Pokemon The Series: YX

CHAPTER LISTING

1 - Bugging Out Of Home
2 - The Starter of Ash's Journey

VOICE ACTORS (NO REPEATS)

M. Ash: Saffron Henderson
M. Serena: Jennifer Hale/Mae Whitman
M. Clemont: Eric Vale
M. Bonnie: Jessica Boone
M. James: David Gallagher
M. Jessie: Hayden Patteniere
M. Meowth: Gilbert Gottfried
M. Delia: Ali Hillis

Probably spelled most of these names wrong.

INTRO MUSIC: youtube (dot) com/watch?v=pOuoWg6P_Yk (because V-volt sucks)
OUTRO MUSIC: youtube (dot) com/watch?v=P_FWcrOqZtw

(INSERT INTRO HERE)

(EPISODE TITLE: BUGGING OUT OF HOME)

"Can't you do anything right?!"

A brunette woman yelled in the ears of a young boy, who had to cover them.

"What did I do now?" he asked, shaking a little.

"Your clothes are all rumpled! And that hat!" She waved her hand in front of her nose to signal 'you stink.' "How can you expect to be a Pokemon trainer if you can't take care of YOURSELF? I'll be back in ten minutes, and you better be presentable! You are an embarrassment!"

Her Mr. Mime used its telekinetic abilities to place an ironing board in front of Ash, before they both left. Ash couldn't stand it anymore. His mom couldn't be pleased, no matter what.

"Mr. Mime, what is THIS?!" He heard her shout from the hallway.

Ash had had enough. He was going to get his first Pokemon, somehow. Professor Oak had already given away his starters, but he could still go to Unova or Kalos. They wouldn't be giving out their starters for at least a few days. Unova seemed like a better alternative, since it was said to be farther from the other regions. Personally, he didn't care how far he had to go, anywhere was better than here. He quietly opened his window, and then jumped out, landing on the grass. Mr. Mime seemed to be on lookout, as per usual. He ran to the other side, and rushed out of his home...into an invisible wall, courtesy of said Mr. Mime. He turned around, looking for a way out, when he spotted Gary Oak, his childhood friend.

A smile formed on Ash's face as Mr. Mime was forced to let down the invisible barriers in order for Gary to pass through. He had to go now. He was running out of time. He whipped out a map from his backpack and started heading the direction of Viridian City. Professor Oak had always gone there for flights to other regions.

"Hey, you can't go through tall grass without a Pokemon!" someone shouted at him, but he didn't listen. His mother was scarier than any wild Pokemon. By now, she had probably searched all around the house and found out he was gone.

He was growing increasingly tired, but he didn't stop for even a second. Otherwise, he would die, whether it be from the hands of his mother or the flock of Spearow he had heard about. He then tripped and rolled down a cliff, crashing into an orange-haired girl.

"I-I'm sorry, miss..." Ash stammered.

"Misty!" the girl finished for him, getting up and extending a hand to him. He took it, and she hoisted him up. "Would you like some carrot soup? It might be a little spicy, but it's not too overwhelming."

"Sure! Give me a minute!" He went behind a tree and grabbed a thermos from his bag, and then spare clothes. He came out a minute later, now wearing a hat with a backwards curvy "L" on the front, a dark green undershirt with a blue and white jacket covering it. Its yellow pockets were inside out. His pants were light blue, and his shoes were black and white with a red circle on each one. He had gotten the outfit on his sixth birthday as a gift, but it was too big for him at the time. Now, it was a perfect fit. He figured that no one would recognize him as long as he put his shirt above the marks on his cheeks, but he couldn't do that at all times.

Misty poured some soup on the thermos he had opened. He thanked her and ran off.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Misty called out after him.

"I have to go now, bye!" Ash responded without looking back.

Suddenly, a pair of claws grabbed his shirt from behind and hoisted him into the air. Next to him was Misty, also in the air. Ash yelled when he saw what was forcing them upward: A pair of large, brown stag beetles barely bigger than them, each of them having two spiked horns on their heads.

"Let us go!" Ash wailed, flailing and kicking the air.

Misty winked at him. "You won't be able to get there by foot! Where are you going, anyway?"

Ash hesitated for a moment. He was originally going to say Viridian City, which is where he was originally going, but his mother would probably see him there, as it was the next major location after their town of Pallet. "Vermilion City."

"Hang on to your hat - " Ash took the literal approach and pressed his hat onto his head. "cause here we GO!"

The two creatures, without warning, made a sharp turn and flew right. Ash yelled for a few minutes, until he realized what was at stake.

"You never did tell me your name." Misty glanced at him.

"Copper."

"Nice to meet you!"

Before Ash knew it, they had arrived at the location. Ash stepped on solid ground and looked up at Misty, who was still hovering. "Thanks so much!"

"It's nothing." Misty followed him to the nearby airport as Ash set up reservations. His plane would take off in thirty minutes. "Where are you going from here?"

"I've decided I'll go to the Kalos region, and be a Pokemon Master." Ash took a sip of his thermos.

"Cool! I want to be a master of bug-types, myself!" Misty admitted. "Though I don't like battling as much as my sisters." She looked at Ash's belt, before setting her backpack on the bench and taking out a glass container with a colored egg. "I want you to have this."

"Really?" Ash asked, in awe. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Misty smiled at him.

Tears formed in Ash's eyes as he rushed towards her. Misty put a hand in front of her to stop him. "BUT." Ash stopped immediately at her voice. "You have to tell me all about Viola, and about all of the cool bug types you find!"

"Viola's the bug type gym leader of Kalos, right?" Ash asked for clarification.

Misty nodded.

The two of them embraced each other, when a booming voice yelled through the speakers, "ALL FLIGHT 719 PASSENGERS, PLEASE CLIMB ABOARD."

"Goodbye, Misty." Ash said in tears.

"Hope I'll be seeing you around, Cooper." Misty said, giving him her Holo Caster contact information.

"I don't have a Holo Caster," Ash told her quietly, blushing under her gaze. "I do have a Pokegear, though." He rolled his left sleeve to show off a dull, grey wristwatch. His mother was too cheap to buy him anything better than a Pokegear. He never found a use for it, since his friends were all nearby, and it didn't have the amazing features that the other, newer contact devices had.

Misty stifled a laugh. "Those went out of style five years ago! But I guess I'll dust off my old one and call you." She removed the egg from the container and placed it in his hand, before walking away.

"Wait!" Ash got her attention. For all she had done to him, he could at least repay her in some way, no matter how small. He stared into her eyes, and then smiled at her.

"Call me Ash."

Misty's jaw flew open.

"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."

VOICE ACTOR ADDITIONS:

M. Sycamore: Nicholas DiMichele
M. Professor Oak: Mike Macfarland
M. Kalos Pokedex: Jhonen Vasquez

(INSERT INTRO HERE)

(EPISODE TITLE: The Starter of Ash's Journey)

(CHAPTER 2)

Between Ash's fear of a plane crash and his dislike of loud noises, the plane ride was less-than-pleasant. He had been watching the Champion's League matches on the TV in front of him. The current match was Cynthia vs. Alder, two known champions. He imagined himself in Alder's place, battling Cynthia's fierce Garchomp. He never got to see the conclusion, because the plane boarded on the huge Lumiose City. He was in the Kalos region! All he had to do was Ash took the egg from the seat next to him and stepped down the plane.

He had to admit that he was a bit nervous in the big city. It was nothing like his town of Pallet. But he had to put his fear aside if he wanted to start a journey. He looked at his Pokegear for the map, but it didn't update and still showed the map of the Kanto region, so he asked a nearby boy for directions to the Professor's lab, following the path he was told to go in. Eventually, he found himself in front of a building that looked more like a fancy hospital than a laboratory.

"Did I go the wrong way?" he asked himself, knocking on the door.

No answer.

The door slightly creaked open with one more bang on it. He slowly crept into the dimly lit room, slowly approaching the elevator. His finger jammed the button with an "up" arrow on top of it, but nothing happened.

"I can fix that!" declared a voice from... above him?!

A blonde boy in a light blue jumpsuit landed on the ground above him, nailing the landing perfectly. He traced his finger in a circle around the button, then pressed it. The elevator miraculously opened.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Ash asked him.

"Call it magic," the boy joked. "Now let's go - Bonnie! I thought I told you to stay behind!"

Behind them was a little girl with her blonde hair in a side ponytail. She wore pajamas in the shape of a dinosaur-like Pokemon. Ash couldn't remember if it was Tyrunt or Tyrantrum, though.

"I was lonely in the gym alone. Heliolisk won't play with me!" she whined.

The boy sighed. "I guess it can't be helped." The three of them headed into the elevator, and Clemont pressed the button that would take them into the next floor.

