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: The Kalos Queen. She and Ash met before the start of the series when Ash aided her in her time of need. She developed a strong crush on him on that day on and it is one of her most notable characteristics, evident through her blushing whenever she looks at and/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 just above her waist, light skin, red skirt, black hi-tops with pink semi-Poké Ball printing on the sides similar in design to Hilda's, 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! onward, 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, 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 or pink bow. As of A Frolicking Find in the Flowers!, she wears pink sandals whenever she's in her pajamas while outside.
 * She appears a little 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 is always 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 has developed strong feelings for Ash, constantly blushing when interacting with him. She has also begun to take on his determination, greatly inspired by his motto: "Never give up till the end", and as such begins to takes hits for her Pokémon like he does. She also tends to get flustered whenever someone brings up her crush on him and blush quite heavily, namely whenever Miette appears or when Shauna accused her of liking him all together, she also seemed rather flustered when Penelope requested Ash to be with her before discovering what she really meant. Serena possesses a unique charm when it comes to Rhyhorn, possibly due to her upbringing, as nearly all of those that she encounters gravitate towards her without the girl in question doing anything.

Biography
Despite being Ash's newest female companion and having just started her journey, she had previously 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, resulting in herself getting wounded after getting startled by a Poliwag. But at that very same moment, Ash came to her aid 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.

Season 17: XY
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 Pokémon Gym Battle to participate in the Kalos Pokémon League. 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 saddened to 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 to tend to his Pokémon, but fortunately she noticed he'd left his backpack behind. She met up with him at the Pokémon 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 Pokémon League Gym Badge.

After that, Ash asked Serena to travel with him, Clemont and Bonnie, which she happily accepted. While traveling back to Lumiose City in order to head to Cyllage City and helping Ash recall when they first met, Serena is shown to be 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 Giving Chase at the Rhyhorn Race! 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 Pokémon 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 (which became very popular as even Shauna, Tierno and Trevor watched many times), participating in the Pokémon Summer Camp, meeting an aspiring 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.

Season 18: XY Kalos Quest
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. Motivated, 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.

In Battling with Elegance and a Big Smile!, Serena practices with Pancham and Fennekin for her next performance. Serena tells her Pokémon her plan for the next showcase's free performance and starts practicing but as Pancham jumps through a ring of fire created from Fennekin's Flamethrower, his bottom caught on fire but was put out by the ground. Pancham got mad but Serena suggest that they start over. The second time Pancham manage to jump through to ring of fire but crashed into Fennekin which caused both of them to argue. Pancham jumps on to Serena's shoulder and Fennekin used Flamethrower to hit Pancham but accidentally hit Serena's face while Pancham dodged the attack. Serena got mad and shouted at Pancham and Fennekin, but after she noticed what she has said, Serena said she needed time alone to calm down.

Serena was looking into a window of a store until a girl came up and startled her by saying that hat would match her the best. The girl introduced herself as Arianna (when she really is Aria) and told her it's always important for girls to keep smiling. Arianna asked Serena if she wants to go shopping with her since she is alone. As they went into a shop to look at somethings Serena told Aria her dream was to become the Kalos Queen just like Aria. Then Aria asks her which bracelet she should get and Serena suggested the blue one. Aria thought that was a good idea but thought the red one looks great too which made Serena smile and laugh. Serena told Aria that she lost her Coumarine Showcase during the first round and Aria told her she saw the showcase. She told her that she had gotten mad at Fennekin and Pancham. After leaving the shop, they went somewhere to eat. While talking to Aria, she saw a girl giving a Poké Puff to her Furfrou, causing her to think about Fennekin and Pancham and start to cry. Aria suggested that she should apologize since she yelled at them. Returning to the Pokémon Center, Ash tells her that Fennekin and Pancham were worried about her. Once all three made amends, they agreed to engage Arianna in their first Double Battle, during which Fennekin evolved into Braxien, but Arianna got called away before they could finish. Upon realizing that she spent the day with Aria, the Kalos Queen herself, it only helped to raise her spirits about becoming the Queen herself one day.

Eventually Serena entered her second Pokémon Showcase in Performing with Fiery Charm!, this time competing against Miette and Jessie, only this time, despite a mishap with Serena's dress, due to Jessie's indirect interference, she came out victorious and earned her first Princess Key.

