Disclaimer: I'm too tired to debate whether I own anything or not. Just know that I do not own Pokémon... :(
Upon waking up, Ash spent the first five minutes remaining in bed, trying to go back to sleep. Despite all of his efforts, the boy could not fall asleep. Due to some windows without curtains in Meyer's bedroom, the sun's bright light was shining in the bedroom and made it impossible for the Kanto Pokémon trainer to return to sleep. Finally, he sighed in defeat and forced himself out of bed. He took a brief look at the alarm clock by Meyer's bedside to check the time. His eyes then widened in shock and he started to wake up.
"It's ten already?" Ash mumbled to himself, shaking his head slightly. "We had all planned to be getting ready to head out about now. Dang it, I overslept!"
The Pokémon trainer rushed to a nearby bathroom and took a very fast shower. He then got changed into his usual attire and walked out of the room and walked into the kitchen of the house. Serena, Gary, Clemont, and Bonnie were all sitting at the dining table with a plate of pancakes right in front of them. Pikachu was in his own spot and was holding a can of Pokémon food prepared for electric-type Pokémon. Meyer was currently at a counter in the kitchen, making more pancakes. The man was the first to notice Ash enter the room. He turned to face him and let a smile develop on his face.
"We were wondering when you'd wake up." Meyer informed Ash with a laugh. "How many pancakes would you like for breakfast? Keep in mind that I make some pretty darn big pancakes!"
"Uh… maybe three?" Ash answered hesitantly. He then felt his stomach rumble, which caused him to shake his head and amend his answer. "Actually, I'll take four."
"Coming right up." Meyer exclaimed, laughing again. "Go take a seat with your friends!"
Ash immediately went over to follow-through with Meyer's request. He walked over to the table and took his spot right next to Pikachu. All of the attention at the table was now focused solely on Ash.
"Sleep well?" Serena asked with a bright smile. The girl had been in a rather good mood since she woke up and was in an even better mood now that Ash was in the room. It reminded her that he was really in Kalos and that this wasn't some overly complicated dream. Ash really was here with her!
"Mhmm. Sorry for sleeping in so long, by the way." He apologized to everybody.
Serena shook her head in response. "You just came in from a flight yesterday. Don't worry about that. We wanted you to sleep in!"
"Oh. Well, thank you guys then! I guess I kinda needed that sleep." Ash noted, smiling back to Serena. He then turned his attention towards Gary. "What time did you end up waking Gary?"
"Three hours ago. Believe me: I wanted to sleep in longer." He replied.
The Pokémon researcher turned his attention towards Clemont and mumbled something about 'inventions', 'explosions', and 'never again'. Clemont sweat-dropped slightly in response to Gary's mumbling and looked downward towards his pancakes. Ash noticed some slight tension between the two and thought to ask them about it, but he ended up shrugging and deciding against it.
"So Ash, do you have any plans for us today? Where are we going to go to first? Huh?" Bonnie questioned excitedly.
"Well, I kinda want to head out and start working on gym battles. So, I guess I'd like to go wherever the closest gym is." The Pokémon trainer replied.
"That would be in Santalune City. It's not that far away from here, actually. I think it's just a little bit longer than a day or two of walking." Clemont noted, looking back up again to face Ash.
'That's where Calem was heading.' Serena recalled. She knew it had only been a day since she last saw him, but she was curious if the boy had managed to make any progress on his adventure.
"Awesome! Then that's where we'll head to first." Ash commented.
"That's cool with me. Just don't get too upset if I ask if we can stop so I can do some research on the native Pokémon in the area." Gary informed his rival.
"Yeah, that's fine. I could probably use that time to catch Pokémon maybe!" Ash exclaimed, a grin developing on his face. "I can't wait to see what types of Pokémon live here!"
"Kalos has plenty of Pokémon unique to the region." Clemont informed him. "I'm sure you'll find something that you'll want to catch."
"I know I will!" Ash nodded in agreement. He was about to continue to speak when Meyer came by with a plate of four large pancakes. The boy, instead, turned to face Meyer and took the plate with a smile on his face. "Thank you so much!"
Immediately, Ash began to devour his food at a rapid pace. All eyes were, once again, on him as everybody in the room stared at Ash in surprise while he ate. It didn't take him long to finish all four pancakes. He then sighed contently and leaned a little back in his seat.
"That should last me for a couple of hours. Thank you so much. The pancakes were delicious!" He thanked the gym leader.
"Er… No problem." Meyer replied after a few seconds.
"I still haven't finished my breakfast and he already finished. And he literally just got his food." Serena commented in surprise, blinking slightly. She liked to think she remembered her time in Pallet Town with Ash well, but she definitely did not remember his food-eating speed.
"That's Ash for ya. He's a human vacuum-cleaner when it comes to food." Gary stated with a snicker.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded his head in agreement with Gary, snickering as well.
A few minutes passed by before everybody else finished their breakfast. Once everybody was done, they picked up their backpacks and all the necessary supplies for traveling before they left the house, bidding farewell to Meyer. The group of five, plus Pikachu, proceeded to head in the direction of Santalune City. Serena was at the front of the group, leading them.
"The fastest way to get to Santalune City from here is to cut through Parterre Way. The route should be just right ahead." She informed the group.
"Awesome. Lead the way!" Ash encouraged.
Serena smiled back at Ash before she turned her attention back to the streets of the city. "We picked a really good time to come, by the way. Parterre Way is filled with gardens and at this time of the year, the flowers are in bloom. It's absolutely gorgeous this time of year!"
"Pi Pikachu." Pikachu replied back, expressing his excitement to see these flowers.
Ash walked forward a little bit more so he and Serena could talk a little bit about what else was on Parterre Way. Clemont, Bonnie, and Gary followed closely behind. Bonnie was staring at the two in particular before she started to giggle slightly.
"She's got a good sense of direction, she's really nice and talkative, and pretty. She's a keeper, isn't she big brother?" The little girl asked her brother.
"Bonnie, please: don't do this." Clemont requested sharply. He tried to come across as intimidating to the girl, but his efforts failed and only caused her to giggle.
