Serena (anime)

Serena is a Pokémon Trainer from 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 aided her in her time of need. She developed a crush on him from that day on and it is one of her most notable characteristics, evidenced 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, honey hair that reaches above her waist, red skirt, black hi-tops, and a dark pink hat paired with a black hatband and ribbon 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: Starting from A Showcase Debut! onwards, she wears a new outfit with short hair and wears a new reddish-pink fedora, a bright pink dress with a white collar, her gray top underneath, and a red waistcoat with a blue ribbon on her chest that Ash gave her, the same stockings, and brown boots. When she was young, she wore a pink dress, with Mary Jane shoes, and a straw hat tied by a light pink hatband, and ribbon. For pajamas, she wears a lavender hoodie with pink heart insignias on the hips with dark-pink shorts, along with a red bow.
 * She appears younger or shorter 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 doesn't have a 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 backpack.

Personality
Serena is a very kind and polite girl. She always seems concerned about what her friends are doing. She also has a passion for fashion and clothes. She tries to find the prettiest clothes, and finds that whatever her mother picks out tends to be the less fashionable. Knowing this, she hates getting dirty and being soaked in mud. She loves to bake for her friends, who always delight in getting to eat what she makes for them. Serena seems to have developed strong feelings for Ash, always blushing when talking or looking at him.

Pre-Series
Despite being Ash's newest female companion and having just started her journey, she 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 while trying to look for the rest of her group but got herself wounded after getting startled by a Poliwag. But at that very same moment, Ash came to her rescue and escorted her out. Since that day, she kept the handkerchief he used as a bandage as a way to remember the kind act and inspiring words he told her.

Main Series
Years later, Serena was always woken up by her mother's Fletchling to do morning training with her Rhyhorn. Despite her mother's attempts to get her to become a Rhyhorn racer, Serena would complain on how much she hated it, especially when Rhyhorn knocked her off its back. Later that same 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 the boy jumped off the tower, making Serena gasp out of fear for his safety. She 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 him. It was Ash's reappearance in Kalos that convinced Serena to start out on her journey to become a Pokémon 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 but 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 Pokémon 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 Ash 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 knows a lot from her mother teaching her about them. In the episode it is revealed that Serena does not like Rhyhorn Races, but throughout the episode she grew to like them better than before. On the day before the Rhyhorn Races, she baked cookies for Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie in the middle of the night. The next day, the Rhyhorn Races began, but it was interrupted as Team Rocket disabled the cameras. Serena became worried that something terrible might have happened to Ash, so she came along with Clemont and Bonnie to see what was going on. When they found him, they discovered that he had been ambushed by Team Rocket and they find him trapped in a net while his Pikachu and the Rhyhorn were trapped in cages. As Clemont used his Bunnelby to trap Team Rocket in a ditch, Serena and Bonnie arrived to rescue Ash. Serena used her Fennekin to fight off Team Rocket and make them drop the remote. This indicated that this is her first Pokemon battle in her journey as a trainer. When Team Rocket was blasted off by the Rhyhorn they captured, she introduced her friends to her mother. She then tells her that she decided to travel with Ash and his friends. She thought her mother would disagree with her decision, but instead she said it would be a better experience for her. Afterwards, she gave her friends each a bag of cookies as a way of saying thank you to Ash for all he did for her.

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

While watching a Performance, Serena witnessed a Pancham interrupt the performer to put on a little routine of its own. Serena tracked it down and discovered it wanted to perform too and gave it her favorite pair of sunglasses. When the rest of the gang showed up to accost Pancham Serena held them back, stating she wanted to catch it. Her battle was interrupted when Team Rocket captured Fennekin. As Pancham tried to rescue it, Jessie ordered her Pumpkaboo to attack them. Unwilling to let her Pokémon get hurt, Serena tackled Pumpkaboo to the ground. This enraged Jessie who then ordered Pumpkaboo to attack ''her. ''Just as Pumpkaboo was about to, Pancham intervened to protect her. When Team Rocket was blasted off again, Serena finished her battle with Pancham, making her first capture after two tries.

Later, Serena met up with her mother again when Grace was teaching a group of people how to ride Skiddo. Throughout this time she kept her aspirations of becoming a Pokémon Performer secret from her mother, hoping to tell her when she built up the courage. When Team Rocket looted some cheese and goods from a nearby dairy, Serena's friends chased after them on Skiddo. Knowing they wouldn't be fast enough, she got on Grace's Rhyhorn and chased down Team Rocket's truck. After Team Rocket was sent packing, Serena finally worked up the courage to tell her mother that instead of becoming a Rhyhorn racer she wanted to be a Pokémon Performer. Grace expressed her concerns that Serena wouldn't go through with it, pointing out that she would give up on something when she thought she couldn't do it. She proposed a race: if she won, Serena would resume training for Rhyhorn racing; if Serena won, she would be free to pursue her dream. Grace gained an early lead during the race when Serena fell off her Skiddo. Remembering all she'd been through before this, Serena got back on and managed to come around from behind and come in first. Free to pursue her dream, Serena parted ways with her mother on better terms now that they better understood each other.

