Serena (anime)

For game character, see Serena (game).

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Serena is a Pokémon trainer of the Kalos region and one of Ash's traveling companions. Her goal is to become a top-class Pokémon Performer. She and Ash met before the start of the series when Ash bandaged her leg after finding her scared and alone in the forest. One of Serena's most prominent character traits is her crush on Ash, which is shown by her blushing whenever she looks at or talks to him.

Appearance

Serena's first outfit consisted of a dark gray tank top with a white collar, dark gray stockings, brownish strawberry-blonde hair that reaches her upper-waist, red skirt, black hi-tops, and a dark pink hat paired with a black hatband and bow. Serena marks a return to basing Ash's female companion off of that generation's female player character. However, Serena is also the first to have undergone minor cosmetic changes for the transition to the anime, whereas May and Dawn remained the same. Among the cosmetic changes are:

She appears younger or shorter than her game counterpart.
The hair is a slight strawberry blonde (that looks mostly brown) color, rather than blonde, and seems slightly shorter.
Her skin tone is very faintly darker than her game counterpart.
Her fingernails are short and trimmed like most other characters on the show, rather than long like her game counterpart's.
Her fingernails are kept natural without any nail polish on, while her game counterpart wears a faint pink nail polish.
Her shirt collar is white instead of black.
The sunglasses on the hat are replaced by her tiny bow.
She has no Mega Ring.
Her eyes are blue despite the fact that her game counterpart's is a gray color. (Even her game counterpart's contacts can be changed to blue.)
Her hat appears larger, more curved, looking similar to a straw hat.
She wears high top shoes unlike her game counterpart, who wears sneakers; however they are in the same design.
The line going down from the top of her shoes, down to the soles, is one straight line, while on her game counterpart's sneakers, they are two separate lines.
She also does not have the purse that her game counterpart does, instead having a small backpack.

Starting from XY060 onwards, she wears a new outfit with her hair over her shoulders and wears a new reddish-pink fedora, a bright pink dress with a white collar, black tube top underneath, and a red waistcoat with a blue ribbon in her chest that Ash gave her, the same stockings, and brown boots.

Personality

Serena is a very kind and polite girl, the former trait showing through her always seeming concerned about what her friends are doing. She has a passion for fashion and clothes, trying to find the prettiest clothes and finds that whatever her mother picks out tends to be the less fashionable. Her enjoyment of clothes and fashion is perhaps the reason she hates getting dirty. She loves to bake for her friends, who always delight in getting to eat what she makes for them.

Biography

Pre-Series

Despite being Ash's newest female companion and having just started her journey, she actually met him when they were younger back in Pallet Town years ago at Professor Oak's Pokémon summer camp. Serena was lost in the woods after getting separated from the rest of her group. She fell and wounded her leg after a Poliwag startled her. To her good fortune, Ash emerged out of the bushes (looking for the same Poliwag from a few seconds ago) and saw she was injured. He bandaged her leg and encouraged her to stand up but she couldn't, to which Ash told her "Never give up until the end," and helped her to stand while he supported her. She fell into his arms, though quickly pulled away before Ash took her by the hand and escorted her out of the forest. It was perhaps a combination of Ash putting her at ease and tending to her wounds that made Serena start to develop feelings for him. Since that day, they have been together as childhood friends for a long time before Ash started his journey.

Main Series

Years later, Serena was always woken up by her mother's Fletchling for morning training practicing with her Rhyhorn, and would complain on how much she hated it, especially when Rhyhorn would throw her off its back. Later one day, Serena and her mother were watching the news on TV about a Garchomp rampaging across Lumiose City. As they watched, they spotted a boy accompanied by a Pikachu and a Froakie climbing to the top of Prism Tower to calm it down. When Garchomp was successfully calmed, the ground beneath the boy's Pikachu gave way and he jumped off the tower, making Serena gasp out of fear for his safety (though she didn't know it was him at the time) and was relieved when he and his Pikachu were miraculously saved by a Mega Blaziken at the very last minute. When the news cut to a shot of Ash and zoomed in closer so the viewers could get a look at his face, Serena was stirred, believing it to possibly be Ash, though she referred to him as "that boy," as she didn't yet have any solid confirmation that it was in fact him. It was Ash's reappearance in Kalos that convinced Serena to start out on her journey to become a Pokemon Trainer.

The next day Serena went to Lumiose City to get her very first Pokémon from Professor Sycamore. When she got there, she found out two things: that it was in fact Ash she'd seen, and that he was headed to Santalune City for his first Gym Battle. Serena chose Fennekin as her starter and traveled to Santalune City. When she arrived she found Ash in the middle of a Gym Battle and witnessed him lose to Viola's Vivillon. Her hopes of reconnecting with him were dashed when he ran right past her without looking at her, but fortunately she noticed he'd left his backpack behind. She met up with him at the Pokemon Center to return it and was about to ask him if he remembered her before being interrupted by the Pokemon Center bell. She later got to ask him properly during a break in his training; in typical Ash fashion, he did not, much to her dismay. She told him where she'd seen him and repeated the words he'd once said to her during their first encounter: "Don't give up 'til it's over!" Those words gave Ash the inspiration he needed to continue his training as it reminded him that he needed to remember his fighting spirit.