"'Keeper?' You looking for a girlfriend or something Clemont?" Gary asked with a snicker.
"No! Not yet at least. I, uh… it's a long story." The blonde replied with a sigh.
"No it's not! You need a girlfriend to take care of and look after you. What are you going to do once I finally get my own Pokémon and go off on my own? Someone has to be there for you: someone like Serena." Bonnie informed him with a giggle. "But don't worry, I'll find somebody else. I think she may want to keep somebody else, if you know what I mean."
The little girl looked over to Ash and Serena, who were still continuing their conversation ahead of the group. She didn't know exactly what it was about their dynamic, but they seemed 'perfect' in her eyes. She knew that they would probably get together at some point, just like she knew that sometime soon, she would find her brother the perfect 'wife'.
"… Is your sister okay? She's just staring at Ash and Serena." Gary whispered to Clemont.
"I don't know if Bonnie's ever been okay." Clemont answered the Pokémon researcher's question with a sigh.
After walking through Lumiose City for a little while longer, the group finally reached the exit to the city towards route four. They went through the exit and stepped foot on Parterre Way. As Serena had described, the area was surrounded by a variety of gardens, each of which had differing colors of flowers. The rest of the path was covered with tall trees.
"This place looks as nice as you said it would Serena." Ash told the girl as he walked forward ahead of the group.
"Mhmm. It's a really nice place." Serena admitted with a smile. "A picture of the gardens here are often used on postcards for the Kalos region actually!"
"Really? I'll probably go buy one for my Mom." The Pokémon trainer from Kanto commented.
"Pikapi! Pikachu?" Pikachu asked Ash as he gestured towards the nearest garden.
"You wanna go smell the flowers, don't you?" Ash realized what his Pokémon was asking him. When the electric mouse nodded in response, the trainer chuckled to himself slightly. "Alright, alright. We'll make a quick stop before going on the way."
The trainer and his Pokémon quickly ran over towards the nearest garden, leaving the rest of his friends behind. They quickly followed behind, trying to catch up to him. Serena, Gary, and Bonnie were slightly catching up to him. Clemont, on the other hand, was lagging behind the group and was struggling to keep up with them.
"He… runs fast. Really fast." Clemont mumbled as he finally took a stop from his running to catch his breath.
"Hurry up big bro! You're going to get left behind." Bonnie commented in a sing-song fashion as she, Gary, and Serena continued their pace.
"I-I'm coming!" Clemont immediately replied and started to run at his slower pace.
Ash and Pikachu finally reached the first flower garden. The garden, in particular, was covered with red flowers. Pikachu quickly walked inside the garden and started to sniff the flower.
"Chu…" The Pokémon sighed, enjoying the smell.
"I didn't know you liked flowers so much. What do these ones smell like?" Ash questioned Pikachu.
The trainer bent over to take in the scent of the flowers a little more clearly. Just as he bent down, however, a Pokémon jumped out of hiding from within the flowers. It flew upward directly at Ash's head. The trainer was taken aback at the sudden movement and quickly fell to the ground, his hat falling off his head.
"Ahh…" He grumbled as he pulled himself off the ground.
"Are you alright Ash?" Gary asked as he, Serena, and Bonnie finally reached him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got startled by something." He replied with a shrug. He then looked around on the ground. "… Do any of you guys see my hat? I accidentally knocked it off."
"Hmm…" Bonnie walked forward and looked around the area a little more clearly. A few seconds passed by before she spotted it in the center of the flowers. "It's over there!"
Ash gave a smile to Bonnie in thanks to her help as he started to walk towards the hat to pick it up. Immediately as he was about to reach it, he was attacked by a small bird-like Pokémon. The Pokémon charged directly into his stomach, knocking him backwards slightly. Ash winced from the impact but, this time, was able to prevent himself from falling to the ground.
"What the-" He grumbled before the Pokémon revealed itself.
"Fletch!"
Flying directly in front of Ash was a Fletchling. The tiny robin Pokémon remained at eye-level with the trainer and was glaring at him.
"A Fletchling?" Serena looked at the flying-type Pokémon in surprise.
Ash, not recognizing the Pokémon, quickly pulled out his pokédex and scanned it: Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. Although Fletchling's chirp is quite beautiful to hear, it is relentlessly tough with those who enter its territory.
Once Ash finished using his pokédex, Clemont finally caught up with the group. The gym leader-in-training was breathing heavily from the intense running he did to reach his friends. Despite that, though, he managed to see the Fletchling and his eyes were wide in surprise.
"I thought… Fletchling didn't usually… live up here in Parterre Way." He commented between his breaths.
"They don't." Serena nodded her head in response. "I heard they're only common around route two and three and Santalune Forest. This one's kinda off in its own place."
"It happens every once in a while. Some Pokémon like to travel themselves and go to places not in their standard habitat." Gary explained, recounting his time doing research amongst Professor Rowen. "They're usually loners and get kinda aggressive around others."
"Fletchling!" Fletchling chirped angrily at the group, gesturing for them to move away.
Ash, hearing what Gary had to say and recalling his pokédex, realized that the Pokémon had chosen the red-flower garden that they had entered as her territory and considered them to be intruders. Realizing this, Ash quickly bowed his head.
"Sorry to bother you Fletchling. We were just checking out the flowers here. We'll be on our way. Just let me get my hat." He informed the bird as he started to walk forwards towards his hat.
Immediately, the trainer was pecked directly in the face. Ash, again, winced in pain and covered his face where the flying-type hit him.
"Fletchling fletch!" The Fletchling chirped.
"I think it's trying to say that the hat is in its territory, so it wants you to leave it." Bonnie commented with a frown. "That's not very nice at all Fletchling! Just let us get the hat!"
The Fletchling shook her head in response to Bonnie's comment. Ash tightened his hand into a fist as he looked towards Pikachu. Both he and the electric mouse nodded to each other before they both turned their attention towards the Fletchling. They realized that the Pokémon was definitely aggressive and that if they wanted the hat back, there was only one thing that they could do to get it. Fletchling seemed to notice their intentions and immediately flew backwards and glared at Pikachu.
