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.

Grace Xavier smiled and waved from the door as she watched Calem and his small group of new friends approach the walkway to the house. One boy in particular, one who had ginger hair and a Pikachu resting on his shoulder, seemed rather excited to see her. He quickly jogged ahead of the group and stopped before her, stretching his hand out.

"It's so wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Xavier!" the boy declared. "My name is Trevor, and this is my partner, Pikachu!"

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked cutely.

"And you've already met Serena and Shauna," Trevor said, pointing back to the girls as they gave tiny waves, "and that's Tierno in the back!"

"Sure, he's polite to HER," Calem muttered, getting a giggle from the girls and an exasperated sigh from Tierno.

"Let me just say, I'm a huge fan of yours!" Trevor explained, shaking Grace's hand. "You're a wonderful Rhyhorn racer and trainer!"

Grace blushed slightly, embarrassed that her fame still managed to catch up with her here. "Well, it's always nice to meet a fan."

"And I assume this is your prized Rhyhorn?" Trevor asked, looking to the Ground/Rock-type laying lazily a few feet away.

"You assume correctly," Grace confirmed. "C'mere, old girl."

Rhyhorn huffed as she stomped over. Trevor knelt down, observing the rather large, lumbering Pokémon with awe. Pikachu gently climbed up onto her back, causing her to roll her eyes and shuffle about a bit, giving the Electric-type a ride. The others all smiled at this, Tierno pulling out his Pokédex and scanning the Rhyhorn.

"Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon," the Pokédex read aloud. "This Pokémon can shatter even a skyscraper with its charging Tackles, though it can only charge and run in one direction, due to its lack of making sharp turns with its four short legs."

"Sounds like a real powerhouse," Tierno said, closing his Pokédex. "Can't believe they're used for races, though."

"Oh, you'd be surprised how much speed Rhyhorn can pick up when they're trained properly," Grace proclaimed.

"Wow, I see you kept her back nice and smoothed out," Trevor observed.

Shauna tilted her head, confused. "Is that really important?"

"I...think?" Serena replied, though not really sure.

"Well, most saddles don't fit full-grown Rhyhorn, unless they're specially made," Calem explained. "So, Mom had to polish and smooth the scales on her Rhyhorn regularly. Otherwise, riding her could be really painful, and if the rider is having troubles in races, it could affect the Rhyhorn too."

"Well, I see some of the knowledge I drilled into your skull actually managed to stay in there," Grace joked, giving her son a noogie. "By the way, where's your new Pokémon?"

"Oh, right!" Calem exclaimed as his mother released him, reaching to his belt and pulling a Poké Ball free from it. "C'mon, Chespin!"

Chespin popped out of the Poké Ball, landing between the two and giving his chest a small thwap with his paw. Grace smiled widely, scooping up the tiny Grass-type and playfully poking his cheek, causing him to giggle.

"Aw, so adorable!" Grace exclaimed, tickling Calem's new Pokémon.

"...Um, Mrs. Xavier?" Trevor asked, getting back to his feet and taking a big gulp. "Th-There's something I'd like to ask for."

"Oh great, he's gonna ask for her autograph of something," Calem groaned.

"No!" Trevor shot back, annoyed. "Actually, I wanna know, if it's alright, that is...Well, I CHALLENGE YOU TO A BATTLE!"

The group's jaws simultaneously dropped at this declaration, causing Trevor to blush a little. "S-Sorry, it's just, I'm about to embark on an important mission for a well-renowned figure in the field of Pokémon research. I'm probably going to be involved in a lot of battles from here on out, and...Well, I need to know how I stack up against an experienced, traveled veteran like you, Mrs. Xavier!"

Grace stood stunned in surprise for a few moments before she let Trevor's words set in, causing her to smile sweetly. "Ha ha. Alright, Trevor. I accept your challenge!"

Calem's eyes widened in shock. "Holy crap...Mom's actually gonna BATTLE!"

"Are you sure she can beat Trevor, though?" Serena asked. "I mean, she IS retired."

Grace, having overheard, gave a confident smirk to the honey-haired teenager. "I may be old, but I can still throw down with the best of them."