As she traveled with Ash and co. in A Frolicking Find in the Flowers!, Serena soon found a shy Eevee that had impressive dancing skills and wanted to use those moves during her next performance. While she and her friends tried to find Eevee, Serena's life was unexpectedly saved when Eevee called out to her to prevent her from falling down a cliff. In gratitude, Serena left a flower crown for Eevee to wear. The next day, Clemont attempted to lure Eevee with Serena's Poké Puffs. However, Eevee took it without Clemont noticing and made him believe that his Chespin ate it. Serena decided to perform in order to get Eevee to reveal itself to the group, which met with success. After thwarting Team Rocket's attempt to capture Eevee, she added it to her party as her third Pokémon.

In Tag Team Battle Inspiration!, Eevee was introduced to Shauna and Tierno. Shauna excitedly told Serena about all of Eevee's possible evolutions, in which Serena took a liking to Glaceon while Eevee seemed to take a liking to Jolteon. Inside the Pokémon Center, Serena decided that Eevee should get over its shyness, so Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie called out some of their Pokémon to help Eevee become more comfortable. Encouraged by Clemont's Bunnelby, Eevee brushed her tail over each and every Pokémon save for Chespin, whose accidental outburst scared Eevee into tears. Later, Serena and Shauna teamed up against Ash and Tierno in a Double Battle. Eevee was shy and hesitant to battle at first, but with encouragement from the Pokémon, Eevee was able to make a comeback by learning the rhythm of Tierno and his Blastoise and following it up with Swift. Inspired by Eevee's dance moves, Serena called off the battle. Wanting to use them for her performance, she asked Eevee to teach her and her team her beautiful dance moves, to which Eevee agreed.

At Anistar City in A Performance Pop Quiz!, Eevee was startled by Jessie's use of fireworks during her performance and ran off. Serena begged the gate attendant to let her look for Eevee, willing to risk being disqualified to make sure her Pokémon was safe. With the gang's help, she desperately searched for Eevee but to no avail. Eevee, who was hiding under a bench, saw Serena looking for her noticed how worried she was, mustering up her courage to run to her trainer. With Eevee safe and sound, Serena made it back in time for her performance in which Braixen and Pancham dazzled the crowd utilizing Eevee's dance moves in tandem with their own attacks. She earned her second Princess Key, needing only one more to qualify for the Master Class.

Season 19: XYZ
While relaxing with her Pokémon and the rest of the gang in a flowery meadow, Serena witness a lovestruck Quilladin vying for Eevee's affections. While she ultimately stood by Eevee, Serena was nonetheless gentle in letting Quilladin down easy before finding out how fickle its heart was.

After arriving in Couriway Town, Serena entered her fourth Showcase intent on winning her final key. However as this was Eevee's first performance, she had to keep assuaging the latter's anxieties which had come to a head the last time. During the Free Performance, Serena, Eevee and Braixen charmed the audience with their dance routine. Leaping into the air, Eevee prepared to land on Braixen's branch. However, she got distracted by the crowd and her anxieties came to a head once again, causing her to lose her balance and fall off. Knowing Eevee felt upset, Serena encouraged her to keep on dancing and sticking to the routine. Though still nervous about being around and in front of people, Eevee got up to finish Serena's performance. Because of Eevee's misstep, Serena lost the Showcase. Though Eevee felt bad and blamed herself for the loss, Serena told Eevee not to worry and raised her up into the air, growing closer with her after turning what would've been a repeat of her first failure into a moment of growth for them both.

Serena was later present for the gang's battle with Team Flare in Terminus Cave, calling on Braixen to battle against their Skorupi, Drapion, Houndour and Bisharp.

Serena attended a dance party in which she was partnered up with Ash to face Miette and a disguised James, in which Slurpuff seemed to have the upper hand on Eevee. Serena gave Eevee some encouraging words and their bond increased, as Eevee evolved into a Sylveon, where she learned to use Fairy Wind and won the battle. Afterwards, Serena and the other left, her bond with Sylveon is now stronger than ever.

In Master Class Choices!, she participated in the Frey Pokémon Showcase and successfully wins the Fleur City Princess Key against Amelia to qualify for the Master Class Competition. She was not sure of herself when she talked to the famous Pokémon Judge named Palermo.

In XY112, Serena participates in the Master Class Showcase and made it to the semi-finals.

In XY113, Serena makes it through the semi-finals to earn the right to challenge Aria for the title Kalos Queen, but lost, finishing as Runner-up, yet proved herself a worthy rival for Aria. She also gets a card from Palermo to train her to be the next Kalos Queen, but she don't accept it, because she wants to keep traveling. But offer is still open for her to accept the offer later.

