XashXdawnX - Sorry for the slightly long wait, but there was a lot for this chapter. Hope you all enjoy!
PokemonFreak90 - Lots of new things happening in this chapter! Enjoy!
It was Saturday and Alex, Julia, Sarah, and their friends looked around in amazement. Today was the start of the Twinleaf Festival and there were many booths lining the street, either full of snacks or fun games for people to play. Nearly the entire town was there, along with some other people from across Sinnoh.
"Here you go." Ash and Dawn said, handing their kids some money. "In case you want to get something. You'll be okay by yourselves while we go off?"
"We'll be okay." Alex said.
"We're all going to be together as a group so that we don't get lost." Julia added.
"Okay, but be careful, though." Ash said.
"Meet us back here at five." Dawn added, since it would be nearing supper time by then.
Pikachu and Piplup jumped down from Ash and Dawn's shoulders and onto Alex and Julia's shoulders. The two Pokemon wanted to have a day of fun with the kids.
Ash and Dawn said goodbye to the kids and walked off hand-in-hand and smiling.
As they walked away, Sarah was watching them and she frowned. A look of sadness and jealously appeared on her face at the sight. Since the others were all talking about what they should do first, no one noticed Sarah...except for Anthony.
"Is something wrong, Sarah?" Anthony asked, causing her to look at him quickly.
"No. There's no need to worry." Sarah replied, smiling.
Anthony looked at her, not believing her, but decided not to press the issue. He knew that the smile was forced.
"How about we just walk around and see what there is to do here?" Melissa asked.
The group agreed and they started walking around.
After walking around for a few minutes, they ran into a familiar face: Amy and her friends.
The kids were suddenly worried, they hadn't told Sarah about how Amy and her friends act towards them. The kids tried to keep Sarah out of Amy's sight, but she had already spotted her.
"Who are you? I haven't seen you before." Amy asked, looking at Sarah.
"She's our cousin from out of town." Alex said.
"She's visiting us for the weekend, so that she can see the festival." Julia added.
"So you're Julia's cousin, huh? Did your dad abandon you and your mom when you were a baby just like Julia's dad did?" Amy asked, laughter lacing her voice.
Sarah took a sharp breath and looked down as she felt tears gather in her eyes. That struck too close to home for her.
"Thought so. You and your mom were unlovable just like Julia and her mom. It must be a common thing in the Berlitz family." Amy commented, smirking at Sarah's reaction.
"Amy, leave her alone!" Julia cried.
"You have no right to say that to her! You don't know anything about her!" Alex said, glaring at Amy.
Anthony looked at Sarah and could only wonder about Sarah's reaction earlier to Ash and Dawn...and now Amy's comment. Were they connected?
"Just leave us alone." Julia said.
Amy and her friends left and the kids turned to Sarah, who was upset.
"Don't listen to her, Sarah. All she does is say hurtful things just to get a reaction from whoever it is that she's being mean to. Ignore her." Julia said, hugging her.
"Sorry, we forgot to tell you about Amy. Just forget about her and let's enjoy the festival." Alex said, looking at Sarah.
"After all, Sarah, there's so much to see and do and time is wasting. After you." Anthony said in a strange accent, causing Sarah to laugh and cheering her up.
They walked to one of the snack booths and bought cotton candy. As they walked away, Sarah was looking at her bag.
"I've never tasted this before." Sarah said.
"What?! It's amazing, Sarah! It's pure sugar!" Grace cried in disbelief and stuck some pink cotton candy into her mouth.
Sarah pulled some of the purple cotton candy off and stuck it in her mouth. Her eyes widened. "Oh, wow! This...it's so sweet!" she cried, pulling some more off.
"Well, I think that we've just figured out a new obsession." Alan said, laughing.
"Step right up! Step right up! Knock the pins down and win a prize! Come on, don't be shy!" a man at one of the booths yelled.
The kids walked over to the booth.
"Want to play?" he asked, looking at them.
The prizes were stuffed Pokemon dolls that included Buneary, Budew, Gible, and Chimchar.
Alex stepped up and handed the man two dollars to play.
"Okay, young man, just knock two out of these three sets and you'll get a prize." he said, handing Alex the balls.
Alex picked up one of the balls and looked at the pins. He threw the ball and knocked all of the pins down. He moved to the next one and did the same thing and then to the last one, too.
"Way to go, Alex!"
"Well...that's not very common. You've got a good arm on you, boy. Pick a prize." he said, motioning to the dolls.
Alex pointed to the Buneary doll and the man handed it to him. Alex then turned around and faced Grace.
"Here you go, Grace." he said, holding the doll towards her.
Grace looked at him in shock and her cheeks became slightly pink.
"Thank you, Alex. I love it!" she said, taking the doll and hugging him.
