Hey everybody, I'm back with an update for the story here. I know it took a month to get this up, but I'm focused on other stories as well as personal matters, so yeah. Stay tuned for author's statements and answers to reviews at the end. Review if you are feeling generous. Let's get to it.

Last Time: Ash, Pikachu and Froakie went in hot pursuit of Garchomp as she went on a rampage. In the process, Ash ended up saving a news crew from their crashed chopper after Garchomp shot it down with Hyper Beam and he saved Garchomp from a terrible fate. Meanwhile, Serena recognizes Ash on TV after the incident finished in Lumiose City.

Key:

Bold- PA system/Message Bulletins

Bold Italic- Radio/TV/Pokedex descriptions

Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks

Ash had successfully gotten a long night's rest after having a very eventful day the day before. He was having a mental debate with himself on which journey he started with that had the wildest first day. So far it was a tossup between yesterday and the start of his journey in Sinnoh. He made his way down the hall and towards the main hall of Sycamore's laboratory. As he entered the hall, he could see the damage to the building was still present. The wall on the other side of the room was destroyed from the Garchomp's Hyper Beam. The ceiling had a large hole in it that allowed sunlight to pour through. The glass from the window Garchomp burst from littered the floor and flickered as sunlight shone on it.

There was a small crew of workers cleaning up the mess and preparing to fix the damage done. Ash weaved between the workers and stepped over the debris as he made his way to the opposite hall to head for the main laboratory. He yawned as he turned the corner and entered the laboratory. His entrance gathered the attention of Sophia and Sycamore who were standing in front of Garchomp to check on her. Sycamore beamed at Ash as he turned around and walked over to him.

"Good morning, Ash!" Sycamore greeted.

"Morning," Ash said as he smiled back.

"I trust you slept well last night?"

"Easily. How's Garchomp doing?"

"She's doing a lot better. She should be up and moving around again shortly."

Ash nodded and walked over to Garchomp with Pikachu right beside him. He stopped in front of Garchomp and smiled up at her as he extended his hand and rubbed her head.

"Are you feeling better?" Ash asked as he rubbed her head.

Garchomp answered with a nod and nuzzled Ash's hand as he continued to rub her head. Ash smiled at Garchomp and gave her a final pat before taking his hand off. Sophie nodded at Ash and led Garchomp away to the recovery area. Once Sophie and Garchomp were gone, Sycamore made his way over to Ash.

"I assume you'll be on your way to your first gym then?" Sycamore asked.

"I will be as soon as I register for the Kalos League, yeah," Ash replied.

"I see. Before you go, I want to give you a couple of things."

"The new Pokédex?"

"That's one of the things, yes, but I have something else I want to give you too."

"Okay."

Ash followed Sycamore to a nearby desk and watched as he picked up a familiar red device. The Pokédex looked just a bit bigger than his older models, but the size was most likely to compensate for the data storage required to hold information on all the Pokémon. Sycamore picked up the Pokédex and handed it to Ash. Ash took the electronic encyclopedia from the professor and turned it on. When the device came to life, a photo of ID of Ash popped on the screen. His photo ID shrunk and moved to the corner of the screen to allow his personal information to scroll up. Once Ash confirmed that all the information was true, he closed the Pokedéx and set it in a side pouch on his bag.

"Well, that takes care of that," Ash said as he turned back to Sycamore. "What was that other thing you wanted to give me?"

"Ah, yes. Do you recall our conversation yesterday about Mega Evolution?" Sycamore replied.

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, do you remember that some Pokémon had the potential to have an additional evolution?"

"Yeah."

Sycamore nodded as Ash answered him and opened a drawer to pull out a black box. As he pulled out the box, Ash and Pikachu exchanged looks before looking at the box with curiosity. They were wondering what was inside the box that related to Mega Evolution. Sycamore set the box on the desk and opened it and inside rested a large orange stone. He picked up the stone and handed it to Ash.

Ash looked at the stone and then at Sycamore with a confused look. He reached out and took the stone from Sycamore and looked at it closely. He could not help but stare at the dark stone in fascination. As he held the stone in his hand, Ash felt as though he could feel the power that was exuding from it enter his being. He could tell that this stone had a hidden power inside of it.

