After what had been a fairly long day, Serena returned to the pokemon centre. At this point, she figured she owed it to her pokemon to turn in early and treat them to a grooming session. Both of them were absolutely filthy, after all.

Releasing Fen and Starman from their pokeballs, she began to fill the sink with warm water. Ever curious, the raccoon jumped right in. He quickly decided it wasn't his cup of tea, preferring to track mud all across the kitchenette counters.

The girl was irritated, but her feelings turned to total panic the moment her zigzagoon turned toward the sofa. She had to wonder if a full-body tackle was a bit excessive, but after seeing the stains on her smock, she decided she'd made the right call.

Perhaps it was because she'd never been on his bad side before, but it had never occurred to her just how sharp his teeth were. Noting to buy rubber gloves up to her elbow, she unceremoniously dumped Starman in the sink and none-too-delicately scoured every crumb of dirt out of his coat.

Thoroughly waterlogged, the zigzagoon beat a hasty retreat the moment Serena let him go. Curling up in the corner of the couch, he glared at her, pure venom in his eyes. She hoped he'd forgive her when he was dry...

Fen was much quieter, having resigned herself to her fate. There was little more than a whimper out of her for the whole ordeal. In a way, having to groom her was worse. Having to look into those big, mournful eyes as she poured water over the fox's head was like being repeatedly punched in the guts. Ultimately, though, the true horror grooming Fen had absolutely nothing to do with the pokemon herself. It came in the form of a soft rap on the door.

Muttering an apology to her starter, she went to see who it was. But, when she opened the door, nobody was there. She looked both ways down the hallway to make sure no one was hiding out of sight. Of course, it was deserted. Shrugging, she returned to her room, making sure to turn the lock behind her. She had no intention of being the victim of a practical joke tonight.

Fen was still waiting in the sink, the very picture of misery. Gently, Serena finished rinsing the soap out of her fennekin's fur, and shook out a towel over the counter. Scooping up her pet, the girl couldn't help but be bewildered when she found her fresh cloth completely sodden.

How odd. She must have accidentally tried to use Starman's towel twice. Leaving the fox atop the counter, Serena crouched down to grab another towel from the cabinet. When she opened the drawers, she found each and every one soaked through. Were the pipes in her room leaking or something?

Meanwhile, Fen was sitting on the ledge, slightly shivering. Reaching up, her trainer scratched her ears. "Sorry, girl. I'll grab a jacket from my bag." Said the human.

With a hop, skip, and a jump, the girl had snatched some clothing out of her rucksack and wrapped it neatly around her pokemon. "There." She smiled. "All better."

Leaving the neatly swaddled pokemon next to a still-grumpy Starman, she returned to the kitchen to make him a peace offering.

Mere moments after she started measuring ingredients, the hissing started. Against her better judgment, she ignored it. It only occurred to her just how badly she'd messed up after she heard what sounded like a river rampaging through the room, followed by a deafening shriek.

Serena felt something lapping at her feet. Water. Fearing greatly for the state of her living space, she looked up.

Everything was soaked. Everything. The floor, the sofa, the wall, nothing had been spared. Sitting traumatized in the epicenter was Fen, her fur plastered against her body once more. She looked like she was about to cry. Still, Serena had no idea how so much water had gotten into her room. At least, she didn't until she saw Starman.

He was facing the corner of the room, growling loudly. Unlike the fox, he didn't seem to mind being soaking wet. In front of him stood a small marill, terrified out of its wits. At least she knew where the water came from...

Leaping forwards, Starman smashed into the mouse, savagely clawing at its fur. The cornered pokemon was clearly distressed, flailing wildly and shrieking, unable to defend itself.

"Starman! Knock it off!" Begrudgingly, he acknowledged his trainer's command, backing an arm's length away from his target.

Cautiously, Serena approached the injured pokemon. It was bleeding from several small cuts, and scared out of its wits, but it wasn't anything major. She stretched out a hand for the marill to sniff. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." The trainer murmured softly.