"I'm Clemont, and this is my sister, Bonnie," the blond male introduced.

"My name's Ash Ketchum," Ash began slowly. "From Pallet Town."

Clemont and Bonnie's mouths gaped open. "That far?" Bonnie asked.

Ash nodded slowly, looking away from their stares.

"Shh." Clemont covered Bonnie's eyes as the door opened. Ash was treated to the most horrible sight of his life. A Pikachu was trapped inside a glass container, which was attached to a rusty machine. Electricity was being forced out of Pikachu and into the machine. It was screaming in agony, unable to do anything about its predicament. Three Poke Balls were also attached to the machine. The person making this all happen was...

"Professor Sycamore..." Ash whispered to himself, still unable to believe what he saw. He wanted to get out of here, but he didn't want to leave Pikachu behind. What could he do? He didn't even have any Pokemon, which was why he was here in the first place. This was far more than he bargained for.

Ash and Clemont watched as Professor Sycamore whipped out a Pokedex and pointed it at the three unopened Poke Balls. "Protean. Bulletproof. Magician." a mechanical voice said from the device, which was then pointed at Pikachu. "Lightning Rod."

Clemont led Ash and Bonnie behind an empty desk, and Ash began dialing the police on his Pokegear.

"Officer Jenny? Someone's performing experiments on Pokemon." He wanted to say who it was, but didn't think anyone will believe him. "Professor Sycamore's lab, Lumiose City."

"Great job, Ash," Clemont praised. "We'll need to stall him until the police forces come." He tapped a button on his Poke Ball and called forth a dusty rabbit-like Pokemon. "Bunnelby, I'll need you to use Mud Shot to clog up the machinery."

Bunnelby formed mud between its ears and hurled bombs of it at the machine, stopping it in its place. Pikachu stopped yelling in pain.

"All right, you get Pikachu, and I'll get the rest." Clemont ordered, as he and his Pokemon ran towards the professor, and with its ears, punched him to a wall, before then using mud to stick him to it. Clemont and Bunnelby separated the three Poke Balls from the machine, while Ash gave his egg to Bonnie to hold and kicked the glass that Pikachu was trapped in. Pikachu crawled towards Ash's shoulder.

"Ash, I think Pikachu's taken a liking to you," Bonnie remarked, coming into the scene.

Professor Sycamore spat mud from his mouth, which split to reveal a shrunk Poke Ball being covered. His foot tapped the middle of it, and out came a Garchomp, just like the one Ash saw on TV earlier. It brandished its claws, ready to slice through them at Professor Sycamore's command. Everyone that wasn't the renowned Kalos professor shrunk in fear. They didn't have ANYTHING that could stand up to that! Professor Sycamore would probably be done with them before the police ever came.

"Kill them," he said venomously.

Clemont put his arms out, standing in front of Bonnie in a protective stance. "I won't let this madman touch you." he assured her, as Garchomp's claw was covered in draconic energy, before it attempted to slice through Clemont. Clemont crouched down and let Bonnie get on his back, before he jumped over the attack, then bounced off Garchomp's head, and landed behind him. A spiraling whirlpool formed around the Dragon Pokemon's tail, which smacked Clemont on the ground, then continued to hit Bunnelby and Pikachu.

"Bunnelby!"

"Pikachu!"

Ash didn't know what had come over him, but he felt all of his fears mysterious vanish as a beam of energy that had formed in the land shark's mouth headed straight towards Pikachu. He ran in front of the attack to take it, bracing himself for the pain that would follow. He didn't feel anything... had the attack missed? No... an ethereal, floating pumpkin creature had gotten in front of it at the last second, a green shield protecting everyone.

"Everyone, give it all you've got!" a deep voice boomed from on top of Ash. A cat with a charm on top of its head hopped off of him, extended its claws, and scratched its face multiple times. "Hurry, before it recovers from its Hyper Beam!"

Clemont tossed all three of the Poke Balls into the air, revealing the three Kalos starters. One was a light blue frog with foamy bubbles around its neck, another was an upright porcupine with hard protective headgear, and the last one was a cream colored fox with fire-shaped fur coming from its ears.

"Pumpkaboo, Shadow Ball to the face!" a classy female voice said. Its owner was a woman with oddly-shaped magenta hair, a white blouse and dress, and long black boots. Her blouse had the letter "R" on it.

"Inkay, Psybeam. Same spot." a suave male voice followed up on the woman's order. He had lavender hair, and was wearing a male version of the female's outfit.

A glob of ghostly energy and a psychic wave both struck Garchomp's face. Clemont ordered the Kalos starters to use their best elemental attacks on it. Pikachu even joined in, even though its electric attacks had no effect. As if on cue, Ash's egg began to glow.

"It's about to hatch!" Bonnie pointed out, handing it to him, as the egg did just what she said. What came out was a brown moth with white fur on its upper body that formed a mask around its blue eyes. On the bottom of its body were six stubby legs. Five fiery horns emerged from its fur.

Ash admired his new Pokemon for a second, but the cat's deep voice yelled, "RUN!", breaking his thoughts.

Garchomp had recovered and was using debris and trash from the building to create a makeshift sandstorm. Everyone jumped out of the broken windows, Clemont grabbing a few stones and tossing them to the dirt below. Ash held on tightly to Pikachu and his newly hatched Pokemon. They landed on the cold, hard ground, but it felt more like a trampoline.

"Huh?" Ash asked confused.

Police sirens sounded off in everyone's ears as dozens of motorcycles and police cars surrounded the building. It didn't look good for Professor Sycamore and his Garchomp. They pointed guns at him.

"Freeze!" the lead officer demanded, but before any of them could even pull a trigger, Sycamore and Garchomp took off like a jet unable to be stopped.

"We're sorry, we tried our best!" the cat yelled, on his knees.

"It's okay, you gave it your all," the officer insisted, calming him down. "Which one of you is Ash Ketchum?"

Ash raised his hand meekly.

"You did a great job!" She placed a hand on his hat.

"Me? I couldn't do anyt - "

"You brought us here, didn't you?" she interrupted. "We had been getting reports about his mad experiments for years, but without proof to back them up, they were dismissed as false. Now we know the truth, and will be better prepared for the future. Though... you don't have a Holo Caster?"

Ash looked down. This was the second time he had been asked a similar question. "No..."

"It's alright!" Clemont put an arm around his shoulder. "I can show you around the way, and tell you everything you need to know. It'll be just like magic!"

Ash was completely lost in his thoughts. He had been so helpless. What would have happened if no one else had been there? He had cast aside his fears, but he still sucked. He couldn't be that helpless again.

Clemont gave the three Poke Balls containing the starters to Officer Jenny and told her what the professor's Pokedex said about them.

"Are you two coming?" Bonnie asked. .

"Of course!" Ash and Clemont cried out, running after her.

Clemont laughed. "I never knew you to be so excitable!" He then turned to the Kanto native. "So, I don't usually allow new trainers to battle me, but you show promise. How would you like to battle me after we register you?" Clemont offered to Ash.

"I'm not sure about that..." Ash answered honestly. He had just came here, and he was expected to battle someone with much more experience?

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Bonnie insisted.

"Sure, I guess." Ash gave in after a while.

"Then it's settled! To the Pokemon Center!" Clemont shouted, taking off in a flash. He was nowhere to be found, so Bonnie had to lead Ash there.

"Oh, brother," she grumbled with a slight smile on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who did you say was there?"

Professor Sycamore's Holo Caster showed a hologram of an elderly, old man.

"He said his name was Ash, I think." Professor Sycamore replied. "I almost took him out, along with the Lumiose Gym Leader, but then... those wretched heroes of justice had to interfere!" He was fuming.

"No worries," the other man assured him. "I'll let Delia take care of him."

VOICE ACTOR ADDITIONS:

Giovanni: Dameon Clarke

(INSERT INTRO HERE)

(EPISODE TITLE: An Electrifying Struggle)

(CHAPTER 3)

"Heroes of Justice, reporting for duty!"

On a large screen was a middle-aged man who managed to look classy in an orange suit, somehow. Even though he had a sleeping Persian curled up in his lap, he still looked scary to the average person.

"What's the status report?" the man asked the three.

The two humans told him everything that had happened before, their talking cat getting little input in-between. After they were finished, Giovanni smiled at them.

"Good work, you three. I have a new mission for you..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You should really try out the cafe. Maybe we can go there after your battle!" Bonnie gushed, as Pikachu jumped on her head. She didn't seem to mind at all.

"Yeah... I'm really psyched!" Ash declared, sounding way more excited than he was.

"It's over there!" Bonnie pointed to the right, before she and Ash entered a large building with two Poke Ball symbols: One on the door, another above it on the Pokemon Center itself. They didn't see Clemont anywhere.

