Disclaimer: If I own a copy of at least one Pokémon game of every generation, does that count as me owning the rights to Pokémon? ... No? It doesn't. Well then... I guess I don't own the rights to Pokémon. Sadface. :(


"Hey Ash!" Serena greeted him excitedly as she started to rush over to him.

The girl from Vaniville Town, despite knowing that he was going to be coming here at some point today, could still hardly believe that Ash was here. Her childhood best friend, the boy she had been separated from for years since her move to Kalos, was finally here again. She could finally make up for lost time and continue with their friendship from where they had last off. That thought excited her and made her hurry over to him to greet him with a hug.

Unfortunately, her calling out Ash's name and him speaking a little bit earlier ago alerted the Pokémon in the room of his presence. All of Ash's old Pokémon recognized the trainer immediately. A few of them then hurried out to go meet him. Two Pokémon in particular managed to rush past Serena and get to Ash first.

"Bayyyy!"

"Muuuk!"

"Ooh!" The trainer from Pallet Town's eyes widened as he felt himself get knocked over.

Ash was quickly forced to the ground as his Bayleef tackled him, knocking Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder. The leaf Pokémon nuzzled her head against her trainer affectionately, excited to see him. Right behind her was Muk, who smothered Ash's body. The sludge Pokémon gave its trainer a wide grin, equally as happy as Bayleef to see him.

"Heh, it's great to see you two." Ash chuckled at the sight of Bayleef and Muk. Despite the fact that he had seen them recently during his break before coming over to Kalos, he knew just how affectionate and outgoing both of these two Pokémon were. He wouldn't have it any other way, though.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as he greeted both Bayleef and Muk.

A few of Ash's other Pokémon ran up to greet him and Pikachu. The Pokémon trainer laughed and greeted them all happily. Serena, along with Professor Sycamore and Gary, watched the trainer interact with his Pokémon with smiles on their faces.

"You would think based on how they're reacting that they hadn't seen Ash in years. I know he visited them when he was in Pallet Town. They're just a real affectionate bunch, it seems." Professor Sycamore chuckled at the sight.

"It says a lot about him. His Pokémon love him so much." Serena commented, watching her friend be around his Pokémon. She knew that she wanted to talk to him again badly, but she didn't want to be an intrusion to his time with his Pokémon. She waited for years already to see him and somehow managed to wait the two weeks after Ash agreed to come to Kalos. She could wait a few more minutes. As she was waiting, her eyes wandered over to her Fennekin, who was watching Ash and the other Pokémon with an amused expression on her face. 'I wonder if I'll have a relationship with Fennekin like the ones you have with your Pokémon, Ash.'

"That's Ash for ya. If there's one thing you can say about him, it's that he gets along with Pokémon really well." Gary commented with a chuckle. He then turned his attention to Serena for a few seconds. "So I take it you're the friend that he's been talking about meeting?"

Serena faced Gary and nodded. She gave him a smile and extended her hand out to him to greet the person that had traveled with Ash. "Yeah. My name is Serena. It's really nice to meet you."

"Likewise. The name's Gary." The Pokémon researcher replied. Serena's eyes widened at the name and was about to ask him something, but the boy continued to speak first. "Gotta say, though, you picked kinda a bad place to meet up with him. You're going to have to fight with his Pokémon for his attention."

"That was my fault. I was just introducing Serena to some of his Pokémon that Professor Oak sent to me and we lost track of time." Sycamore spoke, apologizing to Serena for potentially messing up her meeting with Ash.

"Don't apologize about anything, Professor." She replied with a slight giggle. She didn't mind Ash spending time with some of his Pokémon first. It was actually really nice for her to see somebody so loved by his Pokémon.

The three humans waited a little bit longer before Ash and Pikachu finally pulled themselves up from the ground and greeted all of the other Pokémon that came to see him. Once they had finished, Ash walked in their direction, facing Serena.

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized to her, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't be. I really like the relationship you and your Pokémon share." She replied, giving him a smile.

Ash smiled back in response. The two childhood friends then started to stare at each other as a slightly awkward silence developed between them. They had been communicating loosely through e-mail these past few days, but they never talked too much about each other. They wanted to wait until they met up in person to really catch up. Now that they were in person, however, they were both a little uncertain about where to start their conversation.

Professor Sycamore and Gary seemed to notice the awkwardness and assumed that their presence wasn't helping them start their conversation. Both came to the same conclusion: both Ash and Serena should probably catch up in privacy.

"Hey, do you two mind if you return back to the entrance to my lab and have a seat there while you talk? I need to show Gary a few things and talk to him alone for a little bit." Professor Sycamore requested.

