A/N: Yes, yes, I know I should be focusing on my other fanfics as well, but my writing mojo for them is down and apparently only "Pokémon" can help raise it. So, here's this new chapter for you all! And don't worry, y'all, this one is where we really start to dive into the time-travel shenanigans. ENJOY!

The local Pokémon Center
Kiloude City

It was a chaotic day for the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy, her Wigglytuff, several assistants and their Pokémon, and even volunteers and their own Pokémon scrambled around the building, attending to the many injured Trainers and Pokémon. All of the television and computer screens were flashing live reports of the mysterious explosion in downtown Kiloude. The lobby was packed to the brim with people awaiting news on the conditions of their family members, friends, and/or Pokémon.

In the lobby, Grace paced around worriedly, with Fletchling perched on her shoulder, examining its Trainer with concern. Meanwhile, Shauna, Tierno, Miette, Calem, Layla, and Moose were watching the live news report on the nearest TV. As for Trevor, he was reviewing the photos he took at the scene of the explosion, hoping one of them caught something of substantial interest.

Suddenly, everyone in the lobby heard screeching tires, followed seconds later by the doors automatically sliding open; a group ran inside. Grace's eyes widened with relief when she saw the uninjured Serena, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie among them. She noticed some of them were carrying people or Pokémon.

"Serena!" the former Rhyhorn Racer cried, catching the attention of Shauna, Tierno, Miette, Calem, and Layla.

"Mom?!" Serena exclaimed in surprise as she was embraced in a tight hug.

"Shauna told me you and your friends went off into the forest! I'm so glad nothing happened to you in there!"

"W-We're fine, Mom." Then, the honey-blonde Performer glanced at one of the other members of the group, who Grace recognized as a Pokémon Ranger through the uniform. "You have no idea what we found there..."

"Is Nurse Joy here?!" Pokémon Ranger Summer shouted. "This is a big emergency!"

"I'm here, I'm here," the pink-haired nurse replied, struggling to hide her exhaustion as she trudged her way through the dense crowd. "Who needs medical attention?"

"Yes! This girl, first off." Summer handed Nurse Joy the unconscious young, black-haired girl tucked in her arms. "She's got bruises and cuts, and she fainted as soon as we got to her."

"Oh, you poor, poor thing! Well, these injuries look pretty minor, but looks can be deceiving. She's sure been through a lot, I can say that much. I'll have her checked right away. And is there anyone else?"

"Yes, there is, actually." Summer looked at Bonnie. "Bonnie, Pichu please..."

"Oh, yeah!" the little girl replied. After looking down momentarily at the unconscious and injured Pichu in her arms, she raised it towards Nurse Joy, whereupon the nurse motioned for one of her assistants to retrieve the Tiny Mouse Pokémon for her.

"Alright," Nurse Joy said. "We'll see to it that these two get looked at and treated if need be-"

"Actually, there's something else..." Summer interrupted. At that moment, the ranger started looking around nervously, as did Serena, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, and the black-haired couple that was with them. "And this is where we're gonna need to convene in private. It's, uh...it's very important no one else sees this..."

Nurse Joy blinked in surprise. "Y-Y-Yes, o-of course. My office is empty right now; we can continue our conversation in there."

"Perfect." Summer then looked at Ash. "Ash, I need you to give it to me, please."

Ash nodded silently before giving the Ranger an unknown object, wrapped in a dirty brown cloth. Grace raised a curious eyebrow at it, but she chose to remain silent about it. Summer and Nurse Joy promptly walked away, with the little girl still in the latter's arms. Once the two were gone, Shauna looked at Serena.

"Well? What happened in the forest, Serena?" the tan-skinned Performer asked. "Who was that girl? And what did you just give to that Pokémon Ranger, Ash?"

Serena, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie all looked at each other. Then, Serena looked back at her friendly rival.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Shauna," she replied.

"Try me."

Serena sighed briefly. "Well, we need to talk about it somewhere else. Somewhere private. I don't wanna risk anyone else listening in on this."

The Blue Suns Deluxe Hotel
Several minutes later

After a while, the group finally convened at a private corner, located directly outside the hotel lobby. Once everyone was assembled, Serena, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, and the black-haired couple were addressing the others.

"So what happened out there in the forest?" asked Miette.

"Did you guys find out what was causing those explosions?" Tierno asked.

"Well, uh...maybe..." Ash replied, sounding unsure of himself.

"What do you mean by 'maybe'?" Shauna asked.

"We're not really sure if we found the cause," Serena replied, speaking for Ash. "We'll definitely find out more when Summer calls us back to the Pokémon Center."

"So...what did happen in the forest...?"

At that moment, one of the strangers with Serena, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie stepped forward. He was a young man with black hair and brown eyes, who wore small rectangular glasses, a white long-sleeved shirt with a Gengar symbol, a thick olive-green-and-black waistcoat, tan pants, a red scarf, and a large brown handbag.

"Well, first off, we found the girl and that Pichu of hers," he said. "My name's Yuu, by the way." He pointed towards his female companion, a young woman with chin-length black hair and blue eyes, who wore a pale-green jacket, an orange skirt, an orange beret, a red scarf, and a brown purse. "This is my girl- I mean, my wife Ami. We were exploring on a trail when we found that girl lying in the middle of the forest, asleep."

"When we woke her up," explained the woman, Ami, "she was scared and didn't want to come with us. So we stayed and Yuu had help come to us."

"That's where we came in," Bonnie piped up.

"So that's it?" Miette asked.

"You just found a girl there?" added Tierno, who was equally confused.

"Well, that's not all," Ash replied. "That girl, she had a..." He looked around first to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "She had a Celebi with her."

The local Pokémon Center

At the same time as Ash made that revelation, Summer was unwrapping the cloth of the bundle she was carrying, all the while standing inside the solitary confines of Nurse Joy's office. Indeed, it revealed a Celebi, who was unconscious and even more badly injured than the girl Nurse Joy was carrying.

"Oh, my goodness!" Nurse Joy exclaimed in shock and surprise. "I-Is that a-?"

