Ch. 2

Serena had trouble sleeping that night, tossing and turning upon her mattress until she couldn't stand it any longer. Giving up on the notion of sleep, the young girl rolled upon her stomach to gaze down at her two pokémon starters. The pair appeared to be deep asleep, curled atop of their new beds. But as soon as she shifted on her bed to settle down on her stomach, both of them had opened their eyes to stare back at her.

She couldn't help but smile at them. They were hers and she was theirs. In all her time spent imagining what it would be like to have her very own pokémon, she had never quite grasp the feeling that filled her now. The feeling of mutual trust and joy and happiness and pride and the sudden realization that you hadn't been whole until you'd stepped into each others lives.

If she had to put a name to this feeling, it would have to be love.

"I'm sorry I woke you," she muttered softly. The pair approached at the sound of her voice, stopping at the foot of her bed with alert, expectant eyes.

Serena brought her hands forward and began petting them in slow, steady strokes. Both were unusually warm to the touch, something she was starting to suspect was common amongst fire-types. The flame on Charmander's tail illuminated the room in warm hues that bathed everything in a soft yellow glow, giving them just enough light to see.

Her mother had been a bit wary over the notion of letting a pokémon with an open flame on the tip of his tail sleeping in the house, but Serena had been quick to convince her that nothing bad was going to happen and that there was nothing to worry about. She could tell that her mom hadn't been as convinced as her but had relented nonetheless.

"It's just that I'm too excited to sleep," she continued. Their undivided attention was enough to keep her talking, to voice aloud the feelings she would've otherwise kept bottled up inside. "And maybe even a little scared."

Fennekin hopped easily upon the mattress to snuggle up next to her while Charmander stepped closer until he was pressed up against the duvet, his short arms straining forward to grasp at the tips of her fingers. It was their way of showing that they were here too and that whatever happened from tomorrow on, they would face it together. And that they would listen to her patiently, be the audience that she'd never had growing up but had always craved. Serena couldn't have loved them more.

"I've never been anywhere by myself before, have never done anything like this before. I'm not even sure what I should be doing other than learning more about mega evolution. But that's for the Professor. And I get that, I'm totally on board with helping him out but . . . what do I want to do. I've never given it much thought."

In the back of her mind she could her mother's voice, urging her to take up Rhyhorn Racing. It was a voice she had spent the past few years trying to stifle with varying amounts of success. Tonight it seemed louder than ever.

A stray thought floated across the mantra, one that hadn't crossed her mind in over five years. About a boy and his grandiose dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. She wondered what he was doing now and if his dream had remained unchanged. She also wondered if thoughts of her ever crept up on him without warning or if he had forgotten about her long ago.

Her eyes fleeted over to her desk sitting against the wall, focusing on one of the drawers where she was sure to find miscellaneous artifacts stowed away inside. Amidst various trinkets she had collected over the years there laid a folded handkerchief that had been presented to her back when she had still lived in Kanto.

The memories she had of her early life spent in the Kanto region were faded with age and the things she could recall with a near certain clarity were few and far between. As a general rule of thumb Serena tried not to dwell too much on her childhood before the move to Kalos because it brought forth memories of her late father, stirring up an old pain in her chest that had only dulled rather than fade.

Serena turned back to her pokémon, shaking away the train of thought before it could truly leave the station. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past but to think of the future.

Whatever it was she decided to do from here on out, it will be something she can truly care about, has to be a discovery about herself that has since been buried for thirteen years.

In spite of her convictions she could still hear her mother's voice, stirring up the stray embers of doubt to flicker in the darkness of her ever present fear. It gave a voice to the slight possibility that she won't find anything she's good at or passionate about.

If (when) that happens, then eventually, once she is finished helping out Professor Sycamore (if she doesn't quit first), she will have to return home and go back to a life that doesn't feel her own. Her mother will give her that knowing, disappointed look she always gives after Serena fails to stick to something for more than a week. She'll go back to Rhyhorn Racing, swallowing her protestations until they are nothing more than an awful taste that sticks to the roof of her mouth. Life will resume as it had, as if she had never set out to begin with.

And she will never be given a second chance.

The slight tug on a lock of her hair was enough of a distraction to snap her out of her ponderings. Serena looked to Fennekin and noticed the concern in her glowing amber eyes. The same concern shimmered Charmander's as well when she glanced to him at the renewed pressure squeezing her fingers.

"Sorry," apologized Serena. She hadn't meant to worry them with her sudden lapse of introspective silence. "Let's try to get some sleep. We've got to get up bright and early tomorrow!"

Her smile wasn't as effortless this time around as she encouraged her two partners to return to their beds. They did so with obvious reluctance, having sensed her anxiety in the forced stretch of her smile.

Serena rolled onto her side and curled around the pillow she was now clutching, trying to pretend she couldn't feel the concern of her partners burning into the back of her head.

The voice does not go away.

.

The next morning came bright and early for the trio.

Serena hadn't slept well, having spent the better part of it wrestling with her inner demons. She couldn't say whether it was a battle well fought or that she actually managed to beat her fears into submission, only that she was exhausted and hadn't seemed to make any progress on the matter. A part of her feared she'd never be able to shake this deeply rooted anxiety that she had up until this point chosen not to acknowledge. She was starting to think it had been a mistake keeping it bottled up for so long.

For her part, her mother didn't try to persuade her from setting off upon noticing the unease shine through her otherwise chipper demeanor. Instead she made a point of telling her that she was sure to have an amazing time with her travels. Serena was thankful for the support, glad that her mother was trying her best to dissuade her doubts and bolster her confidence rather than convince her otherwise. If nothing else, it at least made her feel a little better.

The ride to the Lumiose City airport felt especially long, whether from her nerves or her rising boredom, Serena couldn't tell. She couldn't stop fidgeting, constantly checking her pack for some kind of excuse to put off this trip for another day when she felt much more confident.

Unable to bear the sight of her daughter struggle with some internal battle that she was trying her best to hide, Grace decided to make idle chitchat in hopes that it would distract her from her worries.

"You know . . . your father had been nervous when he first left Kalos."

Serena glanced to her, admittedly curious. Her mother rarely spoke of her father these days, but when she did it was usually something very insightful about the man.

"He wasn't very fond of flying, and had nearly psyched himself out with how afraid he was."

"What made him leave then?" asked Serena.

A fond smile of remembrance grew on Grace's face as she swept up in memories of so long ago. But there was a hint of sadness in her tone as she continued. "He really wanted to leave. He didn't have a very good relationship with his parents and just wanted to go somewhere else, even if it meant going to a completely different continent just to get away."

She imagined that's why Serena had wanted to go. It had become increasingly more and more obvious that her daughter didn't particularly enjoy Rhyhorn Racing, no matter how much she tried to hide it. And a part of Grace wanted to ask her about it, to see if her speculations were true but that was a conversation for another day.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, even though it might seem scary now, you'll look back on it fondly. After all, if your father hadn't gotten on that plane, we would've never met and who knows how differently our lives would've been if that one moment hadn't happened."

