Serena

Gender - Female

Eye color - Blue

Hair color - Honey

Hometown - Vaniville Town

Region - Kalos

Relatives - Grace (mother)

Trainer class - Performer

Game counterpart - Serena

Anime debut - Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!

English voice actor - Haven Paschall

Japanese voice actor - Mayuki Makiguchi

Serena (Japanese: セレナ Serena) is a Pokémon Performer and a former traveling companion of Ash, who debuted in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!. Her first Pokémon was a Fennekin that she received from Professor Sycamore.

## History

As a young child, Serena was sent to Kanto, against her will, to attend a Pokémon Summer Camp, which was hosted by Professor Oak. One day, while at the camp, she got lost in a nearby forest and was startled by a Poliwag, falling over and hurting her knee. Then, she met Ash Ketchum, who was looking for the same Poliwag and spotted Serena. Noticing her knee injury, he pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around her wounded knee, saying that it is a good-luck charm and that the pain would go away. However, when Serena's knee continued to hurt, Ash told her "Don't give up till it's over" and helped her up before escorting her out of the forest. Afterwards, she returned to Kalos, bringing along the handkerchief and the memory of her meeting with Ash.

Serena made her first onscreen appearance in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, where she was forcibly woken up by her mother's Fletchling. In Lumiose City Pursuit!, she attempted to practice Rhyhorn racing after being encouraged by her mother, a famous Rhyhorn racer herself. However, Serena's attempts at controlling her mother's Rhyhorn ended with her being sent crashing into the ground.

Later that evening, Serena complained about her earlier practice leaving several scratches on her face. She sat down to watch a news report on an incident that was occurring in Lumiose City. On the screen, she saw Ash trying to calm down a rampaging Garchomp at Prism Tower and recognized Ash as a boy she had known in her childhood. The next day, while feeding Rhyhorn, Serena thought aloud that something interesting was going to happen and that it involved Ash.

She began her Pokémon journey in A Battle of Aerial Mobility! when she set off to Professor Sycamore's lab in Lumiose City. Immediately upon arriving, Serena questioned the Professor about the boy on television and he confirmed that it was indeed Ash Ketchum. However, to Serena's disappointment, Ash had already left Lumiose City for the Santalune City Gym the previous day. Serena was then offered to choose her starter Pokémon.

In A Shockingly Cheeky Friendship!, Serena chose Fennekin, received a Pokédex, and started her journey. Later that day, she continued to travel with Fennekin, but didn't want to camp out for the night after seeing some wild Venipede. She was attacked by a wild Vespiquen that she mistook for a person, only for Fennekin to scare Vespiquen away. Afterward, Serena met a Nurse Joy, who told her where to find the nearest Pokémon Center.

In A Blustery Santalune Gym Battle!, she finally reached Santalune City and found Ash during his Gym battle with Viola. She introduced herself to him, Clemont, and Bonnie, after returning his backpack when it was left behind at the Gym. At the end of the episode, she asks Ash if he remembers her, at which point the episode abruptly ends.

In Battling on Thin Ice!, she revealed that the two of them met at the Pokémon Summer Camp when they were younger. Although Ash remembered the camp, he didn't specifically remember meeting Serena, much to her disappointment. Serena quickly regained her composure and reminded him that he once told her to never give up. Hearing these words helped Ash continue his training in order to win the rematch against Viola. During the rematch, Ash was visibly becoming overwhelmed by Viola's battling strategy, but Serena yelled at him to never give up. The inspiration that he had once given Serena was now being given to him, and these words encouraged him to continue the battle. At the end of the episode, after winning the Bug Badge, Ash asked Serena what her plans for the future were.

Serena officially began traveling with Ash and his friends in Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race!. This was when Serena revealed why she began her journey in the first place. After seeing Ash on TV, she decided that she would begin a Pokémon journey in order to return the handkerchief he used to mend her knee injury. After she returned the handkerchief, Ash remembered their encounter and called her the "girl with the straw hat".

Later on, Serena helped teach Ash how to ride and race on a Rhyhorn when he expressed an interest in Rhyhorn racing. While doing so, Serena's opinion on Rhyhorn and Rhyhorn riding quickly changed when the Rhyhorn were very friendly towards her. Later, while she was helping Ash learn to ride, she called out similar words Serena's mother had yelled to her during her Rhyhorn riding lessons at home. At that moment, Serena realized that she had misjudged the sport of Rhyhorn racing and that perhaps she did not hate it as much as she thought. Serena expressed in the same episode that she did not dislike Rhyhorn racing but that she wanted to find a goal that she likes even more.