Serena and Ash turned their attention to the Pokémon Professor and nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, we'll be out there if you need us." Ash spoke up for them.

With those words, both Ash and Serena left the room and headed out towards the entrance to talk. Pikachu and Fennekin followed closely behind their respective trainers. Once they were gone, Gary and Professor Sycamore turned to face each other.

"They seem tense." The professor commented with a shrug.

"It's just they haven't seen each other in a while and they're trying to really talk. Give them a couple of minutes and I'm sure they'll be good with each other." Gary replied. "Anyway, did ya actually want to talk to me about something Professor Sycamore, or were you just trying to shoo them away?"

"Gary, if you're going to be working with me, you can call me Augustine. No need to be so formal." Sycamore laughed in response. "And yes, I do actually have things I'd like to discuss with you."

Gary nodded in response. The Pokémon Professor and researcher then walked to another room as they prepared to discuss some of the plans on researching mega evolution.


Ash and Serena returned to the entrance of the lab relatively quickly and sat down in two chairs that were right by the door. Once they sat down, their Pokémon partners proceeded to jump onto their laps. It was then that Ash truly noticed the fox Pokémon that was following Serena around.

"So, I take it that's the Pokémon you chose, huh?" Ash questioned as he smiled at the Fennekin.

"Yup. Meet Fennekin!" Serena said proudly as she rubbed the fox Pokémon's back affectionately.

"Kin. Fennekin!" Fennekin greeted Ash.

"It's nice to meet you Fennekin." Ash told the Pokémon. He then looked down and pointed towards the electric mouse sitting in his lap. "And this is my first Pokémon and partner, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu waved to Serena and Fennekin.

"He's been looking forward to meeting you for a while now." He informed him. Pikachu nodded his head, confirming his trainer's words.

"Hello Pikachu!" Serena greeted the electric-type Pokémon. "I've been excited to meet you as well. You are such a cute Pokémon!"

"P-Pika." Pikachu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Serena recognized the act as something Ash had done a little bit ago when he was apologizing about being distracted by his Pokémon. It was also something she noticed he had done when she had lived in Pallet Town with him. Seeing the Pokémon act just like his trainer caused the girl to start giggling.

"You're still the same Ash I knew. A little older and different, but still the same Ash." She mumbled quietly to herself, a faint blush developing on her cheeks. She immediately tried to repress it as she looked at her childhood friend with a smile on her face. "Pikachu does the same you do when you're embarrassed: you both rub the back of your heads. He seems a lot like you, Ash."

"Huh?" "Pika?" The trainer and Pokémon briefly looked at each other in confusion, as if they never even realized that. A second passed before they both started to laugh as they realized Serena was correct. Ash turned his attention back to Serena with a smile on his face as he patted Pikachu's head gently.

"I think we'd be kinda similar." He said, still laughing slightly. "We're best friends, after all. I don't think there's a single thing I've done in the past few years that I've done without Pikachu. Isn't that right buddy? We do everything together, don't we?"

"Chu…" Pikachu sighed in response. Although he agreed with what his trainer was saying, he was enjoying the patting a little too much and couldn't really reply properly.

Serena giggled at both Ash and his Pikachu. The slight awkward silence that had developed a little bit ago seemed to vanish. Now, Serena felt a lot more confident talking to Ash again and she had many things she wanted to talk to him about.

"I'm glad the two of you are so close." She told them both. "What kind of 'adventures' have you done so far? What have you been up to these past few years? Other than compete in the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh, of course."

Ash and Pikachu were both eager and quick to inform Serena about some of the things they have been able to do since Ash became a Pokémon trainer six years ago. They talked about traveling throughout Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and competing in the various Pokémon League conferences. Ash mentioned his placements in all of the tournaments so far and how he had managed to conquer the Orange League and the Battle Frontier. Serena's eyes were wide with each passing story and accomplishment. Despite being no older than she was, Serena knew Ash was still young by most standards. The fact that he had managed to accomplish so much at his age was impressive and spoke volumes of his ability as a Pokémon trainer. The girl was extremely impressed with her childhood friend and really had to try hard to resist blushing.

"It sounds like this year may be your year, right Ash?" Serena asked cheerfully after he finished talking about the Lily of the Valley Conference.

"That's the plan!" Ash declared, tightening his fists slightly. "And I feel really confident this time. We're going to do everything we can and win the Kalos League! Don't you think so Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu declared with as much passion as his trainer.

