(Pant!) We finally... (Wheeze!) made it to Santalune City... I need a drink of water, or a chair... Just REST. Snore...

Flame: (Looks at me, confuzzled.) Meh, I guess I get to start the chapter. Lazy, she can't even walk to way to Santalune without getting exhausted. Anyways, please, if you're enjoying the story, favorite and follow it! Right now the fanfic has gotten two favorites and one follow! Please support us by writing a review! Thanks so much, and here is your much anticipated chapter.

Disclaimer: The story DOES NOT follow my original gameplay, so events and evolutions are not spot on. I only followed what I thought might work for this, so please don't get confused.

. . .

CHAPTER 3

Serena spun around, taking the scenery around her. Quaint little houses adorned the streets, along with some small shops: a couple cafes and, what sparked Serena's interest, a clothing store.

First I should get to the Pokemon Center. Flame, Butter, and Leafy all need some healing. She walked through the curved red doors of the Pokemon Center, pausing to take it all in.

A friendly voice greeted her. "Hello, welcome to the Pokemon Center!" She turned around and saw a young woman wearing a pink top with a little white apron, a white nurse cap, and her hair twisted into an elegant swoop behind her back. Instantly recognizing her, Serena said, "Hi, Nurse Joy." She walked up to the desk and gave Nurse Joy her Pokemon. The nurse took them and placed them into a machine behind her, where for a moment, a little tune played. "Your Pokemon are all feeling very refreshed. Thank you for coming, and we hope to see you again soon." She bowed, and Serena copied her movement.

Serena walked around the rest of the center, coming to the PokeMart. Two identical men greeted her and showed her their different items: One clerk sold different X items, while the other sold Potions, PokeBalls, and an assortment of different status-condition heals. She made some purchases and walked out.

"Hmm... Best get to the Gym before Calem beats me!" She dashed off towards the Gym entrance, before coming to a halt at a little building that's sign read, "Pokemon Trainer's School." Curious, she walked inside and was greeted by a friendly teacher, who showed her around the classroom- desks, the bookshelves, and even a couple of the students. Serena paused to look at the whiteboard and studied different status conditions. "So Poison will make my Pokemon lose HP... Paralysis will make a 25% chance of not being able to hit..." She finished reading and waved farewell to the class.

Stepping back out, she finally reached the Gym. "Hey there, ya can't enter without battling me!" a voice called. Surprised, Serena whipped around, barely noticing the fast line that came veering past her, and stopped directly in her face. "I'm Roller Skater Rinka. If you can defeat, I'll let you pass, and even give you a cool little token. But if ya lose, you've won a trip to the Pokemon Center." She winked, yellow helmet glinting in the sun. "So, what are ya waiting for? Go, Zigzagoon!"

Serena recognized the Pokemon from a previous Route. "Flame, I choose you!" Once again, her little yellow Pokemon burst out of its ball, and stood crouched, prepared to spring.

"Zigzagoon, Tackle!" Rinka commanded. Zigzagoon darted forwards, hitting Flame. Flame yelped, but stood up, clearly undaunted.

"Flame, Tail Whip!" Serena shouted. Flame flashed its tail, shaking it back and forth at Zigzagoon.

"That's not gonna do much," Rinka laughed. "Quick Attack!"

"Flame, quick, jump and use Ember!" Serena exclaimed. Flame leaped up, and shot out a ball of fire at Zigzagoon. The brown and cream Pokemon didn't have time to escape before it was hit. When the dust settled, it fell over in a faint.

Rinka gasped. "Hey, ya must have some pretty darn good skills to knock out my Zigzagoon." She returned the Pokemon to its PokeBall. "As promised, you can enter, and..." She reached into her bag and pulled out some roller skates. "If you use these, you can zip around Kalos with no problems!" Serena grinned. "Thank you!" She stashed the skates in her bag and entered the Gym.

Inside, a little man with a red bow tie waved a friendly hello. "What's the hustle, little Crustle? Welcome to Santalune Gym!"

"Hello, I was wondering if you had seen a boy about my age... Black hair, red cap, blue jacket?" Serena asked, curious about her rival.

"Yeah, he came through a few minutes ago, wanted to challenge Viola." He paused. "But then he said somethin' about wanting to explore Route 22. Not a bad idea, seein' as it has several different Pokemon to catch, Pokemon Trainers to battle..."