Serena pondered this for the rest of the car ride to the airport, her fears no less potent but at least quiet for now. She could see what her mother was getting at and was sure that it would be true later on when she was older. She only wished she wasn't so anxious here in the now.

The two Young women met up with Professor Sycamore and Calem, who were there to see Serena off.

Calem handed her a rumpled map with a regretful look on his face that translated into the stiffness of his body language. "Sorry I can't go with you," he said with soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck ruefully.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Serena assured. "I'm sure I'll be just fine on my own."

He opened his mouth as if to say something but thought better of it and instead favored her with a smile. Professor Sycamore snatched away her attention before she could ask Calem what it was he had been about to say.

"Calem and I took the liberty of adding a couple notes about some of the sights you might wish to check out."

Serena unfolded the map, expecting to find a few scrawled notes here and there, but instead found the paper covered in annotations that nearly drowned the map underneath. It was only if she focused past the words that she was able to make out the landscape, but even then that required an abundance of concentration that would've been unnecessary had the map not been written upon.

Hoping she wasn't appearing ungrateful with her heavy scrutiny, Serena gave her thanks as she stowed the map into her bag.

"Remember, you can do whatever you want while you're Unova, I only require that you learn everything you can on mega evolution and report your findings to me. I recommend you try out a few of the gyms, see how you like them."

"Thanks again for this opportunity," Serena said with a slight bow. "I hope I can be of some help in your research."

"I have no doubt your travels will be well worth it. Just be the best trainer you can be and remember to have fun traveling with your pokémon."

With that Professor Sycamore stepped aside, allowing mother and daughter say their farewells.

Grace looked to Serena and could only see her little girl standing before, ready to embark on a journey far away from home. At the same time, she could see was her late husband and she knew that she had to let Serena go and do this. Not that Grace would've tried to stop her at this point, but it hadn't truly sunk in until this moment that this was what her daughter needed to do to find her own path. A path that was becoming steadily more and more apparent they didn't share.

She wished Avery was still alive. He would've been much better with this sort of thing.

"You can do this, sweetheart," Grace finally said. "Just remember that while you're out there. Ok?"

Serena nodded, tempted to make an excuse even after she had just promised Sycamore that she would do her best.

As if sensing this, her mother pulled her into a warm hug. "Your father would've been so proud of you, just like I am. And I'm only a phone call away. If you need anything, just let me know. You can do this, Serena."

"I can do this . . ." she muttered into her mother's shoulder, tightening the embrace.

"That's right," replied Grace, stroking Serena's hair.

Mother and daughter eventually parted, smiling to each other. Both were reluctant to part ways but knew they would have to eventually.

"You better get going. All of Unova awaits."

Serena nodded and started making her way over to the counter where she could get her boarding pass when Calem rushed up to her and pressed something into her palm.

"I found this a few months ago while on a trip in Cyllage City and I'd been meaning to keep it for myself but I want you to have it."

Curious, Serena opened her palm and found a key stone sitting in her hand.

"You'll need to find a mega stone, of course, but when you do, hopefully you'll be able to experience mega evolution for yourself."

"Oh Calem . . ." Serena breathed, looking up from the rainbow colored treasure. "I can't accept this. I'm sure you worked really hard trying to find it."

His cheeks colored as he took her hand and folded her fingers back over the stone. "Keep it. It might prove useful in your travels."

Serena wanted to protest further, but knew that nothing she said would convince him to take back the gift. Instead, she pocketed the item and thanked her friend.

"Good luck and safe travels." Calem said as he waved.

Serena waved to him, Professor Sycamore, and her mother and continued on to begin her preparations for her flight to the Unova region.

.

The plane ride proved uneventful and the only thing of note that happened was of a boy and his riolu who had almost missed the transfer flight and had created quite a spectacle about it. That had been the highlight of the entire trip and after six hours, Serena was glad to be back on solid ground.

The first thing that Serena noticed about Unova was that people were in constant motion. That shouldn't have seemed like much of surprise, given that she was in an airport and everyone was in hurry to either get on a flight or get off one, but it seemed noticeably more chaotic. There was an air of impatience about everyone who hustled about and Serena was hard pressed to escape it all.

After somehow managing to find the exit, Serena took one look at her surroundings and decided to consult her map. Well, the map that was buried under a pile of scribbled notes.

"Are you by any chance Serena Young?"

Serena looked up from her crumpled map to see a woman with short, light brown hair and soft green eyes dressed in a white blouse and green pencil skirt underneath a lab coat. A small, gray furred pokémon with large ears and a fluffy tail sat perched on one shoulder.

She nodded, feeling a lot less overwhelmed now that it appeared as though she had been expected.

"It's nice to meet you," the woman greeted with a warm smile as they shook hands. "I'm Professor Juniper, the Unova region's leading pokémon professor. Sycamore mentioned you'd be here, and wanted me to make sure you made it here safely."

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked.

Professor Juniper replied with a slight grin, "You were looking a little flustered trying to read your map."

Serena laughed at herself, unable to deny how anxious she had gotten trying to decipher anything through Calem's and Sycamore's chicken scratch. "I've never been to Unova before, let alone anywhere on my own, so to say that I looked a little overwhelmed might have been a bit of an understatement."

Juniper chuckled along with her, sympathetic. Starting a journey in a different region must not be easy.

"And who's this little fella?" Serena inquired, leaning forward to inspect the small pokémon.

"This is Minccino," answered Juniper, scratching behind his ear. "He's a dear friend of mine."

Unfamiliar with it, Serena brought out her pokédex to learn more. "Minccino, the chinchilla pokémon. Minccino love shiny things and will use its tail as a brush to clean any objects that are dirty."

"He must be quite the little helper," Serena remarked as she petted Minccino.

"Oh, he can be, sometimes," she chuckled.

Right when Serena had opened her mouth to ask which way was Striaton City, a boy ran into her and nearly knocked them both to the ground had she not moved one foot back to brace herself against the impact.

He took several teetering steps back, his panicked riolu anxiously following after him with her arms raised in hopes of catching him should he fall. Thankfully he didn't, though he sent his partner an appreciative smile nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," he apologized hastily. "I got distracted and didn't see you there . . . Hey! We were on the same plane! You wouldn't happen to be a pokémon trainer, would yah?"

The boy talked in a rush, his words bleeding into each other in an almost incomprehensible mess that had Serena grasping for a response. Eventually she nodded and a large grin overtook his features. He and his riolu threw a fist in the air as he proclaimed, "Alright! Our first battle in Unova!"

"If you like, you two can use the battlefield outside my lab." Juniper offered to Serena and her over enthused challenger.

Serena agreed, all the while wondering what she was getting herself into.

.

After a short trip in Juniper's SUV, the two trainers faced each other with varying looks. While the boy was every bit confident as he conversed with his partner, Serena was far from it. She was nervous, having never put much thought into battling. She knew she'd have to eventually if she was going to be challenging at least a few of the Unovan gyms, she'd just never suspected she'd be participating in a battle so soon.

Biting her bottom lip, she pulled out the two pokéballs from her pockets and contemplated on who to choose.

From across the field the boy shouted, "Wow! You've already got two pokémon? Would it be alright if this was just a one-on-one battle? I've only got Riolu."