Serena, again, noticed Ash and Pikachu acting similarly to each other. Their dynamic and energy made her feel very happy and caused her smile to grow even wider.

"I know you guys can do it. You've accomplished so much already and you're only going to do more." She told him. "You really have done so much in such a short time Ash."

"Heh, thanks." Ash grinned in response. "But yeah, that's mostly everything about me. What have you been up to? How's Kalos been?"

Serena's smile faded slightly as the topic switched to her. While she had no gripes about the Kalos region or her life in general, she felt as if she hadn't accomplished much. She felt as if she was living a very monotonous life. This idea was only strengthened after hearing Ash had been doing since he became a trainer. What had she done in the past few years that could rival anything he's done?

"Kalos is nice. It's a really beautiful place. But other than the region, there's nothing really too exciting to say." She admitted with a sigh. "I've really been doing much these past eight years other than just practicing Rhyhorn Racing with my mom."

"Oh? How's that? That sounds pretty exciting if you ask me!" Her childhood friend declared.

"I'm sure it is to most people. My Mom's awesome at it and she makes it look so cool and easy, but… I don't know." Serena sighed. "It doesn't really seem like something I want to do. But then again, I really don't know what to do so far."

Ash and Pikachu noticed how Serena's mood seemed to fallen at the topic of her future. They both frowned slightly in response. Pikachu jumped from his trainer's lap and onto Serena's. She looked at the electric mouse in surprise. The Pokémon then smiled at the girl and tapped her lightly on her head.

"Pika. Pikachu pi pika!" He told her confidently.

"He's right, you know?" Ash spoke up, his frown turning back into a smile. "You just started your Pokémon adventure. You'll have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. So don't worry about something like that. You'll find out before too long. For now, just enjoy life and everything."

Serena remained quiet for a few seconds, processing Ash's advice. She then started to laugh a little bit and smile again at the boy.

"You know, you always have some good advice to tell me when I'm down." She told him happily as she recalled how they first met. "I'm so glad to have you here Ash. I missed you."

"I'm glad to be here in Kalos with you." Ash told her. "You're still up for traveling together and making up for the lost time, right?"

Traveling. It was a topic the two of them had discussed a few times in their e-mails. Serena was a little hesitant at first to go on an adventure when she herself had no clue exactly what she was going to do on an adventure. Slowly, the idea began to really appeal to her: especially the idea of simply being around Ash for a long time. Now, being offered in person by Ash, she knew exactly how she felt about the idea.

"Of course I am! How could I possibly say no?" She answered, giving him a slight wink.

"Heh." Ash grinned at her as he held out his hand towards her. "We're going to have an awesome time!"

Serena was quick – almost too quick – to shake his hand back. "I know we are!"

"You two seem pretty chummy now, don't you?"

Both Serena and Ash turned their heads in the direction of the voice. Gary and Professor Sycamore entered the room. Gary was seen stuffing a laptop into his backpack while he and the professor walked towards them.

"Did you guys finish your talk?" Ash asked curiously. "Know what you're going to do, Gary?"

"Mhmm." The Pokémon researcher replied simply.

'Gary.' Serena remembered exactly who this other boy was. Gary Oak – the grandson of Professor Oak and Ash's number one rival. She couldn't recall actually meeting him when she actually lived in Pallet Town, but she did remember all of the stories Ash told her about him while at the summer camp. She remembered him as being arrogant and rude to Ash about pretty much anything. Seeing him and Ash travel together to Kalos and them interacting pleasantly showed her how much things have changed since she left. 'Either Ash was wrong about him when he told me those stories, or Gary has changed.'

"I was asking Gary if he was willing to do some field research for me. I have enough researchers working alongside me trying to uncover the secrets of mega evolution, but I don't have nearly enough people out in the field finding out evidence." Sycamore explained his and Gary's plans. "It also helps that Gary brought along his Blastoise, one of the few Pokémon I have confirmed to have a mega evolution. Perhaps in the field he could find something that could help his own Pokémon mega evolve."

"What do you mean by 'field research'?" Ash questioned with a blank stare.

"Basically, I'm going to travel around Kalos and try and figure out secrets myself. Do some research on anything I can find and send any info I obtain to the lab here for the researchers here to work with." The Pokémon researcher explained.

"So you're going to be traveling Gary?" The black-haired trainer questioned. A grin developed on his face as he looked as his old rival. "Then why don't you travel with us? Maybe we could help out with your research."

