A/N: This is a direct sequel to my previous Geekchicshipping fic: Driven to Invention. There are numerous references to it, including one rather important one central to the story, so reading that first is highly recommended. Beware of XY Anime Spoilers, as this is an epilogue of sorts to Episode 18.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any associated properties, or any other references made in this work of fiction.

The Scientific Method

"So much for that plan..."

The lemon-haired gym leader, and aspiring inventor, rummaged through his once over-stuffed backpack. It was now considerably lighter than before, thanks to the events of the day prior. A good deal of his spare components and equipment had been consumed in what he had hastily dubbed: The Animatronic Decoymont. He had built in record time, so it was only fitting that the machine itself, resembling an almost doll-like combination of his own likeness and the android currently maintaining his gym, exploded within minutes of its purposeful existence, taking one of his jumpsuits with it.

But Clemont knew that it was far preferable to the alternative. Princess Allie was as possessive as they came. As royalty, she was naturally imbued with a sense of entitlement, and her youthfulness only seemed to bolster that particular quality. And of course, to his horror, he was sentenced to endure her particularly obsessive affections by his three friends. It was for a good cause, of course. They needed the pokeflute to awaken the Snorlax in center of Camphrier Town, and Clemont was the only price Allie was willing to accept for even a loan of such an important relic.

Clemont took inventory of what remained of his various equipment and materials. He had used quite a bit of his reserves to build the fully functional machine, or at least functional enough to fool her for long enough to flee the palace grounds. Naturally, most of his wiring, chip based computer equipment, and a good portion of his metallic framing was gone. But there was more than that.

None of that compared to the real price he had paid during his short stay at Parfum Palace.

Prince Allie's intrusive nature led her to discover his natural talent at invention. This, of course, caused her subsequent unveiling of his completed and, as of that moment, un-combusted feat of engineering in his possession.

It was one that he kept on his person at all times to ensure that if the perfect scenario came along, that he could deploy it a moment's notice. It was that very preparation that allowed its unintended use by a young princess who took it without permission – as she believed that she needed none due to her position of power.

He regretted that he would have to leave it, the Mobile Multi-Spectra Fireworks Platform, in her hands as used his short window of opportunity to flee palace grounds. The pain of it almost made him forget that he was in nothing but an undershirt and his bloomers as he ran in the cool night air back to Camphier Town.

Of course, reuniting with the group was embarrassing in such a state, but it was immensely preferable to the fate he escaped. Regardless, he was disappointed as he saw the fireworks begin marking their debut in the night sky. He could see the adoration in Serena's eyes as she saw the sparkles of red, blue, violet and gold dance across the horizon, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach when he realized that such a display was wasted on an occasion where she had to avert her eyes from him in his then current state of undress. Moreover, he couldn't tell her that he was the one who had made the device responsible for the spectacle as it would draw in too many questions. He would have to explain when and why he devised such a machine, and he really didn't want to lie to any of them, especially Serena. Yet, he couldn't divulge his affections for as being the reason either. At least, not yet. But inside, he was crumpling into a mess of depression due to the nasty twist of fate that life had brought him. Parfum Palace had been one of the places he'd wanted to try and deploy the Fireworks Platform; but the irony of it was that machine's success and the proper location along with it were all for naught.

It was a day later, when they were travelling along Rivière Walk, that they decided to stop for the night at a Pokémon Center en route to Cyllage City. It was now that Clemont decided to finally to evaluate his losses as a result of their latest adventure, and was delving into his still-cluttered backpack to do so.

"Clemont!"

The gym leader's head shot up unexpectedly as he looked to the door of the room he was renting for the night. In the frame stood Ash, excited as he usually tended to be.

"Something you need, Ash?" Clemont asked politely, as he resumed his task of laying out his various tools and equipment on the space surrounding his backpack.

"We're kinda getting hungry! Nurse Joy said we could use her kitchen, but between the four of us, only you know how to cook a meal," Ash rubbed the back of his head nervously as he admitted this, adding, "Serena agreed to make some dessert though. She knows how to make some awesome macarons! And she said she wants to try out a new recipe!"

