BAD CHAPTER WARNING!

Alright, I have had a change of heart. Amourshippers will get a little reward at the end of the story.

I can't make Performances as good as I make the battles, so please bear through this chapter. And I might have made the format different to the anime one.

MASTER SHOCKS!

It finally was the day of the Master Class. The day 16 lucky Pokemon Performers had been waiting for the past year. They had gone through several challenges, trials, defeats and tests. But the young and brave girls had passed these tests bravely, landing a place in the second biggest event in Kalos.

Unlike the normal Showcases, there was no Theme Round in this event, as Performers in the Master Class were thought to be above that level. Instead, there were three rounds of Freestyle Performances. The first 16 got divided into groups of 4, with only one Performer progressing from each group. Next up, the four performers were split into groups of two, with the better Performer progressing into the Finals. And, when a Performer wins the Final, she gets the chance to face the reigning Kalos Queen, Aria!

As usual, the fans voted for the best Performance through their glow sticks. But this time around, people could vote from all around Kalos through their mobile phones. It would not be an exaggeration to say that maybe, most of the Kalosian people were hooked to their devices.


First round

The budding Performers were split into groups of four, with notable names being Serena in Group A, Nini in Group B, Shauna in Group C and Miette in Group D. These four Performers, all fierce rivals, were the ones most were looking forward to, though. And they were not disappointed; the other Performers in their respective groups stood no chance against them.

So, it was Round 2 of the Master Class; and four fierce rivals-cum-friends were up against each other. This could only end in tears.


Second Round

For the second round, the groups were: Shauna and Nini, Serena and Miette.

In the first semi-final, Shauna and Nini had both put on great Performances , but ultimately, Shauna had passed into the finals with about 50 more votes.

In the second semi final, Serena and Miette put on spectacular Performances, absolutely captivating the crowd. After a very close voting process where the crowd couldn't differentiate the number of votes of the huge virtual screen, it emerged that Serena had won the round, by less than 10 votes.

Of course, Nini and Miette were broken, to have their dreams crushed so close to the end. Shauna and Serena did their best to cheer them up, but, they both said only one thing with great sportsmanship.

"Win this for us."


Final

It was the time for the finals.

Serena vs. Shauna.

A Performer with a greater dependence on Fire-Types against a Performer with a dependence on Grass Types.

Serena was up first, and conjured up one of her best Performances to date. Sylveon, Pancham and Braixen danced and hopped about in perfect sync with Serena. With Sylveon's Fairy Wind and Braixen's Fire Blast, they created a huge golden star than hung in the air. Pancham then fired a Dark Pulse from right under it, causing the flower to 'bloom' and burst into beautiful golden sparkles.

Shauna was up next, and used her Ivysaur and Flabebe to great use. Ivysaur started up the moves into the air, and Flabebe performed her moves to make them look as good as possible. Though her Performance wasn't as flashy as Serena's, it was an extremely well-planned one, with the moves getting gradually flashier.

Then it was time for the votes, and both of them didn't dare to look up as the votes were being collected. The votes stopped with a ping and, unknowingly, both the young Performers were holding their breaths.

"The votes are in, and the winner of the Finals of the Gloire City Master Class is..."

...

...

"Performer SERENA!"

The crowd went wild after the thrilling performance. Many were wolf-whistling, cheering, clapping and what not. But it was not all smiles though, as Shauna broke down, right then and there, on the stage and ran off.

"And now, we will have a 10 minutes break before the winner, Serena takes on the reigning Kalos Queen, Aria! Do NOT leave your seats."

In the stands, Ash had noticed that Serena did nothing as Shauna walked off the stage, crying. It made him feel bad. He had never qualified for a League Final, but his loss in the Semi-Finals of the Sinnoh League hurt. He would've been depressed forever had Dawn and Brock not been there.

Deciding to cheer her up, and wish Aria good luck, he went down the stairs and knocked on the door of the Performer's room. A guard opened the door and faced him.

"Who are you?"

"I am Ash, a friend of Serena."

