"...Serena, are you in here?"

Grace Yvonne gently knocked her knuckles against the bedroom door before opening it and peeking inside. When she saw her daughter sitting at her new desk, just staring at an old family photo of both herself and her parents, Grace grew very sad all of a sudden. "Hey, sweetie... How are you holding up?" Grace walked over to Serena, peering around her to look at her face.

Serena's grim expression did not fade. Her tone was quiet and almost inaudible, filled with heavy sadness that weighed her down. "As well as I can be, I suppose..."

Grace let out a sharp, brief sigh, just as upset about this as her daughter was. "I miss him too, sweetie..." She rested her hands on Serena's shoulders, leaning forwards to get a look at her late husband in the photo.

His name was Stefan Yvonne: a wonderful, absolutely brilliant, charismatic husband and father who was taken from his family at a relatively young age. Only forty years old, the genius inventor had been found shot to death a month ago in his research lab in Pallet Town, Kanto. The killer had failed to leave a trace, and the police had long since given up on the cold case. It was as if a phantom had walked in, committed the murder, and then vanished immediately after. With no evidence left behind at the scene, and no potential suspects, the police lacked a case to pursue.

His thirty-eight-year-old widow and eighteen-year-old daughter were left behind, and now the family portrait of the three smiling and laughing together would never be looked upon with a smile ever again. The photo would only bring sadness to the Yvonne family, rather than happy memories once forgotten.

"Well, I came to bring you this..." Grace set down a small red book on Serena's desk, worriedly pressing her lips into a thin line as she glanced upon her daughter. "I thought it might help for you to cope by writing it all down in something."

Serena numbly nodded her head, not once looking at her mother. "Thanks, Mom."

Grace held back the urge to sit Serena down and force her to open up and say everything that was clouding her mind, and Grace exhaled sharply as her heavy eyelids fluttered shut momentarily. "You know that if you ever need to talk, I'm always here for you, right...?"

"I know." Serena quickly forced out a reply, almost a little irritated with the burden of socializing with another human being.

Grace took the hint and nodded before letting herself out. "Well, I'm going to be downstairs if you need me..."

"Okay." Serena listened to the sound of her bedroom door closing before tearing her eyes away from the floor and glancing up at the red book that now rested on her desk.

_____________________________________________

Grace unpacked the rest of the boxes of dishes to go in the kitchen. Just before she finished pulling out all of the ceramic plates, she froze where she stood in front of the kitchen island that acted as their dining room table. On it rested Serena's silver locket, which was left open, and Grace glanced at the two pictures inside.

One picture was with all three of them in one big group hug, laughing and smiling. The other one was with Serena and Stefan, and Stefan had his arms wrapped around Serena from behind her and had pulled her back into him for a hug.

Grace's lip quivered, and she shakily sighed. "I... I need to go talk to someone." She grabbed her house key and her coat off of the hook next to the door and walked out the front door, shutting it behind her.

An icy cold wind blew past Grace as she walked, only making her glad she had remembered to grab her coat before she left. Kalosian winter seasons were always more harsh and freezing than winters in other regions.

She glanced over to her left at her Rhyhorn lying on the front lawn, who was completely unbothered by the cold and contently napping on his blanket. "I'll be back in a minute, Rhyhorn." Grace's whisper was carried away by the wind, softly disappearing into the air.

Vaniville Town was very small, quiet, and peaceful. Grace liked it because it reminded her of Pallet Town. There were less than thirty people living in Vaniville Town, and coincidentally, one of Grace's old friends from Trainer School lived in the house right next door to her: Caroline Xavier.

Before Grace could even get the chance to knock, the brunette watched as a black-haired woman opened the door first, who was not surprised to see her there.

"Oh, Grace... I saw you walking up the driveway." Caroline reached out to place her arm behind Grace's back, ushering her inside. "Come on in."

"Thank you, Caroline..." Grace depressingly exhaled her sharp, crisp breath, letting herself in once more like she did last night and sat herself down on the couch.

Caroline was dressed in black skinny jeans and a pink ruffled top, which contrasted with her bright blue eyes and waist-length black hair. You wouldn't have guessed that she was a mother herself, given that she looked so young. Meanwhile, Grace looked her age with her brown bob, green and white striped shirt, beige overcoat, and blue jeans.

Caroline took a seat on the couch next to Grace with a sympathetic look written on her face. "How are you holding up? I know you said you were having problems with Serena last night..."

"Still am." Grace folded her hands into her lap, staring down at them. "She just won't talk to me about what's going on with her. I know her and her father were really close, but still... I..."

Caroline gently tugged Grace close to her, letting the newly-widowed woman use her shoulder as a pillow. "Oh, sweetie... There's only so much you can do. Just give her some space for a while and she'll come talk to you when she's ready, okay?"

Grace laughed depressingly, stressed out and overwhelmed. "How are you so smart when it comes to these things?"

Caroline deeply sighed with an equally stressed out smile stretched across her lips. "Well, just like you, I've got a teenager of my own to deal with. Remember?" She shot her friend a quick glance, recalling their conversation the night before. "My son is stubborn and determined, and I think he's just a year older than Serena."