"Yes, it is, Nurse Joy," Summer interrupted, looking down gravely at the Time Travel Pokémon. "It's definitely a Celebi."

Nurse Joy looked down at the unconscious girl. "You found it with this girl in the middle of Kiloude Forest?" she asked.

"That's correct."

The pink-haired nurse's eyes widened as she came to a startling conclusion. "D'you think this girl may have come from a different time period, then?"

"Possibly. The implications are definitely there. But we can't preoccupy ourselves with these assumptions. I need you to heal both this girl and this Celebi ASAP. We'll find out more afterward."

"Wigglytuff and I will get it done immediately." Then, Nurse Joy thought about it for a quick moment before asking, "D'you also think this could be why we've been having all those reports of loud noises lately? Why this strange explosion happened?"

"Quite possibly. This is all way too coincidental." At that moment, Wigglytuff stepped into the office, and Summer handed Celebi over to the Balloon Pokémon. "Way too coincidental indeed."

Several minutes later

A determined Serena led the way as her group reentered the Pokémon Center. She was relieved when Summer called her on the Holo Caster she gave her, informing her that Nurse Joy found no significant injuries on the girl she found, and that the girl was now up and asking for them. She was also relieved that her family and other friends, her mother especially, didn't freak out too much at Ash's revelation that a Celebi was found with the girl. After all, she definitely didn't want anyone like Team Rocket overhearing this and getting any ideas.

"MOMMY!"

"M-Mo-Mommy...?"

"Uh...ugh..."

Serena's eyes softened as soon as she remembered her first (and so far only) conversation with the strange girl, who had collapsed soon after. Her mind was still reeling from what had happened in the forest. The girl sounded so confident that she was her mother, and yet, it was impossible for that to happen. Serena knew she would've had to be at a young age if she gave birth to that girl. And yet...why did she feel so responsible for that girl's well-being now...?

"Whatever the answer is," Serena thought conclusively, "I will find out pretty soon. If that girl wants to talk, then we'll talk."

After edging her way through the crowd, Serena approached the front desk, where she found an overwhelmed secretary sitting at.

"Name, please?" the saggy-eyed woman croaked with exhaustion.

"Serena Gabena," the honey-blonde replied. "Pokémon Ranger Summer said we'd be coming."

"Oh, yes, yes, yes. They're in Room 6."

"Thank you."

Serena and the others proceeded further down the hallway to the right of the desk. It took just a few seconds for Bonnie to find Room 6, where they found Summer and Nurse Joy standing by the doorway. They were talking about something, though they couldn't tell what.

"Oh, there you guys are," Summer greeted upon spotting them. Then, she noticed Grace, Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, Miette, Calem, Layla, and Moose. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, who are they?"

"Friends and family," Serena replied. "We told them everything."

However, Summer still looked suspicious. "Can they be trusted?"

"Miss, I'm her mother," Grace suddenly said, a bitter frown forming on her face. "I've raised Serena for seventeen years, and I'll admit that we've had a bit of a difficult relationship. But we're starting to get along pretty well, so if she tells me something as important as this, then yeah, I think she trusts me. So don't you dare think otherwise."

"Okay, okay, jeez!" Summer crossed her arms, looking offended. "I was just checking."

Then, the Ranger and Nurse Joy escorted the group inside the room, with Yuu and Ami electing to stay behind. Serena looked towards the bed and saw the same girl lying in it. Upon closer inspection, she can definitely see both herself and Ash in that girl. She had her skin and eyes, but she also had Ash's hair color. The way she was eating her cereal and milk also reminded her of Ash. It would've been some crazy coincidence if that girl wasn't her daughter, then.

"Hi, there," Serena greeted.

"Hi, Mommy!" the girl chirped, her sapphire-blue eyes lighting up considerably. At the corner of her eye, Serena could see Grace, Layla, Moose, and even Calem tense up; she immediately remembered that she left out the detail of the girl calling her 'Mommy'.

It also confirmed something: the girl definitely wasn't mistaken when she called her her mother.

"Wh-What's your name?"

"Selene. Don't worry, Mommy, you'll learn it later on."

Serena looked at Summer, who said, "I told her today's date. She's...pretty insistent she came from the future."

"Yep, and now that you're all here, everything's gonna be a whole lot better!" the girl exclaimed optimistically. Even her smile reminded Serena of Ash's.

"Why's that?" Clemont asked, confused.

"Well, if I was in another time, then I'd be in big trouble because you all wouldn't be here. Then I'd be all alone and I wouldn't know what to do." Selene suddenly hiccuped a little, and she wiped her lips of the milk coating it. "You should know that, Uncle Clemont! I thought you were smart!"

"I-I am smart!"

"Yeah, smart enough to make inventions that explode and give us bad hairdos," Bonnie deadpanned.

"Nenene..." Dedenne added.

"Uncle Clemont doesn't make exploding inventions," Selene suddenly replied, looking confused at Bonnie's criticism. "He's the best inventor in the whole wide world. He makes lots of cool stuff. He doesn't make anything that explodes and gives you bad hairdos."

Clemont blushed, but he proudly adjusted his glasses and said, "Thank you very much, uh, Selene." He then glared at Bonnie with a smug expression. "Why can't you be this supportive of me, Bonnie?"

"So is it true that you came from the future?" Bonnie asked, having completely ignored her older brother now. Presently, she was approaching Selene's bedside and examining the girl thoroughly.

"Uh-huh," Selene replied, nodding.

"Pffft, no way."

"Yes way!"

"Okay, prove it," Miette suddenly said, her arms crossed. "What kind of Pokémon do I have?"

"You have Slurpuff, Meowstic, and Togetic, Auntie Miette!" Selene replied confidently.

"A-Au-Auntie Miette, huh...?" The surprised blue-haired Performer couldn't help but swoon a little at the title. However, Serena looked at her curiously.

"But you don't have a Togetic, Miette..." the honey-blonde said.

"Actually, I do!" Miette pulled out a Poké Ball. "I caught it last week, after the Master Class!"

"Wow, amazing," Clemont replied, awestruck. "She identified all three of your Pokémon spot-on..."

