The distant echo of the school bell ringing pierced Ash's senses like a gunshot. Why do I always have to be late? Ash groaned as he felt his heart drop. He and a few other late-comers hastily began dashing into the main building and hurried to their lockers. The boy letting out a sigh as he saw a sea of rushing students in the hallway. Maybe if he and Pikachu didn't have that useless debate over which starter will be the best choice in the newly announced Pokemon game, Ash wouldn't be this late. But at least he won the discussion without being electrocuted, right?

Ending his long train of thoughts, Ash became one with the rushing students and navigated his way to his locker. If being late had a positive, he mostly went unnoticed within all the chaos of being late to class. Usually, as Ash walked to class, there would be sneering comments by other students. But when it was busy, and everyone was in a rush, it was like he was invisible. Well, aside from the occasional shoves and dropping of the shoulder as he navigates the crowded halls. But that was just because they were rushing to class, not cause they went to pick on him, the loser of the school, right?

But, with his newfound aura abilities, these ' innocent shoves' became less of a worry for the raven head as Ash glided through the crowd like he was some ninja. His aura flaring whenever someone got close to pushing him. He felt like spiderman with his spidey sense. Aside from being in the air and swinging, the rush of energy he felt when sidestepping a person's shove like he was some professional NFL or Rubgy player felt excellent to Ash.

In record time, he managed to reach his locker and quickly shoved his bag into the locker, retrieved the items needed for the lesson and dashed off the class. The hallways gradually became less and less chaotic with each corner he took. As he turned one corner, he suddenly collided with a sea of honey-coloured hair. The two fell, both letting out a small groan as they hit the floor with their items scattering everywhere.

Guess I haven't perfected spidey sense just yet, Ash thought as he rubbed his head and sat up.

"A-Ash," A voice nervously croaked.

Ash opened his eyes and immediately let out an internal wince. Out of everyone I decided to bump into. Why did it have to be her?

"Serena! I am so sorry I should have been watching where I was going," Ash replied hurriedly after helping the girl up. "You are not hurt, are you?" Ash questioned while envisioning the broad smile on Pikachu's face at this situation.

A faint blush grew on Serena's face as she grabbed Ash's hand and got up off the ground. Her heart was beating at the speed of sound. "I-I-m fine, Ash. I shouldn't have been standing here in the first place."

Ash nervously nodded before the two quickly began picking up their books and pens off the ground. Both of them didn't dare to look at each other as they cleaned up their mess. Just as Ash grabbed his last pen, Serena reached and held it at the same time. The two then locked eyes, and soon after, a bright blush raced across their faces like it was a 100m sprint. The softness and warmth of each other hands contributing to the world record pace.

If Serena's heart was beating at the speed of the sound before, now it was the speed of light as she got lost staring into Ash's brown eyes. Forgetting the outside world around her and only focusing on the raven head in front of her.

At the same time, Ash got lost in Serena's cerulean ones. His body felt like it was about to rip itself apart. His mind screamed at him to look away, but his body and heart stayed frozen, yearning for it.

I shouldn't be doing this, Ash's mind tried to reason.

Ash knew that the girl in front of him had feelings for him, it was clear as crystal, and he wasn't the dense child from years ago. The stuttering, blushing, and just nervous behaviour when he was around were just some of the many signs of her crush. But that is what makes Ash afraid. Could he genuinely return those feelings after being betrayed by her? Admittedly, the raven head had feelings for Serena even if she betrayed him, but that wasn't the problem. The issue was, could he bring himself to trust her again?

It felt like hours had passed between the two students. But in reality, only a couple of seconds passed since they both got lost with their wild thoughts, dreams, and each other's mesmerising eyes. Both of their faces were as red as roses, but the colour did not affect them. Suddenly there faces slowly edged closer. It was like magnets drawing closer to each other.

Serena's mind went blank when she felt her lips grow closer to Ash's, like a computer crashing because of too many applications running at the same time. The only difference being the application was the rollercoaster of emotions she was riding on.

Is this going to happen?