A few minutes later, the group was assembled in the backyard, which had been reconverted into a battlefield of sorts. Calem, Shauna, and Tierno all sat on a bench, along with their Pokémon, who all observed along with their Trainers. Fennekin was also among them, as Serena served as referee. To her right side was Trevor, Pikachu standing alongside him, while Grace stood to Serena's left side, having recalled her Pokémon to a pair of Great Balls.

"Okay!" Serena called out. "This will be a 2-on-2 Singles Battle, meaning only one Pokémon out at a time! You can substitute Pokémon whenever you want! The first trainer to render both of their opponent's Pokémon unable to battle wins! Mrs. Xavier-"

Grace giggled, rolling her eyes. "Serena, you're the referee. You can just call me Grace."

"...Grace," Serena corrected herself, "as you won the coin toss, you can choose to send your first Pokémon out before or after Trevor."

"Then I'll go first," Grace said confidently, pulling out a Great Ball and hurling it over the battlefield. "Fletchling, go!"

With a burst of light, the Great Ball popped open, releasing Grace's Fletchling. Trevor smirked, motioning for Pikachu to enter first for him. Curious about Mrs. Xavier's first choice, Shauna pulled out her Pokédex, scanning the Normal/Flying-type.

"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon," Shauna's Pokédex described. "These friendly Pokémon send signals to one another with beautiful chirps and tail-feather movements. Despite the beauty of its lilting voice, it's merciless to intruders that enter its territory."

"Pikachu, let's finish this first round quick!" Trevor declared. "Use Thunder Shock!"

As Pikachu started to charge up voltage for his attack, Grace threw a hand out and called, "Fletchling, Acrobatics!" Before Pikachu could unleashed his Thunder Shock, he was rammed into by Fletchling, who was moving so fast that she left after-images of herself as she flew through the air. Trying desperately to get his bearings straight, Pikachu fired the small bolt of electricity at the Normal/Flying-type, just barely clipping her tail-feathers.

"Whoa, it's fast!" Tierno exclaimed.

Crap, that Fletchling must have Gale Wings for her Ability, Trevor realized. That means her Flying-type moves will land hits before most attacks can get going. I'll have to fight speed vs speed, then!

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Trevor ordered, Pikachu dashing at Fletchling fast with a white streak of light streaming behind him.

"Fletchling, Quick Guard!" Grace shouted, Fletchling landing and stretching her wings out in front of herself. As Pikachu was about to make contact, a red shield surrounded Fletchling, knocking him back. "Sorry, Trevor, but you'll have to try a lot harder than that to beat me!"

"So, her Fletchling can use priority attacks, and STOP priority attacks too?!" Shauna demanded, getting a nod from Calem.

"Part of what Fletchling so tough to beat is that she gets in your head and does her best to piss you off," Calem explained. "Once that happens, you start to make mistakes. And that's exactly why, 9 times outta 10, Mom likes to lead with her."

"Fletchling, Overheat!" Grace called, her Fletchling going airborne again and glowing red as she powered up an intense Fire-type move.

"Dodge and use Rock Smash!" Trevor shouted, Pikachu leaping ahead and to the right as Fletchling wheezed out a massive stream of orange-yellow fire, the Electric-type just barely able to maneuver around it. He then sprung at Fletchling, stretching out his tail as it glowed red-orange.

"Chuuu-Pika!" Pikachu cried as he swung his tail at the Tiny Robin Pokémon. The attack collided hard, knocking Fletchling to the ground as she felt her physical defense lower a bit.

"Now, follow up with Quick Attack!" Trevor yelled.

"Fletchling, Acrobatics!" Grace commanded. The two Pokémon slammed into each other hard and fast, both looking to be equally matched in speed. However, the lowered physical defense, coupled with Pikachu's resistance to Flying-type attacks, caused Fletchling to feel a bit more pain in the long run than her opponent. Making matters worse, as soon as the two separated, Fletchling felt a small crackle of electricity across her body as it stiffened up a bit.

"What the heck?" Tierno demanded.

"Pikachu's Static!" Trevor explained with a grin. "Attacking him head on is a big mistake, since physical contact with Pikachu when he's charged for battle can sometimes result in paralysis!"

"Fletchling, try to shake it off!" Grace shrieked, Fletchling trying to get her body to move.

"Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" Trevor ordered.

"Pikaaa-Chuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried, sending a blast of electricity that hit Fletchling hard. The Tiny Robin Pokémon fell to the ground, swirls in her eyes as she was knocked out.

"Fletchling is unable to battle!" Serena called, raising her right hand.

"Fletchling, return!" Grace yelled, raising Fletchling's Great Ball up and recalling her in a flash of red light. "Good job, now rest up."

"Wow, your mom's Fletchling held up pretty well against Pikachu," Shauna observed, "and now he's pretty worn out."

"Yep, and we know who's next," Calem replied with a smirk. "Man, I can't wait to see this."

"Okay Rhyhorn, let's go!" Grace shouted, tossing Rhyhorn's Great Ball out and unleashing the Ground/Rock-type to the field. "Your Electric and Normal-type attacks won't do much here, Trevor!"

"Not a problem!" Trevor yelled back with a smile. "Pikachu, Dig!"

"Pik!" Pikachu squeaked, leaping up into the air before using his paws to dig a tunnel underground.

Grace just smirked in amusement. "An underground assault, huh? Rhyhorn, if you please?"

Rhyhorn huffed, raising one of her forelegs up lazily. Then, with a force the likes of which no one was expecting, Rhyhorn drove her foot into the ground so hard that it sent a shockwave throughout the battlefield, sending Pikachu flying out of the ground.

"Was that an Earthquake attack?!" Tierno demanded.

"No, it was just a Stomp!" Calem yelled. "If Mom's Rhyhorn had used Earthquake, she could've caved in the whole backyard!"

"Pikachu, Rock Smash!" Trevor ordered, Pikachu preparing the Fighting-type move as he fell towards the ground.

"Rhyhorn, Take Down!" Grace commanded, Rhyhorn's eyes locking onto the Mouse Pokémon. With a speed that none but Grace or Calem could've seen coming from such a usually lazy Pokémon, Rhyhorn nearly flew across the field, slamming into Pikachu hard and knocking him out cold.

"HOLY CRAP!" Serena yelled. "I-I mean, Pikachu is unable to battle!"

"Pikachu, return!" Trevor shouted, recalling Pikachu into his Poké Ball. "Oh man, you better rest up, Pikachu, and let me handle the rest!"

Tierno blinked, observing Rhyhorn. "...Hold on, doesn't Take Down usually do damage to the user?"

"Not in this case," Grace explained, having overheard. "My Rhyhorn's Ability is Rock Head. That means she can use moves like Take Down without suffering recoil damage."

Dammit, she's SO good! Trevor thought, smiling a little despite the jam he was in. All of her Pokémon have been raised to make the best of their Abilities and cover their natural weaknesses! It's a lot like how I trained Pikachu to be able to overcome his weakness to Ground-types!

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Grace asked, hand on her hip. "When I first met my Rhyhorn, she was as slow as a Shuckle and as lazy as a Snorlax. But now, when she has her game face on, she's the fastest Rhyhorn in the whole world, with plenty of power to boot."

"Well, I'm not giving up!" Trevor yelled, pulling out a new Poké Ball. "Flabébé, go!"

Hurling the Poké Ball, Trevor unleashed his second Pokémon: A white and green Pokémon so tiny that it was riding on a blue flower floating in the air. Calem's eye twitched in surprise at how small it was, digging out his Pokédex and hoping the scanner would actually be able to detect it. Surely enough, though, it was able to pull up its data.

"Flabébé, the Single Bloom Pokémon," the Pokédex said. "It draws out and controls the hidden power of flowers. When it finds a flower it likes, it wil dwell on that flower for its entire life."

"He's sending that tiny little thing out to battle?!" Calem demanded.

"Don't underestimate Trevor's Flabébé," Tierno said with a grin. "She might be tiny, but that Fairy-type's packing some serious power."

Calem blinked, confused. "...What's a Fairy-type?"

"They're a new type of Pokémon that Professor Sycamore discovered," Shauna explained. "They're usually kind of small, cutesy, or otherwise not very powerful looking, but they possess powers the likes of which no other Pokémon has ever known."

"Flabébé, Magical Leaf!" Trevor shouted, his small Fairy-type conjuring up light green glowing leaves that shot out at Rhyhorn, actually slicing her armour-like skin.