"Eh, it's probably just a lucky guess," Bonnie said; the blonde girl seemed unconvinced, for she was frowning with suspicion. "Okay, Selene, tell me, what kind of Pokémon do I have?"

"You have Dedenne, Blastoise, Tyrantrum, Skiddo, and Klefki," replied Selene, her voice never failing to miss a beat.

Bonnie suddenly made a buzzer noise. "Wrong! I don't have any of those Pokémon! You just saw Dedenne and then made the rest up! You're just a fibber!"

"Dedenne!" Dedenne squeaked.

Selene frowned sadly. "I'm not fibbing! You'll have those Pokémon later on, Auntie Bonnie!"

"Yeah, right. And I'm not your auntie. I'm only old enough to be your sister."

"Well, you're my Auntie Bonnie, Auntie Bonnie." At that moment, Selene remembered something crucial. "Oh, right, I forgot someone! You have Squishy!"

...

"Come again?" asked Bonnie.

"Yeah, Squishy! Did you meet him yet? He's a little green Pokémon with a little red center, very squishy-"

"I know who Squishy is!"

Upon hearing Bonnie's outburst, Squishy poked its head out of her satchel and looked at Selene with a surprised expression. Selene, in turn, smiled widely at the sight of the mysterious green Pokémon.

"Hi, Squishy!" she exclaimed. Then, without warning, she took Squishy and started rubbing its stomach, causing it to laugh. "Ohhhhh, you're so squishy as always! So cute!"

"H-HEY!" Bonnie screamed, taking Squishy from the other girl's hands. "Don't you DARE lay your hands on Squishy! Squishy's very sensitive to other people! Only I get to touch Squishy like that!"

"B-But you always let me touch him, Auntie Bonnie-"

"Well, you're never touching him again! Never, ever, FOREVER!"

"Bonnie!" Clemont snapped. "That's not very nice!"

Bonnie looked at her brother defiantly. "But she touched Squishy without asking!"

"Then she'll apologize," Serena suddenly said, looking at Selene. "Won't you, Selene?"

Realizing what she had done, Selene looked at Bonnie, bowed her head, and said, "I'm sorry, Auntie Bonnie."

In response, Bonnie's frown became more pronounced, and she looked away. "I still don't think you're from the future," she replied stubbornly. "You made a lucky guess."

"Nene..." Dedenne said, even though it was addressing its unofficial owner instead.

"Well, I'm pretty convinced," Ash said, looking at Selene and smiling at her. "You got all of Miette's Pokémon right, you knew that Bonnie would have Squishy, you knew who Squishy was, and we've never met you before, so you couldn't have just figured it out on your own. Not to mention you had a Celebi with you. The only explanation for all of that is that you had to have come from the future!"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Sounds pretty reasonable to me," Shauna replied.

"Yeah, same here," Tierno added.

"Wow, a time-traveler!" Trevor exclaimed excitedly, as he hurriedly procured his camera. "This reminds me, I probably should take a picture of you! I mean, you don't come across a time-traveler every day on your Pokémon journey!"

Selene smiled just in time for the amateur photographer to take his desired picture. As Trevor examined his handiwork, Serena pulled a chair and sat down beside the little girl.

"So you really are from the future, huh?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Selene replied, nodding vigorously. "And you're my mommy! Or, well, you'll be my mommy."

"I, uh...I see. So..." Serena started to blush, and her heart raced with anticipation. "If I'm your mommy, then who's your daddy?"

Selene's smile widened even more with excitement, and she opened her mouth, but before she could say anything...

"We can't focus on that right now," Summer suddenly interrupted. "We need to know how you got to this timeline with a Celebi in your hand. This could be the answer to everything that's been happening around here."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course..." Serena replied forlornly. She looked back at Selene and asked, "So, Selene, how did you and Celebi get here?"

Selene blinked and tilted her head slightly with confusion. "You want me to tell you everything?" she asked.

"Yes, everything." Serena smiled sweetly and placed a hand on her apparent daughter's own hand. "Just start from the beginning."

The black-haired girl nodded, her smile widening sweetly. "Okay!"

Twenty years in the future...

In the skies of Kiloude City

Selene stared out of the window and smiled widely at the sight of Kiloude City. She felt her beloved Pichu scrambling onto her left shoulder so she could share the view. The Tiny Mouse Pokémon's left ear, adorned with three spiky tufts of fur at the tip, twitched a little with excitement and anticipation.

"Look, Auntie Bonnie, it's Kiloude City!" the seven-year-old girl exclaimed.

"Pichu pichu!" Pichu squeaked happily.

"Yes, Selene honey," the young blonde woman replied, smiling. "That's Kiloude City all right."

Sitting beside Selene was her honorary aunt Bonnie, as well as Bonnie's twin daughters Allie and Maddie. Identical twins, Allie and Maddie looked just like their mother when she was their age, except Maddie's side-ponytail and button-shaped hairpin were on the right side instead of the left just like Allie and Bonnie's hairstyles. Or was it Allie's hair that was a mirror of Maddie and Bonnie's? Barely anyone could tell, not even their poor father and uncle. The only ones who could tell were Bonnie and Selene themselves, and unsurprisingly, they didn't bother to let anyone else in on their secret.

"We will be landing at the private helipad in about ten minutes, Miss Bonnie," the helicopter pilot announced from the cockpit, which was in plain view of the passenger seats.

"Oh, excellent!" replied Bonnie cheerfully. "Thank you so much for the ride, Clara!"

"Nenene!" Dedenne squeaked from its perch on Bonnie's right shoulder.

"Well, Ms. Gabena did pay for this and is helping me out with my mom's medical bills, so naturally I had to agree."

The woman then resumed her focus on the skies ahead. Meanwhile, Selene, Pichu, Allie, and Maddie were still examining the magnificent sight of Kiloude City below. Their eyes were all as wide as saucers.

"Mommy?" Allie (or Maddie?) eventually asked.

"Yes, Allie?" replied Bonnie, confirming the twin's identity in the process.

The blonde girl's head was tilted in an adorably curious angle. "Is it true that everyone in Kiloude City is kind, sweet, and exquisite?"

The woman smiled. "What makes you say that, sweetie?"