Bonnie sighed. "He must be already at the gym. I'll wait for you on the bench."

Ash said nothing as he approached the nurse and placed his two Pokemon on the desk separating him from the pink-haired nurse.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center! I'll take your Pokemon for a few seconds." the lady told him, as she took them to a room. Less than a minute later, she came back out with his Pokemon looking fresher than ever.

"Your Pikachu and Larvesta are in perfect condition! I've also assigned you with the trainer ID of 71913. Here, your new Pokedex!" Nurse Joy handed it to him, and he admired it for a few seconds. "Just go to the Poke Mart next to me, and they'll give you a few Poke Balls to start off! I hope to see you again!" she said, as Larvesta crawled back into Ash's arms, while Pikachu got back on Bonnie's head.

"Thanks a lot for everything, and I hope to see you, too!" Ash greeted back, as he got five Poke Balls from the nearby Poke Mart and exited the Pokemon Center. 'So that Pokemon that just hatched is Larvesta.'

Bonnie led him to a large lighthouse.

"I thought were going to the gym?" Ash questioned.

"We are coming in!" Bonnie said, misinterpreting his confusion, as they entered it.

The inside of the gym looked almost like an empty disco room with a giant elevator on top. The two of them used the elevator to get to the next floor, where they were treated to a screen depicting a silhouette of a Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu looked at it curiously.

"That's one of the quiz questions that challengers have to answer, but since Clemont gave you special permission, we can skip those," Bonnie explained to him, before they took a few more elevators, making it all the way to the top floor. It was basically a large battlefield with line tracings on the ground.

Clemont frowned at the two of them. "What took you two so long?"

"Sorry, we - " Ash began to apologize.

"It's fine!" Clemont cut him off. "Larvesta and Pikachu are your only two Pokemon, correct?"

"Yes," Ash quietly answered.

"All right, then this will be a two on two battle with Bonnie as the referee!" Clemont announced, extending an arm to his little sister, who had started her refereeing almost as soon as Clemont finished.

"This battle ends when all of the Pokemon on both sides are unable to battle! Clemont will get the first move!" she yelled, bowing. "Good luck to both teams!"

Clemont got out a Poke Ball and did an overhand toss. "Helioptile, come on out!" He sent out a small lizard with large blue eyes and yellow and black colors.

Ash took out his Pokedex and pointed it at Helioptile. A robotic voice echoed these words: "Helioptile, the Generator Pokemon. They make their home in deserts. They can generate their energy from basking in the sun, so eating food is not a requirement. Type: Electric/Normal."

"What should I use?" Ash asked himself. "Pikachu would be my best choice, but on the other hand, Larvesta has more options. It's so hard... Larvesta, are you ready?" Larvesta made a buzzing sound in return to signify its bravery in the face of battle. Even though it just hatched mere hours ago, it was still courageous. Ash had to be, too. He couldn't let down his Pokemon, not like this.

Ash let Larvesta into the battlefield to face its opponent, but not before scanning its moves. "Ember, String Shot, Flame Charge."

"Helioptile, Wild Charge!" Clemont yelled, and his Pokemon opened its frills and encased itself with electricity, before charging at Larvesta.

'That looks strong!' Ash thought. "Larvesta, Flame Charge around it, then attack from behind!" he countered. He saw Alder use a similar strategy with Larvesta's evolved form (which he forgot the name of) on his plane ride.

Its five horns glowed as flames emerged from them and swirled around it. Then, it rushed towards its opponent in a similar fashion as it was doing but at the last minute, it swerved around the electric attack and struck it from behind.

Ash's heart soared. 'I'm doing it!'

Clemont wasn't deterred, though, "Charge yourself, and then Thundershock."

An orb of lightning formed around Helioptile, and then its ears opened up again as the ball converted into multiple jolts of electricity that were sent towards Larvesta.

"Larvesta, guard with Ember!" Ash yelled urgently, as small fire bullets shot from its horns in a weak attempt to protect it. Helioptile's attack overpowered the weak flames and struck Larvesta.

Without relenting, Clemont made it use another Thundershock attack.

Ash, having no strategy, just watched as Helioptile's frills spread apart once again. "I've got it! Larvesta, String Shot to close its ears!" He hoped it wasn't too late.

Thick strands of string came from its mouth and wrapped around the opponent's frills that it used to generate electricity.

"Now, hang on tight and use Flame Charge!" Larvesta shot off like a fiery rocket again while restraining Helioptile.

"Concentrate a Rain Dance around yourself," Clemont commanded, as an almost solid cloud of mist was sprayed from the lizard's mouth, forming into a rain cloud, which rain fell out of. Larvesta struck it, but the rain severely weakened the attack. The droplets also seemed to be hurting Larvesta. "Hidden Power!"

Without warning, Helioptile shot orbs that were the same color as its eyes from its mouth at the fire bug, the orbs making a watery explosion on impact. Ash stood there in shock as steam formed around the two of them, covering his vision.

"Larvesta, are you up? Use String Shot again!" Ash pleaded desperately, but the steam cleared to reveal Larvesta on the ground, unmoving. "No!" He ran up to it and scooped it up in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Larvesta. Here, take a good rest." He gently tapped its head with a Poke Ball and then went back to his side of the field, noticeably more worried.

"Pikachu, you're up next," he said, not as confident as before.

Pikachu hopped from Bonnie's head and landed in front of Helioptile, who was recalled and replaced with Bunnelby.

Again, Clemont made the first move, "Bunnelby, go for a Rollout attack!" Bunnelby jumped into the air and curled its limbs together, before descending towards Pikachu like a wrecking ball.

"Pikachu, jump back, then use Thunderbolt," Ash instructed his Pokemon, as Pikachu hopped away from the ball form of Bunnelby. Pikachu then prepared to shock it, but it uncurled and gathered some mud with its ear, before slapping it on Pikachu's face, blinding it. The electric type stopped its attack to wipe its eyes, which gave Clemont more than enough time to have his Pokemon shake up the arena with an Earthquake. That one move was enough to take down Pikachu, and Ash's spirits with it.

"Both of Ash's Pokemon have been rendered unable to battle at the moment," Bonnie announced, trying not to sound too harsh. "Clemont is the victor!"

Ash picked up Pikachu from the ground and slowly cradled it. He prepared to place it in a Poke Ball, but it shook its head.

"All right, let's just go," he whispered.

"Ash!" Clemont called, he and Bonnie approaching him. "Great match!"

"You did pretty good out there," Bonnie added.

"Yeah, thanks," Ash replied, wanting nothing more than to escape their lies. Without hesitation, he rushed into the elevator, forgetting that they were going to go with him. The elevator ride seemed to take forever to get to the first floor, but he finally got there. He ran to the Pokemon Center, bumping into a few people along the way. "Excuse me! Sorry!" he had said to each of them.

He quickly zoomed to Nurse Joy and gave her his two felled Pokemon. "Lost... a battle... please hurry!" he panted between his words, trying to hold back the tears forming in his eyes.

'Larvesta, Pikachu, I really let you down, huh?' he was lost in his thoughts again. 'If you had a better trainer, maybe you could have actually had a chance. Maybe...'

"Ash!" he heard two familiar voices yell out to him. He didn't have to look to know who they were. "Ash?"

He didn't even bother to respond. Bonnie got in front of him and tilted his head up. He forced a laugh out. "Ahahahaha!"

"Your Pokemon are fully healed!" Nurse Joy cut in, and Clemont went to get them for him. The two siblings sat on the bench next to him.

"Ash, I meant what I said before, it was a good battle," Clemont assured him.

"Then explain why I lost so badly!" Ash snapped, shocked at himself. Where had this venom come from? He hung his head down.

"Ash... no one cares if you're the worst trainer in the Kalos region or the best," Bonnie began. "Why, Clemont used to lose all the time! His first battle only lasted about ten seconds!"

Clemont blushed. "Bonnie!" he put a hand over her mouth. "Remember when I told you most challengers need four badges to even enter my gym?"

"Yes, but why me? You could have chosen anyone else," Ash responded.

"That's right, but I chose you instead," Clemont continued. "Because I saw potential in you that even most of my best challengers didn't have. You're the one we're traveling with, and all of the losses in the world won't change that. Your Pokemon don't seem to care, either." He pointed to Pikachu, who was still curled up in Ash's arms.

"Win or lose, you're still the Ash we befriended!" Bonnie finished with a smile.

Ash let out a laugh, this time a genuine one. "Thanks so much!"

Before the trio left, another Nurse Joy cut them off. Ash looked around, "Huh? But you were just - I need help! I see two Nurse Joys!"

The second Nurse Joy laughed at him. "Ash, that's her cousin of Snowbelle!" Clemont told him.

