A/N: Strap yourself in, folks. The real story begins now.


"Attention, passengers. We have just landed in Lumiose City. Please remain in your seats until the aircraft has come to a complete stop. Thank you for flying Air Kalos."

Ash and Pikachu grinned excitedly as they waited to unboard the plane. They were excited to be in a new region, especially one that was so far away from their native Kanto.

"Can you believe it, Pikachu?" Ash asked excitedly. "We're finally in the Kalos region!"

"Pika!"

"That's right, buddy," said Ash. "We're going to find new Pokémon, new trainers, and all sorts of adventures! And we're going to beat every gym and conquer the Kalos League!"

Pikachu looked up at his trainer with a knowing smirk. Ash blinked as he saw it, then began to blush.

"And… yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing Serena too," he admitted.

"And who might this Serena be?"

Ash jumped as he heard the voice. He then felt something shift in his pocket, and remember the useful but annoying Pokedex he had recently received. He sighed, then pulled the device out.

"What do you want, Rotom?"

"Me? Want something?" Rotom asked innocently. "No, I'm just curious as to who this 'Serena' person is."

"She's a friend," Ash said in an aggravated tone. "I came to Kalos to visit her."

Rotom stared at the raven-haired trainer for a moment, before a mischievous smirk formed on its face.

"Ooh. A frieeeend. Riiiight."

"Stop it!" Ash yelled as his face grew red, partly out of anger, and partly out of embarrassment.

"Okay," said Rotom. "But just be aware that I offer training advice, not dating advice."

"You shut it right now!"

Passengers in the surrounding seats turned to watch Ash, wondering why he was arguing with a Pokedex. Most of them simply brushed it off as some weirdo who argued with machines for no reason. Pikachu groaned as they muttered to themselves.

"Ash and Serena, sitting in a-"

Ash grabbed the Pokedex and stuffed it back into his pocket. Rotom continued to talk incessantly, but the voice was now muffled. Satisfied, Ash unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. Pikachu ran up onto his shoulder and smiled.

"Okay, buddy," sad Ash. "You ready?"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

Ash nodded, then stood up. He then grabbed his backpack and made his way up the aisle towards the door. With each step, his excitement grew, getting harder to keep in check. Finally, as he reached the doorway, he could no longer keep it contained, and shouted out with all his might.

"Get ready, Kalos! I am Ash Ketchum, and I am going to become a Pokémon Mast-AAAA!"

Ash had been so excited that he hadn't noticed where he was stepping, and he missed the first step. Pikachu managed to jump off just in time, but his trainer was not so lucky; the raven haired boy tumbled down the steps, crying out in pain as he hit himself repeatedly.

"Agh! Ow! Gah! Aiee!"

Finally, he landed at the bottom of the stairs with a thud.

"Oooow," he groaned. His whole body was in pain, and he had no idea whether he was looking up or down. He was also vaguely aware of a pained voice coming from his pocket, though it didn't seem to be much of a concern.

"Pikapi!"

Ash looked up to see Pikachu running down to meet him. He smiled as his faithful partner ran up to him, giving him a big smile.

"Don't worry about me, buddy," he said as he got back to his feet. "I'm just fine."

He gave himself a quick look as he stood up. Nothing seemed to be broken, which was definitely good news. The worst that seemed to have happened was that he got a few scrapes.

"Well, that is definitely one way to make a first impression."

Ash stopped checking himself. He turned around to see who had spoken, and was met by a pair of intense-looking blue eyes. They were complemented by a head of spiky red hair, as well as an equally spiky red beard. The man possessing these impressive features was wearing a black business suit and pants, which were lined with red. He was also wearing black fingerless gloves, black shoes, and a red tie. Finally, his collar was rimmed with white fabric.

Ash couldn't help but shiver at the sight of the man, and he could tell that Pikachu was similarly intimidated.

Then, much to his surprise, the man smiled.

"Ash Ketchum, I presume?"

Ash stared blankly, wondering how the man knew his name. He was then surprised when the man began to chuckle.

"Don't be surprised, boy. Professor Sycamore was informed by Professor Oak that you would be arriving in Kalos today. He's excited to meet you, but he has a busy schedule, so he asked me to bring you to his laboratory. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find you, but since I haven't seen any other boys with a Pikachu, I suppose that fear was unfounded."