"Rhyhorn, Fire Fang!" Grace called, Rhyhorn opening her jaws wide as her teeth were coated with flames. She then bit down on the leaves as they flew back in to attack again, incinerating them in her mouth and then spitting out the ashes. "Follow up with Take Down!"

"Flabébé, Protect!" Trevor ordered, the Single Bloom Pokémon erecting a green force field around herself. Rhyhorn rammed into it hard, but she couldn't pierce the force field.

"Stomp!" Grace shouted.

"Protect again!" Trevor yelled as Rhyhorn raised her forelegs. Flabébé once again brought up a force field, protecting herself as the Spikes Pokémon brought her legs down hard. "Now Nature Power!" Flabébé swung her flower around as she glowed with green energy. The energy soon gathered in the form of an Energy Ball, which the Fairy-type fired at Rhyhorn, knocking her clear across the field.

"Oh crap!" Calem cursed. "Nature Power changes into a different attack depending on the field, and all the grass in this backyard made it into an Energy Ball!"

Grace grinned at Trevor. "Like I thought, you trained your Pokémon just like I did mine: Covering their natural weaknesses and making the best of their unique properties to keep a strategic advantage over the opponent."

Trevor smiled confidently. "It's the only way to win a harsh battle."

"Wrong," Grace replied, much to Trevor's surprise, clenching a fist as Rhyhorn got back to her feet. "It's true, it makes up a lot of the battle, but in my experience, I've found that sometimes, the best way to win a battle is the old fashioned way: By punching your way through!"

At this yell, Rhyhorn rushed forward with a Take Down, catching Trevor off-guard. "Flabébé, Protect!"

Flabébé rushed to put up a force field, managing to stop Rhyhorn's Take Down, but she and Grace weren't done yet. "Fire Fang!"

"Protect again!" Trevor shouted as the Fairy-type began to erect a new force field. This time, however, the force field wasn't able to keep Rhyhorn out, as she bit down hard on it and sent Flabébé spiraling away, burnt and flinching. "Crap! I used Protect too many times!"

"Rhyhorn, Horn Drill!" Grace commanded, Rhyhorn digging her feet into the ground hard as swirling energy built up in her horn. Just as Flabébé managed to regain her bearings, the Ground/Rock-type launched itself, spinning in midair and slamming her horn into the Single Bloom Pokémon. Flabébé was sent tumbling back to the ground, clearly knocked out as well as knocked loopy as Rhyhorn landed back on her feet, huffing a little.

"Flabébé is unable to battle!" Serena called, raising her left hand. "Victory goes to Rhyhorn and Grace!"

"Way to go, Mom!" Calem cheered.

Flabébé rested on her flower, her eyes still spinning and looking like she was gonna be sick. Trevor walked over and gently picked her up in the palms of his hands, smiling down at her. "Flabébé, you did awesome out there." He then looked up at Grace and Rhyhorn, who walked over. "And so did you two. You've still got it, Mrs. Xavier."

Grace winked, smiling ear to ear. "Thanks. You put up a great fight, too. I just know you'll be great inspiration for my son to grow as strong as he can."

It was a couple of hours later. After having lunch and washing up, the kids were now assembled at the edge of town, Grace and Rhyhorn there to see them off. Calem was now wearing a black and blue bag slung over his shoulder, filled with supplies that his mom had prepared for his journey. Likewise, Serena was also carrying a red tote bag that Grace had once used as a traveling trainer herself back in the day.

"Thanks for the bag, Mrs. Xavier," Serena said politely. "I promise to take good care of it."

"And thanks for the great pointers," Trevor added.

"And the great meal!" Shauna said cheerfully.

"Don't forget the recipe for her awesome stew!" Tierno pointed out.

Grace nodded before looking to Calem with a sad smile. "Well, I suppose it's time, huh?"

"Yeah," Calem replied, fidgeting a little. "...Hey, Mom? When I come back, can we have a battle too? I wanna see if I can get strong enough to beat you."

Grace giggled, giving her son a hug. "I'll look forward to that. I love you, honey."

"I love you too, Mom," Calem said, hugging back before they eventually broke away. "And don't worry, I'll make sure to call you so much, you'll be sick of me."