Who knew that I would ever get something like this from Alex? Out of all my guy friends, Alex is different. He sure is something...something special.Grace thought as she looked at her stuffed Buneary.
After walking for a little while longer, Jake stopped at one of the booths. This time it seemed like you had to race against other people to get your car to the top. The prizes were once again stuffed Pokemon dolls that were Piplup, Goldeen, Buizel, and Wooper.
Jake won the game and pointed to the Piplup doll and the man handed it to him.
"Here you go, Julia." he said, handing her the doll.
Julia smiled at him and took the doll. "Thank you, Jake." she said, hugging him. "I love it and I'll always treasure it."
This is the first thing that one of my guy friends has ever given to me as a gift. Jake...he's different from the others...kinda like how Alex was when I first met him, but not as brotherly... Julia thought.
"Pop three balloons and win a prize! Come on, don't be shy! Anyone can do it!"
Looking over at the booth, the kids walked over. Anthony looked at the prizes and saw one that caught his eye. The prizes were stuffed Pokemon dolls that included Ponyta, Turtwig, Bidoof, and Aipom.
"I'll play." Anthony said, stepping up.
"Just pop three balloons and you get a prize." the man said, handing Anthony three darts.
Anthony threw the darts and popped the balloons.
"Well done, pick a prize."
"Ponyta, please."
Anthony took the doll and then walked over to Sarah.
"For you." he said, holding the doll out.
Sarah took it and smiled at Anthony. "Thank you!" she cried, hugging him. "I love it!"
Anthony never fails to make me smile. He asked if I was okay when no one else noticed. He's different from the others and he's so sweet. He even got me a stuffed Ponyta doll. I guess he remembered the stables at the palace. Sarah thought to herself with a small smile.
They walked around for a little while longer, Sarah buying some more cotton candy so that she had some when she returned home, before they ended up at an open field. Many people had gathered there and were watching Pokemon battles.
"This is one of the special events at the festival. It's the battle tournament. The battles are one-on-one with no substitutions. The winner of the tournament will get to have a special one-on-one battle with my dad, the Pokemon Master. Over a hundred trainers from all over Sinnoh have come to compete for a chance to face him. Because of that, the tournament is split into two halves, the first half is today and the second half and the battle with my dad is tomorrow." said Alex.
They sat down in the grass to watch some of the battles. The challenger stepped up and the battle began.
"This trainer is battling like a coordinator would." Grace commented.
"My dad learned techniques from watching my mom's contest performances and he's been practicing so that he can use them." Alex said.
"A trainer can learn a lot from the different battling techniques that coordinators use. By combining the two styles together, you can become the strongest trainer in the world."
"Now that was pretty." Isla said as two moves collided and created smoke and had outlined the Pokemon.
"You can't really see anything, though, Isla." Trey said.
"Yes you can, Trey. If you had my eyes, you could."
"You see everything in art form."
Isla shook her head at Trey's words.
The kids stood up after watching a few battles and started thinking of what to do next.
"Are you having a good time?" Dawn asked from behind them.
The kids turned around to see Ash and Dawn.
"Yes!" they cried.
"This has been amazing, so far. I'm never going to forget this!" Sarah exclaimed.
"I can't wait to see you battle tomorrow, dad." said Alex.
"I've seen you battle on TV only, never in person." said Anthony.
"You and your Pokemon don't give an inch. I now understand what people are always talking about." Alan said.
"It sure is something, seeing the Pokemon Master battle in person." Jake said.
"Well, I'll give you all a battle that you'll never forget." said Ash.
"Did you girls play a game and win?" Dawn asked, noticing the stuffed Pokemon dolls that Grace, Julia, and Sarah held.
"No, Alex played a game and won this Buneary for me." Grace said.
"Jake won this Piplup for me." Julia replied.
"Anthony played a game and won this Ponyta for me." Sarah answered.
"Well, that was sweet of you boys." Dawn commented.
They sure are making this day memorable for Sarah. Anthony did a great job at winning her a doll, too. That's so sweet of him. Dawn thought to herself.
Looks like I was right about Alex having a crush on Grace, but he doesn't know it yet. Seems like Jake may like Julia, too. Ash thought.
"We came over here because there's someone who wants to see you." Ash said, motioning for the kids to follow.
They followed him to another part of the field and a familiar face was walking towards them. It was Gary!
Alex took off running and slammed into Gary, hugging him. Gary laughed and hugged him back and hugged Julia, who had ran over, too.
The last time that they had seen him was at their parents' wedding. Alex had missed him a lot.
"It's nice to see you all again." Gary said to the kids. "But I don't think that I've met you two yet." he said to Jake and Melissa.
"I'm Melissa," Melissa greeted.
"Jake," Jake said.
"I'm Gary Oak, the Pokemon Professor in Kanto. Nice to meet you both."
