I'm craving for Kalosshipping right now (And wanting to write a oneshot), so I made a oneshot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Calem always had a relax composure to him, Serena noticed, as if nothing troubles him at all. She always wondered how she kept losing to the guy in a Pokémon Battle when he doesn't even seem to be trying - She hasn't seen him train his Pokémon at all, other than against the occasional trainers.

It really aggravated her.

She refused to believe that talent was all you needed to win - in anything. The effort you put in should also be a major factor to success as well.

She was confident in herself and in her Pokémon. Therefore, she refused to admit defeat until the day she was proven wrong - and she could assure you that that day will never come.

"You still upset?" Oh yeah, the object of her berate was still there even though their most recent Pokémon battle ended a while ago.

"No." Serena retorted like usual, arms crossed. Of course losing frustrated her, but she was stubborn like that, and will stay stubborn until the end.

Calem snickered, good-naturedly of course. He wouldn't want to really get on Serena's bad side. Been there, done that, never want to go back. "You're such a good sport... even though that was your, what, 98th loss? You almost reach one hundred."

"Shut up." The brunette snapped... well, snappily. She hated how he always seemed to get under her skin. And only him, Arceus dammit.

For once, she wanted to beat out other expressions from him other than those nonchalant ones - and those smirks. Those damn lopsided smiles that shows up whenever Calem finds something hilarious.

"Hm..." Said person hummed in thought. "When you get to one hundred, let's throw a party!"

Serena faced him with a look mixed with incredulity and offence. Who wouldn't after hearing that? "There you go with that arrogant confidence! Just watch, I'm going to beat the crap out of you next time! Just you watch!"

And there it was. That stupid lopsided smirk of his that drove Serena up the wall.

"I look forward to it. In the far distant future that is."

Ugh, Serena hated how he never got upset like she does. How the hell was he keeping that calm attitude after everything? He saved the freaking Kalos Region and became the Kalos Champion for Arceus sake!

Without making another comment - that would without a doubt lead to more agitation - Serena marched off to plan the next day's training schedule.

Serena plopped her behind onto a comfy looking rock - not that any other rock would look anymore comfier, it was just the closest one. Around her were various marks made by her Pokémon during training. There were burnt patches of grass, several craters, an uprooted tree, and small fire that she should probably put out sometime soon...

"I don't get it." She mumbled. Her Delphox looked at her questioningly while the rest of her Pokémon were back resting back in their pokeballs.

"Whenever you guys get stronger," Serena explained to her starter. "Calem's team is always stronger. It's like he's always a step ahead."

She sighed. "I don't want to admit it but he's a natural at bringing out his Pokémon's potential to the surface."

Delphox couldn't agree more. That Greninja of his always seemed to have new tricks up his sleeve whenever they fight. But now, the fox Pokémon realized that Serena was acting strange.

"Phox." The starter called, giving her trainer a look, as if telling her 'Don't look down on yourself.'

Serena shrugged in response, leaning forward with elbows propped against her knee. Her chin rested on her palms as she stared into the distance. "I feel like that my efforts are never good enough to catch up..."

Delphox gave her trainer a disapproving look. She knew Serena to be stubborn and hard working. She liked that about her. She never gave up on things that mattered to her, even if it was the end of the world - which almost happen just recently. There may be flaws, but Delphox was proud to have Serena as a trainer, as does everyone else on her team. And she wants to make that clear to her trainer.

"Del." The starter said again, moving closer to smack her trainer upside the head with her stick.

However, knowing her starter like that back of her hand, Serena smiled instead of complaining. "Thanks. But I wasn't going to give up, you know that I don't do things halfway right?"

Delphox let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

"I'm not going to give up until I show Calem up!"

"Del!" The Delphox barked an agreement.

"Hydro Cannon!"

Serena and Delphox perked up at the sudden, yet familiar voice, which was then followed a loud explosion. The trainer and Pokémon exchanged a curious look before making their way to see what was happening.

Making sure that she was hidden from the line of sight behind a tree, Serena peeped towards a clearing... or what became a clearing after several Pokémon-made disasters.

It was like her training area before, but it was larger in radius with more trees bulldozed down, and more... muddy. In the middle of it, illuminated by the hanging moon, stood an all-too familiar figure.

Serena had to pushed down her surprise to watch him and his starter perfecting a move that she was certain that she'd never saw him use in their battles. Just by the sound from earlier, it was definitely a power-packed move.

She started to frown, the thought of him holding back against her crossed her mind. That was something she would never forgive him for.

"No good." Calem hummed, a frown etched across his face to show his disastisfaction. "The accuracy still needs work."

His water starter nodded silently in agreement.

Calem enlarged one of his pokeballs and send out his Absol. "Okay, another mock battle. We'll get it down before dawn"

Absol looked over to Greninja, then at Calem, then at the trees behind him, then back to his trainer. "Sol."

Snap.

Calem immediately whirled around at the sound of a twig snap, his sense keen unlike how he usually was. His hands hovered over his other pokeballs just in case. "Who's there?"

In the shadows, he saw a dim light of fire followed by the appearance of Delphox - who looked too calm for one to think she was once a perky Fennekin. "... Delphox?"

The Pokémon nodded.

"Wait..." Calem started to connect the dots. "If you're here, then... where's Serena?"

Delphox pointed bluntly to the tree next to her.

"Uh... hey." Said person greeted sheepishly, peering out from the tree she was hiding while sending a discreet glare to her starter.

"What are you..." Calem blinked. "Shouldn't you be asleep back at the Pokémon Center? I mean, it's the middle of the night."

Serena huffed. "I could say the same to you. What are you..." Serena paused and observed the surrounding once more, then replayed the bit of conversation she overheard, and piece it together. "Are you training?"

