You know what I realized? Ash didn't have to cross-dress in XY or XYZ. We must remedy this situation at once. This takes place after the crap with Lysandre and everything is A-OK. Don't take this too seriously, it's all in good fun! Pairing is Megabondshipping, meaning Ash x Alain.
"Serena! Are you serious?!" shouted Ash, clutching the poster Serena had given him. He was staying Lumiose City with Clemont and Bonnie to learn more about Mega Evolution and his bond with Greninja. Serena had come back from Hoenn one morning during breakfast to visit and showed them a poster about an upcoming showcase in a few days. He thought she wanted to ask if they were interested in watching, not being a part of it! And what did it mean by girls-only?! Serena clapped her hands together pleadingly. She was practicing hard for Pokémon Contests in Hoenn and didn't have much of a budget for the great clothes her competitors wore.
"I'm sorry! But the prize was free performance clothes for a year and I couldn't let it pass me by! Please, just for a day?!" Clemont looked like he was going to pass out holding onto his table as a life support.
"But you want us to compete too? Why not take Bonnie?" Bonnie was giggling to herself as she swung her feet from her chair.
"I'm not a trainer or a performer!" she reminded them singingly, tapping the requirements on the poster. "It should be so much fun!"
Before Ash and Clemont could reject, Serena snatched the poster and pointed at the fine print on the bottom.
"'The host will also be bringing her Mega Evolved Ampharos and will accept challenges,'" she read, grinning when she saw Ash freeze. "'Performers must pass the Theme Performance of bonds and a select few will proceed into the semifinals and face each other in a Pokémon battle to test bond strength. The winner will face the host!"
She danced victoriously in her head when Ash got up with a fire in his eyes. He raised his fist to the air. "I'm entering! It doesn't matter if I suck at dancing, right?!"
She giggled. "At least do okay so there's still a chance for me to get clothes! As long as we all make it to the semifinals, we have it in the bag!"
He nodded vigorously. "Fine!"
They all looked at Clemont, who began to sweat under the pressure. He looked around wildly for an excuse.
"I-uh, need to watch the gym-" Clembot, who was taking their dirty dishes to the sink, interrupted enthusiastically.
"I will watch it for you!" he offered. Meyer, who was silently listening on the couch, laughed when his son began to sob at the loss of excuses.
"Think of it as giving Bonnie an older sister for a day! Besides, Serena needs your help and you're always gonna help a friend, right?" Clemont sobbed at the table, finally agreeing with a shaky nod. Everyone cheered over his groans.
They were in a dress shop to find Ash and Clemont the perfect disguises for the showcase. Clemont hid in a corner while Bonnie and Serena were discussing what colors would work well on the boys. Ash sighed, finally regretting saying yes to this stupid idea. He would've rather ask the host to battle their Pokémon rather than humiliate himself. He shouldn't have agreed so quickly.
But he was sort of used to cross-dressing, having done so in the past numerous times. He even wore a maid outfit. Ugh. Pikachu, sensing his trainer's sadness, gave him an encouraging pat on the head so he could cheer up.
"Light blue for Clemont!" announced Bonnie, diving into a rack.
"Dark blue for Ash!" decided Serena, fishing out a dress. Bonnie immediately chose a light blue one with a skirt shaped in flower petals. It had a thin top, but the skirt was wide like a bell. It covered the shoulders with a white collar but left everything else bare. Clemont was dying as the dress was shoved in his hands and he was thrown into a dressing room. Pikachu was plucked off Ash's shoulder so he could get his. Ash got a cross between a sailor and maid dress with white ribbons and was tossed into the room next to Clemont. The top was white with navy buttons and the bottom was this embarrassingly frilly blue skirt with white accents. Unlike Clemont's, his had sleeves.
As Ash reluctantly put on the dress, he jolted when Clemont knocked on the wall of the room.
"Ash, if I pretend that there was a really bad accident in the lab, we could use the chaos to make our escape! We can come home right after the showcase is over!" His voice was muffled, but he could still hear the panic. Ash tried to sound reassuring even though he didn't like this idea either.
"Clemont, that's a little too much. We'll grin and bear with it for tomorrow." He finally looked at himself in the mirror and noticed the two thin and long pieces of material left on the hanger. "Arceus, mine comes with stockings."
