A Journey Through Kalos

Tenth Birthday

Alethea woke up with a yawn. She had been awake all night for this day to happen. She had suffered from her father's painstakingly long lectures about Pokemon battles, as well as a long list of tips for battling and catching them. Her mother had also given her a bit of a hard time, showing her how to take care of Pokemon properly. She had also recommended to dress them up as they liked and groom them every single day.

Alethea pulled her light brown back into a ponytail and got dressed. She slipped on her brown boots that her mother gave her the other day and scurried down the stairs.

As Alethea entered the kitchen, her mother, Serena Ketchum, hugged her daughter tightly.

"You've grown up so fast!" Mrs. Ketchum's eyes shone and sparkled with tears. "And soon enough, you'll be a Pokemon Champion!"

"Mo-om! I haven't even started my journey yet!"

Serena Ketchum swiped away an emotional tear that had formed. "I'm sorry, Alethea. I was just thinking of my journey when I first started looking for my dream." She had a faraway look in her eyes.

"Are those doughnuts I smell?" Alethea's father mumbled as he came down the stairs rubbing his eyes. His dark hair looked like it had been electrocuted.

"Did Pikachu shock you again?" Alethea teased as Ash sat in a chair, smoothing his hair out. Right on cue, the electric mouse scurried over to her, giving her a nice, staticky feeling.

Alethea's father stood up and yawned, right before he grabbed a cream-filled doughnut.

"Oh, right! You're going on your Pokemon journey, aren't you?" Ash said with his mouth full of doughnut.

"Ash! You know better than that!" Serena chided, taking the doughnut out of his hand, and placing it on a napkin.

Alethea nodded, her stomach getting a bit queasy. Although she wasn't at Kalos, Alethea was still getting quite nervous.

Her father noticed how anxious she was. "You'll do great! Right, Pikachu?" Ash nudged him.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu jumped up and down, agreeing. Then, he scampered over to Alethea, nuzzling her leg gently.

"Thanks," Alethea smiled slightly, and her stomach relaxed.

"Alethea, you need to eat before you get on the plane," Serena set a plate of fluffy pancakes in front of her. "I've also baked some macarons for your flight!" She winked and Alethea had to smile.

"Are there any extra macarons?" Ash asked, as soon as he finished his doughnut.

"Dad!" Alethea scolded. "You shouldn't eat so many sweets for breakfast!"

Ash grinned. "Who can't help it?" He joked, popping a macaron in his mouth.

"That's enough for you," Serena snatched the plate of excess macarons and carefully placed them into a bakery bag. Ever since she won the title as Kalos Queen, she's been trying to get to a normal schedule. Serena took a job at a nearby Pokemon bakery, which made sweets and goods for trainers, as well as Pokemon.

Alethea finally finished devouring the fluffy pancakes and drank a long sip of Miltank milk.

"Well, I think I'm ready to go to the airport now," she said tentatively to her parents, who smiled.

"Before you go," Serena spoke kindly. "We want you to have these." She and Ash each held out a bag full of colorful tissue paper.

"Consider it a birthday present," Ash added, handing the bag to Alethea. Serena did the same.