That was all Serena needed to hear before she was back out the door. It wouldn't be bad to strengthen my team up a bit. She raced boldly into the Route, well prepared.

She quickly scanned the Route 22 sign. "There's going to be a lot of trainers here..." She glanced down at her PokeBalls. "But with my Pokemon, I'm ready to take them on!"

"Is that so?" a voice called. Serena quickly turned around to see a girl standing with two PokeBalls at her waist. "I'm a Rising Star. You'll help me improve my training!" She threw a ball. "Psyduck, let's GO!"

"Psyduck, I think I remember that Pokemon from Kanto," Serena muttered, pulling out her PokeDex. The Dex didn't hesitate to begin an explanation.

"Psyduck. The Duck Pokemon. A Water-Type. Psyduck is constantly beset by headaches. If the Pokemon lets its strange power erupt, apparently the pain subsides for a while."

The yellow duck-like Pokemon held its head with its arms, spinning around in its headache. "Psy y y duck."

"If it's a Water Type, then Leafy, I choose you!" Leafy burst out, chirruping. "Pansage! Pan!"

"Scratch Psyduck, now!" the Rising Star called. Psyduck ran forward, and its webbed hands turned sharper. "Duck duck duck!"

Leafy, too stunned to move, took the blow, rushing backwards.

"Leafy, no!" Serena gasped. Then she clenched her fists together. "Alright, if that's how we've got to do it, then we will! Leafy, Lick!" Leafy stretched out a long tongue that slapped Psyduck. Electricity sparked around Psyduck, who's headache seemed worse than before. "It's Paralyzed!"

The Rising Star hesitated. "Fine then, Psyduck, try to use Tail Whip!" Psyduck, however, seemed frozen in place from Paralysis.

"Yes, finish with SCRATCH!" Leafy rushed forward, but suddenly, two vines flew from it, whacking Psyduck in a super-effective attack. "Leafy, you learned Vine Whip!" Serena gasped.

Leafy chirped happily. Psyduck fell over, Paralysis still in effect.

"You're not going to win this battle so easily! Litleo, you're on!" A little brown lion with big black and white eyes, a tufted tail, and a small red tuft of fur atop its head popped out, meowing. "Lit lit!"

"Who's that Pokemon?" Serena asked, taking out her Pokedex.

"Litleo. The Lion Cub Pokemon," the Dex explained. "A Fire-Normal Type. When they're young, Litleo live with a pride. Once they're able to hunt prey on their own, they get kicked out and have to make their own way."

"I don't have anything strong against Fire yet, but Leafy is weak, so is Butter... Then Flame, let's go!" Flame burst out.

"Ember now!" Flame used a ball of fire against Litleo, who barely took any damage.

The Rising Star snorted. "Here's a REAL Ember!" Litleo burst out a flame from its mouth that walloped Flame.

Serena gritted her teeth. Flame won't get anywhere using Fire-Type attacks. I'll have to go with this...

"Flame, Howl, then use Scratch!" Flame raised its snout to howl at the sky, then raced forward and scratched Litleo. Litleo skitted backwards, only barely holding itself up.

"Don't let them win so easily! Use Ember AGAIN!" Litleo tried to use its fire powers, but Flame quickly dodged it. "Come on Flame, finish with another Ember!" Flame returned Litleo's attack with a quick burst of fire, which resulted in a defeat for the Rising Star.

"Great job Flame, you deserve a good rest," Serena praised, returning her Pokemon to its PokeBall.

After a few more trainer battles, Serena finally reached the end of the Route.

Or so she thought.

"Yo, get over here!" a voice snapped.

"Uh..." Serena sweat-dropped and spun around. "H-hi. I'm Serena... Can I help you?"

A young boy, another Rising Star, chuckled. "Ya you can. I'm Rising Star Loic. You're gonna help me win."

Why are all the Rising Stars so full of themselves? Serena wondered, annoyed. "Okay then."

"Riolu, let's win this!" the Rising Star said. Out from his ball popped a goat and dog-like blue Pokemon. It stood on two legs and had small horns atop its head.

"What's that Pokemon?" Serena muttered.

"Riolu," the PokeDex started. "The Emanation Pokemon. A Fighting-Type. Riolu are exceedingly energetic, with enough stamina to keep running all through the night. Taking it for walks can be a very challenging experience."