The pokemon backed away from her, ears flat against its head.

Slowly, she retreated a few steps, not wanting to spook the water-type any more. "I'm just going over there." The girl gestured to the door. "Fen, Starman, come with me."

As she crept out of the room, Serena watched the stray. Its gaze was locked on her the whole time. Pulling the door shut behind her, the girl and her pokemon headed for the nurses' quarters.

When she walked in, there were several nurses lounging on the sofas. A younger girl looked at her in horror. "Did you fall in the lake or something?!" She asked, half-shrieking.

Flushing, the trainer shook her head. "A wild pokemon got in my room." There were a few moments of awkward silence before she asked; "I don't suppose you have any more towels, do you?"

Glancing down at the sodden pokemon beside her, another nurse scurried out of the room.

"What exactly happened in there?" One of the elder nurses asked.

Taking a deep breath, Serena explained everything. She was certain they were going to be furious. Instead, they sighed in relief.

"So that's where marill ran off to."

Apparently, the intruder in her room was the same marill she'd taken into the pokemon centre a couple days ago. The nurses guessed that it wanted to thank her somehow, but its shyness got the better of it. Starman confronted it, and the frightened pokemon had attacked, shooting water everywhere.

Some of the off duty nurses agreed to help Serena clean up. Marill was a lot calmer with the trainer's pokemon hanging out in the staff room. While not especially helpful, the aqua mouse even tried to sponge up the mess itself.

With the small army they had working together, the room was back to mint condition within the hour, save for the sofa cushions.

As they were leaving, the nurse tapped on her shoulder."Hey Serena, why don't you take marill with you?" The older girl asked.

"I don't think she'd get along with the others..." She replied, looking over at the ecstatic-looking creature.

"She's a tough cookie. I've heard a lot of good things about having a marill on your team."

"Maybe..."

Waddling over, marill started tugging on the trainer's skirt.

"Hey," she cried with faux indigence, "Are you trying to guilt me into training you?"

It grinned and nodded. "Marill!"

"Wouldn't you rather stay here? I don't think you'd like battling."

Marill huffed, doing its best to cross its arms. Unwilling to take "no" for an answer, it hobbled over to Serena's bag, and climbed into it.

"If I don't catch you, you're just going to follow me, aren't you?" The girl asked dryly.

"Marill!"

Crouching down, she put an empty pokeball on the floor. "You'll have to put up with my zigzagoon, you know..."

For a moment, the mouse paused. Then, it shrugged, and tapped the pokeball, capturing itself. Picking up the ball, the girl hoped that this would work out.

The next morning, as the sun rose, Serena finally set out towards Lumiose City. It was only a short walk, but thanks to a combination of battles and pokemon hunting, she didn't get there until noon. On a whim, she had captured a combee, thinking that he'd make things easier for her marill. She hadn't thought of names for either of them, yet. Her mother had always said to sleep on a decision before making it. Although, looking back on it, she'd never really followed that advice, always favoring spontaneity instead.

When she arrived, she discovered a good half of Lumiose was suffering from a major power outage, meaning she couldn't challenge the city's gym. While she would have loved to stick around for a few days, she found out the hard way just how expensive the city could be. Camphrier Town, would be cheaper, right?

Optimistic, Serena kept walking. Maybe next time she went to Lumiose, she'd have somebody to split the bill with.

With that on her mind, she started swapping contact information with some of the trainers she met. None of them were planning on challenging the League or anything, but it couldn't hurt to have some more trainer friends, now could it?

In fact, she was in such a giving mood that day, when she ran into the white-clad sandwich idiots from the other day, she struck up a conversation with them.

As it turned out, Jessinda and Jameson were perfectly nice people, although admittedly a touch odd. Like her, they were pokemon trainers. Jameson was also a very talented chef, when given the resources. He had apparently attended a rather affluent school in his childhood, and cooking had been a staple class. They shared custody of a meowth, the only pokemon they had between them.

Serena had been quite confused about that. She thought you were given at least one pokemon after obtaining a trainer's license. So, she had asked; "Why are you two sharing a pokemon?"