"Professor, what is this?" Ash asked as he looked up.

"That is a Mega Stone and it is a major part necessary to make Mega Evolution a possibility," Sycamore replied. "The one you are holding right there is a Charizardite."

Ash's head perked up as he heard the name of the particular Mega Stone he was holding.

"Wait, are you telling me that my Charizard is one of the few Pokémon that can Mega Evolve?" Ash asked as his excitement grew.

"I believe so," Sycamore replied with a nod. "However, like I said about my studies yesterday, I am not particularly sure how the concept works. All I know is that those stones play a key role in the process."

"So, unless you figure out how Mega Evolution works I won't be able to use this?"

"Not entirely. The reason I gave you that is because I want you to help me crack the secret to this unique discovery."

"But how will I be able to do that?"

"I believe that while you go on your journey here you will find the answer, but I do have a hypothesis on how this works."

"What would that be?"

"I believe that in order for Mega Evolution to work, there has to be a significant bond between trainer and Pokémon. What I witnessed yesterday with you and Charizard led me to believe that you two have the potential to unlock the mystery behind it. So, that made you a prime candidate to help me with my study."

As Ash's mind absorbed all the information that Sycamore told him, he looked down at the stone again. He was shocked and excited to learn that Charizard, one of his most loyal Pokémon had the possibility to Mega Evolve. It was ironic that Charizard, his headstrong, most stubborn Pokémon that would not obey a single command he gave a few years ago was capable of going one step further and gaining new power. Now that Charizard was loyal to him and their bond was stronger than ever, they could reach new heights that they would never be capable of. Whenever Charizard would Mega Evolve, he would be on a new tier, far beyond whatever he could reach at the Charicific Valley. Ash pulled out Charizard's ball and held it beside the stone.

"Charizard… how much stronger can you become?" Ash thought as he looked at Charizard's ball and the Charizardite.

Sycamore cleared his throat and Ash snapped back to reality. He tucked Charizard's ball away and placed the stone in his bag. Ash pulled his bag over his shoulders and let Pikachu climb up his arm to rest on his shoulder.

"So, Ash, will you help me?" Sycamore asked.

"I will. You can count on me," Ash said with a smile.

"Excellent! I appreciate your help with this, Ash. This will benefit the both of us if you and Charizard can unlock Mega Evolution."

"We'll unlock it. I promise."

"I like that determination. I have no doubt that you'll be successful."

Ash and Sycamore left the laboratory and made their way back to the main hall. When they entered the hall, they saw that most of the rubble from the damage was cleaned up and the contractors were beginning the maintenance. They continued out of the front doors and into the bright morning light. There was not a single cloud in the sky as the sun shone brightly on the beautiful morning. It was a perfect day to start a journey and Ash was going to make the most of it.

"Ash, I must thank you for everything you have done," Sycamore said as he crossed his arms.

"It's no trouble," Ash replied. "I only did what needed to be done."

"You are quite humble, aren't you?"

Ash shrugged as he rested his hands behind his head. He was a modest person and never really boasted unless he felt like he was in line to. What happened the day before was an average day for him half of the time. After all the encounters he had with Team Rocket, it was not hard to be humble because of the redundancy. Dropping his arms, Ash turned around to leave, but as he waved goodbye to Sycamore he felt something soft collide with his face. Ash jumped back in surprise as he felt the soft substance hit him and disperse. He wiped his face clean and looked down to see Froakie standing in front of him with a Poké Ball beside him.

"Froakie, what are you doing here?" Ash asked.

Froakie said nothing as he looked back at the ball and then nudged it towards Ash expectantly. Sycamore was surprised with Froakie's behavior as a knowing smile came to his face. The disobedient Pokémon finally chose a trainer he found suitable to follow.

"It seems that Froakie wants to go with you," Sycamore said as he uncrossed his arms.

Ash, still surprised with Froakie's actions, knelt before him. He picked up the Poké Ball and looked at Froakie again. Although he was flattered that Froakie wanted to follow him, he wanted to be sure that Froakie truly wanted this.