Serena nodded and threw one pokéball forward. Out popped Fennekin, hopping in place with a few happy chirps. It was only fitting that she went with her first pokémon.

"It's an unspoken rule that, when two trainers' eyes meet, a challenge is made and a battle begins," he said with an unusual amount of gravitas, the statement weighed with years of anticipation and reverence. It caught Serena off guard with its level of seriousness after the display of obvious excitement.

Her challenger wasted no time shouting out a command. "Riolu, let's start things off with a quick attack!"

Startled, Serena and her fennekin watched as the emanation pokémon dashed forward with a sudden swiftness. She had only just thought to give her own counter maneuver when the move connected, knocking Fennekin off her feet and sending her skidding back across the field. She recovered quickly however, shaking her fur free of most of the dust that had risen and barking out a challenge with a bristled tail.

Seeing Fennekin standing at attention and waiting for a command, Serena wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. "F-Fennekin, use howl and follow up with scratch!"

The small fox threw her head up and howled, charging forward with a bolstered spirit and a flashing paw. This didn't faze the boy though, his grin only growing as Fennekin closed in to deliver the attack. The blow was just inches from Riolu's shoulder when he finally issued a command.

"Counter it, Riolu!"

Riolu took the blow with hardly a wince and proceeded to jab Fennekin in the side with a swift punch. Fennekin rolled away with a pained cry, leaving Serena concerned for her partner's wellbeing. She called out to her, encouraging her to get back up, but Riolu was already upon her with another quick attack.

With that the match was over. Fennekin collapsed in defeat after being knocked back to Serena's feet, in too much pain to continue. Serena sank to her knees and drew her partner into her arms, cradling her close. "You did your best, Fennekin," she cooed softly. "That's all I can ask for."

"Alright!" the boy cheered. "Our first battle in Unova is met with success. Victory is ours!" He danced joyously with his partner, the two jumping in circles around each other.

Serena couldn't begrudge him for his less than gracious way of accepting his achievement, though minor it may seem. If she were in his shoes, she'd be celebrating too.

"I don't know why you're getting so excited over a battle that lasted barely a minute."

The two trainers turned to look at the boy who had silently spectated the match. He appeared rather unimpressed as he stowed away his camera and regarded them both with cool apathy.

Unimpeded, he continued with his criticizing remarks. "And to have such lofty pride over a battle with a trainer who hardly knows what she's doing? Seems rather pointless to me."

Her opponent bristled at the unsolicited comment. "No battle is ever pointless! We all have to start somewhere, so give her some slack!"

The boy snorted, a slight smirk pulling up the corners of his lips. "Perhaps you didn't realize I was criticizing you more than I was her."

This caught him off guard. It took him a few seconds to recollect the other boy's words and piece together the subtext, and when he did, he was fuming. "Hey!" he snapped indignantly. Riolu gripped his hand in both of her paws before he could do something rash.

Serena watched as the two boys argued, inwardly wilting.

She was new to battling, sure, but she didn't think she was that bad. And really, she hadn't expected to win, not with her skill and rudimentary knowledge. But . . . maybe she should've been more confident. Would things have been different if she had believed she could win the match?

Why was she letting this bother her so much? Defeat was to be expected, and it was good she was experiencing it now with a casual battle as oppose to a gym battle, where winning meant more and defeat only left a stinging blow to your resolve.

"I'm . . . I'm happy you won," she said, catching the boys' attention.

Her challenger stared at her in open-mouth bafflement before his expression morphed into a toothy smile. "Thanks! Despite what this bozo might think, I enjoyed our battle."

The other boy rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I bother. You clearly aren't listening to a word I say."

"Whatever dude," he groused. "Who even asked you? I don't remember inviting you to watch our match."

"I just happened to be passing by. I noticed you both and was intrigued by your pokémon. It's not every day you see a riolu, and I don't even recognize yours."

Noticing that she was being directly addressed for the first time, Serena perked up with renewed interest as she rose to her feet. "You mean Fennekin? She's one of the Kalosian starters."

He hummed thoughtfully. "I see, that makes sense."

Her challenger suddenly gave a gasp, slapping a palm to his forehead. "Oh geez, where are my manners! My mom would kill me if she realized I never introduced myself: the name's Cameron."

She smiled at the boy, grateful to finally be able to put a name to his face. "It's nice to meet you Cameron. My name's Serena." She turned to the other boy. "And . . . you are?"

"Trip," he said in a clipped tone. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Not so fast!" Cameron exclaimed, startling both Trip and Serena. He looked to the other boy with an arched brow and a slight frown. "You're a trainer, right? If you are, then I want to have a battle."

This caught Trip's attention. "Very well. This will be the perfect time to test out my Snivy's abilities."

Wordlessly Serena stepped aside, quickly forgotten by the two rivalling boys. She took the time to watch Trip send out his Snivy—a slender bipedal reptilian pokémon with a large leaf on the end of its tail—before quietly slipping away.

She made her way back to Professor Juniper's lab for further guidance, her disappointed Fennekin held in her arms. Serena empathized with her partner, no less upset over their loss but trying her best to move past it.

"Don't worry Fennekin, we'll get the hang of it," assured Serena as she playfully tugged on one of Fennekin's drooping ears.

This seemed to lift her spirits as she gave a happy bark and began wagging her tail. Serena smiled in turn, making a point of ignoring the trickle of doubt that whispered in the back of her thoughts.

Professor Juniper's lab had a more clinical yet welcoming atmosphere to it in comparison to Sycamore's much grandeur decorations more befitting of a hotel or mansion than a pokémon lab. Assistants bustled about with research in hand, sharing their findings amongst themselves and blissfully unaware of her presence. Serena found their quiet enthusiasm fascinating to witness, and she wondered what it was that they were discussing.

Before she could get too distracted by her pondering, Professor Juniper approached her with a gentle smile. "How'd the match go?" she asked.

By the flicker of hesitance and slight frown that ghosted across the teen's lips, Juniper could guess that things hadn't been favorable.

"Not good, huh?"

"It was our first battle," replied Serena with a bittersweet smile. "And it was obvious that Cameron knew what he was doing. But we learned a lot, right Fennekin?"

Fennekin nodded, determination sparkling in her scarlet eyes.

"That's good to hear," Juniper said with an encouraging nod. "I'd hate to see a young trainer get discouraged so early on when there's so much to see and experience."

Serena wondered if she was being a little too transparent. She supposed that the professor was just speaking to her as if she were any other trainer in need of encouragement, but still. The words felt oddly specific. Maybe she was being a bit hypercritical and reading too much into her words. Not everything was about her.

Remembering why she had decided to enter the lab in the first place, Serena asked, "Um, could you maybe point me in the direction to Striaton City?"

"To get to Striaton City, you'll need take route 1 to get to Accumula Town, then take route 2. It's pretty much a straight shot from here to Striaton. It shouldn't take you more than a couple days to travel there."

Thanking her for the directions, Serena bid her a fond farewell and left the pokémon lab with a renewed sense of direction.

