"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are now beginning our descent into Lumiose City. Please adjust your seats and…"

All about the airplane, passengers started raising their seats and putting away their tray tables. Near the back of the plane, a fifteen-year-old boy in a red hat and a blue vest was still sleeping lightly, his head resting against the wall. While he stayed asleep through the announcement, the small, yellow, mouse-like creature on his lap did not, blinking and sitting up. He turned and looked upward at the sleeping boy, before climbing up his shirt and looking him in the face.

"Pikapi." He reached out and patted the boy's cheek several times, trying to rouse him. After a couple of seconds, the boy stirred and woke, his eyes opening to see his companion looking back at him.

"Ah… what is it, Pikachu?"

Pikachu pointed out the window in response, hopping back down onto the boy's lap. He leaned forward and glanced outside, grinning wide as he saw the plains and mountains of Kalos below. He watched their approach quietly, trying to identify as many landmarks as he could, each one bringing up a memory of the region that he hadn't been to in five years.

"Well, here we are again… another journey, and another shot at the Kalos League." He glanced down at the Pokémon on his lap. "You ready for another adventure, buddy?" Pikachu nodded in response, smiling, before turning and pressing his face against the window.

The boy turned away from the view, taking out his handheld Pokédex and turning it on. He scrolled through various screens until he found what he was looking for: Ash Ketchum, Pokémon League history. The device showed the record of what had happened on his last journey through Kalos: eight Gym badges collected, and a second-place finish in the Kalos League. The Pokédex had all of the badges greyed out, indicating that they were no longer valid after so many years. He'd have to start from the beginning all over again.

Ash put the device back into his pocket, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, smiling as he did so. He pictured himself standing in the middle of the Kalos League arena, hoisting a giant trophy over his head in triumph; he imagined himself being entered into the Kalos Hall of Fame with his team of Pokémon. He'd been dreaming of a second chance ever since his last journey here, and he didn't plan on losing again.

After landing in Lumiose City, Ash departed the plane with the other passengers and started walking through the terminal, looking for the baggage claim, with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. He couldn't help but grin as he took in a deep breath; there was something about Kalos that just made the air seem more clean and fresh than other regions, and almost floral. He decided to look it up sometime.

He walked down a flight of stairs and spied the baggage claim on the other end of the hall, making his way toward it, navigating the dense crowd of people traveling through the airport. As he moved to collect his bag, he felt a gentle tug on his pant leg, and a small voice.

"Xew! Xew!"

Ash stopped and glanced down, curious, finding himself looking at a short, gray-colored Pokémon with two green fins on his face like whiskers, and one on top of its head. He recognized the species immediately, kneeling down.

"An Axew? What are you doing here, outside of your ball?" The Axew raised its hands over its head, like a toddler wanting to be lifted up. Ash reached out and grasped it carefully, lifting it up and inspecting it carefully, not sure why this Pokémon had chosen him out of everyone in the entire crowd. Pikachu cocked his head as well, muttering curiously.

"Are you lost, little guy?" The Axew nodded in response, looking forlorn, and Ash gave it a reassuring smile in response. "Well don't worry, I'll find someone who can help. You'll be reunited with your owner in no time." He started walking off, still holding the Pokémon in his hands. He looked around for some sort of information booth, or someplace where he could have an announcement made, when he suddenly became aware of a loud voice, shouting in his direction and getting closer very quickly.

"You get your hands off my Axew, you kidnapper!" Ash jumped and turned around immediately, but didn't have time to get a single word out before he found himself being tackled to the ground; Pikachu yelped and flew off of his shoulder, knocked onto a nearby conveyor belt. Another pair of hands started grabbing at the Pokémon in his grasp, trying to wrench it away gently but forcefully, as Ash was still getting his bearings, the wind having been knocked out of him. Everyone around him immediately took a step back, not wanting to get caught in the fray.

"You think you can just take whatever lost Pokémon wanders across your path, you jerk?!"

"I wasn't kidnapping it!" Ash shot back, looking back up at his assailant. "I was just…" He trailed off as he got a closer look at the girl wrestling the Axew out of his hands, quickly recognizing the darker skin and the voluminous purple hair, despite how long it had been since he'd last seen it. "Iris? Is that you?"

"What?!" The girl's eyebrows raised, but her scowl was no less angry. "How do you know my name?!"

"Iris, it's me!" Ash quickly let go of the Axew, sitting up on his elbows. "Ash Ketchum! You remember me, don't you?"

Her eyes went wide as they roamed over his face; the years had matured both of their looks, but she was quickly able to identify some distinguishing features from long ago. Her angry glare instantly changed to a joyous smile. "No way! I don't believe it, it's been years!" She quickly hopped off of him, standing and reaching out a hand to help him up, which he graciously took. "Thanks for finding Axew for me. He got lost in the crowd as I was getting off my plane."

"Thanks for the friendly greeting." Ash dusted off the back of his vest, as Pikachu managed to make his way back over, climbing up Ash's side. The people standing around and watching went back to their own business.