As their lips grew closer and closer to each other like magnets, Ash's mind went to DEFCON 1, absolute panic. He didn't know what to think or how to react. Should he go with the flow and accept it? Start a new chapter in his life? Should he stop and pull away? Or should he persuade his mum to move to a different region? He had no clue what to think!

But luckily for his uncontrolled brain (unlucky from a particular blonde head's point of view), a sudden voice put the brakes on to their little 'starring contest.' "As much as I like a blossoming young couple showing their love for each other... especially two particular students, of mine," The voice boomed before quietly mumbling the last part through a series of coughs. "I'm sorry to say that you two will be late for class."

The two immediately snapped out of their daze and away from each other's eyes. Seeing Brock down the hallway, they both immediately turned away in embarrassment as Serena quickly removed her hand off of Ash.

"S-s-sorry Ash," She barely managed to say while becoming a stuttering mess.

"I-ts f-fine," Ash replied, stuttering less than the blonde as he managed to bottle his emotions a tad better.

Brock smiled at the sight as he internally started fangirling over the two. It was too cute of a picture for him not to react!

But the cruel sound of Brock's phone alarm put a sudden halt to the fangirling. The teacher quickly looked at the time and realised that classes were starting. Luckily for him, he didn't have a morning homeroom to attend. But for the two students...

"You two should get going. Classes are about to begin," Brock announced.

Ash and Serena's eyes widened after they saw the time, and immediately they were on their feet. A faint blush remained on both faces as they nodded to their favourite teacher and quickly dashed off to class waving goodbye as they left.

"Ah. How good is young love," Brock chuckled as he walked away with a bright smile on his face.

The two quickly hurried to class, jogging next to each other. No words were said. The two students were still deeply embarrassed with the events that transpired just before—a faint blush remaining on their faces. Ash took a glance left to look at his companion and saw her blue eyes gazing at his hand, slightly biting the bottom of her lip.

Ash quickly pieced together what this meant, and the blush intensified on his face. Serena then looked up and saw Ash looking directly at her. Realising she was caught in the act, she guiltily looked away to hide her blush.

"S-sorry... I shouldn't have done that..." She apologised as the grip around her books grew tighter, bowing her head slightly. Ash had no clue how to respond. So he decided to stay silent. The silence only increased the guilt Serena had. She knew there her, and Ash's relationship was sort of like a tight rope. A couple of wrong moves could mean an end to it. And that's the last thing she wanted. It was a miracle that the two could even be classed as friends, let alone be talking to each other after how badly she screwed up before.

Suddenly, the school bell rang out through the school's speakers, surprising the two students and giving them a shot of dread into their system.

They were about to be late.

Knowing this, Ash grabbed Serena's hand and started sprinting to class, with her trying to keep up and not fall over.

Of course, Serena's face went Red as her body shut down like a computer. The warm feeling from Ash's hand made her heart flutter like it was a butterfly in a tornado. "A-Ash. What are you doing?" She tried to reason while attempting to keep her balance and heart in check.

Sprinting down the hallway, Ash took a glance over his shoulder and explained, "We are going to be late for class. This way will be quicker, Serena, trust me." His heart was beating out of his chest.

Not knowing what to say, Serena hesitantly nodded and continued their mad dash to class. As the classroom came into view, the duo tried to calm themselves and their beating heart and racing minds.

It was only him getting us to class quickly, that's all, The honey head pondered.

I was just being a good friend and making sure we aren't late, that's all; The raven head tried to reason.

Take it slow, Serena.

Take it easy, Ash

Just take it one step at a time.

***

"And that is Piaget's four Stages of Cognitive Development. Does anybody have any questions?" Cilian proclaimed to his home economic's class.

The green-haired teacher was met with a wave of silence and a few shake of heads. "No? Ok. Now onto your latest assignment," he exclaimed cheerfully. A couple of students in the back sat up straight when that dreaded 'a' word was dropped, while some students at the front took out their pens to take notes. "It will be done in groups of 3 or 4 and will be on what we just learnt and other theories of development."

