GS ball unlocked

Chapter 55, Hidden past


The showcase promoter listened to Serena's tale about the female Battle Bond user history with Mega Evolution. Nina listened as well to Serena's explanation. Shauna would now get the basic story but any word about where Ash and her mentor were right now and she'd correct her.

"Maybe switching off my sight wasn't such a good idea after all." Vivian asked her to do this and she obliged. Although hindsight is twenty-twenty now she wished she wasn't that stupid to listen to her. Vivi might gave nothing but good intentions but sneaking a peek once in a while wouldn't hurt anyone.

Seeing Shauna's aura she was pretty blue. That color indicated she had good intention but it wasn't as bright as she would've liked. Might because of her questions or discovering her dark history.

But that's nothing compared to what she experienced herself.

"Then why are you here in the first place?" Which was the biggest question on Shauna's mind after hearing the reason why the new girl hates trainers who use Mega Pokémon.

"Because what they are pretending to be. What they are not."

"Who are they? Team Union?" They were getting nowhere like this. Serena needed more time alone with her friend because clearly they weren't going anywhere fast.

"Can we be alone for some time?" This suited Nina just fine and her chosen partner just fine.

"We need to do something ourselves. And we rather don't want others watching. Got somewhere abandoned for us?" Strange request but one Shauna was willing to honor. There should a warehouse nearby where nothing had been set up yet.

"Just don't get into trouble with the guards." The brunette warned her. Nina shot back.

"As long as they don't direct at me they'll be fine. And don't mention anything about him. I'll know when you do." Nina gave Serena a warning not to say anything about her mentor.

Nina and her Primarina left the area and Shauna started her private speech with Serena. Nina wasn't free giving with knowledge if her type of people but Serena might know a bit more since she has a crush on one.

"How many of them are left?"

Was the brunette's first question after hearing people like Ash and Nina were hunted down at one point. It wasn't a miracle knowing that there were so little of them left but now it made sense on why Ash was the only person she knew of that could do it.

"Maybe a small hand. Maybe a whole bunch. They're hiding and I can't blame them."

The Kalos Queen could understand Nina's view. But knowing some of her friends are Mega users and would eventually interact with the female Battle Bond user was not something to look forward too.

"You think that's why she's so protective on who she is? Why she doesn't want to say anything?"

Serena wondered that too. The only other Battle Bond user she knew next to Ash and Nina was the girl's mentor. But Archer seemed willing to tell the Kalos Queen a few things while the silver haired girl was as tightly closed as a bank vault.

Something more personal must've happened to her concerning her Bond, because there was no way after reading her Primarina's story her chosen partner had a character like that before they met.

Froakie choose Ash because of who he was. Not a chance the same thing happened to the female pair.

"I have difficulty trusting her. She hates Mega Evolution as much as Team Union. Think they are connected somehow?"

"They are connected. I don't know what their agenda is compared to hers."

"So she must know what he did against Diantha. There are evil people like that. Maybe she's one too." Shauna reasoned.

Serena heard the tale that evil Battle Bond users existed but there was one reason why Nina and Primarina didn't belong to that batch.

"She hates Team Union more than Mega Evolution."

"Why?"

"They are fake. Ash and her are pure. And that's why they want to battle him alone." Leaving out the part on why exactly they wanted to battle Ash. Shauna had a question for Serena concerning her crush.

"Aren't you worried? About Ash ending up like her?"

"I trust him. You know I do. He's made too many friends who have Mega Evolution."

Korrina, Alain, Professor Sycamore, Trevor, Clemont and Bonnie's father Meyer. All of them Mega users. Too many memories happened between them for Ash to drop them like a bad habit.

But what if?

Serena shook her head. Did she have that little faith in him? Things must've been getting to her because there's no way he would ever let her down.

Full of conviction she told her brunette friend this.

"It's Ash we're talking about. I'm not worried. He won't ever turn his back on me. I know he lied to me once but I understood afterwards why he did it." To protect her. The same way she would protect him now.

"And I'm doing the same thing right now to you by leaving out big chunks of why Nina is so strong. I can't tell you where Ash is right now but trust me when I say he and Greninja need this. You know their leader beat Diantha and if Ash has any chance of beating him he has to master his Bond with Greninja. He won't ever let me down."

Shauna knew just how much faith Serena put in him and barring one incident that was her fault Ash never had ill will towards anyone. He might not have gotten along with Palermo at first but that was more because he was cautious. And the brunette knew how crazy he went keeping Serena in the dark.

"I'll take your word for it. Just know we're even now. Now how about we go and find ourselves a former Kalos Queen?"

The Performers burying the hatchet had work to do. Only now the question is if the original one would join them or not. Serena questioned.

"Where is Palermo by the way?" And Shauna gave her an answer. Only one place she would be right now.

Or rather person.


She'd been dreading this moment. She knew they had a job to do and design a plan to rescue an abducted Kalos Queen. But Palermo couldn't help but drop everything to do this.

Making her way to a warehouse which was turned into a makeshift jail cell some of her personal guard was protecting the occupant inside. Handing over the Team Union knight to the authorities would take away any opportunity to discuss things without the paparazzi sticking their noses in. A Kalos Queen gone rogue is bound to be the story of the century.