"Well, you can't be too careful in a big city." Iris smiled up at him, having to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. While Ash had shot up like a weed over the past five years, Iris had not; he was at least half a foot taller than she was, and she only came up to his nose. "How have you been? What are you doing here in Kalos?"

"I'm taking another shot at the Kalos League," he replied, as Pikachu climbed into his arms; his Pokémon reached out toward Axew cheerfully, and the two shook hands, remembering each other well and happy to meet again.

"Another shot?" Iris responded, watching the two Pokémon interact. "You've been here before?"

Ash nodded. "Kalos is where I went after I left Unova. I've always wanted another chance to compete in it." He glanced back at Iris. "What about you? Are you challenging the League, too?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm not. I'm here to try and find as many Dragon-type Pokémon as I can." She grinned. "Besides, Gym Leaders aren't allowed to compete, anyway."

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean…"

"Yep!" Iris gestured toward herself proudly. "You're looking at the new Gym Leader of Opelucid City!"

"That's awesome!" He grinned wide, proud and happy to hear this news. "When did that happen?"

"Just over two years ago, when Drayden finally retired. I've left the Gym in the hands of some Academy students while I take a break." She smirked a bit. "They'd better not be letting me down."

"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for." He grinned back at her. "The two of us should battle sometime. I'd love to see how strong you've gotten!"

Her eyes lit up, excited. "How about right now?"

He smirked. "Sounds good to me. Let's go!"

Fifteen minutes later, both of them had grabbed their bags and left the airport, finding a Pokémon battle field in a nearby park. They stood on opposite sides of the field, staring each other down, energized; Pikachu was sitting on Ash's shoulder, while Axew had returned to his favorite perch, in Iris's hair.

"Hope you're ready for this, Ash!" Iris called out, holding a Poké Ball in her hand. "I've been waiting for this battle ever since I became a Gym Leader!"

"Well, I'm not holding back! Don't worry, you'll get a battle!"

She grinned, pleased, before hurling her Poké Ball out into the field. "Go, Excadrill!" As the ball landed, it opened up and released a bundle of red energy, which leaped out and formed the shape of a tall bipedal creature; it quickly turned solid, forming a black mole-like Pokémon with red features, and metal fins and claws on its head and hands. His eyes focused on the trainer in front of him, recognizing him more quickly than Iris had.

Ash nodded, having expected this; Excadrill had always been one of Iris's favorite Pokémon to use in battle. "Go on, Pikachu! You've got this!" Pikachu nodded, hopping off of Ash's shoulders and running onto the field, smirking and staring down his opponent, on all fours.

Iris's eyebrows raised. "Really, Ash? Five years later and you're still ignoring type advantages?"

"I'm not ignoring them!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu is just the only Pokémon I have with me!"

She sighed in response. "Well, don't expect us to go easy on you!" She looked down at her Pokémon, eager to begin. "Excadrill, use Metal Claw!"

"Drill!" Excadrill dashed forward, its claws gleaming in the sunlight, and it took a large swipe at Pikachu, who quickly backed away and just barely managed to dodge. He responded with a Thunderbolt aimed directly at his opponent.

"Ground!" Iris called out. Neither Ash nor Pikachu were sure what that meant, as Excadrill buried the metal points of its claws and head in the ground. The electricity passed right through the metal and into the ground, not damaging the Pokémon at all, though Ash and Pikachu were certainly shocked.

Iris grinned, pleased and growing confident already. "Now use Dig!" With its body already partway in the ground, Excadrill disappeared under the ground and out of sight almost in the blink of an eye, starting to tunnel through the earth. Pikachu's ears perked up, and he looked around carefully, wary of a sudden assault from underground.

Ash wasn't frazzled by this; he had dealt with plenty of digging Pokémon over the years, and he had devised an effective way of countering it. "Track it with Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

His Pokémon nodded, focusing, and moments later his tail had become as strong and rigid as iron. He started tapping his tail against the ground, regularly and repeatedly, taking careful note of how the ground felt underneath. After a couple of seconds, he felt the ground becoming more hollow and less dense, and he quickly leaped into the air just as his opponent popped out underneath him.

Excadrill looked around curiously, surprised that Pikachu wasn't where he expected him to be. Pikachu took advantage of his opponent's confusion, whirling around and smacking him square in the face with his Iron Tail. Excadrill was knocked to the ground, landing heavily, groaning a bit.

"Great job!" Ash called out, as his Pokémon landed back on the ground, cheeks sparking. Iris was briefly shocked at this turn of events, but quickly shook herself out of it, keeping her cool.

"We're not done yet!" she retorted, as Excadrill got back to his feet. "Fury Swipes!"

Her Pokémon nodded and dashed forward, swiping away at Pikachu with great speed, over and over. Pikachu was able to dodge, slowly backing away, but it took a lot of focus. Eventually he had an opening and leaped backward, giving himself a chance to breathe.

"Pikachu! Iron Tail in the air!" Ash called out. His Pokémon nodded, taking a large leap forward as his tail hardened again, ready for another solid blow. Iris smirked, having been prepared for this.