The guard turned around, and asked whether he should let Ash enter. After a minute, he reappeared and replied.

"Serena says that she is too busy to see you. So run along now, shoo!"

Strange, what's gotten into her? Ash thought as he ran back up the stairs and into the huge hall.

The strange behaviour of his friends really went over his head. Clemont had left Ash alone the moment Serena left the group, so he was alone for the Master Class.

He was so distracted that he didn't even notice the Performances (sorry..no other option. I've run out of Performance ideas.), and was brought back into the real world by Pikachu, who had given him a shock to get him to see the final voting process.

The two bars filled up, but this time, before the voting ended, the screen disappeared to not let the audience know the winner beforehand.

"The votes are in! 16 performers competed in this Master Class. That was trimmed down to 1 just a little while ago. And, here we witnessed a truly mesmerizing performance as Serena pushed to try to defeat Aria. They both have tried hard, but there can only be one winner. And that winner is..."

...

...

...

...

...

"PERFORMER SERENAAAAAA!"

It was as if an earthquake had hit Gloire City. The hall shook from the shouts and the cheers as reporters, family and fans flocked on the stage. But, Ash noticed Aria standing there, not crying, not weeping, nothing. No one paid a second of attention to her as they all, including Palermo, flocked towards Serena.

Serena noticed her standing, but once again did nothing to console her.

I've just become the Kalos Queen; I can be a little selfish now. She told herself.

Ash had made his way onto the stage, but by that time Aria had disappeared. Feeling that Aria's needs were more important that Serena's at that moment, he went down the hall, which was absolutely empty.

He turned a corner and stopped. Just down the corridor, Palermo was talking to Aria.

"So, you lost, huh?"

Aria didn't reply.

"I told you not to lose. Remember?"

Still no reply.

"No answer, huh? Then, you should remember that I have already signed that clause. So, when that page reaches the bank, you'll be bankrupt and reduced to a beggar."

With that, she walked away, but right towards Ash! Palermo noticed her, and smirked.

"Well well well, look, an eavesdropper. Now, the whole world will know about your condition, Aria."

"You have NO RIGHT TO TREAT ARIA LIKE THAT!" Ash shouted out.

"And who might you be?" Palermo questioned.

"I'm Ash, and I am a friend of Aria!" He shot back.

Palermo looked at him for a second before another evil smile took over her face, "Oh, the loser? The one who defeated Team Rocket, Galactic, Plasma, Aqua, Magma and Flare, and yet hasn't won a league yet?"

Ash clenched his fists as Pikachu sparked his cheeks, clearly angry at his trainer being insulted. Losing or not, Ash was the best person in the world, according to him. But, Ash put a hand on his head, a signal for Pikachu to control himself.

"So what?" He seethed.

"You would've been better off, richer, and more famous with Serena, kid. But, you chose to ignore her, and choose this loser here..."

"Thunderbolt!"

With an angry shout upon Ash's command, Pikachu leapt up into the air and fired a thunderbolt at the lights. Ash didn't have to convey his needs in words to his Pokemon. Situations and actions were enough.

"I will not allow you to insult her anymore! She is a human, and she deserves to be treated like one." Ash turned towards Aria, "Come on, Aria, the prize distribution is beginning."

Ash took Aria's hand and led her down the hall towards the stage, leaving Palermo shocked and 'humiliated'. No one ever had the audacity to shout at her like that, and she decided to make Aria pay.

Ash followed Aria onto the stage. Aria still hadn't spoken a word since her loss. Ash knew, she was holding up all her emotions inside, to put on the final good show for the people of Kalos, who had given her the fame.


The podium had been set, Ash left Aria to go join Clemont, Bonnie, Shauna, Miette, Nini and Grace at one corner of the stage. The Performers had already got their medals and only the tiara was left to be presented.

"And now, for the grand finale, Kalos Queen Aria will present the tiara to the winner of the Master Class! A huge round of applause for our new Kalos Queen, Serena!"