Juniper watched her depart, silently wishing her good luck before returning to her desk where an opened letter sat. She had been invited to join an expedition with some Kantonese scientists in search of a pokémon left unnamed in the letter. The invitation had been purposely vague to appear just enticing enough to warrant acceptance but Juniper had been sold on the mention that the pokémon in question was thought to have some connection to the origin of pokémon.

She would've jumped at the offer but the letter had arrived a month late, and in so doing robbed her of her chance of being a part of such a promising expedition.

Gazing down at the letter with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment, Juniper wondered if the research team was having any luck in their search.

.

Serena travelled along the dirt path with Fennekin trotting alongside her, eagerly sniffing at the occasional flower they happened to pass. The faint scent of the ocean wafted off the light breeze; Serena was amazed she could still smell it from this far off.

A rustling from nearby bushes caught the duo off guard. The two looked to their left as Fennekin placed herself between Serena and the source of the sound, tail bristling to twice its size and ears pricked up to attention. While Fennekin waited dutifully to be issued a command, Serena studied the bushes with a critical eye. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that it looked like there was a head of wild, dark hair poking out from the top of them.

Willing to go on her hunch, Serena waved Fennekin to stand down as she approached. "Um . . ." she began hesitantly. "Excuse me? Do you, uh, need some help?"

Serena tried her best not to yelp as the head shot up, hair whipping around as a pair of ochre red eyes stared back at her. But then a second head popped out from the thick mane of hair and Serena just about lost it.

Falling back in surprise, Serena struggled to think up an attack Fennekin could use when it steadily dawned on her that the two headed creature wasn't a pokémon but a girl about her own age . . . who happened to have a pokémon nested in her hair.

The girl eyed her strangely—as if she was being the weird one here—but then her gaze strayed to Fennekin, who had been looking on with similar puzzlement, and her guarded look instantly melted away.

"Oh wow!" she exclaimed as she leapt from the bushes to crouch before the fox pokémon. "I've never seen a pokémon like this before. It's so cute!"

Fennekin relaxed under the wave of attention being lavished upon her, more than happy to cuddle when the strange girl drew her into her arms to nuzzle affectionately at her cheek. Serena herself began to relax at the sight of her partner's trust and she carefully picked herself back up onto her feet before dusting off the dirt from her skirt.

"That's my partner, Fennekin. We've come all the way from Kalos."

The girl directed her undivided attention towards Serena, a giddy smile still on her lips. "Kalos, eh? I've only heard stories of pokémon there. To think I'd actually meet one, especially one as cute as Fennekin here!"

Fennekin chirped happily, her fluffy tail wagging in joy.

Serena returned the sentiment with a smile of her own. "My name's Serena."

"It's nice to meet you, Serena. I'm Iris," the girl said before gesturing to the pokémon nestled in her hair with the shrug of a shoulder. "And this is my friend Axew."

The tusk pokémon gave a small wave in greeting before returning his attention back to Fennekin, a jealous glint in his red eyes. Iris picked up on his mood immediately, and patted along his cheek in appeasement. "There, there, no need to get upset. You'll always be the cutest to me, Axew."

This seemed to lift his spirits back up as he playfully nipped at her ear with a warm purr rumbling in the back of his throat. Iris giggled at her partner's affection before setting Fennekin back down at Serena's side.

"So Serena, what brings you all the way to Unova?" asked Iris with a curious tilt of her head that Axew mimicked in kind.

"I'm actually here to help Professor Sycamore—he's the Kalos region's leading pokémon professor—collect data on mega evolution."

Iris hummed thoughtfully, digging through her memory for any recollection of ever seeing such a thing first hand. When she came up empty, she gave an easy shrug and replied, "Well, I wish I could help you out but I'm afraid I don't know anyone who can use mega evolution."

Serena had gone into this knowing it wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park, but a little help wouldn't have hurt. She couldn't blame Iris for her lack of knowledge or for not having any leads though, and she was grateful that she had thought to help when the two barely knew each other. For now, Serena would have to stick with her course of challenging the Unovan gyms and see where that road led her.

"It was nice meeting you, Iris. I guess I'll leave you to . . . to whatever it was you were doing."

The waver in her tone caused Iris to frown. "Hey! I'll have you know I was simply foraging for berries. No need to sound so condescending about it."

Serena tried laughing off Iris's unexpected ire while raising her hands up in surrender. "Whoa, take it easy!" she tried to placate. "I didn't mean to offend you."

For a moment Iris stared at her with the same displeased frown on her face, quietly assessing her for any hint of deceit. When she could find none, the tension left her shoulders and her expression became far more pleasant and a bit apologetic.

"Sorry," she said before her eyes darted away and her voice lowered to a mumble. "Some people think it's weird or that I'm. . ."

It wasn't hard to see that underneath her sunny disposition, Iris harbored her own insecurities. Serena could sympathize with the girl's plight.

But unlike Serena, Iris didn't seem to dwell on them for long, for she bounced back almost instantly. "Say, you're new to Unova, right? How about I show you around?"

The unspurred question caught Serena off guard but she was nonetheless grateful for the offer. At least now she wouldn't have to rely on Sycamore's and Calem's needlessly annotated map. And really, Serena couldn't argue against having someone tagging along on her journey across Unova, much less someone who knew the region so well.

"Sure," said Serena. "I'd like that a lot!"

"Then it's settled!" Iris grinned and Axew chirruped in approval. She took Serena by the hand and started jogging down the path that Serena had been traveling along. "Come on, let's go!"

Serena allowed Iris to pull her along, at first reluctant of the unnecessarily brisk pace. But as their jog turned into a sprint, Serena couldn't smother the smile from growing upon her face, her heart pounding with a mixture of adrenaline and excitement. To see Fennekin easily keeping stride with them, happily barking along, only impressed on her the thrill of it all.

For the first time since stepping foot in Unova—no, even before that, since she had gotten onto the plane or even left her house, Serena felt carefree, like the weight of her fears had been lifted from her shoulders for the time being. Unburdened by the stress of her anxiety, and uncaring of its inevitable return, Serena chose to focus on moving one foot in front of the other and simply enjoy the moment.

It felt like she was flying.

The walk back home was one filled with nervous excitement, though not all were in such high spirits.

While Ash travelled along the dirt path that served as the town's main road, Pikachu sat in the boy's arms with a sour frown. He wasn't particularly thrilled about his current situation, having had no intention of getting caught when he'd decided to chew through a few appetizing cables. It had been a risk certainly and here he was paying the price. It didn't help things that the boy appeared oblivious to his plight, that silly grin still stretched across his dumb face.

With a heavy huff Pikachu resigned himself to his fate, but that didn't mean he'd make it any easier on his unsuspecting trainer.

As fate would have it, Gary Oak crossed paths with Ash on his way to his grandfather's lab and was all to eager to ruin the other boy's good mood. The sight of the pikachu sitting in his arms and the adoring smile on his stupid face was enough to get his blood boiling with jealousy.

"Hey, Ashy boy!" he greeted with a grin the was more arrogant than friendly. "Whatcha got there?"

Ash should've been wary of Gary's pleasantly civil greeting, but he was too happy to worry about such a thing. And maybe, just maybe, Gary would be genuinely happy for him as well.