"We keep hearing people say it on TV," replied Maddie. "Especially Auntie Aria."

"Well, it's definitely true. After all, your Auntie Aria's from there, and she's one of the kindest, sweetest, and most exquisite people I've ever known. There's no doubt about it."

"I guess..."

Then, Selene looked at her honorary aunt. "I hope big sis Yancy wins the Showcase," she remarked hopefully.

Bonnie chuckled and patted her head. "Oh, I know she's gonna win this, Selene! I just know it! Just have faith."

Battle Maison, Kiloude City

As soon as she felt her private helicopter touch the higher-level helipad, Selene, Allie, and Maddie immediately unbuckled their seatbelts, and Selene slid her side-door open. Once it was fully open, the three girls hopped out without a second thought, followed by Dedenne. Once she got a few feet away, Selene began spinning around with her arms raised as she absorbed the sights and sounds of Kiloude City's rooftops. She could hear all of the paparazzi reporters on the street level below her, frantically scrambling to take pictures of the arriving helicopter.

"This is so awesome, Pichu!" Selene cried, laughing with anticipation as she put on her beloved straw hat. "I've never been to Kiloude City before! And it looks so PRETTY!"

"Pichu pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked in agreement.

"Look at the Battle Maison!" squealed Maddie (or Allie?) as she pointed towards the aforementioned building. "It looks just like a castle! I'd love to live there!"

Allie (or Maddie?) immediately turned towards her mother, who was approaching the trio of excitable girls at a fast pace while their private helicopter was now taking off.

"How come we've never been here before, Mommy?" the twin asked.

"Well, I was hoping to save this visit as a special occasion!" Bonnie replied honestly, as Dedenne scurried back onto her shoulder. She then held out her hands, all the while wearing an optimistic grin. "Come on, girls! Yancy's waiting!"

Selene quickly took Bonnie's right hand, while Allie (or Maddie?) took her mother's unoccupied one, and as for Maddie (or Allie, who knows?), she took her twin sister's unoccupied hand. With that, the woman escorted them into one of the Battle Maison's notable castle towers. They walked down a few hallways, which Selene didn't bother to keep track of because she and Pichu were busy admiring the medieval-style portraits of people from long ago. Eventually, she spotted and recognized a portrait of Sir Aaron and his trusty Lucario, but before she could point it out to her aunt, Bonnie had already spotted someone.

"Shauna!" she called.

Selene looked down the same direction as her aunt and saw none other than her Auntie Shauna.

"Hi, Bonnie!" Shauna replied, running up to the duo and grabbing Bonnie's shoulders. "You made it just in time!"

"Well, I wouldn't miss it for the world," Bonnie said.

"Hi, Auntie Shauna!" chirped Selene, Allie, and Maddie, all at once.

"Pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked as a greeting.

"Dedenne!" Dedenne squeaked.

"Hi, girls, Pichu, Dedenne!" Shauna knelt down and patted Selene's head, much to her pleasure. "Here to watch your sister compete in the Master Class?"

"Yep!" Selene raised a determined fist. "And I know she's gonna win it for sure!"

"Pichu pichu-pi!" squealed Pichu.

"Well, I don't know about that." A crafty glint appeared in Shauna's eye. "I think Savannah's got what it takes to outpace her..."

Bonnie scoffed jokingly. "If only Serena were here right now to see you needlessly brag, Shauna," she replied. "So, who else is here right now?"

"Everyone, actually. You guys are one of the last ones to arrive. They're all in the VIP booth. Come, I'll take you there!"

Shauna stood up and led the others further down the hallway. After a minute, they entered a high-end mezzanine, which overlooked the lobby. Looking towards the ground floor, Selene could see Pokémon Performers signing up for the Showcase, with their Pokémon loyally standing beside them. Some of them looked determined and excited, others looked worried and ambivalent. In addition to those Performers, Selene could also see other people, most likely guests accompanying the Performers, such as family members and good friends.

Several seconds later, Shauna led the group into another hallway, and they passed a few doors before stopping at one marked 'VIP ACCESS ONLY. DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION.' Shauna opened this door, and the trio stepped into a large booth overlooking the entire Showcase Theater. There were already over a dozen other people present, all of whom Selene recognized all too well. However, she was only focused on one.

"Yancy, Yancy, Yancy!" she cried excitedly, breaking away from Bonnie, who didn't notice as she greeted the other guests.

The girl in question twirled around and smiled upon seeing her younger sister. She was a teenager with chin-length pink hair and crystal-blue eyes that would remind anyone of the ocean on a clear, sunny day, or something pretty mystical. She wore a short-sleeved white shirt, a long-sleeved baby-blue dress, a white panama hat with a hot-pink bow, and a hot-pink satchel. This was the person Selene looked up to the most, outside of her parents.

"Hi, Selene!" Yancy replied as she embraced the seven-year-old girl in a tight hug. "Oh, it's been a while!"

"I missed you, big sis Yancy!" Selene then broke the hug and looked around. "Where's Reddy?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Red's not gonna make it. His flight out of Sinnoh got delayed." However, the teenage girl smiled brightly and optimistically. "But he said he'd be watching on TV."

However, Selene puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "He's probably just smooching Platinum again."

The girl stuck out her tongue in disgust, prompting Yancy to reply, "Oh, come on, Selene. Platinum's very nice when you get to know her."

"She's weird and mean, and she beats Reddy up all the time!"

Yancy stifled a laugh. "That's 'cause she's a tsundere, Selene!"

"A tsu...tsun...tsunny...what?"

"I'll tell you all about it when you're older."

"O-Okay..."

"So, uh, Mom and Dad are gonna be late for the Showcase?" At those words, Yancy looked around the VIP booth, as if expecting to see her parents pop up at any moment.

"Yeah. I wish they were already here, though. This is all so exciting!" Then, Selene's sapphire-blue eyes widened. "Oh, I just remembered!" She took the backpack she had been wearing for a while, zipped it open, and pulled out something. "Pichu and I made this for you!"