"So what are you doing here?"
"I'll be starting my Pokemon lecture in a few minutes and I was wondering if you kids would like to listen to it. It's for new or young trainers or for kids that will be trainers someday. I'll be explaining the basics of catching, raising, training, trading, battling, evolution, and how different types match up against others." Gary explained.
"It's important to know as much as you can before heading out on your journey. That way, you'll be a better and stronger trainer, and since you all plan on going on a journey, it would help if you listened to it." Ash said. "You don't want to be like me when I first started my journey. I knew almost nothing about how to be a trainer and I learned as I went. It worked out for me, but it was tougher than it should've been."
The kids sat down in the grass as Ash and Dawn walked away. After a few minutes, other kids started to arrive to hear the lecture. A lot of the kids were kids from school, all hoping to go on a journey one day.
Gary started to talk after a few more minutes. Occasionally, some people would raise their hands and ask him a question and Gary was always happy to answer them and explain things.
Gary went on for two hours and everyone stayed to listen, they all wanted to hear every last detail.
"And that's the basics. I wish you all the best of luck whenever you start your journeys. Just remember these tips and you'll be set." Gary said and everyone started to get up and leave.
Alex walked over to Gary. "Bye, Uncle Gary." he said.
"Bye, Alex. I hope that you and your friends enjoyed it." Gary said.
"Oh, we did. It was great! You've helped us to become better trainers someday."
Alex hugged him and then ran back over to his friends.
"We still have two hours left until we have to meet up with Ash and Dawn." Trey said as they started walking.
"There was a face painting station that we passed. Could we go to that?" Isla asked.
"Sure,"
So they headed to where the face painting was to get their faces painted.
Once they got their faces painted, there was very little time left. They headed back to their meeting place to meet up with Ash and Dawn.
Pikachu and Piplup ran back over to Ash and Dawn once they arrived.
"How was your day?" Dawn asked.
"Have a good time?" Ash asked.
"It was great!" the kids cried.
"I thought that Serena was putting on a Pokemon showcase?" Julia asked.
"Yeah, it was mentioned, but it wasn't here." Grace added.
"It's happening tomorrow." said Dawn.
"Serena's at the Twinleaf Town Convention Center practicing and getting everything set up for the showcase." Ash explained.
"Today was so much fun, the most fun I've ever had! I've never spent an entire day outside the palace before and spending this day with my friends made it even more memorable. There was so much to see and do!" Sarah exclaimed. "Now that I've seen the world outside the palace for myself, I never want to go back home, but...I know that I have to go home tomorrow afternoon."
Julia clasped her hands together and looked at her parents, saying, "Since tomorrow is Sarah's last day with us, why don't we have a girls slumber party at our house?"
"I've never had a slumber party together with all of you together..." Sarah said.
"Is it okay?" Julia asked her parents.
"That's fine with us, as long as the girls' parents agree to it." said Dawn.
"We're up for it. We'll be over after supper if our parents say that it's okay." said Melissa.
That night, all of the girls were in Julia's room in their pajamas.
"So I was thinking that we could play hide and go seek. It was a game that Sarah liked when we were at the palace, and now we're inside." Julia said.
"Oh, inside is always fun. At home when me and Trey play it, our parents would always lead us to a wrong spot and rarely did they ever tell us where the other was at." said Isla.
"Okay, I'm good with that." Grace said.
"Sounds fun." Sarah said.
"Okay, I'll seek first. I'll count to twenty and then I'm coming." Julia said, closing her eyes. "One...two..."
The other four hurried out of her room and into the hall, taking off in different directions.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Julia cried and walked out of her room.
She walked downstairs, since she had heard footsteps going down them.
"Now where would they hide?" she asked herself.
She decided to check the kitchen first, since there were lots of cabinets. She looked in them and didn't find any of her friends.
"Okay...so not in the kitchen. The coats!"
She walked into the hall and approached the coat closet. She yanked the door open and found Isla, who had yelped in surprise.
"You scared me." Isla said, laughing and stepping out of the closet.
"Sorry," Julia said, smiling.
"I'll go and wait in your room."
Julia nodded her head and continued to look for the others. She walked into the study and looked around. She walked to the desk and looked under it and found Grace.
"Hey!" Grace cried, crawling out from under the desk.
"Isla's in my room." Julia said, helping Grace up from the floor.
Grace nodded her head and ran out of the room.
"Now, where's Sarah hiding at...?" Julia trailed.
She walked into the living room and didn't see anywhere that Sarah could be hiding. Sarah couldn't be in her parents' room, since they were in there, staying out of the way of the game.
"I've checked every room...except Alex's room."
Clever, Sarah, if you're there. Julia thought as she walked upstairs and towards her brother's room.
She knocked on his door and opened it. There she was, talking to Alex.