"This is my new partner that I got from Professor Oak. He had him set aside for me," answered Ash, glancing down at Pikachu.

Gary folded his arms across his chest and regarded Ash with cool, self assured confidence. "Seems to me like the old man didn't want you to have one of the starters and instead pawned off some random pokémon that doesn't even seem to like you very much."

Ash faltered at the other boy's words and then bristled with anger. "I don't care! Pikachu is perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better partner. Me and Pikachu will become the greatest team this world has ever seen, even greater than Champion Red!"

"You're still on about that?" Gary asked with a derisive snort. "When will you grow up? There's no way some loser like you could ever become as great as he was—you couldn't even be half as great."

"Says you!" snapped Ash. "Just wait, someday I'll be a Pokémon Master."

Gary outright laughed at this. "What does that even mean? Is that something you made up in that big head of yours?"

Gritting down on his teeth at the ridicule, Ash struggled for a quick response but truthfully, he didn't quite know himself. It might have been something he had thought up as a child, when he had been small and world around him had seemed so big. Or he might have seen it during some commercial way back when, some token phrase that had caught his eye and fueled his wondrous imaginations. However he had come up with title, it didn't matter in the long run.

All he knew for certain was that when it happened, he would know.

Steadily calming down with a bit of reaffirming that his dream wasn't a stupid one, Ash favored Gary with a smile that only brought frustration in the other boy.

"Don't worry, I'll show you someday, Gary," said Ash.

With a click of his tongue against his teeth, Gary turned away with slight scowl. This wasn't any fun if his words couldn't incite some kind of ire out of his childhood playmate. "By all means, keep thinking that way," he said with an indifferent shrug. "Just don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and find that you've wasted your time trying to become this so called 'Pokémon Master'."

Gary departed with those words hanging heavily in the air. They had been meant to sow doubt into Ash's resolve, but it had done the opposite. Ash had never been more certain about following his dream. He would make that dream a reality and prove any naysayer that they were wrong.

Ash's mother was already waiting for him out in the front porch, her face lighting up at his approach. His own smile grew in size until his cheeks felt as though they were about to burst. He ran the rest of the way to the disgruntlement of Pikachu, earning a few annoyed jolts that he easily ignored.

With a knowing smile Delia placed Ash's cap upon his head, bending down to get a better look at his new partner. "A pikachu, huh? What made the professor decide to offer you that?"

Now that she mentioned it, it did seem rather odd. When it came to Professor Oak, he wasn't one to deviate from decades of tradition. Sure, the professor had a tendency to chart his own path when it came to how he conducted research and the whole world loved him for it, but when it came to matters of bestowing a new trainer one of Kanto's starters, he typically stuck to the books.

With the shrug of his shoulders he replied, "He never said, actually. Maybe he knew how much I wanted one."

Delia hummed thoughtfully while she reached for the backpack sitting at her feet. With a sad smile she passed it on to him, watching with slight amusement as he struggled with balancing his pikachu in one arm while putting on his bag with the other.

To spare him the trouble, she careful picked up his pokémon and set him down on the ground. Pikachu looked back up at her, glancing away quickly in an attempt to hide the fact that he had noticed the look of fondness she was directing towards him. It made him feel a bit of warmth that he didn't want to acknowledge. He still resented his situation and no amount of kindness was going to sway him.

"Well, I guess we'll be going now . . ." stated Ash, lamely fiddling with one of the straps of his bag while avoiding his mother's eye. He knew she'd get emotional over this—he half expected her to start crying honestly—and the sight of it alone would only get him worked up.

Instead of bursting into tears, Delia wrapped her son in a warm embrace. "You be careful out there. It may seem like all fun and games, but try to remember to be cautious once and awhile. And be on the lookout for rain. The weather report said there should be thunderstorms in the afternoon."

"I will," he promised, taking the moment to savor the feeling of her arms around him. He didn't know when he'd see her again, much less get a hug, so he wanted to make it last.

Words that she had meant to keep unsaid managed to slip past her lips in a low whisper. "I'm going to miss you."

He tightened his arms around her and pressed his face deeper into her shoulder. The scent of lilac and vanilla filled his nose and already he was missing home.

"It's not like I'm going to be gone forever," he half-joked, laughing off his own qualms.

It had always been just the two of them, but now they were going find themselves alone. He hoped he could handle it.

Delia chuckled along with him, her heart heavy in spite of the pride and joy she was feeling right now. "Just remember to call me every now and again, preferably whenever you enter a new city."

He nodded and stepped back, his face lighting up with a spark of overzealous confidence. "Every time I call, I'm going to have a new badge to show off and before you know it, you'll be watching me battle in the Indigo League."

"Is that so?" she teased, her spirits lifted by his infectious enthusiasm.

"You bet it is!" he exclaimed, already taking a few steps back. Maybe if he was as quick as ripping off a bandaid, the sting wouldn't linger for long. With a crooked, radiant smile he waved to her and started to jog away. "Bye, Mom!"

She waved after him, smiling through the tears that hung on the edge of her lashes. But then her eyes drifted down to the ground at her feet and she couldn't keep from laughing aloud.

"Ash!" she shouted, stopping the boy in his tracks.

He turned and nearly groaned. "Pikachu!" he called, feeling the beginnings of frustration well up inside him. "Let's go, buddy! Come on!"

Pikachu stared him down with his black eyes, refusing to budge. Delia couldn't stop laughing.

.

Ash trudged on with a reluctant Pikachu being pulled along by a clothesline. He crested the hill that overlooked Pallet Town and came to a sudden halt, sighing aloud. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Would they really be travelling through the land of Kanto like this, with him dragging his tethered partner around, who clearly wanted nothing to do with him?

"Are you going to be like this the whole way?" he asked.

Pikachu looked away with a self-satisfied smile that conveyed more than words could express.

Ash knelt down to speak directly to his partner. "Is it because you don't like me?"

The pokémon nodded, nonchalantly scratching his cheek with his hind leg and licking his paws to rub away the dirt from his face.

He felt himself deflate as his partner's response. Even though he had already known this, having it actually confirmed by Pikachu left him feeling like a failure. Like the loser Gary claimed he was.

"Well . . ." he murmured, "I like you a lot. And I think you'd like me too, if you'd just give me a chance."

As a show of good faith, Ash untied the clothesline from around Pikachu's middle and stowed it away into his backpack. Pikachu watched him with the barest hints of interest before looking away in total disregard, back to ignoring Ash.

He frowned, disheartened that this hadn't made any sort of impact. "Still not good enough?" he asked.

Pikachu nodded and Ash sighed.

Behind them, just a little ways down the dirt path, the sound of rustling caught both of their attentions. They peered around to find a pidgey loitering in the grass a few feet away. Distracted by the sight of the wild pokémon, a smile grew on Ash's face as he stood to get a better look. Slowly, as not to draw unnecessary attention towards them, Ash reached into his back pocket to retrieve his pokédex and pointed it at the pokémon.

"Pidgey, the tiny bird pokémon. Among all the flying-type pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture; a perfect target for the beginning pokémon trainer to test their pokémon's skills."