Aria walked up to her and handed over the tiara, smiling brightly. Ash thought she looked really beautiful in her dress. What surprised him even more was the smile Aria kept in defeat. Fake or not, the fact that Aria was trying her best to finish her Kalos Queen time on a high really impressed him.

"Now, famous Performing Institute owner, Miss Palermo, would like to say a few words."

The crowd fell silent as Palermo walked up onto the stage and took the microphone from Pierre with a small nod. Those who were whispering fell silent. Everyone knew how strict she was.

"Firstly, I would like to thank all of you to take the time out of your schedules and come to see the Master Class. It has been a sellout, and it really makes me happy to see that Performing is becoming famous in Kalos." The crowd cheered.

"I have a few things to clear up." She turned towards Serena. "Miss Serena, I had recognized your talent and gift of Performing in your very first Performance itself. Even though you lost that, your resolve to get better was unquestionable. You did what no-one has done before, that it, you've become the Kalos Queen in your very first season. So, congratulations!"

The crowd cheered again, harder this time.

"So, do you want to become my apprentice? Under my personal guidance, your performances will go from being 'surprisingly good' to those levels of consistency which will make you unbeatable. So, do you accept?"

Everyone turned to Serena. She was shocked. She had become the Kalos Queen on her first try, but to get an offer to become a personal apprentice to Palermo, alongside Aria herself, was out of her dreams to say the least.

"Meet me at 5 p.m outside the Pokemon Centre, with one companion. Now, most of you will expect a problem, but there isn't. Simply put, Serena is taking the place of Aria, both as Kalos Queen and as my personal student."

The cheers died. No one had expected this. One question was in their minds, why?

The whole gang along with the participants and crowd looked on sadly as Aria nodded and walked out.


5:30 p.m., In the Pokemon Center

Ash was feeling extremely conflicted, as he walked towards his room. He had wanted to congratulate Serena after the Master Class, but hadn't got a chance yet. Whenever he thought he had caught her, she seemed to walk away. Other times, she was completely surrounded by reporters.

He reached his room and went to turn the doorknob when he heard voices inside, more specifically Clemont and Serena's voices.

"You're happy, aren't you?" He heard Clemont say.

"Happier than I've ever been. I've achieved what I wanted to the first time! There are so many more things to do as Kalos Queen. Although, I do feel a little guilty about my decision."

"Stop whining, Serena. You made the right choice, you shouldn't put feelings above your dream for god's sake. That...attitude of yours was why I fell I love with you."

"Oh, Clemont..."

He opened the door to see a sight he thought he never would've imagined on one of his journeys. Clemont and Serena were on the bed, with Clemont lying on top of Serena. They not only had their tongue in each other's mouth, but Clemont's hand was in a questionable place.

It all clicked. Serena and Clemont's weird behaviour around him, their frequent disappearances, their recent lack of conversation with him, everything fell into place.

Not wanting to see them making out anymore, he fake-coughed.

Serena and Clemont jumped off the bed, blushing madly at being caught in such a compromising postion.

"Oh! It's you, Ash. How long have you been here for?" Serena asked him in an unusually high voice.

"Uh, I don't know, 30 seconds? Felt like 30 hours to me." Ash replied. "How long have you been together?"

"Uhhh, 5 months. Since you won the Boulder Badge." Clemont replied. He suddenly seemed to find his feet extremely interesting.

He wasn't angry at them. A common misconception about him was that he had liked every one of his female friends in a romantic way. But, despite the endless teasing, that wasn't true. They were part of his family, just like his male friends and Pokemon. Misty was like an older sister, constantly correcting each and every one of his moves. May and Dawn were like his little sisters, who he had trained and mentored in the art of Pokemon Coordinating. Serena was the same, he had taught her the basics of training Pokemon. Iris was like his twin, the one with whom you always argue. But they never had any ill-intent.

But he had thought he would've been informed earlier. He was their friend after all.

"You might be thinking I'm angry at you, but I'm not." He began. Serena and Clemont looked towards him. "I'm...sad that you don't consider me a good enough friend to let me know of developments like this."