She showed the obscured object to Yancy; it was a crudely-drawn sketch of the pink-haired teenager becoming Kalos Queen, decorated with Pichu's paw-prints. Despite the sub-par quality of the drawing, Yancy smiled lovingly and hugged Selene again.

"Thank you so much, Selene," she said. "This is the good-luck charm I needed."

"You're welcome!" Selene replied, smiling from cheek to cheek.

"Pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked in agreement. Then, as Selene parted from her sister again, she hopped off of her unofficial owner's shoulder and looked at Yancy again. "Piiiii-CHUUUUU!"

Without warning, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon unleashed a weak Thunder Shock upon Yancy, electrocuting her.

"A-A-A-A-A-G-G-G-G-G-H-H-H-H-H!" the pink-haired girl squealed, her jaws chattering from the volts of electricity.

Once Pichu was done, Selene smiled obliviously and proclaimed, "And that's Pichu's own good-luck charm! So now you have two good-luck charms, big sis Yancy!"

Everyone else laughed, even Yancy as she shrugged off the minor but still effective shock she received.

"Selene, Selene!" a young voice called out simultaneously. Selene looked beside Yancy's leg and saw a boy around her age running towards her.

"Elio!" Selene exclaimed happily.

The boy immediately tackled her in a tight hug, which Selene reciprocated.

"It's so good to see you again, Selene!" Elio cried.

"I missed you too!" Selene replied.

"What about us, Elio?" Allie or Maddie asked.

"Did you miss us too, Elio?" Maddie or Allie asked.

Elio chuckled and replied, "Of course I missed you guys too!"

"Oh, come on, Elio," Shauna suddenly said as the tan-skinned woman rolled her eyes. "You guys all talked to each other on the phone yesterday!"

"But we haven't seen each other since Christmas!" Elio exclaimed, puffing his cheeks out in an adorable pout. "And Daddy's always so busy!"

"Well, you know your Daddy's job," Shauna replied, smiling. "He's a researcher; he's got lots of work to do."

Meanwhile, it was Bonnie's turn to greet Yancy. "It's so good to see you in person again, Yancy!" the woman greeted. "How's my favorite niece in the whole wide world?"

"I'm alright, Auntie Bonnie..." Yancy replied bashfully as she returned the hug.

"Uhhhhh...hello, Auntie Bonnie?" Selene said, sweat-dropping as she tugged desperately at Bonnie's pants. "I'm right here, you know..."

"Oh, don't worry, Yancy." Bonnie smiled and picked up the young girl. "You're my favorite niece as well." Then, her smile became crafty as she redirected her focus on Yancy. "By the way, Yancy...did you confess to him yet...?"

Yancy's face became as pink as her hair. "W-Wh-Wh-Wha?!" she stuttered.

"Yeah, big sis Yancy," Selene piped up. She looked up at her older sister with a crafty expression of her own. "Did you tell Natey yet?"

Yancy's face became redder and redder with every second, and she struggled to form words. "I-I-I... I-I... I, uh, I-"

"Tell me what?"

A group of Trainers approached Selene, Yancy, Bonnie, and the twins. Selene was quick to recognize them as Yancy's friends: twins Nate and Rosa Gray, Nate's rival Hugh, Allie and Maddie's older cousins Dash and Finn, Shauna's daughter Savannah, Millefeui, siblings Benji and Nali, siblings Mackenzie and Tyler, Constance, and Lane. Yancy's face reached its reddest point as soon as she laid her eyes on Nate.

"N-N-Nothing, N-Nate!" the pink-haired Performer stuttered, as the brown-haired teenage Trainer looked on at her.

"She loves y-" Selene began, but Yancy covered her mouth before she could complete the sentence.

"She meant to say she loves Showcases so much, that's all!"

"Oh!" Nate replied. Then, he smiled and raised a determined fist. "Well, when you grow up, I'm sure you'll be a great Performer, Selene! Just like your sister!"

Yancy blushed at the praise, while Selene gave her sister a dissatisfied look as she replied, "Thanks, I guess..."

Unbeknownst to Nate, literally everyone else in the group was giving Yancy the same dissatisfied look. Bonnie couldn't believe it was just like twenty years ago: Serena's crush on Ash was just as obvious, and yet everyone BUT the subject of that crush caught on to it almost immediately. Really, what were the odds of that being transferred over to the next generation?

"What's this I hear about loving Showcases so much?" a new voice asked curiously.

An older Clemont approached the group, followed by Grace, Meyer, Tierno, Trevor, Calem, Miette, Sawyer, and Nini.

"I-I-It's nothing, Uncle Clemont!" Yancy exclaimed, waving her hands in dismissal.

"Oh, really...?" Miette replied, a familiar twinkle present in her eye. "It doesn't sound like nothing, Yancy. You know, Millefeui and your Aunt Bonnie have been telling me some interesting stories..."

"Oh, they're interesting alright, Mom!" Millefeui said, the twinkle in her eye matching that of her mother's.

"THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON, AUNTIE MIETTE!" Yancy shrieked so loudly that her voice cracked.

"Ah, just like the good ole days..." Shauna remarked, chuckling alongside the others.

Before Yancy could retort, the door to the VIP booth opened, and a redheaded woman stuck her head into the room.

"Yancy, Rosa, Savannah, Millefeui, Nali, and Mackenzie?" she asked.

"That's us," Rosa replied.

"The Master Class Showcase is about to begin in 30 minutes. You are to report to the dressing booth."

"Alright!" Bonnie exclaimed. "It begins!"

"Yeah!" Yancy replied, forgetting all about the teasing and looking at Rosa, Savannah, Millefeui, Nali, and Mackenzie. "May the best Performer win, girls!"

"May the best Performer win!" the others replied all at once.

While Rosa had one last exchange with Nate and Hugh, as did Savannah, Millefeui, Nali, and Mackenzie with their respective parents, Yancy took a deep breath out of nervousness. Then, she instinctively knelt down so she could be at the same level as Selene.

"Wish me luck," the pink-haired girl said as she ruffled her younger sister's hair.

"Huh?" Selene tilted her head curiously. "Pichu and I already gave you two good-luck charms."

Yancy giggled. "Then I'm gonna need a third one. Third time's the charm, after all."