Slowly, the uneasiness that Ash had been feeling began to vanish. He gave the man a smile as he stretched out his hand.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, sir."

"Please," the man said as he took Ash's hand. "Call me Lysandre."

As the two humans shook hands, Pikachu watched the newcomer warily. While Ash seemed to no longer be worried, the yellow mouse couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something deeply unsettling about Lysandre. True, Oak would have most likely informed his fellow Professor about Ash. And if the Professor was too busy to come, he would most likely have sent someone else to fetch Ash for him. So that was no reason to be suspicious.

So why did Pikachu feel so uneasy?

"Well then," said Lysandre. "Shall we go?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah! I want to meet Professor Sycamore!"

The red haired man smiled and began to walk away. Ash was about to follow, before he looked down at Pikachu.

"Come on, Pikachu!"

Pikachu sighed. Although he didn't trust Lysandre, he had the feeling that he was at least honest about taking them to see Professor Sycamore. So he hopped onto his trainer's shoulder. Ash smiled, and they began to follow the man.


Calem led Serena and Shauna through the busy streets of Lumiose. The two girls marveled at the vastness of the city, wishing to see everything it had to offer.

"It's so amazing!" Serena said in awe. "I always knew Lumiose was big, but this is unbelievable!"

"Where should we even begin?" Shauna asked as she grabbed Calem's arm. "Do you have any idea, Senpai?"

Calem laughed a bit at his girlfriend's cheekiness. "Well, before we do anything, the two of you need to pick out your starter Pokémon, don't you?"

"Oh, right," said Shauna. "I already know which starter I'm going to pick!"

She then turned to the other girl.

"What about you, Serena? Do you know which Pokémon you're going to start with?"

"Of course I do," said Serena. "I had a pretty good feeling about which one I'll pick!"

"That's great," said Calem. "Especially since we're already here!"

The two girls looked up at the building in front of them. It was a large building with several floors, with a pair of gates on either side of the entrance. There were plenty of trees and bushes in the entrance, as well as two Pokeball-shaped statues.

"This is so cool!" Shauna said as a grin spread on her face. "I'm finally going to get a Pokémon!"

Seena nodded. "Me too!"

"Well," said Calem, "why don't we go in?"

With this, the black haired boy walked forwards, marching up to the door and opening the door. The two girls followed his lead, walking into the building as Calem held the door.

"Thanks, Senpai!"

As the girls entered, they marveled at how big it was. All around them, there were shelves full of books, as well as various instruments and machines. In addition, there were several corridors, as well as a large staircase.

"Wow," said Serena. "This is pretty amazing."

"Yeah!" Shauna agreed. "I can't wait to meet my Chespin!"

"Oh?" Serena said in surprise. "You're choosing Chespin?"

"Yeah! After all, it was Calem-Senpai's choice, so it's obvious that Chespin is the best!"

At that moment, the group began to hear the sound of footsteps. They looked up and saw a man with messy black hair walking down the stairs. He was wearing a white lab coat over his purple shirt and black pants, and his face was slightly rugged, as if he hadn't shaved in a week. Upon seeing Calem, a smile formed on his face.

"Calem! What a pleasure to see you again!"

"It's good to be back, Professor," said Calem. He then gestured towards the girls. "I'm sure you've heard of Shauna and Serena."

"Of course!" the older man said as he held out his hand. "As you're surely aware, I'm Professor Sycamore. I've been studying the mysteries of Pokémon evolution, and I also help educate young people around the region, and show them the greatness of forming friendship with Pokémon. But most important of all, I give beginners their first Pokémon!"

With that, he turned back to the stairs.

"Alain! Bring the starter Pokémon!"

"Coming!" a voice replied. Soon afterwards, an older teenager walked down the stairs carrying a case. He had a lab coat covering his yellow shirt, blue jeans, and orange hoodie, and he had blue eyes and messy black hair.

"Hey, Professor," he said as he walked down. He then stopped as he noticed Calem, and smiled.

"Hey, Alain," said Calem. "Still working with the Professor?"

The older teen shrugged. "Yeah, I am. I mean, I've been thinking about going on a journey of my own, but right now I'm not sure whether I want to or not."