An idea struck Ash then and he glanced down at Pikachu with newfound enthusiasm. "Let's battle it, Pikachu. What do you say?"

In response, Pikachu bounded away to a nearby tree and scampered up along the trunk to the nearest branch. With a yawn he sat there, out of Ash's reach, basking in the sun.

He'd just about had it. "Alright, I get the message," Ash snapped, glaring at Pikachu. "I don't want your help, or need it. I can get it all by myself."

Tossing his backpack to the tree that Pikachu was perched on, Ash reached for one of the empty pokéballs clipped to his belt. With the click of a button, the ball enlarged to fit in the palm of his hand.

He stared intensely at the pidgey, who had since looked up at the sudden movement. The two looked to one another in the few seconds that it took Ash to throw the pokéball forward and for it to hit its mark. It opened as soon as it had struck the pidgey, enveloping it in a red light that converted the pokémon into a similar energy that was drawn back into the ball as it closed.

Falling innocuously onto the ground, Ash couldn't quite believe that he had done it as he stared in awe at the pokéball. Proud of his accomplishment, he moved to retrieve it when it began to tremble in periodic bursts. This went on for a few more seconds before the pokéball eventually opened to spill out the white energy that formed into the presumably caught pidgey. The ball rebounded back into his hands as the pokémon fled.

He should've known it wouldn't work. The chances of catching wild pokémon increased when you battled the pokémon, gradually weakening it to the point where it couldn't escape the capturing mechanism. Still, he couldn't help feeling disappointed. How was he supposed to catch anything if Pikachu refused to cooperate with him?

Above him, the sound of Pikachu's laughter caught his attention. The pokémon was clutching at his sides as he laughed, somehow managing to stay on the branch as he rolled from side to side.

Annoyed and frustrated by the mockery, Ash stooped down to pick up a rock and hurled it unthinkingly into the grass. He was surprised to hear a dull smack, as if the rock had struck something.

The head of an unfamiliar bird pokémon poked up from the grass, beady eyes glaring hatefully in Ash's direction.

Nervously, Ash pulled out his pokédex to learn more about what he had accidently hit.

"Spearow, the tiny bird pokémon. Unlike pidgey, spearow has a terrible attitude. It is very wild and will sometimes attack other pokémon and humans."

Ash cringed, grimacing down at the display screen of the pokédex when the rustling of rushing feet and flapping wings reminded him that the struck pokémon was only a couple yards away. He looked up to find the spearow charging towards him with malice in its eyes. Ash did the only sensible thing to do: he turned and ran.

Sensing when the wild pokémon was closing in on the back of his head, Ash dove forward to where his backpack laid against the tree. It passed over him a couple of times, each time trying to bite him with its sharp beak or claw him with its even sharper talons. It would not relent until something else caught its eye.

After numerous attempts of dodging the spearow's strikes, Ash was given some reprieve as the pokémon adjusted its course towards a new target. It didn't take him long to realize that that target was Pikachu.

With a shrill screech the spearow dove at Pikachu, who managed to spin away at the last second.

"Hey!" shouted Ash. "Leave Pikachu alone! He didn't throw the rock."

Despite his protests, the spearow continued to make diving passes at Pikachu until he was all but hanging from the branch by his paws.

More than a little concerned and worried, Ash could only watch helplessly as Pikachu struggled to pull himself back up while the spearow flew back around for another dive, one that would surely land its mark. Ash had just started to climb the tree when Pikachu released a rather strong thunder shock that landed a direct hit on the spearow.

It fell to the ground in a charred mess, rolling wildly in the grass in a desperate attempt to reorient itself. While it did this, Pikachu dropped down onto Ash's head and nimbly scurried the rest of the way down to sit at his side. The two stared fixedly on the spearow, waiting to see what its next course of action would be.

The spearow glared at them with all the hatred in the world, its ruffled feathers flaring in indignation. With the flap of its wings it threw its head back and released the shrillest cry yet, one that left Ash cringing. Neither knew just what the sound did until, several yards away, the same cry was echoed back in mass. From a distant tree emerged dozens of spearow, all hell bent on causing them harm.

Ash looked to his partner, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Should we run?" he asked.

Pikachu nodded.

A nervous laugh bubbled to the surface as Ash sprung for his backpack and bolted, Pikachu following hot on his heels. As unlucky as they were for being chased by a flock of spearow, he couldn't help but feel a bit thrill over it all. Maybe someday they'd look back on this and laugh.

Of course, that feeling didn't last long as the spearow drew closer.

"Don't worry, Pikachu. No matter what, I'll save you," he assured in between breaths.

Pikachu's response to his heartfelt proclamation was to pull ahead in a sudden burst of speed.

"Hey!" he hollered indignantly. "Don't run ahead! I said I'd protect y—"

Ash cried out at the dull smack of a spearow ramming into the back of his head. Momentarily losing his footing, Ash staggered and was met by several more spearow, each clawing at various parts of his body while a few came dangerously close to pecking his eyes out. He was blinded by the flurry of feathers, the sound of their angry screams filling his ears. They were all around him, surrounding him in a mass of wreathing bodies that felt almost suffocating. He fought them as best as he could, but his efforts were only met with scratches to his forearms.

Then he heard Pikachu begin to scream in pain.

Ash fought the spearow then, mustering up the strength the push through both the pain and the mass of bird pokémon to reach his injured friend. With a frustrated roar he finally broke through, diving forward to where Pikachu laid on his side amidst a throng of pecking spearow. Ash pulled Pikachu into his arms and rolled back onto his feet before breaking into a dead sprint.

Somehow, from somewhere, Ash managed to tap into a hidden reserve of energy and surge forward with more strength than he thought he was capable of. His heart hammered away in his chest, his lungs burned from all the running prior, and every part of him stung, but he didn't care. All that mattered was protecting Pikachu.

He crashed through the forest, leaping over bushes and trying not to trip on any stray root or rock. He was so focused on simply running that he didn't catch the distant roar of a waterfall until he broke through the tree line. Startled, Ash dug his heels into the dirt, but that hardly slowed him down. Unable to stop in time to circumvent around it, Ash skidded right over the edge.

A terrified scream ripped through his throat as he plummeted down to the river below. Instinctively he drew Pikachu closer, curling over him while trying to keep his legs as straight as possible. The shock of plunging into the cool water left him almost breathless, and he was very tempted to open his mouth to suck in some air. Luckily he had more sense than to do that, so he let the strong current pull them along for as long as he could hold his breath. Hopefully the spearow would lose interest in them if he stayed underwater for a little while.

When he could no longer take the burning of his lungs as he ran out of oxygen, Ash dared to go to the surface, all the while hoping that they weren't still being chased.

He came up with a gasp, shaking away the excess droplets of water trailing down his face. It was then that he spotted his hat floating not too far away; it must've fallen off while he'd been underwater. Ash snagged it quickly and placed the sopping cap back onto his head. He looked up and was met with a pair of green eyes staring back at him incredulously.

It was a girl around his age, wearing short shorts and a yellow crop top beneath a pair of red suspenders with her orange hair pulled into a side ponytail. She sat by the water's edge with a fishing pole held slackly in her hands, just staring open mouthed at him.

