DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon. Pokémon is published and owned by Japanese video game company Nintendo, and was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996.

The following is a loose novelization of the events of the video games Pokémon X & Y. Several events, lines of dialogue, and Pokémon owned by the characters will therefore be different. As such, here are a few ground rules...

1) No Pokémon will appear that are not otherwise seen in the Kalos Pokédex.
2) No Fakemon or fan-made attacks, abilities, or Mega Evolutions of any kind.
3) Pokémon will only use attacks from their Generation VI move-pools, and while I'll generally be ignoring method of learning attacks (level-up, TM/HM, breeding, etc.), Pokémon will only be able to know up to four moves total at a time. If a Pokémon uses an Egg Move, they are barred from using any Egg Moves that can't be learned from the same parent.
4) Fan-made characters will either resemble Trainers battled in the game, or will have clothes and styles obtainable for customizing the main protagonists, and Pokémon obtainable within Kalos.
5) No references to anime-exclusive characters or events, though certain aspects of it may be borrowed for the sake of story-telling (battle styles and so on).

Vaniville Town. A small town to the south of the Kalos Region, home to only a few small houses. It could best be described as 'that place no one goes unless they have friends or family there'. It is known by travelers as 'a town whose flower is about to bloom'. For Grace Xavier, though, this town was just the perfect place to retire from all of the fame and hubbub of being a famous Rhyhorn racer. Her son, Calem, didn't have much in the way of objections, and this was a way for them both to see more of the world, which was more than enough to entice him. He was a natural born explorer and adventurer, just like his father.

Unfortunately, like his father, the young teen liked to sleep in pretty late, and thus was terrible to rely on with the chores. Grace rolled her eyes, the brunette stifling the urge to giggle as she watched her Fletchling, a Tiny Robin Pokémon with red and gray feathers, fly up the stairwell to Calem's room. Fletchling, being a bit of an early bird herself, wasn't much for the idea of others sleeping in until 10 AM, and was a bit forceful in making sure they didn't. After a few moments, there was a sudden high-pitched chirp, a yelp, and the sound of something (or someone, as Grace guessed) falling to the floor.

"Morning!" Grace called as she heard the door open after a few minutes.

Calem came down the stairs slowly, rubbing his gray eyes. His black hair was a horrid mess, but then, he'd just gotten up, and that was never his #1 priority. He was wearing his white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black ankle socks. Fletchling swooped past his head, chirping mischievously and thus earning a dirty look from the boy.

"I swear, sometimes, I think Rhyhorn would produce a better wake-up call than her," Calem snarked.

"So, all rested up from the move?" Grace asked, getting a quick nod. "Good! Breakfast should be ready soon. Until then, why don't you go outside and check on Rhyhorn, go for a jog, maybe say hello to the new neighbours?"

Calem rolled his eyes, fetching his blue jacket from the coat rack and zipping it up over his t-shirt. "Seriously? First thing in the morning?"

"It's important to keep a healthy body up," Grace lectured as she tended to her stew while her son put his black boots on. "Now you run along, and before you know it, breakfast will be ready."

"Sure, sure..." Calem said with a sigh, opening the front door. "...'Say hello to the neighbours'. 'Cuz I'm really sure they'll be friendly to someone they've never met."

Taking one step out the door, Calem's jaw nearly hit the ground. Standing in the walkway to his new home, right next to where Rhyhorn was resting, were the two most gorgeous girls he'd ever seen in person. One was a girl about a year or two younger than him, with brown hair and dark green eyes, wearing a pink and black t-shirt with matching high heel shoes, blue short shorts, and carrying a white, pink, and black bag over her shoulder. The other looked almost exactly Calem's age, if not a little older, with long, honey-coloured hair and gray eyes, and wearing a red and black high-waisted outfit, a red felt hat with a white ribbon, and black high top shoes and stockings. They both eyed him curiously, with rather friendly-looking smiles.

"Hello there!" the honey-haired girl greeted him. "You're the new boy in town, right?"

Calem nodded, closing his jaw with his hand and getting a giggle from the girl. "Welcome to Vaniville Town. My name's Serena. I'm your new neighbour, and-"

"And I'm Shauna!" the other girl cut in, grabbing Calem by the hand and shaking it hard. "Great to meet you!"