The woman looked away from her, bursting into tears. Her companion put his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. "It's alright Jessinda! Don't cry!" The man said, his own voice shaky and high-pitched.

Covering her mouth, Serena apologized; "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset."

Jessinda looked back at the girl, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "No, no, it's alright. It's just that I... I lost him recently."

"I'm so sorry! What happened?"

Dramatically throwing back her head, the woman answered. "He was stolen!"

Serena gasped, clasping her hands together. "Who would do such a thing?"

"There's this... this twerp! He was always following us around. You see, he was jealous that I was a better trainer than him. So... one night...he...he..." She broke down, weeping hysterically. Rubbing her back, the man whispered something soothing to her, pulling her even more tightly against him. "Sorry, I'm getting so emotional," Jessinda continued, breathing erratic; "He stole my Pikachu."

"That's terrible! Did you go to the police?" The girl asked, feeling strangely invested.

She shook her head. "They turned us away. They said they didn't have time for petty things like that."

"Do you know where this thief is? He might give him back if you confront him."

"I've tried, but without my Pikachu..." The woman's voice dropped off. A moment later, she was bawling again.

Jameson looked over at her, eyes pleading. "You're a strong trainer, aren't you? I know it's a lot to ask, but could you save Pikachu for us? We can't do it ourselves..."

Serena closed her eyes, breathing deeply. These poor people needed help, and it seemed like no one else would give it to them. "Alright. Where is he?"

"We saw him at the Versant Skate Park an hour or two ago. He's about your age, wearing a blue jacket and a baseball cap."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Hurriedly, Serena left, heading back to Lumiose.

The skate park wasn't too far from them, maybe a fifteen or twenty minute walk. She hoped that the man hadn't left yet, she had no idea where to start if he were gone.

Thankfully, it looked like he was still there. Sitting on the grass outside the skatepark was a boy matching Jameson's description. Still, there was something bothering the girl about this theft. For one, there was a Pikachu quite contentedly standing next to him, munching on an apple. However, there was something even more dubious: she knew the only boy even remotely matching the description she'd been given, and she was pretty sure he hadn't stolen anyone's pokemon.

"Hello, Ash!" Serena called, waving at him.

Looking up, he smiled at her. "Serena! I was worried about you! What happened?"

Bashfully, she shrugged. "I got a little bit sidetracked... I don't suppose you've seen anyone around your age and dressed a bit like you in the last couple of hours, have you?"

The boy looked confused. "Uh... no? But I've been here all day. Can't imagine I'd be much help."

"You're sure? I'm certain he was here fairly recently."

"Yep. Most everyone here is a lil kid."

This whole thing was getting really weird. Ash wouldn't steal a pokemon. Could he be covering for somebody? Scanning the rink once again, she caught sight of a timid man in a blue tracksuit. He was being hassled by a little girl... Bonnie? Ash had said he was traveling with her and her elder brother... what was his name? Clive? Maybe he was the thief... "Who's that?" She asked, pointing to the blonde man.

"Huh? You've met him, haven- oh, right! You didn't. That's Clemont. He's Bonnie's big brother."

"Does he ever wear a hat?" She asked.

Ash seemed taken aback. "No? Why?"

Sighing, she turned back to face him. "I'm looking for a pokemon thief. A couple told me that a boy stole their Pikachu, and asked me to look for him. They said he was a teenager with a blue jacket and a baseball cap, and that he was hanging out around here."

The boy's face twisted up oddly. "What did these guys look like?"

Serena put her hand on her chin, thinking back. "One was a blue-haired man, and the other was a woman with long red hair. They wore matching white uniforms, and they owned a meowth. They-"

"Did these uniforms have a really big red 'R' on the front?" Ash asked flatly.

"Yeah. They said it stood for 'Rangers' or something. Apparently, it's a really big deal where they came from."

"Rocket."