Gary didn't say anything at first. He knew the second that he mentioned that he was going to travel Kalos that Ash would invite him to travel with him. Professor Sycamore actually mentioned the idea to him as well and seemed to encourage it as well. The Pokémon researcher didn't have any real complaints about traveling with Ash. However, that didn't mean he couldn't screw around with Ash before agreeing to anything!

"I don't know Ashy-boy. You might be a bit of a distraction to me." He teased. "I'm going to be busy trying to get any research done. I can't have someone bothering me every five seconds."

"I wouldn't bother you! Heck, maybe I could help with the research? I'm bound to have a Pokémon that could maybe mega evolve!" Ash replied stubbornly.

"Yeah, I guess. But hey, you're traveling with Serena? Did you ever think to ask her if she'd be okay with me traveling with you guys?" Gary questioned.

"Oh!" Ash's eyes widened. He had gotten so excited that he never even considered to ask her about her opinion. He then turned his head and looked at her sheepishly. "Heh… Sorry about that."

Serena shook her head, giggling slightly. "I don't mind Ash. Gary can come with us."

Truth be told, she did kinda prefer the idea of traveling alone with Ash, but she wouldn't mind company and potentially making more friends. Besides, Gary was somebody she was familiar with by name and she was actually curious about how his relationship with Ash had changed since she left Pallet Town.

"Well, I guess if she's cool with it and you're cool with it…" The Pokémon researcher mumbled slightly before he flashed a grin at both of them. "Guess I'll be tagging along with you guys."

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered, excited to have Gary coming along.

"Alright! This is going to be so awesome!" Ash cheered with his Pokémon.

"Hehehe." Serena giggled after seeing Ash's reaction.

"Fenn?" Fennekin looked up to her trainer in confusion, trying to figure out what was so funny.

"I think this adventure of ours is going to be a fun one." Serena told her partner. The fox Pokémon nodded in agreement, feeling the same.

The conversation in the room stopped as the door to the laboratory opened up and two people entered the room. The first one was a blonde-haired boy with glasses wearing a blue jumpsuit and wearing a weird technological backpack. The second was a blonde-haired young girl with a brown t-shirt, a white skirt and black leggings underneath it. She had a black bow on her shirt, a gold clip in her hair, and was wearing a yellow purse. The two had similar facial features and appeared to be related in some way.

"Ah Clemont, Bonnie: what can I do for you two?" Professor Sycamore greeted the two newcomers.

"Sorry to bother you professor." Clemont apologized as he noticed the other people in the room. The boy felt a little nervous to be in the room, feeling as if he was interrupting something. "But, well, can we-"

"Our Dad wanted to ask if you received the extra thunderstone you said were getting and if you did, if he could use it. We have the money for it!" Bonnie spoke up, interrupting her brother. She then pulled out some money from the purse she was holding and held it out to the professor.

"Heh, no worries about paying me, Bonnie. Your father and I go back and he doesn't owe me anything after all the help he's done for me. I'll go get the thunderstone." Professor Sycamore informed the two blondes. He started to walk off when he stopped and turned his attention to Ash. "By the way Ash, Gary mentioned that you would be interested in helping me research mega evolution. Are you actually interested?"

"Me? Uh… If I can actually help out, then I'd like to, yeah." Ash answered.

"Okay." The professor chuckled in response. "Do you care if I borrow your pokédex for a little bit? I'll give it right back as soon as I get their thunderstone."

"Okay." Ash nodded in understanding as he pulled out his pokédex.

The professor proceeded to take Ash's pokédex. He bowed towards everyone in the room before he walked out. Clemont, now that the professor was gone, started to look around at the other people in the room before bowing slightly.

"Sorry to have interrupted anything." He told them.

"You weren't interrupting anything. Don't worry about it." Ash told him with a smile. He then pointed to himself. "I'm Ash, and these are my friends Serena and Gary."

"Nice to meet you two!" Serena greeted them politely.

"Hey." Gary stated, waving to both Clemont and Bonnie.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, introducing himself.

"Oh, and this is my partner, Pikachu." Ash pointed towards his Pokémon.

"And this is my partner, Fennekin!" Serena introduced her Pokémon. The fox proceeded to smile and yip slightly in greeting.

"Wow, they're so cute!" Bonnie squealed at the sight of the two Pokémon. She then rushed over to Pikachu and started to hug it tightly. "Especially the Pikachu! I love electric types. This Pikachu has to be the cutest one I've ever seen in my life!"

"Pika…" Pikachu mumbled, trying to get away from Bonnie. The girl wasn't letting go of her grip, causing him to become irritated. His cheeks started to spark slightly.

Ash noticed Pikachu's irritation and stepped a little closer to Bonnie.