He stared back, just as startled as she was. However, she recovered much more quickly, and with the slight shake of her head she looked at him with a furrowed brow and annoyance blazing in her eyes.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to fish for wild pokémon here," she snapped loudly, glaring at Ash.

Ash glared right back, his face creasing in anger. He was too flustered to come up with a witty response, and as it were, she'd probably only yell at him some more. Right now he had more important things to worry about than some irate redhead.

He waded over to the bank and hauled himself out, making sure to be especially careful with Pikachu. The small mouse was sputtering up water he'd accidently swallowed, his dark eyes hazy with exhaustion and mild pain. Even though the water had washed away the blood from his wounds, he still looked worse for wear, covered in the shallow cuts and missing a few chunks of fur. Overall he looked miserable, and if he didn't get help soon, Ash feared the worse.

Ash looked up when he heard the girl approach, her features softening with concern upon catching sight of Pikachu.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Stupidly he thought she was referring to him and replied, "Yeah, I think so. . ."

"Not you! Your pikachu!" she snapped, her voice reaching an almost shrill pitch. "You ought to be ashamed for letting it get so injured."

As much as he wanted to point out that he was just as equally injured, she was right. He was ashamed that things had gotten so out of hand, ashamed of how frustrated he had gotten at Pikachu. If he hadn't been foolish and thrown that rock, none of this would've happened. They'd still be on their way to Viridian City, not sitting on the bank of some river with an angry girl pointing out things he already knew.

Tears started to well up in his eyes, but he refused to shed a single tear in front of the likes of her.

Trying to keep his voice steady lest she catch on he asked, "How far away is the Pokémon Center?"

Her voice got far less shrill and bit more patient when she answered, "It's not too far. Just follow the path and you should get to Viridian City in about thirty minutes." She pointed to his left and he looked to see the dirt path in which she spoke of, a bike parked alongside it.

Ash opened his mouth to begrudgingly thank her but was interrupted by the sound of dozens of flapping wings. The two teens turned to see a flock of spearow approaching, the very same that had chased down Ash and Pikachu.

Panic seized Ash then. "They're coming back! RUN!" he screamed, almost tripping over his own feet in a frantic rush to flee.

His mind went into overdrive as he unthinkingly placed Pikachu into the basket on the girl's bike and hopped on, not even bothering to ask for permission. At this point it had completely slipped his mind; all that he could think about was getting as far away from that angry flock of spearow as possible.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she yelled as he began to pedal away. "That's my bike!"

"I'll give it back someday," Ash hollered over his shoulder.

The belligerent sounds of her cursing him out quickly faded away into the background as Ash pedaled as fast as he could. Overhead the skies grew heavy with the dark storm clouds his mother had warned him about. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the wind began to pick up. Ash glanced at Pikachu to see him shivering from the cold.

"Just hang on, Pikachu," he pleaded. "We're almost there, I promise!"

Appreciation glinted in Pikachu's dark eyes, a small smile blossoming on his face. He'd never witness such concern before. Despite being just as injured as him, Ash was completely ignoring his own aches just to make sure he was okay. The human boy was only worried about him, and he felt grateful. Maybe there was more to this loud, overzealous trainer than he had first realized.

It soon began to rain, starting as a light drizzle then becoming a heavy downpour. Ash could just barely make out the sound of flapping wings underneath the sound of the pouring rain. Steadily it got louder, their cries piercing through the periodic claps of thunder until they eventually overtook them in a heinous swarm.

Wildly they pecked and clawed at him, one scoring a nasty gash across his cheek. Ash yelped at the sharp pain and lost control of the bike, unintentionally swerving off the path and flying down the muddy slope of a hill. When the front tire struck a sizeable rock they were thrown, tumbling end over end in a tangled mess of flailing limbs and rubber wheels.

Ash landed flat on his stomach right in a puddle of mud, staining one side of his face with saturated dirt. He groaned in pain, every part of him either burning or throbbing. Gritting his teeth in hopes that that might distract him from the pain, Ash opened his eyes slowly and was met with Pikachu's glazed stare. The pokémon was in agony, lying on its side shivering and taking in quick, shallow breaths.

Ash had never felt more scared in his life.

Slowly, painfully, Ash pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and crawled over to his prone partner, stroking his bruised side gently with a trembling hand. Pikachu whimpered and looked into his eyes. Even though they were glassy with pain, they were also soft in a way Ash had never seen before. For the first time there was trust in Pikachu's eyes, and that tore Ash up.

He couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. He didn't deserve Pikachu's trust, not after all this. Why was he looking at him with such faith when he had only failed him? It'd almost be easier if Pikachu outright hated him. At least then it would make sense.

"This isn't how it was supposed to happen," he muttered thickly, "We were supposed to be making our way to Viridian City, battling other trainers and catching pokémon, together, as friends. I'm sorry Pikachu. I'm so sorry."

Ash rubbed the heel of his palm against his eyes and wiped clean the snot from his nose before reluctantly reaching for a pokéball on his belt. He knew Pikachu didn't like being inside his pokéball, but at this point, they were running out of options.

"Pikachu, get inside," he encouraged softly, trying to coax him into doing what he could not. "I know you hate being in there, but if you're inside then maybe I can save you. Please, Pikachu. Please listen to me and go inside. Just this once, please. Do it just this once."

Ash set the ball down next to him and slowly stood up, turning to face the spearow. Mustering up every ounce of strength he had left, Ash grabbed the nearest stick and charged forward with an angry roar. Chaotically he swung at the spearow, not caring too much if he missed so long as he kept their focus solely on him. The wild pokémon ducked and swerved away from his swings, screeching angrily as they tried to get closer.

This went on for about a minute until one of the spearow managed to pull away Ash's stick, leaving him defenseless. Ash stiffened in place and scrunched his eyes close, waiting for the inevitable as the flock swopped in on him when he felt something scurry up his leg and perch on his shoulder. He looked to see that it was Pikachu, pouncing forward to meet the spearow head on.

A bolt of lightning struck Pikachu then, amplifying his thunder shock attack into a powerful thunder attack that he released on the spearow with a resounding cry. The awesome might of the blast caught Ash by surprise, temporarily blinding him with how bright it was. He could feel some of the stray bolts course through his body as he was struck in the chest, the force of it throwing him back several feet.

He laid convulsing on the ground, the muscles in his arms and legs periodically twitching with spasms.

For a few minutes he blacked out, and when he came to his body was no longer shaking. The rain had died down to a sprinkle and the sky wasn't quite as dark. More importantly, there wasn't a single spearow in sight.

Relieved, Ash turned his head to see Pikachu staring right back him, face glowing with pride.

Ash smiled back at Pikachu. "Well . . . we beat them . . ."

Pikachu nodded, thankful that his partner was still alive. For a second there, he had thought his attack had inadvertently killed him.

The two stared at one other for some time until Ash finally felt strong enough to get back up. It was painful, and he felt incredibly stiff, but eventually he managed to stand relatively steadily on his feet. The girl's bike laid in a crumbled, charred mess a few feet away, an unfortunate casualty to Pikachu's devastating attack. He almost felt bad for destroying her bike. Almost.