"Hah, sounds like my daughter..." Grace chuckled to herself, sitting back up straight again. "Thanks so much, Caroline. I'm already feeling a lot better."

"Anytime, hun'." Caroline gently smiled at her friend before her expression dropped to the floor and was replaced by a wicked grin. "Wait a minute... You and I have a son and a daughter around the same age with similar personalities. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Grace, making the brunette crack up laughing.

Grace inhaled sharply, getting an idea. She allowed herself to be mischievous in attempt to help her forget about her pain, even if it was just for a moment. "My daughter is overwhelmingly stubborn and always does her own thing... So, do you think...?"

Caroline clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh my gosh, my Calem is the same way! With their stubbornness, I bet they would at least be able to put up with each other!"

Grace excitedly took Caroline's hands in hers, and the two women began childishly bouncing up and down from their places on the couch. "Oh my gosh, it's totally a match made in heaven!"

The women's girlish squealing was cut off by the front door suddenly opening, and a six-foot two-inch tall boy stepped inside. He was dressed in an all blue track suit decorated with white stripes, and he had on black combat boots to counter the cold weather. His chin-length black hair was the same shade as his mother's, but his blue-grey eyes looked just like his father's. He shook out his coat and hung it up before noticing both his mother and her friend sitting on the couch.

When Calem saw the all-too-familiar wicked grin on his mother's face, he was already irritated. "...Mom, what are you up to now?"

Caroline took offense to that, holding her hands up in the air. "Why must you always assume that I'm up to something?" She innocently batted her eyelashes at her recently-turned nineteen-year-old, whose birthday was just last week.

Calem simply rose an eyebrow at his mother. "Because you always are."

Caroline paused for a moment before shrugging to herself, turning back to face Grace. "...well, he's not wrong."

Calem shook his head and laughed before motioning to go up the stairs. However, Grace wasn't about to let him get away so easily.

"Oh, Calem, was it?" She innocently called out to him, successfully getting him to stop in his tracks. "My name is Grace Yvonne, and my kid and I just moved next door."

Calem's interest was immediately piqued at the mention of a new kid he had yet to meet living next door. "Oh, is that so?" He pretended not to be interested, but his mother knew him better than that. Caroline excitedly grinned to herself, knowing her son was hooked.

"Mmhmm." Grace nodded her head, trying to hide the wicked, match-making grin that was trying to creep up onto her face. "My daughter is right next door in the house to your right. If you would like to meet her, you can just walk right in." Grace threw the bait out there, hoping he would take it.

Caroline remembered something Grace had told her last night, and she decided to add on to the bait. "In fact, she's even one of the Dexholders you'll be traveling with on your journey this year."

The two women anxiously waited to see what his next move would be, and they tried not to squeal with delight when Calem turned and immediately walked back down the stairs and opened the front door. "Perhaps I'll just go introduce myself, then."

When the coast was clear and Calem had shut the door behind him, both women interlocked hands once again and started to jump up and down. "AHHHH! OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GET MARRIED AND WE'RE GOING TO BE FAMILY!!"

______________________________________________

Meanwhile...

"A diary, huh...?" Serena outstretched her hand and lifted the small, blank diary into her palm with her fingertips before flipping it open and grabbing a pen to write with. She bit down on her lip as she twirled the pen between her fingers. "I guess I could give this a shot..."

"December 18th, 2015. I suppose I just write whatever is on my mind in this stupid thing..." Serena began her first diary entry. "Well, here goes nothing..."

"One month ago, my father was murdered. I have had absolutely no closure with this, simply because I don't know who killed him or why, and not knowing is the worst burden to deal with of all. Last week, my mother got a call from her brother suggesting that we move back home to Kalos so we could all be one big family again. Last night, we moved into our new house in Vaniville Town, Kalos.

When I was little, my parents raised me in Lumiose City, Kalos. I was a born and raised city girl. My father was an inventor, and he even used to work for Kalos Technotics, the biggest technological industry in the Kalos region, which was later renamed Lysandre Labs. However, after developing the Holo Caster, he left the company for a better job opportunity in Kanto, so I moved to Pallet Town when I was six years old. I was just about to begin my journey as a Pokemon Trainer there before my mother decided to move back home closer to her brother.

Well, no more Rhyhorn racing for me. Both my mother and I used to Rhyhorn race for fun, although my mother actually became famous for it and is well-known as "Grace Sycamore, the Rhyhorn-racing beauty!" Although, she's a retired racer now, being a single mother and all. Although, money has never been a problem for us; we're fairly well-off thanks to both of my parents' careers. You could say that I will never have to want for anything for the rest of my life.

Although I lost my racing career and the opportunity to become a Pokemon Trainer when I moved back here to Kalos, my uncle gave me a job at his Pokemon Lab to make up for it. Now, I have been officially made his assistant and have been given both a Pokedex and a starter Pokemon.

