"Welcome back to Sycamore's Story Corner. Young Serena was in quite a pickle, now wasn't she? But this dream of her will last forever, it will never die and she will rise to meet the challenge every time. The first step of her adventure was to visit my laboratory in Lumiose City and amass a powerful team of Pokémon on the way."

"People often ask me – 'Augustine, why do you send a bunch of children to do your dirty work as you sit in your fancy lab getting pedicures and making your assistants swoon regardless of gender or orientation?' - in those words exactly, mind you. Well, I saw what you have written about my colleague from Kanto, Samuel Oak, and if you think he's a man like that, then you're wrong! WRONG! Anyway, rest assured, I keep close attention to all of my students, so if they're trying to ride a bike indoors, I'll make sure they get what's coming to them, one way or another."

"Another question that often gets asked is, 'Sycamore, how can you know when an unsuspecting teen tries to whip out their bicycle inside a building? Do you use satellite images and an implanted camera in the PokéDex to spy on those poor tykes when they're on their merry journies?'"

"..."

"Anyway, back to Serena's story. In order to strengthen the bond between herself and her Pokémon, Serena's would have to make a stop at the Santalune Gym..."

Chapter Two: Let It Burn

Location: Vaniville Town, Kalos

As Serena returned to her house, her mother was watching a strange show called 'KOUKAN TALK', always written in capital letters, no less, where an energetic woman spoke horribly mangled Japanese.

"Hi, honey!" Grace greeted Serena from the couch. "Proteam Omega is on in a moment, you want to watch?"

"I haven't watched it since I was twelve!" Serena protested. "Um, I mean, is that still on...?"

"But I remember you crying over the ending of season twenty-three..."

"Enough!" Serena exclaimed and shoved the letter to her mother. "Here, Professor Sycamore sent you a-"

Grace's face brightened over the professor's name being mentioned as she grabbed the letter from Serena and ripped it open.

"Ooh, Augustine!" Grace said giddily as she started reading. "I wonder if it's a love letter... my, what lovely handwriting..."

"You know the professor?" Serena wondered.

"Of course, dear," Grace replied. "He is your father."

A horrified expression froze on Serena's face. It was as if the world around her shifted in turmoil at this revelation, a sudden feeling of existential nausea overwhelming her being – had everything before been just a lie?

"Just kidding!" Grace giggled. "But I have heard a lot about him – I hope to get to meet him one day. If you're going to Lumiose, say hi to him for... oh, look, he's on TV now!"

Indeed, with KOUKAN TALK over, the commercials before Proteam Omega aired. Professor Augustine Sycamore, long, curly brown hair blowing in the wind, rode a Rapidash on a boat, having somehow misplaced his shirt, advertising some product:

"Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me..."

"Oh, he wants you to go on a journey!" Grace said, slapping her cheek dramatically as she finished reading. "We only just moved in and so many exciting things are happening. You've made new friends and got a brand new Pokémon!"

Fennekin had accompanied Serena on the trip back to Vaniville, Serena wanting to show it off to her mom. She also pondered on telling Fennekin to set Calem's house on fire to teach him a lesson, but that would have probably been unfair towards his mom. Upon being noticed, Fennekin jumped on the couch and excitedly nuzzled its cheek against Grace, who patted the cute fire-type on the head, her sudden squeal of joy quite resembling Serena's first meeting with the Fox Pokémon.

Of course, Serena would still be keeping it in the Poké Ball most of the time. Having it outside and walking by her side wherever she went – now that would be downright nutty.

"You don't have any problems with me going away? I might be gone for months," Serena said.

"Not at all, Selina, you go and have fun!" Grace said cheerfully.

Before Serena would correct her couch-ridden mom, something big and bulky smashed into the house, knocking down the front door in the process. It was Grace's Rhyhorn, who whined sadly at the prospect of Serena leaving. It rubbed itself against Serena affectionately – an unfortunate thing considering the Rhyhorn was a 250-pound creature with spiky skin made of solid rock.

"Aww, look, Rhyhorn wants to send you off, too!" Grace said. "Isn't that adorable!"

"M-mom!" Serena yelled as she had to keep the Rhyhorn away before her clothes were shredded. "What about the door?!"

"Oh, these things sort themselves out," Grace said calmly and went back to watching TV.

"Right," Serena grumbled. "But first things first... Rhyhorn!"

As soon as Serena used her commanding voice, the Rhyhorn collapsed on the ground, almost breaking through the floor in the process, putting its stubby legs in the air and exposing its neck submissively.

"That's better," Serena said firmly. "Good girl. So, I'll be leaving now, mom."

"Yup."

"For real, this time. Won't be back in a long time."

"Understood."

"Take care of yourself. And Rhyhorn. And Fle-"

Serena glared at what she saw – Grace's Fletchling was sitting on its perch in the corner of the living room like nothing had happened.

