Long time no see!

It was Xiao Yan's second day in the Kalos Region...

"All ready. Let's go, Pikachu!"

Xiao Yan packed his belongings, tidied up the room the professor had lent him, and prepared to set off with Pikachu.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?" Professor Sycamore greeted Xiao Yan as he came downstairs.

"Very well. Thank you for letting me stay the night, Professor."

"I'm the one who should thank you for saving my Garchomp."

"Professor, where do I register for the Kalos League?"

Xiao Yan suddenly remembered that one of his reasons for coming to Kalos was to challenge the League.

"You can register at a Pokémon Center. Are you leaving now?"

"Yes! Thank you so much for taking care of me these past two days."

"Stay safe out there!"

Xiao Yan said goodbye to Professor Sycamore and walked to the door.

"Is this an automatic door?"

Just as Xiao Yan was about to turn the handle, the door opened on its own.

"..."

What's going on? Why is my heart suddenly beating so fast?

Xiao Yan found himself face-to-face with a girl.

"You must be Serena, the new Trainer coming to pick up her Pokémon today?"

Professor Sycamore broke the awkward silence and waved Serena over.

"Ah... yes!"

Xiao Yan was left standing alone in the doorway...

"Pika?"

Seeing Xiao Yan completely frozen, Pikachu slapped him twice before he finally snapped out of it.

"Wait a moment."

Xiao Yan closed the door and walked over to Serena and the professor.

By then, Serena had already chosen her Pokémon.

"You..."

Xiao Yan stared at the girl who had just met his gaze.

"Long time no see, Xiao Yan!"

Xiao Yan stood there utterly dumbstruck. To spare his Trainer the embarrassment, Pikachu reached out to shake Serena's hand.

"What Pokémon is this?" Having just become a Pokémon Trainer, Serena raised the Pokédex Professor Sycamore had given her and pointed it at Pikachu on Xiao Yan's shoulder.

"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Pichu. When it raises its tail to check its surroundings, its tail is sometimes struck by lightning," the Pokédex explained.

"So your name is Pikachu. Nice to meet you!" Serena reached out and shook Pikachu's hand.

"Since you two know each other... why not travel together?" Professor Sycamore interjected.

"Would that be all right, Xiao Yan?" Serena looked a little excited.

Pikachu slapped Xiao Yan again, finally getting a response out of him.

"Of course!" Xiao Yan replied, smiling at Serena.

"Take care, Professor! Goodbye!"

Xiao Yan and Serena said goodbye to the professor and headed out onto the street toward the nearby Pokémon Center.

"It's been five years! You've grown so tall!"

Serena looked at Xiao Yan, but he kept his head lowered and said nothing.

Has it...? So it's already been five years since I came here... I wonder how Arceus and Ho-Oh are doing. Why haven't they come back yet...?

Neither of them said a single word the rest of the way.

After entering the Pokémon Center, Xiao Yan stared at the beautiful woman with curly pink hair before him.

Sure enough, Nurse Joy is everywhere. They're all over the country.

"I'd like to register for the Kalos League."

"Certainly! Please place your Pokédex here."

Xiao Yan placed his Pokédex on a machine to be scanned.

"Xiao Yan from Pallet Town has been registered for the Kalos League. Current Badge count: zero," a voice announced from the machine.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!"

Xiao Yan turned to look at Serena.

"Aren't you entering?"

Serena shook her head.

"Oh, right! I haven't called Professor Oak yet. Come along too, Serena! I'd like to introduce you to him."

"Okay!"

The two of them used the video phone to call Professor Oak...

"Professor, I've arrived in Kalos. Sorry I forgot to call you yesterday."

"Professor Sycamore already told me you'd arrived in Kalos. You still hadn't called by last night, so I was worried."

"I'm really sorry..."

"As long as you're all right. Oh, who's the girl beside you?"

Professor Oak looked intently at Serena on the other side of the screen. Serena was too shy to speak.

"She's my traveling companion. Her name is Serena."

"It's better to have someone with you on your travels. You can look out for each other. Serena, please take care of our Xiao Yan."

"Of course!"

"Xiao Yan, make sure you help Serena out too!"

"I will, Professor."

After chatting a little longer, the three of them ended the call.

"Let's go!" Serena took Xiao Yan by the wrist.

"Wait, we haven't decided where we're going yet."

"To the first Gym so you can challenge it, of course!" Serena turned back and smiled at Xiao Yan behind her.

Before Xiao Yan could react, Serena was already pulling him along.

"Well, the professor did leave you in my care... and I've wanted to travel around with you for ages..." Serena lowered her head and murmured.

"Is that the person the boss is looking for?" A woman in a red suit lowered her newspaper and watched the pair who had just left the Pokémon Center.

"Two years ago, he defeated Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, bringing down the Kanto Region's largest underground organization. He has two Legendary Pokémon, Suicune and Entei, won the Indigo League tournament, and can make several Pokémon undergo Mega Evolution. There's no mistake. He's the one we're looking for." Another person, also dressed in a red suit, reviewed all the information about Xiao Yan on his holographic projector.