Clemont began to sob. "Mine too! I look like a fairy-type!"
"I look like the only adult I should be talking to is Officer Jenny," Ash muttered.
"It's called style, big brother! Or should I say, big sister?" Bonnie added, giggling as she waited for him to come out. Clemont adjusted his glasses with a frown. He was going to give her a piece of his mind.
"Bonnie? Serena?" asked a new voice. Ash and Clemont froze, not moving an inch and staying in their rooms. That was Mairin's voice.
"Mairin!" called Serena, giving her a hug. "Good to see you!"
"You too! I thought you were in Hoenn!" Serena released her and nodded, slowly inching away from the dressing rooms.
"I was. I came back to visit and I'm gonna be participating in the Pokémon Showcase." Mairin gasped.
"Really?! Great! I'm going with Alain! He's going to watch the host battle with her Mega Ampharos." Ash's mouth went dry. Alain was coming? Ever since the Kalos League, he felt different towards his rival. Like he was more than that and beyond a friend. Whenever he saw him at Professor Sycamore's, a warm feeling spread across his chest and cheeks. Even hearing his name quickened his pulse. It was a strange yet good feeling to have. This feeling stayed with him despite seeing him almost every day and talking to him. But he shook his head to eavesdrop.
"Watch? He won't battle her?" asked Serena. Mairin shook her head.
"Nope. Not with the conditions she set up. Besides, her Ampharos is meant for showcases rather than battles and he wasn't interested in asking her for one. Not when he still needs to get another Mega Stone and Charizardite." That's right, he had turned over the ones he got from Lysandre to the authorities. "By the way, where are Ash and Clemont? Aren't they usually with you guys?"
Serena thought quickly for an excuse, eyeing the doors cautiously. "Oh! You know, they're around!"
She quickly changed the subject before Mairin could say much else. "Hey, I need help choosing between these two dresses for my showcase! The dressing rooms are full so hopefully they'll be empty by the time we're done!" She said the last part loudly so the boys knew to get moving once Mairin was distracted. They were in the middle of yanking their dresses off and getting their clothes back on.
After Serena led her away, Bonnie banged on their doors and both boys shot out in normal clothes. She swept in to take the dresses to buy while they ran to the men's section and pretended to be browsing the racks there.
It didn't take long for Mairin to spot them, smiling and heading over once Serena got her dress.
"Guys! I didn't think I'd see you two shopping!" They pretended to act surprised to see her, giving her the fakest grins they could muster.
"Mairin! Yeah, we were in need of...shorts!" Ash snatched a pair of them off the rack, convincing her.
"Cool! Hey, are you guys going to the showcase?" They inwardly groaned. 'Worse, we're in it.'
"We sure are! We're gonna give Serena our support!" said Clemont enthusiastically, nearly choking when he saw Bonnie set the fairy dress on the counter. Mairin nodded with a smile, checking her phone and seeing that she was receiving a call.
"I will too! See ya later!" Ash sighed as she left to answer her phone. If Alain was coming, he was going to see him in that dress. This was worse than the humiliation he feared earlier. He just hoped Serena and Bonnie would disguise him well enough to fool him. He couldn't face him for days if he ever found out the truth.
"Alright guys, so it doesn't matter if dancing isn't our thing. It's about battling and battling alone!" Ash had all his Pokémon out in Clemont's backyard for a pep talk and all were confused as to why their trainer was standing next to a sailor maid dress, but focused on the battle ahead. They roared in agreement and gave Greninja their support against the Pokémon he'd be battling. They weren't entirely sure what was going on, but if a pep talk was involved, it had to be important.
Clemont was being consoled by his Pokémon. Chespin was excited at the idea of performing, so he was the one being the most encouraging of the three.
Serena hummed to herself She had to think of the perfect stage names for the boys.
"Now, what should your names be?" she thought aloud. Ash answered for her without turning his back.
"Ashley," he replied in a millisecond. He laughed and put his hands behind his head. "I've had to do this sort of thing before."
Dressing as a girl? Now they wanted to hear some stories! But Bonnie was too busy thinking about the perfect name for her big 'sister.'
"Clemont can be Clemelia! I've always wanted a big sister!" Clemont groaned. An embarrassing dress, potential stage fright, and a ridiculous name to top it all off. While the others laughed, a faint voice interrupted from the front of the house.
