I regarded the young woman that Pikachu and I had rescued from an angry Ursaring with what I hoped was an open, happy expression. Inside though I was going crazy trying to search through all of my memories and pinpoint how it was that I knew this girl. She obviously knew me, but I honestly couldn't recall ever meeting anyone like her.

She was dressed in a dark brown, full-body suit that hugged her curves nicely but seemed loose enough for comfort. There were several patches of pink hearts in groups of three throughout the suit, one over her left knee, another across her right hip, and another over where her real heart would be. She had honey blonde hair that was pulled up in a high ponytail and threaded through the opening of the racing cap she was wearing. When I had glimpsed her through the trees she had been wearing protective goggles, but now they appeared to be missing and I could look into her big, sky blue eyes without anything to block them.

When I introduced myself as Satoshi Kilian the girl's face instantly fell into an intense look of disappointment. A sense of guilt washed through me as I again searched for where I could have possibly met her.

"I see. I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble then," she said with sadness seeming to leak from her eyes into her words. I knew I should keep searching for the poison barbs that Celeste had sent me to find, but the girl's sadness seemed to call out to me and I found myself laughing, trying to lift her spirits.

"You didn't cause us any trouble! Pikachu has been looking for an excuse to let off some steam, right, buddy?" I asked lightheartedly. 

Pikachu ran over and jumped up onto my shoulder, waving his tail in a silly greeting to the girl who looked close to tears. Her lips quirked up in an attempt at a smile as she looked from Pikachu to me and she sniffed delicately.

"Well, thank you again for saving me," she said sincerely, looking around her as if she weren't quite sure where to go.

"You lost?" I asked. A light blush colored the girl's cheeks and she slowly nodded her head. "Why don't you let Pikachu and me help you back to the path?" I offered, feeling somewhat responsible for her having gotten lost in the first place. The girl's shoulders sagged slightly and she gave me a grateful look.

"You're sure it wouldn't be too much of a bother?" she asked hopefully.

"Not at all!" I agreed immediately.

"Chu pika!" Pikachu said with a nod of his head in agreement.

"Alright then. My name is Serena," she introduced herself as she extended her hand to mine. I took it, noting that she had a stronger grip than I was expecting. Although I assumed that must come from being a rhyhorn racer.

"It's nice to meet you, Serena," I said, once again going through my memories to try and remember if I had ever known a Serena before. "So, who is this Ash guy?" I asked as I walked confidently in the direction of the path.

When Serena had first called out to me I had panicked and tried to disappear into the trees, which I had done successfully. But even though I disappeared, she'd rushed into the trees without fear, always calling out my name and pleading with me to wait for her. If I wasn't undercover I would have gone to her and asked what she wanted immediately, but if she really did know me then I figured it would be too dangerous for me to speak to her. Now that I had convinced her I wasn't Ash though, I wanted to know how she knew me.

"Oh, well, he was a boy I met at a pokemon camp in Kanto when I was a young girl," Serena explained with an embarrassed expression. She told me the story of how she had gotten lost in the woods and how I had found her and helped her back, then made sure to include her in the rest of the week's activities.

"I'm from Kalos so when I left the pokemon camp I didn't think I would ever see him again. If you actually had been Ash he probably would have thought I was a freak running after him like that," Serena said with a small wince in her voice.

Her story had finally triggered a memory of a pokemon camp where I had been chasing after a poliwag while Professor Oak was giving one of his long lectures and I had found a girl crying in the forest. I could hardly believe that that girl in her flowy dress and sun hat had grown up to be a professional rhyhorn racer.

"I doubt it! I actually felt kind of jealous that you were so excited to see the guy. He would probably have been really excited to meet up with an old friend," I said jovially. That lie was easy because if I wasn't undercover and Serena had really called out to me I would have been ecstatic to catch up with her. I didn't get to spend much time with friends from my past, so this was a neat experience for me, even if I was pretending to be someone else.

"That's nice of you to say," Serena replied with a sad smile. "Ash was so kind back then. He's the only one I've considered a friend since I graduated from school, and I only knew him for a week. How sad is that?"

I glanced down at Serena and frowned when I saw that even though she was chuckling to herself, her eyes seemed hollow and empty.