"Uh, likewise," Calem replied, giving his wrist a shake after the younger girl released it.

"Guess what?" Shauna exclaimed, pointing a finger at the boy. "We've come to get you!"

Calem sweatdropped, feeling confused and even a little threatened. "HUH?"

"Sorry, I'll explain," Serena responded, pulling Shauna back and passing an envelope to Calem. "The esteemed Professor Sycamore lives here in Kalos. He had a very important request for five kids living nearby, including the two of us. He also asked for you specifically."

Calem opened the envelope and read the letter, recognizing the official seal of the Pokémon Researchers' Guild right away as Serena went on. "I have to admit, though, I'm a bit surprised that he even knows who you are. You DID just move here to Vaniville, right?"

"He's an old friend," Calem suddenly heard his mother say, having overheard the conversation. She snatched the letter from her son's hands, reading it over. "Yes, this is DEFINITELY Augustine's handwriting. Still, I wonder why he didn't just call?"

"Serenaaaaaaa!" Shauna whined. "You're forgetting the best part: We're going to get a POKÉMON!"

Suddenly, Calem's eyes shot wide open, and his lips curled into a smile that spread practically from ear to ear. All traces of drowsiness that he'd once had were completely gone from his face, and the two girls could've sworn there were sparkles in his eyes.

"A-A-A Pokémon?! I'm getting a Pokémon from Professor Sycamore?!" Calem shouted, waking up Rhyhorn rather rudely.

"Oh!" Grace exclaimed, nearly dropping the letter. "It says here he's looking for five kids to help him in his research! As an automatic reward, three of you will each be receiving a Pokémon for your own use!"

Calem stood completely still, stunned into silence. This was the chance of a lifetime, to do field work for Professor Sycamore, AND get his first Pokémon to boot. But at the same time, it meant leaving home, just after moving in. Before he could make up his mind, though, Fletchling suddenly swooped over, dropping a red and white cap on Calem's head. Rhyhorn then stomped over and nudged him toward Shauna and Serena, looking somewhat amused at the black haired boy's inability to make up his mind.

Grace giggled a little. "Well, it seems my Pokémon know what you should do."

Calem spun around to face his mother. "What about you, Mom?"

Grace sighed, smiling sadly. "If you really and truly want to go, then go. Just promise me that you'll swing by whenever possible. In fact, it might be a good idea if you headed straight back as soon as you got your Pokémon. After all, I want to meet all your new friends."

Calem nodded, grinning so hard he felt like his face could pop. "Alright then! Let's go-"

Before Calem could finish, the group was suddenly treated to the very loud sound of Calem's stomach gurgling. The boy's face practically turned neon red from embarrassment, and Shauna had to bite her lip to keep from giggling.

"Eheh, maybe I should eat something first?" Calem suggested, sweat-dropping.

Sitting at a picnic table in the middle of Aquacorde Town, a young boy with ginger hair and gray eyes was waiting patiently for his friends to return, tapping his fingers across the wooden table. Resting with his green backpack on the table next to him was a Pikachu, watching as the boy became increasingly agitated from waiting. Pikachu, knowing his trainer pretty well, knew that waiting around wasn't his strong suit, and he was maybe a few minutes away from snapping. It wasn't helping that, a few feet away, a somewhat rotund-looking boy with black hair, brown eyes, and wearing a black Vanilite t-shirt was dancing with his Corphish to rather loud, obnoxious music.

"C'mon, Trevor, you don't HAFTA sit and wait!" the larger boy suggested. "Come join the fun!"

Trevor sighed hard, turning his head slowly to face his friend. "Tierno, do you ever think of anything besides dancing?"

"Nope!" Tierno replied honestly. "Nothing keeps a Trainer and his Pokémon in sync better than sharing the rhythm!"

Corphish chirped in positive response, causing Trevor to drop his forehead to the table hard. Pikachu's shoulders slumped a little, watching this unfold, until his ear twitched, causing him to turn to face the entrance to Aquacorde Town. Sure enough, there was Serena, Shauna, and a boy he'd never seen, possibly the one they were out to find.