Serena looked at him sorrowfully, but before she could say anything, Ash continued, "But if you're happy, I am too. Just don't break up the group before the Kalos League, I would like to finish my Kalos Journey with you."

Serena looked down at the floor and Clemont put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He looked sad as Ash walked out, but his inner thoughts were something else altogether.

This is going to be much easier than I thought, he looked towards Serena, if only Serena can pull through.


About half an hour later,

Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Serena, Grace, Shauna, Nini, and Miette had gathered just outside the Pokemon Center. The Performers wanted to say goodbye, and the gang were to continue their journeys. Or so they thought..

When everyone was quiet, Serena began.

"Everyone, thank you for supporting me through my journey. If you hadn't been there, it would've been a completely different outcome. So, a big thank you to you all." Serena bowed.

"What will you do to Palermo's offer, dear?" Grace asked her daughter.

"Oh, that." Serena stopped to take in a breath."After much thought, I have finally come to the decision that I want to take up her offer." She paused for breath again, "But I won't be doing it alone, as my boyfriend Clemont will come and visit me everyday."

T minus five, four, three, two, one, Serena counted down.

"WHAT?!"
"WHAT ABOUT OUR JOURNEY?"
"WHAT ABOUT ASH?"
"WHEN DID YOU GET TOGETHER?"

Grace regained her composure first, " Dear, are you sure about your decision?" When Serena replied with a nod, she didn't question her further.

Her rivals weren't so graceful though, "But, wont you be ending your Kalos journey with Ash?" Miette asked her.

"No, I have made my decision. I need some professional training to be the best, and even though Ash has helped me, his old-school way won't help me anymore. It's good for making friends with Pokemon, not power. I won't become stronger with him."

No rival had a reply to that. They couldn't believe it, the person who taught Serena the ABC of Pokemon, the person who was there for her after her every loss, who taught her how to cope with the demands better, was being thrown around like a ragdoll with no emotions.

They all sent sympathetic looks to Ash, who hadn't spoken a word yet.

Another person who hadn't spoken was Bonnie. It was terrible for her. She had grown up in the business-like Lumiose City where Pokemon were considered to be helpers, nothing else. She had begun her very first journey with a trainer who changed that. Not only that, but Ash had helped literally everyone he could without asking for a reward, and what he got was this?

She began yelling,"How could you, Serena? He has taught you everything you know! He helped save the region through his power of making bonds with his Pokemon! He could've trained much more without having to de-route due to your Performances, and you treat you him like this?"

"Watch your mouth, Bonnie. Don't yell at the Queen. Serena is right, Ash's training methods are old fashioned. That is the reason why he hasn't won a single league in 5 attempts." That shut Bonnie up. She didn't dare to shout at her own brother, however wrong she thought he may be.

"Serena..."

Everyone turned to look at the source. Ash had spoken, finally.

Serena looked at him. When she had made the decision to end her journey with Ash and train under Palermo, she didn't expect this kind of protests. Clemont was correct, he focused too much on friendship.

"Good luck."

It was all he said before snapping his fingers and running off. The snap was a signal for Pikachu to stay alert for him, so he jumped down from Ash's shoulder, gave one last glare to Serena and ran off behind Ash.

Everyone watched the broken boy run. Everyone but one felt sorry for him. It was undeniable how much Ash had helped others. Heck, without his efforts, the people wouldn't have been alive for the Master Class.

Grace spoke one line before leaving.

"I'm disappointed that you treated your childhood friend like that."


With Ash

Ash ran. He didn't have a destination, but Pikachu was running in front of him, so he knew he was safe. He didn't stop until he bumped into a tree and a large hard oran berry fell on his head.

Can this day get any worse? He questioned as he rubbed his head.

Point to remember: Oran berries were hard.

"Ash?" A soft voice called out.

Turning around, he saw Aria standing there, as Aria. She had got rid of her disguise, and all extra accessories. She now wore a simple white one-piece frock that went down to her knees. Despite not having any ear-rings or makeup on, Ash thought she looked beautiful. And without realising, he kept staring at her, transfixed by her beauty.