The next day, Ash was captured by Team Rocket and Serena had to help rescue him. This was when Serena had her first Pokémon battle, commanding Fennekin to use Ember on the criminals. At the end of the episode, she gave Ash a pouch of cookies, saying it was her way of thanking him for all he had done for her.

In Clemont's Got a Secret!, Serena learned from Clemont's father, Meyer, that Clemont is the Lumiose City Gym Leader. Although initially angry with Clemont for keeping this secret from her along with Ash, she helped take back the Gym from the malfunctioning Clembot. She battled Clemont's Magneton with her Fennekin, but it managed to avoid Fennekin's attack, forcing Pikachu and Froakie to step in and defeat it. Later, she watched Clemont battle and defeat Clembot for the control of the Lumiose Gym.

In A Pokévision of Things to Come!, Serena decided to make a Pokévision video. After watching some sample Pokévision videos in the Pokémon Center, Serena decided to make one of her own with her Fennekin. She rented a camera and began filming with Fennekin. The two of them dressed up in multiple outfits and the video featured them posing and baking together. However, during the filming of the video, Fennekin was captured by Team Rocket. Serena was able to rescue Fennekin, and in the process she remembered all that they had been through together. Her feelings of friendship were conveyed to her Pokémon, and Fennekin was able to learn Flamethrower in the battle against Team Rocket. After this event, Serena was able to finish her filming and was proud of her final product.

In A Battle by Any Other Name!, Serena participated in the Poké Puff Contest, but she did not emerge victorious. Before the event, she met another competitor named Miette. The two of them compared their Poké Puffs to see whose were superior, which led to a spark of rivalry between them. After comparing the two Poké Puffs, the group realized that Serena's Poké Puffs were more suited for human's tastes than Pokémon's. This was part of the reason that Serena was not able to win the Poké Puff competition.

Serena had her first official Pokémon battle in Summer of Discovery! against Shauna. Shauna and her friends, Tierno and Trevor, had seen the Pokévision video that Serena filmed in Lumiose City and recognized her from it. Serena accepted Shauna's challenge, and alongside Fennekin she faced off against Shauna and her Bulbasaur. Despite having a type advantage, Serena was unable to win. Serena talked with Shauna throughout the episode, and learned that Shauna was aiming to be someone who could put on performances with Pokémon. Her conversations with Shauna were a catalyst in helping her realize that she was the only one of her friends that didn't have a set goal. At the end of the episode, Serena sat alone brushing Fennekin's tail and wondering what her dream was.

In Day Three Blockbusters!, Shauna informed Serena about Pokémon Showcases and told her that she was planning on becoming a Pokémon Performer, and this inspired Serena to become one as well. In Dreaming a Performer's Dream!, Serena witnessed her first Pokémon Showcase. She saw a performance by Aria, the current Kalos Queen, and witnessed a wild Pancham causing a ruckus on stage. Later, outside, the Pancham stole Ash and Clemont's belongings. Serena managed to track Pancham down and witnessed how he put on a performance with no one around. This made her realize Pancham loved performing and wanted to show this to everyone. With this in mind she announced to her friends she wanted to catch it. Battling with Fennekin, she managed to weaken and successfully catch it. After that, Serena gave Pancham a pair of her favorite sunglasses.

In A Race for Home!, she met up with her mother, but at first didn't dare to tell her about her intention to be a Performer. Later, Serena finally told her mother about her dream and challenged her to a Rhyhorn race in order to prove her determination under the condition that if she lost she would go back home and train to become a Rhyhorn racer. However, her mother suggested that they race on Skiddo, knowing that Skiddo could sense the rider's feelings. Serena managed to beat her mother in the race when the Skiddo she was riding sensed her determination, and thus her mother gave her permission to become a Pokémon Performer.

In Under the Pledging Tree!, after helping her friends thwart Team Rocket's plot to crash the Pledging Tree festival and returning the stolen presents to their rightful owners, Serena gave a ribbon to Fennekin and new sunglasses to Pancham in honor of the event. The group then found a present not addressed to a Pokémon, but to Serena herself. The present was a new dress for the upcoming Coumarine Showcase from her mother, care of Nurse Joy. At the end of the episode, Ash gave Serena the blue ribbon he had won in a giveaway from the Coumarine Monorail staff.