"If you're not going to let us get it back easily, then we'll have to take it back." He told the tiny robin Pokémon. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, releasing bolts of lightning from his cheeks.
The Fletchling quickly flew out of the way the electric bolts, dodging the attacks. She then charged directly at Pikachu, who jumped out of the way to avoid the Pokémon's 'Tackle'. The Fletchling then turned directions quickly before charging again at Pikachu: this time at a much faster speed using its 'Quick Attack'. The flying-type rammed into Pikachu, knocking the electric mouse backwards slightly. Pikachu winced in pain before he shook off the damage and glared at the flying-type.
"It's pretty fast." Ash noted with a smirk on his face. "But you're faster. Come on Pikachu: show it you're Quick Attack!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed in response to Ash. He then charged forwards at Fletchling quickly.
Fletchling, in response to the attack, proceeded to use the same move and charge at Pikachu again with her own 'Quick Attack'. Pikachu immediately jumped over the bird before rushing up to her in an attempt to ram her. The Fletchling quickly flew out of the way, avoiding the attack all together. She then charged at Pikachu, once again. This time, though, Pikachu did not try to jump out of the way or attack back. Instead, the electric mouse turned his attention towards Ash.
The Pokémon trainer noticed the look his Pokémon was giving him and nodded at him. "Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu quickly released a large bolt of electricity directly towards the approaching Fletchling. The electricity was close enough that it took the bird by complete surprise. She flew downward quickly, barely missing being struck by the electricity. In the process, the tiny robin Pokémon was now ground-level to Pikachu.
"Quickly Pikachu: use Volt Tackle before Fletchling gets away!" Ash exclaimed.
The electric mouse Pokémon quickly charged at Fletchling rapidly. Pikachu's body became surrounded by golden-colored electricity, which intensified his speed. Pikachu made direct contact with Fletchling before she was able to fly away.
"FLETCH!" Fletchling exclaimed.
The attack shocked the flying-type with Pikachu's powerful electricity. She rolled backwards from the 'Volt Tackle' before it remained motionless in its paralysis. The flying-type struggled to get up, but she simply could not.
Ash looked over towards the Fletchling when an idea entered his head. He may have begun the fight in an attempt to get his hat back, but he did realize that the Fletchling managed to move a lot faster than he had expected. With proper training, she could probably become a dangerous fighter. With that in mind, he quickly reached for a pokéball at his side and tossed it at the tiny robin Pokémon.
The pokéball made direct contact with Fletchling and sucked her inside in a red light. The ball landed back on the ground and the center started to glow red every few moments. A few seconds passed before the glowing stopped and the ball remained motionless on the ground. The Fletchling had been caught.
"Alright!" Ash declared with a grin as he rushed over to pick up the pokéball. "I caught a Fletchling!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed with his trainer, happy to help him catch another Pokémon. The electric mouse then rushed over to go fetch Ash's hat. He carried it over to his trainer and poked him in the leg with it. "Pika."
"Heh, thanks Pikachu." Ash told his partner as he took the hat from Pikachu and put it back on his head. He then pat his partner on the head, causing the Pokémon to sigh in response.
"That was so cool Ash!" Bonnie exclaimed as she rushed over to him. "You and Pikachu were awesome and Fletchling really didn't stand much of a chance! You managed to take it down with just one hit!"
"A powerful hit, I must say." Clemont commented. "I'm impressed your Pikachu knows how to use Volt Tackle. It's a very difficult move to pull off."
"Heh, thanks you guys." Ash replied with a smile. "Yeah, Pikachu's pretty tough to be able to use it. He's a lot stronger than most Pokémon out there."
"Pika!" Pikachu grinned in response to his trainer's praise.
"Fletchling should make a good addition to your team. Congrats on the catch, Ash." Gary told his rival.
"Yeah, you did amazing out there. Both you and Pikachu fight so well together: like a team." Serena noted with a smile.
Ash and Pikachu were both now starting to blush in embarrassment at all the praise they were getting. They both instinctively went to go rub the back of their heads: a gesture that Serena caught immediately.
"You're doing it again you two." She informed them.
Both Ash and Pikachu turned to face each other and realized that, just like Serena had said, had mimicked each other unintentionally. They both proceeded to laugh in response. Soon, the rest of their traveling partners joined in with them.
Once they had captured Fletchling and re-obtained Ash's hat, the group continued on their travel and walked down Parterre Way. They reached a large fountain around half-way through the route when Ash's stomach started to grumble. Everyone turned their attention to the trainer, who smiled sheepishly back at the group.
"Er… I guess I'm a little hungry now." He told them with a chuckle.
"Pika." Pikachu shook his head at his trainer.
"Well…" Clemont pulled up the right sleeve of his blue jumpsuit and looked at a watch. "It's about two. I guess now would probably be the time for a late lunch. I can cook something if you'd all like."
"You can cook?" Ash asked in surprise. The blonde nodded in response, causing him to grin. "You're awesome Clemont!"
"Heh… I'm not too good at it, but I'll try." Clemont responded sheepishly, accepting Ash's compliment with a smile.
"If we're going to stop and eat, let's take a break here. Maybe let our Pokémon get some fresh air?" Gary suggested to the group.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Ash nodded as he quickly reached for two pokéballs. He tossed them, causing both Gible and Fletchling to appear around him.
Serena, Gary, and Clemont all followed his example and pulled out their own pokéballs. In a few seconds, all of their Pokémon were released around them. Serena's Fennekin stood right in front of her. The fox Pokémon quickly walked over to her trainer and sat down by her legs. Standing right by Gary's side were two Pokémon: a Blastoise that towered over his trainer and an Umbreon. In front of Clemont was a Helioptile and a Magnemite that floated directly over the generator Pokémon's head.
"Whoa! Gary, you have a Blastoise?" Bonnie gasped at the sight of the Pokémon.
"Uh huh." The Pokémon researcher replied. He noticed the little girl inching closer to his starter Pokémon and gestured for her to go closer to him. "Go ahead and pet him. He can be intimidating when he wants to be, but he's a big softie for kids."
