How Serena can return in Pokémon Journeys in a meaningful way?

Pokémon Journeys has immense potential to be one of the best Pokémon series'. It being a series about every region, has given the writers and the fans the opportunity to reconnect with many old characters introduced earlier. Journeys have already brought back many old characters from the past and fans are waiting to see who returns next. 

Among all of the potential returns in Journeys, a large number of people are waiting for the return of Serena. Since the end of Pokémon XY&Z in 2016, fans have been waiting for her return. But some fans are worried that Serena might never return simply because her story was almost perfectly ended at the end of XY&Z. But we think it is actually possible to write a story about Serena's return without damaging her character growth in XY.

In order to write a good character return, a writer has to ensure two things:

• The return should serve a purpose in the current story.

• The return should act as an extension of the character's arc.

We tried our best to make sure these two criteria are met. Before we start, do note that this is just a fun Theory discussing how her return could go. That being said let's get started with the theory. 

The Wallace Cup arc

The return of May has to be one of the most nicely handled returns in the anime. Taking cues from that, we think the best opportunity for Serena's return would be a potential Wallace Cup arc. Wallace Cup is a contest tournament held every year in different regions in the Pokémon anime world. At the end of XY&Z, Serena traveled to Hoenn to take part in Pokémon contests in order to improve herself as a performer. The Wallace Cup would be great to not only bring back Serena but also bring back Dawn, which is inevitable because of DP remakes and May. We might also get the return of some of their rivals. 

Now you may ask why would Serena join the Wallace Cup inspite of being a Performer? That's actually a fair question to ask. XY on multiple occasions, presented the idea that 'Nothing we do in life is a waste of time.' Wallace Cup is also open for all to participate. You may also remember that Ash also took part in it with his Buizel believing that it would somehow help him in battles. So taking part in Wallace Cup could indirectly help Serena improve her performances and reach her goal of becoming a Kalos Queen.

Let's take this a bit further. It would be great if Ash, Goh and Chloe actually participate in it. It would be interesting to see how Goh and Chloe react to it. Goh might as well do very good in it with his huge roster of Pokémon. But I think the Wallace Cup can be a great opportunity to tell a great story and develop Serena and Ash.

Related

Quiz: How much do you know the Pokemon Anime?

Ash vs Serena Rematch

At the end of XY&Z we were treated with a short battle between Ash and Serena. That battle actually helped Serena to decide what to do next in life. It would be amazing if Journeys gives us a rematch between the two in a contest format battle. The battle is not there just for fan service. It can also act as a great indicator for Serena growth.

Similar to how Ash fought May at the end of Advanced Generation. It would be even better if the battle takes place between Pikachu and Braixen connecting back to their last battle in XY&Z. As a Performer Serena didn't need to be great at battling. But now as she is also taking part in Contests, she needs to be great at battling as well as performing. A rematch between Ash and Serena using the same Pokémons will give Serena the opportunity to show how much she has improved and her boost in confidence since they last battled.  This will also be helpful for Ash to make his battles 'pop more'.

This part might be a stretch but bare with me please. At the end of Ash vs Leon in episode 13 of Pokémon Journeys, in the Japanese original dub Leon suggested that Ash has to 'pop more' to impress Leon which could possibly mean that Ash has to make his battles look more eye-catching.

 Leon seems to be a person who likes to share the fun of battling with the audience watching the battles. This is further solidified by the use of his signature victory pose and his 'champion time' move. These make the battles look more fun and entertaining. You might also remember that contest battles have a point system. Contest battles are different from regular battles as not only the strength of an attack, but also the style of its execution matters. Ash has already taken cues from contests most notably in Sinnoh. So what better way to help Ash's battles look elegant and pop more than having him participate in a contest battle. Maybe we are looking a bit too deep into that 'pop more' dialogue. But this honestly would be a great touch and a small homage to XY, DP and AG if it ever happens. 

Also we don't think we will get a mention or flashback about the Kiss. A few blushes of Serena here and there will most probably be there though.

Related

Ash's character development in Pokémon XY explained with 'The Looking Glass Self Theory'

Serena and Chloe's interaction

Serena at the start of her Journeys just wanted to break free of her boring lifestyle and spend fun time with Ash and also Clemont and Bonnie. She didn't have any goal in life. This slowly started to worry her and with some words from Ash and help from Shauna, she finally found her dream.

If you have been keeping up to date with Journeys, you know Chloe is in the same state. She doesn't have a goal in life. So this time, Serena could play the role that Ash played back in XY and be a mentor figure to Chloe, making her arc come full circle. 

Journeys has already shown interest in developing characters using their mentors as a catalyst; Korinna's Lucario to Ash's Riolu and that superstar Inteleon to Goh's Sobble. So why not do it with a human character?

So that's it. At this point in the series there is no concrete evidence about Serena's return. But we really hope she returns at one point of the series and when she does we hope the return is handled well and the fans are rewarded for their long wait.