"But," Serena stuttered. "How did you... I mean, how could-"

The Fletchling just tilted its head and chirped. Serena narrowed her eyes at it.

"You win this round," she said threateningly.

~o~O~o~

Location: Santalune Forest, Kalos

"Serena's journal,

and thus, the quest for immortality begins. I have decided that throwing wave after wave of my future minions at the opposition would be too much of a hassle, so despite protests from Calem, I have decided to enter the Pokémon League Gym Badge challenge to make my Pokémon unbeatable. With the posse at my side, we have entered Santalune Forest, which, according to the gang, 'keeps the scum from Santalune out of Aquacorde and Vaniville'.There, I proceeded to challenge some local trainers, making a record number of kids cry. But if they didn't want me and Fennekin to devastate their Pokémon, they shouldn't have become children in the first place, those filthy-"

"Serena, your pen is smoking again," Shauna warned.

It was a beautiful summer day, gentle light filtering through the thickets of trees around the forest, casting dapples of sunlight all over the place. It was also abundant with wildlife – wherever you looked, a Pokémon was flying or crawling by. Especially bug-type Pokémon.

Serena hated bug-type Pokémon.

"How much more," she grumbled after kicking a Weedle attempting to get too close back into the bushes, "are we going to stay in this Arceus-forsaken forest?!"

"Just a little more," Calem assured. "Trust me, I know where we're going. I could navigate this place in my sleep-"

"You've said that seven times during the past three hours," Trevor grumbled.

"-and besides, this place feels oddly familiar. Did we ever play here when we were kids?"

"No, we played at the countryside near Vaniville," Tierno pointed out. "Remember that time we ran through the Miltank ranches barefoot? Oh, the disgusting years of childhood..."

"Huh," Calem said. "I don't know, but something about this place makes me feel like I've been here before... in a different life, a different era, where the plane of reality only had two dimensions..."

"Have you been licking your Froakie or something?" Serena asked.

"Well, anyway," Calem continued casually, ignoring the question, "now that we have time, I could show you guys how to catch Pokémon!"

"We know how to catch Pokémon, dumbass, you literally can't not succeed in here," Serena hissed. "You can throw a Poké Ball in a random patch of grass and you'll have your very own creature to do your bidding. Hell, Shauna already caught two!"

"Wow, guys, is this my Pokémon?" Shauna wondered as she held the Poké Ball containing her new Bunnelby. "It's not as cute as I expected. It's so tiny..."

"Um, it's inside the ball, Shauna," Tierno pointed out.

"Aww, Ser, you just jelly 'cause you don't have a sweet flying-type Pokémon like this," Calem said smugly and opened one of his Poké Balls, letting out his Fletchling.

The very sight of the little reddish-orange bird Pokémon made Serena cringe. Before she could order Fennekin to snack on Calem's Fletchling, however, she heard rustling in the bushes nearby. Serena jerked her head in its direction so fast that one could practically hear her neck making a crunching sound.

"Enemies!" she yelled. "They found us already!"

Reacting in a split-second, Serena grabbed a lighter and a bottle of hairspray from her bag, using them as an improvised flamethrower.

But the Pokémon turned out to be another Fletchling. Serena felt her hands shaking, her head throbbing, her mind clouded with the memories of this morning.

"You again," Serena whispered to the Fletchling, who just stared at her innocently. "You think you're pretty clever, don't you?"

"Um, Serena, it's a Fletchling," Tierno said. "We're probably surrounded by dozens of similar ones-"

"Stay out of this!" Serena snapped. "You woke me up," she said threateningly, pointing at the Fletchling. "Nobody interrupts my beauty sleep. No one will interfere with the sanctity of sleeping in. I will make you pay for your crimes against humanity, little Fletchling."

"Oh, sweet, a female one," Calem said as he spotted the Fletchling, ignorant of Serena's ranting. "Time to start breeding me a bird army – HEY!"

Serena grabbed the Poké Ball Calem was about throw without even looking, tossing at the Fletchling with all her might. The ball dazed Fletchling when it made contact with the poor bird's head, converting the Fletchling into energy and sucking it in. The Poké Ball dropped on the ground and shook once.

Then twice.

Then a third time.

Then it stopped.

Then it shook a couple more times for good measure.

"Oh, come on!" Serena yelled.

And just like that, the shaking stopped. Serena smiled triumphantly and picked up her new Fletchling's Poké Ball.

"Serena!" Shauna exclaimed. "I don't think you're supposed to hit them like that – weren't we supposed to weaken them first through Pokémon battle."

"Nobody has time for that!" Serena argued.

"Hey, since you used my Poké Ball to catch that thing, isn't it technically mine?" Calem suggested.

Serena's blank stare was all the answer Calem would get from her.

"Fool," Trevor said suddenly, "Poké Balls don't identify ownership until the Pokémon has been tagged, meaning the owner is whoever touched the Poké Ball prior to that, in this case-"

"Trevs, I don't need any of that nerd stuff now," Calem snapped.

