A Journey's Link

Chapter 20 - Dreaming

Ash and Goh burst into the Cerise Laboratories yelling, "Sorry we're so late!" and looking around at the lab. It was late, but everyone was still working, including Ren and Chrysa, the assistants to Professor Cerise.

"What took you two so long?" Ren asked, smiling at the two panting trainers who ran from the forest. Back when they exited the forest, they didn't realize the time until Goh checked his phone, seeing that it was almost an hour from when they were supposed to return.

Ash decided to answer the question with a lie. "We, uh, found a cool-looking Pokemon, but it was just a Kakuna. Right, Goh?" Goh looked at Ash inquisitively and began saying, "No, we went to-" but was cut off by Ash putting his hand over Goh's mouth, who began protesting through muffles.

Chrysa turned around from her computer and laughed. "You two sure do love Pokemon, don't you?" Ash took his hand off of Goh's mouth and smiled, nodding to Chrysa's question. At that moment, Professor Cerise entered the room and began walking toward the boys.

"I sure hope they do!" Professor Cerise said, grinning. "Or else I wouldn't have designated them to assist me in studying Pokemon." Yamper followed closely behind him and began barking once he saw Ash, greeting him.

Ash picked up Yamper and said hello in return, before putting him and Pikachu down so they could share electrical signals. He looked at Professor Cerise, who was looking at the two with an expectant look on his face.

"That's right!" Goh exclaimed suddenly, pulling out the package Mr. Stone gave them. "Here's the package from the President of Devon Corporation!" Ash was shocked by Goh's formality. We've known Professor Cerise for long enough, he thought. Why is he acting this way?

Professor Cerise was also slightly confused by Goh's odd behavior but accepted the package anyway. He unraveled the box it was in and peered into it. "Hmm," he muttered, lifting the paper that the stone had been wrapped in. He put the box off to the side and walked over to his computer, dropping the wrapping on his desk.

He turned around to Ash and Goh, who were looking at the Professor, waiting for him to say something. "I'm sure you boys are pretty interested in what this is, right?" Professor Cerise asked them. The nods he was met with were filled to the brim with curiosity and wonder, which made him slightly chuckle.

"Sorry, boys, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow, and even then, it might take all day for me to research it," he explained, much to the dismay of the two young trainers. "Did Mr. Stone explain where he found this from?" Ash and Goh shook their head. "Nope. He was just acting really strange," Goh replied; Ash nodded in agreement. Professor Cerise frowned and rubbed his chin.

"Odd. He seemed excited for me to take a look at this stone," he muttered. "Anyhow since I'll be busy all day, you two have tomorrow off to do whatever you want." Ash and Goh smiled at the Professor, thanking him for the break. Professor Cerise turned to Ren and Chrysa, who were finishing up their work for the day.

"You two are done for the day, thanks for your hard work!" Cerise exclaimed, giving them a thumbs up which told them they could go home. Ren and Chrysa said goodbye to everyone and went their respective ways, leaving the duo and the Professor in the laboratory.

"By the way, Goh, I wanted to let you know that Chloe ended up passing that test you took years ago," Professor Cerise as he grabbed his suitcase and coat. "Oh?" Goh asked in a pleasant tone. "She doesn't have to go to school as much anymore?" He asked in a hopeful manner. The professor nodded and replied, "Yep. So maybe she can come with you two on your adventures."

Maybe, Goh thought to himself. He always did wish Chloe tagged along with them on their adventures, and he knew Ash would be more than willing to include her in their journeys, so to say that he was happy at this news was an understatement.