"Why didn't you make any other friends?" I asked with a small frown. I felt terrible that this girl had thought of me so much and so fondly for all these years and I had completely forgotten about her.

"I... was always too busy training," Serena explained after a quiet pause. "My mom is a famous rhyhorn racer and she wanted me to follow in her footsteps. I tried to tell her that I didn't want to be one but she convinced me that it was the only thing I was good at."

"Pika." I looked over to see that Pikachu's ears had turned down to lay flat against his head and he was looking at Serena with a sad expression. I looked between my partner and the girl that seemed to emanate sadness next to me and I wondered if there was something I could do to help her.

"Well... if you don't like rhyhorn racing, then what DO you like to do?" I asked, reaching up and pushing against a low-hanging branch so Serena could get past it easier. She gave me a small nod in thanks before ducking under the branch and I quickly followed after her.

"It sounds kind of silly," Serena said as another light blush colored her cheeks.

"Hey, we're the only ones here and Pikachu and I won't laugh at you!" I promised with a grin. Serena looked up at me and gave me an inquisitive look.

"You really do remind me of Ash, Satoshi. I wonder if that's why I feel so comfortable with you," she mused quietly. 

I quickly laughed to hide my inner frustration at myself for not being more in character. Luckily though Serena continued.

"Honestly... I like to make things pretty," she said with a small laugh. "I like to sew, I like to bake, I like to decorate anything and everything I can get my hands on."

"Do you like pokemon?" I asked when she paused and seemed to be at a loss for what to say.

"I do!" she answered quickly, but her smile faded as she turned her attention back to the ground in front of her and she sighed. "I actually tried to tell my mom I wanted to be a pokemon trainer at one point. But I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do it and she convinced me to come back home and become a professional rhyhorn racer."

"Huh," I mused as I lifted my arms and linked my fingers behind my head. It was crazy to me to imagine what my life would have been like if my mom hadn't supported me in my decision to become a pokemon trainer. I wasn't sure why a parent would squash their child's dream like that, but I knew that I wouldn't be Ash without my partner Pikachu.

"Well, if you ever decide to become a pokemon trainer then maybe you should give contests a try," I suggested casually as I thought back to my journeys with May and Dawn. Their contests had always impressed me with how beautifully they were able to make their pokemons' moves. If Serena liked to make things pretty then that seemed like it would be right up her alley.

"Oh, I couldn't. I'm already seventeen, I doubt I could even get a starter pokemon now," Serena said with a shake of her head.

"Hey, don't give up until it's over! I'm sure you can find a wild pokemon to be your first if that were really the case," I encouraged her energetically. Serena stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me with her mouth open. Awkwardly I stopped, looking between Serena and Pikachu feeling utterly confused. "Uhhhh did I say something weird?" I asked hesitantly.

"'Don't give up until it's over'... that's what Ash told me when I was a kid," Serena mumbled with a dazed expression.

Dang it! This is why I failed the deception class for five years in a row! I wanted to kick myself but I needed to act fast if I wanted to make Serena's suspicions go away.

"Oh yah? I heard that saying years ago in a pokemon battle that I watched. I think that was the catchphrase of one of the Elite Four or something," I said, trying hard to look like I was trying to remember where I had heard it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Serena visibly relax and she shook her head as a wry smile spread across her lips.

"Even back then Ash was always talking about being a pokemon master. I bet he watched the same pokemon battle and started saying it too," Serena said with a small chuckle.

"Sounds like we're pretty similar," I said with a shrug, relieved that Serena had believed my lie.

"You really are. Although Ash's hair was much messier than yours," Serena commented with a small grin. "Thank you for talking to me, Satoshi. It's been a long time since I had a full conversation with someone my age."

"Hey, no worries! Oh, look at that. Your rhyhorn is still waiting for you." 

Serena's grin instantly faded as we took the final few steps towards the forest path where her rhyhorn was indeed patiently waiting off to the side. Part of me wished that I could stay and talk to her longer, but I had yet to find any poison barbs and there were only a few hours of daylight left to search with.

"Thanks for getting me back," Serena said with an unconvincing smile. "It was nice to meet you. You too, Pikachu."

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu called out happily, waving his little paw at her.