"I was wondering when you were going to find her." Alex said, looking at his sister.
"I honestly didn't think to look here, until I checked every other room." Julia replied.
"I didn't plan to hide here. I was actually thinking of hiding in a bathroom...but walked into Alex's room instead. He said that I could stay here...and here I am." Sarah explained.
"The bathroom's one door over, between our rooms. It's connected."
"Oh..."
"Well, come on."
Sarah stood up and followed Julia to her room.
After finding Melissa, who was hiding in the bathtub, the girls played a few more games and then decided to make some popcorn and watch a movie together.
The next day, many people were gathering around the battlefield at the festival to watch the final battle between the winning trainer of the tournament and Ash. Dawn and the kids were standing near the front, so that all of the kids could see the battle. Aside from Alex, none of the kids had seen Ash battle in person before.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement for the opportunity to see the Pokemon Master battle with their own eyes.
"Infernape, I choose you!" Ash cried, tossing his Pokeball.
"Aggron, go!" the other trainer cried, tossing his Pokeball. The man was around Ash's age.
"I've been waiting all my life for a chance to battle you, Master Ketchum. I won't hold back." he said, looking at Ash.
"Aggron, use Rock Slide!" Rocks fell down towards Infernape.
"Use Close Combat, Infernape!" Ash commanded as the rocks got closer. Infernape smashed through the rocks.
"Metal Claw!"
"Dodge it and use Fire Spin!"
Infernape dodged and a flaming vortex surrounded Aggron, trapping it.
"Infernape, use Flame Wheel!" Ash cried. Infernape burst through the Fire Spin and slammed into Aggron with Flame Wheel.
"Use Metal Claw!"
"Block it with Mach Punch!"
Aggron's claw met Infernape's fist and the attacks sent both Pokemon stumbling back.
"Metal Claw again!" the man quickly called out. Aggron landed a direct hit, knocking Infernape off-balance. "Now use Double-edge!" Aggron tackled Infernape, causing massive damage.
"Infernape, use Mach Punch!" Ash shouted. Infernape sped towards Aggron.
"Use Rock Slide!" the man cried. Rocks began falling onto the battlefield.
"Use the rocks to jump!" Ash commanded. Infernape jumped from rock to rock in the air as they fell and landed a direct hit on Aggron with Mach Punch.
Aggron fell to the ground, but so did Infernape, still hurting from the Double-edge. Aggron and Infernape were both nearing their limits. Both Pokemon were battered and bruised, but they both managed to get back up.
Ash was amazed at Aggron's strength. Even at a type disadvantage, it could still go toe-to-toe with Infernape.
"Iron Tail, Aggron!"
"Mach Punch!"
The two moves collided and both Pokemon were equally matched in strength, neither one giving an inch.
Ash smirked. "Close Combat!" he cried.
"No!"
Infernape landed the attack on Aggron's exposed back and Aggron couldn't defend itself. Aggron fell to the ground and fainted.
"Aggron, is unable to battle. Infernape wins! Which means the Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum, is the winner!" the ref announced and everyone began cheering.
Ash thanked Infernape and returned him. He looked up to congratulate the other trainer, but he had already left. Ash hooked his Pokeball onto his belt and walked over to his family.
"You still haven't lost your touch." Dawn said as Ash stopped in front of the group.
"That was amazing! A battle to remember." Alan cried.
"You used what looked like a contest technique at the beginning." Grace commented.
"Yes, I do use contest techniques at times. I started combining them into my battle strategies after seeing Dawn's contests and they've helped me become a better trainer. I've managed to get a few combos working, but I'm still trying some more out." Ash said.
"Well, it was really cool."
"It's awesome, seeing you battle in person. It sure is something." Anthony said.
"It was something that I'll never forget. It's the first time I've seen such a powerful battle." Sarah added.
"I'm glad that you all liked it." Ash said.
"It's almost time for Serena's Pokemon showcase." Dawn said suddenly.
"Right, that's right after this." Ash said after a moment.
So they headed to their cars and drove to the Twinleaf Town Convention Center.
Once they arrived, they walked into the center and found some seats and sat.
"Wow, it's so pretty." Grace said, looking around.
The center had been decorated to the max. A stage was now in the middle of the floor. Three boxes with what looked to be windows were also on the stage. A runway seemed to be on the stage, too.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I welcome you to the Twinleaf Town Pokemon Showcase Debut!" a voice cried.
Fire and sparkles appeared and a spotlight shined down at the stage. A silhouette could be seen. The flames died away and the sparkles vanished to reveal Serena. Serena had long, honey blonde hair that was curled and falling across her shoulders with bangs falling across her forehead. She was wearing a short dress that was black and red. The dress was mainly black with red that went from the straps and down the sides of the dress. She also had on black high heel boots that came above her knees and black mesh gloves.
