Welcome to my first ever fanfiction. I got the idea for this story after finishing the XY anime series, specifically seeing Serena travel to Hoenn in the finale sparked an epiphany one night.

A/N:

There are a few changes I've made from the canon's continuity, which are listed here

Ash wins the Lumiose Conference, and does not release Greninja

Unova has contests

Serena is around the same age as May despite having started her journey much later

Ash is 17 while May and Serena are 16 (imo Ash can't be much older than Serena if they went to camp together, and I'll label May as 1.5 years younger than Ash)

Here are the other ages: Dawn 14, Gary 17, Misty 19, Brock 22, Tracey 20, Max 12, Iris 17, Cilan 21, Bonnie 8, Clemont 21

Max is a trainer, and the first region he went to was Sinnoh, this is because he started his journey after May returned from Johto, and their parents wanted her to accompany him on his first adventure

This takes place after the end of XY

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

"Man does it feel great to be back!" May Maple exclaimed happily.

As she landed back in Petalburg City, May couldn't help but feel how nice it was to be back home. The teenage coordinator really loved to travel, and she had just finished her adventures in the Unova region. She wore a red tank top and white shorts over her biker shorts, and a red bandana tied around her head like a headband with a bow on top.

As the brunette made her way back home, May wondered to herself what she would do next. Having competed in contests in five different regions now, where could she go? Should she reenter one of the regions' circuits or explore another region even if there were no contests? But these questions faded away when she stepped foot into her house, which was also the location of the Petalburg Gym.

"Mom, Dad, Max! I'm home!"

And there she was greeted by her family. As usual, Norman was doing his normal work as the gym leader, and her younger brother had just finished his journey as a trainer in the Hoenn region.

"May, I hope you're hungry, I prepared quite a large lunch for us, to celebrate your and Max's journeys in Unova and Hoenn, respectively," said Caroline.

"We certainly can't wait to hear about all you've done!" remarked Norman.

Not long after, the family was feasting on the tasty homemade meal that Caroline prepared.

"Hey Max, what was it like traveling around our home region? Did you miss going without me?" May asked her brother.

"It was fun, getting top 8 in the Ever Grande Conference was nice, definitely a step up from top 16 in Sinnoh! Even though I'm glad I went independent this time, I'm still grateful for you traveling with me on my first journey!"

"That's awesome Max, you'll win a league for sure one day!"

"So honey, how was Unova? From what I heard and saw on TV, it seems like you had a great time. And we're proud that you were able to get runner up in the grand festival!" remarked Caroline.

"Unova sure was great, even if I didn't win! Saw so many Pokemon I've never seen before, and...wait, what do you mean by what you saw on TV?"

"Well it's just that I'd see you with that Drew boy and I gotta say, the two of you get a lot of attention."

"Yeah, do I need to talk with this Drew guy? He better not be doing anything to my little girl!" Norman sternly said.

May started to blush, and frantically said, "Nothing is happening with me and Drew! We're just friends, calm down dad! You don't need to worry about it, I promise!"

Max noticed May was in an awkward situation, so he decided to change the subject to help out his sister. "Hey May, did you hear that Ash recently won the Kalos League?"

Upon hearing the name of one of her best friends, May perked up a bit. "Did he really? That's so cool! I should get in touch and tell him how proud I am of him."

"Seriously May? How did you not know about this? When was the last time you guys even talked?"

This caused May's smile to drop, as she began to ponder about the last time she and Ash formally caught up, which was when she was in the middle of her Unova journey, and he was on his Kalos one. They had occasionally texted each other from time to time but it was all very brief and casual, just giving minor updates.

"Wow, it really has been a while..." May said as she quickly became sad, feeling bad for not doing a better job keeping in touch with her mentor. A part of her was upset that Ash didn't try to call her either, but she knew that she was responsible for this as well.

"I gotta say, I'm quite impressed. I knew he had potential after our gym battle, but to think he's actually won a league! Ash is one heck of a trainer," said Norman.

"He sure is..." May solemnly replied. She began to think of the memories of the past, when she and Ash, along with Max and Brock traveled through Hoenn and Kanto. May reached into her pocket and felt half of a ribbon, and gripped it tightly, with all the nostalgia rushing into her head. Thinking about the ribbon half made her smile again, but she was still saddened over the fact that it felt like her friendship with Ash was getting weaker as time went on.