In A Showcase Debut!, she made her debut as a Pokémon Performer in the Coumarine City Pokémon Showcase Rookie Class, along with Shauna and Jessie. However, during the Theme Performance, Fennekin tripped over a bow that Serena had decorated her with. This eliminated her from the competition, and she watched as Shauna went on to win the Showcase. Although Serena first acted like she took the loss well, in private she was very upset. Early in the next morning, she walked out to a pier with Fennekin and Pancham, finally releasing her bottled up feelings and began to cry inconsolably. Having comfort and reassurance from her two partners, she drew scissors from her bag and cut her hair to her shoulders after a reflection on her journey so far. Later, she donned a new outfit, featuring the ribbon she received from Ash, signifying her resolve.

After this, Serena continued to practice for her next Pokémon Showcase. However, in Battling with Elegance and a Big Smile!, one of these training sessions went wrong and Serena ended up yelling at Fennekin and Pancham after they were fighting and Fennekin accidentally hit her with Flamethrower. Realizing what she had done and feeling useless as a Performer, Serena ran off in shame. She was later approached by a young woman calling herself Ariana and the two spent the rest of the day shopping together. During this time, Ariana, after hearing what Serena had been through, encouraged her to make up with her Pokémon and to remember the close bond they had, which Serena did later that evening. The two girls later had a Double Battle, during which Fennekin evolved into Braixen, but the match was called off after Ariana was forced to leave when she got a call. The next day, Serena discovered that "Ariana" was in fact Aria all along (having previously felt she looked familiar) and secretly thanked her for all her help.

In Performing with Fiery Charm!, Serena participated in her second Pokémon Showcase, competing against Miette and a disguised Jessie. She passed through the first round, the Poké Puff Baking competition, with flying colors. However, prior to her Freestyle Performance, Jessie bumped into her, ripping her dress. Due to the never-give-up attitude she learned from Ash, as well as her own quick thinking and skill at tailoring, Serena was able to modify the dress just before she was called up. During the second round, she delivered a performance that left the audience very impressed. As a result, she was the most voted Performer, winning the competition and receiving her first Princess Key despite the anxiety she still felt from her debut performance.

After arriving in Anistar City in A Performance Pop Quiz!, Serena participated in her third Pokémon Showcase. In the Theme Performance, she was able to beat Nini and Lily in the Pokémon Quiz segment, earning her a spot in the second round. However, before she could go on stage, her Eevee had gone missing after being scared by the performance Jessie had delivered and she left to find her, almost missing her performance in the process. After reuniting with her and receiving her support, Serena gave her performance using choreography based on Eevee's dancing, which gave her enough votes to win the Showcase and obtain her second Princess Key.

In A Dancing Debut!, Serena participated in her fourth Pokémon Showcase. During the Theme Performance, she and her Pancham were able to bake a Poké Puff while entertaining the audience in the process. Thanks to their performance, Serena received enough votes to advance to the second round. In the Free Performance, Serena used her Braixen and Eevee. Everything was going smoothly until Eevee got distracted by the crowd and fell to the ground. Eevee was discouraged until Serena motivated her to keep on dancing. Serena and her Pokémon finished their performance without any more problems, but Eevee's mishap caused Serena to lose the Showcase. Later, Serena was seen comforting Eevee and assuring her they will do better next time.

In Party Dancecapades!, Serena and Eevee attended a dance party hosted by Monsieur Pierre with Clemont and Bunnelby as their partners. She was upset, because she couldn't go dancing with Ash. But when she battled alongside Ash against Miette and James, her Eevee began to evolve into Sylveon.

In Master Class Choices!, Serena entered the Fleurrh Showcase Rookie Class in hopes of winning her third and final Princess Key. In the Theme Performance, in which Performers had to lure as many Rhyhorn as possible to their part of the field before time ran out, Serena easily defeated Concetta and Kazalie and advanced to the Freestyle Performance. There, she performed along with Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon. Their performance was well received by the audience and she was the most voted Performer of the round. As a result, she was declared the winner of the event, receiving the Fleurrh City Princess Key and qualifying for the Master Class.