"...you have made a powerful enemy today, Calem."

"Anyway," Calem said in blissful ignorance. "I guess I can let that slide for now, Ser. You can't get any badges with just that adorable little fox of yours."

"Was that a challenge?"

"Um, no, I was just... by the way, why were you so jumpy before?" Calem countered. "You got something to hide? Because you can lay all your darkest secrets on me – Calem is always here."

"That's great, Cal!" Tierno said. "Okay, I gotta get this off my chest – sometimes, I have dreams about your mom-"

"Not you!"

"You have to be prepared," Serena said. "The enemy can strike from any direction – it could be someone you've never met, or your closest friend. My advice to you is this – never. Trust. Anyone. Got that, Shauna?"

Shauna was happily playing with her Chespin, rubbing its stomach and feeding it strange little cake-like confections that she apparently had a limitless supply of in her bag.

"She'll learn," Serena said simply. "Take you for example, Calem – I should have never trusted you to get us out of this stupid forest!"

"Hey, I take offense to that!"

"The forest doesn't have feelings, silly," Tierno said.

"That wasn't what I – ugh, forget it. You guys are cramping my style. I'm using my unparalleled sense of directions to leave this stupid forest. I'll be sipping cider in Santalune before sundown! Anyone who accepts me as their leader can feel free to follow me!"

No one followed Calem as he stomped in a random direction, and he himself had to back off as something emerged from the bushes. Not Pokémon this time, but four Pokémon trainers, Serena recognizing three of them as ones whom she had already beaten senseless in a Pokémon battle. There were two lasses and two youngsters, the lass at the lead smirking at the group with hands on her hips.

"That's 'em, Lise!" said one of the youngsters to the lass, being at least a head shorter than her. "They's the ones who messed up our Pokémon, see!"

"Oh crud, not them," Tierno grumbled at the sight of the four young trainers.

"You know who these people are and why they have decided to march into their dooms by standing in my way?" Serena asked.

"They're old friends of ours from school!" Shauna said cheerfully and waved at the leading lass. "Hi, Lise!"

"They're not our friends, we were enemies!" Tierno argued. "We were the yokels from Vaniville, they were the posh kids from Aquacorde and Santalune," Tierno explained to Serena. "Things got pretty heated a couple of times."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Serena said, rolling her eyes. "What, someone got their hair pulled? Their backpack thrown in a puddle?"

"No, they broke Trevor's nose," Tierno said. "And then Trevor sent two of them to the hospital."

Serena whistled appreciatively.

"That's the kind of thinking I need in my team!" Serena said to Trevor.

"Your praise is just white noise in my ears, arrogant Unovan," Trevor muttered.

"Quiet!" yelled Lise, the lass who looked to be the strongest of the group.

Tierno gulped, Calem dashed into safety and hid behind Serena and even Shauna's ever-present smile faltered a bit.

"You've pushed my slaves around long enough," Lise said in annoyingly smug voice. "I thought you hicks would have known better than to trespass into our territory."

"That's her, Lise!" the same youngster who attempted to sound tough but sounded like a squeaky door yelled frantically, almost jumping up and down as she pointed at Serena. "The girl with the carmine hat!"

"I'd say it's more of a scarlet color," Serena pondered. "Just like the color of your blood – wanna see?"

Lise narrowed her eyes, a sadistic grin appearing on her face. "Aren't you a tough one."

"And you're in my way," Serena said nonchalantly. "Oh, wait, and you guys are the newbies I trashed earlier! Sorry it took me a while to recognize you – to be honest, you kids with your stupid Bidoof and Pidgey kinda blur together."

"She's doin' it again!" the whiny youngster complained in what could only be described a strange. "Hey, yous better stop right now – I still have another Pokémon you didn't knock out yet!"

Serena tensed up, ready to send out her Pokémon to counter whatever beast the youngster was about to send. A secret weapon of some sort, maybe? A fully evolved Pokémon? A bizarre hybrid of two Pokémon outfitted with a cannon on its back that shoots heat-seeking laser beams?

"Go, Scatterbug!" the youngster yelled.

"What," was Serena's response.

Scatterbug was a black bug-type Pokémon, barely a foot in height, one little tooth poking out of its mouth. Serena stared at it blankly.

"Are you for real now?" Serena asked.

"Hey, don't diss my Scatterbug!" the youngster whined. "It's without a doubt in the top percentage of Scatterbug!"

"Hah, that's it?!" shouted Calem, who finally came out from behind Serena after spotting his opponent. "Don't worry, friends, I'll deal with him lickety-split."

Calem brought out his Froakie, who stretched its limbs and enthusiastically prepared for a battle.

"Scatterbug, Stun Spore!" the youngster ordered.