Clemont looked to his now emptied backpack and saw a few articles of yet to be prepared food that sat off to the side. It only took a growl from Ash's stomach for Clemont to reluctantly agree that he had kept the rest of the group waiting for too long. He grabbed a pack of noodles, some spices, and a can of sauce and nodded to Ash, "Of course! I'll have it ready in no time!"

Ash cheered, "Great! Thanks Clemont, you're the best!"

Clemont let out a broad smile and replied eagerly, "I'm glad to be of service! Great minds, scientific or not, need nourishment!"

"Well! I'm going to train with my Pokémon outside. Bonnie said she wants to watch too, and maybe she said she might even try to battle me with Dedenne! Don't worry though. I won't go too hard on her!" Ash informed Clemont, before dashing out of the lemon-haired inventor's room without a second thought.

Clemont chuckled lightly, as he was glad to see that Bonnie was continuing to bond with Ash. He was certain that Bonnie would become a trainer one day. He eagerly anticipated the day that Bonnie turned ten, and would be allowed to go on her own journey. As an older brother, nothing would make him prouder than to see her sister grow like that.

His thoughts soon turned to the task at hand as he strode from his room to the Pokémon Center's kitchen. It was a quiet night in that particular branch, as no other trainers seemed to have taken refuge there that evening.

Or at least it was quiet until he heard a crash and a yelp upon entering the kitchen.

Clemont rushed in, only to find his golden-blonde haired companion's front covered in white batter, and a mixing bowl still settling onto the floor with a series of metallic clangs.

"No! That wasn't supposed to happen!" Serena moped bitterly as she ran a hand through the layer of powder that caked her black shirt and red skirt. She shook the same fingers clean of the offending ingredient and groaned miserably.

"Could I be of assistance?"

Serena's eyes grew wide as she looked up, finally taking note of the new arrival in the kitchen. Immediately, she grew red from embarrassment and turned herself away from Clemont, quickly brushing away the powder from her chest and skirt as quickly as she could. She quickly scrambled for a response, "I'm fine! Just a little accident! Nothing I can't handle!"

Clemont paused awkwardly as he observed Serena trying to make herself presentable, but quickly realized that she was determined to steer clear of the shame of making such a silly mistake while cooking. The gym leader, of course, didn't see it as such, but understood how someone could perceive it in that way. It was much like how he lost to Dedenne with his Chespin after it had gorged itself. As someone who prided himself on battling, and held the rank of gym leader no less, losing to a Pokémon in its first battle was quite the worrisome display. He realized that Serena, a person who was proud of her apparent culinary skills in making treats, felt the exact same at the moment.

Deciding to overlook her display to ensure that she could feel better about it, he merely acknowledged her answer and told her, "Ok, I'll just get started on dinner then."

Serena, relieved that he wasn't pursuing the matter, finished brushing off the last of the batter from her clothes and renewed her efforts to bake dessert for the group.

Clemont was the first to finish his preparations and made use of the stove. He put his two pots, one with the sauce mix and one with the noodles and water, onto the heating elements and took a place beside Serena, who was pouring the macaron mix into their molds. He began chopping some vegetables for his side dish, but allowed his eyes to drift subtly towards Serena as she worked. She was in her element; that was for certain. It was almost mesmerizing to see her working at something she clearly enjoyed, and he briefly lost himself in staring at her movements before Serena glanced over at him. Upon seeing her turn, he quickly resumed chopping his peppers before she could notice how long he'd been idly watching her. He silently scolded himself for doing such a thing. He couldn't be so blatantly obvious about his feelings while she was still hung up on Ash.

Serena, finally finished in pouring her macaron mix into the molded tray, gently put it into the oven and chirped happily as she sealed in the soon-to-be treats and turned it on. Now all she had to do was wait.

It wasn't long before Clemont completed his side-dish, a large bowl of salad, before noting that, he too, had nothing to do but sit and wait, and occasionally stir, while his food cooked on the stovetop. The silence that hung between them was nearly deafening, and Clemont wanted to say something to diffuse whatever tension that hung between them. But he was at a loss at how to do so, as Clemont was unsure of exactly how to engage her. Usually, their conversations revolved around, Ash, Bonnie, or whatever task they were performing, or the destination they were journeying towards. He had yet to actually discuss anything regarding their own lives with one another.

