Serena was a young Trainer who had just moved to Kalos only recently, having barely turned 17 before her mother decided to pack up their entire life and move to this strange place. She had barely stepped foot out the door of her new home before being spotted by her new neighbor, Calem. There was another girl accompanying him who said her name was Shauna, and that they had a Pokémon for her to choose from, if she would accompany them to the next town over.

She had little choice but to follow them to Aquacorde Town where two others were waiting, Trevor and Tierno. Tierno had brought Pokémon from Professor Sycamore's Lab in Lumiose City, the three traditional starters of Kalos: Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. He let each of them out of their Poké Ball, but Serena was instantly drawn to Fennekin and chose it as her Pokémon before Calem or Shauna could even think about which one they wanted.

"Are you sure you want Fennekin? It's a bit hot headed and hates getting dirty, you'll have to be very careful to keep it clean." Tierno said, Trevor laughing as Serena glared at them all.

"It'll be a wonderful partner for me, I just know it. Fennekin, you and I are going to explore all of Kalos together and make new friends along the way! Maybe even find love, though that's not our first priority." Serena said, Shauna elbowing Calem in the arm at the last sentence.

That was how Serena had found herself now riding a Rhyhorn on a well worn path to the Glittering Cave after receiving her first Gym Badge in Santalune City and now on her way to earn the second in Cyllage City. The Glittering Cave was a strange cave that normally Serena wouldn't have traveled so out of the way for, but Calem had insisted that they go there and find out if the Scientist looking for Fossils knew anything about Mega Evolution.

Serena had been eager to learn more about Mega Evolution, even if she wouldn't be able to Mega Evolve her Braixen, having evolved from Fennekim some time ago. However, Professor Sycamore had said that her Blastoise that he had gifted her as well as the Pidgey she had caught would be able to Mega Evolve once they were finally evolved normally. Both her and Calem as well as Shauna were eager to learn as much as they could, which meant Serena was growing slightly impatient with the Rhyhorn she was riding.

Her mother Grace would have shed a tear if she could've seen her daughter riding a Rhyhorn on such a rough path. However, the Rhyhorn itself seemed content on taking its time and Serena knew better than to try and urge it to go faster. An angry Ride Pokémon on a path as dangerous as this was not the best idea, so Serena tried to calm her excitement as they arrived at the entrance to the cave.

"Thank you, I couldn't have made it here without your assistance. I'll try and not be long, but I've heard you can get lost easily in this cave." She said, the Rhyhorn shifting as if it seemed agitated. Serena smiled as she patted the Pokémon on the head.

"Don't worry, I won't get lost. You take a well deserved rest."

The Rhyhorn took that invitation and plopped down onto the ground fast asleep, causing Serena to laugh. Her mother's Rhyhorn at home acted similarly to this one, though it was rather amusing how they both behaved.

Serena walked into the Glittering Cave and could instantly feel the temperature drop around her. The walls seemed to glow with some sort of luminous moss, allowing faint light to help her see the path that led deeper into the cave. It felt soothing but also the Hiker's warning to not rush about in the cave rang in her mind as she continued cautiously on.

She took a Poké Ball out from her bag and released her Braixen, feeling a little better now as she continued deeper with her Pokémon by her side.

"It's a little eerie in here, huh? And cold, though I suppose you wouldn't notice that." Serena said, Braixen taking its stick from its tail and held it up close to Serena, the flame lit on top of it providing her with some warmth.

"Thank you. Let's hope we find that Scientist soon, I have a weird feeling about this place."

————

"So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing right now?"

A female Team Flare Grunt ran her hand over the cave wall, a bit of luminous moss smearing onto her glove. She hurriedly wiped it back onto the wall before her partner could notice.

"We're here to collect Fossils to help make money for Team Flare. And keep your voice down, we won't be able to attack the Trainer by surprise if she can hear you at the entrance of the cave."

The female Grunt snorted but lowered her voice as she spoke again, sensing her partner was becoming more agitated.