"Oh..." Ash said, embarrassed, as Clemont was given three Poke Balls. "Since Professor Sycamore wasn't available, I'm giving out the Kalos starters instead!" She sent them out for everyone to see. Weirdly, the only people in the Pokemon Center at the moment were Ash, the siblings, and the two nurses.

"Why don't you go first?" Bonnie offered Ash.

"That's really nice of you!" Clemont said with a wide smile. He seemed to want to go first.

Ash quickly made his choice. "I choose Froakie!" he declared, making it croak in excitement.

"Looks like I'm up next, Chespin's mine!" Clemont said, quickly taking Chespin and its ball.

"Well, that leaves only Fennekin." The nurse seemed to be contemplating. "I normally wouldn't give out a Pokemon to someone so young, but since you're the only one here, I guess that means - "

"Outta the way!" a rough, feminine voice yelled from behind her. They all looked to see a girl with long brunette hair, sunglasses covering her eyes, a black tanktop, a red dress, thigh-high socks that matched her top, and shoes with a pink Poke Ball symbol on each side. Ash's jaw dropped open at the sight of her.

"It can't be..." he said to himself, as the girl gazed upon him.

"What are ya lookin' at?!" she shouted at him, before her expression softened. She slowly approached him, taking off her sunglasses for everyone to see her light blue eyes. She, like Ash, was at a loss for words.

"S-Se..." he stammered, before eventually finding his voice. "Serena?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't believe this!" The male Hero of Justice kicked a nearby rock. "I can't believe I have to work with Biff!"

"James, calm down! Be glad you didn't get stuck with Cassidy! She thinks she's so perfect!" James's partner flew into a rage uncharacteristic of her demeanor.

"Look on the bright side, Jessie, at -"

"If you two are done, can you get me down from this tree?" interrupted a voice from above.

The two looked up to see Meowth on a high branch, holding its trademark coin. They usually got angry at him whenever he got himself into trouble (getting stuck on a tree was the most common), but it seemed like nothing compared to what Giovanni was having them do.

"Our last moment of peace..." Jessie cried, as she and James scaled the tree and sat on the branch that the cat was on. James grabbed Meowth, and just as he did, the branch broke off. Jessie and James cried in horror as they landed on the hard ground, Meowth landing on top of James's head.

"...or the beginning of the end of our lives." James groaned.

"Thanks, you guys! Say, since you two are splitting up, where does that leave me?" Meowth wondered aloud.

(INSERT INTRO HERE)

(EPISODE TITLE: Serene Memories Reborn (alt. title: Dusting the Ashes Off))

(CHAPTER 4)

"Ash? Ash Ketchum?!" The girl seemed just as flabbergasted as he was. She leaned forward, inspecting him very closely. "Oh... it really is you!"

Before anyone could react, Ash was embraced into a tight hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around her back, returning the favor to her.

"Just like back at camp, huh?" she whispered softly.

"Yeah..." he responded back, even more quietly, as if he didn't want it to be brought up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little boy was lost in the woods, trying to find his way back to the camp entrance. He was scared and lonely. Each step he took only seemed to get him further into trouble. He knew he shouldn't have tried to find the treasure on his own. Now Gary would probably think he was an idiot, and the others -

As if his day couldn't get worse, a loud buzzing sound rang in his ears. He tried to cover them, but could barely move his muscles. From behind a tree emerged a large, winged bug about a few times his size. The lime green creature sharpened the scythes on its arms as it flew to him.

He mustered up all of the strength that he could and made a run for it, but the bug quickly caught up with him.

Out of options, all he could do was cry for help as it prepared to slice him. The pain that he had been preparing himself for never came.

A cry of pain was heard, but not from the boy. Ash dared to open his eyes to see a young girl about his age with a red and white sphere in one hand, and a rock in the other. The creature now gave its full attention on her, preparing to slice her up.

"Watch out! Run! Move! Get away!" the frightened boy pleaded desperately.

Not acknowledging him, she tossed the stone at its left wing, swerving it off balance and causing it to crash just in front of her.

"SCYYYYYY....!" Its threat was interrupted as the other object that its enemy was holding was hurled at it. It opened up and converted the bug into light blue energy, which got sucked into the ball.

The tension in the air grew thicker as the ball dropped to the ground and shook wildly. To Ash's surprise, it stopped moving altogether after about ten seconds. Without fear, the girl picked it up and prepared to leave, when the teary boy caught her in a hug from behind.

"Thank you so much!" he cried profusely.

She hugged him back briefly, before letting go. "Let's go back." She picked up the ball she had used to catch the creature. "I hope I can use it now."

Their arms now linked together, the two of them headed back to the camp. Ash's savior was the first to break the silence.

"Your name's Ash, right?" she asked him.

"Yes," he answered.

"Gary told me." She turned to him. "I'm Serena."

From there, they struck up a conversation and became the best of friends. They didn't see each other often, but when they did, they seized each moment.

After a year, Serena's mother told them the worst news ever: Serena had to move!

Serena was in shock when she heard the news, while Ash was in tears. Their mothers took them to the park together. They tried to enjoy it as much as they could, knowing they were spending their last moments together. When the pickup truck came, Ash and Serena shared one final hug, not letting go of each other. Nothing could keep them apart!

"Don't let go!" Serena sobbed, holding on tighter to him.

It seemed like their mothers had given up trying to pull them apart, but the kids still kept their guards up. A few minutes later, Ash fell asleep in her arms, making it easier for Delia to take him away. Serena was carried to the truck as she cried all the way to her destination.

Ash would wake up hours later, quickly putting two and two together. He had gotten over it after a few days, but he had spent some nights still wondering if Serena thought about him, or if she had completely moved on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ash had to hold back a tear from the sorrowful memory that he had nearly forgotten about after so long, and seeing her again brought up all sorts of emotions. He was elated to be reunited with her again, he was sad that they had gone so long without seeing each other, and as silly as it sounded, he was a bit angry with himself for having fallen asleep.

"Hey, don't go cryin' now! I'm here, aren't I?" she soothed him.

Ash sniffed, and tightened his hold a little.

"You can leggo anytime!" Serena yelled in a rough voice.

He prepared to do so, but then saw the sad look on her face as he was about to release his hold. Instead, he looked directly at her. "Maybe not today..."

"We got a lotta catchin' up ta do," Serena reminded him with a grin. "Nurse Joy, I'm here for Fennekin!"

"I asked first!" Bonnie screeched. "Ash, who is this?"

"Did you not lis'n?" Serena scowled at her. "It's Serena!"

The Joy that was assigning the starter Pokemon faced Serena. "By law, since you're a registered Pokemon trainer already, Fennekin goes to you."

Bonnie hung her head as Serena's new starter jumped on her head. Froakie did the same to Ash. Clemont put an arm on Bonnie's shoulder. "You can use my Chespin at any time."

"Thank you," Bonnie responded, yawning.

"I think we could all use some rest after the day we had," Clemont pointed out, going to the desk where the other Nurse Joy was and ordering two rooms. He then took Bonnie to one of them to put her to sleep.

"So, how did you get here?" Serena wanted to know.

"Well..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, here's the plan..." James smirked as he took out a tablet. "This baby's going to lead us to Sycamore. Right now, he's heading to Lumiose City." Map blueprints appeared on the screen, and a red dot appeared near the center. "So, we'll head to the Lumiose Cafe, sign a few autographs, and then take him by surprise. What do you say?"

"On missions, I go by 'Agent B'!" Butch whined.

"Whatever you say... Butch." James ignored him, sneaking around the various bug Pokemon of Santalune's thick forest.

Butch fumed, reluctantly following him. "Why can't we just use our jet packs?"

"Well - " James was cut off by a couple of youngsters surrounding the two of them, pens in hand. "Sign my Poke Ball!"

They were flooded with all sorts of weird requests. One even asked him to sign her family Furfrou, who made its displeasure known by roaring fiercely at her.

"I told you we should have just flown," Butch grumbled, after signing a Pokedex with 'Agent B'. "That's a good few minutes we've lost..."

Ten minutes later, they were finally gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Remind we why we're following him again?" Cassidy asked, pointing to a figure in a thick, black cloak.

Jessie turned to her with a smile. "Oh, Cassidy. Have you really forgotten what the boss told youfive minutes ago? Here, let me remind you. We have to follow that cloaked figure, so he can lead us to his HQ."

Cassidy seemed confused. "I don't see anyone."

"He's right THE - " Jessie pointed to the place where their target was before. "Now look what you've done. Just be quiet and follow me next time."

"Giovanni said we had to work together," Cassidy insisted. "Besides, I think you could use a lighter load."

"Your absence would help with that." Jessie put her hands on her hips.