In XY115, she impersonated herself as Ash, who was sick with a cold after an intense night of training, when a trainer named Jimmy and his Pikachu, Spike, challenged the latter for a Pokémon battle. Her plan went well until Team Rocket interfered. But when Ash recovered from his cold and defeated Team Rocket, she apologized to Jimmy for not telling the truth. But Jimmy forgave her and joined to group for lunch.

In XY121, Serena showed deep concern for Ash when he hasn't returned to the Pokémon Center after his defeat against Wulfric. She decided to go into the Winding Woods and look for him. But once she found him, he was still depressed. Serena attempted to cheer him up by reminding him of everything he told her from when they were little and throughout her journey. But Ash, who is still depressed, snapped at her, causing her to become mad at him and threw snowballs at him in anger. Before leaving, she told Ash that the way he's behaving right now is not the same person she knew. However, her anger ceased when a blizzard started to fall and resumed her search for Ash with the help from Clemont, Bonnie, and the rest of Ash's Pokémon. When the storm started to get worse, they took shelter in a nearby cave. Serena became more concerned about Ash and wondered if the old Ash she knew would return. But Clemont and Bonnie reminded her that Ash will be alright and they all went to sleep. Once the storm died down, Serena and her friends reunited with Ash and Greninja. Ash apologized to Serena for yelling at her and thanked her for knocking some sense into him. Upon hearing that, Serena was incredibly happy that Ash's confidence is restored and the same person she was inspired by since childhood is back for good.

Achievements

 * Poké Puff Contest: Top 3
 * Pokémon Summer Camp: Winner (along with Clemont, Bonnie and Ash)
 * Pokémon Showcases
 * Dendemille Town Showcase (Rookie Class): 1st place
 * Anistar City Showcase (Rookie Class): 1st place
 * Couriway Town Showcase (Rookie Class): Top 5
 * Fleur City Showcase (Rookie Class): 1st place
 * Glorio City Showcase (Master Class): Finalist

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.
 * She is also the first companion to have a canonical, confirmed crush on Ash. This crush has been noticed by Miette, Bonnie, Shauna and Nini in A Battle by Any Other Name!, Performing with Fiery Charm!, Tag Team Battle Inspiration! and XY112 , respectively.
 * Intriguingly, all of the characters who have know about Serena's crush on Ash, are female, additionally, 3 of them are her rivals.
 * 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 whose Japanese name is the same in English, the first being 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 on a regular basis or be easily irritated by his actions. (Misty, May, Dawn and Iris have all been easily irritated by his recklessness and have argued with him during their travels with him).
 * When she did argue, it was over something serious instead of childish.
 * Serena is the only female companion to date to not deny having feelings for Ash. While Misty, May and Dawn have all denied having any feelings for him, Serena instead becomes shy and embarrassed whenever someone brings up the subject. (A Battle by Any Other Name!, Performing with Fiery Charm!, A Tag Team Battle Inspiration!, XY112 etc all.)
 * 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, Ash being the first.
 * 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.
 * Serena shares a lot of characteristics with May.
 * Neither knew what their goal was at first, but eventually focused on one related to beauty and style.
 * Both chose the -Type starter: Torchic in May's case and Fennekin in Serena's.
 * Both have caught a Pokémon based on a bear: Munchlax and Pancham, respectively.
 * Both have obtained an Eevee that has evolved. (A Glaceon and Sylveon, respectively).
 * Both were expected to have the same career as one of their parents, (a Gym Leader and Rhyhorn Racer respectively), neither of which wanted to pursue.
 * Both girls pay attention to fashion, albeit in different areas: May focuses more on swimsuits while Serena focuses on outerwear.
 * She also shares some characteristics with Dawn.
 * Their starter Pokémon defended them from wild -type Pokémon (Ariados for Dawn and Vespiquen for Serena).
 * They both become renowned through media: the Wallace Cup for Dawn, PokéVision and Showcases for Serena.
 * They both had a large number of rivals in their professions for the the top spot.
 * Since the beginning (especially when they first meet), they both had great admiration for Ash and his actions out of love for Pokémon (when Ash rescued Pikachu by climbing one of Team Rocket's mecha for Dawn and when he helped an agitated Garchomp on Prism Tower on live TV for Serena), and are never judgmental of and very kind to him, even going as far as always believing in Ash to win his battles.
 * Both had finished Runner-up in a Top Class Competition.