Before Froakie could attack, Scatterbug released a cloud of black powder from its mouth, the cloud floating directly at Froakie. As soon as the water-type inhaled some of the powder, its whole body seized up, its limbs going stiff as it collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

"Hey!" Calem yelled at the youngster. "That ain't fair! Froakie, haul yourself up!" he ordered the paralyzed Pokémon. "Move it or you won't be a part of my awesome breeding program!"

"Why are you so useless?" Serena grumbled and pushed Calem aside. "Tend to your Pokémon or something, I'll handle Scuttlebutt."

"Scatterbug!" the youngster complained. "Why aren't you taking this seriously?!"

"Why? Let me tell you the reasons... before this, I lived in Anville Town. My mom was a local Rhyhorn racing champion on the boonies of west Unova. She traveled all over the world, Kalos included, leaving me to fend for myself for days at a time – let's just say she fell off the Rhyhorn one too many times. One day, I was going shopping to Nimbasa City in a mostly empty train, when a bunch of hijackers attacked the train. Since the shops I wanted to go closed at seven, I had to do something, but with no Pokémon, I armed myself with a can of hair spray..."

Serena took out the can for dramatic effect.

"...and a cigarette lighter."

Serena demonstrated the lighter.

"On that day, I learned what is really flammable, and discovered the amazing power of fire. Sweet, cleansing fire. As I picked the robbers off one by one, they got a little desperate, making it easier for me to try different tactics. Be it throwing one under the train..."

Serena picked up a bunch of leaves and twigs from the ground and crushed them in her fist, making a nasty crunching sound.

"...or making clever use of the deep-fryer at the train's dining car. They all had high-level Pokémon like Machoke or Bisharp with them, but all trembled at the sight of a teenaged girl with an improvised flamethrower and a lead pipe. So what chances do you think you have?"

"Did... did that actually happen?" asked lass Lise, having listened to the story with her eyes and mouth wide open.

"Ehh, who knows," Serena shrugged. "I just started telling it to distract you from my Fletchling's attack. NOW!"

Serena's Fletchling swooped at the amateur trainers, who all scattered away as if something terrifying was approaching. Fletchling picked up the youngster's Scatterbug, flew back into the air, and with an evil glint in its eye, dropped the Scatterbug when it was at fifteen feet, knocking the Pokémon out upon landing.

Angered by this, Lise sent out a Pokémon of her own... a Pikachu. The weird noise the Pikachu made upon being let out made Serena shudder.

"What kind of mutant breed is that?!" she wondered.

In the meantime, Shauna had supplied Calem with a bottle of Paralyze Heal she had found on the ground. With one spray from the bottle, Froakie got back on its feet and back in the action.

"All right, Froakie!" Calem ordered. "Quick Attack!"

Froakie moved so quickly that it looked like it vanished from the spot, emerging again near the Pikachu, ready to tackle it – only to be blocked by the Pikachu's tail smacking it in the stomach. Dazed, Froakie was blasted by Pikachu's Thunder Shock that knocked the poor water-type out with one shot.

"FROAKIE!"

"Why are you so terrible at this?!" Serena snapped.

"It wasn't my fault! That Pikachu is vastly overpowered! That blow could stun a friggin' Golem! Hax, I tell you, hax!"

"Listen to yourself," Serena muttered and shook her head. "Looks like it's my turn."

Serena tossed Fennekin's Poké Ball into the air, allowing the little Fox Pokémon to aid its new Fletchling friend. Despite its many battles so far, Fennekin was still cheerful and full of energy, ready to do whatever Serena commanded.

The other youngster and other lass responded as well, sending out two Poké Balls each... only for their Pokémon to turn out to be Pidgey, Caterpie, Weedle and Zigzagoon.

Serena sighed.

"You know, when things are on my way, I get rid of them," she told Lise. "Usually with fire. Take this forest, for instance – at the moment, it's standing between me and civilization. Incidentally, so are you people."

Serena snapped her fingers, Fletchling and Fennekin assuming their positions on Serena's left and right side, respectively. Serena herself whipped out her hairspray can and lighter.

"You have about three seconds to make space," she said.

~o~O~o~

Location: Santalune City, an hour later

Serena, Shauna, Calem, Tierno and Trevor exited the Santalune Pokémon Center, all but Serena covered in soot and looking like they had just witnessed something terrifying – though Shauna had recovered quickly. The group had gotten out of Santalune Forest, the inferno Serena had created scaring off the school kids training their puny Pokémon on Ouvert Way, the route between the forest and Santalune City.

Santalune City was a medium-sized, quiet town with a friendly atmosphere. With cobblestone streets and little cafés and restaurants all over the place, it was no wonder the place was an important hub for trainers on their way to either Lumiose City to the north or the Pokémon League to the northeast.

"All right, my loyal minions!" Serena told the other four with a huge smile on her face. "As a reward for sticking with me, I'm taking you somewhere nice!"