If Cassidy heard what she said, she didn't show it. "We could always ask around. That guy's the only one with a cloak, so most people are bound to have seen where he went."

Jessie hated to admit it, but she did have a point. She reluctantly followed Cassidy's lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...and so, I was promoted to Team Rocket Elite, and since then I've been a staple of Team Rocket. Oh! I forgot to tell you about the time we raided the Sinnoh region and drove Team Galactic away! I..."

"Why Meowth?" the cat muttered to himself, trying to get to sleep, but the old man was too loud.

(INSERT INTRO HERE - See my updated Q&A if you're curious about it.)

(EPISODE TITLE: The Magic of Super Training)

(CHAPTER 5)

"Santalune City's main attraction for trainers is its gym, which, as you know, is run by Viola," Clemont was explaining to Ash and Serena. "Now would be a good time to get some super training done!"

"Super training?" Ash asked, already wanting a part of it. After all, he had failed twice already.

"It allows Pokemon to hone their skills, as opposed to merely making them stronger, but why don't I actually show you instead of telling you?" Clemont tossed his Poke Balls into the air to reveal his Helioptile, Chespin, and Bunnelby.

Ash eagerly released his Pokemon to the field. Chespin greeted the Pokemon, who then greeted him back (minus Froakie). Serena released Fennekin, as well as a Pokemon that was all too familiar to Ash: Scyther. Bonnie frowned, not having any Pokemon to release.

The moment Scyther was released, Ash, Bonnie, and the rest of the Pokemon (minus Fennekin) all cowered at the sight of it. The fact that it was sharpening its scythes didn't help matters, either.

"Come on! You're not scared of it, are you?" Serena teased them.

Ash faced the Scyther, still visibly shaking. "No." If he couldn't stand up to it, how was he ever going to get better?

Clemont didn't even seem to notice it as he tossed from his backpack more punching bags than he should have been able to fit in there. Eleven of them were lined up in a row by the time he was finished. The Pokemon and humans all lined up in front of each one.

"I... think you have too many bags out," Ash pointed out.

"Actually, it's not enough," contradicted Bonnie.

Ash looked at her for a second, before his jaw dropped. "You mean we're training alongside them!?"

"Good observation!" Clemont explained, confirming his fears. "First up, stamina and strength."

"Where's mine?" Bonnie asked.

"Actually, Bonnie, I have special training for you today." Bonnie's eyes lit up. "You are going to stand here and watch. Patience is a virtue, as they say. You'll also be looking out for the strengths and weaknesses of everyone. You must stay in one place, except when we're changing locations. If you can't sit still during this training session, you've failed."

"Okay, but you should be patient, too," Bonnie replied, not being so sure anymore.

Ash covered his mouth to hold back his laughter, while Serena cackled loudly. Clemont blew a whistle and shut everyone up, signaling them to begin.

"Okay! Larvesta, Flame Charge! Pikachu and Froakie, Quick Attack," Ash commanded, charging at his own training dummy. He rammed into it, but it didn't move. Pikachu and Froakie zipped towards their bags and tackled them, but they didn't even leave dents. Larvesta wreathed itself in flames and attacked his bag, too, leaving a few singe marks. After almost a minute, Larvesta and Froakie were panting. Pikachu was less tired, but its attacks were clearly weakening.

Clemont's Bunnelby punched its bag with its ears multiple times, actually managing to knock it down after a few hits. His Helioptile pounded its target with its long ears a few times, but had little luck, and dug underground, before rising under it to topple the thing over. Chespin seemed hesitant at first, but with Clemont's encouragement, it rammed into the bag, not wanting to disappoint. It had little luck in making it fall over, but it still tried its best. Clemont himself kicked and punched his target.

Serena's Fennekin and Scyther used their Fury Swipes attacks on the bags, always making sure to aim for the same spots. Fennekin fell over after a bit, but Scyther seemed tireless. Distorted, Fennekin aimed a few embers at the object in front of her, but it instead directed to Chespin, who curled into a ball to avoid the worst of it. The grass-type still cried out in pain.

Clemont turned sharply at Serena. "Watch where you're aiming!"

"Watch where you're standing!" Serena shot back.

In retaliation, Chespin rammed into Serena's Fennekin, who was sent flying back from the hit. It landed on all fours and growled at its attacker.

"Ember!"

"Bullet Seed!"

"Fury Swipes!"

"Mud Shot!"

"Stop it!" Ash and Bonnie cried, but no one seemed to hear them.

Attacks and insults were flown in every which direction as Ash and Bonnie tried their best to stop the commotion. Larvesta shook and released wads of string to restrain the two of them and their Pokemon.

Ash and Bonnie slowly walked up to the two of them.

"Please stop fighting," the tear-filled Bonnie pleaded.

Serena looked down at her. "Looks like Ash ain't the only crybaby on this team!"

"I'm not a baby!" Ash insisted.

"Me either!" Bonnie agreed.

Clemont got ready to say something, but then started scratching his back furiously. "Why... do... I... feel... so... itchy...!"

Serena had her Fennekin scratch her arms, while Bonnie rubbed her legs against a nearby training bag. Ash comically grinded his back on the ground. The creatures were all itching, too. Chespin seemed to be getting the worst of it. Suddenly, Bonnie felt a slimy substance on her arm. She squealed and shook it, easily removing it. It squelched itself to reveal a light purple, gooey, slug-like creature with green cheeks.

Ash instantly took an interest in it and consulted his Pokedex. "Goomy, the Soft Tissue Pokémon, and the weakest of all Dragon-types. In order to keep its body moist, Goomy lives in places where it's dark and damp. There are plenty of other Dragon-types in the sea."

Ash looked at his Dex in confusion, wondering when it had developed a sense of humor. He then turned to Goomy, who now wore a tight frown on its cute face. "Doesn't look weak to me. This one's mine! Larvesta, go!"

The fire bug crawled up in front of Ash and awaited its command.

"I guess you have to start somewhere," Serena commented.

Ash ignored her comment as he made the first move. "Larvesta, Bug Buzz!" Red sound waves emitted from its body and transferred to the small dragon Pokemon, hitting it on impact. The Goomy squealed in pain, but stood its ground. "Do it again!" Larvesta repeated its attack on the Pokemon.

Bonnie pointed at the Goomy. "Does that move usually take long?" Indeed, there was a red aura outlined around it, similar to the sound waves of Bug Buzz.

Clemont's jaw dropped. "Ash, watch out for its Bide!"

Ash frantically reached for a Poke Ball. "Whatever that is, we're not having it! Poke Ball, go!" He tossed it at the Goomy, who looked down at the ground. Right before the capsule touched it, it unleashed a large, bright beam of light to the ground to propel itself out of range of the ball. When the attack made impact on the ground, clouds of dust were kicked up, obstructing everyone's view. They all covered their lower faces with their arms as the dust started to get into their noses.

"Scyther, Razor Wind!" Serena said between coughs. Razor-sharp wind blades cut through the dust and got it all out of the way.

Ash looked around for the Goomy, but it had long escaped his grasp. "It got away..." he whispered to himself.

Serena put an arm on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it! There's always next time, right?"

Ash slowly looked into her beautiful, sparkling blue eyes. He had grown to adore her cute smile overtime. Ash wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed earlier, but - NO! What was he thinking? He couldn't think of her that way, they had just reunited yesterday! In fact, he couldn't think of her at all! He had training to do! In the background, Pikachu snickered to himself as it ran off into a nearby path.

"Wait, Pikachu, come back!" Ash cried out, as he ran after it, Serena running alongside him. Bonnie trailed behind them, and the chase was on. Pikachu ran past a bunch of roller skaters, distracting them momentarily. Suddenly, Clemont zipped past everyone and caught Pikachu from the side.

"You've been baaad," Bonnie teased the rodent, as everyone recalled their Pokemon. "Now, since we're on Route 4 anyway, we should be able to make it to Santalune City in the next hour if we keep up the pace."

Ash and Serena were leading the way, reminiscing about the past years.

"...I thought we'd never make it out of Route 1 alive!" Serena exclaimed.

"Yeah! Those Spearow were really gaining on us!" Ash replied. Wasn't as bad as what my mom did...

"But, Ash, I thought you didn't go to Kalos before," Bonnie pointed out.

"I haven't?" Ash answered in puzzlement.

"We're talking about Kanto Route 1, so butt out, nosy!" Serena sharply turned to the young girl.

"You don't have to be so mean!" Bonnie argued.

"Aw, I'm sorry, will you feel better if I get you a glass of mi - oof!" Serena suddenly felt something knock her over. The other three rushed towards her, as well as the girl that tripped the two over. The tanned girl wore a yellow helmet, a white top, black biker shorts, protective gear, and roller skates that matched the colors of the rest of her outfit.