Just like in Brock's, the class erupted with chatter with friends already looking around to find people they want to work with. Ash sat there in silence, dreading over who his partners will be. It's not that he dislikes group work, but the issue lies in finding reliable and willing people to work with. There weren't many for the raven head.

And let's say his last group assignment was a clear indicator of this. His group passed, but let's say he never wanted to deal with them again. So he had to try at least to partner up with people willing to work with him.

Gary would work. He may be stupid at specific points, but Gary has been reforming their friendship over the past week. So he would probably be happy to work with him. But Oak's grandson would want to group up with Dawn, his girlfriend. Then that said girlfriend would probably want to group up with Serena.

Wait, Serena... Maybe a group of 4? Ash thought hopefully.

Yeah, they had an embarrassing morning together, which Cilian reinforced when he teased them after entering his class late with their hands intertwined. But they worked well together. They received high praise with the draft in Brock's class, and Serena does seem desperate to rekindle their lost relationship so it could work.

Thinking of this, Ash took a glance at Serena. Sitting next to Dawn, who was next to Gary, Ash saw her looking back at him. Ash sent a warm smile at her, which she immediately returned with her smile and then a firm nod.

Great!

Suddenly Dawn leaned over and whispered something in her ear, making Ash nervous. He tried to read what they were saying, but he was too far away to hear or lipread.

He then heard a snicker escape from Gary's lips as Serena's face suddenly went pink. Blushing madly, Serena punched Dawn on the shoulder and sent a mean glare to her friend. Unphased by the glare, Dawn only smiled and sent a cheeky wink to Ash, making the raven head blush. He could hear Gary's laughing grow louder in the background. The brown head was enjoying this. A little too much, perhaps.

Luckily for both Serena and Ash, Cilian suddenly cut in, announcing, "Before you all get into your groups, I have a special announcement." All the teasing and chatter from the navy haired girl disappeared as all attention went back onto the teacher. "We have two new students joining us for the rest of the year." Just after he said this, the door slide open, and a lemon-coloured hair boy wearing a blue jumpsuit with a large backpack and a brown-haired girl with curly pigtails and a pink shirt walked in.

"They are both from Lumonise State High in the Kalos region. Would you two like to introduce yourselves?" Cilian prompted.

Immediately the girl bloomed excitedly, "Hello! My name is Shauna, and I like fashion and dressing up. I hope we can become friends!" A couple of murmurs rang out from the class, commenting on how cute the girl looked (Gary thought of this as well but wisely kept the comment to himself with his Girlfriend sitting next to him).

After she said her piece, the lemon-coloured haired boy nervously stepped forward. With his hands shaking like a Pokeball catching a pokemon, he adjusted up his glasses and introduced, "M-my name is C-Clemont. And I-I like inventing t-things. I hope we can become friends." The class nodded, with a couple of people talking about how smart and intelligent he looked. CIlian then shook hands with the two and quickly exclaimed, "I hope you two will feel welcome here at Pallet High. Could Ash raise his hand?" The Raven head obeyed. "You two will be sitting next to him." Alluding to the two free tables that sat unoccupied on either side of him.

The two students quickly made it to the desk. "As you know, I'm Ash, its nice to met you," he greeted with a smile and an outstretched hand.

They all shook hands and exchanged smiles and greetings before sitting down.

When they were settled, Cilian announced, "Ash, since you are sitting with the new students, is it. Is it ok if you pair up with them?" Ash could feel all the eyes on him, especially a stare from a certain blonde girl.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it." He replied with a smile.

"Great. Now class, find your groups and start discussing what you are going to do."

When the class moved to their groups, Ash quickly told the new students what was happening and the topics on the assignment. "So what is it like in the Kalos region? I always wanted to visit the place one day," Ash questioned, keen to get to know his group and new peers.

Clemont replied, "Well, it's a very diverse region. Mountain rangers, beautiful forest, snow, beaches, small towns to gigantic modern cities, it has everything." He finishes while adjusting his glasses.