"Ice cream?" Shauna asked hopefully.

"The Santalune City Boutique!"

"Even better!" Shauna cheered. "Yay!"

"Indeed it is, Shauna," Serena agreed. "I only brought two extra outfits with me and if I'm going to achieve immortality, I can't do it without properly accessorizing first, right?"

"Flawless logic," Calem agreed. "I guess I could use a new hat, myself. Something to celebrate my upcoming victory against this town's gym leader. Lead on, fair Serena!"

"Shut up."

"'Kay."

As the group started making their way towards the Santalune Boutique, which was right across the street from the Pokémon Center. Shauna was enthusiastically listing off things she wanted to buy and pondering out loud if they sold accessories for Pokémon. Trevor was grumbling about vanity and how it would be the group's downfall, no one listening to a word he was saying. But Tierno, having gotten the soot off his face, looked contemplative.

"Hey, Calem," he said quietly, Shauna having distracted Serena with talk about headwear.

"'Sup?" Calem asked.

"You notice anything, um, odd about Serena?"

"Well, for such a know-it-all about fashion, she should know that those shoes seriously need to go if she wants them to mesh with-"

"No, I mean... well, didn't the fact that she just burned down a chunk of the forest while laughing like a maniac and singing 'Disco Inferno' kind of tip you off? We sent some of those posh kids home with third-degree burns!"

"Yeah, that was funny," Calem said, reminiscing it fondly. "I mean, once you got through the scariness, you gotta admit, they kind of had it coming. All in good fun."

"Well, it was pretty satisfying..." Tierno mumbled before catching himself. "I mean, no, no! It was terrible! Also, she keeps calling us stuff like 'minions'."

"It's Unova slang for 'friends'. You know, buddies, pals, comrades, mates, nakama?"

"I dunno..." Tierno said quietly and turned to look down at Trevor. "Trevs, what do you think?"

Trevor glanced at his friend warily. When no one was suddenly speaking out to interrupt him, his face lit up in a smile and he opened his mouth.

"Uh-"

"Well, let's get in!" Serena announced, the group having arrived at the door of the boutique. "

Inside the store, a friendly woman wearing a beret happily told the group to try on as much clothes as they wanted. She had not prepared for this day, however, as Serena and Shauna instantly reacted with insane glee and went on to try every possible hat they could find. Tierno was also looking for suitable dancer garb to put on his Corphish while Trevor stood in the corner and complained quietly.

As Serena rummaged through what was on display, trying on the twenty-third felt hat of the day, swearing they all looked like different colored variations of each other, she was approached by a woman with brown hair and green eyes. She was carrying a camera with her and seemed to be awfully interested in Serena, getting absurdly close to her, stroking her chin as she stared at Serena like she was wondering if she knew her from somewhere.

"You..." the woman muttered. "You're you, aren't you?"

"And they say the art of conversation has been lost," Serena sighed.

"Oh, sorry!" the woman said cheerily and slapped her forehead theatrically. "You just had an intriguing look to you, like I saw you from somewhere... maybe a poster."

Serena frowned. "Where have you seen a poster of me?" she asked immediately.

"Oh, it was probably nothing," the woman said cheerfully and waved a greeting. "Hi, I'm Alexa, I work for the Lumiose Press! I couldn't help but notice your group entering the shop – are you the ones who received Pokémon and PokéDexes from Professor Sycamore?"

"Oh, yes, that's us!" Serena said immediately. "Just a bunch of teens on their Pokémon journeys, nothing nefarious, feel free to write about it in your paper!"

Serena grabbed Shauna, who was trying on a cycling cap, and wrapped her arm around her in a manner she assumed friends did to each other.

"See? We're friends!" Serena told Alexa. "Nothing to see here!"

"Yay for friendship!" Shauna cheered without wondering why Serena was acting like this.

"Well, if you're Pokémon trainers, you'll probably want to check out the local gym," Alexa advised. "I can show you the way if you want. The gym leader, Viola, is actually my sister."

"Hmm, intriguing," Serena said and let go of Shauna. "Then you must know something about her strategy. Still, I have to be convinced that getting a gym badge is worth my time, when I'm supposed to be looking for the key to imm... ensely good fashion apparel, yeah!"

"What an odd thing to say," Shauna said.

Before Alexa could respond, she waved a greeting at Calem, who came over to Serena and Shauna, magnetically drawn to them upon hearing the word 'badge'.

"You know the local gym leader?!" Calem asked Alexa. "Tell us everything about – hey, I know you! You're Alexa! I love your stuff! That article about Pokémon mating rituals changed my life!"

"I please to aim," Alexa said. "Wait..."

"Oh, and Serena," Calem said and put the hat he was carrying on. "Doesn't this look good?"