"Oh. Okay!" Selene kissed her older sister in the cheek. "Good luck, big sis Yancy!"

"Pichu pichu!" Pichu squeaked in support.

Yancy giggled even more and hugged Selene. "Ohhhhh, sometimes I wish you'll never grow up!" she squealed.

"Huh...?" Selene replied obliviously, tilting her head adorably yet again. However, Yancy did not pursue the matter any further, for she just noticed Nate approaching their position.

"N-N-Nate!" Yancy exclaimed, standing up, her face pink again.

"I just wanted to wish you the best of luck, Yancy!" Nate replied, flashing his pink-haired friend a confident, optimistic smile, as well as a thumbs-up. "I know you'll do just great out there!"

Yancy's face became redder. "Th-Th-Tha-Thank you, N-N-Na-Na-Nate..."

"Wow, Nate," Rosa piped up, smirking teasingly at her twin brother. "Aren't you gonna wish me the best of luck?"

Nate sighed and frowned in annoyance. "Of course, Rosa," he replied. "I just wished you luck a few seconds ago. Aren't you supposed to be on your way to the dressing booth or something?"

Rosa rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, of course..."

She then followed Savannah, Millefeui, Nali, and Mackenzie out of the VIP booth. Yancy prepared to follow them when Selene got an idea and tugged at her older sister's skirt.

"Big sis Yancy?" she asked.

"Yes, Selene?" Yancy replied, looking down at the girl.

"Can I go with you into the dressing booth?"

The teenager blinked. "How come?"

"I wanna know what it looks like!"

"Yeah, I wanna know too, I wanna know too!" squeaked Allie or Maddie.

"Me too, me too!" Maddie or Allie added.

"Come on, big sis Yancy, pretty please!" Selene pleaded.

"Pichu pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked in agreement.

"Dedenne!" Dedenne also squeaked. Both rodent Pokémon had the most adorable pleading expressions ever on their faces.

"Oh, I'm sorry, girls," Yancy replied. "Those are authorized for Pokémon Performers only. Maybe when you guys become Performers someday, then you'll know what a Showcase dressing room looks like." Yancy patted her sister for one last time. "I gotta go now, Selene. I can't afford to be late for the Showcase. I'll see you on the stage!"

She gave her younger sister one last grin before hugging Bonnie and then rushing out of the VIP booth, prompting the rest of the group to divide into smaller groups and engage in their own conversations. As for Selene, she watched after her older sister with a glum expression, as did Allie and Maddie; the three girls really wanted to see all the action up-close and personal, not to mention she wanted to interact with her sister and idol more. Sensing her sadness and disappointment, Nate knelt down and patted the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Selene," he said kindly. "It's just as Yancy said. You'll get to see everything a Performer does one day, when you're older."

"Awww." Selene huffed in dissatisfaction and kicked at the floor a little. "I hate being little. I wanna have my own Pokémon and be a Pokémon Performer now!"

Nate chuckled and looked out of the booth window in reminiscence. "Ahhhhh, I remember saying the same thing when I was your age. I couldn't wait to become a Pokémon Trainer."

"You got that right," Hugh said, chuckling from the sidelines. "You kept moaning and griping about it for years!"

"Heh heh heh. Yeah, I guess I can't argue with those feelings." Then, Nate stood up. "But I know something that'll keep you preoccupied."

Selene looked up at him. "And what's that, Natey?"

"Well, it all depends." Nate gave her the same optimistic, confident grin. "What kind of ice cream flavor do you like the most?"

"YUMMY!"

"PICHU!"

Selene, Elio, Allie, and Maddie all rejoiced as they licked their ice-cream cones at a table in the middle of the Battle Maison food court. Allie and Maddie both ordered orange sherbet (since it reminded them of Dedenne, obviously), Elio ordered rocky-road, and Selene ordered vanilla. Accompanying them were Pichu, Dedenne, Nate, Hugh, Finn, Constance, and Lane; the Trainers bought their own ice-cream cones.

"Thank you for ordering us ice cream, Natey!" Selene chirped ceremoniously before taking a large, ravenous bite out of one of her ice-cream scoops.

"Pichu-pi!" added Pichu.

"You're very welcome, Selene," Nate replied as he ruffled her hair. He then took a lick of his ice cream, which happened to be a vanilla-and-chocolate mix.

"You know," Hugh piped up, "it's a shame Ash won't be here in another few minutes." He clenched his unoccupied fist. "I'd really like to battle him and Greninja, show him how far Samurott and I have gotten."

"You wanna battle him now?" asked Finn, confused at such an admission. "But we're not in Lumiose City. And how many Symbols do you have again, Hugh?"

"I know, I know, I'm still working on my fourth." Hugh then took out a Poké Ball and stared deeply at it. "But Samurott and I have been practicing hard since the last time we all met. I'd like to know how much that practice has paid off."

"I've been practicing a lot too," Nate replied, smiling determinedly. "I think Emboar and I have our power down just fine now!"

"Yeah, says the guy who couldn't time his synchronizations just right and fainted five times in a row the day before yesterday," Constance deadpanned, prompting Nate to frown in embarrassment.

"Well, you know," the brown-haired Trainer retorted, trying to compensate for that information, "it's always a work in progress."

"Yeah, right," Hugh remarked, smirking. "A work in progress."

"Of course it is!"

"What about Rosa and Serperior, Hugh?" Lane asked. "What do you think her progress is?"

The Qwilfish-haired teenager shrugged and replied, "I have no idea. We haven't managed to speak to each other since we all left Plaisant."

"Knowing her," commented Nate, "we'll find out during the Showcase."

"Why?" Selene suddenly asked, looking up at the teenager. "What's Rosie gonna do in the Showcase?"

Nate flinched a little, as if expecting to hear a distant outburst from Rosa over using that nickname, before replying, "Oh, it's gonna be a surprise, Selene. Watch and you'll find out."

"Oh, okay."

"I hate surprises," Elio suddenly said.

"Why not, Elio?" Allie or Maddie asked.

"Surprises are awesome!" Maddie or Allie added. "You never see them coming..."

"And that's what makes it a surprise!" completed the other twin happily.