Caroline quickly took note of her daughter's silence, "Is everything alright May?"

"Huh?" May snapped back into reality. "Yeah, everything is fine! Never better!" May let out a grin.

After a little more silence, May stood up, "I'm gonna go and take a walk around the city, thanks for the food mom! Delicious as always, and I miss your cooking for sure!"

"Are you sure May?" Max asked. "You've only finished four servings, which isn't close to your limit." It certainly was strange to see May eat less than her normal appetite would take.

"Yeah don't worry. I just wanna walk around Petalburg City and do some shopping, I haven't done that in forever!" May quickly said as she headed for the front door. "I'll see you before dinner, bye now!"

The rest of the Maple family heard the door shut. "Well she was in a rush," commented Max.

"I wonder if she's off to see that Drew," Norman added with a sober expression.

Caroline immediately thought back to the day that Ash and Norman had their battle, which was mentioned earlier from the news Max brought up. She recalled that during the battle, May cheered for her friend and mentor over her own father, becoming worried whenever Ash was losing. But when he came out on top, she was shocked at Norman's defeat but also couldn't help but be filled with joy.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that dear," she said. "Don't worry, everything will be just fine."

It wasn't too long after when May was carrying bags of clothes, glad that she had taken her mind off of the things that troubled her. Being able to go on a shopping trip was just what May needed, as she had won plenty of money from all the contests she entered. Most of the prize money she earned was invested into buying new clothes, and this time was no different, carrying many bags at once. As she started to walk back home, she noticed the contest hall and a bunch of people outside practicing.

"Oh how about that? There's a contest happening here today, this should be interesting," she said to herself.

All of a sudden a fire blast came from behind her but May managed to dodge it without a scratch, but she did fall down from losing her balance and dropped all her bags.

"Hey whoever that is, watch where you're aiming!" she yelled, clearly annoyed.

"I'm sorry!" yelled a voice, as a person came over to help. "Are you okay?"

May took a glance at this person, and took note of her short honey blonde hair, blue eyes, and her outfit, which consisted of a pink dress, red vest, long black socks and brown boots. Seeing how cute she was, the Hoenn native decided to let bygones be bygones.

"Yeah, no worries, I'm still in one piece after all!" May replied with a grin. What caught her attention, however, was this trainer's partner. This Pokemon was a Fox like Pokemon that she had never seen before.

"Wow, I've never seen this Pokemon before," May said as she pulled out her Pokedex.

"Braixen, the Fox Pokemon. When the twig is plucked from its tail, friction sets the twig alight. The flame is used to send signals to its allies."

"Wow, what a cutie!"

"Thanks, she's my first Pokemon ever," replied the girl. " Let me help you out with all the clothes you dropped. By the way, I should probably introduce myself, I'm Serena."

"Nice to meet you Serena, I'm May." The two then proceeded to shake hands. Then both of them thought to themselves, "That name sounds familiar, where have I heard it before?"

The two began to gather all of May's dropped shopping bags, with Serena observing the purchased items. "Wow, you sure have good taste in fashion. These tops are adorable."

"Thanks, I'm glad there are still people out there who know how to dress up properly. Anyway, is this your first contest?" asked May.

"Yep it sure is! I came to Hoenn in order to compete in these actually. I'm from the Kalos region, and just finished my journey there not too long ago. Somebody I met there recommended me to travel here in order to improve my skills, hence me competing in contests, I guess."

"Wow, that certainly is some dedication for you to come all the way here, Kalos is quite far from the main four regions. One of my closest friends was just there though."

"I'm sure your friend had a great time!" said Serena proudly. "Just wondering, how well do you know contests? I'm actually a Pokemon Performer, and I'm used to showcases back at home, so this is all quite new to me."

"I suppose you can say I'm pretty experienced at this point," May replied humbly. "I have competed in five different circuits now, which isn't bad. But I'll be happy to give you any tips you want! Heck, I'll even watch your contest today!"

"Wow, thank you so much! That means a lot!" Serena squealed with excitement. Serena's enthusiasm reminded May of when she first began her journey.

"You know, when I first began my journey as a coordinator, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even like Pokemon. But then my friend who went to Kalos took me under his wing, and taught me everything that I know today. From there I learned to love Pokemon and gained the confidence to get to where I am today. I'll always be grateful for him and his help."

