Chapter 4 - A Kalos Start

Well, we all saw how Ash's Journey started out, now let's see how Serena starts her journey in Kalos. As you already know, Serena will join Ash in Kanto, she just needs to get her starter and head to the Lumiose City Airport. I've also decided to make some more tweaks so that it's similar, yet different from the X and Y games. We will be picking up right after Ash's call. So, let the journey begin again!

I do not own Pokémon!

It was a lovely day in the Kalos Region, especially in the small village known as Vanville Town. it was no different from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. Just a small and peaceful town. The only notable difference was that the houses were much closer together. One house of note had a large rhino-like Pokémon known as Rhyhorn living in the front yard. Inside, a young woman with tanned skin and brown hair wearing a black tee shirt and a green jumpsuit with the top half tied around her waist was preparing breakfast. A small bird Pokémon with red feathers on its head by her side. The woman looked at the clock and noticed that it was getting rather late and her daughter still hadn't come down. She let out a deep sigh, why did her daughter have to be such a late riser?

"Fletchling, can you go wake up Serena?" The woman asked addressing the bird.

The robin-like pokémon chirped in response and flew upstairs and into an average sized bedroom with pink wallpaper and Pokémon plushies scattered throughout.

Fletchling had thought that she would find a young, honey-blonde girl peacefully sleeping in her bed without a care in the world, he was surprised to find that the girl was not only not in bed, but she was fully awake, brushing her hair in front of a mirror while wearing some black, knee-high socks, a red mini-skirt with two pockets, and a grey tank top with a white collar.

"Oh, good morning Fletchling," said the girl. "I'll be down in just a minute, but can you bring Mom up here?"

The tiny bird nodded and flew back downstairs to the kitchen.

"Well that was fast," said the woman. "I didn't even hear her usual 'rude awakening' scream. Don't tell me she's already up?"

Fletchling nodded and motioned with his head towards upstairs.

"She wants to see me?" She couldn't help but wonder what her daughter wanted.

Mrs. Yvonne walked up the stairs and went into her daughter's room and found Serena fully clothed and holding two hats in her hand.

"Morning Mom," said Serena.

"Good Morning, Serena," said her mother, still amazed she was up this early. "How were you able to get yourself up?"

"Oh, Ash called me earlier this morning," Serena replied. "Say, Mom, which hat do you think looks better?"

In Serena's right hand was a dark red beanie hat with a pink pom-pom on top and in her left was a pink straw hat with a short rim and a black ribbon wrapped around it.

Fashion advise, of course. Now Ms. Yvonne knew how her daughter acted when she gave her input, but she needed to get the rest of breakfast ready, so she had to choose quickly.

"I think that one looks good," she said, pointing to the hat in her daughter's right hand.

"Alright, this one then," said Serena as she tossed the hat her Mom picked aside and put the other hat on her head.

"I should have known," Mrs. Yvonne thought. Now, Serena's Mom felt she had a pretty cool fashion sense, but according to her daughter, it was the exact opposite. Whenever Serena asked her mom for advice, she always picked the opposite of what she picked. She knew that, and she still gave her opinion.

"Alright, come on down, breakfast is almost ready," said the older woman.

"Alright." Suddenly, they heard the doorbell. "I'll get it."

Serena ran down the stairs to the front door and opened it to find a girl about her age with short, black hair and blue eyes, wearing a white sundress with white shorts.

"Diantha," Serena said, giving her best friend a hug.

"Good morning, Serena," said the other girl, returning the hug.

"Oh, Diantha what a surprise," said Serena's mom.

"Hello Mrs. Yvonne," said Diantha. "You mind if I join you for breakfast?"

"Diantha, we talked about this, call me Grace," said the older woman. "And of course you can, I just so happen to have made extras."

Diantha thanked Serena and her mom for letting her join and sat down with Serena at the table. On the plates in front of them were plates of scrambled eggs, a croissant, and some steamed vegetables.

"I'm surprised to see you so energetic this morning," said Diantha as she started eating her food. "You're not usually like this when Fletchling wakes you up."

"Ash actually beat him to the punch today," said Grace. "He called her earlier this morning actually."