Realising Ash was staring at her, she blushed heavily and turned away. The action made Ash stop staring as well. Aria came up to him and sat down by him, patting the ground beside her. Ash obliged.

"What happened?" Aria asked.

"Serena took up Palermo's offer." Ash replied.

"Oh..." was all Aria could say as she contemplated what to say next. She had to cheer him up, after all he had done for her.

Ash continued, "And as if that wasn't enough, it turns out that she has been dating Clemont for five months without telling me. And she insulted me and my training methods, essentially telling me that I'll never win without professional training."

Aria now realised the magnitude of the problem.

"Don't listen to her." Aria told him

"What?"

"I said, don't pay her words any attention." Aria repeated, a little more firmly.

Ash looked at her, confused. Seeing his expression, she continued.

"I do not agree with a word she said. You have your own methods and you believe in them, correct?" Ash nodded.

"Good, belief and bonds with your Pokemon is all you need. She might've said you're no good, but I'm certain that without the ...interferences, you would've won at least two leagues by now." Aria told him.

"You love your Pokemon as friends, Ash. And they do, too. Do you honestly think that they will care whether you lose or win a league, as long as they have you? Give them the choice of either staying with you or going to a Champion to get stronger. I'm sure everyone will stay with you. That's the power of bonds. It will make success all the more sweeter."

Ash took in all this. He wouldn't tell her directly, of course, but he had been wishing to run into Aria. He smiled at her, a warm smile, causing her to blush again.

"Aria, thank you. You really know how to raise a person's spirit."

She smiled back at him, "This was just a small payback for all the times you've helped me. Consider it to be nothing. And, anyways, I was the Kalos Queen, wasn't I? So it is kind of my job."

They both fell into a comfortable silence as the sun began to set. Aria had wanted to ask him this for a very long time, but now she realized she had to. Otherwise, the chance would be gone.

"Ash?"

"Hmmm?"

"Does the offer still stand?"

Ash looked at her, wondering what offer she was talking about. He soon remembered it though, and frowned.

Seeing him frown, Aria's heart stopped. He wouldn't refuse, would he?

Ash replied to her, "I am perfectly fine, and extremely happy, with you travelling with me, but will you be safe? I mean, you were a celebrity."

Aria, upon hearing his reason, laughed out loud.

"Oh, Ash! This is Kalos, people go from celebrities to beggars in less than an hour. I bet we won't be disturbed."

Ash smiled at her, "Then, of course we can! My Pokemon will love not being alone for the next two weeks. I will have to buy you some supplies, though."

Aria's smile went away. She was reminded that she was practically a beggar right now.

Seeing her sad, Ash quickly continued, "I mean, it's no problem. I will earn it back in the League."

Aria smiled again. I really change my emotions too fast, she thought.

"Don't worry, I'll pay you back!" She told him cheerfully.

"You don't ha..." Ash began to protest, but was cut off by Aria putting a finger on his lips.

"Who said it'll be money?" She winked at him, and began running.

"Catch me if you can!"

Ash looked on, amazed at the girl's antics. Who knew the former Kalos Queen had this side to her? He smiled, and began running after her.

"Oh, it's ON!"

"When one life meets another, something special emerges."

As the sun sets over the horizon, a beautiful journey comes to a chaotic end. But, when something ends, something else begins. What will happen as Ash and Aria (with Pikachu of course) travel the remainder of the Kalos region together?

Phew, finally that's over. Nearly 4000 words. I went overboard with this.

Sorry for the delay, though. There was a huge storm here, and internet lines were gone. Mobile data was so slow that it couldn't even upload a chapter.

I hope this chapter wasn't too bad. I know I suck at Performances.

Next chapter will be some happy moments between Ash and Aria (Both deserve some happiness, don't they?"

After that, the Kalos League will begin!

Once again, review the chapter, even if you have already reviewed the previous ones. Point out the mistakes in them, or PM me.

If you want to suggest anything, leave me a PM.

I NEED SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO WRITE A DATE!

Thank you,

Saptarshi