Serena turned to lazily look at the fedora Calem was demonstrating. Immediately upon seeing the abomination of an apparel, metaphorical flames were set alight in her eyes. It sat there, atop Calem's head and smug face, as if mocking her with its very existence. With it on, Calem became more beast than a man, and Serena could almost feel the common sense being sucked out of Calem's brain every second he wore the thing.

I didn't even remember to bring my napalm.

"Take that thing off," Serena growled.

"Why?" Calem wondered. "The clerk said it makes me look sharp."

"Then I'll burn her along with it – and you if I have to," Serena said bluntly. "Take. It. Off."

"Well, if you insist," Calem said in a slightly squeaky voice and took the hat off, the memory of Santalune Forest not about to leave his head anytime soon. "I mean, if you prefer me like this, I'll always accommodate."

"Looks like it's too late – it already rotted your brain," Serena said.

"Eep," Calem squeaked and hastily threw the fedora away.

"Anyway," Serena continued nonchalantly as she turned to look at Alexa. "What kind of Pokémon does Viola use? You know, like, hypothetically, if I had an army of doom, would she be a good fit for it?"

"Oh, I thought everyone knew," Alexa said cheerfully. "No wonder they have that forest set up to keep the scum from Vaniville and Aquacorde out. She's an expert on bug-type Pokémon."

"You wouldn't expect to hear those words together," Calem laughed. "Um, Serena? You OK?"

The sight of the scumbag crown on Calem's head had already pushed Serena's patience, but the mere mention of bug-types pushed her over the edge. She started grinding her teeth together, her eye twitching at the very thought of someone dedicating their careers to such vile things.

Bugs. Nasty, stinky, creepy, crawly, jittery, all-legs no-brains kind of BUGS!

"Oh, yeah, you really don't like bug-types," Calem laughed. "Well, tough luck, if you're not challenging the gym, I guess I can go ahead and-"

"No!" Serena snapped. "I fully intend to face her. And I can't wait to wipe her and her Pokémon off the face of this planet. Yes – sweet fire, it cleanses all..."

"Sounds good!" Shauna piped in suddenly. "I'll go with you! I wanna see how you battle! This is going to be fun!"

"What? Hey, uh, me too!" Calem said. "I mean, I want that badge too, but, um, you can face her first."

"Tierno, Trevor!" Serena yelled at the remaining two, who immediately stood at attention. "Get to the Pokémon Center and stock up on Potions, Poké Balls and Repel! If you don't buy an even-numbered amount, you know what happens! Now all I need is the right inspiration for this..."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Alexa said. "The stores around here are run by some real elitists, but if you have a good reputation, or you get more gym badges, they show you stuff that they don't keep around just for the average shmoes."

"And that was it! Alexa, take me to your sister so I can burn her gym to the ground!"

"Sure thing!" Alexa said obliviously.

~o~O~o~

Location: Santalune City Gym, Kalos

The gym was oddly small: it looked more like a tiny, mostly empty art gallery with pictures of bug-type Pokémon around (making Serena flicker her lighter nervously) and a big hole in the middle of the floor, a thin steel pipe leading down into the hole and places beyond.

The Gym guide cheerfully approached Serena, Shauna and Calem, Alexa having returned to Lumiose City after showing the group the gym.

"What's the hustle, little Crustle?" he asked Serena in a manner that made her groan. "Here to challenge Viola?"

"Yes!" Serena yelled. "Take me to your leader, please."

"Whoa, don't buzz off just yet, little Lady-ba," the gym guide said.

"Please stop."

"We don't want people crawling over to the gym leader and bugging her before we see if they're up to the task," the gym guide continued. "You have to go down that pipe and make your way to the leader by navigating around a sticky maze of a spider web. If you don't think you have what it takes, don't be Hera-cross with us and make a U-turn instead-"

Serena grabbed the gym guide by his shirt and dragged him to her level, pulling his face uncomfortably close to hers.

"I didn't come here to listen to your crap, and I'm not sliding down that pipe," Serena grumbled. "Just ask all the little critters at Santalune Forest how powerful I am. Take me to Viola now – I insist!"

"Can you at least make a bug pun?" the gym guide whimpered

Serena sighed. "Um... I insect-st?"

"Eww... no wait, I get it. Not very good, but all right. We'll skip the gym ritual today – a lot of people have fallen off into the endless pit below the gym already. You can see Viola now."

"Thank you," Serena said. "Please don't tell me she makes stupid puns too."

"...I won't tell you. But we can't let your friends get into the chambers. They can follow the battle through the video screen from this floor."

"Well, good luck, Serena!" Shauna cheered and rummaged through her bag for something. "Here!"

Shauna dumped about ten bottles of Potion and a few Paralyze Heals and Antidotes into Serena's bag, Serena eying Shauna curiously.

"Oh, I'm really good at finding things from the ground!" Shauna explained. "You can't believe how much stuff people just throw away these days."

"No wonder you spent half you time in the boutique rummaging through their garbage cans..."

"There was a Great Ball in the garbage once!"