"Oh, so you got a wake-up call from your boyfriend, huh?" Diantha teased.

The teasing was successful as Serena almost choked on her food as her face turned bright red.

"D-Diantha! He's not… we're not… I mean I do admire him, but...," Serena stammered as she tried to find a way to defend herself but that only caused the two other women to laugh at Serena's embarrassment.

"Serena, we're only teasing," said her mother.

"So what did he call you about?" Diantha asked.

Serena took a moment to calm herself down before answering, though, her cheeks were still glowing.

"W-well, he called me to show which starter he got," she replied.

"So which of the three Kanto starters did he get?" Grace asked.

"Well, apparently they were out of Bulbasaurs, Squirtles, and Charmanders so he got a Pikachu instead."

"A Pikachu?" Diantha said in shock.

"Couldn't he have just called Professor Sycamore and asked to register Froakie as his starter?" Grace asked.

"That's what I said," Serena replied. "Apparently Professor Oak 'failed to mention that.'"

"Well, it's definitely a unique choice for a starter Pokémon," said Diantha. "I'm sure they'll be a great team."

"Actually, Ash told me he and Pikachu weren't getting along at all at the moment," said Serena. "He's also the same Pichu from Summer Camp."

"The same one that shocked the Oak boy?" Serena's mother asked, to which Serena firmly nodded. "Oh boy, Ash certainly has his work cut out for him."

"I'm sure he's fine," said Diantha. "From what you've told me about him, I think he'll become best friends with that Pikachu in no time."

It was nice to hear such comforting words from her friend, but for some odd reason, Serena felt like something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what.

"Well, speaking of starters," said Diantha. "Are you ready to get ours later today?"

"You bet," Serena replied. "Calem is bringing them from Professor Sycamore's lab, right?"

"Yep, we'll be meeting at that café in Aquacorde Town," Diantha confirmed.

"Great," Serena smiled as she continued to eat her breakfast.

"Make sure you keep practicing your Rhyhorn Racing whenever you can," said Serena's mom as she was about to see the two girls off.

Serena hesitated a little before saying, "Okay Mom." She then gave her mother a hug, and after saying goodbye to Rhyhorn, Serena and Diantha took off to Aquacorde Town.

"And make sure you and Ash don't do anything too crazy!"

"Mom!" Serena replied with a face as red as a Tamato Berry, knowing what her mother was implying. Grace just chuckled and waved the two girls goodbye.

"Are you really going to practice Rhyhorn Racing while you're in Kanto?" Diantha asked.

"Not really," Serena honestly replied. "It was the only way to convince her to let me go on this journey. I just don't have the heart to tell her I don't have the same drive for Rhyhorn Racing she does."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind you spending some alone time with your Ashy-poo," Diantha teased.

"Diantha!"

"Alright, alright, pardon," Diantha chuckled. "But seriously, it's pretty obvious you have a crush on him. I'm sure your mom doesn't mind if you just want to spend time with him."

"I know, but I don't want my journey to be just about Ash," Serena said. "I want to see if I can find a dream of my own. I mean, you want to be an actress, Calem wants to be a great researcher like Professor Sycamore, same goes for Daisy with Professor Oak, Leaf wants to complete the Pokédex, Ash wants to be a Pokémon Master, but what do I want to do?"

"I'm sure you'll find something," Diantha said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Serena gave her best friend a heartwarming smile. "Thanks, Dia."

"No problem, Ser."

Aquacorde Town was not as big as Vanville Town, but it had more shops and cafés that it's neighbor. At one of the cafés, a young man with black hair wearing grey khaki pants, a blue jacket, a red cap with sunglass resting on top was waiting patiently for his remaining guests. They were supposed to meet here a few minutes ago, where were they?

"Hey, Calem!"

The boy turned to see the two people he was waiting for.

"Diantha Beauchêne, Serena Yvonne, you're late," he stated firmly.

"Come on Calem, you know Serena's not a morning person," said Diantha.

"Mrs. Yvonne contacted me and told me Serena was actually up early today," said Calem.

"That's because she got a call from Ash," Diantha explained with a smirk on her face.