Serena entered the Gloire Showcase Master Class in Master Class is in Session! where she met up with all of her rivals. In the first round, she was grouped with Miette and Sara Lee. Her performance received the highest number of votes and she quickly made her way to the semifinals of the competition, where she found herself up against Shauna and Jessilee. In the following episode, she tried a risky move and ended up bruising her wrist. She was about to fall but Sylveon helped Serena using her feelers, saving the performance. She was the most voted Performer of the round and as such was allowed to move on to the finals, where she faced the reigning Kalos Queen Aria. Despite her best efforts, Serena couldn't defeat Aria, who retained her title. After that, Serena was approached by Palermo to become her protégé so she could become a better performer to have a chance at being the next Kalos Queen. Serena, however, declined the offer, telling her that her journey with her friends has helped her develop and until she finishes she can't go with her. Palermo told Serena to call her after she finishes her journey and gives Serena her card before leaving off.

In Battling at Full Volume!, Serena decided to pose as Ash who had gotten a cold from training with Greninja and Pikachu, to face off against an eccentric guitarist named Jimmy with Ash's Pikachu against his Pikachu, Spike. Her disguise pulls through and they ended up battling well against each other before almost getting exposed by Clemont and Bonnie. As she continued the battle, Pikachu and Spike were captured by Team Rocket, by which then Jessie managed to see through her disguise to her dismay. Upon Ash's recovery, she discarded her disguise and commanded her Pokémon to simultaneously attack Team Rocket, who were eventually sent blasting off by Pikachu and Spike in the end. She apologized to Jimmy for deceiving him and invited him to join her and the others for lunch.

In Seeing the Forest for the Trees!, Serena became concerned about Ash when he became depressed after his defeat in a Gym battle with Wulfric. When he ran off into the woods, she ran off on her own to find him. Serena found Ash in the middle of the woods, still despondent over his defeat. Serena began to talk with Ash, telling him she was helped by the advice he gave her when they were young, during their journey together, and while she was training for her Showcases. However, the agitated Ash yells at her, causing Serena to become furious at him for not being himself. In response, she throws a few snowballs at Ash before leaving. When it begins to snow, Serena grows concerned about Ash again and leads the others to go find him. Meanwhile, Ash reflects on his actions and Serena's words. Later in the episode, Ash apologizes to Serena for yelling at her and also tells her that he was able to "figure things out" thanks to her words of encouragement.

In A Towering Takeover!, she helped destroy some of the giant roots that were attacking Lumiose City, which Z2 was causing. In the following episode, she spearheaded a mission to rescue Chespie from Lysandre Labs with the help of Mairin and Professor Sycamore. While on their way to Lysandre Labs, a friendly news crew offered to take them there in their helicopter.

In The Right Hero for the Right Job!, she initially fought Mable when the latter attacked their helicopter using her Weavile, although Steven eventually came to help them. When Celosia attempted to stop them, the news crew revealed themselves to be Team Rocket and faced Celosia in battle, allowing Serena and the rest to save Chespie. She then battled multiple grunts with difficulty, but Steven managed to catch up and help take them out.

In Rocking Kalos Defenses!, she called Ash using the device Clemont gave them, asking him to find Clemont inside the gym. She, along with Mairin, Steven and Sycamore started investigating the research conducted by Team Flare. Before Steven could explain what he found, the Giant Rock was activated and absorbed Chespie, causing the building to collapse. The four of them tailed the Giant Rock towards Anistar City while Serena informed Ash, Alain, Clemont, Blaziken Mask and Bonnie about the current situation of Chespie. She, along with Sycamore and Steven then fought the Giant Rock using Braixen, Garchomp and Metagross. Her Braixen was thrown off Metagross by some of the vines from the Giant Rock, but Alain's Charizard managed to save her in time. After Ash managed to get Greninja launch a Water Shuriken at Chespie's location in the Giant Rock, she assisted Steven, Sycamore and Alain to fight their way through, but none of their attacks were able to hold it off.

In Forming a More Perfect Union!, after all the Gym Leaders, including Diantha, arrived to help Ash and his friends, Serena stayed behind to protect Mairin and Bonnie while the rest used their Pokémon's abilities to fight their way through the Giant Rock. A few large vines surrounded the three of them but Serena managed to have Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon to prevent them from getting hurt. Serena then rushed to protect Mairin as a vine was heading towards her direction, but was saved by Ash and Alain managing to rescue Chespie in time. All of them then tried to attack the Giant Rock but ended up injuring themselves instead. Squishy and Z2 managed to transform into the Complete Forme and battled the Giant Rock and defeat Lysandre. Serena then reunites with Ash, Clemont and Bonnie and watches Bonnie say goodbye to Squishy as it leaves along with Z2.