"It also has great food and huge cafe culture. And don't forget it's not called the region of love for nothing." She added while winking to Ash, making the raven head slightly flustered.

"Ugh. That just reminds me of my little sister, Bonnie. She is always attempting to get me a girlfriend whenever she sees a pretty girl," Clemont moaned.

The other two laughed while Clemont sulked over his little sister's lovemaking abilities. "I remember that. She did that to me when we first met," Shauna teased.

Clemont groaned and buried his head into his hands. "Please don't remind me of that," he spat with an annoyed tone.

The other two laughed at their groupmate's red face before the chime of the school speakers screamed about the room, immediately silencing the deafening class as quickly as a flash of light.

"Apologises for the interruptions, staff and students. But can Ash Ketchum please come to Mr Oak's office immediately? Ash Ketchum. Thank you." The said raven head then felt all the eyes of his peers turn in his direction. All of them having What did you do looks on their faces like he was some criminal.

Ignoring the stares, Ash began packing up his equipment as Cilian quickly ushered the rest of them back to their work. "We haven't even begun planning," Ash commented. "I'm sorry that I'm dumping you two with the work, especially on your first day," he apologised as he finished packing up.

"That's ok. We have plenty of time. It was fun getting to know each other," Clemont answered enthusiastically.

Ash nodded cheerfully and chimed, "We can meet up at Lunch if you two want to talk about it if you want. Go to the library or something?"

"I would love to. Right, Clemont?" Shauna exclaimed.

While the group said their goodbyes and planned where they would meet, Serena looked on with a tang of fear in her heart. She didn't want to feel this way; she had no right to feel this way. But she just couldn't help it.

They just met... Indeed she is not interested in him, right?

"Are you all right, Serena?" A voice called to her pulling her attention away from the raven-haired boy.

As she turned, Serena saw Dawn and Gary looking back at her with curious faces. Their looks may have been innocent, but behind the mask of curiosity were evil smirks. They both knew why their friend had a frown on her face. That doesn't mean they can't have a little fun, right?

"Everything is fine. Completely fine."

"It's not because of that new girl talking to Ash, is it?" Gary replied, sounding as clueless as a Psyduck.

"It's nothing!" She boomed with a red face. Before noticing the stares of the classroom being on her. Her red face growing even worst now looking like a Red Balloon.

"Seems like nothing to me," Dawn whispered quietly.

***

The creak of the door drew the attention of Pallet high's acting principal. Seeing Ash entering his office, Professor Oak greeted the raven head with a smile and offered him to sit in the chair across from him.

"So why did you want to see me," Ash curiously questioned after getting comfortable in his seat.

A stern look suddenly ran across Professor Oak's face. "Well, Ash. I've just got a call from Giovanni this morning. To put it mildly, he didn't seem too thrilled talking about you."

Ash felt the air in his lungs freeze. "W-what did he say?" He questioned, attempting to stay as composed as possible in front of the principal (he wasn't doing a great job at that).

"Well, he mentioned some things that happened this morning. To do with you, your mum and him," Oak answered honestly.

The raven head sighed tiredly and looked down at his feet, dejectedly replying, "I'm guessing he told you how I'm such a useless son. I am assuming you are going to punish me?"

The principal immediately shook his head and answered confidently, "It would be foolish of me to trust the words from that man solely." This immediately drew Ash's attention like a moth to lights. His chocolate brown eyes now back onto Professor Oak. "But I'm interested to know what happened between Delia and you and if it was true."

Ash immediately looked away. His heart began pounding like an out of control jackhammer. His body froze as if he was on top of Mt Silver in the middle of a windy night.

Seeing Ash's hesitance, Professor Oak reassured the student by saying, "Ash. Red and I were close friends. I promised I would look out for Delia the best I can. So please... tell me what happened?"

After letting out a long sigh and muttering a couple of words under his breath, he reluctantly revealed the events from this morning.

His pain was only increasing with everyone word he spoke about the incident with his mum. "Why can't she see that Giovanni is such a prick." The raven head took a breath to compose himself. "How can she put up with being his wife, for God's sake!"