"This guy sounds like an amazing person May. I feel like there has to be something between you two given the way you talk about him," Serena commented.

May started to blush and her face turned as red as her tank top. "Nah we're just friends, I swear! No history between us!" she screamed as she waved her hands.

Serena giggled, "I'm just making fun of you, no need to worry. I will say though, funnily enough, your friend reminds me of one of mine whom I traveled with in Kalos. He served as my inspiration and gave me the encouragement I needed to power through and overcome a lot of obstacles, like finding out what I wanted for my dream and helping me take on challenges I normally would've been afraid to take on. And this ribbon that I wear here is a gift from him, and reminds me of all he's done for me. His words 'don't give up until it's over' helped me so much during our journey."

"Sounds like you might have feelings for this guy," teased May.

"Yeah, I do," Serena confessed.

"I didn't expect you to just confess like that, that's no fun," May said with a frown. "Well anyway, back to my friend whom I have nothing with, he's also a very powerful trainer. He crushed it in the Kalos League."

"Oh did he? No way he did better than my friend at the Lumiose Conference," Serena said proudly. "He-"

"Attention coordinators! The Petalburg Contest is about to begin, please check in immediately!"

"Ah shoot, that's my cue! I'll meet up with you after the appeals?" said Serena.

"Sure thing, I'll be rooting for you in the stands!" May answered.

With that Serena went to check in and head to the back of the contest hall where the other coordinators were, while May went into the stands.

"I can't wait to see what she pulls off!" she thought.

"Hey Serena, I know you didn't win, but you did very well for your first one! Much better than my debut anyway!" May declared.

"Yep, even if I didn't get the ribbon, I can't complain too much about 2nd, and I learned a lot too!" Serena said optimistically.

"Glad to hear it! By the way, my biggest piece of advice to you would probably be that I think you could add a bit of flashiness to your attacks when you battled, it felt like you commanded Braixen to do things a little passively."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks May."

As they headed towards downtown, May's stomach started to grumble.

"Wow, I could certainly use a snack," she said sheepishly.

"Hey May, here's a deal I'd like to propose," Serena stated. "Each time you assist me in training for contests and help me out, I'll help cover some food costs. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me!" May happily replied.

"Great! Let's go get some food then!" Serena pumped her fist in victory. She continued, "This might seem like a stretch, but how down are you to travel with me around Hoenn?"

May thought about it for a few seconds before breaking the silence. "I could be in, I still don't know where to go next, but I wouldn't be opposed to reentering the contest circuit here. Say, why don't you stay with me tonight? Petalburg City is my hometown after all, and my parents definitely wouldn't mind."

"Wow no way! You're so lucky to have grown up in such a lively place!"

"I guess I am. My dad is the gym leader here, so it's only natural I know this place well."

"Woah! That's incredible that your dad is a gym leader! So what are we waiting for? Let's get-"

Serena's phone began to ring, "Sorry, one moment" she said as she picked up the call and took a few steps to the side.

"Hey Ash! So nice to hear from you again!"

"Ash," May's eyes instantly widened, reminding her of all the thoughts she had earlier in the day. "No way, it couldn't be..."

All of a sudden she started to remember Ash talking about a girl named Serena, who was his childhood friend from Professor Oak's Summer Camp back in the day. She wouldn't have expected her new friend to be the same person.

"Yeah, everything is going great! The flight to Hoenn went smoothly, I just competed in my first contest, and I made a new friend! So I'd say I'm off to a solid start!

"She is quite an experienced coordinator, and her dad is the gym leader of Petalburg City! I don't think I could've found anybody better to be my first friend in the Hoenn Region!"

May smiled as she heard these nice compliments about her.

"Wait, this is THE May? The one you'd talk about from time to time in Kalos? Dang, who would've thought that I'd meet her today? Talk about a real coincidence."

May couldn't help but grin at the fact that Ash still mentioned her to his other friends after all this time, and immediately thought "Alright I gotta catch up with him either tonight or tomorrow. It's been way too long."

"Hey May!"

May's attention turned to Serena. She felt a little nervous, but she couldn't really tell why. "Yeah Serena? What's up?"

"It's Ash. He said he'd like to talk with you," Serena said with a slight smile.

Congrats, you've made it to the end of the first chapter of my first fanfiction. Feel free to R/R, next one will be up in a few days.