"My name is Serena and I welcome you to the first stop of the Pokemon Showcase Tour across Sinnoh!" she cried as the lights turned back on. "I am so delighted to be here in Twinleaf Town with all of you wonderful people!
"Now, many of you are probably wondering, 'What is a Pokemon Showcase?' Pokemon Showcases are events that are exclusive to the Kalos region, which is why we will be touring across Sinnoh over the next few months, promoting Pokemon Showcases. So before we begin, let me explain how they work, for those of you who don't know.
"A Pokemon Showcase is similar to a Pokemon Contest. The participants are known as Pokemon performers. Pokemon performers compete for keys that are known as princess keys." Serena said as she held up a keychain that had many keys on it.
"A Pokemon Showcase has two classes: the lowest class, known as the Rookie class, and the highest stage, known as the Master class. Three keys is what a Pokemon performer aims to achieve because if she accomplishes this, then she will be eligible to compete in the Master Class Tournament and compete for the title of Kalos Queen, the highest rank that a performer can achieve.
"With this being said, there are two parts to a Pokemon Showcase. The first section is known as the Theme Performance. The Theme Performance can include making Poke Puffs, grooming your Pokemon, or performing with props. While in the Theme Performance, you compete against two other contestants, since all performers are put in groups of three. The contestant with the most votes out of the three will be the one that moves on to the Free Performance part of the showcase.
"How is this determined? Who moves on is determined by you, the audience. That's right, you get to decide who you like the best! Each contestant has a heart-shaped key, which is used to gain votes. You all vote with a special luminous device called a PokeLume. This causes small luminous balls of light to connect to the key that the contestant wears, according to the color of their key." Serena explained and held up two things.
She held up a heart-shaped key. "This is what the contestant would wear." she explained and then held up what looked like a wand. "And this is the PokeLume. As you can see, the heart is red. Now watch,"
Serena pressed something and the PokeLume lit up in a red color. A little ball of red light went to the heart.
"And that is how you vote."
Serena paused for a moment.
"If the contestant moves on to the Free Performance, they perform with their Pokemon however they choose, showing their Pokemon off and making full use of their Pokemons' capabilities to dazzle the audience.
"And that's the basics of Pokemon Showcases. But it will be a lot easier for you to understand if I just show you. With that said, let the showcase begin! I hope that you all enjoy the show!" she cried and ran off the stage.
The lights turned off and bright beams of lights shined throughout the room. Serena, a young woman, and a young girl appeared on the stage. Serena had a Fennekin (the offspring of her Braixen), the woman had a Fletchling, and the girl had a Skiddo.
"This is the Theme Performance and they will be demonstrating the grooming portion!" a voice cried.
The three each walked into one of the three rooms on the stage, which they now knew were dressing rooms.
"They have ten minutes to style their Pokemon! This not only shows the fashion sense, but also the relationship between a Pokemon and its trainer!"
An hourglass appears on the screen and began to countdown. At the five-minute mark, the hourglass flipped and changed color from blue to green.
"And it's time for the final, secret touches!"
After five minutes, it was over. "Time's up! It's time for the performers to show us their Pokemon. Up first is Beth and her Fletchling!"
Beth's door opened and she walked out on to the runway with her Fletchling perched on her shoulder. Fletchling had a little hat on its head and a white ribbon tied around its neck.
"Go!" she cried, and Fletchling flew off of her shoulder. As Fletchling left her shoulder, sparkles fell from its wings causing sparkles to rain down onto the stage.
Beth then walked back to the start of the runway.
"Next up, Ariana and Skiddo!"
Ariana's door opened and she and her Skiddo walked out. White and pink beads were around Skiddo's neck, on top of Skiddo's head was a flower crown, and in Skiddo's mouth was a red rose.
Ariana then walked back to the start of the runway.
"And finally, we have our very own Kalos Queen, Serena and Fennekin!"
Serena's door opened and she and Fennekin walked out. Fennekin had a little black suit jacket on, a blue tie was around its neck, and a little black top hat was on its head.
There was another round of the Theme Performance, but this time it was baking Poke Puffs. Once that was over, it was time for the Free Performance. No one had been eliminated, since this was just a sample Pokemon Showcase for people to see.
After a few performances, it was nearing the end. Serena was the last person up in the Free Performance.
"And to finish this showcase up, we have Serena and her Meowstic and Fennekin!"
Serena walked out, now dressed in a black, flowing dress.
"Let's go!" she cried and spun. When she spun, the dress flowed with her and revealed ruffles that were orange, to match the color of Fennekin's fur, and blue, to match Meowstic's fur.
Fennekin used Flamethrower and Meowstic used Psychic. Meowstic made the fire circle Serena, who calmly stood in the center of it.
She waved her hand and Fennekin jumped up into the air and landed in the middle with Serena.