But Clemont, nervous as he was, was not going to let something like that stop him from taking a leap. It was a part of the scientific method.

He had began with a question: Could he win the heart of Serena?

He followed it up with research in the matter: This had been a difficult task for him, as love was not easily quantified, nor was it a scientific concept that he could easily grasp. His only resources on the matter were stories he'd heard as a child from his dad, and his sister's ongoing attempts to marry him off to any woman she deemed capable of caring for him. The result was a rather patchwork knowledge base to go off of in his endeavour, but he was going to proceed regardless.

He constructed a hypothesis: He could perhaps get her attention if he could relate to her in some way. If they could bond over something, he could get her to notice him as more than simply Bonnie's brother, and the member of the group who was responsible for a startlingly consistent set of explosions.

That brought him to his latest step in the scientific process: Experimentation.

Truthfully, this was his favourite part of the scientific method. It was the part where he got to mix chemicals, test contraptions, and to see if just how close or far his ideas were from fact. But this was a far cry from his usual form of experimentation. He could deal with a machine exploding in his face. He was far more fearful of saying something wrong, and permanently damaging his friendship with Serena. But in the end, he decided that a casual conversation was the least he could do in his efforts to begin to understand exactly what he felt for her, and how he could perhaps, help her discover similar feelings for him. If nothing else, it would only help him become better equipped to deal with it in the future.

He cycled through possible topics until he settled on one that he felt they could both easily relate to at the moment: cooking.

"So... um... Ash tells me you're doing something different with the macarons this time around. What's the difference between this one and your usual recipe?"

Serena cocked her head up in surprise, as though she hadn't expected Clemont to begin conversing with her. Truthfully, beyond their interactions in their full group, they really hadn't. She had almost begun to wonder if Clemont found her uninteresting, or perhaps not scientifically minded enough. She shuffled slightly as she leaned back on the counter adjacent to the stove and answered him cheerfully, quickly powering through the uncertainty that once enveloped her, "Well... I've decided to add a hint more sugar to sweeten them, and a bit less salt. I'm also going to add some sprinkles on top once they're finished, and I'm going to cook them at just a touch lower temperature, but slightly longer to see if I can spread the flavour throughout just a bit more."

Clemont's eyes widened at just how specific she was and how passionately she seemed to explain the whole concept to him. He smiled at replied, "Wow, that's great! I bet they'll turn out better than ever. And that's saying something because your macarons are some of the best I've eaten."

"Oh!" Serena gasped lightly, putting a dainty hand to her mouth, her cheeks tinting slightly pink, "Thanks! That's really kind of you. My mother taught me all about it, though."

"Hey! My dad taught me most of what I know about engineering and tinkering," Clemont assured her, "You're still great at it, regardless!"

"Thanks, you are-" Serena was about to compliment him on building such great contraptions, but then remembered that nearly every device he had ever deployed in front of her ended up either sky high or a smoking crater in the ground. She quickly and awkwardly amended her statement, "You really know a lot about science and technology!"

Clemont noted her hesitance and grew nervous, his gaze falling to the floor tiles beneath him. Serena easily determined that she had hurt his feelings and went to his side, speaking in soothing tones, "I'm sorry... I mean to say, is that I know you'll be a great inventor, and you have some great ideas. I know that one day, everything you build will be safe and helpful to people all over the world!"

As Serena approached him, the spot on the floor onto which he had locked his dejected stare was filled by Serena's feet. His gaze rose from there, trailing up her stocking clad legs, up past her billowing red skirt, past her black blouse which still carried a few hints of white sugar powder from the earlier incident, all the way up to her beaming face. And from there, Clemont couldn't tear his gaze away. Once again, emotions that he couldn't rationalize with science laid siege to his logical mind. She was so pretty, and she was so kind.

Serena noticed that Clemont's gaze had locked with hers and her expression changed from her reassuring smile to a look of sheer curiosity. The shift in her facial expression managed to jolt Clemont from his reverie and he quickly jerked his head away, breaking eye contact. He quickly moved to his pot and began stirring the spaghetti sauce a lot faster than necessary.

"Clemont, are you ok?"