"Are you sure you want to come along with us, Froakie?" Ash asked. "You still have the chance to make a fresh trainer happy."

Froakie raised a brow at Ash's question before raising his hand and slapping the front of the ball. The ball opened and Froakie was sucked inside and the ball closed. The ball wiggled a few times before it clicked, signaling the capture. Ash blinked and looked at Pikachu, who looked a little surprised, but shrugged it off with a grin.

"I guess that's my answer," Ash said with a laugh.

He stood up and looked at Froakie's ball. A smile came to his face as he looked down at his newest Pokémon. Out of all the Pokémon he caught, Froakie was definitely one of the most interesting captures. He only met Froakie the day before after he intervened with Team Rocket to save Pikachu and they teamed up to stop Garchomp's rampage. They made a great team and that must have been what sealed the deal for Froakie.

"Welcome to the team, Froakie," Ash said before turning to Pikachu. "This is our first friend of the Kalos Region and there will only be more to come."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with a nod.

Ash attached Froakie's ball to his belt beside Charizard's and rested his hand on the bill of his hat. He adjusted his hat and turned back to Sycamore.

"Thanks again, professor!" Ash said as he waved goodbye.

"No problem. I'll contact you if I discover anything new about Mega Evolution," Sycamore replied.

"Sounds good! See you later!"

Ash turned around and hurried down the street. Before he went to sleep the night before, he took a look at the map and did some research on where each gym of the Kalos region was located. He found that the first gym was in Santalune City which was roughly fifteen miles away and he could easily get there before nightfall. Instead of riding on Charizard to save time, Ash decided to take the longer road and walk in hopes to find a new Pokémon to catch on the way. Ash's legs carried him around the corner and he continued his run for the large gate that led southeast to Santalune City.

"Let's roll, Pikachu!" Ash said as the two of them ran through the gate and into the countryside.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

Serena had woken up early after being unable to sleep during the night. After she saw the boy who stopped the rampaging Garchomp in Lumiose City she had been eager to find out if it was the boy she remembered from long ago. If her memory was right, it was the boy she met at Professor Oak's Pokémon Camp almost seven years ago.

"I have to know if that's him," Serena thought as she knelt by the table.

She stared between two hats that she was deciding to wear on her trip to Lumiose City. As she was trying to make a decision, Fletchling flew through the window and began circling around the room. A knock came from her bedroom door and Serena spared it a glance.

"Come in," Serena answered as she looked at the hats again.

Grace entered the room and looked at her with curiosity.

"Are you going somewhere?" Grace asked.

"Hey, Mom," Serena replied as she held up the two hats she could not decide on. "Which one do you like best?"

Grace, a little thrown off by her daughter's sudden question, cupped her chin as she looked between the two headpieces. After a couple of seconds she pointed to the hat with the white puff-ball on top.

"I'd go with that one," Grace said.

"Okay, this one it is!" Serena said as she put on the opposite hat.

"If you already knew then why did you ask?"

"Whichever one you did not pick is the cuter one, that's why."

"I see…"

Grace clicked her tongue and shook her head. She loved her daughter dearly, but there were times where she would act like a complete smart-alec.

"So, where are you going?" Grace asked.

"Lumiose City! I'm going to see Professor Sycamore and get my very first Pokémon!" Serena replied as she stood up.

Fletchling chirped and landed on her hat. Serena hurried out of the room and down the stairs as she made her way to the front door. She opened the door and rushed into the yard, but came to a grinding halt as she almost crashed into Shauna who stumbled back in surprise.

"Jeez, Serena, be careful! You almost ran into me!" Shauna pouted.

"I'm sorry, Shauna. I'm just in a bit of a hurry," Serena replied.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Lumiose City to see Professor Sycamore and get my first Pokémon."

Shauna looked a little surprised at Serena's answer and then frowned. Her friend was going on a journey and leaving her behind. While Shauna was mulling over Serena's words, Serena walked over to Rhyhorn and knelt to pet him.

"I'll be seeing you, Rhyhorn," Serena said as she gave him one more pat.

"Serena, be careful on your way over there!" Grace called as she stepped into the door.

"I'll be fine, Mom! I'll call you later!"