"Hey Serena," I called after her as she walked over to the waiting rhyhorn. She turned and gave me a curious, almost hopeful look. "Being a pokemon trainer is the best thing in the world. If you want to give it a try, I think you should go for it!"

Serena regarded me and Pikachu with a contemplative expression. After a moment her entire face seemed to brighten and a genuine smile spread across her lips.

"Thank you, Satoshi. If I get the courage to try, I hope I'll see you again. I'll introduce you to my pokemon!"

Guilt gripped me briefly as I watched her confidently mount the large rhyhorn with ease. I knew that there was very little chance that I would ever see her again, but a large part of me wished I could promise that I would. Instead, I just smiled brightly and waved to her as she kicked her rhyhorn into motion. Her ponytail streamed behind her as her rhyhorn sped off down the path and I was surprised at how sad I felt when she turned a corner and was lost from view.

Complicated feelings swirled through me as I turned away from the path and allowed the forest to swallow me up. Ever since I joined the IIA I felt sure that this was where I was supposed to be. Protecting the world from evil people's plots while growing stronger with my pokemon had felt like it was the perfect fit for what I wanted to do. But I couldn't help but wonder if the sacrifice of having to lie to my friends and my mom was really worth it.

"Pikapi?" I turned to look at Pikachu who was giving me a concerned look. A wry smile spread across my lips and I nodded firmly to him.

"I'm fine, buddy. I hope that Serena will be able to find a pokemon as great as you," I said with a smile while rubbing his head affectionately. Pikachu let out a happy "chaaa" as I pet him.

Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening finding poisonous barbs. I was pleased with my efforts by the end of the day and since it was a warm summer evening, just like I had expected, I pulled out the thin blanket from my backpack and stretched out on a clear patch of grass. Once I was comfortable I pulled out my communicator from the false bottom of my bag and inputted my three passwords to connect to my direct line with the director's office.

"Good Evening, Agent Ketchum." I saluted smartly to the small image of Director Falon and a roomful of the IIA's top analysts.

"Today I was given an assignment of my own for the first time," I reported without preamble. I explained that I was sent to collect poisonous barbs and how Celeste had seemed her normally irritated self when she assigned me to the task.

"We still haven't figured out why Team Galactic would be collecting such strange items. Evolution stones, of course, make sense... but grass seeds, miracle water, fire orbs, and now poison barbs? There's no reason for a team to have such a huge stock of those items," one of the analysts said with a frustrated frown. 

The other analysts began a rapid-fire discussion that honestly went over my head but I waited patiently to see if they had more directions for me. As I had expected, Director Falon suddenly looked up with her emotionless mask on and stared at me through the screen.

"Agent Ketchum, you have done fine work for your first week, but the bugs you have planted are next to worthless in the grunts barracks. As soon as you are granted access to headquarters we expect you to plant the cameras and listening devices accordingly. We need to know what Team Galactic's plans are."

"Understood, Director," I responded immediately. Doubt crept into me though and I couldn't help but add, "But I am a little worried that I won't be granted access. From what I have heard from the other grunts, only Neptune and her captains are allowed into headquarters."

"We trust your judgment, Agent. Even if you have to sneak in, we need some hard intel and quickly," Director Falon said without any allowance for talking back. I nodded in understanding.

After another few minutes, my line was disconnected and I lowered the communicator to look up at the starry sky through a patch in the trees.

"I might need your help to sneak some listening devices through the vents, buddy," I said to Pikachu as he curled up next to me.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said in a sleepy voice. I smiled, reaching out and stroking his small body, and soon his breathing had taken on a rhythmic pattern.

Soon I joined him in the land of sleep and for the first time in years, I dreamed of what life had been like when I was a pokemon trainer. Flashes of the faces of friends that I made and gyms I had battled in popped up randomly through the overarching dream of me running through a forest battling any pokemon Pikachu and I came across.  When I woke up I felt invigorated and I stretched my arms up over my head.

The whole reason why I decided to stay with the IIA was so that I could protect the innocent desire of other trainers to follow their dreams. I needed to buckle down and figure out what Team Galactic was planning so I could stop them and make sure this awesome world wouldn't be destroyed.

A/N And so they meet!