"I'm sorry, miss, are you okay?" Bonnie asked, helping her up.

"Don't be sorry, little girl, it's her that needs to apologize to me." The roller skater gave a quiet growl in Serena's direction.

As Serena was helped up by Ash, she glared at the person facing her. "You're the one who bumped into me! Besides, you were in the way!"

"I was not!" the skater retorted, and the two were reduced to expletives.

"Calida? Where are you?" a voice called from the distance.

"Over here, Roland!" the now named girl called back, now forgetting about her argument with Serena.

A dark-skinned boy skated towards Calida with a Poke Ball in his hand. He wore a white helmet and shirt with turquoise shorts. His shirt had a stripe the same color as his shorts on it. Like Calida, his roller skates matched the colors of his clothing.

"What did you catch?" Calida wanted to know.

"Well, I'd rather show you than tell you," Roland replied to her. "Why don't you see what it can do in battle?"

"Sure." Calida smiled. "But I'd like to take her on first."

"Now we're talking!" Serena agreed. "I'm just dying to show you how powerful I am!"

Roland pointed to Ash. "Meanwhile, I'd like to battle you!"

Ash stepped back. "I'm not really - "

"Come on, Ashy! Make it a double battle!" Serena encouraged him. After thinking about it for a few seconds, Ash agreed to the offer. He just hoped he could actually win this time.

"So, one Pokemon each?" Calida inquired.

Serena tossed the Pokeball containing her Fennekin. "Sounds good to me!"

Roland released a common bird Pokemon that Ash had seen numerous times in Kanto, that being Pidgey. Meanwhile, Calida sent a bird Pokemon that Ash was less familiar with to the field. It was a white robin-like creature with a red-orange head. Ash scanned its image with his Pokedex.

"You're on Route 4 and haven't seen a Fletchling yet?" It gave a robotic sigh. "It is one of the most common Pokemon of the Kalos region."

Ash had first thought to use Pikachu, but then decided that he hadn't trained Froakie enough yet. "Froakie, come on out!"

"Pidgey, Sand-Attack!"

Roland made the first move as his Pidgey flew low above the ground, digging into the ground with its wing. It then whipped up sand at Froakie, who jumped above it on Ash's command and landed on a tree branch.

"Great dodge! Now toss your frubbles!" Ash yelled, and his Froakie dug into its mane of bubbles and tossed them downward. Pidgey and Fletchling easily dodged them and swerved in a helix pattern around each other to try and keep Froakie off guard.

"Redirect your Quick attack to Fennekin!" Was Calida's request.

Fletchling obediently turned to the Fire-typed starter and aimed to attack it.

"Sidestep that move!" Serena shouted.

Fennekin jumped to the side to avoid the incoming attack, but Fletchling made a sharp turn. Fennekin braced itself for impact, though the attack didn't hurt as much as it thought it would. She noted a piece of foam stuck on Fletchling's wing.

"Ember!" Serena commanded, her Fennekin showing no mercy as small balls of fire shot from its open mouth into Fletchling's face at point-blank range, causing singe marks to form on it.

Meanwhile, Pidgey had knocked Froakie down from the tree it was on.

"Froakie, get up!" Ash said, but it didn't move. "No..." he cried in despair. Was he really that weak? He had never been taken down in one hit before. Pidgey turned towards the still standing Fennekin, but that turned out to be a mistake. Froakie miraculously recovered, leaped towards the Pidgey, and pounded it from behind. It crashed on the ground next to its comrade. Ash's heart lit up when he realized that Froakie was pretending to have fainted to give itself more time to recover.

"Pidgey, Gust!" Roland instructed.

True to the attack's name, the Kanto native Pokemon quickly flapped its wings and whipped up a gust of wind to keep Froakie at bay. Ash told his Froakie to growl at Pidgey, which it did. The move didn't scare its opponent completely, but bought Serena's Fennekin enough time to scratch the flier. Meanwhile, Fletchling was still trying to get the frubbles out of its wings.

"Let's finish them together!" Serena declared. "Ember!"

"Bubble!" Ash added.

Two more attacks lived up to their given names as bubbles and embers of fire were spewed from the users' mouths and hit the two Flying-types to finish them off. Roland and Calida were slack-jawed, having watched their Pokemon fall.

Meanwhile, Ash was beside himself with happiness. His first double battle with Serena, and they won!

Serena recalled her Fennekin. "Too easy. Like I said, you were no match." She smirked at Calida for good measure.

"I won... we won..." It took moments for the realization to really sink in. "...WE DID IT!" he cheered, picking up his tearful Froakie and jumping for joy. Froakie seemed pretty happy about winning, too.

"Great battle!" Roland told Ash, who thanked him in return while rubbing the back of his head with the hand that wasn't holding Froakie. They then shook hands, with Froakie trying to join in.

Calida folded her arms. "You win one battle, and suddenly you think you're the greatest? Give me a break! Come on, Roland, let's go." Before skating away, she waved at Bonnie, who waved back at her.

"Bye, everyone!" Roland shouted, and then followed Calida.

The quartet then continued their journey. Serena looked at Ash. "This reminds me of the time I saved you back in camp."

Ash smiled at the memory. "To think, if I hadn't been forced to go, I would never have met you."

"Maybe I should get Scyther to chase you again to better replicate that moment!" Serena joked.

"Uh... no thanks," Ash said nervously.

"Relax, Ashy! I was kidding! Besides, I would have saved you!" Serena assured him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While not nearly as impressive as Lumiose City, the city of Santalune was still beautiful in its own right. The plants surrounding the city and its buildings were all neatly trimmed. A few bugs nested on them, further pushing the image of the city with the bug-type gym leader. Just as the sign said, the city was traditional, not doing much to stand out, but then it didn't need to.

They went to the Pokemon Center to heal up their Pokemon, and Clemont gave his sister money to buy candy at the Poke Mart. Minutes later, they met in front of a large, green building with street lights in front of the entrance.

"Are you two ready for the gym?" Bonnie asked Ash and Serena.

"You kidding? I was born ready!" Serena answered.

"As expected from you," Clemont remarked, chuckling to himself.

"What about you, Ash?" Bonnie gave him her full attention.

"Of course! I won't lose!" He was feeling a lot more confident than before since he won his first battle alongside Serena. "Okay, Viola, ready or not, I'm here for my badge!"

Additional Notes:

Yes, Calida and Roland are based on nobodies, see here: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Kalos_Route_4