"Flame needs a rest, so I've only got Leafy and Butter to fight with," Serena said to herself. "And Butter only has one attack, do I guess... Go, Leafy!"

Leafy burst out, standing and slightly jumping to battle.

"Riolu, use Metal Claw!" the Rising Star commanded. Riolu leaped up, its paw turning silver and hard. It struck Leafy, who tumbled backwards. Riolu returned to its original position.

"Leafy!" Serena worried as the Pokemon weakly stood up.

"Quick Attack!" Riolu raced forward and ran into Leafy. Leafy fainted.

"Oh no," Serena said. "Butter might have to help..." She sent out her Metapod.

"AHAHAHAHA!"the Rising Star fell over. "METAPOD? You've GOT to be kidding me."

"N-no I'm not," Serena stammered. "Use Harden!" Butter's shell shined over for a moment.

"Wasted turn! Use Metal Claw!" Riolu once again slashed Butter, or at least tried. The claws didn't even graze the Pokemon's shell, and Riolu bounced backwards.

"W-what?" the Rising Star exclaimed, wincing.

"Butter, keep using Harden!" Butter once again flashed its shell.

"Quick Attack!" Riolu butted into Butter's shell, which only made it fly backwards and crash to the ground. It stood up and shook itself.

Suddenly, Butter started glowing. Its shell burst open and a beautiful butterfly Pokemon flew out, circling Serena. "Free, free."

Serena grabbed her PokeDex, which was already starting to dole out info.

"Butterfree. The Butterfly Pokemon. A Bug and Flying-Type. In battle, Butterfree flap their wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air."

"This is great!" Serena gushed. "Butter, you evolved!" Then, remembering the battle, she shouted, "Use Confusion!"

Butter shot out a line of psychic waves that instantly hit Riolu in a super-effective attack. Riolu flopped over, defeated.

"Huh? NOBODY has defeated my Riolu!" the Rising Star said in confusion. "Well, guess ya won." He handed a few PokeDollars to the victor and rushed off.

Serena smiled and returned to Butter to its ball.

"Time for the Gym Battle!" she exclaimed.

Upon entering once again, she didn't hesitate to slide down the pole. She had just healed her team at the Pokemon Center and stocked up on more healing items, so she was ready to go. "What's the hus-?" the man didn't even have time to say his phrase as she had gone down.

Serena bounced up as she hit the web of the Gym. "So I have to navigate the web to find the Gym Leader..." she murmured. She followed some dewdrops across the web until she reached her first trainer. After quickly defeating him using Flame, whom she knew she would rely on quite frequently in this Gym, she continued across the web. Another trainer down, she prepared to face the third.

"Hey there! I'm Lass Charlotte," the girl greeted. "If you don't beat me, you'll have to wait until next time to challenge Viola! Now let's go Kakuna!" Out burst a tan shelled Pokemon. "Kakun," it said.

"Is that Kakuna?" Serena wondered, taking out her Dex.

"Yes, it is," the Dex answered. Serena giggled. "Kakuna. The Cocoon Pokemon. A Bug and Poison-Type. Kakuna are able to move only slightly. When endangered, it may stick out its stinger and poison the enemy."

"I'll have to watch out for that," Serena muttered. "Go, Flame!" Flame popped out, yipping.

"Ember!" Flame burst out a ball of fire that one-shotted the Kakuna.

"Oh, you defeated Kakuna with such ease," the Lass examined. "See how easy it is to beat THIS Pokemon, however! Combee, you're on!"

A honeycomb shaped Pokemon burst out, its two little wings flapping madly. It has three different faces.

"Combee," the Dex explained. "The Tiny Bee Pokemon. A Bug and Flying-Type. The members of the trio spend all their time together. Each one has a slightly different taste in nectar."

"Flame, use Ember!" Serena exclaimed, thinking it would be an easy defeat. However, the Combee darted to the side.

"Use Gust!" the Lass called. Combee flapped its wings and released a big whirl of wind that sent Flame flying. Flame struggled and finally stood up, badly bruised.

"Hang in there, Flame!" Serena called. "Try and use Ember again!" Flame burst out another fire ball that managed to hit the Combee and sent it spiraling down with swirls in its eyes.

"Oh, phooey," the Lass said, slightly pouting. "I guess you get to go and challenge Viola after all."

"Yes, but first, let me get you healed, Flame." Serena lightly sprayed a Potion on her Pokemon, who instantly looked better. She returned the happy Pokemon to his PokeBall and continued on.