That was all the encouragement Bonnie needed. She rushed over to the Blastoise, who lied down on the ground so she could reach him. She quickly patted his head for a few seconds before rushing over to his shell and placing her hands on it.
"Your shell is tough. Like really tough! I'm sure you could probably take almost any attack thanks to it!" She declared happily.
"Blast." Blastoise nodded. The water-type was amused by the little girl.
"You're a real nice Pokémon. It's nice to meet you!" Bonnie exclaimed as she went back to petting his head. A moment later, she stopped and turned her attention to the Umbreon. "And you look like a really nice Pokémon too! It's nice to meet you Umbreon!"
While Bonnie was preoccupied with Gary's pokémon, Ash and Serena were both studying Clemont's Pokémon. Ash recognized Magnemite, but he had never seen the other Pokémon Clemont had released. He grabbed his pokédex again and scanned it: Helioptile, the Generator Pokémon. They make their home in deserts. They can generate their energy from basking in the sun, so eating food is not a requirement.
"Two electric types, huh?" Ash noted with a smirk. "So I take it when you take over the gym from your dad, you're going to be using electric type Pokémon just like him, huh?"
"Yeah." Clemont replied with a smile. "I still got a long way to go, but I'm making progress. My Pokémon are surely making progress at least."
"Helio!" Helioptile exclaimed as he climbed up Clemont's body and reached his shoulder. The generator Pokémon then proceeded to lick his trainer's cheek affectionately, causing him to laugh slightly in response.
"It seems Helioptile really likes you Clemont." Serena noted with a smile.
"I'd hope. He was my starter!" The electric-type trainer replied, still laughing as Helioptile continued to lick him.
Ash chuckled as he watched Clemont and Helioptile interact for a few seconds. He then turned his attention back to his own Pokémon.
"Gible, this is Fletchling. Fletchling, this is Gible. We're going to be a team, along with Pikachu, from now on, okay?" Ash spoke to his Pokémon. He was, however, looking more at his recently-caught Pokémon.
Gible nodded his head in approval with his trainer before he gave a grin to the Fletchling. Fletchling remained motionless for a few seconds before she finally nodded in acknowledgment to the dragon-type Pokémon and her trainer. She then flew towards a nearby tree and found a place to sit on one of the branches.
"Hmm… I guess Fletchling hasn't warmed up to us." Ash noted with a frown.
"Well, remember what Clemont and I said. Most Fletchling aren't from here, so I'm assuming that your Fletchling has to be some kind of loner to be willing to live out here." Serena told the trainer.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Ash smiled back at the girl.
The group proceeded to split up to do their own work while they waited for Clemont to prepare lunch. Bonnie remained with Blastoise and were joined by Gible. The two Pokémon proceeded to entertain the little girl with games. Fletchling remained on the tree and watched the other people and Pokémon interact with each other. Fennekin started up conversation between Helioptile and Magnemite while Serena watched from a distance. Gary and his Umbreon walked to a nearby garden of yellow flowers and began to look around them for Pokémon. Ash and Pikachu talked to each for a few minutes before an idea struck them. They then headed over to meet up with Gary in the flower garden.
"Hey Gary. While we wait for Clemont to finish lunch, how do you feel about a battle?" He questioned.
"A battle?" Gary immediately turned to Ash and gave him his full attention.
"Yeah, it's been a while since the two of us battled. Just a one-on-one." Ash suggested.
"Heh. It really has been a while." Gary smirked in response. "Alright Ash, I'll accept-"
"Um! Umbreon!" Umbreon yipped, getting his trainer's attention.
Gary, along with Ash and Pikachu, turned to face the Umbreon. The moonlight Pokémon was currently staring at a small white Pokémon holding onto a yellow flower. Gary's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"What type of Pokémon is that?" Ash questioned to his friend.
The Pokémon researcher gave no immediate reply, prompting Ash to pull out his pokédex and point it at the Pokémon: Flabébé, the Single Bloom Pokémon. Flabébé chooses a favorite flower at the beginning of its life and takes care of it from then on.
"This is one of those newly discovered fairy-types!" Gary exclaimed excitedly as he started to reach into his backpack. "I didn't expect to find one this soon since getting to Kalos!"
"Fairy-type?" Ash repeated.
"Yeah. It was a newly discovered type of Pokémon. It's becoming a big topic of research just like mega evolution has. Heck, there are some Pokémon we've known about that are starting to be identified as fairy-type!" Gary explained. The researcher had finally managed to pull out his laptop from his backpack. He quickly opened it and immediately opened up a document and started to type. "Professor Rowen asked me if I had any spare time away from mega evolution research to do some research on the native fairy-types of Kalos."
Ash blinked in response, unable to immediately respond to his rival's comments. He had actually heard of the fairy-type from Professor Oak before coming out to Kalos, so he was not as surprised to hear about it nor that it was a topic of heavy research. He was, however, surprised that Gary was so interested in.
"… So I take it you don't want to battle anymore?" Ash asked.
Gary did not hear Ash's reply and, therefore, didn't acknowledge it. He was too focused on the Flabébé. The Pokémon researcher had set the laptop down for a second and pulled out a small jar of Pokémon food designed specifically for smaller Pokémon. He pulled out a brown pellet and held it out to the Flabébé.
"Hello. I'm Gary. Are you hungry?" He asked the fairy-type Pokémon. The Flabébé nodded slightly hesitantly, causing Gary to chuckle. He then placed the pellet directly on the flower. "Take it. It's supposed to be pretty tasty."
Flabébé, realizing that Gary was not a potential threat, happily accepted the pellet and began to eat it quickly. She cooed in approval, showing that she liked the food. Gary immediately watched the Pokémon intently and started to mumble to himself about its health and condition. Ash and Pikachu watched the Pokémon researcher study the Flabébé with sweat-drops running down their heads.
"Well… Gary's more into researching Pokémon than I thought he was." Ash noted to his partner.
"Pika." Pikachu noted with a frown. The electric mouse had been eager to fight against Gary and was disappointed to see that the Pokémon researcher was now busy.
"What are you all doing over there?"