"Do it!" Serena cried.
... ...
Serena curtsied and the crowd erupted in cheers. She then grabbed a microphone and spoke to everyone.
"Thank you! I hope that you all enjoyed our Pokemon Showcase!"
Serena left the stage and people began to leave as the lights came back on. Ash, Dawn, and the kids got up and left, deciding to wait outside until Serena was finished.
After a while, Serena walked out, now dressed in a red knee-length skirt, a black sleeveless shirt, flats, and black tights.
"Hey, everyone. So what did you guys think?" Serena asked once she reached them.
"That was amazing!" the girls cried.
"It was different. I've never seen something like that before." said Alex.
"It was very entertaining. Your performance was wicked." Alan said.
"Great job. It's really something." said Anthony.
"I've never seen a showcase before, but it was incredible. Fashion, baking, and performing...it's like the preparation that I do to get me and my Pokemon ready for a contest. You were fantastic, Serena, all of you were. It was amazing to watch." Dawn commented.
"It's like a contest, but without the battling stage." Grace added.
"Great work, Serena, as usual." Ash commented.
"Well, I'm glad that you all enjoyed it." Serena said. "I'll be leaving tomorrow to continue my tour across Sinnoh."
"You and your Fennekin looked really pretty in those outfits, too." said Grace.
"Why, thank you. That Fennekin is actually the daughter of my Braixen. And besides being a Pokemon performer, I've always had a knack for fashion. I design some of the outfits that my Pokemon and I wear while performing." Serena commented.
"I love fashion, too!" Grace said happily. "I plan to be a dress designer when I get older and after I've become a Top Coordinator. Look!"
Grace pulled out her sketchbook from her bag and opened it for Serena to see.
"Those are beautiful dress ideas. You remind me of myself when I was younger." said Serena, impressed by what she saw.
Grace always felt a sense of pride when someone admired her work, and this was no different.
"By the way, Serena," Ash said, "That young girl that performed with you, Ariana, she looked familiar."
"Well, she should. She's the daughter of Aria, another former Kalos Queen. She recently began her journey to become a Pokemon performer like her mom and she shows a lot of potential, so I invited her to come with me on my tour of Sinnoh." Serena explained.
"I also noticed that you grew your hair long since Dawn and I last saw you at our wedding. Truth be told, I really like your hair when it's longer, like how it was when I first met you in Kalos. It makes you look prettier." Ash innocently commented.
"Really? Then I'll keep it long just for you." Serena said, blushing.
"Anyway, it was great to meet you all, and to see you again, Ash and Dawn." she said and turned to leave.
As she passed by Ash, she leaned over and whispered into his ear, "I hope to see you again very soon." She then winked at him and walked away.
Dawn couldn't believe what she had just seen. How dare Serena do that?! She knew that Ash was married, so why was she trying to flirt with him?!
Ash looked over at Dawn and saw her anger on her face. He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, "Dawn, Serena's always loved me ever since we were kids, that's why she did that. But I know that it's her way of teasing me. She was joking, it's just harmful fun to her." Ash explained.
At least...I hope that she was just joking... he thought to himself.
The kids then said goodbye to one another and headed home.
Lunch had just finished at the Ketchum household and the kids were in the living room. Dawn walked into the room and looked at Sarah.
"Your mom called and said that the limo to take you home will be here in two hours." she said.
"I'd like to take a walk around the neighborhood one last time before I leave, just to take it all in one last time." Sarah said.
"We'll go with you." Alex and Julia offered.
Sarah shook her head. "I'd like to go by myself. I've spent so much time with all of my friends that, ironically, I haven't had any time to myself. I'm already packed and will be back in plenty of time."
"Okay, just please be back before the limo gets here and be careful." Dawn said.
Sarah nodded her head, hopped off of the couch, and walked out the front door.
As Sarah walked down the street, she couldn't help but feel a little wistful. She had had the best weekend of her life, the most fun that she'd ever had, and this was the first time that she had ever been outside the palace. And now, she had to go back to her old life as the Princess of Sinnoh. But she knew that it was for the greater good. It was her responsibility, since she would be the ruler of Sinnoh someday.
Still, she couldn't help but feel sad, since she would be leaving all of her friends, and since she had gotten to experience what an ordinary life was like. She had enjoyed being just Sarah this weekend, an ordinary girl, and not having to be Princess Sarah.
As she turned down the path that lead to Lake Verity, she didn't see Anthony, who was following her from a safe distance. She walked to the edge of the lake and sat down and looked out at the water, lost in thought.
"Hi, Sarah." Anthony said, gaining her attention.
Sarah turned and saw him approaching. "Hi, Anthony."
"I saw you walk by my house all by yourself and decided to follow you to see what you were doing." Anthony said, sitting down next to her.