Serena stood up and ran out of the yard to start her journey to Lumiose City. She waved goodbye to her mother and Shauna as she ran down the road and out of sight. Serena, although she wanted to see the boy she recognized on TV, had a desire to just leave town and see the world. She felt as though nothing interesting happened in town and staying confined in it to just learn Rhyhorn racing was dull and provided no escape. Now that she had a reason to leave Vaniville Town, she would not pass it up. The thought of a journey filled her with aspiration to find what she truly wanted to do with her life.

She reached the top of the hill that overlooked Vaniville Town and stopped. Despite finding her hometown boring, she still had a small place for it deep down as she spent half of her life growing up in it. She decided to take one last look at the quiet town and turned around. Her eyes could see the rooftops of the houses and the familiar clouds of smoke that rose from the bakery.

"It's time to go," Serena thought as she turned around and took another step.

Serena barely took another stop before she was stopped by someone's voice.

"Serena, wait!"

Serena turned around to see Shauna sprinting up to her. She came to a stop and panted as she tried to regain her breath from her run. Serena was a little surprised to see her childhood friend standing there.

"Shauna, what are you doing here?" Serena asked.

"Why are you leaving?" Shauna asked.

"I just want to get out of town. A kid has to grow up sometime and it's only natural for them to leave home at some point."

"Why do you have to go alone? When we were younger you promised me we would go on a journey together!"

"Shauna, I haven't forgotten my promise to you, but this is something that I need to do. I can't stay here anymore. I have to get out there and find what I want to do with my life. Staying here will only hold me back."

"Fine, then I'm going with you!"

Serena opened her mouth to protest, but Shauna crossed her arms and gave her a firm glare. The look alone told Serena that Shauna's mind was made up and there was no way she would be convinced otherwise. Although Serena initially wanted to go on her own journey to find the boy she saw and to find her purpose, Shauna did bring up a valid point. They did promise to go on a journey together when they were kids and now was the perfect opportunity to do it.

"Okay, if you want to come with me then let's go," Serena said with a smile.

"Great! This is going to be so much fun!" Shauna beamed.

"Are your parents okay with this?"

"I haven't told them yet, but I will when we get to Lumiose City."

"I hope you have something good to back up your reasoning. I know they'll be a little hesitant to let you go on a journey."

"I know, but in the end I think they will be cool with it. Like you said, all kids leave home someday and today just happens to be our turn."

Serena smiled at Shauna before sparing one last glance at Vaniville Town. Seeing enough, Serena turned on her heel and started walking down the road to Lumiose City with Shauna right beside her. The two young girls were heading into the unknown, but were excited with what awaited them at each turn. Whatever they would face, they would do it together like they promised each other years ago.

The sun was high in the sky as it entered late morning. Ash and Pikachu were enjoying the beautiful weather as they traversed the dirt road along the open grasslands. As they walked, Ash's eyes were catching sight of Pokémon he had seen and a bunch of new ones. He was still surprised with how much diversity there was in Kalos. Unlike Unova, Kalos had Pokémon from all over the world whereas Unova was mainly inhabited by Pokémon of that region. He came to a stop and looked into the field to his right. The field was filled with growing crops, but it still had wild Pokémon wandering through and grazing for food.

As his eyes scanned the field, they fell upon a tiny bird Pokémon. The Pokémon itself was tiny. It would be able to stand on the palm of his hand.

"What Pokémon is that?" Ash thought as he pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon.

"Fletchling, the tiny robin Pokémon. Although Fletchling's chirp is quite beautiful to hear, it is relentlessly tough with those that enter its territory," Dexter informed.

After hearing the description, Ash looked up at the tiny bird and a smirk came to his lips.

"Relentlessly tough, eh?" Ash thought as he looked at Pikachu. "We can always use more tenacity on our team."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with a nod.

"Okay Pikachu, get in there!"

Pikachu jumped from his perch on Ash's shoulder and his cheeks crackled with electricity as he got Fletchling in his sights. He had a clear shot at Fletchling and would be able to score a direct hit on it as soon as Ash gave it a command.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash hollered.