"Ash? Are you here?" They froze. It was Alain. Meyer got up from his spot on the couch to answer the door.
"Hey, Alain! Come on in!" The others panicked to hide the dresses before the champion came out the door to greet them. The Butterfrees in Ash's stomach fluttered when the older boy smiled at him and waved.
"Hey. I'm here to pick you up." Ash blinked. For what? Alain seemed to read his mind, chuckling to himself. It was just like him to get caught up in things and forget about future plans.
"I was going to tell you about the Mega Absol I battled?" he reminded to jog his memory. Ash suddenly remembered. He was supposed to meet up with him for a drink and talk about some of Alain's battles with Mega Evolved Pokémon. Serena patted his back.
"We needed him for something. All done now! Bye guys!" she said hurriedly. Ash snapped out of it and quickly agreed, saying goodbye and following Alain out.
Ash was sorry to say that he really wasn't listening to Alain at the moment. He was worried about the showcase tomorrow and putting on that stupid dress. If Alain was really going, he could see him and knowing how sharp he was, he could probably pick his disguise apart in a matter of minutes. Alain paused in the middle of his story with the Absol, noticing that Ash wasn't looking at him in the eye like he did when he listened.
"Ash, you've been spacing out," he pointed out bluntly, stirring the hot tea in his cup patiently. Ash jolted out of his thoughts.
"W-what? Oh…" he trailed off, sighing apologetically. "Sorry. A lot on my mind."
He shook his head forgivingly. "It's alright." He decided to change the subject in light of the upcoming showcase.
"I heard about the showcase coming up. I assume your friend Serena's going to be in it?"
Ash nodded, biting his tongue so he wouldn't blurt out that he and Clemont were roped in as well. "Yeah! We're gonna…be there too. T-to show our support!" he added quickly. Alain nodded.
"I'll be there too. The host has an Ampharos with the ability to Mega Evolve so I wanted to see what it can do. Not a girl so I won't be battling." Ash laughed nervously.
"G-guess not! Man, just our luck, right?" Alain didn't catch on to why Ash was so nervous. He smiled a bit.
"Want to go together?" he offered, hoping to sit next to him at the show. Ash froze. 'Crap, I didn't think he'd ask that! If I say no, he might get suspicious! I'd never refuse watching a match! Think, Ash, think!'
"That'd be great, but uh…our tickets say we have an arranged seating," he lied. 'Yeah, that's a good lie!'
Alain frowned in thought. "Does it? I heard it was first-come first-serve."
Ash froze. He honestly didn't know. "I-I'll check! But if not, yeah! Maybe we'll be able to!"
Alain smiled gently, sending a warm surge into Ash's cheeks. "I'm looking forward to it."
"WORST. LIE. EVER!" shouted Bonnie, hands on her hips and glaring at Ash. He grit his teeth as Serena put a wig on his head to smooth out and style.
"What else could I say?! He could've figured it out!" Bonnie sighed, tutting like a disappointed mother.
"I can lie better than that though! I'll track them down and make a proper excuse. You three need to make sure your showcase goes great!" Ash felt his head fly back when Serena combed through the tangles. She grinned at him.
"I'm going to make you a brunette with honey highlights. No one will think you're a guy! Even Alain won't know." Ash grumbled something and let her work her magic. Clemont was looking at himself in the mirror, a short blue wig on his head that matched his dress. He wondered if he could see his soul leaving his body.
On the morning of the showcase, all three teenagers were dressed for the showcase. Ash had to count to ten before he looked at himself in the mirror. The dress looked nice, but it would've looked better not on him. The wig was nice and flowy to hide a good portion of his face. The stockings were supposed to cover up his muscular legs, but it made him feel ridiculous. Pikachu had some yellow paper taped to his tail so he could pretend to be female, disguising himself or else others might piece together that he was actually Ash's.
Clemont dragged his feet out of his room in his dress and wig, looking like he hadn't gotten any sleep. Chespin excitedly ran down the stairs, more than ready for his first performance. Serena came out in her red and pink dress she had worn for the master class, happily skipping and thinking about her prize waiting for her. She turned to her friends with the sunniest smile on her face.
"Are we all ready?!"