"I'm heading home soon and wanted some alone time before I head back." Sarah replied.
Anthony made a face and felt that he was interrupting her, since she wanted to be alone.
"Do you...want me to leave?" he asked.
Not wanting to be rude, Sarah shook her head. "No, you can stay."
A minute of silence passed between the two, both of them just staring out at the water before Anthony spoke.
"I want to ask you about something that's been on my mind since yesterday."
"What is it?" she asked.
"I noticed the look on your face when you saw Ash and Dawn together and your reaction to what Amy said to you. I can't help but think that they're related to one another."
Sarah opened her mouth, but hesitated. Anthony could see that she was uncomfortable talking about whatever it was that was on her mind, judging by the look on her face. Her eyes were looking anywhere but at him and she was biting at her lip.
Eventually, she took a breath and opened her mouth. "Seeing Ash and Dawn together and seeing how much they love each other made me sad and a little jealous. I don't have a dad and my mom has nobody to love except me, but it's not the same. My mom's never been happy like how Ash and Dawn are because she has nobody, she doesn't have that 'special someone.' I wish that I had a dad and that my mom could be truly happy with someone, like how Ash and Dawn are, even how Alex and Julia are. All four are truly happy together."
"Is that all?" Anthony asked.
"No, there's more." Sarah replied. "There's something that you don't know about, something that not even Alex, Julia, or their parents know about."
Sarah hesitated once again. "You have to promise not to tell anybody what I'm about to say. I know that Alex and Julia told you and the others about coming to the palace and about my mom telling them how we're related after searching her family history, but that's not the whole story.
"After the Ketchum family left to go home, I asked my mom if she had found anything in her history about my dad. All my life, he was absent and I hadn't really thought about him until my mom started looking into her family's past. My mom didn't want to hide things from me, like her father had done to her all her life, so she told me about my dad.
"My mom told me that they were never married, but she had a brief relationship with my dad before her father, the King, found out about it and forbade them from being together because my dad wasn't of royal blood. The King was getting old and wanted my mom to be taken care of by someone who knew what it would take to rule. So my dad was forced to leave my mom. A few weeks later, my mom found out that she was pregnant with me.
"After having no contact with him for many years, after becoming Queen, my mom began to look for him while investigating her family. She found him and contacted him, but in the years that had passed, he had married someone else and had a family with her. He had moved on with his life without me or my mom and he told my mom that it never would've worked out between them, anyway. He wasn't raised like my mom was and didn't want to be a royal after thinking about it over the years that they were apart."
Tears appeared in Sarah's eyes. "This is why I was so upset when Amy told me that my dad had abandoned us and never really loved me or my mom. He left both of us alone and began a new life with someone else. If he truly loved us, he would've waited, right? Amy was right about me."
Sarah started to cry and spoke through her sobs. "And...and I'm afraid that the same thing may happen to me someday. What if someone doesn't love me because I'm a Princess and they're not a Prince? What if they say that we can't be together because we come from such different backgrounds? What if my mom doesn't approve of us like her dad didn't?"
Anthony frowned and felt bad for Salvia, since her father had forbade her and Sarah's dad from being together.
It's not right to keep two people away from one another. he thought.
Anthony reached over and pulled Sarah into a hug as she cried into his shoulder. "Sarah, your mom isn't like her father. She wouldn't keep you from being with someone, even if they weren't royal blood. Your mom only wants you to be happy and if you're happy with someone who wasn't of royal blood, then so be it.
"What happened to your mom was meant to happen. Like how Alex and Julia's parents ended up together, with who they were really supposed to be with, who they truly loved. If they could find each other, then your mom can find someone someday, too."
A moment passed and Anthony spoke again.
"And it doesn't matter if you're royal or not. If two people really love each other, they can always find a way to make it work. If I loved a Princess who's just like you, I'd never give up on her."
Sarah looked up at him as he continued.
"I don't care that you're royal, you're my friend and I'd never give up on my friends."
Sarah stopped crying and a small smile appeared on her face as Anthony wiped away her tears. Sarah pulled Anthony into another hug, which he returned.
"Thank you for listening to me and helping me understand." she said softly. "I feel a lot better now. There's no need to worry with you by my side."
"I'll always be there for you if you need me, Sarah." he said with a warm smile.
Sarah felt her face heat up and her cheeks turned pink as she saw his smile.
But their touching moment was interrupted as a glow came from the water. They broke the hug and looked at the water to see a strange shape appear in the middle of the lake. The shape looked like it was made of water. It was in the shape of a small Pokemon.
The legend of Lake Verity...the stories are true! Anthony thought to himself.
This must be the Legendary Pokemon of the lake, Mesprit. I've read all about the story of the Lake Guardian but I never thought that I would see it for myself! Sarah thought.
The shape disappeared beneath the water.
"Should we tell anyone what we saw?" he asked.
