The Final Key

Alec's POV

The group had just arrived in Fleurrh City where Serena's next Showcase would happen. "I've gotta win my third key here," Serena told herself.

"You'll do fine Serena," Alec reassured her.

"Just give it everything you've got and there's no way you can lose," Ash added with nods of agreement from the others.

"Your right. I can do this," Serena said confidently.

Liz then noticed something in front of them. "What's going on over there?" she wondered. The group looked to see a group of people in front of a house, a few had cameras, but most seemed to be waiting for something or someone in anticipation.

A girl about their age then stepped out of the home. If there was a color to describe her, it'd be purple. Every single bit of clothing and even her eyes were purple with the bits of white here and there and waist-length black hair. "Amelia! You'll win your third Princess Key! We know it!" one voice called out above the rest.

"Guess she's the homefront favorite," Cassidy noted.

"Seems so," Alec replied as the girl entered a limo nearby and it drove away.

Later that night, the group was eating dinner and Alec quickly noticed that Serena had barely touched her food. "You feeling alright Serena?" Ash asked, also noticing.

"Hmm. Yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

"You don't have to lie to us, Serena. It's okay to be nervous," Alec told her.

"I'm not nervous!" Serena defended quickly but Alec gave her an unconvincing look. "Okay, I'm very nervous. You saw how those people reacted to that girl. And she's going to be in the showcase so the audience might be biased towards her," she added.

"Then see this as a learning experience," he told her. Serena looked at him confused.

"What do you mean Alec?" Bonnie asked.

"Serena's going to go up against Aria at some point. So if she can beat this girl in her own town then she stands a good chance at beating Aria," he explained.

"I never really thought about it like that," Serena noted.

"Either way, you'll do fine. You've been practicing like crazy for this Showcase and I have no doubt you'll win," Ash told Serena. Serena smiled and finally started eating.

Alec then found himself thinking over what had happened to Calem a few days ago when he made contact with him. And he'd be lying if what he'd been told didn't disturb him. Annabell showing up and mentioning that Lysandre had told her to help Team Flare all but confirmed that Lysandre was a high-ranking member of Team Flare, but the fact that Alan had shown up too… The only ones that knew about what happened were Cassidy and Liz, as they already knew about Squishy being Zygarde. He debated telling his sister and friends, but he wasn't sure.

"Wonder if Father is involved in some way," Alec suddenly thought and he quickly shook it. He may not like his father but he shouldn't be thinking of him that way. Still, something in his gut told him something was off, especially since his father and Lysandre had done business together in the past.

"You good Alec?" Cassidy asked.

"Hmm. Yeah, just thinking," he answered.

"Thought something was burning," Liz teased.

"Very funny," Alec deadpanned. Before anything else was said, Alec felt his holo transceiver ring and he looked at the contact. He didn't recognize the number, but the system was flagging it as important. "I'd better check this," he told the group as he stood up.

Serena's POV

The next morning, the group got to the Showcase on time and Serena got herself registered. "Okay, I'm all set to go," she told her friends as she prepared to head backstage.

"You'll do great Serena," Bonnie told her confidently.

"We'll see you with that third key soon," Alec added.

"Yeah, so go on and win this thing," Ash agreed.

[Sylveon, I know you'll do great,] Ethan told her.

[Show 'em what you're made of,] Eve agreed.

[I will,] Sylveon replied.

[Good luck out there Sylveon,] Chespin told her.

[Thanks Chespin,] she replied.

Chespin developed a small blush. [She talked to me!] he celebrated only to get stopped by Ethan.

[Alright. Simmer down,] he told him amused.

Serena chuckled as they headed to the waiting room. When she entered, she saw most of the other contestants already there and waiting. "Excuse me, we are to be on stage right away," the girl from before, Amelia if she remembered right, stated plainly as she moved past Serena with an Espeon and a shiny Dragonair.

[She's really selling the purple theme,] Skiddo commented.

Her presence seemed to damper the mood as everyone realized she had the hometown advantage. [She's not going to bet us,] Pancham remarked.

[Uh… right,] Sylveon replied.

"Come on, let's get ready too," Serena told her team.

[You heard her. Let's get started,] Braixen agreed.

No one's POV

Outside the showcase, a limousine pulled up to the building, and a woman known as Palermo stepped out to be greeted by the town's mayor. "I've been waiting for you. Your attendance will make this show even livelier Madame," he told her.

"The performers make the showcase lively," Palermo stated bluntly.