If you have any questions pertaining to the story, be sure to drop one in my Q&A!

~~~

(INSERT INTRO HERE)

(EPISODE TITLE: A Picture Perfect Moment of Glory! - Tentative Title)

(CHAPTER 6)

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Screams of fear filled the Santalune Gym.

Ash and Serena were treated to the most horrible sights of their lives... things that shouldn't even be in a gallery, or any gym, for that matter! The photos hung on the walls were filled with scary images of bug Pokemon zoomed in, the absolute worst one being that of a gross closeup shot of a Beedrill's eye.*

The two of them held on to each other in fear, and laughter rang in their ears. They turned around to see Clemont and Bonnie pointing and laughing at them.

"You should have seen yourselves!" Clemont exclaimed, between fits of laughter. "You were so scared!"

"I bet Viola heard that!" Bonnie howled, tears leaking out of her eyes. "They..." She then rolled on the ground."

"Okay, you've had your fun, now let's go!" Ash yelled loudly at them.

"Alright, alright, we're going." Clemont stopped laughing for a moment, but then couldn't help himself and fell to the ground.

"We don't have time for this," an irritated Serena complained, grabbing onto a rope that was dangling over a pitfall in the middle of the room. Ash shook in fear as he looked down to see a giant cobweb that was probably supposed to be the ground.

"Serena!" he cried in worry, as she landed on the center, which wiggled up and down. She gazed up at him and smiled.

"It's safe!"

"Alright, if you say so." Ash still wasn't sure, but tightly grabbed the rope, wrapping his arms and legs around it. Turning his head towards the blond siblings, he called, "So long! Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Slowly but surely, he slipped down the rope, stepped one foot on the web, and then fully stood on it. It wobbled a bit, but Serena managed to steady him.

Serena noticed that some of the silk threads were thicker and brighter than others. She stepped on a thin web thread to her right to see what would happen, and it crumbled, then had Ash step on a thick one to his left. It withstood his weight. Their eyes darted around the gym to see which strings were safe.

"So, I guess we're going in a spiral with a few alternate paths," Ash noted, making some finger movements.

"Alright, go for it then!" Serena pushed him towards the path that he pointed at. He had almost tripped, but managed to regain his balance. Every few seconds, they heard what sounded like a camera shutter sound effect.

Meanwhile, Bonnie and Clemont were making their way down. Bonnie had lost her grip and fell on Serena. The web, again, seesawed up and down. Ash had to lie on the thread he was standing on and hold on to it until it stopped.

Bonnie quickly got up. "Sorry, Ash!" She then looked down at her dress to see sticky wads of silk stuck to it. "Ew!"

"What about me?" Serena snapped at the small girl. "I'm the one you landed on!"

Bonnie's eyes widened and her lips pursed, as if about to cry, but Clemont comforted his sister, and carried her up on his back. Serena scoffed at them and turned to Ash, who had recovered and had nearly made it to the area that looked almost like a large photo booth with curtains wrapped around it. Cameras were plastered everywhere. It was the size of an average battlefield, almost as big as the ones Ash had seen on TV.

As he stepped on the wooden floor, he felt a vibration in his backpack. At first, he thought it was his Pokedex, but that was in his pocket. It was only then that he remembered his Pokegear. He quickly took it out to see Misty's name on it. She had called at the perfect time, as she loved bugs.

"Hello? Misty?" Ash answered, putting the device to his ear.

"Ash! I was wondering if you'd ever pick up! I was worried about you!" Misty told him. "Where are you in Kalos? How is the egg? Did it hatch? Did you give it a nickname? Did you catch any other Pokemon? Are you traveling alone?" Her last question was laced with worry.

"Whoa, slow down there, I can't keep up!" Ash sweat-dropped. "You're going to love this: I'm in Santalune City, and I'm about to take on the gym! The egg hatched into a Larvesta without a nickname! My other Pokemon are a Pikachu, and a Froakie. I'm traveling with a friend of mine I met in a camp years ago, a gym leader, and his little sister! Uh, Misty? You still there?"

She laughed in the background. "And you were telling me to slow down! What's the interior of the gym like?"

"You're not gonna believe it." Ash tried to find the right words to describe it without it sounding too unbelievable.

"Who is that?" Bonnie wondered, as Ash started to describe what he saw.

"He said the name 'Misty', but as far as I know, she doesn't use a Pokegear," Clemont informed her.

"...And that's pretty much it! I don't see Viola anywhere..." Ash concluded.

"Over here!" a young adult-sounding female voice called from the opposite side, moving from her place behind a large camera tripod. The sandy blonde beauty was wearing a white blouse exposing part of her stomach, dark green pants with white cuffs, and black boots. Her dark green eyes glinted at Ash, and with a bright smile, said, "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt anything." She had a small camera strapped around her arm, and another, larger one around her neck. The big one had a Poke Ball on the lens.

"Gotta go! I'll catch ya later!" Ash said to Misty, ending the call and placing it back in his backpack.

"So, my gallery didn't scare you out of your wits, huh?" Viola taunted.

"Nope!" Ash's expression became more focused.

"Oh, really?" Viola took out a picture from her pocket and showed it off to him. It displayed Ash and Serena holding each other.

"H-Hey, how'd you ge - "

Ash's cries were overshadowed by Serena's. "WHEN THIS IS OVER, I'LL COME OVER THERE AND RIP YOU APART!"

Viola turned at the direction where she heard her voice. "Clemont! Bonnie! I didn't see you two!"

"Good evening, Miss Viola," Bonnie recited, dipping her head down.

"Sure is nice seeing you here!" Clemont exclaimed, a slight blush on his face.

"Why wouldn't I be at my own gym?" Viola gave him an amused smile, and he suddenly developed an interest in the spider web. Bonnie and Serena giggled quietly at him.

"If you thought my gallery of bugs was scary." The Poke Ball in Viola's huge camera shot forward at Ash and opened up to reveal a blue, round-bodied bug with four skinny legs, and a yellow cap on its head with an antenna. It also had blush marks on its face, not unlike Clemont.

Ash scanned it with his Pokedex. This time, it didn't make a wisecrack. "Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. Surskit inhabits ponds, rivers, and similar wetlands. They move about as though skating the water surface. Type: Water/Bug."

"Let's see how good it is against Pikachu," Ash said to himself. "I choose you!" Out came the electric mouse, though it seemed more like it was ready to play than battle. "Pikachu, this is your first gym battle, are you up for it?"

Pikachu nodded its head, then went behind Ash and attempted to push him into the field. Everyone sweat dropped at its antics. Ash made a bunch of negative symbols with his hands.

"Pikachu, no. You're the one battling," Ash reminded it. Pikachu took its place back in front of Surskit, this time on all fours. Deciding to play it safe, he asked Viola to have the first move.

"Why, thank you, dear!" she gushed. "Surskit, Bubble Beam!"

It skated across the field and shot multiple sparkling blue bubbles at Pikachu, who stared at them in awe.

"Agility!" Ash countered quickly, and his Pikachu zigzagged away from the bubbles. When the bubbles stopped coming, Pikachu was running much faster than before. Surskit's eyes couldn't keep up with its movements. "Great job so far! Use Quick Attack!"

To say that Ash was elated as Pikachu rammed into Surskit from behind was an understatement. Granted, the battle had only just begun, but he didn't expect to get in a good hit this early into the match.

Viola went back behind her tripod and prepared to snap a photo. "Let's see a picture perfect Ice Beam!"

Ash's eyes widened in fear. "Get away from it and try and get in a Thundershock!"

Pikachu swerved through the beams of ice, most of them with ease, though a few almost managed to hit it. "Pikachu, now!" Its trainer commanded, and it released electricity from its body for a direct hit at its opponent. However, when it tried to follow Ash's next command, it slipped and slid on the ice floor created by all of the missed Ice Beams.

"Oh, no!" Ash desperately reached for a Poke Ball, and prepared to recall Pikachu.

"Infestation!"

Ash aimed the recall beam at Pikachu. At that moment, Surskit summoned small bugs from its mouth to quickly gather around Pikachu and make it itchy. Ash thought the move looked familiar, before realizing that it was the same move that infected everyone back when he tried to catch that wild Goomy. The beam hit Pikachu, but didn't recall it. Panic filled Ash's head as Viola spoke her next command.

"Now, Surskit, Double Team!"

Surskit slid on the ice around Pikachu, a lot faster than Ash had ever seen Pikachu go. It almost seemed like there were multiple Surskit... wait, there actually were. How was Ash to get rid of them? He couldn't switch out, he couldn't move on ice, he couldn't hit them, he couldn't get rid of the bugs on Pikachu, he couldn't scare - that's it!

"Growl, Pikachu!" Ash watched as a squeaky growl escaped his Pikachu's mouth. The small bugs on the lower half of its body scattered away from him, and the false images of Surskit began to dissipate one by one. That was two problems taken care of, but he still had to deal with the ice, and Viola wasted no time reminding him.

"We have other ways to slow you down! Icy Wind!"

Surskit kept its distance from Pikachu and blew a chilling wind with light blue sparkles at Ash's Pokemon. Pikachu frantically slid to the left, but the attack still caught it. It shivered as the wind chilled it to the bone.

"Okay, Pikachu, return!" Ash, again, tried to recall it, but Surskit spewed thick white clouds of mist from its mouth that prevented him from seeing exactly where he was. He still tried to recall it from the spot where he last saw it, but it didn't work.

"Fell Stinger!" Viola crowed with excitement.

Ash didn't know what that move was, and it looked he wouldn't be finding out now, thanks to the vision-obscuring mist. All he could hear was the sound of Surskit's legs skating on the icy battlefield.

"Pikachu, listen to me! This might sound crazy, but it's our only shot at victory! Thundershock on the ground!" Ash gritted his teeth

"Piiii.... ka..... CHUUUUU!"

An explosion near the middle of the battlefield sounded off, picking up some dust and blowing away some of the mist. Surskit's high-pitched cry was heard, and the dust cleared to reveal the ice under Pikachu gone. Ice chunks were headed towards Surskit, who was sent flying back from the impact of the Thunderbolt on the field.