Pikachu channeled his electricity as it built inside of him and lined up Fletchling in his sights. He jumped high in the air and released all the stored energy in the shape of a large lightning bolt. The bolt sped for Fletchling who managed to catch a glimpse of the attack from the corner of its eye. Fletchling gave a quick flap with its wings and managed to avoid a direct hit with the lightning, but it still came in contact with its wing. Fletchling went stiff as a board and plummeted into the dirt. Taking his chance, Ash plucked a Poké Ball from his belt and hopped the fence and rushed into the prairie. He wound his arm back and threw the ball.

Ash was met with a surprise counter from Fletchling as the ball soared towards it. Fletchling gave the incoming ball a glare and readied its undamaged wing. The wing glowed white for a moment before it was covered in thick steel. There was a loud clang as Fletchling swung its wing and deflected the ball by sending it back. Ash caught the ball in his hand and smirked again. He liked what he saw with the Fletchling and could tell it would be a great Pokémon to have on the team.

"A first evolution bird with a move like Steel Wing? That's too good to pass up," Ash thought.

He looked down at Pikachu to see an impressed look on his face at Fletchling's reaction. He nodded at Fletchling and Pikachu took the chance to act freely. His communication with Ash was at the point that he did not have to call out an attack and he would be able to execute as needed. Pikachu's body glowed white for a moment before he shot forward in a blur with Quick Attack. As Pikachu charged at Fletchling, Fletchling recovered from the stun and faced Pikachu before flying head-on at him with his beak glowing white. The two of them collided head on and a burst of energy kicked up a cloud of dirt from the ground. When the dirt settled, Pikachu and Fletchling were glaring at each other. Pikachu had a fresh mark on his head while Fletchling looked winded from delivering and taking an attack.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu diverted power to his tail and it was covered in shiny iron as he sprung in the air. As he descended on Fletchling, Fletchling covered its wing in steel again and gave another swing to match the power. There was a loud clang as steel met steel, but Pikachu had gravity and experience on his side. Pikachu pushed off the wing with his momentum and flipped, swinging his tail once again. His tail smashed on top of Fletchling's head and it went rigid from the hit. Fletchling swayed and fell to the ground in a daze.

"All right, let's try this again!" Ash said as he threw the Poké Ball.

The ball bounced off Flecthling and opened, surrounding Fletchling in a red light and sucking it in. The ball snapped shut and rolled as it landed on the ground. Ash and Pikachu watched the ball wiggle back and forth with anticipation as they waited to see if Fletchling wound break free. The ball gave one last wiggle before it stopped and clicked. Ash smiled and walked over to the ball and picked it up.

"That's our second Kalos friend, Pikachu," Ash said as he looked back at him.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered as he climbed up to his shoulder.

Ash opened Fletchling's ball and released it to give it some fresh air. Fletchling shook its head as it hovered in front of Ash. It looked between him and Pikachu with some curiosity.

"Hey Fletchling, I'm Ash and this is Pikachu," Ash introduced. "We're your new friends here."

Fletchling gave a happy chirp as it took its perch on Ash's shoulder. Ash clipped Fletchling's ball to his belt and turned around to walk back to the road. As Ash walked back to the road, the sunlight shone brightly and made him shield his eyes. When Ash shielded his eyes, he heard a voice greet him.

"I see you've grown a bit since the last time I saw you, Ash!"

Ash's eyes widened in brief surprise. He knew that voice well, but what was he doing here? He lowered his arm and sure enough, his eyes came into contact with the person who called out to him and he grinned.

"No way," Ash said. "What are you doing here?"

Ah, cliffhanger! Who is it that Ash bumped into at the end there? You'll have to wait and find out. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I will see you all next time. Take a look below for review answers and statements I want to make.

Statements:

1.) Ash's Kalos team. I will keep his team the way it is in the anime now being Froakie, Fletchling and Pikachu. I will have Ash capture Pokémon that I can see him catching as well as Pokémon that will more than likely balance out his team.

Answers to reviews:

Charizard Mega Evolution: As you can see in this chapter as well as the hint in the last one with his debut, yes, I plan for that to happen. However, I don't plan on giving him both Mega Stones unless I have a change of heart.