"Yeah…" grumbled the boys, less enthused. She giggled as she and Bonnie dragged them towards the car with Clemont's father.
"No no no no no…" Clemont repeated as Lumiose Conference Stadium came into view. His palms were sweaty and his head was getting light. Bonnie sighed from her passenger seat.
"Chill out, big brother! The stadium isn't sold out or anything! It's just a couple hundred people!" He started shaking.
"That's a couple hundred people too many!" She groaned and let him freak out. Serena patted him reassuringly.
"We'll be fine! You look great. No one will suspect a thing. Now, a Pokémon Performer always wears a smile on her face! Show me yours!" Clemont's way of smiling was to show off his teeth. His look of despair was what really sold it. She giggled sheepishly.
"Yeah, we'll work on that more when we get there."
They got out of the car when Meyer parked, then waved goodbye as he headed back to work. People had gathered around the front to go inside and performers were warming up before heading in. Ash fanned himself. This wig made him feel hot and sweaty. Being in the car did not help. He really wanted to bend over and pull his stockings down for air, but Serena had warned him not to. He could accidentally reveal himself in more ways than one. Clemont tugged on his wig and listened to Bonnie yell at him to not take it off.
"It's hot!" he whined. Serena agreed, popping open her collar to get some air.
"Let's go get some water." She pointed at a vendor and quickly pulled them in line. As they quietly waited in line, Ash heard some commotion behind him as more people lined up for refreshments.
"It's first-come, first-serve. I'm sure of it!" Oh Arceus, was that Mairin? He didn't dare to turn to check.
"Ash said otherwise. Ash wouldn't lie." And that was Alain. Guilt wrenched his gut. He made such a bad lie.
"I say we ask, but I read it and it said that we sit wherever." Alain sighed, nodding in agreement. Ash stayed stiff.
"Fine." Ash sucked in a breath. 'Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me-'
A tap on his shoulder made him wince.
"Excuse me-" It was him! Arceus, Alain found out! Ash whirled around, nearly forgetting to pitch his voice higher.
"I'm not who you think I am!" he shouted, gaining attention from his friends and freaking out Alain and Mairin. Alain looked at him right in the eye. He saw his eyes slowly taking in his appearance. Luckily, his eyes didn't widen with familiarity. Clemont thought quickly and grabbed Ash, making a run for it to the stadium. Bonnie and Serena immediately jumped in to make up excuses.
"Hi, guys!" they sang. Serena bowed her head.
"Sorry about her. It's her first performance and she's really nervous. I was giving her some pointers wanted to get her some water to calm her down. The heat's pretty intense today." Mairin pouted pitifully.
"Aww I hope she's okay. She's really pretty. But, you look beautiful too! Good luck on your showcase!" Serena giggled.
"Thank you!" Alain kept looking around. That performer looked familiar, especially those eyes, but whatever.
"Where's Ash and Clemont?" asked Mairin, voicing his thoughts. Bonnie stepped in confidently, hands on her hips as she grinned smugly.
"The stadium needed some extra helping hands and they volunteered to help out." Alain narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Shouldn't they be hiring professionals for that?" Her eyes bore into his fiercely. He was not going to doubt her lie.
"They're helping," she hissed menacingly. Dedenne emerged from her bag and glared at Alain with her to drive the point home. They sweat-dropped at her intensity, dropping the subject to head into the stadium.
"I almost blew it back there," muttered Ash, downing water in the dressing room. Clemont had gone through a few bottles for his nerves as well. Serena massaged his shoulders.
"You're just nervous, that's all! Once you get out there, it'll all go away. Remember, you're doing this to battle an Ampharos!" At the sound of his challenge, he grinned and stood up confidently.
"Right! You ready, Pikachu?" He didn't receive an answer. Concerned, he looked down and didn't see Pikachu beside him. One of the event coordinators came up to him with a smile.
"We took one Pokémon from each performer for the Theme Performance. Clemelia?" Ash elbowed Clemont, who quickly shot up to attention. "You're in first group! Serena, you're next and Ashley, you're in the group after her."
They passed their good lucks to Clemont, who shakily walked to the stage. Ash sighed, scratching his head through the wig. This was going to be a really long showcase…
Up next, the Theme Performance and Alain's growing suspicions! This won't be too similar to the anime.