Alain then grinned at Calem. "Still, you're doing pretty well. I mean, top four in the Silver Conference? That's no small feat!"

"I know, right?" Shauna said excitedly. "I'll bet that Calem-Senpai is going to win the Kalos League this year!"

Alain snorted. "Calem-Senpai?"

Calem's face began to turn red. "Yeah… Alain, Professor, I'm sure you've heard of my girlfriend, Shauna."

"Of course I have," Alain said teasingly. "Although I haven't heard about her calling you Senpai."

Realizing that the situation was about to turn awkward, Sycamore decided to interject.

"I have a feeling that Serena and Shauna want to meet their new partners, right?"

"Yes, please!" Shauna said, hoping to save her boyfriend from further embarrassment. "I'm so excited!"

"Me too!" Serena added.

Alain chuckled and opened the case. He'd been thwarted, but he knew he'd get another chance to mess with Calem eventually.

"Professor?"

"Thank you, Alain," Sycamore said as he grabbed three Pokeballs. He then tossed them out, revealing a trio of Pokémon.

"Chespin-pin!"

"Fenn-fenn!"

"...Froakie."

"I'd like you to meet the three starter Pokémon of Kalos," said Sycamore. "Chespin, Fennekin, and-"

"IcalldibsonChespin!"

Before anyone could react, Shauna had grabbed Chespin and was hugging her tightly.

"Oh my gosh! You're even more adorable than I thought you would be!"

Chespin was surprised for a moment, but she quickly smiled and hugged her new trainer back.

"Pin! Chespin!" she cried.

"You know," said Alain, "I think that Chespin is a female."

"Awesome!" Shauna said as her eyes began to sparkle. "I'll call her Chestelle! And then when I become the Kalos Queen, all the trainers in Kalos will talk about how awesome she is!"

Kalos Queen? Serena wondered to herself. However, she didn't dwell on it too much, as she turned towards Fennekin.

"Hey, Fennekin! I'm Serena! Do you want to go out on an adventure with me?"

Fennekin smiled as her eyes sparkled. She had been dreaming of the day when she'd finally be adopted by a trainer, and now it was finally happening! Excitedly, she jumped into her new trainer's arms and cried out appreciatively.

"Fennekin!"

"That's great!" Serena said happily as she petted Fennekin on the tail. "I'm so excited to travel with you!"

Sycamore smiled as he watched the new trainers interacting with their starters. It warmed his heart to see such friendship between Pokémon and trainers.

"Froakie."

The black haired Professor looked downwards, and was met by the last remaining starter, who was observing the girls playing with their Pokémon with an indifferent look on its face.

"Don't be surprised," he said. "You'll be chosen too one day."

"Froak."

Sycamore frowned. He could tell that this particular Froakie was going to be a handful.

"Return, Froakie," he said as he returned it to its Pokeball. He then placed it in the case.

"You think that Froakie is gonna be okay?" Alain asked as he watched.

Sycamore was about to speak when he door swung open once again. He was then delighted to see his old friend friend walk in.

"Augustine!" Lysandre said as he approached. "I've come back!"

"Lysandre!" Sycamore said happily as he walked towards the red haired man. "Did you have any trouble finding him?"

"Not at all," replied Lysandre. "You can ask him yourself if you want."

He turned backwards to the doorway, where Ash and Pikachu had both entered and were now observing the interior of the laboratory in awe.

"Wow," said Ash. "This is even bigger than Professor Oak's lab."

"Pikaaa."

"Ash!"

Ash was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the voice. He looked upwards, and was overjoyed to see Serena walking towards him.

"Serena!"

The raven haired boy quickly ran up to her, until they finally closed the gap between themselves.

"You're here!" said Serena.

"Yeah," said Ash. "I'm finally in Kalos."

For a moment, the two old friends said nothing. Meanwhile, Calem, Shauna, and Alain watched with interest.

"So, would anyone mind filling me in on who that kid is?" Alain asked.

"That's Ash Ketchum," said Calem. "He's Serena's childhood friend."

"Ah," said Alain. "Wait… wasn't he your opponent in the Silver Conference? The one who almost beat your Chesnaught?"

"Almost isn't the word I'd use at all."