"Now! Focus Blast!" Excadrill stood up straight, holding its hands out in front of it, and in almost no time at all a blue ball of energy had formed in front of it. He grabbed it and flung it forward, managing to hit Pikachu with perfect aim, taking him by surprise and knocking him to the ground. Ash goggled, amazed that Excadrill could focus so quickly.

"Now finish it!" Iris followed up. "Tunnel Attack!"

Ash cocked his head curiously, not knowing what move she was referring to, as Pikachu started getting to his feet, looking around. Glancing upward, he saw Excadrill diving down at him, claws out; he had no time to react before Excadrill grabbed him with his claws and started digging, both Pokémon disappearing under the surface.

"No! Pikachu!" Ash could do nothing but watch, worried and waiting for the two combatants to resurface. Ten seconds later, Excadrill burst out of the ground, flinging a battered Pikachu into the air. Pikachu landed hard on the ground, rolling for a couple of seconds before coming to a rest and lying on his back; having been dragged headfirst through solid ground had not been a fun experience, and it had left him hopelessly dazed, unable to continue the fight.

Both trainers ran out onto the field, knowing full well that the battle was over. Ash kneeled down next to Pikachu and scooped him up carefully, looking him over to make sure he wasn't too hurt, while a joyful Iris threw her arms around her Excadrill, hugging it tightly.

"You did amazing, Excadrill!" she exclaimed, as her Pokémon beamed and carefully hugged back, not wanting to hurt her with his claws. On the other end of the field, Pikachu was starting to come around, looking up at his trainer with an apologetic look on his face.

Ash smiled down. "That wasn't your fault, Pikachu. You did a great job. They just took us by surprise." He walked forward toward the celebrating pair, starting to grin himself. "I can't believe how strong you two have gotten. That last move was a killer!"

"Thanks, Ash. It's something we thought up while we were in Johto, ages ago." Iris smiled back, standing up fully. "You'll have to do better than that if you want a Legend Badge from me."

He smirked back at her. "Don't you worry. The next time I come through Unova, things are going to go differently." He glanced down at the two Pokémon, as Pikachu tiredly extended his hand; Excadrill extended his as well, and the two shared a fist bump of respect.

"For now, I think we need to get to the Pokémon Center." He glanced up again. "Where are you going, Iris?"

"I didn't really have any plans," she responded. "I was just going to explore as much as I could, and find Dragon Pokémon along the way."

Ash smiled wide. "You could travel with me, if you wanted. It would be like old times."

"I thought you'd never ask." She beamed back at him, thrilled to be traveling with an old friend, before tapping the return button on Excadrill's Poké Ball, sending it back. "So where are we going first?"

"I've got some business here in Lumiose City." The pair started walking toward the park entrance.

"Oh yeah? Are you meeting someone else while you're here?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I just need to register for the League." He looked down a bit. "There is someone I'd like to see, but I don't know if she's even here…"

"She, huh?" Iris smirked knowingly. "Well, I hope you manage to find her." The two continued talking and catching up as they proceeded into downtown Lumiose City.

Far away from Ash and Iris, in the region of Sinnoh, a young teenage woman was frantically running around her hotel room, trying to get things packed while talking on her phone at the same time.

"…it's leaving in about three hours. I'll stay in Santalune City tonight and you'll see me tomorrow," she spoke distractedly, trying to figure out how to fold an ornate dress so it wouldn't wrinkle in a suitcase. "I'll be there a few days before I'm off again."

"That will be wonderful," an older female voice responded on the other end of the line. "Where will you be going first? They'll want to know."

"They? Who is they?" the girl responded, reaching out and folding her dress as best she could, holding her phone to her ear with her shoulder.

"The Showcase organizers, of course! They're excited to see you back in Kalos."

"They're excited to see me?" She tossed the half-folded dress into her suitcase, scouring her room for any missing clothes, locating a stray sock. "You're kidding me. I'm not Aria, I'm not Diantha…"

"Well, you've made a name for yourself, sweetie. You were nearly crowned queen, and then you've been all over the place in Hoenn, Kanto, Sinnoh, Galar… you're selling yourself short."

The girl was a bit flustered, glad that nobody was there to see her blush, as she walked back to her suitcase and tossed the sock in. "Well… tell them I'll be at the Coumarine City Showcase. After that, I'm playing it by ear." She kneeled down and quickly zipped her suitcase closed, lifting it upright and pulling out its handle. "I need to go, Mom. I have to catch my bus to the airport."

"Alright, have a safe flight. Love you, Serena."

"Love you too, Mom."

Serena smiled as she put her phone away, brushing her blond hair out of her face before reaching down and grasping a red-and-black hat, placing it on her head gently. Her heart raced excitedly at the prospect of returning to the region where she had grown up, and the Showcases that she had been preparing for over the past five years. She had barely missed her shot at becoming Kalos Queen the last time she competed, and she had every intention of earning the title this time around.

She grabbed her suitcase and rolled it along as she walked toward her hotel room door, stepping outside and making her way downstairs, eager to get on the bus that would take her home.

Author's note: this story is basically a challenge to myself to write my own season of Pokémon. You all can tell me if I'm hitting the appropriate tone and pacing. Thanks for reading!