Ash and Pikachu turned their heads and noticed that Serena was walking over to them, with Fennekin right behind her.
"Gary and I were going to have a battle, but he got distracted by a Flabébé." Ash informed her with a sigh.
"Ah, I see." Serena giggle at Ash's pouting face. "Well, I'm sure you both will battle soon enough again. We got a lot of time on our journey, so you can definitely challenge him again some time."
"Yeah, I know." Ash replied. His eyes, for a moment, briefly wandered over to Serena's Fennekin. An idea entered his head as he looked at the girl and smirked at her. "Hey Serena, how about the two of us have a battle?"
"… Huh? Me?" The girl from Vaniville Town blinked in response. She looked downwards after a seconds. "I don't think that'd be a good idea. Fennekin and I just became a team yesterday. I don't think I'll be much of an opponent for you."
"I'm sure you'll be better than you think are! Besides, I could use Fletchling. I just caught her, so we could both use the battle to train our new Pokémon." Ash suggested. He then turned his attention towards the tree where Fletchling was at and shouted towards the flying-type Pokémon. "Hey Fletchling! How does a battle sound to you?"
"Fletch." Fletchling nodded her head at the suggestion before she flew off the branch and headed directly to Ash. It landed on the ground in front of him and seemed to ready to fight whenever the call was made.
Serena looked back-and-forth between the Fletchling and Ash for a few seconds before she sighed. She then turned her attention to her Fennekin.
"What do you think Fennekin? Do you want to battle?" She questioned.
"Fenn." Fennekin nodded her head. The fox Pokémon seemed a little nervous to fight, but she also seemed interested and excited to see exactly how well she could do in a battle.
"You don't have to if you don't want Serena. I just thought I'd ask. I'd be happy to have my first battle in Kalos with you and be your first battle in general." Ash told her with a smile on her face.
Serena's eyes widened slightly and a small blush developed on her cheeks. The idea of her first time battling being with Ash appealed to her more than she would like to admit. Hearing that Ash really want his first battle in Kalos to be with her as well helped make up her mind. She finally nodded and gave a smirk at Ash.
"How could I say no after all of that?" She asked teasingly. "I may be new at this, but I'll do my best and see what I can do!"
"Fenn!" Fennekin exclaimed excitedly.
Ash returned Serena's smirk with one of his own. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"
Ash and Serena walked over to a small dirt battlefield that had been set-up near the fountain on Parterre Way for trainers that cross the route. Fennekin stood directly in front of Serena and looked ready to fight. Fletchling was flying in circles above the battlefield, waiting impatiently for orders from her trainer.
"Alright Serena, we'll let you make the first move." Ash offered to his friend.
"Thanks!" Serena replied with a smile as she closed her eyes in thought. The girl tried to remember all the moves the pokédex said her Fennekin knew when she had previously checked. After recalling a few of the attacks, she finally opened her eyes and focused on the Fletchling in the air.
'Fletchling's going to be in the air for most of the fight probably, so I need to attack it with something that can reach it.' She thought to herself. She pointed directly at the tiny robin Pokémon before speaking aloud. "Fennekin, use Ember!"
"Kin!" Fennekin shouted as she released a small blast of fire out of her mouth and towards the Fletchling.
"Dodge it and then use Quick Attack!" Ash called out to the tiny robin Pokémon.
Fletching gave no verbal reply to her trainer while she flew out of the way of the burst of flame launched at her. She then dived down towards the ground at a rapid pace, heading directly at Fennekin. Serena's eyes widened at the sight.
"Quick, Fennekin, get out the-"
Serena didn't have enough time to finish her sentence: Fletchling managed to tackle the fox Pokémon, knocking it over to the ground. Fennekin winced in pain as she got up. She then glared directly at the tiny robin Pokémon, who was now flying around it in a circular pattern.
'Seeing her speed when Ash's Pikachu fought didn't do it justice. Fletchling is fast!' Serena realized with a frown on her face. 'I… Have to hit it somehow.'
"Fletchling, use Peck." Ash called out to the flying-type Pokémon.
Fletchling nodded and flew back down to Fennekin's height and attempted to peck the fire-type. This time, Fennekin was able to jump out of the way. The fox Pokémon jumped backwards again to put a little more distance between her and the tiny robin Pokémon, but Fletchling continued to charge it, attempting to land a hit against the fire-type.
"Fennekin, use Scratch." Serena shouted.
Fennekin, once again, jumped backwards to avoid a 'Peck' attack from the Fletchling. The fire-type then jumped forwards at the tiny robin Pokémon. She raised her paws and prepared to scratch at the bird.
"Dodge the attack, then use Peck once more!" Ash yelled.
Fletchling flew upwards slightly just as Fennekin was about to jump on her and scratch her. She then proceeded to fly directly towards the fox Pokémon and peck her on the head. Fennekin yelped in pain as she shook her head, causing the Fletchling to fly away to avoid a direct attack from the fox.
'Fletchling is really fast has really good instincts. I'm sure once she opens up a little more and we get some more training done, we're going to make a great team!' Ash realized as he smiled at the flying-type Pokémon.
'This is bad. I'm not any help to Fennekin at all.' Serena shook her head as she tried to think of someway to help out her partner. 'There's got to be something I can do to help. Think Serena!'
"Fletchling, use another Quick Attack!" Ash called out to his Pokémon.
"Fletch!" Fletchling stretched out her wings a little further before she charged rapidly at Fennekin.
Serena recalled the Fletchling's speed and knew that Fennekin would probably not be able to avoid the attack on time. Just as she was starting to anticipate the attack, an idea entered her head.
'I wonder if Fletchling can stop itself in time before something happens.' Serena questioned in her head before she spoke to her Pokémon. "Fennekin, quick, step out of the way and use Tail Whip!"
Fennekin nodded her head as she stepped out of the way just as Fletching was approaching her. The fox Pokémon then swung her tail towards the position she was originally in and in the direction that Fletching was charging down. Her tail made direct contact with the approaching Fletching, knocking the flying-type Pokémon backwards slightly in surprise.