She later helped him again during his Gym battle by calling out to him to remember the training from yesterday, which successfully helped him to win his first Kalos League badge. After that Ash asked Serena to travel with him, Clemont and Bonnie, which she happily accepted.

Serena is somewhat skilled at Rhyhorn Racing. She showed Ash how to ride a Rhyhorn, which shows she remembers a lot from what her mother taught her. In the episode it was revealed that Serena dislikes Rhyhorn Races, but at the end of the episode she grew to appreciate them more than she had before. On the night before the race she baked cookies for Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie in the middle of the night.

The next day the race began, but it was interrupted when Team Rocket disabled the cameras. Serena became worried that something terrible might have happened to Ash, so she went with Clemont and Bonnie to see what had happened. They found him bound in a net as his Pikachu and the Rhyhorn were trapped in cages; with Bonnie's help she released him while Clemont and his Bunnelby stopped Team Rocket's getaway. In her first ever battle, Serena had her Fennekin use Ember to make Team Rocket drop the remote to the cages. After Team Rocket was blasted off by the Rhyhorn and the race was over, she introduced her friends to her mother and told her she'd decided to travel with Ash and his friends. She thought her mother would disagree with her decision, but was pleased when she said it would be a good experience for her. Afterwards, she gave Ash the bag of cookies from before as a way of thanking him for all he'd done for her.

While traveling, she was unsure about what kind of dream she wanted to chase after but after making her very first PokéVision, participating in the Pokémon Summer Camp, meeting a Pokémon Performer named Shauna, and learning about the Pokémon Showcase, she decided to pursue to becoming a Performer and become the next Kalos Queen.

One day while Serena was in town with the others, she met up with Shauna again who took them to see a Pokemon Performance by Aria. But during the show, a performance-eager Pancham interrupted a Performer's routine, causing a light to crash before hurriedly making its escape. Later that day Serena found the Pancham by a riverside cave full of performance-related objects it hoped to compete with. Deciding it would make a good performance partner, Serena decided to catch it, succeeding after two tries and marking her first ever capture in the series.

Serena later met up with her mother again at a training course for future Rhyhorn Racers. Unaware that her daughter had finally found a goal, Grace still expected her to become a Rhyhorn Racer. After dealing with Team Rocket yet again (showing her promise as a racer in the process) Serena finally told her mother that she wanted to become a Pokemon Peformer. Grace pointed out that Serena would always give up on something when she thought she couldn't do it, to which Serena agreed to race her: If Serena won, she would become a Pokemon Performer, but if she lost she would follow in her mother's footsteps. Racing on Skiddo instead of Rhyhorn, Grace gained an early advantage when Serena fell off her Skiddo. But rather than give up, Serena got back on and finished the race, beating her mother and earning the right to pursue her own goal at her own choice.

The day before her first Tripokolon, Serena stopped by the Coumarine City Pokemon Center to register. Once this was done, she and others found out about the Vow Tree from Ramos. Deciding to partake, Serena happily accepted Ash's invitation to go shopping for presents with him. As Clemont and Bonnie elected to stay behind at the Pokemon Center, Ash and Serena left their Pokemon in their care so as to have the day to themselves. Once they departed Serena immediately picked up on the fact she was alone with Ash, which made her think this was a date. What unfolded was below her expectations: Ash was frequently not there whenever she turned around to talk to him, and was either checking out a bad idea for a present or running off to what he thought would be a suitable one, which left her pouting and alone. When they met back at the monorail station to get a ride back to the Pokemon Center, Ash was awarded with a blue ribbon for being the monorail company's millionth rider. On the way back, Ash wondered what present he could possibly get his Pokemon. Serena pointed out that his Pokemon were similar to him, and that a good idea for a present would be something Ash himself would like to receive. Ash then got an idea for a gift, thanking Serena for her help again as he ran off to collect it.

Later in the evening, after helping Ash blast off Team Rocket yet again for trying to steal the presents everyone had gotten their Pokemon, Serena presented her Fennekin and Pancham with their gifts: The former received a beautiful ribbon while the latter was given brand-new sunglasses. Following this, Serena was pleasantly surprised to receive two more presents: One was a beautiful and stylish red dress from her mother, and the second was the ribbon given to Ash by the monorail company. Serena was especially elated to receive the second gift as it had come from none other than Ash himself, who explained it was because of her that he was able to find a gift for his Pokemon. She happily accepted his gift, saying she would treasure it.