"No, it'll be our secret." Sarah replied.
After a few more minutes of watching the water and thinking about what they saw, Sarah stood up to leave.
"I'll walk you back to the house." Anthony offered as he stood up.
"Okay, thanks."
The two started walking back along the path, smiling. The bond that they share had became a lot stronger because of the talk that they had.
"Has your mom said anything new about letting you go on a Pokemon journey?" Anthony asked as they walked through the forest.
"No, but I still hope that I can go, no matter how slim the chance may be." Sarah replied.
"I hope that you can come, too. If I had to pick only one person from our group of friends to travel with on a journey, it would be you. I would want you to be with me."
Sarah blushed at Anthony's kind words and thought, Anthony treats me with a lot of kindness, it feels different from the kindness that the others show to me. I feel more like myself around him, too.
"I would choose you to join me on a journey, too." Sarah said after a moment.
"I know what it's like to be prevented from doing what you love. I love playing hockey, but my mom didn't want me to play at first, after what my dad went through. My dad used to be a professional hockey player, but when I was four, my dad was seriously injured in a game and never returned to playing." Anthony said suddenly.
"I wanted to be just like my dad and try playing hockey like he did. My dad was proud of me and supported me, but my mom was against it. She didn't want me to play because she was afraid that I would get hurt like my dad did. But after constant reassurances by me and my dad, my mom relented and let me try out for the school's hockey team when I started first grade, two years ago.
"After watching a few of my games, she saw how happy I was and how much fun I was having and it reminded her of the enjoyment she had while watching my dad play. I've been playing hockey ever since.
"So just like you, I was once kept from doing what I loved. But my my mom eventually let me play and she's happy because I'm happy. Everything worked out for the best for me, and I'm certain that it will for you, too."
"It's a good thing that you were able to play. Maybe my mom will give in with some time or if I keep asking about it. Maybe after I return home, she'll see how much fun I had outside the palace and she'll allow me to go." Sarah said, feeling hopeful after hearing Anthony's story.
Not long afterwards, Sarah, the Ketchums, and all of the kids' friends stood outside the Ketchum house, where Sarah's limo was. It was time for her to go home.
"Thank you for letting me stay with you. I had the best time of my life at the festival. I got the opportunity to enjoy life like a normal girl, not as a Princess." Sarah said, bowing her head in thanks at Ash and Dawn.
"How about I take another picture, so that you can have something to remind you about this weekend?" Dawn asked, looking at Sarah.
Sarah smiled and the kids all gathered in a group and Dawn snapped the picture. She promised to send Sarah a copy when it was ready.
Sarah hugged all of her friends goodbye and said, "The next time that I see all of you will probably be at the Christmas Ball in a few months. I would also like to take the Pokemon egg that we found home with me. I want to care for it and it'll be safe with me at the palace."
"That's fine." the others agreed and Ash went to get the egg.
Ash returned with the egg and handed it to Sarah.
"Keep in touch with us with your letters, like always." said Julia.
Sarah got into the limo and waved out the window as it drove away.
The kids all felt sad as they watched her go, but they were happy that they had gotten to spend so much time with their new friend and they knew that they would be together again soon.
Meanwhile, at a hidden location, three men had gathered and were talking.
"So you've returned from Twinleaf Town." said the first man.
"Yes, sir. I was spying on Ash Ketchum, as you instructed. I even had the chance to battle him for myself. He is as powerful as you said. He also knows how to quickly adapt to situations in battle and use them to his advantage. His strength is not to be underestimated." said the second man.
"What about 'her?'" asked the third man. "Was 'she' there, too?"
"Yes, she was. Just as you predicted."
"She may prove useful to us. We can use her to get to Ash. We may be able to make this work to our advantage." said the first. "Until then, keep the preparations going. I will let you know when you are needed to spy on him again."
"Soon, Ash Ketchum." said the third. "Soon we will have our revenge!"
Sarah has had the best weekend of her life. It's the first time that she's been outside of her palace and gotten to enjoy life like an ordinary girl. Besides enjoying the festival with all of her friends, she has her first slumber party with the girls, has a touching moment at Lake Verity with Anthony where she reveals the story of her dad to him and they see a mysterious Pokemon (does that scene seem familiar to anyone?), and is bringing home the mysterious Pokemon egg that she found with her friends and will care for it. (Many of you have guessed that it's a Piplup that's inside the egg, but we will say right now that it is NOT a Piplup. Think of a different white and light blue Pokemon.)
But behind the scenes, that mysterious group of people were spying on Ash during the festival and one of them battled him. And who do you think is the "she" that they're referring to?
And Serena's little moment with Ash after her showcase. Is she just teasing him or is there something more to why she did that?
Let us know your thoughts about what happened and stay tuned for the next chapter!
Please R&R