AN: My first Warriors fanfic is not getting the reception I had hoped or expected, so I decided to try my hand at writing for Pokemon again. My stories were popular, though I never finished any of them. This one, though, I feel like I can actually commit to, since I don't have college for another 3 months. Also, I don't own Pokemon *disclaimer*

CHAPTER 1

Have you ever been woken up by a Flying type using its Peck attack very fiercely in your face?

Trust me. It's not an experience I care to repeat. Clearly, Mom and Rhyhorn caught a faulty Fletchling out past Aquacorde Town. I miss Kanto, specifically my hometown of Pewter City, more than I could ever describe. I'd had almost my entire life planned out - I was going to become an apprentice of Brock, the Rock-type Gym Leader there, eventually take over the gym, and once I retired, maybe follow in my mother's footsteps and become a Rhyhorn rider.

But no. My mother had grown tired of her career, and the recognition. She decided on a quiet life in the faraway, barely talked about Kalos Region - and I, since I was not yet old enough to be a Trainer at the time, had to move with her. Forgiveness for this experience is currently TBD. Oh well. Since I'm awake, I may as well get dressed and try and get to know my surroundings a bit better.

"Serena!" exclaimed my mother when I walked downstairs into the kitchen. "It's about time you got going! Why don't you step out and say hello to the neighbors?"

How about you punish that pathetic excuse for a flying chicken over there for giving me a migraine instead? I thought. But, not wanting to fight any more than we already had, I obliged.

I hadn't stepped three feet out of our quaint little residence before I was greeted by a small girl in a pink T shirt with black bows down the front, with a matching bag, jean shorts, and pink high top sandals. Clearly she liked pink - and bows. Her hair was quite something as well; at the top it was styled into two buns, but in the back, two long brown ponytails reached down toward her feet.

The other neighbor was a rather handsome boy - about my height with shaggy black hair, deep gray eyes, and dressed from head to toe in blue jeans, a blue windbreaker, a red hat and sunglasses. He offered me a confident smile, and I couldn't help but return it.

"Welcome to Vaniville Town," he offered. "The name's Calem. I live next door."

"And I'm Shauna!" piped up the pink-loving girl. "Great to meet you! Guess what? We've come to get you!"

"The renowned Professor Sycamore lives here in the Kalos region. I heard he has a task for five kids, including us. But I'm surprised he knows who you are. You did just move here to Vaniville, after all," Calem added, seeing my eyes begin to narrow at his tone.

Clearly oblivious to the tension, Shauna interjected, "We'll wait for you in the next town over! And y'know what? We're going to get...a Pokemon! Come on, let's go!" Quick as a flash, the two of them ran off.

Why the hell couldn't we all just walk there together? I thought. This Shauna sure doesn't plan things out very thoroughly. Oh well. It's not like I had many friends back home, and now I have at least two.

Walking out of the gate that led to Route 1, I strolled along for maybe 5 minutes and reached Aquacorde Town, upon which I heard a shout of, "Hey, Serena! This way! Over here!"

I followed the sound to a small table in the middle of the town, which had Calem and Shauna sitting at it, as well as a larger boy with a black shirt with a Vanillite on it, and a smaller, nervous-looking boy with orange hair and glasses. I took the open seat next to Calem.

"We were just talking about you!" Shauna greeted me happily. "C'mon, have a seat!"

"This is the meeting place, Serena," Calem stated calmly. "Here, I'll introduce you. Everyone, this is Serena."

"Wow!" exclaimed the larger boy. "Shauna's description was spot-on!" My eye twitched. What exactly did she say…

"So, Serena," my handsome neighbor continued, "this is Tierno. He can really tear up the dance floor and...this is Trevor. He's a little shy, but he always gets perfect scores on his tests."

"All right! Nice to meetcha!" the bigger boy - Tierno, I reminded myself - exclaimed. "You know, it'd feel like we were a closer crew if we call each other by nicknames. Can I call you Lady S?"

I stared in utter disbelief at the horrible suggestion when Shauna made everything worse by adding, "No way! She's a Li'l S for sure! What do you think, Trevor?"

"What?! You want me to nickname someone I just met?! You shouldn't put people on the spot like this, Shauna!" the shy boy exclaimed for the first time. "Well...how about something low-key? Maybe...something like S-kins?"

Just as I was about to pray to Arceus to forever destroy these nickname suggestions, my voice of reason, Calem, reassured me, "You should decide what we call you."

Sighing with relief inwardly, I explained to my new "crew", as Tierno put it, "I've never really had a nickname besides Seesee. It's what my dad called me when I was very little." I had never told anyone that before. But despite Calem's seriousness, Trevor's shyness, Tierno's weirdness, and Shauna's general overenthusiasm for everything, I felt a sort of glow inside that I never had before. Is this what friendship is like?

"You want us to call you Seesee?" Shauna asked shyly. Clearly, she understood what the moment had meant as much as I had. I nodded, and really smiled for the first time since moving to Kalos.

"Okay! Seesee fits you perfectly! I'm sure we're gonna be great friends, so I'll call you that, too! Hey! Can we see the Pokémon now? I want to meet my new partner soon!" Shauna managed to exclaim all in one breath.