Silence enveloped the principal's office like a swarm of bees. Before Oak cut through it like a sword saying, "She does so because she loves you."

Looking up, Ash gave the principal a confused look. What the hell do you mean?

So then Oak explained, "She did it to put a roof over your head, to keep your stomach full. To give you a decent education. She stays with Giovanni because of you. Because she loves you, Ash."

Ash sat there, his mind reflecting over Oak's word as if he was marking an essay. Trying to find any holes in his argument. "If she did that for me, then... Then why did she side with Giovanni?" He questioned with a sad tone, his fingers running through his raven hair.

"I don't know about that, Ash." Oak honestly replied. "But what I do know is that she hates seeing you hurt, and I think she has had enough seeing you in pain. That why she was angry at you."

Silence enveloped the room. You could almost hear the cogs in Ash's mind turning in reaction to Professor Oak words.

Maybe that's why, Ash thought.

The principal then looked at the clock on his desk and broke the silence, "You should head off. It's almost lunchtime. I know your love for food."

A faint smile drifted across Ash's lips as he stood up. "Thanks, professor. I will keep this in mind," He finished just before leaving the office.

I hope you will.

***

The sound of a vent opening draws Ash's attention as he walked down the hallways of Pallet High. Stopping and turning to look, Pikachu appeared from the air vent above and landed on his shoulder.

"Hey Ash, Mew just told me that Lucario wants to see tomorrow. He is interested to see how you progressed in a week," Pikachu announced.

After getting over the slight jumpscare from his yellow mouse partner, Ash quickly looked around and promptly looked for auras to make sure no one was around. When making certain of this, he turned back to Pikachu and excitedly replied like a bit of a kid, "Really!? I can't wait to show how good I became! I think I might be better than him, you know?"

Pikachu sweatdropped at the human's excitement and the dramatic overestimation of his abilities. "Yeahhhh, the only way you could be better than Lucario currently is if he was 6ft under. Even then, I would tip him over you."

Immediately, Ash scoffed at Pikachu's opinion on the aura pokemon. "Pfff. No, he wouldn't." The raven head replied confidently.

Pikachu mentally facepalmed at Ash's overconfidence. "Yeah, he would." The yellow mouse groaned. "Have you been hit by his bone rush?"

"That's cause you are an electric type. Super effective, you know?"

Before Pikachu could snap a reply about him being stronger, he suddenly heard footsteps echoing from down the hall. His long pointy ears began to twitch as the pokemon immediately turned to where the steps were coming from.

Noticing Pikachu's look, Ash immediately gestured towards the vent, and the mouse swiftly hid in it. When the pokemon was nowhere to be seen, Ash quickly wiped out his phone and pretended he was on it while casually leaning against the wall.

Just mere seconds later, Calem appeared around the corner. Both their eyes quickly met each other as they engaged in a little staring contest. Ash kept a calm look and prayed that Calem didn't hear and think anything was amiss. Suddenly Calem broke the staring match and walked past the raven head. Ash's heart was beating so fast that he swore Calem could hear it. Ash pretended to look back to his phone as he saw the other raven head walk further down the hallway and eventually turned the corner, heading to the principal's office. The moment he was gone, Ash let out a might gasp and had hands in his face.

He quickly closed his eyes and searched for any auras around him to put away all his worry. He promptly found Professor Oak's white aura and saw Calem's one next to it. However, something was different. Ash immediately noticed a colour change in Calem's aura, like it was a red apple in a batch of green ones. The last time he saw his aura was during their minor scuffle, and at the time, Ash vividly remembers his aura being black with a tinge of blue. But now, it was a dark blue with black waves radiating off it like fire and smoke. He had never seen this type before.

I will need to talk to Lucario about this.

"Have you noticed that Calem has been a lot nicer lately?" Ash whispered to Pikachu, hiding in the vents.

"I mean, he still teases you," Pikachu replied with an uncertain tone.