'And Tail Whip lowers defense a little bit too!' Serena realized as a smirk developed on her face. "Go Fennekin, use Scratch!"
"Fenn!"
Fennekin jumped towards the Fletching and scratched at the bird with her sharp claws. Fletching was sent backwards and rolled on the ground before it finally stopped.
"Fletching, are you okay?" Ash called out anxiously to his recently-caught Pokémon.
Fletching winced in pain as she slowly pulled herself off the ground. A moment passed before the tiny robin finally stood up again and puffed her body outward slightly in pride.
"Fletching!" She chirped, indicating that she was fine and was still able to fight.
"Still able to fight, huh? Well, then let's keep going. Let's try using Quick Attack once more!" Ash called out to the bird.
The tiny robin Pokémon quickly charged at Fennekin once again. Serena, recalling the success of her strategy last time, looked towards Fennekin and was prepared to try it again.
"Fennekin, get out of the way and use Tail Whip to intercept Fletching again!" Serena shouted.
"Use Double Team!" Ash yelled out immediately after Serena's call.
Just as Fennekin jumped out of the way in preparation to intercept Fletching with her tail, the Fletchling changed directions and was now flying around the fox Pokémon in circles. She was moving at such a fast speed that it appeared as if there were multiple Fletching surrounding Fennekin. All of them looked poised and ready to attack. Fennekin's eyes were wide as she turned her head to study 'all of the Fletchling around her', trying to figure out which one was the 'real' Fletchling.
'This is really bad.' Serena realized. The smirk that had been on her face had quickly developed into a nervous frown. The girl studied the multiple 'Fletching clones' that were around Fennekin and realized that they were about to charge. "Fennekin, jump!"
Fennekin immediately jumped into the air. The Fletching had all charged towards the center, just barely missing the fox Pokémon. Thanks to her attack, the original Fletching was now revealed to Serena and the Fennekin.
"Use Ember!" Serena shouted.
"Use Quick Attack!" Ash called out.
Fennekin opened her mouth and prepared to unleash another small burst of fire directly towards the tiny robin Pokémon underneath it. Fletchling, however, was able to react faster and flew upward and collided against the fox Pokémon with her 'Quick Attack'. Fennekin winced in pain as she was sent flying further upward a few feet before she started to fall to the ground. Fletchling then flew out of the way to avoid the falling fire-type, causing Fennekin to hit the ground hard.
"Fennekin!" Serena gasped. "Are you okay?"
"Kin…" Fennekin mumbled in response. The Pokémon was dazed and could not stand up. It was obvious to both trainers that she was in no condition to keep battling.
"Alright!" Ash declared as he pumped his fist in the air, a grin developing on his face. "Good job Fletchling!"
"Fletch!" Fletching chirped back. The flying-type flew back towards Ash and nodded in approval at her trainer. Through their battle, the tiny robin Pokémon realized that Ash was a lot more capable than she had though, despite her capture. She realized that he would be a capable trainer and would help her become stronger.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted in excitement as he offered his hand towards the Fletching in a congratulatory manner.
The flying-type Pokémon, at first, seemed hesitant to interact with the Pokémon that had shocked and defeated her earlier. However, she finally decided to be social and acknowledge the electric mouse as her partner. She extended her wing, shaking Pikachu's hand.
As Ash, Pikachu, and Fletchling celebrated together, Serena walked over to her Fennekin as she pulled out a potion from her backpack. She got down on her knees and sprayed the potion on her Pokémon, healing her wounds.
"How are you feeling Fennekin? Does this help you feel a little better?" She asked her Pokémon nervously.
"Fenn…" Fennekin nodded her head. A few seconds later after the potion was applied, Fennekin was able to get back up and look at her smile. She had a smile on her face and licked her trainer on the cheeks, thanking her for the potion. "Fennekin!"
"Phew. Thank goodness you aren't in a lot of pain." The girl from Vaniville Town sighed in relief. She then looked down slightly. "I'm sorry about that Fennekin. I should've done a better job for you during the battle."
"Don't say that." Ash spoke up to Serena. Serena and her Fennekin turned their heads and noticed that, along with Pikachu and Fletchling, were approaching the two. "It was both yours and Fennekin's first battle. I think you guys did really good!"
"Really?" Serena asked in surprise.
"Yeah. You had good instincts and knew exactly how to work with Fennekin and even got a really good hit on Fletching. The two of you did really good for your first time, and I know you both can get even better with more training!" Ash told her with a smile. "Heck, if you guys trained hard enough, maybe you could even try to get the Kalos badges and do the Pokémon League!"
Serena's eyes widened at the compliment. She knew that Ash had participated in the different Pokémon League Conferences in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. He was very familiar with the types of trainers that reached that level of skill to enter the tournaments. Even if it was him being nice to her, the fact that he made the comparison made her feel very proud of herself and happy, causing her to develop a smile on her face.
"Uh… Serena, are you okay? You're starting to get a little red." Ash noticed.
Once again, Serena's eyes widened as she realized that she was blushing: more so than usual. She quickly shook her head.
"I'm fine!" She answered quickly with a nervous laugh. "It-It's just that battling took a little more out of me than I thought, so I'm kinda tired. I'm fine! Totally fine!"
'Serena, it was just a small compliment! Don't turn into some kind of schoolgirl with a crush. Stop blushing!' She scolded herself mentally. She had become aware that she was starting to blush around Ash and didn't want him to suspect anything about her feelings. While it was true that she was developing a crush for her childhood best friend, she definitely didn't want him to know about that just yet!
Ash tilted his head in confusion at her antics and nervous behavior. He opened his mouth to continue questioning her, but he was interrupted as Clemont walked by.
"Hey guys, I finished lunch. Come and get some while it's still hot!" The blonde informed the two.
At the mention of food, Ash's stomach grumbled lightly. Serena, along with Clemont, Fennekin, and Ash's Pokémon, laughed slightly at the noise, which caused Ash to smile sheepishly.
"Well, I've been hungry for a little bit." He admitted, chuckling slightly. He then started to walk off towards Clemont. "Come on guys. Let's go eat!"
