"Ta-da!" Serena leaped from behind the couch and twirled around. In her hands was her performance dress. Fennekin and Pancham hopped onto the back of the couch and posed to show off their accessories. "What do you think?"
Bonnie jumped off the couch. "Wowee! You all look so cute!"
"You're going to look great for the Pokémon Showcase," Clemont said.
"Thanks! I'm just so nervous, but also really excited!" Serena said.
"We know you'll do your best," Ash said. Serena smiled.
"Let's get there early so I can check in."
We entered Coumarine City's stadium. People were hustling back and forth, both attendees and participants.
"Everyone's excited for the showcase," I said, "and not just the performers."
"It's the first one of the year," Serena said. "Usually it reflects how the rest of them will be. It can help to get people's hopes up for what's to come."
"Serena! There you are!" We turned and saw Shauna hurry into the stadium. She skidded to a stop, her shoulders heaving slightly.
"Are you competing in the showcase, too?" Clemont said.
"Of course! After all, I can't risk falling behind. We're rivals now" Shauna said. She turned to Serena with a determined scowl and held out her hand. "I plan to win today."
Serena matched Shauna's expression and gripped her hand. "Me, too. I'm giving it all I've got."
Shauna flashed a smile. "Come on, let's go check out the stadium!"
We entered the stadium, which took up most of the entire building. The lights were dimmed, but green spotlights moved through the room and gave it a tint. The early people had already claimed their seats.
"Just think: soon, this entire place will be packed with people," Shauna said. Serena fought off a shudder. Shauna chuckled. "On second thought, don't do that. I'm getting even more nervous. This is only my second time performing; I'm not used to it yet." Shauna turned to us. "You guys should stay here and find your seats. Serena and I will head backstage and start getting ready for the preliminary round."
"Good luck! We'll be cheering for you!" Ash said.
Shauna and Serena waved before heading out. We sat down in the back row of the ground floor. Zoroark sat on my shoulder and Sylveon in my lap. Chespin popped out from his PokéBall and onto Clemont's lap.
"Are you wanting to watch the performances?" Clemont said.
"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Chespin said.
"I bet he just wants to watch all the pretty Pokémon dance around," Zoroark said.
Chespin flashed a cheeky grin. "Well... it's a bonus..."
Bonnie squirmed in her seat. "It hasn't even started yet, and I'm already so nervous. I can't wait to see all the performances!"
"I hope Serena makes it past the preliminary round. She's worked so hard on her performance; it'd be a shame if she couldn't show it," I said.
The stadium quickly filled with people as it grew closer to starting time. A few minutes before, every seat in the room was filled. The collection of everyone's chatter shook the floors. Finally, the spotlights switched off, and the crowd erupted into cheers.
"It's starting!" Bonnie gasped.
"Bonjour! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome you to the Coumarine City Rookie Class Pokémon Showcase!" the announcer said. A spotlight switched on, shining over a tall man wearing a Klefki mask. His suit was split down the middle- one side blue and one side black- and the ends were lined with a glowing blue. He pulled off the mask and twirled his cane in the air. "I am Monsieur Pierre, your master of ceremonies. It is my honor to guide you through this wonderful event of hope, love, and dreams!"
The crowd cheered.
"Today, we will witness Pokémon and Performer become one as they charm us with numerous exquisite skills." A Klefki descended from above and to Monsieur Pierre's side. A golden key with green jewels dangled from its key ring body. "Merci, Klefki." Pierre held the key up. "The winner of the Rookie Class will be awarded this Princess Key! For those of you who may not know, three of these beautiful keys will grant a Performer the chance to perform in the Master Class tournament and compete for the title of Kalos Queen! Rest assured that all our Performers today will work hard to try and win this." Pierre stomped the end of his cane into the ground. "Now, let the Coumarine City Pokémon Showcase begin!"
The crowd roared. Bonnie tugged on my arm in excitement.
"The first stage is the theme performance. The theme is... Pokémon Styling!" Three small, metal, closed booths rose onto the stage. "Our Performers have ten minutes to dress up their Pokémon and lead them down the runway. Let's meet our first group of Performers!"
The floor in the center of the stage rose, and three girls stood.
"Hey, there's Shauna!" Ash said as Shauna stood between two other girls.
"Only one out of this lovely group of ladies, as well as all others, will move on to the next round. Who that lucky one will be? That decision is in the hands of you, our guests," Pierre said.
"We won't need to worry about Serena. She's great at fashion!" Bonnie said.
The three performers retreated into a booth.
"Are you ready, Performers?" Pierre said. He snapped his fingers. "Let the decorating begin!"
The timer started. The Performers inside worked furiously. As the time grew nearer, the windows to the booths were curtained. Soon, the ten minutes were up.
"Time's up!" Pierre said.
The three Performers took their turn walking down the runway. Shauna, second-in-line, waved to the crowd as she walked beside her Bulbasaur, who was decorated with bouquets of colorful flowers. Once they were finished walking, they stood in a line onstage.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to choose. Please take your Glow Casters," Pierre said. We fished for the glow sticks beneath our seats. "Each Performer is given a key plate with a specific color: pink, blue, or yellow. On my signal, hold up the light of the Performer you enjoyed. The one with the most votes will move on to the next round. Ready, set... go!"