"Huh?" Clemont answered her question with a grunt of his own, not diverting his purposeful focus from his culinary task.

"Are you ok? You're acting a little... off. In fact, all through today, you've been a bit distant," Serena pressed, concerned spreading across her features.

Clemont's stirring slowed until the ladle merely rested in his hand motionless. He inhaled and exhaled deeply and replied with an unconvincing, "Yes."

Serena frowned and her voice took on a hint of urgency, "You don't sound ok."

Clemont glanced at her briefly, his glasses catching a glare off the kitchen lights, preventing her from seeing eyes that would've betrayed his emotions at that moment. He turned his attention to the noodle pot this time and began stirring, making sure that the strands didn't stick together in a clumped mass. He absentmindedly replied, "Yesterday wasn't a good day for me. That's all."

Once more, Serena put her hand to her mouth as she drew her own conclusion based on what he said, "Oh no! You don't think we really wanted to leave you with Princess Allie did you?"

A small smile crept onto the gym leader's face and he turned his head fully to face her this time, "No, of course not. I know you would never abandon me," Clemont spoke the word 'you' a bit more strongly than he intended, though Serena seemed not to notice, or was simply unfazed by the usage. He continued, "It was just that... I had to get out of there... but the cost of the escape was a bit higher than I wanted it to be."

'A higher price?' Serena mused to herself, completely lost to his meaning.

Clemont saw the confusion that riddled her face and clarified, "Well I had to build the Animatronic Decoymont I told you about. But there was more..." He didn't know why he was treading into this territory, considering it meant he would have to explain himself, but felt almost compelled to tell Serena. It was as though something inside him, working against all logical impulses, was guiding his tongue.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked hesitantly. She was quite apprehensive to know, as it had been mainly her idea to 'give' Clemont to Princess Allie and now she was feeling quite guilty.

"I built something else. A while ago... actually," Clemont began shakily, "And I worked really hard on it, and even tested it once. It didn't even explode... except when it was supposed to!"

Serena took on an expression mixing surprise and puzzlement, but quickly tried to hide it, not wanting to give away the fact that she was shocked that Clemont built something that didn't get consumed in a self-created fireball, yet apparently was meant to. Clemont, however, was lost in his memories, and failed to notice this, much to her relief.

"It was something I was going to use to-" he paused, horrified that he nearly gave away the true purpose of his invention, and quickly covered up his explanation with a vague alternate, "-er... for a special occasion!"

Serena's curiosity was piqued and she inquired timidly, quite aware of the fact that she was largely responsible for its loss, "So... what was it?"

"Oh!" Clemont was so wrapped up in the story, he was scarcely aware that he forgot to mention what it was that he lost, "It was the Mobile Multi-Spectra Fireworks Platform!" There was a hint of pride in his words as they poured forth; but even as they hit the open air, the very name seemed to sting his ears and he flashed back to the street in Camphier town. Seeing Serena admiring them, all the while blissfully unaware that he had made it for her, causing him a form of grief he hadn't known about until that moment. Not even a hundred failed inventions could add to that feeling he found in standing in his bloomers on the cobblestones that evening.

"Wait... fireworks platform?" Serena mused suddenly.

As the look of realization passed over Serena's face, Clemont suddenly grew fearful. Questions would inevitably follow now, and he didn't really like the idea of lying to Serena. But if he told the truth... well, it was too early for his confession to be a good thing, especially with her affections still locked firmly on Ash.

"So... those fireworks, were yours?" Serena's face brightened as she recalled the wondrous event the evening prior.

Clemont nodded nervously, "Uh, yes."

Serena let out a cute little squeal and hopped on the spot. She immediately rushed in and hugged Clemont tightly, "Oh! Clemont! They were wonderful! I really enjoyed them!" she detached herself from the paralyzed Clemont, who, until that point, never even made direct contact with Serena. Even in the brief moment that Serena laid her arms around him, Clemont's world seemed to slow down, as he took in every detail of their painfully short few seconds where they were physically connected.

Her skin was softer than he imagined. Even her bare arms felt sweetly comforting, even through his spare jumpsuit. But the best of it came at the brief contact of the skin of their cheeks as she laid her head next to his during the hug. He had to fight hard to suppress the intense blush that threatened to overcome him. He only partially succeeded.