At last the day came where Serena would put all her hard work and training to the test. Arriving at the site for her first Tripokolon, she once again met up with Shauna, with whom she declared a friendly rivalry. As she wouldn't go on until later, Serena watched other Performers present themselves and their Pokemon, getting nervous for herself, but happy for Shauna when the latter advanced to the second round.

When her own turn came, Serena chose Fennekin to accompany her onstage, dressing her partner in a top hat, bow tie, booties and a long pink ribbon. That last item would betray her, as while she and Fennekin presented themselves to the audience, Fennekin inadvertently stepped on the slightly too-long decoration and tripped. Embarrassed and saddened, Serena cradled Fennekin in her arms in front of the crowd. She received a few votes, but not enough to advance to round two, being eliminated after placing third in her bracket of Performers. Saddened, she watched the other Performers who'd advanced to the Free Performance Round put on their routines, depressed and disappointed she was not among them. She hid this sadness from the others, though Clemont seemed to sense this as she raced off with Bonnie to the Pokemon Center. She continued hiding her feelings as Ash and Clemont decided they would have their Gym Battle next, their promised time having come. A few minutes before dawn, she went with her Pokemon to a pier to have some time alone.

The next few seconds were the most painful for her and her Pokemon to endure. Unable to contain her feelings anymore, Serena broke down into tears to the protests of her Pokemon, who sought to soothe her any way they could. She apologized to Fennekin and Pancham, saying she now knew what it felt like to be a contender and that she wanted a new start. Taking a pair of scissors from her fashion kit, she stood before the rising sun and held them to her hair, remembering the experiences she'd had up to this point. Intent on going forward, Serena cut off her long hair and changed her wardrobe, trading the hightops for boots, her straw hat for a fedora and her skirt and blouse combo for a pink ensemble under a red sleeveless waistcoat. She surprised her friends in the morning with her new appearance. They were all shocked and stunned, with their reactions differing: Clemont accepted her new look with a smile while Bonnie protested it. When Serena turned her attention to Ash, her crush told her he liked the way she looked before noticing the blue ribbon on her chest. Serena told him she was wearing it because he had given it to her as a present, to which Ash thanked her. Her good mood restored, Serena was the first one out of the Pokemon Center, leading the way to Lumiose City and goading her friends behind her to catch up. She left Coumarine City a changed girl, now wiser and stronger for feeling what it was like to lose.

Pokémon

On hand

Pokémon	Information
		Serena's Fennekin is a fire-type starter Pokémon owned by Serena. She made her debut when Serena got her through Professor Sycamore.
Fennekin ♀

Pokémon	Information
File:SerenaPancham.png		Pancham first appeared when he interrupted a Pokémon Showcase performance by dancing on the stage. But when Pancham stole Ash's hat and Clemont's glasses, the group went after him. However, when Serena found him first, she learned that Pancham had a desire to perform and decided to catch him.
Pancham ♂

Temporary

Pokémon	Information
File:Grace's Rhyhorn.png		In order to help her friends stop Team Rocket from stealing dairy products, Serena temporarily used Grace's Rhyhorn to catch up to everyone.
Rhyhorn

Pokémon	Information
		Serena used a Skiddo in a race against her mother.
Skiddo

Pokémon	Information
		Serena, along with Bonnie, temporarily used Ash's Goomy in a battle against Team Rocket. But it ran off after remembering the terrible experience it had with Bug-type Pokémon.
Goomy

Achievements

Poké Puff Contest: Top 3

Voice actresses

Japanese: Mayuki Makiguchi
English: Haven Paschall
Finnish: Alina Tomnikov
Greek: Afrothiti Antonaki
Italian: Deborah Morese
Brazilian Portuguese: Michelle Giudice
Spanish: Isacha Mengíbar

Trivia

Serena is Ash's first companion to have known him personally before the very start of the series.
Serena is the first companion to have a canonical crush on Ash.
Serena is the first female companion to take the longest time to officially join the main cast since the start of the series, which is seven episodes.
She is the second main character who's Japanese name is the same as her English name. The first is Iris.
She is also the second of Ash's female traveling companions to choose a Fire-type Starter Pokémon (her Fennekin). The first was May when she chose Torchic.
Serena was the first companion whom Ash asked directly to join the group.
Serena is the first female traveling partner to not get herself or her bike shocked by Pikachu at the start of the series.
- Misty, May, and Dawn all had their bikes electrocuted, while Iris and Bonnie were directly shocked by Pikachu.
So far, Serena is the only female companion who hasn't argued with Ash or be irritated by his actions. (Misty, May, Dawn, and Iris have all been easily irritated by Ash's recklessness and have had many arguments with Ash during their travels with him).
- However, Serena has scolded Ash a few instances, such as for approaching a Rhyhorn from behind and spooking it, and almost eating an entire slice of chocolate cake meant to be shared by everyone.
Serena is the first companion to change her appearance while traveling with Ash. Previous companions have usually changed their wardrobes after they part ways with him.

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