"Chu-ka!" Pikachu exclaimed to Trevor, getting his trainer's attention.

Trevor groaned, getting up as the three made their way over. "FINALLY! It's been like an hour! Vaniville Pathway CAN'T be THAT long!"

Serena smiled nervously. "Sorry, we lost track of the time! Mrs. Xavier had stew on, and we didn't want to be rude, so-"

Trevor looked ready to explode, until Calem suddenly handed him a microwave container full of his mother's stew. "Peace offering?"

Trevor rolled his eyes, taking the dish. "Well, at least he's nice enough to the people he inconveniences. Name's Trevor."

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted happily, hopping up onto Trevor's shoulder.

"I'm Calem," Calem replied. "Sorry again."

"Hey there, Calem!" Tierno said as he walked over, Corphish shuffling along with him. "I'm Tierno!"

Calem smiled, looking to handshake Tierno, only to get a bizarre shake, slap, and fist bump combo from the larger boy. "Uh, pleasure to meet you."

"Anyway, now that we're all here, can we PLEASE get on with this?" Trevor demanded.

Serena nodded, the group assembling back at the picnic table. "Trevor's right, we should get this started. So, first off, the devices the Professor gave us?"

Trevor unzipped his bag, pulling out five card-like devices, each in a different colour: A blue one for Calem, a red one for Serena, pink for Shauna, orange for Tierno, and green for himself. "The Pokédex will grant and record information on any Pokémon we see from here on out."

Calem scratched the back of his head, unsure how the Pokédex could do that, but decided to test it out. Holding it up to face Pikachu, he pressed a button on its side, causing the device to suddenly expand, the two ends separated by a holographic looking centre that showed the image of Pikachu and listed several stats about it, like its known attacks and current stats.

"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu," the Pokédex's automated voice spoke. "It possesses small electric sacs on both of its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs."

"Wow, that's pretty neat!" Calem exclaimed, closing the Pokédex.

"Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnnd, now for the BIG gift!" Shauna cheered impatiently. "C'mon, I wanna meet my partner soon!"

Trevor rolled his eyes, turning to Tierno. The larger boy reached under the table and brought out a large cylinder, containing three red and white spheres inside. Calem, Shauna, and Serena admired them with barely contained, or in the case of Shauna, not contained at all, glee.

"Since me and Trevor already have Pokémon of our own, we decided to let you three pick which ones you wanted from these three," Tierno declared. "I'm not really sure which Poké Ball has which Pokémon inside, though, but-"

"Well, what do you say we just check 'em out?" Calem suggested, getting up and grabbing one, tossing it into the air. The Poké Ball opened with a flash of light, releasing a green and brown hedgehog-like Pokémon. It shook its head hard, looking like it'd been cramped in that ball for a bit too long, before smiling at Calem as their eyes met.

"Guess that works for me!" Serena proclaimed, springing up and throwing a Poké Ball skyward. It popped open to unleash an orange and red fox Pokémon, who took one look at Serena and immediately jumped into her arms, nuzzling against her chest.

"And Shauna makes three!" Shauna cheered, leaping to her feet and tossing the last ball into the air. It opened as a blue and white frog Pokémon blasted out in a flash of light, landing on Shauna's head. She was startled at first, but giggled in amusement at the Pokémon's antics.

"Well, guess that answers that question," Trevor noted as the three new Trainers opened their Pokédexes, scanning the three Pokémon.

"Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon," Serena's Pokédex read aloud. "Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Chespin, the Spiky Nut Pokémon," Calem's Pokédex described. "Such a thick shell of wood covers its head and back that even a direct hit from a truck wouldn't faze it."

"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon," Shauna's Pokédex explained. "It protects its skin by covering its body in delicate bubbles. Beneath its happy-go-lucky air, it keeps a watchful eye on its surroundings."

"Wow, they sound so cool!" Calem exclaimed, scooping up Chespin in his arms. "Yeah, I'm definitely sticking with this one!"

Serena and Shauna nodded, the latter of whom suddenly started jumping up and down excitedly. "Ooh! Ooh! Calem! We should have a battle!"

Calem blinked in surprise, as did Chespin. "A-A battle?"