She climbed a ladder into a small tree house, where a girl was standing. Her beige hair was swirled in two ends, and she had a white tan top with green cargo pants. A camera was around her neck. Serena winced as the girl flashed a picture of her. "A new challenge and a new photo!" the girl said, grinning. "I'm Viola, Gym Leader of the Santalune City Gym. Are you ready to challenge me?"

Serena hesitantly nodded, gulping. This is my first Gym Battle... she thought. I hope my team's ready.

"Then, lights, camera, ACTION!" Viola snapped another photo and the battle began. "Surskit, I choose you!" A small blue Pokemon with a yellow spike coming out of its head and four long legs popped out. To add to its cuteness, it had big black eyes and little round, pink cheeks.

"Surskit?" Serena asked, pulling out her PokeDex.

"Surskit," the PokeDex started. "The Pond Skater Pokemon. A Water and Bug-Type. If it's in a pinch, Surskit will secrete a sweet liquid from the top of its head. Syrup made from gathering that liquid is tasty on bread."

Serena put her PokeDex back into her bag. "Flame is weak to Water, so that means I'll use Butter!" Butter burst out, flapping its beautiful black and white wings.

"Surskit, use Bubble!" Surskit shot out a ring of bubbles. "Dodge and use Confusion!" Butter flew above the circles and hit Surskit with a psychic force. Surskit only took a little damage and quickly shook it off.

"Use Quick Attack!" Surskit leaped up and hit Butter, who winced and fell a little lower to the ground. "Gust, quickly!"

Butter shot out a stream of wind that hit Surskit and made it faint.

"That was a good job, but you haven't seen my best yet!" Viola exclaimed. "Vivillon, you're on!" A pink butterfly Pokemon with pixel shaped wings popped out. It had black eyes with white squares in them.

"Vivillon. The Scale Pokemon. A Bug and Flying- Type. Vivillon with many different patterns are found all over the world. These patterns are affected by the climate of their habitat."

"Butter, return, and Flame, I choose you!" Flame burst out, growling and ready to fight.

"Use Poison Power!" Viola shouted. Viviloon flew above Flame, scattering toxic dust that made Flame wince.

"Hang in there, Flame," Serena said, trying to motivate her Pokemon. "Now use Ember!" Flame threw a ball of fire at Vivillon, in which the Pokemon fell backwards and got back up. Flame took damage from the Poison, so Serena used an Antidote on him. Flame perked up, ready to battle once again.

"Struggle Bug!" Vivillon struggled against Flame, which made him wince only slightly, not every effective.

"Ember!" Flame burst out another fire ball, and Vivillon fell down in a clear faint.

Viola sighed and returned her Pokemon to its ball. She then smiled and walked over to Serena. "Here, as proof of your victory at the Santalune Gym." She gave Serena a brown bug shaped badge with green speckles on it. "And here's a TM I favor." She gave Serena a green disc. "This is the TM for Infestation, a good Bug-Type move. A Pokemon will be infested and take more damage for a few turns." Serena bowed in a thankful way and put her new badge in her Badge Case.

"Isn't this great Flame?" Serena asked her new Pokemon. Flame yipped, and then started glowing. Serena gasped and stumbled backwards.

Flame's new shape was a fox like Pokemon with long wisps of fire coming from his yellow ears. He had black legs and now stood upright. In his yellow and red-orange tail was a stick, made for using his fire power. "F-Flame! You evolved!"

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

"Flame, that's great!" Serena exclaimed, rushing forward and hugging her Pokemon. "But you can take a rest now." Braixen barked happily as it returned to its PokeBall. "Thank you for a great battle, Viola."

Viola smiled and waved as Serena exited.

Now outside, Serena relished the sunlight.

"Hey, Serena!" a voice called. Serena spun around. A girl with slightly darker hair than Viola's rushed over to her. "I'm Alexa," she introduced herself. "Viola's sister. I think you should have this for beating her." She gave Serena a small device. "It's called the Exp. Share Device. If you turn it on, whichever Pokemon you have in battle can share its experience with your other Pokemon.

"Thanks!" Serena said cheerfully. "I hope I can see you around."

Alexa grinned and nodded. "Goodbye to you too!"

Serena rushed forward. "I don't know what lies ahead, but with my team, we'll win them all!"