Ash nodded and then answered, "But it's way less common. He only does it when Trip and Paul are near. Even then seems half-assed." Pikachu nodded his head in agreement after thinking for a moment. "He even just cut all ties with Serena, hasn't even tried to speak to her. I thought he would care a bit more about getting Serena back, you know. "

"It's been that way since you kicked his ass!" Pikachu announced as he enthusiastically began kicking and punching the air; before a lightbulb moment stopped his pretend sparring session. "Ooooo. Perhaps it's one of those moments where the bully or antagonist gets a new lease on life or starts rethinking their life values. Orrrr. What if he is doing it to gain your trust and then destroy you when you least suspect it?"

The raven head facepalmed and shook his head. "You've been watching too many movies Pikachu," he murmured, red through his hands.

The yellow mouse pointed, but before the pokemon could mouth some sort of reply, the ringing of Ash's phone interrupted their conversation. Opening his phone, Ash began the call, "Hello? This is Ash Ketchum."

"Hi, Ash!" A feminine voice replied enthusiastically. "Do you want to come to sit with Clemont and me for Lunch? We can work on our project after we eat."

"Great idea, Shauna. I'll see you two at the cafeteria," Ash exclaimed before saying their farewells and ending the call.

"Shauna, eh?" Pikachu teased, poking his head out from the vent

Turning to give Pikachu a blank look, Ash replied, "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Just don't have too much fun. A certain blonde may not like it," Pikachu calmly answered with a grin.

Suddenly Ash blushed as red as a strawberry. "Nothing is happening between her and me, Pikachu!" He told Pikachu sternly boomed.

With a cheeky wink, Pikachu exclaimed cheerfully, "Better tell Serena that then shouldn't you."

Being confused as a pokemon that has been hit by the move 'confuse ray', Ash replied with an annoyed tone, "What the hell do you-"

"Ash? Were you yelling?" A feminine voice from a particular honey head suddenly echoed from down the hallway. The familiar voice sent shivers of fear and regretted up Ash's spine as his breath hitched suddenly. How the hell did the fat mouse know she was coming! The raven head groaned.

With Pikachu hiding from the safety of his vent, the pokemon couldn't help but giggle at the predicament he created for the fuming raven head. It was always funny for Pikachu to put Ash into these situations, especially if it was with Serena. Hearing the childish giggles from his partner, Ash turned to the air duct and slid his finger across his throat. The next time he see's Pikachu; he is dead. However, instead of having an intimidating effect like a ravaging Garchomp, it only made the electric pokemon laugh even more. Worsening Ash's frustration to the point where you could almost see his veins bursting in his head.

Screw you, Pikachu.

"Hey, Serena. Yeah, sorry, that was me," Ash reluctantly answered as he turned back to the honey-haired girl who had just turned the corner with a curiously look across her face.

Approaching the raven head, Serena, a slight blush rose on her face as she innocently questioned, "Is everything all right? You seemed very frustrated."

Ash let out a nervous laugh after Serena said this. "Everything is fine. I was just on my phone. Did you hear anything?" Ash nervously questioned.

Please Arceus. Tell me she didn't hear anything significant. Ash prayed silently.

Silencing enveloped them like moths to alight. With each passing second, the panic in his mine increased as it moved closer and closer to DEFCON 1. "No, I didn't hear anything." When Serena said this, Ash felt the weight of the universe lift off his shoulders. "I hope it wasn't anything about me, I hope," she finished cheekily with a smile.

A slight blush bloomed across Ash's face as he let out a nervous laugh. "It wasn't about you, don't worry, Serena. Just my mum," Ash returned with his trademark smile, praying she wouldn't question him further. And luckily for the raven head, his stomach made its presence know with a large groan, making them both chuckle while Ash rubbed the back of his head. Thank you stomach, we will be eating extra today.

The girl took a moment to think, making Ash slightly nervous. "Sure," She happily answered.

Hearing her answer, Ash let out a mental sigh of relief. Before sending mental threats to Pikachu, knowing he was watching and giggling from his hiding spot.