In Battling With a Clean Slate!, Serena helped Bonnie to clean the Lumiose Gym in preparation for the relighting of Prism Tower. Later, she went with Ash, Clemont and Bonnie to Professor Sycamore's Lab when they heard Alain was returning, only to find Mairin on the floor with decorations all over her. She helped Mairin bake the cake for the welcome party that Mairin decided to host. When Alain entered the lab, they all welcomed him and had a feast together with Professor Sycamore. Later, along with Ash, Alain and Clemont, Serena battled and managed to defeat Team Rocket who were trying to steal Pikachu again. The next day, she watched the battle between Clembot and Alvin, with Alvin coming out as the winner. After the gym battle, Professor Sycamore gave out medals to Serena, her Pokémon, as well as to Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Mairin, Alain and their Pokémon. All of them gathered and posed for the group photo with the medals.

At night, Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie watched as Prism Tower relights. Clemont asks what Serena is going to do to which she was hesitating to accept the offer Palermo gave earlier. Ash cheered her on and Serena happily thanks him for his constant support.

In The First Day of the Rest of Your Life!, Serena saw on the news that the residents of Lumiose City were still recovering from injuries and decided to ask Professor Sycamore to help host a Pokémon Showcase event. Serena, Shauna, and even Jessilee put up a collaboration performance which made the residents smile and enjoy themselves. By witnessing how everyone started dancing along and smiling, Serena realized how much she actually loves performing and wants to do more. The next day, after saying goodbye to her mother, Ash asked Serena for a battle after seeing her lost in thoughts. Serena agreed as Ash said by battling, she would be able to decide what's next for her. During the battle, Serena was able to work well with Braixen and use her techniques well against Ash's Pikachu. Ash called off the battle and encouraged Serena that she always has her Pokémon by her side and he would be rooting for her. After the battle, Serena called Palermo, making her final answer to reject Palermo's offer. Serena told her seeing how everyone was smiling during her performance earlier that made her want to travel more and make more people smile like Aria and improve her skills. Palermo advised her to compete in Pokémon Contests in Hoenn and Serena happily agreed. After that, she announced to the group that she will be going to visit other regions to further develop her skills as a performer, starting with Hoenn.

In Facing the Needs of the Many!, just before she, Ash, and the others were heading back to the Lumiose airport, a big plant pops up. After Xerosic captures Clemont and when the van drives away, Ash-Greninja jumps in front of the van, which frightens Serena. Later, Serena goes with Ash and Bonnie to rescue Clemont by jumping from the top of a cliff and then getting rescued by Ash-Greninja's tongue. After Clemont gets rescued and Xerosic arrested, she, along with the others bid farewell to Ash's Greninja, which goes along with Squishy and Z2 to find the negative energy where those roots were spawning.

In Till We Compete Again!, Serena officially left the group to follow Palermo's advice and travel the Hoenn region. At the airport, Serena told Ash she vowed to become better, especially for him the next time they met. She then leaned towards him, and the scene implies that she gave him a kiss, with Clemont, Bonnie, Pikachu, and Dedenne all shocked and Ash left momentarily stunned. Serena then thanked him for the journey and his guidance before leaving. She was last seen happily arriving in Hoenn.

Serena made a cameo appearance in the ending credits of I Choose You!.

## Character

Serena has proven to be a kind and polite girl but she can also be openly rebellious towards her mother, Grace. In Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, she refused to wake up when Grace ordered her to, and gave a sassy response to her mother's call to watch the news. This tumultuous relationship was best demonstrated when Grace made her practice Rhyhorn riding, an activity Serena had hated doing. However, their relationship is also very loving as shown in later episodes. Although shown to have a strong will, Serena can be sensitive and insecure at times as seen in Battling with Elegance and a Big Smile!. When she was frustrated with her Pokémon, she lashes out when at her limit and leaves to cool off in shame. She is also shown to lose her composure when pushed to a wall, becoming unsure of herself. Despite this however, Serena manages to pick herself back up by reminding herself to not give up, bringing up her confidence and also encouraging her Pokémon to do their best despite the odds. This is shown when two of her Pokémon evolve from responding to her resolve. While battling isn't her primary focus, Serena has shown herself to be a competent battler, at least partially due to picking up Ash's battling style after seeing him battle countless times.