Meanwhile, Ash had just noticed Serena's new partner.

"So, is this your Pokémon, Serena?"

"Yeah," Serena answered as she held the fire type up. "Say hello to Fennekin!"

"Fennekin!" Fennekin said happily. Pikachu took interest and climbed into Ash's arms to greet her.

"Pikapika!"

"Fenn-Fenn!"

Ash and Serena watched with fascination as their Pokémon chatted with each other. They then looked at each other and smiled.

"I'd say our Pokémon are really hitting it off," said Ash.

"Yeah," said Serena. "They're already friends!"

"That's wonderful," Lysandre said as he approached the two. "It's truly beautiful when Pokémon and humans can get along in harmony like this. If everyone was like you, the world would be so much more beautiful."

He then sighed as he looked away. Ash and Serena, along with their Pokémon, watched him curiously.

"Alas, there are so many selfish people in this world. People who exploit Pokémon for their own purposes. People who take advantage of the selflessness of others in order to further their own ends. If only we could eliminate them all…"

He then looked at the two youngsters with a cheerful smile.

"Forgive me for rambling. I just have many things on my mind."

Ash shrugged. While it had been a bit odd, he could hardly begrudge the man for speaking his mind.

"It's okay, Mister Lysandre."

"Of course," said Serena. "You can do whatever you want."

Fennekin barked happily in approval. Pikachu, on the other hand, watched the man warily. While he couldn't argue with Lysandre about the selfish people of the world, there was just something about him that seemed off. However, he had no time to think about it, as Sycamore began to speak.

"You must be Ash Ketchum. I am so glad that you are here. Professor Oak has spoken quite highly of you."

Ash looked up at the Professor, who had a huge smile on his face.

"It's good to be here, Professor Sycamore. I'm excited to participate in the Kalos League!"

"Pikapika!"

"Well, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor, Ash. The Kalos League is a big challenge, but I'm certain you can win if you set your mind it."

He then turned to look at the other three young trainers, who were now joining in.

"Well, since we're all here, I would like to speak with all of you, particularly in order to discuss one of the most important topics of my research. As you are no doubt aware, I have dedicated my life to the study of Pokémon evolution. And recently, my research into the ancient legends of Kalos has suggested that there may be a secret form of evolution that has been forgotten."

"Yeah," said Ash. "Calem said that you believed that Pokémon that had reached their final evolution could possibly evolve even further."

"Of course," said Sycamore. "It appears that if specific circumstances are met, certain Pokémon who were previously unable to evolve can achieve a new form of evolution. It is known as… Mega Evolution."

"Mega evolution?" Calem asked, his voice full of wonder.

"Indeed," said Sycamore. "And I believe that you all can help me with my research."

Ash's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Sycamore nodded. "Calem, Ash, Alain? Would you please show me your Pokémon?"

Ash nodded, and took out his two Pokeballs. He tossed them out, revealing Pidgeot and Larvitar. Meanwhile, across from him, Calem called forth his Chesnaught, Gyarados, and a short orange Pokémon with a green hump. Finally, Alain called two Pokémon of his own; a Charmander and a strange blue Pokémon with a single red eye and a single leg. It appeared to be made of some sort of metal.

Serena watched them all in awe. Would she ever have such a variety of Pokémon? Would she even be able to handle them all? She briefly glanced at Shauna, and saw her watching with the same interest.

"Amazing!" Sycamore said as he looked around. "What a wonderful variety of Pokémon!"

He then walked over to Ash's Pokémon, observing them closely. As he came close to Larvitar, the little green Pokémon sweatdropped and turned to stone.

"Hmm, a shy one, isn't he?" Sycamore remarked in surprise.

"Sorry," Ash said quickly. "Larvitar has had a rough life."

"I see," Sycamore said before he turned to Pidgeot. He took a look at her, smiling in satisfaction, before turning towards Calem's Pokémon. After a quick look, he smiled and nodded.

"Ash, Calem, your Pokémon are all very well cared for," he said finally. "I can see how you managed to get so far in the Silver Conference."

"Thanks, Professor," said Ash. "My Pokémon are the best partners I could ever ask for."

"Indeed," said Sycamore. "More to the point, however, I am quite certain that all of you have Pokémon that could conceivably achieve mega evolution."