Her expression turned remorseful immediately afterwards and she quickly blurted out an apology, "I'm so sorry! Those were some wonderful fireworks, and I'm sure you meant to use them for a much better occasion! I hope you can forgive me!"

She swung her arms behind her back and bowed her head slightly, taking on a rather sheepish pose as she conveyed her regrets, and Clemont couldn't even conceive of bearing anything other than positive emotions towards the beautiful young woman before him. He smiled more brightly than he had in the entirety of the last half an hour and answered Serena softly, "You have nothing to apologize for. It was Princess Allie's fault, not yours. We were doing the right thing for the people of Camphier Town, and I would do it again."

'I would do it again for you, too,' Clemont's mind added almost naturally, so naturally that it nearly translated from thoughts into audible words, but he managed to hold his tongue.

"Well, I promise I'll make it up to you! I can tell you were really proud of that invention and that you had big plans for it," Serena exclaimed, clearly determined to stick to her word.

"As long as you enjoyed it, I'm happy," Clemont assured, honesty pervading every syllable.

"I did! Thank you again! Hey! Maybe you can build another one! I'm sure that Ash and Bonnie would like to see a full show again sometime too," Serena proposed, a glint of hope shining in her eyes.

Clemont nodded, allowing himself a moment to be captivated by her sparkling, sky blue orbs, "Absolutely. I just need to buy some new supplies once we get to Cyllage City."

"Great! It was so beautiful! Maybe, if you can build another one fast enough, we can use it to celebrate Ash's victory at the Cyllage Gym!" Serena trilled excitedly.

Initially, Clemont was pleased at hearing Serena ask for another display. But that quickly fell away as she finished her statement, and added further, "I know he'll do well there, and I bet he'd love it as well! He always likes to fawn over your inventions!"

While Clemont was not averse to praising Ash's efforts, he was hoping that the fireworks would be something that Serena and he could share as something symbolic of their growing relationship. He realized now, however, that would never be the case. She already extended it to something for the group, and in particular, Ash. While he knew she had been fairly quiet on the subject lately due to Ash's rather dense reactions to her advances, Clemont was fully aware that she Ash was still quite the force in her heart. And now Clemont stood, numbed and saddened that the gesture he worked long and hard for was now being appropriated for the benefit of Ash and Serena's budding relationship.

But, just as he always did, he swallowed his feelings and offered a cheerful smile behind eyes that masqueraded as a more positive reaction. Of course he wanted Serena to be happy. He just wished that he could be the one to make her feel that way.

"I'll have it ready. I know Ash will do well against Grant!" Clemont stated with an air of certainty.

'In the meantime, I just need to-' Clemont's thoughts were cut off as the sound of excessive bubbling caught his ear. He swooped back to the stove to find his noodle pot nearly boiling over, and small stains of red marking the stove around his active sauce pot.

"It's just about ready!" Clemont announced happily, giving both products a good stir before lifting them off the glowing heating elements. Not a moment later, the oven timer emitted a loud, singular chime that alerted Serena to the progress of her own confectionary treats.

"Oh! That would be mine!" Serena cheered, bending down and quickly opening the oven door. Moments after slipping on her oven mitts, she pulled the tray of perfectly formed macarons from the oven and placed them on counter beside stove to cool off.

"They look delicious!" Clemont complimented, as he observed them from his station on the opposite end of the counter.

"They look great..." Serena observed neutrally, adding the sprinkles she had mentioned earlier, "But I hope they taste good. It's like an experiment. I won't know until I try them!"

The words had a strange impact on Clemont, as they brushed past his ears and into his cluttered mind. He allowed a smile to cross his face, a real one this time, and chuckled to himself.

Serena heard him and offered a confused look, asking, "What's so funny?"

Clemont used a finger to push the bridge of his glasses up the slope of his nose, and let out a cheerful hum and began to explain, "Experimentation..." he paused briefly and gazed softly towards Serena, "it's a part of the scientific method. You get an idea, or you ask a question. Then you do some research, form a hypothesis," he halted yet again, his smile broadening as he reminisced about all his favourite experiments –gone awry or successful – and went on, "you test your theory with an experiment. Then you make observations, and draw conclusions based on what you saw. If it worked, you've succeeded. If you fail, you go back and revise the hypothesis, and start the cycle again!"