"Uh, you should probably let go of Pikachu before-"

"PIKACHU!"

Pikachu immediately used his thundershock attack, releasing the electricity from its cheeks. The electricity shocked both Bonnie and Ash, who had been close to the duo to get it. Both of them shouted in surprise until Pikachu finally stopped his attack. When he did, both Bonnie and Ash fell down to the ground, which freed the electric mouse.

"Bonnie!" Clemont rushed to his sister.

"Ash, are you okay?" Serena hurried over to her childhood friend and held out her hand to him.

To her surprise, Ash seemed to be completely okay. He actually started to laugh as he took her hand and got up with her help. He looked back-and-forth between Bonnie and Pikachu before speaking.

"-before that happens." He finished his original sentence.

"That was so cool! That was a powerful thundershock!" Bonnie exclaimed excitedly as she got up from her spot on the ground. Like Ash, she seemed completely okay. It seemed as if the two of them were used to getting 'shocked' of some sorts.

"Bonnie, you should apologize to Pikachu." Clemont informed his sister.

The young girl was about to retort until she remembered that Pikachu sounded irritated when she was hugging it. Realizing that she was probably bothering it, she knelt down to the ground to face Pikachu.

"Sorry about that Pikachu. I didn't mean to upset you." She mumbled her apology.

Pikachu, realizing that she didn't mean any harm to him, quickly forgave her. He rushed over to and nudged her gently on the knee. Bonnie, realizing that Pikachu was okay with her, started to pet him gently, which caused the Pikachu to sigh in content. A grin developed on the girl's face as she continued to play with Pikachu.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you all. That's my little sister Bonnie and my name's Clemont." Clemont spoke up again to the others in the room. "We're here running a quick errand for our dad."

"Cool, cool." Ash replied with a chuckle.

"Gotta say, you guys must be pretty familiar with electric types if she can take a thundershock and not be in anyway harmed or upset about it." Gary noted.

"We're really familiar with electric Pokémon! Our dad uses them at the Lumiose City Gym!" Bonnie explained to them, still playing around with Pikachu.

"You're dad's the gym leader?" Serena questioned in surprise. She was now looking at the two siblings in a different light.

"Uh huh. And he's training Clemont to take his place soon!" She continued.

"Bonnie! Don't bring that up with others." Clemont exclaimed to his sister.

"You're going to be Lumiose City gym leader?" Ash questioned, eyeing Clemont.

"Um, well… That's what I'm being trained for, yeah." The glasses-wearing boy said with a sigh. "But I got a long way to go before I'm ready."

"That's still really cool though." Ash informed him with a smile. "… Say, I know it's kinda late in the day, but do you think your Dad would accept a gym battle? I'm just starting up my own adventure in Kalos, so I would like to start collecting badges as fast as I can."

"… I don't think that's possible." Clemont sighed in response. "Besides the fact that Dad closed the gym already for the day, he doesn't accept any challenges from trainers who don't already have four Kalos gym badges already?"

"Really?" The black-haired boy looked at Clemont in surprise.

"It's because of Professor Sycamore's lab. My dad has kinda a reputation for being a tough gym leader, so he doesn't think it's very fair to take on trainers who just get their first Pokémon. He wants to make sure they're a little bit trained before he fights them. So that's why he set up the gym badge requirement." Clemont explained.

"So that explains why Calem went to Santalune City first." Serena mumbled to herself. She did not know about the badge requirement to fight the Lumiose City gym leader. It made her wonder exactly how tough he really was.

"… Eh, I'm actually not from Kalos. I've already competed in a couple of other Pokémon leagues. Maybe he'd make an exception for me." Ash stated with a shrug.

"You can always ask. When we leave the lab, why don't you guys come with us? We can introduce you to him and we'll see what he says." Bonnie offered.

"Sounds fine with me." Ash commented.

A few more minutes passed before Professor Sycamore returned. He was holding a pokéball and pokédex in one hand while holding a thunderstone in the other.

"Sorry for the wait. Clemont, here's the thunderstone I promised." The professor handed over the thunderstone to Clemont. The boy bowed in thanks and put the stone in his backpack along with a bunch of other items that he and Bonnie purchased while running errands. Professor Sycamore then turned his attention to Ash. "And Ash, here's your pokédex. I updated it for you, so that way it includes information about all the types of Pokémon you can find in Kalos."

"Thanks a bunch professor!" He told the man. He took the pokédex, but was then surprised as the professor urged him to take the pokéball as well. Hesitantly, he took it with him. "Uh, professor? What's in the pokéball?"