"Nenene!" squeaked Dedenne.

"But what if it's a surprise you don't want?" Elio asked.

"There's no such thing as a bad surprise, Elio," Selene replied. "How can you be surprised if it's something bad? Mommy calls that du, um, diga, uh...uhhhhh..."

"Disappointment," Evelyn said.

"Disappointment! Thank you, Evelyn!" Selene remained smiling for a moment before exclaiming in surprise, "Evelyn?!"

The blue-haired, blue-eyed teenage girl had just approached the group a few seconds ago, silently as usual. She stared at Nate with a reddening face, twiddled her fingers nervously, and greeted, "H-H-Hi, Nate..."

"Hi, Evelyn!" Nate replied, smiling as he stood up from the table. "You've already changed into your Showcase outfit!"

Evelyn giggled and twirled around to show it off to the group. It consisted of a blue, rose-shaped top hate, black elbow-length gloves with blue collars, a blue-striped gown-like dress, black knee-length socks, and white heels with golden circles on them.

"My mom and sisters picked this out for me recently," she replied. "D-D-Do you l-l-like it, N-Nate?"

"Well, of course! It looks good on you!" Failing to notice the deadpan looks everyone else in his group gave him, as well as Evelyn's deepening blush, the brown-haired Trainer continued, "So are you going up first?"

"I'm in the second group." Evelyn then started fanning herself with her palm. "I'm very nervous, actually. In addition to all those Freestyle Performances, I'm going up against Dana and Nita! My own sisters! And then there's Morgan..."

Her voice trailed off as she thought about her eldest sister, prompting Nate to say assuredly, "Don't worry, Evelyn. We're all cheering for you, me especially! And I'm sure your sisters won't hold it against you if you beat them all."

"Y-You think so?"

"Of course!" Nate smiled optimistically. "They're your family, after all! They can't hate you for something like this!"

"Well...maybe Dana..."

"Then I'll talk to her!"

Evelyn's eyes widened in shock at the scenario. "N-No! P-Pl-Please don't do that! I-I'll do it, I'll t-t-talk to her!"

Nate blinked in confusion before replying, "O-Okay... If you say so, Evelyn..." Then, he smiled again and gave her a thumbs-up. "Well, good luck, Evelyn!"

"Th-Thanks, Nate..."

Finally, Nate noticed Evelyn's red face. "What's the matter, Evelyn?" he asked, his voice filled with concern for his friend. "You look really red. Are you sick or something?"

"It figures..." Hugh, Constance, and Lane all deadpanned at once.

"A-Ac-Act-Actually..." Evelyn stuttered, her gaze intense, "I-I w-wanted t-to g-gi-give you s-something. F-For luck."

"For luck?" repeated Nate, who was confused yet again. "Luck for what?"

Refusing to waste any more time, Evelyn lunged forward and captured Nate's lips with her own. Hugh, Finn, Constance, and Lane were all left flabbergasted by this move; Allie, Maddie, and Dedenne all swooned happily at the budding romance before them; and Elio was looking away while struggling to hold in the contents of his stomach. As for Selene, she let the scene sink in for a moment before...

"GET OFF HIM!" she shrieked in outrage.

Surprised at the outburst, Evelyn broke the kiss, still blushing in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry-" she began.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM, EVELYN!" Selene squealed, standing up and getting between the Trainer and the Performer. "NO ONE CAN HAVE NATEY EXCEPT BIG SIS YANCY! NO ONE!"

"PICHU-PI!" Pichu cried angrily.

"Except Yancy...?" Nate replied; the poor oblivious teenager was confused out of his mind. "W-Why?"

"Because-"

"YANCY!" Rosa's voice suddenly called out.

There was a quick blur of white and pink, and Evelyn squealed helplessly as she was being throttled by a red-faced Yancy. She was still dressed in her normal clothing, so she apparently had to leave the dressing booth early to attend to something quickly. Everyone gasped in shock, except for Allie and Maddie, who were already taking bets on who would triumph in this duel over Nate.

"Y-Ya-Yancy?!" Nate exclaimed, while Hugh, Finn, Constance, and Lane all stood up from the table in surprise.

"What. Are. You. Doing. EVELYN?!" snarled Yancy, ignoring her crush. Every word was punctuated with a new shake given to Evelyn.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Yancy!" Evelyn sobbed.

"How could you do that?! How could you do this to me?! You know about my own feelings! And yet you're going around smooching Nate without a care in the world!"

"I couldn't help it, Yancy!" Poor Evelyn was feeling the might of Yancy's anger and suffering for it; she started to sob and she was sobbing hard. "You know how he is! He's so helpful and encouraging and charming and cute- EEK!"

"GAH!" Yancy screamed in outrage as she started shaking Evelyn even more strongly.

Selene couldn't believe what she was seeing. She knew Yancy would be extremely upset if she found Nate, her crush, kissing another girl, albeit unintentionally. But she didn't expect her to be that enraged. In fact, she had never seen her older sister so angry before. She was usually a calm, controlled person. If she was confronted by an upsetting person or situation, Yancy would usually run away and complain about it later, if need be.

Seeing such rage coming from Yancy was pretty scary for her, actually. She could see the rage glowing on her sister like a dark aura...

Meanwhile, Rosa had just caught up to Yancy and managed to pry her off of Evelyn.

"Yancy, stop it, you're scaring her!" the brown-haired girl cried. She then turned towards Evelyn. "Oh my goodness, are you okay, Evelyn?"

Selene couldn't help but feel bad for Evelyn now. The blue-haired girl looked like a mess emotionally; her face was flushed, her body was trembling, and her eyes were glimmering with tears. Not to mention her shirt was scuffled up nastily thanks to Yancy's throttling.

"Hey, what'd you do that for, Yancy?!" Nate exclaimed, affronted by this latest development. By this point, Yancy had recovered from her outrage, and she now appeared shocked by her actions.