You see, my uncle is Professor Sycamore, the lead Pokemon Professor of this region. He's always strongly believed in giving kids a chance at adventure, and he runs a program where every year he will give out three starter Pokemon and Pokedexes to three lucky wannabe-Trainers and give them the opportunity at an adventure. Although, this year, he's giving out five Pokedexes, including the one for myself. As his assistant, I am in charge of the other four Dexholders and must preside over them during their journey, and I am the main one of the five in charge of completing the Pokedex. Because of this, I am the main candidate to be considered for the position of becoming my uncle's successor.

He stopped by this morning to say hello and bring me a gift box filled with numerous items. I hadn't seen my uncle in twelve years, and he had already made time for a personal visit and spoiled me with gifts. For one, I was given a red Pokedex; he must have remembered that was my favorite color. There was also a bag filled with supplies, such as Pokeballs, potions, my new Trainer Card, and there was even a Pokeball with a Charmander inside. How my uncle found out the exact starter I was going to pick for my Kanto journey and got his hands on one, I have no idea. But it was a sweet gesture. Perhaps Professor Oak had something to do with it...

And now, later today, I am supposed to meet the other four Dexholders. However, I'm finding myself not really wanting to...

I am not a people person. All my life, no one has ever befriended me for any reason other than wanting to meet my famous relatives and connections, and you could say that has given me a fair amount of trust issues. Hell, the only real friend I've got is this imaginary, disembodied voice that has been visiting me in my dreams since I was six years old. Kind of weird that my imaginary friend stuck around with me for so long, but I guess that's just because I'm lonely. Everyone I've been exposed to has always been shallow and selfish, only trying to get close to me for their own personal gain. But what about me? How do they think I feel about being used like that? It's just not fair. It has never been fair..."

Serena set down her pen and closed the diary before setting it back down on her desk. "I guess I do feel a little better..." She stood up and crossed her room, stopping in front of her wardrobe.

It was about time she got dressed for the day. She did have to be at the meeting of the five Dexholders in one hour, after all.

She pulled out her favorite outfit and quickly got changed, standing in front of her mirror to check how she looked. She wore a deep red, high-waisted skirt with two pockets on the sides, and a black, sleeveless top. Her pale legs were mostly covered by black, thigh-high OTK socks, and her black, knee-high, lace-up boots. Her curly, honey-blonde hair was left down, and a red felt hat with white sunglasses resting on the brim of it was placed on top of her head. Serena blinked her stormy-grey eyes at her reflection before walking off, satisfied with her outfit.

Now, she just had to pack for the long journey that awaited her.

...although, there was something she had to do first.

Serena pulled out a Pokeball from her pocket, and she eyed it curiously for a moment before throwing it in front of her and releasing her starter Pokemon.

A white flash erupted from the Pokeball when it opened up, and when the light died down, an orange lizard-Pokemon was standing next to the empty capsule. Serena immediately recognized this breed as a Charmader.

The Charmander stretched his arms and yawned, squinting his teal eyes at the brightness adjustment. "Hey! I was napping in there!"

Serena rolled her eyes. "Get over it. I had to meet you at some point." She irritatingly rested her hands on her hips.

Charmander was about to retort when he suddenly froze, staring up at the weird, sassy, human girl before him. "Wait just a second, did you understand that?"

"No, I just sassed you back because I didn't understand that." Serena let the sarcasm roll off her tongue casually, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes again.

Charmander's jaw quickly crashed to the floor. "Wha-what!? Since when can humans understand us!?"

"They can't." Serena bitterly answered him, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's a rare gift that only a handful of people have. I'm just one of those people for reasons I don't quite understand myself."

Charmander blinked at her owlishly. "Oh. I knew that."

Serena scoffed, shaking her head. "No you didn't."

Charmander scowled at his new Trainer. "So, I take it you're my Trainer now?"

She nodded her head briskly. "Yes. My name is Serena Yvonne, and I am an eighteen-year-old girl aiming to become Kalos's Pokemon League Champion someday. Will you help me achieve that goal?" Serena stared down at her Charmander for a good minute, waiting for his response.

Charmader goofily saluted her, grinning like an idiot. "Yes, ma'am!"

She smiled softly to herself in amusement. "Good."

A gentle knock at Serena's door startled the young girl, and she wondered who it could be. Who would be knocking at her door right now? It couldn't be her mother, could it?

When she crossed her bedroom and opened the door, she quirked an eyebrow at the person standing before her. "...who are you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XD XD XD XD although the beginning chapter is different than the original version of TMSYCT, you can see that I kept some aspects from it, such as Serena and Calem's moms being old friends and extreme matchmakers.

For you old readers now getting a chance to read the new version, welcome back and I hope you enjoy this version much better than the last! I'm keeping the plot the same, but there are some differences, and I'm also breaking up the chapters more.

For those of you new readers, hello and welcome to this book! I hope you enjoy it :) I know you will if you're a fellow Kalosshipper!

Just as I promised, when I hit 1K followers, I did, in fact, bring the book back. Here is my celebratory gift to you to thank you all for your constant support!

Ground rules: do not, and I repeat do NOT comment on this story begging me to update. I hate those comments.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or its plot and characters.

Claimer: I own any changes to the plot, which is a LOT of this book XD and don't forget my OCs thrown in there occasionally!

Read, comment, vote, and enjoy ^-^