Following Ash's fourth Gym battle against Ramos, the gang was still in town when they heard from Ramos about a ceremony where Trainers gave gifts to their Pokémon. As Clemont and Bonnie elected to stay behind at the Center, Ash and Serena left their Pokémon in Bonnie's care and went off together to find gifts. While they were walking away, Serena thought to herself that she felt like she was on a date with Ash. She nervously tried to hold his hand but couldn't work up the courage. During their time in Coumarine City's shopping district, Ash frequently asked Serena her opinion on various gifts but each time she pointed out their poor potential. Ash later left her by herself to go find a gift on his own, hurting her feelings and making her pout as she'd wanted to spend the whole day with him. Later, while she and Ash were on the monorail headed home, she got to see the ribbon Ash received from the monorail company. While she thought it was pretty, Ash was more concerned about the fact that he didn't yet have something to give his Pokémon. Serena clued him in, saying they would be happy to receive any gift so long as it was from him. She elaborated by asking Ash what he would like to get as a gift, pointing out this his Pokémon took after him. She later met up with Ash again when he returned from preparing his gift. She later had to blast off Team Rocket with the rest of the gang when they showed up wanting to steal everyone's presents. After all was said and done, Serena discovered a present under the tree addressed to her. Opening it up, she discovered a beautiful dress which she later found out was from her mother, whose support she found incredibly touching. To make her day even better, Serena was given a present from none other than Ash himself, as thanks for helping him find a gift for his Pokémon. Serena was overjoyed and happily accepted the gift, promising to cherish it.

On the day of her first Showcase, Serena met up with Shauna again and the two began their friendly rivalry. While she waited for her turn, Serena became increasingly nervous. When her turn finally came, she decorated Fennekin with a top hat and ribbon. The ribbon would be her undoing as it was too long; when she least expected it, Fennekin tripped on the ribbon and fell. Serena cradled Fennekin in her arms in front of the crowd, finishing dead last in her block of three. She watched as the Performers did their routines for the Free Performance round, sad she wasn't among them. She hid her feelings from the others, even to the point of directing the conversation towards where Ash would go for his fifth Gym badge. Very early next morning, before sunrise, she stood with her Pokémon at the docks. Unable to contain her grief and frustration any longer, she broke down in tears and began to cry. Her Pokémon tried desperately to cheer her up, jumping into her arms to show their support. Moved, Serena stopped crying and apologized to them, saying their loss was her fault. She got out her fashion case and took out her scissors, going to the end of the dock. Putting the scissors to her hair, she remembered all the events of her journey leading up to this moment. She cut her hair short as the sun rose on a new day and a new her. Later that morning she presented her new look to her friends. Their reactions were mixed: Clemont wondered what had happened; Bonnie lamented Serena cutting her hair as she liked it long; Ash was the only one who had a positive reaction, saying it looked good on her before noticing she was wearing the ribbon he gave her. Fully rebounded after her loss, Serena was the first one out of the Pokémon Center, goading her friends saying she'd leave them behind if they weren't fast enough. Now understanding what it was like to lose, she left Coumarine City with a little more life experience under her belt.

When Clemont parted ways with the gang to return to Lumiose City, he asked Serena to take care of Bonnie in the meantime, to which she told him to leave it to her as Bonnie tearfully told her brother she'd be alright.

Eventually Serena entered her second Pokémon Showcase, only this time she came out victorious earning her first Princess Key.

Achievements

 * Poké Puff Contest: Top 3
 * Pokémon Showcases
 * Coumarine City Showcase (Rookie Class): Theme Performance
 * Dendemille Town Showcase (Rookie Class): 1st place

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, confirmed crush on Ash. This crush has been noticed by Miette and Bonnie in XY026 and XY079 respectively.
 * Serena took 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 -type Starter Pokémon (Serena's Braixen). 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, for almost eating an entire slice of chocolate cake meant to be shared by everyone, and for nearly killing himself while trying to save his newly evolved Talonflame from falling in the lava pit.
 * She is the first female companion to completely change her appearance mid-series. This may be a reference to the character customization feature from Pokémon X and Y.
 * Serena is the second character for Fennekin to burn in the face, the first being Ash.
 * While on the subject, she is the second character to be burned in the face by a -type starter that she owns. The first is also Ash, who regularly receives this treatment from his Charizard.