"... No?"

Serena did not look convinced.

Their Pokémon looked like they rather stay out of the conversation and so, they did.

"Okay fine," Calem admitted defeat. "I was."

Silence fell between them. It took a moment for Serena to break it. "How long?"

"Sorry?"

"I mean, do you do this often? During the night?" Serena clarified, her curiosity peaked as she made her way to stand in front of Calem.

Now Calem looked uncomfortable as he nodded a yes. That was a new one on her.

Serena sighed as she plopped down on the ground and said suddenly, "I give up."

"What?"

"I mean," She started tracing randomly with her index finger on the ground. "I always thought that you don't put in effort in training your Pokémon. Sure you have the talent, but you're just so... unconcerned whether your Pokémon is strong or not."

Calem rolled his eyes. "Talent isn't everything."

"I know that much." She muttered. She just didn't think he, of all people, would put in effort into training - though that does explain his winning streak - but... "Why? Why are you training now? You're already acknowledged by the whole Kalos Region..."

"Um..." Calem looked around for anything that could avert the question. Of course, Serena knew his subtle quirks to catch what he was trying to do.

"Answer the question." She demanded sternly.

Calem stiffened, then sighed. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Well, remember that one time you got so angry at me that you threatened to toss me down from Lumiose Tower?"

Serena tapped a finger to her chin. "Not particularly, no..."

"... Seriously?" Calem gave his rival/neighbor/friend an incredulous look. It was that time that Calem knew to never cross the line when it came to Serena.

"Oh., wait" She looked at Calem, finally remembering. Though... it wasn't the best memory to be reminded of. "You mean when you purposely lost to me?"

The current Kalos Champion winced at her sharp tone coupled with the narrow glare. "Yeah. That one."

The Calem back then was quite different from the current one. He kept more to himself than he was now, but he was still nonchalant. The more noticeable difference was his attitude towards battling. It was something that was... nothing to be proud of.

He didn't see the point Pokémon battles, yet he still did the gym challenge because it was better than anything else. Then there was Serena, who was too stubborn to admit defeat and always challenged him to a battle to prove herself.

He found it annoying back then. It was to the point that after the gym in Coumarine, he had enough. He didn't see a point in her always battling him and always losing. So he thought that if he loses to her just once, she wouldn't bother him anymore.

He was so wrong.

He shivered at the remembrance. She flew him to Lumiose and hung him at the top of Lumiose Tower by the rope that day. She was scary enough that even his Pokémon didn't dare to save their trainer from certain death, lest they want to join him.

But that wasn't what changed his mind, it was what Serena said after he had questioned why she cared.

"We're friends." She simply answered while staring at the dangling boy with a disapproving scowl. "And friends are supposed to have fun together. You're not having fun."

"Of course I'm not! You're trying to kill me here!"

"... Would it kill you to at least smile?"

Calem rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, like I'm so looking forward to my death."

"That's not what I meant Cal."

"What are you -" He froze when he looked at the brunette. In all honesty, he had never seen Serena cried despite them traveling together. Not even once. She was stubborn, prideful, and energetic. Yet here she was, on the verge of tears.

It was not a good look, he thought.

"It's not fair... I try so hard every day but you always seem to be a step ahead! I admit that you're better than me, but it hurts my pride when you don't even try! And-and you're not even enjoying it as much as the rest of us are! Stupid, stupid Calem! Don't you know that I'm trying to catch up?! How can I catch up to where you are when you're not even putting in the effort against me?!"

"..." Calem was at a lost as to what to say, but he did feel guilty for making Serena cry when she shouldn't be.

Pidgeot was certainly panicking when her trainer just suddenly started an unusual fit. She looked back and forth between her trainer and Calem, before settling a glare on the latter as if telling him 'you did this. Fix it.'

"... sorry." Was all Calem could say.

He learned his lesson that day, and never thought of repeating it again. He also figured something else out that day. "That was partially the reason."

"... Partially?" Serena pointed out with a raised brow.

Calem nodded with a knowing smile. "Partially."

The brunette frowned, then - because of her inability to just ignore her curiosity - she asked again. "What's the other half?"

"Well," Calem started to grin. "You're just so fun to tease when you lose."

"WHAT?!" She bolted up.

He chuckled as he caught the fist that Serena intended to punch on with.

"YOU ARE SUCH A -" Before she could finish the insult, Calem abruptly pulled her closer to him.

"I was kidding, Sere."

"You better spit it out or I'll... I'll think of something." Serena narrowed her eyes, ignoring the gentle utterance of her nickname that made her heart beat faster than other times that he said it. "And let go, you're too close!"

Seeing the barely noticeable pink dusting her cheeks made Calem's electric blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "Nah."

The lopsided smile was taunting Serena even more. "Calem! This isn't funny!"

"Do you know?" He ignored Serena's blatant complaints and played with the hair that framed her face. "You're amazing."

"What are you talking about now Calem?" Serena huffed in annoyance, averting his gaze, though the deeper shade of pink on her cheeks betrayed her tone.

"Really amazing." He looked at his rival softly with a captivated gaze. "You always get back up on your feet after every lost and tries even harder next time. I admire that, so much that I feel afraid."

Serena blinked, she really couldn't keep up with Calem anymore. "... what?"

"Afraid of what will happen if I lose." His index finger and thumb tipped Serena's chin up so that she would meet his eyes that held a certain light to them. "The reason I train is so that you'll lose. That you'll keep chasing."

Her eyes could only widen.

His lopsided smile seemed different from the usual ones - in fact, he seemed different than usual - as he leaned closer and closer to her face with each passing second.

"It's because I want you to look at me, and only me."

I have something slightly different on my mind - like always - but it never turns out perfectly so yeah, sorry if it's bad.