"Are you saying that I'm a scientist when I'm baking macarons?" Serena inquired somewhat flatly.

"In a sense, yes!" Clemont eagerly confirmed, "Cooking is a lot like chemistry! Chemistry is just one branch of science! And we all know... the future is now, thanks to science! You've asked yourself the question: How do I make them taste better! You did some research clearly, based on your comprehensive explanation on how you modified your recipe! Then you formed your hypothesis. Just now, you've conducted your experiment; and there it sits! Soon, we'll be able to observe your new macarons through taste! It's science and cooking coming together in exciting blend to create new inventions for our group! And if they don't meet your expectations, we'll try again until we get it right! Sooner or later, you'll cook the best macarons in the world! And it will be thanks to the scientific method!"

Serena was struck silent by Clemont's zealous explanation, but more so by the idea that Clemont thought she could bake the best macarons in the world. She never thought she could best her mom in that regard, but Clemont seemed so eager and ready to believe that she could. In fact, he seemed ready to believe in her ability to do anything she set her mind to. It only seemed to dawn on her now as she relived a few choice incidents in the past that emphasized that fact. Clemont fully supported her plan to track the Pokémon poacher who was collecting Scatterbugs to sell online, and was impressed with her when she thought of using Chespin's vine whip to recover a particular plant for Pangoro when he failed to. Heck, he'd even let her subject him to Princess Allie's obsessive wants, despite his extreme hesitance.

Even as uncertain as she was in her own abilities and in her desire to find her path in the world, Clemont had faith in her. More faith than she did in herself, in fact. It made her feel something familiar. A feeling she normally didn't experience in the presence of Clemont. One she couldn't identify it at the moment. She wanted to know, but Clemont stood before her, and she felt he deserved a response. So she ignored this new emotion and decided to respond.

"Well, I guess it is an experiment..." Serena murmured quietly, more to herself than Clemont. Her visage shifted from one of contemplation to one of contentment as she offered him a sweet smile and finished, "It makes sense, after all. And I think, with you helping me, I know I can do even better. Thank you."

The sounds of her gratitude fluttered over to Clemont and fought furiously to stave off any signs that gave away his affections. For Clemont, it was a banner day. He had managed to bond with Serena over something; and that something was something he cherished dearly: Science!

While Clemont was no stranger to negative reactions in the face of his experiments, most in the form of explosions, he was quite glad that this particular experiment didn't blow up in his face. Despite his almost rattling nervous system at the prospect, he had actually succeeded in his bid to have a personal conversation with Serena and actually managed to hold her interest. Of course, science demanded that he try and recreate the results.

But that was something for another day. Dinner and dessert were ready, and both Ash and Bonnie would be undoubtedly hungry by now.

Prepping the meal onto four plates with large trays for easy conveyance, Clemont and Serena strode from the kitchen and found Ash and Bonnie still outside, with Ash tutoring the youngest of their group on how to command her Pokémon in battle.

Even as Clemont walked with Serena in a silence far more comfortable than the one that had enshrouded them both not an hour earlier, he couldn't help but think:

'My future with her might be a long time waiting... but experiments like these bring it just that much closer...'

His mind strayed and, once again, thoughts of her began inspiring him. He needed to find something new that he could build to capture her heart. Talking with her might endear Serena to him little by little, but a grand gesture would suit him better. But, since fireworks were now the domain of the group itself, he needed something new that could bind them on a personal level.

And so it began again. The scientific method always starts with a question.

'How can I get her to love me?'

A/N: This story came about as a result of the prediction hinted in this story's prequel. That Clemont would be responsible for the fireworks, if any, that occurred at Parfum Palace when the group came upon it in the anime. I was half right... but it fit well enough into my own headcanons that I felt I could write this.

I hope to be able to develop these two character's relationship as the anime goes on, running in parallel with canon events in the show. I think this pairing is fantastic and I definitely want to write more as the characters become fleshed out as the anime progresses.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it.

Thanks, and Happy Reading,

~ UndercityRezident