"You said you wanted to help with my mega evolution research. So, if you don't mind, I got a Pokémon from your roster that I have confirmed can mega evolve." The Pokémon Professor replied.

Ash's eyes widened in surprise. He immediately opened the pokéball, curious to see who the professor was talking about. Instantly, the Gible that was inside jumped on top of him and bit down on his head.

"Gible!" He exclaimed, happy to see his trainer.

"Heh, I forgot you had a Gible." Gary commented with a chuckle.

"It's so cute!" Bonnie exclaimed at the sight of the dragon-type Pokémon. She stopped playing with Pikachu for a moment so she could marvel at Ash's Pokémon.

"Heh. All of his Pokémon are so affectionate." Serena giggled, reminded of Ash's Bayleef and Muk that had tackled him earlier in the day.

Ash pulled the Gible off his head and looked at the Pokémon with a smile on his face. He then turned his attention back to Professor Sycamore.

"I take it that Gible can one day mega evolve?" He questioned.

"Yes. A Garchomp can mega evolve. And, judging from how strong and healthy your Gible is, I'm pretty certain that it won't be too long before it evolves all the way into a Garchomp." The professor explained.

Ash turned his attention back to Gible and gave him a smirk.

"Are you up for another adventure with us Gible?" He asked.

"Gible!" The dragon-type cheered in response.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, excited to be going on this adventure with the dragon-type Pokémon again.

The black-haired trainer chuckled as he returned his Pokémon. Serena, realizing that they were probably going to start moving, decided it would be a good idea to return her Fennekin as well. She pulled out her pokéball and returned the fox Pokémon.

"Well, it's about time we headed back to our dad. You guys still wanted to come with us to meet him, right?" Clemont questioned.

"Yeah." Ash nodded in response before he turned to Professor Sycamore. "Thank you so much for everything today."

"Yeah, thank you." Serena thanked the man as well. She held the pokéball with Fennekin inside up to her chest. "I'll cherish my Fennekin. Thank you so much again!"

"Don't thank me too much. I'm just doing my job." Sycamore laughed in response. "You all have a good time. Feel free to stop by lab anytime you're in Lumiose City." The professor then turned his attention towards Gary. "And Gary, feel free to send me any information you obtain mega evolution. We'll contact you whenever we find out anything on our end."

"Got it. We'll keep in contact." The Pokémon researcher replied.

With those words, the group proceeded to leave the Pokémon Laboratory, waving goodbye to Professor Sycamore on the way out. Once they were outside, they began their walk in Lumiose City as the sun began to set.

"So, you mentioned that you weren't from Kalos a little bit ago Ash. Where are you from? And what Pokémon Leagues have you participated in?" Clemont questioned curiously.

Ash was more than eager to explain a little bit about himself and his adventures. He answered any questions that Clemont and Bonnie had for him. Gary and Serena also chimed in whenever they could about the group's plans for their adventure across Kalos. Bonnie and Clemont listened, completely interested in their plans and their own adventure.

'… I kinda wish we could go on an adventure like that someday.' Clemont told himself, sighing a little bit.


"Dad! We're here!" Bonnie shouted loudly as the group entered Meyer's electrical appliance shop.

Meyer, who had just finished helping a customer, quickly turned his attention towards his children and the people that they brought with him. Immediately, he rushed over to his kids and enveloped them in a wide hug.

"How are you doing Bonnie? Clemont?" He questioned them excitedly.

As Bonnie and Clemont addressed their father, Ash, Serena, and Gary watched the family interact. They were all surprised with how the man reacted to seeing his children, who he had seen earlier this day. The three blinked for a second before Gary spoke up.

"He seems… emotional." He whispered to them. Both Ash and Serena nodded in response.

A few seconds passed before the family broke their group hug. Meyer then turned to look at the other three trainers in the room.

"Can I help you all? Are you three friends of my children?" He asked them curiously.

"Sure, we're friends." Ash nodded in response, much to Bonnie and Clemont's surprise. They had just met the boy and he was already calling them his friend. "I was wondering-"

Ash's words died on his tongue as he, along with Serena, Gary, and Pikachu, were brought into a group hug by Meyer.

"It's so nice to see Bonnie and Clemont have so many nice-looking friends! It's so nice to meet the three of you!" The man exclaimed happily.

'I take it back. He's EXTREMELY emotional.' Gary thought to himself as he struggled to breathe in Meyer's group hug.

It took Meyer a few seconds before he released the three teenagers and Pikachu from his hug, letting them breathe. It took them a little it to readjust before they were able to face the man again. Ash, once he had recovered, decided to speak to the man.

