Calem took a deep breath before entering his home. There were a lot of things on his mind. His main concern was his mother and the fact that she would be left alone while he was away. Sure, he knew she could manage, but she tended to overdo things a lot.

Calem had Froakie in his Poké Ball, clipped to his belt. He planned to show her once they started talking.

"Mom?" Calem called out, waiting for her answer.

"Back already son? I thought you'd be out having fun by now," Madeline stated with a raised brow.

"Oh, I had fun. I met up with Serena and her friends. They were all nice. So nice in fact, that..." Calem paused, unclipping Froakie from his belt and releasing him into the room.

Madeline's eyes widened as did her smile. "Calem? Does this, mean what I think it does?" She said with a sniff.

"They gave me Froakie here and then talked to the Professor. Sycamore was his name if I remember correctly. They also asked me...if I wanted to come with them."

"Really? And what did you say?" Madeline asked with a faint smile.

"Oui...besides, you have a look in your eyes...I don't know why, but I want to battle you. It's been on my mind since Froakie chose you. Pokémon don't just choose random people for no reason. I want to find out what makes you so special," Calem smiled as Serena's words ran through his mind.

"I told them I would, but first I had to be sure of one thing. Mom, are you gonna be alright without me here for a while?" Calem asked.

Madeline smiled softly and pulled Calem into a tight hug. Froakie sat and observed his new trainer with pride. He felt as though he had chosen the right one.

"Calem, I will be fine sweetie. I'm not old yet, remember? If I were twice my age then maybe you would have more cause for worry. Just remember,   I may be twice your age, but I have twice the experience you do in life and in Pokémon training," Madeline added with a grin.

"I know. I used to watch you at the Battle Frontier when I was little. You tore through the Frontier like a wildfire. They were close to offering you a position as a Frontier Brain, but you had no interest did you?" Calem chuckled.

"It would have kept me from the two boys I loved most in the world, you and your father, Arceus rest his soul," Madeline smiled.

"So, this means you're okay with me going right?" Calem inquired.

"Sweetheart, of course you can go. And if you need any tips, feel free to ask me," Madeline giggled.

"Well, actually...there is this one thing. I know I went to trainer school and we learned battle tactics there and all, but it's a lot different when you face someone with your own Pokémon. And I don't know much about Froakie," Calem sighed.

"Does this mean you were already challenged?  By whom?"

"Well..." Calem began.

"Let me guess, the cute neighbor girl did am I right?"

"What gave that away?" Calem blinked.

"Call it mother's intuition. That and you were scratching the back of your head like you always do when you get nervous. Also, I did the same thing to your father," Madeline laughed.

"I remember that. You told me when I asked how you met him. You won didn't you?" Calem chuckled.

"Yep. It was his Mudkip against my Treecko. It was a close match but I won out in the end. Your father was a pretty good trainer himself. We battled it out in the Hoenn League and boy was that intense," Madeline laughed.

"And after that..." Calem paused.

"Well, you were conceived the night of the finals. What can I say, we were eighteen and crazy. He had actually proposed that night as well," Madeline giggled.

Calem smiled as he looked into his mother's eyes. He was grateful to her for a lot of things. And now? He had another thing to be thankful for. She was okay with him going on a journey. He couldn't thank her enough for that.

"Thanks mom...this means a lot to me," Calem said with a smile. "You're the coolest mom ever."

"Oh stop it you. Now don't worry about unpacking, I've already done that for you. Your tent is by the bed and your clothes are put away just the way you like them," Madeline snickered.

"Always a step ahead huh mom?"

"It's how I work son. When you finish getting ready, why don't we take a look at what we can do with Froakie," Madeline replied with a smirk.

Froakie blinked as he looked between the two. "Sounds good to me Mom," Calem beamed.
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Serena and her friends sat at the same table, waiting to see if Calem was going to come back.

"So, Serena. Challenging him right off the bat huh? Forward as usual," Shauna teased.

"Quelle? Bon alors je voulais voir s'il était digne de confiance, et alors?" Serena sputtered.

"Oh I think it's about more than seeing if he's trust worthy, Serena," Shauna pointed out, causing Serena to go fire engine red.

"Silencieux!" Serena retorted.

Shauna snickered again. It was fun teasing her friend, especially when it came to men. This one was especially fun for her considering how flustered Serena already was. Her attention shifted towards the gate as it opened and sure enough, there was Calem, and his eyes were fixed upon not just the group, but Serena in particular.

Serena's gaze diverted from her friend to Calem. Both shared a neutral expression, but deep within their eyes was a flame that grew after being kindled by their first meeting. Now, they would introduce one another in a different way. Calem stopped in front of the group, giving them a thumbs up and a smirk, signifying that he was good to go.

"Calem..." Serena caught his attention. "You ready?"

Calem shifted his gaze to her, blue clashing with gray as their eyes met again. "Born ready..." was his reply before reaching for Froakie.

Serena did the same, snapping the ball off her belt and priming it. The fire was lit and the battle would soon begin.
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Let's get ready to rumble! Next time, the battle begins!