So, Serena was brought to Viola. Apart from her hair being sandy-blonde, Viola looked disturbingly lot like her sister, and was currently photographing a Scyther that was apparently 'posing' in what Serena could only assume was meant to be suggestive or something. As for who actually paid for these kinds of photographs – Serena didn't want to know.

"With you in a minute, darling!" Viola called out in the middle of the photographing session. "Yes, brilliant, honey, that's it, give me your naughty look..."

After a few minutes of photographing, Viola ended her session with Scyther and walked up to Serena. Noticing Serena's ensemble, Viola immediately gushed over it and started taking pictures of her, practically blinding Serena with the camera's flash.

"Hey!" Serena snapped. "I don't remember giving you permission to take my picture!"

"True," Viola remarked callously and took one more. "But that glint in your eye, that determined expression. Oh, wow! Such fashion! Many style!"

"Can we move it on, please?" Serena asked. "I need a badge, and I'm here to show you why your bug-type Pokémon suck grass!"

"Ooh, sassy," Viola commented, not at all bothered by Serena's insult. "You know, whether it's the tears of frustration following a loss or the blossoming of joy that comes with victory, I love photographing trainers and their lovely Pokémon. But I should let you know – my lens is always focused on victory, and I won't let anything ruin this shot."

Serena groaned.

"Are all of you Kalos gym leaders like this?" she wondered. "I mean, I heard you had quirks and stuff but seriously?"

"All right, all right," Viola said, grabbing a Poké Ball from her pocket. "With my Pokémon, I'll beat you quicker than a shutter set to 1/1000 can snap shut! It'll only be a snap and a flash as I mow down your Pokémon!"

"Can you stop that?"

"That'd be a negative, my photogenic pal. But don't worry, this battle begins now. Music, please!"

Serena was about to yell at her to get on with it and ignore some stupid music... but then she heard the incredibly catchy electro tune starting, being quiet at first but slowly intensifying, the pulsating beat making Serena bop her head and snap her fingers without even noticing.

"Dang, that is a catchy tune," she whispered.

"We Kalos gym leaders have good taste, after all," Viola flaunted. "Go, Surskit!"

"Fennekin, go!"

While Serena went with her trusty and adorable starter, Viola's Pokémon was blue with a round body and three long, skinny legs – it was the legs that Serena hated the most with bug-types. Either they were creepy or there were just too many of them.

"Surskit, Bubble!"

"Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

Stomping on the ground with its little paws, Fennekin was suddenly enveloped in red and orange flames and leaped into the air, charging at Surskit with incredible speed, easily evading the slowly moving bubbles and knocking into the Surskit, dazing it momentarily.

"Now, Tail Whip!"

Being close enough to Surskit to attack physically, Fennekin slapped it around with its puffy little tail, preventing it from making a move of its own until Fennekin stopped.

"Surskit, Water Sport!"

Surskit fired a stream of water from its mouth, soaking the entire battlefield, though Fennekin was quick enough to dodge most of the water. Serena cringed, but the water didn't seem to affect Fennekin, so she ordered the finishing move.

"Finish it off with Scratch!"

Fennekin barked in agreement, swiping at the Surskit with its claws. Just one scratch finally knocked out the Surskit. Viola didn't seem affected, instead opting to just take pictures of the battle situation, calmly recalling Surskit after its fall.

"Fantastic, just fantastic!" Viola said while photographing Fennekin from different angles, the Fox Pokémon being all too happy to pose for the camera. "Your Pokémon are showing me a whole new depth of field, awesome! But we'll see how this develops as I take one last shot!"

"This gym is burning to the ground, I swear..."

"Go, Vivillon!"

Serena was expecting to see another creepy-crawly, but Vivillon turned out to be a surprisingly pretty Pokémon. Well, its actual body was hideous, but its large, colorful wings had elegant patterns on them.

But pretty or not, it has to burn.

"Fennekin, Ember!"

"Vivillon, swoop down!"

Swoop down? That's not a move I've heard of.

The Vivillon was quick to dive into one of the many puddles the Surskit had left on the floor, leaving it soaking with water. As the Ember attack landed, Vivillon seemed barely grazed by it.

"You clever blighter," Serena said approvingly. "But I have a way to dry you off. Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

"Vivillon, Powder!"

Flapping its wings rapidly, the Vivillon released a cloud of thick, yellow powder at Fennekin's direction. As soon as the powder touched Fennekin's flames, it combusted, causing an explosion that knocked Fennekin out cold.

Serena was aghast at this. So far, her Fennekin hadn't lost once. It was too adorable to lose! Either way, Serena was forced to recall it and send out her next Pokémon: Fletchling. Though its chirp was as cutesy as with the other members of its species, Fletchling's glare at the Vivillon was a look of pure murder.

"Fletchling, Quick Attack!" Serena ordered.