"Remove them with String Shot!" Viola yelled in urgency. It secreted wads of string from its mouth to remove the ice that was heading towards it.

Ash had Pikachu jump on one of the pieces so that when Surskit tried to lift it away with its strings, it would be too heavy. Right as the projectile hit its victim, Pikachu jumped off of it and tilted its body down to face it.

"Thundershock again!"

Another jolt of lightning struck the pesky bug. Viola gasped in worry: Any attack would be overpowered by Pikachu at the angle it was in. She had no choice but to watch as her Surskit fainted. A camera on her side ejected a photo of her fallen Pokemon.

Ash praised his Pikachu for a job well done, and was able to recall it this time.

"Not bad, but this one's worth a thousand words!" Viola replaced her Surskit with a butterfly with multicolored wings that looked almost pixelated. All cameras focused on it as it flew over and around the field.

"Her star Pokemon..." Clemont said in awe.

"It's beautiful!" praised Bonnie. "I want one too!"

Serena folded her arms, not the least bit impressed with what she saw.

Ash took a minute to decide which Pokemon he would use. Larvesta had the type advantage, but Froakie had more aerial mobility, which would render most of Vivillon's flying capabilities useless. First, Ash scanned the Pokemon in front of him.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon. Vivillon are skillfully able to find a source of water. It has been said that you'll find a spring if you follow a Vivillon. Why don't you follow it and see if you find an indoor spring?"

Ash routinely pocketed it and threw the Poke Ball containing Larvesta on a part of the battlefield that wasn't iced. It timidly observed its icy surroundings and shuddered a bit.

"It's alright, Larvesta, you can trust me. I'll be with you all the way," Ash assured it soothingly. Larvesta stared up at its airborne adversary, all traces of fear disappearing. "Larvesta, start off with Ember!" Ash instructed, as its five fire-like horns lit up and sent small embers up at Vivillon. The butterfly swerved around the attack with one flap of its wings, to Ash's shock.

"Vivillon, Gust," Viola said in a monotone voice. She didn't seem much into the battle anymore, and just watched as Vivillon beat its wings multiple times and created a small tornado of wind. It picked up ice shards on its way to Larvesta.

"Flame Charge out of the way!" cried Ash in desperation.

The Torch Pokemon wreathed itself in flames and zipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the fierce attack. Fortunately, the fire-typed attack was too weak to melt the water below it, but was just strong enough so that it wouldn't slip. The tornado dissipated and the ice chunks fell all around the battlefield.

"Powder."

The Bug/Flying-type released pink specks of powder from its wings and coated Larvesta in them. Larvesta's attack immediately blew up on it, not only rendering the attack useless, but damaging it. Larvesta crawled back up on its legs in pain, a few singe marks on its white fur, and a few particles of powder remaining on its body.

"So, what are you going to do without your fire moves?" Viola asked Ash.

Ash stared down at the field intensely. He knew he should have used Froakie! Now with Larvesta's type advantage nullified, he stood no chance. If he had been allowed to use his full team, he might have had a chance, but this was a two-on-two battle. He knew that if he tried to switch Larvesta out, Vivillon would just use Infestation to prevent him from doing so. Its bug type attacks wouldn't do much good. Pikachu was likely still tiring from its battle with Surskit. What was he to do? It was just hopeless... if he threw in the towel, he could at least save himself the -

"Ashy! Don't let her beat you! It's not over until you get your badge!" Serena shouted from the sidelines. "Take that badge from her so we can leave this bug-infested heap!"

"She's right for one time!" Bonnie added. "Go! Go! GO!"

"You can't put your training to waste! Show her all you've learned!" Clemont yelled.

Ash's head moved back up at Vivillon, and suddenly, things didn't seem so impossible anymore. "I've got it..." he whispered, and then raised his voice. "String Shot!"

Larvesta spit a thread of string from its mouth at Vivillon, who flew below the move, which landed harmlessly on the ground. Larvesta crawled towards it in an attempt to ram into it, but the  Larvesta crawled towards it and attempted to ram into it, but the flier just swerved above the Pokemon. Vivillon's wings blew the remaining powder away from Larvesta and into Ash's face. He shook them off and sneezed.

"Not bad, Ash! But the gloves are off now!" Viola seemed more interested in the battle now than she ever had. "Time to kick things up a notch with Supersonic!"

Her prized Pokemon gave off a loud, high pitched screech that emitted supersonic waves that looked and sounded more like a Hyper Voice attack that Ash had seen countless times in televised league matches. Everyone had to cover their ears aside from Viola, who seemed to be used to it. The icy battlefield shattered, and the screeches rang through Larvesta's ears. When the move wore off, Larvesta writhed about in a heap.

"Don't panic! Just have a calm mind!" Ash coached, as it stood in place for a few minutes, then hummed quietly. Its eyes remained closed.

"Vivillon, Quiver Dance before it tries anything!" Viola instructed.

Vivillon flew around in an erratic pattern to try and catch its opponent off guard.

"Use your foresight to tie it up with another string shot!" Ash hoped that Viola didn't catch his hidden order.

The tension only grew thicker as another wad of string spewed out of Larvesta's mouth, getting closer to Vivillon... and closer... Vivillon flew above it... the string curved and wrapped around its left wing. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, while the others were slack-jawed.

"N-No way!" Viola stuttered. H-How did he do t-that?! No matter, I'll just force it off! "Swing it away!"

With only one usable wing, Vivillon found it tough to actually try and carry Larvesta, but it managed it, albeit barely. Strategies formulated in Ash's mind.

"String Shot!" Ash's Larvesta repeated its previous action, this thread sticking on one of Vivillon's antennas.

"Poison Powder with your free wing!"

Vivillon's untied wing released a thick cloud of poison towards Larvesta. Ash smiled, things were going better than he expected.

"Harden!" he told his Pokemon. It stiffened its muscles as a faint glow shined over it. Gravity did the work for it as it was pulled down to the ground alongside Vivillon, who was flailing around helplessly. It actually ended up going inside of the poison cloud, before getting slammed into the ground. "Ember!"

The boost from the earlier Calm Mind ensured that Larvesta's next attack was stronger than usual, a few balls of fire about its own size shooting at the crippled bug-type.

Vivillon cried in pain as each of the attacks hit it; even its stat increase from Quiver Dance didn't much help.

Viola stood there wordlessly as the camera on her side snapped a photo of her fainted Pokemon.

Ash examined his surroundings for a few seconds, then down at Larvesta, who was pretty battered up. "Did I... did I win? I did it! I beat my first gym battle!" Larvesta was too tired to properly celebrate, and so collapsed in a heap. Ash came to it and picked it up gently. His friends then rushed over to him.

"I didn't doubt ya for a second!" Clemont cheered, giving him a back pat. "I knew you'd do it!"

Bonnie gave Ash a hug, and Serena outdid her with a bigger one. Viola tossed something small to Ash. He caught it with his teeth, then took a look at it. It was a light brown symbol that looked like a bug's face from a top-down view. Its glowing green eyes stared into Ash's.

"So how's Joltik?" Clemont wanted to know. Bonnie shivered at the mention of it, and Viola simply handed Clemont a Poke Ball. She then looked at Ash and asked for his contact information.

Clemont decided to save him the embarrassment of not owning a Holocaster, "I can always inform him if you ever want a rematch."

Serena decided to leave now and tried to leave the gym the same way they got here, but the silk thread fell under her weight, not being nearly as sturdy as before. Ash immediately dived after her and grabbed her arm, then hoisted her up with all of his strength with the help of the others. An ocean blue pair of eyes met two chocolate brown eyes for a few moments. Bonnie gathered a few pictures and placed them in her pocket.

"Could have just used the exit." The curtain behind Viola opened up to reveal that it led back to the gallery.

"I'll be back tomorrow for my battle!" Serena declared as the group of four went through the open curtain and out of the gym.

The rest of the night was relatively uneventful as they went to the Pokemon Center, ate dinner, and headed to sleep (Ash slept in late from having spent a while admiring his gym badge). The next day wasn't much more notable. Serena's gym battle was pretty boring in comparison to Ash's, and she won her gym badge quite easily. Then, Bonnie went to a trainer's school in the city. She befriended a few Pokemon and learned about type advantages and status conditions, but besides that, nothing got done.

Afterwards, they headed to the Santalune Forest. The grass was much longer than that of the average route. The large trees prevented much sunlight from shining on the forest, though a few spots of light still got through. The bushes on the sides rustled from the wind blowing. Except for a few hikers and bug enthusiasts, the area was quite empty.

"We've got em now," a deep voice announced from Bonnie's side. She immediately whirled her head to the wooden sign, but it remained an inanimate object.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, a bit scared now.

The bushes rustled again, much louder than usual, and this time it seemed to be coming from behind them.

"Let's go through now!" Bonnie shrieked, making a run for it, but a pair of arms grabbed her. "EEK!"

"Bonnie!" Clemont ran to her direction, and the sign fell over to reveal a dark-haired man wearing a tuxedo with two shades of brown and black dress shoes. The defining feature of his outfit was his light purple tie. Out of the bushes came cops, as well as a row of dark brown cubs with fiery mohawks between their large ears. The hikers and bug catchers they had seen earlier had turned out to be cops in disguise.

"Wait! What did we do?!" Serena demanded to know. Bonnie cried hysterically, and Clemont tried to get the man to let go of her. Ash was lost in his thoughts. They hadn't done anything and they already had people after them. This day couldn't get any worse.

They had all circled around the four menacingly, their Pokemon taking the forefront. "You four are under arrest, courtesy of the International Police."

*Original image by FinnAkira, I just zoomed it in.