Serena's feet were beginning to tire as she continued towards her goal. The short time spend relaxing made her miss that feeling of having nothing to do on a hot summers day. Just lying in her bed, letting her mind drift.

She couldn't afford to do that now.

Eventually she came up to a tall silver door which, although impressive, didn't seem to be locked. From inside she could hear the bustling of people, and some metallic clanking. It was a kitchen, people pushing carts stacked high with plates left and right. 

She had only just peered her head inside when a young woman's gaze met her eyes. Quickly darting back behind the door she walked off in the opposite direction. 

Confidence was the key in a situation like this. Just keep walking away. Act like you are used to the hustle and bustle of this place, and definitely don't let someone get a good look at you.

Serena continued down the winding hallways, making her way deeper inside the compound. If her memory was right, she had to have first met Ash in the compound somewhere around here...

"Who's there, reveal yourself!" A voice called out towards the dark corridor.

Serena was wedged between the wall and what she could only assume was some type of heating unit. It radiated heat onto her back, but luckily the machines noise disguised her breath.

She waited for the person to pass, yet the time never came. Instead they remained there, looking into the darkness as if they could see into her soul.

Of course they couldn't really see her.  If they could then they would just reach in and pry her back off to some holding cell. However they knew something was off, and that made them a threat. 

Eventually more guards began to gather outside of her hiding place. She took another glance their way, noticing their harsh tone and hands pointing out towards her. They knew something was up, and it was only a matter of time before she was dragged out by force. She had to get out, and fast.

Serena decided to push inwards, past the heat of the machinery in this short corridor, and eventually she found her way to a slightly more open space. Around her were what she assumed to be the inner workings of this strange base. Various pipes stretched between different hallways in this winding back chamber.

Her eyes flicked around, searching for a way out. There it was. Sitting fifteen feet up was an air duct, just big enough to fit a person. Her light frame was easy to pull through the mess of pipes, and the grate cover of the duct was simple to remove.

After some time of crawling, she reached another grated exit. Carefully she pushed it aside, surveying the room around her. The only light source was a small red light blinking on a table. As she climbed out she could see this room was unusually clean. It must've been some type of laboratory.

A clicking sounded off from the opposite side of the room, and Serena ducked behind the nearest object, a small cart. Then the lights flicked on, blasting her senses with pure white. Various steps could be heard, along with one distinct voice.

"When will it be done?" The voice demanded.

Ash... that was Ash's voice!

Serena was excited, yet worried at how angry her old friend sounded. She wanted to spring right up from her hiding place and say hello, but picking the right time would be important.

Eventually the voices grew quiet, as everyone shuffled into the other room. She crawled to follow, listening though a gap in the door.

"It takes more time to perfect. We need to make sure everything is correct. Dialga and Palkia are powerful ancient beasts that cannot easily be tamed"

"Yes, but... She's already gotten out, and I can't be reminded of any reason to stay..."  Ash responded in the same worried tone.

He was... Leaving? Why, and what did it have to do with "powerful ancient beasts"

Serena's mind worked overtime, but she only had a part of this picture. In need of more information, and there was only one way to get it.

The door swinging wide, she stepped into the room, facing the estranged group of scientists and her old friend. His hair looked the same, but his posture was hunched as he curved to look her way. Those eyes, those familiar piercing eyes stretched wide across his face. His mouth moved but only a hoarse sound croaked out:

"Serena"