"E-Evelyn," Yancy said in disbelief. "I-I'm-"

But she didn't get to say anything. Without saying a word, Evelyn ran off, clearly trying to hold back her tears in the process. Selene watched her go for a moment; then, before anyone could stop her, she ran off after the blue-haired girl. She may not have liked other girls making a move on her older sister's crush, but she also didn't like it whenever other people or Pokémon got sad or upset. After all, her mother always taught her to prioritize making other people smile, and it was just in Selene's nature to try and make things better for everyone.

"Evelyn!" Selene called. "Evelyn, wait up, please!"

"Pichu pichuuuuu!" Pichu called as well.

However, the blue-haired girl ignored them and continued running. They ran out of the food court and made multiple turns, running down multiple hallways. After a couple of minutes of running, Evelyn finally stopped in the middle of the Battle Maison's east wing, which appeared to be utterly abandoned. Selene stopped right behind her, just as Evelyn continued weeping.

"Evelyn?" Selene asked. She walked up to the older girl and tugged at her skirt. "I'm sorry about Yancy."

"It's okay, Selene," Evelyn replied between sobs. She suddenly knelt down and hugged Selene tightly, much to the little girl's surprise; Pichu had to hop off her shoulder to avoid being accidentally knocked down. "I should be the one who's apologizing. I should never, ever have upset your sister like that! I know she likes Nate very much, but...but...he's so cool and supportive and understanding and...and...and...I couldn't help it!"

"Natey is pretty cool..." Selene admitted. "I'd like to have him as a big brother."

Evelyn became rigid for a moment, and she stopped crying. Eventually, she sighed heavily, broke the hug, and looked into Selene's eyes.

"How do you do it, Selene?" she asked.

"Do what?" replied Selene, tilting her head.

"Be a little sister?"

"I...I don't know... I gotta have bigger brothers and sisters, I guess-"

"No, not that. I meant...how do you deal with having an older sister and brother who are so good at the things they do?"

Selene shrugged. "I don't know. I would be pretty happy for them, I guess."

"And how do you deal with being compared to them all the time?"

"Compared to them? Well...I don't know. How do you get compared to an older sister or brother?"

Evelyn sighed sadly. "It's okay, Selene, you don't have to answer that. Maybe I should ask Nita later on..." Then, her blue eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh, my goodness! The Showcase!"

Selene's eyes widened as well. "We gotta get back!"

"Pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked in agreement as she hopped back on her unofficial owner's shoulder.

"Yeah, but..." Evelyn looked around worriedly. "Which way is the way back...?"

A/N: And here we have a LOT of exposition to cover! Not to mention we're starting to know about the incident that sends Selene back in time!

First thing's first, I obviously changed the identities of Ash and Serena's future children. To make sure everyone's clear on the names, the children are called, from oldest to youngest: Yancy, Red, and Selene. Yancy is the non-playable character from the "Pokémon Black and White 2" games, who eventually falls in love with the player character if you choose Nate; everyone knows who Red is; and as for Selene, she's supposed to be based on the female player character of the "Pokémon Sun and Moon" and "Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon" games. I made the decision to not use the original children (Sarah, Alex, Jenna, and Aaron) because I wanted to use Selene, Yancy, and Red as characters in a fic of mine and thought they'd fit the bill as Ash and Serena's future children.

As for the other characters you saw in the future segment, I obviously took Nate, Rosa, and Hugh directly from the "Pokémon Black and White 2" games as well. Platinum, who was mentioned at one point in the chapter, is meant to be Dawn's future daughter, and is based on Platinum Berlitz from the "Pokémon Adventures" manga. Evelyn and her sisters Morgan, Dana, and Nita are taken directly from the Battle Chatelaine sisters of the "Pokémon X and Y" games. Elio is based on the male player character from "Pokémon Sun and Moon". Finn, Constance, and Lane are all based on common NPCs from the games: Schoolboy, Ace Trainer, and Backpacker. In addition, I hope you'll recognize Lane as a character from the original fic; I obviously rebooted his character as well and fit him into the future segment.

Why did I use these characters instead of the ones from my original fic, you ask? Well, I can't tell you the answer yet, but I will say that the "Pokémon Black and White 2" animated trailer is a huge source of inspiration for me right now. If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, Google the trailer on YouTube. You can't miss it.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, onto the reviews!

-EmzyWonder: Okay. Would you mind telling me any specific instances that got you smiling? Any complaints at all? I need details!

-Rajiv A. Rajaram:

1) Oh yes, there's definitely clues on what's about to come... ;)

2) Yep, there'll definitely be some tension with Serena when it comes to Clarice and that handkerchief!

-RougeClyde:

1) Who would've known Ash could be wise when he needs to be? It's a shame that intellect didn't save him during the Kalos League. *gets triggered*

2) I'm glad you were left laughing from the shopping scene. And yes, it's about darn time Miette joined the fold! :D :D :D

3) You'll definitely learn more about Aria's past in upcoming chapters.

-Amourshiper35: Thanks, I guess.

-Guest reviewer:

1) Well, of course you feel Ash and Serena would make the perfect couple. Otherwise you wouldn't be giving me a positive review on my fic, now would you?

2) Yes, Serena Ketchum does sound like a lovely and awesome name. :D :D :D

-King nintendo (guest reviewer): Please be more specific in your review. Is there anything you liked about the story? Anything you didn't like? Any other comments or concerns about the story? Please, I need all of the juicy details! It will help me improve my writing for this story and others to come!

-PhantomOrion (guest reviewer):

1) Yeah, sorry, she's no longer called Sarah; it's Selene now.

2) I'm glad you liked that reference! Actually, I think BW (which I also don't like) was MILES better than SM because it at least didn't stray far from the plot of the original games. As for Johto, I didn't see those episodes, so I have nothing to comment on that.

3) You're spot-on with the names, though these characters are not being reused for this rewrite, sadly.

-Ron the True Fan: Ummmmm...here you go...?

-Ooobserver:

1) I'm glad I'm being completely innovative with Aria's storyline! I'm surprised no one else has covered it before me, and I think it fits perfectly well with what I've perceived to be the overall theme about Serena's Showcase arc.

2) Poor guys. I had to make them suffer through their worst fear ever: shopping.

3) Yep, that was definitely one emotional roller-coaster of a chapter! And it can only get worse from here.

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!