Serena and the Pokémon nodded in response. They then hurried behind Ash towards Clemont and their lunch.
The group reunited with each other and proceeded to eat Clemont's prepared lunch: a bowl of stew with a variety of vegetables and meats with the broth. Once they finished, the group packed up their belongings, returned their Pokémon and headed back on Parterre Way towards Santalune City.
After lunch, traveling down Parterre Way became slightly uneventful. They spotted a few different types of Pokémon, such as Ledyba and Budew, in the different colored flower gardens, but nothing to spectacular happened on the walk through the route. As a result, the group entertained themselves through conversation.
Ash was more than willing to share some his stories about his Pokémon journeys prior to Kalos and Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont were more than willing to listen to him. The Kanto trainer proceeded to let them know of different events that happened to him, such as some of his gym battles and other crazy people that he had managed to meet. Gary listened in as well and chimed in with a few stories of his own whenever he had something relevant to say.
As conversation continued, time went by faster. Soon, the sun started to set over the area. Gary stopped walking, causing all of his traveling partners to stop as well.
"Well, guess it's going to get dark soon. We should probably set up camp here." He noted with a shrug as he set his backpack down and started to dig in it for his sleeping bag.
"Camp?" Serena repeated the phrase as a grimace developed on her face. '… Crap! Why didn't I see this coming?'
"You alright Serena?" Ash questioned as he pulled out his own-inflatable tent from his backpack.
"I… er… didn't really think we'd be camping out. I always thought we'd reach a Pokémon Center before nightfall." Serena admitted with a slightly nervous chuckle. "So, I didn't… well… pack a sleeping bag or tent or anything…"
"That's fine. You can use ours!" Bonnie suggested as she pointed to the inflatable tent that Clemont pulled out his backpack.
"Yeah, go ahead and use ours. I'll sleep in Ash's and you can take my spot in the tent with Bonnie." Clemont offered. He then looked over to Ash. "If, well, that's okay with you."
"No, that's totally fine." Ash nodded his head.
"Sorry to be an inconvenience to you guys." Serena frowned, realizing that she was changing the sleeping arrangements of the two siblings.
"Don't worry about it! You'll definitely make a better person to sleep with then Clemont. You and I can talk and have a lot of fun together!" Bonnie suggested. The little girl jumped up-and-down, excited about the new arrangements.
Serena watched Bonnie's jumping and couldn't help but giggle. Her frown turned into a smile as she spoke up to her. "That'll be a lot of fun!"
Once the group had set up camp, Clemont began preparations for dinner. He made nicely-cut sandwiches for the group. It took him a lot less time to make, so everyone was able to start eating quickly.
"You know, I've only had two meals so far, but you're really good at cooking Clemont." Serena praised the gym leader in-training.
"Thanks." Clemont smiled back to the girl, accepting the compliment. "It's only a small hobby, but I think I'm not too bad at it. Bonnie and my dad like my food at least."
"Yeah, but it took you awhile to reach where you're at now. I don't think I need to remind you how many times you nearly set our house on fire!" Bonnie spoke up with a giggle. "Your cooking used to be as dangerous as your inventions."
At the mention of Clemont's inventions, Gary involuntarily cringed. Clemont noticed his reaction and looked downward in embarrassment, still feeling bad about waking him up earlier that morning.
"Well, regardless how it used to be, he makes good food now and that's all that matters." Ash noted with a shrug. He gave the blonde a thumbs-up. "Really, thanks again for cooking. Glad to have you here!"
Clemont looked back up and smiled at Ash, giving him a thumbs-up as well. "Glad to be here!"
Once dinner was finished, the group continued to converse amongst each other for a little while longer. The sun was eventually replaced with the moon, showing that it was officially night-time. The group then decided to head-off to bed. They told each other goodnight before heading off to their own areas. Ash, Pikachu, and Clemont headed off to their tent while Serena and Bonnie went to their own. Gary went to his sleeping bag between the two tents. He lied down and tossed one of his pokéballs, releasing his Umbreon.
"Umbre?" Umbreon looked around the area, trying to figure out why Gary had called him out.
"No need to look like that Umbreon. We're not in a battle or doing research or anything." Gary informed the moonlight Pokémon with a chuckle. "I'm just about to go to bed. I thought you'd like to sleep outside the pokéball tonight. Look at the moon."
Umbreon looked upwards and saw that there was a full moon in the sky. The dark-type Pokémon smiled that his trainer had decided to let him come out of his pokéball and proceeded to lie down next to him on the sleeping bag. It nuzzled his head against the Pokémon researcher affectionately as he closed his eyes, embracing the moonlight that was shining down on them.
"You know, we had a good day today. We got some bits of data for the fairy-type Pokémon research. And we'll surely get more, and more for the mega evolution research too." Gary told Umbreon as he closed his eyes as well.
"Umbre…" Umbreon sighed contently, expressing his agreement with his trainer.
The researcher and his Pokémon quickly fell asleep together.
"You know, we should probably be getting to Santalune City sometime around one tomorrow." Clemont told Ash as the two of them started to lie down. Pikachu had already fallen asleep and the two trainers were now trying to do the same. "Are you excited about your match?"
"Yeah, I am." Ash nodded in response. "My journey in Kalos will officially begin tomorrow. I'm feeling really good about this year. I think… no, I know it: this year will be mine!"
"You're such a confident guy Ash." Clemont commented with a chuckle. "Makes me almost jealous of you…"
"Hmm? What did you say Clemont?" Ash questioned, giving his a friend a look of confusion. The blonde had mumbled his last words and he couldn't properly hear what he said.
"Oh, don't worry about that. It was nothing important." The blonde replied quickly. "S-So, do you know anything about the Santalune gym leader?"
"Not really. But I'll find out who they are tomorrow before the match." The black-haired boy shrugged in response. "I'd like to figure out as soon as I can and maybe try and train a little bit beforehand. Fletchling could use a little more training and Gible hasn't gotten the chance to do anything since we started our journey. All of my Pokémon could benefit from a little more training."
"I understand." Clemont commented, impressed at Ash's desire to win and his plans. "Well, tomorrow, I can maybe help out with your training. Besides just some battling, I have a few inventions I've been working on that could maybe help with your training."