"That's right!" Shauna declared as she and her Froakie pointed fingers at the two. "You two are gonna be the opponents for me and Froabble's Pokémon-battling debut!"

Trevor's eyes narrowed as his shoulders slumped. "You gave him a nickname?"

"What, I think it's cool?" Shauna defended, her Froakie nodding in approval.

"What do you think, Chespin?" Calem asked the small Pokémon in his arms, who thumped his chest in confidence. "Okay then, let's do it!"

A few minutes later, the group had relocated to Route 1, the Vaniville Pathway. After drawing a square make-shift battlefield in the dirt, Serena and Tierno made their way to the sidelines with Pikachu, Fennekin, and Corphish, while Trevor stood in the centre of the field, Calem and Chespin to his right side and Shauna and her Froakie to the left.

"Okay, obviously one Pokémon to each side!" Trevor explained, going over the rules of the battle. "When one Trainer's Pokémon is rendered unable to battle, the opposing Trainer and their Pokémon will be declared the winners! Shauna, you won the coin toss on the way here, so you get to make the first move!"

"Alrighty then! Froabble, use Bubble!" Shauna yelled as Trevor got out of the way. At this command, Shauna's Froakie leaped up into the air, opening his mouth wide. With a loud croak, he sprayed a foam of bubbles at Chespin.

"Chespin, dodge and use Vine Whip!" Calem shouted. Chespin jumped to his side, a pair of vines protruding from the sides of his head. The vines swiped through the bubbles with ease before whipping Froabble hard, knocking him back to the ground.

"Froabble, are you okay?!" Shauna asked, getting a nod from the Bubble Frog Pokémon. "Okay then, use Double Team!"

Froabble smirked, his body glowing with a white outline as he began to vibrate. Suddenly, in a matter of moments, where there was once only one Froakie, there were now three, all smirking confidently at Chespin, who looked confused, not knowing which one was the real Froabble.

"Oh crap!" Calem cursed. "Which one's the real one?!"

"Froabble, Quick Attack!" Shauna ordered, the Froakie trio splitting up before running toward Chespin from each side, giving him a high-speed tackle, sending him tumbling across the battlefield.

"Wow, that Froakie has some tricky moves!" Serena exclaimed. "Calem and Chespin could be in a pinch here!"

"Counter with Tackle!" Calem yelled. Chespin sprung back to his feet, tackling into the nearest Froakie, only for it to fade away. Before it could turn to face the other two, though, they tackled into him from either side, Chespin being sent falling on his face.

Dammit, this isn't going well! Calem thought. Gotta figure out which one's the real one, but how?

Chespin groaned as he used his small paws to get back to his feet, Trevor checking to make sure it could go on. Chespin put on a face of sheer determination, despite being low on health. The Froakie twins quickly came to a screeching halt on either side of the battlefield, facing him from the front and back. Seeing this, Calem's eyes went wide as he realized how to beat their strategy, just in time as they rushed at Chespin.

"Chespin, use Vine Whip straight down!" Calem ordered, much to the shock of everyone else. Chespin didn't quite understand, but did as ordered, cracking his vines down. As he did, though, his body had begun to glow green, and the sheer force of slapping his vines down to the ground sent him skyward.

"Whoa, Chespin's Overgrow Ability just activated!" Tierno noted as the Spiny Nut Pokémon flew up. From above, Chespin watched as the two Bubble Frog Pokémon collided with each other, the one attacking from his front vanishing. This left one, the real Froabble, looking around dumbfoundedly.

"Froabble, above you!" Shauna warned. "Bubble!"

"Chespin, Vine Whip!" Calem shouted. The two Pokémon launched their attacks, but the massive jet of bubbles stood no chance, as Overgrow increased the power of Chespin's vines to such a degree that they popped every last bubble before smacking into Shauna's Froakie. The Bubble Frog Pokémon stumbled around a little before collapsing to the ground, swirls in his eyes.

"Froakie is unable to battle!" Trevor declared, raising his right hand as Chespin landed back on the field. "The winner is Chespin!"

"Alright!" Calem cheered, Chespin leaping up to give him a high five. "Good going, Chespin!"

"Froabble, are you alright?" Shauna asked, scooping up her Froakie, smiling as he came to. "You did great out there, little guy!"

