1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 21: Coastal Trick

The walls of Connecting Cave fall behind us, and the air changes almost the moment we step outside.

The cave's cool stone smell gives way to salt, grass, and sun-warmed cliffs. Route 8 stretches ahead of us as a seaside path carved between rough rock and open sky. Down below, waves crash against the coast in white bursts, and the sound makes Froakie lift his head from my shoulder like he has been waiting for it since we left the cave.

Serena stops beside me and brushes windblown hair away from her face. "So this is Muraille Coast."

"It feels different from the routes before Camphrier," I say.

Clemont adjusts his glasses while Bunnelby peeks over the edge of the path. "That makes sense. The coastal part of Kalos has different ecosystems, so the Pokémon we meet from here should be different too."

Bonnie hugs Dedenne close while Dedenne's whiskers twitch in the sea breeze. "Different means cute Pokémon, right?"

Elline smiles as Mareep trots carefully along the rocky ground beside her. "Different can also mean strange, dramatic, or extremely inconvenient."

David glances at her with a flat look. "That sounds like something you would say right before something strange, dramatic, and extremely inconvenient happens."

A voice suddenly calls from ahead. "Stop right there, travelers!"

I turn fast, and Pikachu's ears sharpen beside my face. Two familiar people stand on the path in front of us, both wearing the same calm expressions that somehow still make them look like they planned this dramatic entrance all morning.

Serena blinks in surprise. "Sina? Dexio?"

Dexio holds up both hands quickly. "Ah, we did not mean to scare you."

Sina laughs softly while stepping closer. "We only wanted to catch you before you went farther into the coastal area."

I let out a breath when Pikachu relaxes again. "You really picked a surprising way to do it."

Dexio grins like that was a compliment. "A good researcher never wastes a memorable entrance."

Serena folds her arms with a small smile. "That sounds like an excuse."

Sina looks at Serena's partner beside her. "How are you and Fennekin doing?"

Fennekin lifts her head proudly, and Serena kneels to stroke the fur between her ears. "We're doing fine. She has been working hard since Camphrier."

Fennekin's meaning reaches me with warm pride. She likes hearing Serena say that aloud, but she also wants everyone to know she has not forgotten the stage waiting ahead of her.

I smile at Fennekin before looking back at Sina and Dexio. "So what brings you two all the way out here?"

Sina raises one finger. "Haven't you wondered how a single Pokédex could possibly cover a region as big as Kalos?"

I pause at that, because the thought had been in the back of my mind without me fully noticing it. "Now that you mention it, the Kalos Pokédex we have been using only shows the Central section."

Dexio nods eagerly. "Exactly. Kalos is divided into several Pokédex areas, and you have already reached the point where the next one matters."

Clemont leans forward with interest. "So you are here for an upgrade."

"That is right," Sina says. "We are here to add the Coastal Kalos Pokédex to your Rotom Phone."

I hand over the Rotom Phone, and Rotom pops up on the screen with a bright buzz of excitement. The upgrade only takes a short time, but the menu changes as soon as Sina finishes. A new Coastal Kalos section opens beside the Central one, and rows of new silhouettes slide into place.