"I heard from Clemont and Bonnie that you're the gym leader here at Lumiose City. I know you have the four gym badge limit, but I was wondering if you'd still be willing to let me battle you." He questioned the man. "It's not really my first journey and I have received badges from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. So I was wondering if that made me an exception to your 'four badge' rule."

"Sorry, but I don't make exceptions." Meyer answered with a frown. "I'm really sorry. I just don't want to make an exception for you and then have to justify it to others. I know I can, but I just don't really like to do things like that. Do you understand?"

Ash frowned slightly in response at Meyer's answer, but he understood him. He nodded his head before he got rid of his frown and smiled back at the man.

"I do. And I'll just have to come back once I get my four badges then!" He told him excitedly.

"I'm looking forward to when you do!" Meyer declared excitedly. He began looking back-and-forth between Ash and Pikachu. "I can tell a good trainer when I see one and I think you'll definitely be a good battle. And your Pikachu looks really strong and healthy. I'll definitely be looking forward to our match."

"Something to look forward to." Serena mentioned to Ash.

"I know. And I'll definitely be looking forward to it!" He nodded his head in agreement.

"They're going on a really cool adventure and everything, Dad. All around Kalos, trying to collect badges and figure out mega evolution!" Bonnie informed her father excitedly.

"Mega evolution, huh?" Meyer repeated the phrase with a neutral tone-of-voice.

"Yeah. When I'm older, I want to go on an adventure like that! Doesn't it sound so cool Clemont?" The little girl asked her brother.

"Yeah." Clemont nodded in agreement.

Meyer turned his attention towards his son. He noticed Clemont look downward slightly once Bonnie mentioned Ash's planned adventure around Kalos. He looked like how he normally does after another day of 'gym leader training'. The father was not a food and he realized that Clemont's confidence was at an all-time low since they started training. He knew it was something Clemont wanted to do, but the boy felt as if he wasn't ready and, as a result, he wasn't performing as well as he should.

'He needs something to help him get his confidence back. Something… like an adventure.' The gym leader thought to himself.

"Well, if you guys wanted to, you two could go on one right now." The man offered.

Immediately, all eyes in the room turned to face Meyer. Bonnie and Clemont were staring at the man in complete shock at the suggestion. A few seconds passed before Bonnie's face developed into a grin.

"You mean it Dad? Do you?" She questioned excitedly, jumping up-and-down in place.

"Of course. It would be good for both of you." He told them with a smile.

"YAY!" She cheered loudly, clapping her hands together. "This is going to be so amazing! Maybe I can find a Pokémon that I can keep and take care of! AH!"

"B-But Dad, what about my training?" Clemont questioned. "I don't know if I can really afford to miss any of our sessions together if I want to be a capable gym leader."

Meyer shook his head in response. He then brought his hand to Clemont's shoulder and smiled at the boy. "Clemont, you're becoming a man. I don't really have much I can teach you. You are a good battler when you have you're focused and you are more intelligent than me. The only remaining things you have left to learn are things only you can figure out yourself. An adventure around Kalos can surely help you find those things." The man then moved his hand from Clemont's shoulder to his head and started rubbing his hair. "By the time you come back home, you'll be a new man. And I know you'll definitely be ready to take my place as the Lumiose City gym leader."

Clemont remained quiet for a few seconds. Tears started to roll down his eyes slightly as he gave a wide smile to his father.

"I'll do my best to learn whatever I have left to learn, Dad. You can count on that!" He told Meyer happily.

Meyer, himself, started to tear up. He was about to hug his son when Bonne spoke up, getting his attention.

"Hey, do you care if we travel with you? Your adventure sounds like a lot of fun and it's better to travel with people!" Bonnie asked Ash, Serena, and Gary.

Clemont turned around away from his father and gave his sister an upset look.

"Bonnie, you can't ask people something like that!" He lectured his little sister. "I-"

"I'm cool with it. Do you two have a problem?" Ash asked his other traveling partners, interrupting Clemont.

"Of course not. Bonnie's right: the more people to travel with, the more fun." Serena offered her opinion.

"I don't mind. I'm going to be focused on my research so I won't be the most fun person to travel with, but hey, if they're cool with that." Gary shrugged in response.

"We won't mind. Clemont's always doing research and working on things too." Bonnie informed the brown-haired boy.

"Oh? Guess we'll probably get along just fine then." The Pokémon researcher chuckled in response.

"… Are you sure it's okay?" Clemont asked Ash quietly.