My friends and I held up our Glow Casters, all four of them glowing pink for Shauna. The pink lights, as well as everyone else's lights, soared from our Glow Casters, to the stage, and to the key plates of the desired Performer. I noticed that all the lights were either pink or yellow, no blue.
"The one who will advance to the next round is..." Pierre said. Three keyholes appeared above the Performers, with Shauna's keyhole filled the most. "Performer Shauna and Bulbasaur!"
We applauded. Shauna scooped Bulbasaur into her arms and jumped up and down in excitement.
"Congratulations, Shauna!" Pierre said. "Now, please welcome our next group of performers!"
One by one, groups of Performers decorated their Pokémon partners and presented them to the crowds. Finally, Serena and Fennekin appeared onstage.
"There she is, there she is!" Bonnie squealed. "That dress looks so pretty on her!"
"There have definitely been a lot of impressive Performers. Serena has some serious competition," Clemont said.
"Let's go, Serena!" cried Ash with his hands cupped over his mouth.
Sylveon squirmed in my lap. "I'm so nervous for them... I hope they do well."
The Performers retreated to the booths and decorated their Pokémon within the ten-minute limit. Serena and Fennekin stepped out of their booth. Fennekin was dressed in a pink and white outfit, with blue beads wrapped around the end of her tail. Serena waved to the crowd. She leaned over and said something to Fennekin.
"So cute!" Bonnie said, squeezing Dedenne in her arms.
Fennekin stepped forward, her paw stepping on the long, pink ribbon tied around her neck. Fennekin lurched forward and smashed her face into the ground. The beads on her tail broke off and scattered across the end of the runway; some of the beads fell off and bounced on the floor. Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by silence.
"Fennekin!" Serena cried, which could be heard even from this distance due to the crushing silence. She dropped to her knees and gathered Fennekin into her arms, her face hidden from the crowd.
"Oh, no..." Sylveon whispered.
I glanced at my friends, who remained fixated on the stage. I faced forward.
Serena received the lowest number of votes from her group and was eliminated. Serena changed and joined us in the crowd; she refused to speak for the rest of the showcase. Shauna's freestyle performance won her the Princess Key.
"Congratulations, Shauna," Ash said as we stood outside the stadium. "You did great today."
"Thank you!" Shauna said. "I can't wait to tell Trevor and Tierno. They'll be so shocked to hear. You better not spoil this for me!"
"Wait for me, Shauna. I'll catch up to you in no time!" Serena said.
"I know you will! Let's aim for the title of Kalos Queen together." Shauna waved. "I'll see you guys again soon!"
We waved as Shauna ran off. Serena clapped her hands together.
"Let's go have dinner at the Pokémon Showcase. You guys must be hungry," she said.
"Yeah. All that excitement left me starving," Ash said, rubbing his stomach.
"Let's go, let's go!" Bonnie grabbed Serena's hand, and the two started the walk to the Pokémon Center.
"Do you think Serena is all right?" Clemont said. Ash and I turned to him.
"She seems to be handling this well," I said. "Although, she could be faking it."
"Maybe she thinks it was her fault that she lost."
"Serena will be fine," Ash said. "She's strong. She'll get through this."
Clemont smiled. "You're right."
"It's your turn to receive the focus, Ash," Serena said. Ash perked up from his glass of juice. "Your Gym battle, right? You're moving on to get your fifth badge."
"That's right!" Ash said. "Today was so wild that I forgot..." Ash set the glass down and turned to Clemont. "Fifth one, huh?"
Clemont smiled. "Our anticipated gym battle has finally arrived. I've been waiting a long time for this day to come."
Ash stood from his seat. "Tomorrow, we set off for Lumiose City," he said. He pumped his fist in the air. "Now I'm getting excited again!"
I glanced at Serena, who watched Ash with a quiet, sad smile.
"All right!" Ash slung his backpack over his shoulders. "Lumiose City, here we come!"
"Wait a minute," Bonnie said, glancing around the room, "where's Serena?"
"Ta-da!" We turned and gasped when we saw Serena. Her long, honey blonde locks were drastically cut to chin-length. She wore a light pink dress with cap sleeves, her black shirt underneath and the white collar sticking out. Her skirt had been changed to a sleeveless cardigan. A blue ribbon rested in a bow on her collar. She switched her black sneakers for brown boots. The only think that remained unchanged in her outfit was her pink hat and black thigh-high socks. "What do you think?"
"Serena?!" Ash said.
"What happened to you?!" Clemont said.
"What have you done to your hair?!" Bonnie said.
Serena smiled and flipped her hair. "I wanted to try something new."
"Well, it looks great on you," I said.
"Thank you."
Ash's eyes focused on the blue ribbon. "Hey, that's-"
Serena reached up and touched the ribbon with a light blush on her cheeks. "It's the ribbon you gave me."
"I'm glad you're using it!"
Serena smiled brightly and hurried to the door. "All right, what are we waiting for? Lumiose City is waiting for us!" She dashed out of the Pokémon Center. "You better keep up, or I'll leave you behind!"
"Hey, wait up!" Bonnie cried as we chased after her.
"Running? Really?!" Clemont groaned.