"You do? Really?" Ash looked over to face his friend with a smile. "That'd be awesome! I'd love to see what you've been working on. Thanks a lot!"
"Heh… Glad to be of help if I can." Clemont replied, returning Ash's smile with one of his own.
It didn't take much longer before the two trainers fell asleep. Both of them were very excited for the next day to begin and, therefore, were able to fall asleep with ease.
"You know, you and Ash had a pretty nice battle earlier today." Bonnie commented as she and Serena were lying down in their tent. The girls had changed into their pajamas; Serena was wearing a pink nightdress with matching pants while Bonnie was in her pair of Tyrantrum pajamas.
"You were watching that?" Serena questioned in surprise. She hadn't noticed the little girl near them when they began their battle.
"Uh huh. I was watching with Gible and Blastoise. You two did great!" The little girl exclaimed. "I can't wait to one day be a trainer and be able to have a battle like you two did."
"Well, that day will come soon. You'll have a Pokémon in no time." Serena informed her with a gentle smile.
"I hope so! I hope they're really cute and friendly, but also tough. I'd love to maybe go around on an adventure with them myself and collect gym badges!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"You already have a dream ready, huh?" The girl from Vaniville Town noted with an absent-minded sigh.
"Uh huh." Bonnie replied, nodding her head slightly. "What's yours Serena? Are you going to go collect gym badges too like Ash?"
"I… I don't know." Serena sighed in response. "I mean… Maybe? I just had my first Pokémon battle today and it ended up being fun in the end, but I was so nervous during the whole battle, even when it was just Ash I was against. I don't know if I'm cut out for it." The girl then looked upward to the ceiling of the tent. "I really don't know what I'm going to do, honestly."
"You'll find out something eventually." The younger girl replied with a smile.
"I hope so…" Serena continued to sigh.
Bonnie frowned at her friend. She could tell the topic was frustrating Serena and she wanted to help out in some way. As she began to wonder what she could do for the girl, an idea struck her. She then quickly got up and ran out of the tent.
"Bonnie?" Serena looked over in confusion, wondering where the girl had went.
A few seconds passed before the girl rushed back in. She was carrying a small, brown notebook that had pictures of different electric-type Pokémon on its cover. A Lanturn, a Jolteon, a Raichu, and a Heliolisk were visible and there were a few that were harder to identify due to their size.
"Sorry, I had to get this from Clemont's backpack. He was holding on to this for me." She told her friend with a smile. "Anyway, this is a notebook that I was going to use to write down things that happened on the journey. But I think maybe you could write down your own thoughts in it. Maybe if you get your thoughts written down while we travel around, you could them organized a little bit and maybe realize what your dream is!"
Immediately, her friend shook her head. "Bonnie, it's your journal. I don't think I could-"
"No, go right ahead!" Bonnie interrupted Serena before she could finish talking. "I want you to have it. Besides, I told myself I was going to use it, but I probably wouldn't. I'd forget about it some night and it would just sit in Clemont's backpack the entire time."
Bonnie, to show her point, quickly tossed the notebook towards Serena. The girl caught it immediately and began to look at the cover before she turned back to Bonnie. After a few seconds on unspoken conversation between the two girls, Serena finally sighed. She put the notebook next to her own backpack and smiled at the girl.
"It'll help me out a lot. Thank you so much Bonnie!" Serena told the girl cheerfully.
"What are friends for?" Bonnie replied with a giggle. "I want to do everything I can to help you guys! You'll have a dream in no time!"
Shortly after, the two girls told each other goodnight and proceeded to try to go to bed. Bonnie fell asleep pretty quickly. Serena took a lot longer as her mind reflected on the events of the day.
She thought to write in the notebook that Bonnie had given her, but she realized that it would be hard to write properly in the night with minimal light. She decided, therefore, to just put that aside until tomorrow and just think to herself. Soon, the girl's eyes finally started to close and she fell asleep.
'… Bonnie's right. I'll find out what I want to do soon. Soon…' Were Serena's last thoughts as she drifted into her dreams.
Quick Trivia:
1: I really wanted Ash's first Pokémon from Kalos to be a Kalos-pokédex Pokémon, so I decided to stick with the anime-approach and let him capture a Fletchling. I originally wanted him to capture a Pokémon that would actually be found in Parterre Way, but the only one that fit the category was Flabébé, and it doesn't work with my plans for Ash. Therefore, I stuck with Fletchling. However, since this is a year early, this is not the same Fletchling. Just throwing that out there :)
2: The 'notebook' for Serena is actually a personal allusion for myself. The very base, original idea for an AmourShipping story occurred at the present time of the anime canon and Serena's 'notebook' was going to be a tool I used to write out the anime 'filler' episodes that I didn't want to re-write. I would, therefore, focus solely on the important episodes or my own original plot points while still following the canon of the anime. However, since this version of the story occurs a whole year earlier to canon events, the original plan was scrapped. I did want to include it in my story still, though, and this is my plans for it. Just thought I would explain a little bit more about Serena's journal... if any of you actually cared about it at all :P
Author's Note: Hi guys! Here's chapter four! :)
So yeah, as you can see, the upload-time took a little bit longer. I actually had to focus on school for a little bit. And, technically speaking, I still do. :/ That won't impact my writing speed too much though I think. I'll still always be writing regardless and I promise to get at least one update up on here a week. Hopefully a little faster than that if I can, but I can't make too much promises other than once a week at the moment. I'll see what I can do guys!
So... yeah, quick question: what do you all think of my battle-scenes? They'll become a little more prevalent in the story in the later chapters (next chapter in particular), but I wanted to ask you all your opinions on them. Any comments and criticism can only help me improve and get the story better for you all! :)
Thank you all again so much for the support, reviews, and messages I've received. I don't think I've ever been as motivated as I have been to work on a fanfic than this one. You are all amazing and I want to keep writing this story to keep you all entertained.
Remember to review or message me your thoughts about the story and what you liked/disliked. I will see you all when chapter five is complete! Until then :)