With the exception of Lysandre, everyone gasped. Sycamore watched in amusement, and then pointed to Ash's Pokémon.

"Ash, I believe that your Pidgeot has the potential to mega evolve already. And once your Larvitar reaches its final stage, it too shall be able to mega evolve."

A huge grin formed on Ash's face. "That is so awesome!"

"Indeed," said Sycamore as he turned to Calem and Alain. "Now, I believe that your Gyarados can also mega evolve, Calem, as well as Numel's evolved form. And, of course, both Charmander and Beldum have the same potential if they reach their final stage."

"Cool!" said Calem. "It would be great to have a mega-evolved Pokémon on my team!"

"Yeah," said Alain. "I would love to see a mega-evolved Charizard!"

Lysandre smiled as he watched the enthusiasm of the young trainers. It was clear that they would be very useful in the future.

"Well, as much as I would enjoy talking with all of you, I must take my leave. I have business I must attend to."

He then turned to look directly at Ash.

"Before I leave, however, I must ask, you, Ash. You are new to the Kalos region, are you not?"

Ash blinked in surprise. "Um, yes. Why do you ask?"

The spiky-haired man smiled, and pulled out a device from his pocket.

"Then allow me to give you your very own Holo-Caster," he said as he handed it to Ash. "Everyone in Kalos knows just how essential they are for trainers on the go."

Ash's eyes widened as he took the device in his hands.

"Wow! This is so cool!"

"Indeed," said Lysandre. "It was developed by my company, Lysandre Labs. We make various products to help trainers on their journeys. I'm sure you'd like to get to know it one day."

With that, he turned around and walked towards the door.

"It was nice to meet you all. I hope to speak with all of you in the future."

As the man walked away, Pikachu couldn't help but glare at him. He still didn't know why, but every instinct in his small furry body was telling him that Lysandre was not trustworthy.

Still, that was a problem for another day. Right now he was gone, and Pikachu could relax again.

"Wow, you sure are lucky to get a free Holo-Caster. From Lysandre himself, too!"

Ash turned his head towards the source of the voice, and was met by Sycamore's assistant.

"Yeah," said Ash. "I think it's really cool. I mean, I don't really know how many things it can do, but I think it's gonna be really useful!"

"It definitely is," said Alain. "So, you're Ash Ketchum?"

"That's me," Ash confirmed. "I'm here to compete in the Kalos League!"

"I see," Alain said as he stretched out his hand. "I'm the Professor's assistant, Alain."

"Nice to meet you," Ash said as he shook the older trainer's hand.

"Pikachu!"

"Ooh! A Pikachu!"

Ash turned around, surprised by the voice. There, he was met by a girl with brown skin and green eyes, with a pink shirt with a black bow pattern, short blue shorts, and pink sandals. Her most distinctive feature was her brown hair; it was tied up into four curled pigtails.

"You're such a cutie!" the girl said as she watched the mouse Pokémon. "Not as cute as my little Chestelle, but pretty close!"

"Chespin!"

Ash looked down at her arms and saw a small green Pokémon.

"Is that your starter?" he asked.

"Yup! I always knew that I was going to start with Chespin, just like Calem-Senpai!"

"Calem-Senpai?" Ash repeated, before he looked over to Calem, who was now chuckling nervously.

"Ash, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Shauna."

"Oh," Ash said in understanding, before he stretched out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hello, Ash!" Shauna said as she shook Ash's hand vigorously. "It's so great to hear that Serena finally reunited with her old camp friend!"

Ash grimaced as she let go of his hand. However, he smiled anyway.

"Yeah, I know. It's so great that we managed to find each other again."

"Indeed it is," said Sycamore, breaking everyone out of their thoughts. "And now that the introductions are out of the way, I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you, Ash.

The raven haired trainer looked at the Professor, curious about what he wanted.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Well," said Sycamore, "firstly, I'd like to ask you if you'd like to consider roster expansion."

"Roster expansion?" Ash asked, his curiosity now piqued.

"Yes," Sycamore explained. "You see, if a trainer has fulfilled certain requirements, they can have the number of Pokémon they can carry with them raised from six to nine. You have participated in two major League Conferences, as well as one minor one, and you've also had several altercations with the criminal organization known as Team Rocket. Furthermore, Professor Oak has highly recommended you for roster expansion, which would absolutely ensure that you can gain a larger party if you wished."