You better hope I don't see you again.

But as the two headed to the canteen for a feast, the raven head wasn't the only person having his brain ticking. As they walked, the girl couldn't help but stare curiously at Ash. If this were an isolated instance, she would of let it slide. But it wasn't. It was just one of a series of cases over the past couple of weeks where she caught Ash on the defensive, seemingly talking out loud to nobody. He was hiding something big, and she knew it.

However, with their slowly rebuilding relationship, she was scared of confronting Ash about it, fearing Ash pushing her away and destroying their ties once again. So she stayed silent. But that doesn't mean Serena hasn't been trying to find out. She wants to be best friends with Ash again, even more in the future perhaps. Thus, until they get to a point where they feel comfortable exchanging secrets, she will have to make do with gathering information herself. And she just got a colossal scalp today.

Pikachu. Interesting nickname for your mum Ash...

***

A phone echoed around the dark and gloomy room of Giovanni's office. With a huff, the pale man whipped out his phone and answered the call.

"Lysandre," Giovanni spoke.

"Giovanni. How have you been?" Lysandre replied in a friendly tone.

The pale man's eyes rolled as a faint frown ran across his face. "This isn't a social call. Get to the point," he ordered.

Lysandre let out a chuckle before commenting, "Always straight to the point, Giovanni. How did your test subject react."

Giovanni's frown instantly flipped right into a smirk. "Exactly as you said. It worked like a treat," He answered proudly.

"Good. And how is she now?" The orange head quizzed with intrigue.

Leaning back into his chair, Giovanni explained, "She seems back to normal. Just exhausted and having trouble recalling what happened."

The pale man heard the sound of notes being scribble from the other side. After allowing his partner to take notes, the palm man leaned forward and exclaimed, "However, from all the time you have put into this, I expecting a little more Lysandre."

"That was a light version. A demo, if you will. We have others varieties that are much stronger and lasting. But they are not to my standards yet," Lysandre explained calmly.

"Not to mine either then," He stated. "We will need these to be strong enough to harness these creatures' power for our needs only. Perhaps also another avenue to inject the victim. From range, perhaps?"

Expecting some sort of rebuttal from Lysandre, he was surprised to hear chuckles echo from the phone. "Of course. I've been working on this for years," He exclaimed through the laughs. However, like a flick of a switch, he questioned seriously, "But all this depends on you finding a way to capture these 'creatures'."

The Pallet high principal shook his head. "Every day, we gain more data on these portals. It's only a matter of time till we find the key to them. But leave that to me. You focus on making these formulas stronger," He commanded with a slightly irritated tone. "Is that all?" Giovanni finished.

"Yes, that is all," Lysandre replied with a hint of amusement in his voice before Giovanni ended the call and let out an annoyed sigh as he closed his eyes.

But before Giovanni could rest for any longer, the beeping of an alarm from his watch echoed around his office, drawing a quiet groan from him. Reaching down into a draw below his desk, Giovanni carefully picked out a small round white pill from a pile of needles and drugs. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colours and are neatly organised into their specific sections and labels.

Quickly leaving his office, Giovanni swiftly grabbed a cup of water from the kitchen and went up to Delia's bedroom. As he was about to enter, he took a deep breath and tightened his hold on the white pill in his hand, composing himself.

When the door swung open, Giovanni saw Delia lying in bed asleep. Her eyes were creaking open as her brain realised someone opened her door. Seeing Giovanni, her eyes slightly narrowed at the man, suspicious of his presence in the house.

Unphased by her stare, Giovanni let out a friendly smile and said, "Delia. Is your head still hurting? Here take this. It will alleviate the pain."

***

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, leave a vote and don't be afraid to comment!

Now I apologise for the longggggg gaps between updates on this book. My motivation for this book has been extremely on and off (off most of the time). My enjoyment with writing this book is no longer as consistent as it once was. Maybe I need time to take my mind completely off this book. I don't know. I know a lot of you reading are eager to see consistent updates to this story. So I'm sorry.