"I know, right? It was such a cool feeling when Trevs and I met our Pokemon. Hope you feel the same way we did!" Tierno replied, and pulled out a container with three Pokeballs inside. Releasing them all at once, I was greeted by some sort of tan otter wearing a green hat, a yellow fox with tufts of flaming red fur coming from its ears, and a very serious looking blue frog with what looked like a scarf of white bubbles.

Though they all looked like good partners, and definitely very different than back home in Kanto, the same warm glow I'd felt telling my new friends to call me Seesee seemed to be reflected in that little fox's smile. I picked it up and as it mewled affectionately in my arms, I knew I'd made the right choice.

"Would you like to give your Pokemon a nickname?" Shauna asked curiously.

"I think I will call her Victoria," I replied. My little fox - Fennekin, I think it was called - chirped happily in response.

"Okay! My partner's Chespin! Wow! We go together great! The two of us are just way-ay-ay too cute!" The green-hatted otter seemed to have the same cheerful personality as Shauna.

"Good to meet you, Froakie. My name's Calem. Because of you, I can finally become a real Pokemon Trainer. Thanks!" The blue frog gave a simple nod in response. I snorted. Clearly, those two will make a great team. Wonder if Tierno's Pokemon likes to dance and Trevor's takes tests with him?

"Uh, pardon me," Trevor interrupted awkwardly, "but I have something for you from the Professor as well. I have something that will help you understand Pokemon on a much deeper level." He handed me a shiny red device, which I stared at questioningly until he continued, "Um, so you see, the Pokedex I just gave you is a high tech device that automatically records the Pokemon you encounter! The reason you get one is because the professor wants us to go on a journey with our Pokemon and complete the Pokedex. To put it another way, it's an important mission from the Professor, I'm sure of it!"

I had to smile at that last part - it was the first time since I'd met Trevor that he sounded sure of himself about anything.

"Oh, lighten up, Trevs, you're way too serious sometimes," scoffed Tierno. "Um, Seesee, please take this with you too," he added. "It's a letter from the Professor. You should give it to your mom." As I placed it inside my bag in a secure pocket, he exclaimed, "All right! We're done with our errand for the professor. I guess Trevs and I will go look for Pokemon! Let's go, Trevs!" And with that, the two more experienced Trainers were off.

"In Kalos," Calem continued to explain, "kids are chosen to carry a Pokedex and go on an adventure. But you need to give that letter to your mom before you go." I rolled my eyes. Like I didn't know certain kids are chosen for this? Surely Kalos has heard of Ash Ketchum.

I was nearly out of the Aquacorde gates when I heard Shauna call, "Serena, wait! You're going to be my opponent in my Pokemon-battling debut!"

"Okay, but you better be ready to lose!" I replied smugly, surprised at how fired up I felt to battle a friend. "Go, Victoria!" Releasing my Fennekin, I scanned it with the Pokedex and smirked as I saw Ember on its list of attacks.

"Victoria, use Ember a few times and give Chespin lights out!" That was exactly what happened, too - any Vine Whip attack Chespin attempted to leash out, Victoria could just burn away with Ember, and Growl barely affected her, as the flaming fur in her ears served as an insulation to sound attacks.

"Hey! I wasn't done watching my Li'l Chespin yet!" cried Shauna as her Pokemon fell, defeated. I shrugged. "Sorry, but you will be spending the rest of your lives together, at least."

Shauna brightened at that thought, and replied, "You're amazing, Seesee! Here, let me fix up your Pokemon." Taking Victoria, she sprayed her with a Potion and handed her back to me. I returned Victoria to her ball and continued on the way back to Vaniville Town. I would start out tomorrow morning. "Say hi to your mom for me!" Shauna called, waving from a distance.

"So, what did you and the neighbor kids end up doing?" asked my mom as I walked in the house. I grinned in response, and released my new partner. "You got your very own Pokemon? Lucky you! How about that? You're a Pokemon Trainer now, too. Congratulations!" I smiled in response, and handed over the letter.

Scrunching up her face in confusion, my mom peered at the paper. "Huh? A letter for me? It says it's from somebody named Sycamore. What could it be? A love letter?"

She said this offhandedly, but it still pained me to the core to hear it. It had been almost seven years since Dad passed, and it seemed the only one who still felt the pain was me.

"Wow, what lovely handwriting…" she mused, scanning the page. I snorted. And this is why I don't have a stepfather.

"Hmm? What do we have here? A request...oh, I see! Serena! We've barely unpacked, and all kinds of exciting things are happening! Okay, let's get you and Fennekin ready for your journey!"

Getting me ready for my journey apparently consisted of giving me a Town Map and a change of clothes, then sending me out the door. I guess my plan to leave tomorrow wouldn't work. Oh well - the truth was, I loved my mother and I appreciated her taking care of me for so long, but I was never going to sit at home with her and help take care of the house. Not anymore.

Little did I know the experiences I would have and how drastically my life would change, that sunny day that Victoria and I started out on our "lap around Kalos".