"That was a great battle, you guys," Serena said as the others all came over.

Shauna nodded, looking to Calem. "You're amazing, Calem!"

"Aw, thanks, Shauna," Calem replied with a blush, scratching the back of his head and accepting a handshake from Shauna, Chespin doing the same for Froakie. "Still, a lot of that was probably beginner's luck."

Trevor scratched his chin, Pikachu mirroring his stance from atop his Trainer's shoulder. Wow, Calem sure handled Chespin pretty well for a first-time Trainer. That level of skill can't just be learned on the fly, unless...Wait, did Serena call his mother 'Mrs. Xavier'?

"GAH!" Trevor yelled, knocking Pikachu off of his shoulder. "HOLD ON A SECOND! IS YOUR MOM GRACE XAVIER?! THE FAMOUS RHYHORN RACER?!"

Calem blinked. "...Oh, did I forget to mention that?"

"You...I...Wha...It's...!" Trevor stammered, his face turning so red that he looked like it could explode at any minute. "I'VE GOTTA MEET HER!"

"Well, I was actually gonna head back home to grab some supplies, so if you wa-HEY!" Calem yelped as Trevor suddenly got behind him and started shoving him along the path back to Vaniville Town.

"C'mon, you Slowpoke!" Trevor shouted. "I've GOT to meet your mom, and I need you to introduce us, so let's GO!"

The rest of the group watched as the ginger boy pushed poor Calem along the route, like someone wanting to get premiere autographs from Cynthia or something. Pikachu sat up off the ground, stunned at first, but just exhaled in exasperation, knowing that, chances were, this was going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOONNNGG journey across Kalos.

Pokémon Spotlight!

Calem's Chespin
Ability: Overgrow
Gender: Male
Nature: Bold
Characteristic: Good endurance
Attacks: Vine Whip, Tackle

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, welcome to my loose novelization of Pokémon X & Y Versions. I'd been juggling the idea of doing another Pokémon story (this is not my first attempt at it) for a while now, and decided to go with the X & Y novelization since I really like the cast of main characters, and there's not really all that much I need to tinker or tweak for them. As I stated above, there's a few ground rules in play for this, so if you skipped over them before, I suggest you go back and read them. Updates will be random, as I'm currently writing a few different fanfics at once. Basically, when a good idea hits me for a story, I write it. If I get stuck, I put it aside and come back to it later.

About the main cast's appearances. With a couple of exceptions, they all appear as they would normally in the games. The only big differences is that I went with Serena's hair from the anime, I did away with the glasses on her and Calem's hats, she's wearing the white ribbon accessory for her hat, and he's wearing the red logo cap you can buy in Santalune City, as well as the white logo t-shirt under his jacket. If any changes to their costumes occur, I will make it clear as it happens.

And, because I know people that don't follow me elsewhere will have fandom-related questions, let's just get them all out of the way: My favourite Pokémon is Poliwhirl (which is funny, as it is also Satoshi Tajiri's, and we've both been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome). I currently own Pokémon FireRed, Emerald, Colosseum, Pearl, Platinum, SoulSilver, Battle Revolution, Black, Black 2, Conquest, and X, though I did previously own most of the Game Boy and GBC games. I do not have a favourite version of the games, and while I do believe the newer ones tend to be a bit easier, I don't think that diminishes their quality in any way. I've just recently beaten Pokémon X's main story. I am a casual fan of some of the manga titles, and I currently own Volumes 1-5 of Diamond & Pearl Adventures. I haven't played the TCG in years (at least not the current physical card game), but I have played it online once or twice, and I rather like what they've done with it. I am currently abstaining from watching anything new about the anime, as I've found it to be lacking in quality or direction, specifically that they never let Ash grow the hell up, and I honestly wish that Origins had replaced it, as it was only four episodes long and yet was superior to the main anime in every way...though I will admit, the current Japanese theme is catchy as all hell. And I'm still waiting for evolutions, pre-evolutions, or even Mega Evolutions for Farfetch'd, Luvdisc, Delibird, and Dunsparce.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed, be sure to give me some feedback, and hopefully it won't be too long until my next update. Ja né!