Slowly he stooped down to pick up Pikachu, gently drawing him into his arms and cradling him close to his chest. His eyes lingered briefly on the shattered remains of Pikachu's pokéball before he continued the arduous process of making it to Viridian City.

It was an uphill battle—literally. The path had eventually sloped upward, slowing Ash even further. It became of battle of just putting one foot forward after the other, he was so tired. But he refused to stop, not even to catch his breath. He had to keep going. For Pikachu.

After what felt like days they made it to the top of the hill and in the distance Ash could see the outskirts of Viridian City not too far away. Relief bubbled inside him as he stopped, glad to finally have some kind of confirmation that they were almost there.

The slight tickle of a tongue licking at his skin caught his attention and he looked down to see Pikachu lapping at his chest. It was only then that noticed that his shirt was pockmarked with holes. One hole in particular revealed a rather dark, bruise-like scar right where he had been indirectly hit. Pikachu licked at it diligently, his eyes closed as he concentrated on the task of making his partner feel just a little better and encourage him to continue on.

Ash smiled down warmly, misty eyed.

"Thanks buddy," he murmured, scratching behind one of Pikachu's ears. "Let's get you to the Pokémon Center."

He began to make his descent towards Viridian City, his eyes trained on the city skyline. Pikachu pressed his wet nose against the scar and gave it one final lick before drifting off to sleep.

Thomas Anderson was having what he would surmount to be a fairly normal day.

To any other, things would appear rather slow. And truthfully they were, but that was to be expected with his line of work. There wasn't much to do during the lull of the season, though that was sure to change in the coming weeks, maybe even in the next few days. Until then, he had to prepare, had to make sure everything was in tiptop shape before they got into the swing of things.

He was sweeping the entryway for the second time that week when his employer made a rather unprecedented entrance. Thomas hadn't known the man had been gone, but then again, he hardly knew much about his irregular schedule or even the man himself. His employer was private to a fault, hardly going out of his way to divulge any personal information much less carry any substantial conversation that didn't involve work.

They normally just exchanged pleasantries before going their separate ways, which was all well and good with Thomas. But something was different today. He appeared agitated, as if there was something troubling him. A heavy frown cut deep lines into his already severe face, making his expression even more grim.

Normally Thomas wasn't one to pry into another man's business, but he felt especially compelled to do so today.

"Is there something I can do for you, sir? You seem . . . ill at eased," Thomas asked with an easy smile, setting the broom aside to give him his full attention.

The man paused from placing his hat on the coat rack to look at him, his eyes like chips of ice as he stared at Thomas. Eventually, after a few long seconds of being coldly assessed by those chilling dark eyes, the man asked, "Did anyone stop by while I was away?"

Thomas found the question odd, all things considering. Still, not wanting to appear infallible in front of his boss, he replied with a candid smile, "It's the beginning of the season, sir. Challengers shouldn't begin arriving until—"

"That's not what I meant," he snapped, brow furrowed in irritation.

Thomas's smile faltered at his harsh tone. He stammered for a proper response, racked his brain for any mention of a specific visitor he should've been keeping his eye out for. He couldn't recall any sort of instruction being made. Should he have been expecting someone?

The man swept passed him with a scoff, hardly sparing him a glance as he went to seclude himself inside his office. Thomas watched him leave out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to unintentional incite further wrath. Lamely he resumed sweeping the foyer free of dirt, all the while wracking his mind for any sort of request.

Sometimes Thomas had to wonder if there was something going on behind the scenes that he didn't know about.

After all, there was something not quite right with Giovanni Acerbi.

.

Giovanni was exhausted.

He had spent the better part of his trip in Johto searching for his idiotic, disappointment of a son. The boy had run off the first chance he'd got and hadn't looked back. Even now his agents were having trouble pinpointing his exact location, which, admittedly, was a bit impressive. But he had grown sick of this game. If the boy wanted so desperately to go, then fine. He could go. For now, at least.

He took a seat in his high backed leather chair and released his loyal persian from her pokéball. The feline pokémon immediately began rubbing up against his legs, eventually resting her head on his thigh with an affectionate nuzzle. Idly he stroked along her head and down her neck, his attention focused on the panel of screens that lined the far wall.

Each of them displayed video feed from various parts of Viridian City. When he had first taken the mantle of Viridian City Gym Leader some years ago, he had made a point of installing hidden cameras throughout the city as a cautionary measure. Some may call him paranoid for carrying out such an action, but he'd like to think he was being prepared. If there was one thing that Giovanni absolutely despised, it was surprises.

Like a king surveying his kingdom, Giovanni stared intently at the numerous screens. The citizens went about their day like any other, oblivious of his watchful eye. Nothing of importance appeared to be going on any of the televisions and he was about to look to the file of test reports sitting on his desk when something caught his attention.

Leaning forward with a critical eye, Giovanni watched as a boy in ragged clothing staggered across one of the screens, his back turned to the camera. Curious and a bit intrigued by this mysterious figure, he spent the next minute watching the boy make his way down the streets, periodically jumping to a different monitor whenever he moved out of range of one of the cameras.

His interest started to wane after that first minute. The child wasn't doing anything remarkable and the only thing really of note was his dirtied clothes and the wounded pikachu in his arms. But then the cameras finally caught a good shot of the boy's face.

Giovanni's eyes narrowed to thin slits in intense scrutiny as vague recognition washed over him. Those eyes, the concern and worry that swam in them was familiar. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he had seen them before, only on a different face. The face of someone he hadn't let himself think about in over a decade.

His hand had moved to the phone at his desk long before he had even consciously thought to do so, muscle memory guiding his finger along the buttons as he dialed a number. The drone of the line ringing felt distant to his ears, the speaker's voice a muffled whisper in comparison to his pounding pulse. He couldn't keep his eyes off the boy and his pikachu.

"Do we have any agents near Viridian City?" he asked, his voice a low growl. The reply was meek, hesitant, and generally unsatisfactory in its lack of immediacy. His low growl turned to a vicious snarl as he snapped, "I don't care who it is, just have them keep tabs on a boy and his pikachu heading for the Pokémon Center. Let them know it is of the utmost importance."

Giovanni cut off the man's stammering reply by hanging up, slamming the handset into the cradle with a deep frown. He had no tolerance for incompetence and he had half a mind to fire whoever it was that had been on the other line simply out of spite. Sensing his agitation, his persian curled around his feet and began purring in hopes that it would calm him down. He looked down at her and sighed, leaning back in his chair and returning his gaze to the boy.

He sat there, staring intently at the wall of screens and trying desperately not to slip back into memories better left forgotten.

It was a wasted effort.

Author's Note: Gosh this was a struggle to write. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long to update. I'll try not to make a habit out of it in the future.

I bet you guys thought Serena would be going to Kanto. As tempted as I was to send her there at this point in the story, I really want her to grow and develop as a trainer without Ash's presence. Their stories will intersect at some point, but for now, they're learning what it means to be pokémon trainers.

Please feel free to recommend what pokémon you want them (or any character) to catch.