Grace laughed as Rhyhorn rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, sure honey. Now get going, before Professor Sycamore has to send a letter saying he changed his mind!"

Calem smiled, turning to the others. "Right. Let's go, guys!"

And with that, the group of five headed out onto Route 1, leaving Grace, Rhyhorn, and Vaniville Town behind. In the back of Calem's head, he knew it was only a matter of time before he began to miss home, but he also knew it would always be there waiting for him, and that this journey was going to be so exciting and so filled with fun and adventure, that he'd have lots to tell his mom when he did. So, what was so terrible about being away from home for a little while in the end, anyway?

With that thought in mind, Calem walked to the front of the group as they got about halfway through the Vaniville Pathway, leading them back to Aquacorde Town. However, as he did so, there was a sudden rush of movement in the trees, followed by a black blur that jolted out and crashed into his skull, causing him to fall on his butt on the paved walkway.

"Ow!" Calem groaned, grabbing his head. "What the hell?!"

Suddenly, as Calem rubbed his head, he felt something fuzzy on his hat. With a yelp, he yanked his hat off and flapped it around, causing the thing that hit him to come flying off. As the others helped him to his feet, he stared at the figure before him: A small, black Bug-type Pokémon. Seeing this, Calem instantly pulled his Pokédex out, scanning the creature.

"Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokémon," Calem's Pokédex explained. "It can spew powder out of its body to ward off or disable opponents. It can also cover its own body in the powder to regulate its temperature, so it can live in any region or climate."

"A Scatterbug, huh?" Serena observed. "Hey, Calem! You should try to catch it!"

Calem blinked in surprise. "Catch it? Really?"

"Sure, the more Pokémon you have on your team, the better," Tierno suggested.

Thinking it over quickly, Calem smiled and nodded. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out one of the empty Poké Balls inside, holding it out confidently as he proclaimed, "Okay, Scatterbug, you're mine!" Scatterbug chirped, leaping up at Calem as he threw the Poké Ball, the rest of the group watching and waiting to see if Calem would be able to pull off his first capture ever.

Pokémon Spotlight!

Trevor's Pikachu
Ability: Static
Gender: Male
Nature: Mild
Characteristic: Alert to sounds
Attacks: Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Rock Smash, Dig

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, first off, you'll notice I added something in between the end of each chapter and before my usual Author's Notes. If you haven't seen it already, I added one for Calem's Chespin in chapter 1. It's just a fun little spotlight, meant to showcase a Pokémon seen in this story. Most will focus on Pokémon that played a significant role in each chapter, but I'll also be trying to give everyone a fair shot at having one, so it's entirely possible one might be shown without ever appearing in the same chapter. Also, while Pokémon will inevitably learn new and different attacks, only the more commonly used ones up to that point will be shown, and they will not get a second spotlight unless they evolve.

As far as some changes I made, Trevor's Flabébé is riding a blue flower instead of a red one to keep it distinct in colour from Pikachu, and because Flabébé are almost always seen riding red flowers in trainer battles in the game, so I wanted to have some variety. Also, I know that Grace was a Rhyhorn racer and was never really alluded to as being a trainer, but I thought it'd be a cool idea to add that, and it's just nice to see the main protagonist's mom kick some ass. lol

About Pikachu. I'm sorry if anyone is irritated by the fact that it uses the same sort of Pika Speech as Ash's Pikachu, but I thought I'd add that in for fun. And I know some people are annoyed by Pikachu, but don't worry, while this Pikachu has some similar traits, they are not the same. Trevor's Pikachu will be using different moves from Ash's, as demonstrated already, and while I'm not necessarily planning to do so right away, I'm not against having it evolve into Raichu at some point.

And, just because I feel like pointing this out in case people don't already bleeding know, it was announced that Pokémon is going to be on Netflix soon (or may already be, depending on when you're reading this). I'm a bit excited about that. Yeah, the newer seasons kind of annoy me at times, but having the older seasons and all my old favourite episodes available to watch when I want in whatever order I want? AWESOME.

Anyway, check in next time to see if Calem's able to catch a Scatterbug, followed by the gang making their way toward Santalune Forest. Ja né!