"I… see," Calem replied. "Serena, are you sure you want to go to Kanto for your journey? I'm sure you can find what it is you want to do here in Kalos."

"I told you before Calem," Serena said. "I made a promise to my friends I would come back and see them. I can't go back on my word now."

"Of course," Calem replied.

He knew that of course, he just wish that one of those friends wasn't Ash Ketchum. Calem has had always seen Serena as a little sister, and he was a very overprotective big brother. When Serena came back from Summer Camp, something he greatly opposed, she couldn't stop talking about all the friends she's made, especially Ash Ketchum. It was obvious she had a crush on this boy and Calem didn't like it. But, if it made Serena happy, he would tolerate it.

"Anyway, here are the Starter Pokémon and Pokédex' from Professor Sycamore's lab," Calem said, presenting the three spheres.

"Did you make your choice yet, Calem?" Diantha asked.

"Not quite," the boy replied. "I figured I'd let you two pick first."

"And they say chivalry is dead," Diantha teased.

The black haired female looked at the Pokéballs in front of her and made her decision.

"I'll go with Chespin," she said as she grabbed the Pokéball on the left and released a small brown rodent with a green hood with spikes on its head. Calem gave Diantha a Pokédex and she scanned her new partner.

"Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon," said the device. "A Grass-type. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp that they can pierce rock. This Chespin is male and knows Growl, Vine Whip, Bite, and Rollout"

"Fantastic, I'm sure we will get along great Chespin," said Diantha, to which the grass-type gave a happy reply.

"Alright Ser, it's your turn," said Diantha.

Serena went up to the tray and grabbed the center Pokéball.

"You're going with Fennekin?" Calem asked.

"Yeah, I had made up my mind a long time ago," Serena smiled. "Besides, I'm sure it will be confusing if Ash and I both had Froakies."

"Of course," Calem said hoarsely as he handed Serena her Pokédex. She then proceeded to release and scan the starter. It was a quadrupedal creature with yellow fur and red fur coming out of its ears and a big, bushy tail.

"Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. A Fire type. Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees Fahrenheit. This Fennekin is female and knows Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember, Howl."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to snuggling up with you on cold nights," Serena smiled. The yellow fire starter gave a happy yelp.

"Then that leaves me with Froakie," said Calem. He grabbed the remaining Pokéball and released the water starter and scanned it with the remaining Pokédex.

"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. A Water type. It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked. This Froakie is male and knows Pound, Bubble, Growl, and Quick Attack."

"Alright, this is where we go our separate ways," said Diantha. "I'm going to miss you guys."

"Me too," said Serena. "One last group hug?"

The two girls mostly looked at Calem, knowing he wasn't really into public displays of affection.

"Alright, if you insist," Calem agreed, feeling the pressure from both girls gazes.

The three wrapped their arms around each other before heading in separate directions. Diantha went back to her house to introduce her new Chespin to parents, Calem went off on the path towards Camphrier Town, saying he had an errand to run for Professor Sycamore, and Serena went on the path towards Lumiose City. Sure she wanted to introduce Fennekin to her Mom, but right now, she had a plane to catch.

Serena made a brief stop in Santalune City to get some well-needed rest, her flight would leave in 2 days so she had just enough time to get to Lumiose City and rest up before her flight; however, something was still bothering her. She didn't know why she just had a very bad feeling.

"Maybe I should give Ash a call."

And that is Chapter 4! Sorry that this chapter wasn't as eventful, but I'll make up for it soon enough. What did you guys think of having Calem and Diantha be Serena's friends at the start of her journey? Bet you weren't expecting that! Yes, Diantha will be champion by the time the Kalos Arc comes around. I think having Calem being Professor Sycamore assistant is probably the best thing I can come up with, even if that's not original. And no, Serena's feeling that something was wrong wasn't special powers, just a little something I like to call the "Ash-is-in-Danger Radar." Also, while I did say Calem wouldn't be a love rival, having him as an overprotective big brother can also make him opposed to Serena dating Ash, I'm not sure if anyone has done that. Anyhow, the story will continue!

Oh, before I forget, Allow me to state that just like in the anime, Ash will NOT be catching any legendaries. That is all.

Next Chapter: Pokémon Center Shutdown!