Still wondering how it came to be this way Palermo addressed the woman in the cell. Knowing that she was the main reason she was in there. Although it would be best to hand over Francine, there was just to much history between the two women to just lock her up in a normal cell.

"Francine." At least not until the producer knew what happened in the time from the former Kalos Queen's disappearance till now.

"Master." Mocking the producer the Team Union knight by the way they were connected. How much it must hurt the old woman to know one of her students was a criminal. The exact opposite of what she taught her girls.

"Not really a five star resort is it? The room service is lousy. And don't get me started on the food. Don't they have anything better than bread and water?" Francine continued messing with her. She only expected silence from her teacher letting her wallow in her sorrow but she actually answered back.

"It's the best we could manage on such short notice." This set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

"Finally got the nerve to talk?" Francine addressed her former teacher. Palermo being silent pulled out an old picture from one of her pockets.

"After you took a look at this." Throwing the piece of paper in the makeshift cell the convict picked it up and scanned it. It was her from a time long by.

Long flowing black hair while wearing a white dress placed in the air together with a Vivillon and an Emolga. It was from a time long ago when she was still trying to be the best Performer out there.

A goal which she eventually reached.

"Better times for all of us."

It was strange to see her former self. She thought she threw away that personality decades ago. Why did it feel to her she was lamenting the past? Being brought out of her thoughts by her mentor's words.

"We can still go back at it." Francine scoffed at this.

"Even after all I've done you still want to convince me to return? I'm not bargaining with you. I've did that years ago with you. And look where it got me."

Francine had to beg to Palermo to learn underneath her. Doing the most menial of tasks till the woman finally gave in. But it was worth it at first. Palermo taught her all she needed to know about being a better Performer. Francine thought she meant something to the producer.

"I blame you for all this." Which is also why she held this grudge to her former mentor. Palermo sighed deeply. And she wasn't going to argue with her about it.

"You have every right too. And I'm not going to ask for forgiveness. Too much time has passed for it. All the time lost is not going to be undone by a simple apology." That's why she didn't ask how she crashed. The former Kalos Queen made it clear she didn't care how she crashed into the ravine, only that Palermo never found her. If only the producer looked harder, then maybe they wouldn't be separated by metal bars.

"Then what are you going to do?" Francine wondering exactly why she's here for if she wasn't to say she was sorry. She gave the producer a minute but no answer came from the old woman.

"The great Palermo doesn't know what to do? That's a first. And it doesn't matter anyway. I've already made my point. You don't care about who we are as people. Your lessons are the only thing that matter to you. If you keep following them like a good little Performer you don't care who's the Kalos Queen." Palermo staying quiet had no response. Francine continued on what she would say next would hit the point across.

"Aria is living proof it. You didn't even realize it was me instead of your precious redhead. You said Performing is an art. Like an empty canvas. You start filling us up and don't care about the end result. You stroke the lines but leave it to us to color the rest. And for the first time someone disagreed with your lines. I painted lines over your portrait. Just like I'll paint Serena in the way I want."

Stopping her walk for a moment Palermo continued to listen to her student's words.

"You know it's inevitable. She's to curious to let it go like this. She interrupted my battle with the brat to get answers. She'll come to me eventually. And what will you do when she's the one who releases me? With no Malamar hypnosis to force her?"

Still saying nothing Francine tried flickering the flame a bit more.

"Either she or Aria is going to free me. One way or another, one of your students will open the cell. Now only question is which one." She wasn't in a hurry to get out and she knew it. Even if her battle against Ash failed there was a second stage to her plan.

Convincing the current Kalos Queen to turn her back on what she is. If the reigning one would step down willingly because of what the producer did to the title the old woman's life's work would be ruined. And that would be more satisfying than a battle victory against anyone.

Having nothing more to say the former Kalos Queen went to the back of her cell and waited till the old lady would finally leave her sight so she could prepare for another Performer visit. And her eventual freedom. That was until Palermo uttered these words.

"About what you said. About her begging to me for training." Francine was listening. During her brief interruption during the battle with Ash Serena claimed that she didn't ask for Palermo's guidance. A point Palermo would underline.

"She didn't. I was the one that asked her."

Out of all the situations the Team Union knight had planned this wasn't one of them. Stunned and convinced she was lying she had to know.

"Why?"

Palermo having her full attention left her alone after these words.

"I'm sure you'll know. You were like that once. And I can see that's what your lacking right now."

Leaving the warehouse Francine went to think about what just happened. Still holding the picture of her younger self in hand she continued to stare at it.

It was a memory of her past. Something she discarded long ago to get revenge on Palermo for leaving her in that canyon. The picture nothing more but a reminder of how Palermo wanted her to be. After throwing away who she was she would tear up the picture.

Taking both her hands she tore a small rip into it. Slowly doing so to savor the feeling of separating with her past again.

But no matter how hard she wanted too, she couldn't bring herself to tear up the picture anymore.

"Stupid old woman."

Not understanding why she couldn't go through with it she reasoned it must be because she could show it to Serena when she would come to discuss matters with her. Using it as leverage to get her point across.

"Yes. That must be it."

Putting it away in a corner where she didn't have to look at it all she could do now was wait for the Kalos Queen's eventual arrival. And her release.


I should really start breeding a max IV Primarina.

And updates might be slower on this one. I want to finish up my other story first but I'll keep working on this one in between. Depends on my mood. We'll see.

See you around.