"Of course. We're friends, after all." He replied, giving the boy a thumbs-up gesture.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu mimicked his trainer in attempt to show Clemont that he and his sister were welcome.

"… Heh." Clemont let a smile develop on his face. "We'll come with you guys. Thank you so much!"

Before anybody could reply, everyone was pulled into another group hug by Meyer. Somehow, his hug managed to become stronger and, therefore, made it hard for everybody to breathe.

"Clemont, Bonnie; you both have made some amazing friends! I'm so happy for you all! You're going to have the best times of your life out there. I know it!" Meyer openly sobbed. He, somehow, found the strength to tighten the hug even further.

"Can't… breathe…" Gary gasped.

"Just… get… used… to… it…" Clemont managed to mumble the words back.


Once the group hug finally ended, Meyer took the group out for a dinner at a local pizza shop in Lumiose City. Afterwards, he took them back to his house so they could stay the night before they begin their travels in the morning. Meyer had given up his bed and offered to sleep on the couch so all of Bonnie and Clemont's friends could sleep before their travels.

Gary and Clemont were sharing a room together. Gary was already on Clemont's bed asleep while Clemont was sleeping on an air mattress. Bonnie and Serena were also sharing a bedroom for the night. The little girl was wearing a pair of Tyrantrum pajamas and was asleep in her bed. Serena was going to join her in the bed when she goes to sleep, but the girl was not tired at the moment. Instead, she was with Ash and Pikachu, who were lying down on Meyer's bed.

"It's a little funny how in the span of a few hours, we picked up three traveling partners, huh?" Serena questioned her childhood friend.

"Yeah, it is." Ash chuckled in response. "I'm sure it'll be fun, though. Clemont and Bonnie seem really cool. And Gary's a nice guy nowadays. He's a lot of fun to hang out with."

"Yeah, I noticed. He's really changed from how you told me how he was when I lived in Pallet Town." Serena noted with a giggle.

"Yeah, he's changed. He used to still be kinda a jerk when we started as Pokémon Trainers, but he's really gotten a lot nicer and respectful. It might have to do with him becoming more interested in Pokémon research." Ash shrugged in response. "Then again, I've changed too I think."

"Pika." Pikachu nodded in agreement with Ash's words.

"You have, and so have I. I think everybody does: at least a little bit. If you stay the same your entire life, that's a little odd." Serena commented with a giggle.

"I guess it would be." Ash chuckled in response.

Both trainers fell into a silence. Unlike the one where they had first met each other, this one was not awkward. It was a comfortable silence as the two trainers simply relaxed, happy to have their friend with each other.

A few minutes passed by before Serena started to yawn. She proceeded to get up from her spot on Meyer's bed and gave Ash a smile.

"I guess I should be going to bed. And you should too. We got a busy day tomorrow." She informed the boy.

"I know, I know." Ash laughed in response.

Serena was about to wave goodnight to Ash and head back to her room when she stopped herself. For a moment, she reflected on her day and how happy she was to see Ash again. With this on her mind, she walked back to the bed and leaned over to Ash and gave him a warm hug. The hug took the boy by surprise, but he was quick to return it.

"Thanks for coming again Ash. I can't wait to start this adventure together." She told him with a smile.

"No, thank you for e-mailing me and giving me the idea to come up here." Ash smiled back at her.

With those words, the two friends broke their hug and headed their separate ways. Serena joined Bonnie in bed and fell asleep. Ash and Pikachu bid each other goodnight before they got under the covers of Meyer's bed and fell asleep. Serena was right, after all: tomorrow was going to be a busy day for everybody.


Author's Note: Hi everybody! Here's chapter three! :)

To be honest, I'm surprised I wrote this chapter. I really don't have the time for this. I have an essay, an exam, and a mid-term project I need to working on. However, I really couldn't stop myself. I just started this fanfic and I wanted to get as much progress in as I can as fast as I can. So, I started writing immediately. And got this chapter done.

It's probably because of all the early support that I've been motivated to write so much. I'm honestly stunned that the story's gotten this much attention already. Thank you all so much again for reading and reviewing! It all means so much to me and just motivates me to write more :) ... even when I really don't have the time to write.

In theory, I should get back to working on school-work and should be busy until this weekend. I can probably start working on next chapter starting this weekend and then I'll get it posted as soon as I can! It may be a little earlier, but I don't know yet. We'll see! In the mean time, though, I hope you all like this chapter and the story so far. Make sure, again, to message or review and let me know what you liked and didn't like so I can improve the story and my writing. I will see you all when the next chapter is complete! Until then :)