Ash's eyes widened as a grin formed on his face. If he could carry more Pokémon, he'd be able to catch a larger number of new Pokémon without sacrificing space for Pikachu, Pidgeot, or Larvitar! This was perfect!

"Awesome!" he said. "Sign me up!"

Sycamore chuckled. "I knew you'd love the idea. Keep in mind, however, that you're still bound to the maximum number of six Pokémon per battle."

Ash nodded. "I understand, Professor."

"Good," said Sycamore. "Secondly, Professor Oak has told me that he gave you a prototype Pokedex which he claims will revolutionize the design of Pokedexes forever."

Ash and his Pokémon grimaced. They didn't like where the conversation was going.

"I said that it sounded a bit silly," Sycamore continued. "But I told him I'd take a look anyway."

Ash sighed as he reached into his pocket. Before he could pull his device out, it jumped out to face him, causing the other people and Pokémon to gasp.

"Hey, man! Why did you leave me in there for so long?! I need air to breathe!"

"No, you don't," Ash deadpanned. "You just wanted to mess with me again."

"Pikachu!"

"Oh, don't be like that," Rotom said as it gave Ash a fake pout. "You know you love me, right?"

The others watched as the two argued, fascinated by the unique Pokedex. Professor Sycamore in particular was watching with gleaming eyes.

"Unbelievable! So this is your Pokedex, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash said as he grabbed the Pokedex and presented it to Sycamore. "I have to warn you, it's a little… troublesome."

"I'm not troublesome!" Rotom protested. "You just don't understand my true nature!"

Sycamore chuckled as he took the Pokedex into his hands and began to examine it, fascinated by the design. Ash and Pikachu held their breath, wondering when Rotom would begin to mess with him.

"So, about that Pokedex," said Calem. "Would I be correct in assuming that you got if after that Rotom possessed your old one?"

Ash sighed. "Well, sort of. See, apparently, Professor Oak's cousin had the idea of putting a Rotom into a Pokedex to make it more powerful or something."

"Wait," said Alain. "You mean there's actually a Rotom living in that thing?"

"Well, that would certainly explain its personality," Sycamore said as he handled the Pokedex. "Rotom are infamous for their mischievous nature."

"Aww, you flatter me!" Rotom said at it pretended to blush. Sycamore laughed at this, while Ash and Pikachu simply sighed.

"Well then, Ash. Now that I have your Pokedex, why don't I program in your roster expansion?"

Ash nodded. He was eager to have a party big enough for all the Pokémon he'd catch in Kalos!

"Excellent!" said Sycamore. "Follow me!"

The group returned all Pokémon to their Pokeballs, then began to follow the Professor. As they walked, Ash felt a great feeling of excitement flow through him. His journey in Kalos hadn't even started, but he could already tell that it was going to be one of the best he'd ever taken. And this time, he was going to win the league!

"Ash?"

Surprised, the raven haired trainer looked towards Serena, who had a big smile on her face.

"I'm really glad that you're here."

Ash was stunned for a moment, but he soon smiled right back at her.

"I'm happy to be here too, Serena."

He then looked forwards, doing his best to hide his blushing face. He could tell that Pikachu was snickering, but he paid him no mind.

This was definitely going to be the best journey he'd ever taken.


A/N: Well, there we go! Serena and Shauna have their starters, Ash has a new Holo-Caster, and we meet some familiar faces! Most of them seem to be friendly, but Pikachu doesn't trust one of them!

In case you're wondering about the whole roster expansion thing, I felt that, since I made Ash bring along three Pokémon to Kalos instead of just Pikachu, he needed extra space to catch new Pokemon. Therefore, I decided to expand his party a bit. I know it's a somewhat cliché trope in Pokémon fanfiction, but I felt that it was necessary.

Anyway, Sun and Moon come out in just a few days, and I am hyped! Of course, once the game comes out, I might take a while to post another chapter. After all, there's going to be a lot of adventuring for me to do! Also, I want to see if there's anything I could incorporate into the story (I already incorporated the Rotom Pokedex, so who knows what else I'll find interesting.)