Fletchling spread its wings and launched itself at the Vivillon, managing to hit the bug-type with a full-body tackle.

"Now, Tackle!"

"Vivillon, Infestation!" Viola ordered.

Before Fletchling could move, small, green insect-like creatures appeared from out of nowhere, all swarming around Fletchling. Within seconds, Fletchling was trapped by the strange creatures crawling all over it, the little bird's usually determined face cringing in agony.

She's doing that to my Fletchling. Putting bugs all over it.

Stupid, horrible, slimy, disgusting BUGS!

"Agility!" Serena screeched.

Fletchling moved faster than ever before, nimbly making its way past the green creepy crawlies, practically vanishing from its earlier spot, reappearing right behind the Vivillon.

"Now, Peck!"

Fletchling tucked its wings and lunged at the Vivillon its beak first, managing to stab the Vivillon repeatedly with its beak. After five repeated pecks, Fletcling not giving Vivillon any time to recover, the bug-type finally went down.

Viola didn't seem too upset at all, just ecstatic over getting such great shots. She gave Serena the Bug Badge (as it was shaped like a beetle, Serena quickly hid it at the bottom of her bag) in recognition for her victory and advised her to get to Lumiose City, which housed not only Sycamore's lab, but also another gym, ran by, in Viola's words "some creepy nerd". Serena was so pumped up about her victory that she didn't even burn the gym down... for now.

She still made Viola bow down to her and recognize the supremacy of fire-types. For some reason, Viola was outright eager to do so. Because this creeped Serena out more than it boosted her ego, she was quick to leave through a hidden door at the back.

All in all, it had been a good day.

~o~O~o~

Location: Lumiose City Gym, Kalos

On the highest floor of Lumiose's pride and joy, the fabulous Prism Tower, was a dark chamber where the gym leader, Clemont, lived. Having said he wouldn't accept challenges today, he spent his time obsessively tinkering with his latest invention. Sweat dripping down his face, he ranted manically to himself as he put the finishing touches to what he deemed to be his greatest invention yet: a robot that couldn't be told apart from a human being.

Clemont's younger sister, Bonnie, stood nervously at the entrance to Clemont's room, knocking warily on the opened door.

"Don't turn on the lights yet!" Clemont yelled as soon as he noticed Bonnie entering. "You came just in time, sis. Witness the ultimate power of my invention!"

"Actually, I came here to see if you were okay," Bonnie said quietly. "You've been in here for six days. Mom has been really worried about you – she said she didn't raise her son to be a shut-in-"

"Nothing is ever good for her!" Clemont wailed. "You'd think becoming a frickin' gym leader would appease her, but noooo! But we'll see how she reacts – we'll see how all of those fools react – when I unleash the power of my creation!"

Clemont adjusted his big round glasses, somehow making life reflect off them and obscure his eyes even though only a small amount of light got in through the open door.

"Gah!" Bonnie flinched. "How did you do that? I thought it only happened in anime!"

"Practice," Clemont whispered. "Years and years of practice. Now, Bonnie... behold!"

Clemont pulled a string dangling from the ceiling, turning on a single lamp and pulling off the cover obscuring his robot. Bonnie gasped at what she saw: it looked almost exactly like a human, with its eyes closed and its body tilted forward as if had fallen asleep on its feet. For whatever reason, it looked like a young, brown-haired woman wearing a maid outfit.

"Her name is Camille," Clemont said proudly and stroked the robot's arms creepily.

"Why did you make... her... look like that?" Bonnie asked.

"BECAUSE!" Clemont roared. "Now, say hello to Bonnie, Camille," he added with a creepy whisper as he grabbed a remote control from the floor and pointed the robot with it.

"Before you do that... what do you plan to do with that robot?"

"I'm going to unleash her to the world, see how people react! If everyone is fooled, I'm going to make her catch Pokémon and see how she battles. If all goes well, I'll mass-produce an unbeatable robot army!"

"...of course, how stupid of me to ask..."

"Indeed," Clemont said. "Now, Camille... wake up!"

Clemont pushed the button on his remote. Scared of what was about to happen but also too afraid to flee, Bonnie stood still and observed as the maid robot stood up straight and slowly opened its eyes, its mouth turning to a strange, unnatural smile. Then, it slowly opened its mouth, uttering its first words in a mechanical voice:

"I_was_created_solely_to_do_battle!"

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't have much of these, but I have to acknowledge the support and feedback I've gotten. Thank you so much for reading, all of you, and I hope you continue to do so in the future. Chapter three (Lumiose City, baby!) will be up in a few days. Thanks to anonymous reviewers Someone and Greninja for their reviews, and thanks to Bloody Nailbunny, adorkabledork, Mauveamigirl and turbotails23 for favoriting/following. And thanks to everyone else who took the time to read as well.

Opinions made by character do not necessarily reflect the views of the author. Some bug-type Pokémon, like Heracross, are actually hella rad.