Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Red pointed at Blaziken.
"Pansage, use Bullet Seed!" Cilan targeted Ash's Lucario.
Ash-Lucario bashed through the Bullet Seed with Bullet Punch, but Cilan's Pansage followed with Vine Whip and smacked the Aura Pokémon back. "That hurt," Ash rubbed his cheek.
"You'll feel everything Lucario feels, so be careful," Synclaire reminded him. "Don't just rely on your eyes. Listen. Feel. Use all of Lucario's senses. You too, May!"
May acknowledged as she slid under Lucario's Aura Sphere. She gasped when Red's Lucario disappeared using Extreme Speed. "No, you won't catch us off guard," May warned. She used Blaziken's other senses to read the battlefield. May-Blaziken felt a wind blow behind her. "I've got you," the coordinator muttered and spun around to deliver a Blaze Kick. Red's Lucario caught the kick, but Red, Cilan, and Synclaire were left impressed by May-Blaziken's successful counter against Extreme Speed.
Cilan's Pansage used Dig to sneak up on Ash-Lucario, but the Pokémon felt slight rumbling under the ground. It could also smell faint hints of Pansage's coat. When Pansage burst out, Ash-Lucario backflipped. The green monkey persisted by going underground and sprouting again, but Ash-Lucario detected its moves every time and dodged its Dig attack. "Fast learners," Synclaire chuckled.
"Now, we've got you!" Ash smirked. Ash-Lucario used Aura Sphere when Pansage burst out and sent the monkey back, defeating it in one blow.
Red's Lucario fired a volley of Aura Sphere, but May-Blaziken blocked the attacks with a flurry of Blaze Kicks. When they attempted to push back with a combination of Extreme Speed and Aura Sphere, May-Blaziken ducked and countered with Sky Uppercut. Red's Lucario landed near his trainer and winced as he got up. "Had enough?" May felt bold.
"I have," Synclaire raised her arm. "Deactivate!"
"So soon?!" Ash and May felt like they were only getting warmed up. An annoyed Lucario and Blaziken groaned.
Synclaire hated to disappoint them. "A class will be arriving soon, so we must clear out of here. Nonetheless, I've collected plenty of data from today. Don't forget you're also welcome to try Synchro training at any time and anywhere. Every time you do, I also gather more data." The heroes complimented their Pokémon for their efforts and rewarded them with rest, but they were also looking forward to trying the new method of training in the future.
"We appreciate all you've shown us today, Ms. Synclaire. Best wishes," Cilan bowed.
"You've shown us how much is possible. The Synchro Machines will help more than you know," Red also bowed.
Ash and May beamed and thanked the scientist for sharing her breakthrough with them. "I'm grateful to be of service. I wish you nothing but good fortune on your journey." The gang appreciated it, knowing that they'd need it.
Afterward, Cilan escorted them back to Blueberry Academy's entrance. "Where do the readings take you next?" Cilan questioned.
"Since we're in Unova, there's a reading coming from the northeast part of the region," May looked at her Rotom Phone.
Red looked at her screen, "That's at the Giant Chasm."
"I wonder what we'll find there," Ash tilted his head.
Cilan rubbed his chin, "I'll come with you."
"You know we are more than happy to have you," May reminded her friend.
Cilan flashed a confident smile, "Thank you, May. I refuse to be in the sidelines while Iris is out there in need of our help."
"I agree," Ash gave him a thumbs-up.
"Don't count us out either," a familiar man approached them.
"We want to help save the world again, too," a woman giggled.
"Hilbert!" Ash exclaimed.
"Hilda!" May squealed.
Red raised his eyebrows, "How did you know we were here on such short notice?"
"Still trying to act on the low, aren't ya, Red?" Hilda landed a soft punch on his shoulder.
Hilbert chuckled, "Word spreads quickly when the Contest Master and Monarch are in the academy. Besides, Cilan told us you were coming though we were afraid we'd miss you. We couldn't be there for you back in Kanto. We'll be there for you now."
"The more the merrier," Cilan was glad their old friends had joined them. They boarded the Blueberry chopper courtesy of Ms. Synclaire and made their way to the Giant Chasm. No one knew what to expect, but it brought Ash and May comfort to have Cilan, Hilda, and Hilbert accompany them through the next phase of their journey.
On the other hand, Red remained fixated on the Fist Plate. "Sapphire, what are you planning?"