"Why are you so focused on trapping this Trainer anyway, have you ever even met her, 42?" She asked, 42 turning to glare at her.

"I was instructed by Xerosic to apprehend her at any cost, and I'm not about to start failing missions because I have a partner now, 51."

"A partner you asked for."

He was about to respond when they heard footsteps coming closer, as well as the angry shouts of one of their teammates just behind them in the Cave.

"That must be her. Prepare yourself." 42 hissed, 51 rolling her eyes as she pulled out a Poké Ball from her pocket. Whoever this mysterious Trainer was, they sure sounded like they loved to run.

It took only a moment for a Trainer to round the corner, looking to be about the same age as the Team Flare Grunts standing across from her. She seemed just as shocked to see them as they were to see her, but that didn't last very long when another one came from behind.

"Arceus Serena, you move quickly. You want to take down these Team Flare people with me, neighbor?" He asked, the female Trainer nodding as she looked at 42, her icy glare shocking him to his very core. So much so that he didn't throw his Poké Ball to release his Charizard until his partner shouted at him too.

"Arceus above, 42, we're in the middle of a battle! You can't get distracted when you're the one with the Pokémon that can Mega Evolve!" 51 shouted, to the annoyance of 42 as Charizard landed on the cave floor in front of him.

"What exactly are you even doing here? There's nothing in this cave but moss." Calem said, 51 snorting as she fixed her glasses.

"Ha, that's where you're wrong! There's a multitude of fossils buried within this cave that we can sell for money. Aren't you the Professor's students? I wasn't aware he was mentoring people this dense." She mocked, Calem clenching his fists as Serena studied the Charizard before her intently. It had a collar around it with a Mega Stone placed inside, meaning the Grunt wasn't bluffing when she said her partner could Mega Evolve. But how was someone like this able to achieve such a thing?

He certainly didn't seem evil and looked quite the opposite of his partner. He appeared more calm and collected, studying her every move as if he was trying to analyze her. She wondered what his goal was as she withdrew her Braixen and threw out her Wartortle instead. The Pokémon seemed just as confused as she was before the battle began.

"Charizard, use Dragon Breath."

Serena had been in such deep thought that she hadn't noticed her opponent had spoken until she saw the attack come barreling towards Wartortle.

"Wartortle, Protect!"

Her Pokémon had put up a barrier just in time, though she was frustrated with herself for getting distracted so easily by her opponent. She had thought she was getting better at battling, but it seemed he had much more experience than her.

"You know, a good Trainer is always aware of what is happening around them. Perhaps you need to spend more time with your Pokémon to learn more about them before challenging anyone else to battles. After we finish with ours, that is." 42 said calmly, Serena's glare intensifying. He was mocking her.

"Alright then. Wartortle, use Bubble."

A stream of bubbles hit the Charizard square in the chest, the force of it knocking it back the slightest bit before it dug its claws into the ground.

"Easy, Charizard. Use Slash to knock it off its feet, then Dragon Claw."

Serena gritted her teeth as she saw Charizard launch itself towards Wartortle once more, but she couldn't use Protect forever. She needed to end this battle now.

"Wartortle, use Withdraw to propel yourself forward and use Bubble."

The Grunt's seemingly endless calm broke for a second as he stood there shocked when the Wartortle had used Bubble so forcefully that Charizard had fainted before it even hit the ground.

"Hmph, guess you're not as weak as you seem. I have a feeling we'll meet again where you won't have someone to assist you." He said, returning his Pokémon as his partner returned hers.

"Come on, we have a failure to report." 42 said, leaving Serena and Calem behind as 51 followed, her turning to taunt them silently before catching up with him, them both disappearing into the shadows of the cave.

"Well, that was a relief, but someone like that in Team Flare who can Mega Evolve? That can't be good. We need to tell the Professor." Calem said, though Serena was too distracted by the male Grunt that had just disappeared to really even hear what her friend was saying.

Who was that? What does he want? What does he want from her?