"No, that's not it. They said-"

"It stands for Team Rocket. I know those guys. They're crooks. Been after my Pikachu for ages. Though, I've gotta admit, tellin' someone that Pikachu belongs to them is a new one." Grumbling, the boy pulled himself to his feet. "If ya see 'em again, don't trust 'em."

"Why would they do that?" She asked, a little confused.

"Wish I knew. Mine ain't the only Pikachu around."

"But it's the best one." A sing-song voice rang out over the clearing. Ash just groaned.

Emerging from the woods was a large and amazingly well hidden stage. Atop it were Jessinda and Jameston, standing back to back.

"It's a pity, but it looks like this one didn't pan out." Remarked the man.

"I suppose most little girls can't help but have doubts." His partner continued.

"To protect the world-"

"Why would you lie about someone stealing your pokemon?! That's just awful!" Serena yelled at them.

"We're in the middle of our motto, little girl! Have some manners!" Jessinda spat back.

Ash butted into the conversation. "We've heard enough! Pikachu, volt tackle!"

Charging forward , the little mouse gathered all the electricity it could, and launched itself towards the couple, sending them flying off into the sky.

"That's the third time in three days." A man behind them commented. "Are they ever going to give up?"

"Probably not." Ash sighed. "At least it gives Pikachu some exercise. Right, lil buddy?" The little pokemon squeaked approvingly. "Anyways, Clemont, you haven't met Serena, have you?"

The blond straightened his glasses. "I believe not." He extended his hand out towards the girl. "Nice to meet you, Serena."

She nodded curtly. "Likewise."

"I take it this is the same Serena you and Bonnie were talking about?" He inquired.

"Yep." He looked over at her. "Thinking about it, you never told me why you ran off a couple days ago..."

"That," She began, "Is a long story."

As briefly as she could, she explained how she had ended up working at the pokemon centre for most of the day, and then how she couldn't find them the next, and kept on with her travels. "But anyways, what have you been up to?" She asked.

The boy shrugged, "This 'n that. I got the bug badge, and came back to Lumiose."

"Wait, you came to Santalune, and I missed you?"

"I left right after I beat the gym there. I've been hanging out around here ever since."

She nodded. "I see. You've spent all that time rollerskating?"

Ash laughed, "A lot of it, yeah. Bonnie needed a break, so we decided to stay here for a bit longer."

Looking out across the park, she could see the little girl skating quite contently with her brother.

"Hey, do want to skate with us for a while?" The boy asked.

She jolted upright, a little pink. "I don't know..."

"Ah, c'mon, it'll be fun!"

"No, I mean..." The girl glanced down, a little flustered. "I don't know how to skate."

He gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously?" Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist, "I'll teach you, then!"

"...I don't even have skates..."

"Don't worry 'bout it! You can rent 'em."

And that was how, not ten minutes later, Serena found herself standing rigidly at the edge of the park, absolutely convinced she'd keel over if she moved so much as an inch forward.

"Are you scared?" Ash teased, skating up to her.

"No." She replied, refusing to look at him.

"Alright! Let's go!" He grabbed her wrists.

She gulped. "What?"

Then, he yanked her forwards. She shrieked. Pulling her along with him, he supported her as he lead her around the park perimeter.

"See?" He grinned at her. "It's fun!"

"I'm gonna fall!"

"What're you talkin' about? You're doing great!" Laughing, he pulled her into a spin.

Serena tripped, plummeting head first into Ash. Panicking, she began to flail, trying to pull herself upright again. It failed miserably when Ash lost his balance, and the pair tumbled to the ground.

"S-sorry!" She was mortified, quickly scrabbling off of the boy.

He just laughed. "S'fine. I guess I got a little carried away! You okay?"

"I should be asking you that!"

"Nah, s'all good." Skillfully, he pulled himself back onto his feet, before offering her his hand.

Taking his hand, he helped her to her feet. "I think that's enough of that for today." She remarked, hobbling awkwardly to the edge of the ring. The boy followed her.

"Yeah, I'd say we've both earned a break."

A/N: I don't really have anything to say this time, but I don't want the tradition to die.