"Yes, of course," the mayor said as they entered the building. "It's just, there's a performer I'd like to introduce to you," he continued, showing a picture of Amelia. " She's the daughter of a well-known family here in Fleruh City. She's exceptional at all things performance-related. We'd be honored if you'd be her personal mentor."

"Take your promotion bullshit someplace where someone wants to hear it," Alec commented, leaning against the wall near the two.

"Ch-champion Kirkland!" the mayor said in surprise but Palermo wasn't phased.

"I will only judge what I see with my own eyes," Palermo told the mayor before turning to Alec. "I wasn't expecting you till after the performance," she noted.

"Your assistant said you wanted to talk business, and since I happened to be coming here at the time I figured I'd kill two Spearows with one stone. That's a metaphor, Ethan," Alec replied and calming the Umbreon next to him.

"Well, you are right about that," Palermo said as she continued towards her destination with Alec, Ethan, and the mayor behind her.

Serena's POV

As Pierre announced the start of the Showcase, Serena watched the screen with her preliminary outfit when the door opened. "Serena, Keri, and Casiline. Please get ready," a woman told them.

Serena nodded and went to the platform with Braixen and Pancham where she waited. "I'm going to win this. I have to win this. Not just for me, but for everyone who's supported me," she told herself before taking a deep breath. "I can do this. If I give it my all, I can't lose."

No One's POV

Meanwhile, on stage, a herd of Rhyhorn was standing around as Pierre explained the preliminary round. "The Kalos Queen must possess the power to attract the heart of a Pokémon. So, the performer that attracts the most Rhyhorn in the time limit will move on to the freestyle performance. And it doesn't matter how this is accomplished," he told the audience.

In the audience, everyone but Alec was in their seats watching the performance. "So, why isn't Alec here?" Clemont wondered.

"He said he had some business to attend to but he'll be watching the performance while he does so. He just won't be with us," Cassidy answered.

"Something to do with that call last night?" Liz asked.

"Yep. No idea what it was about though, and he didn't either," Cassidy answered.

"Either way, Serena's got this in the bag," Ash said confidently.

"You saying that because you like her or you're sure?" Liz asked teasingly, causing the boy to adopt a small blush.

"Both," he answered.

"You never know what may happen. She'll have to stay sharp the whole time," Clemont pointed out.

The first three performers rose up and Serena was among them. Inside a booth just above the audience sat Palermo and Alec, the latter smiling in amusement. "Serena just has to be on stage and she'll win. I feel sorry for those two girls who have to be up there with her," Alec thought to himself.

"Tell me Champion, what's your relationship with the girl in the middle?" Palermo asked.

"What's it to you?" Alec asked, losing his smile as Ethan gave the older woman a suspicious look.

"I'm simply curious. I did after all notice you two talking the day after her first performance," she answered.

"If you must know, she's my twin sister," he answered.

"Hmm. So, is she a Speaker like you?" Palermo asked out of the blue which caught Alec and Ethan off guard.

[How does she know about Speakers?] Ethan questioned.

"Because I'm one myself," Palermo answered, looking at Ethan.

"You must have left the Valley a while ago then," Alec noted.

"Yes. I do return every now and again. It was during one such trip when I overheard you were there recovering from your injuries there. So it got me curious about her. I figured you two were related but in what way I didn't know," she replied.

"Well, to answer your question, I think it's best if you watch. A Speaker's presence will be enough to pique the Rhyhorn's curiosity-" Alec started.

"But the real test will be to see if she can calm those that may be frightened when they all rush her," Palermo interrupted.

On the stage, the other two contestants tried to bring the Rhyhorn to them but they refused to budge. [Let's ring them up,] Pancham stated.

[Don't bother Pancham. They'll come to us, right Serena?] Braixen asked.

Serena nodded and started to let loose small amounts of Speaker Aura, which caused every Pokémon to look at her, even the ones of the other contestants. "Hey there, could you all come here please?" she asked.

The Rhyhorn suddenly charged and surrounded her. "It seems all the Rhyhorn are all running towards Serena," Pierre announced.

The herd of Rhyhorn ended up forcing Braixen and Pancham away from their trainer. [Are you kidding me? It's that simple?] Pancham questioned.

[Serena is a Speaker,] Braixen pointed out.

As Serena was busy getting licked by the Rhyhorn closest to her, she noticed one was standing away from the others, looking kind of scared. She pushed her way past the others and approached the one on its own. "Hey, are you okay?" Serena asked.

[I'm… I'm okay,] he replied nervously.

Serena stepped up and put a hand on his horn. "You must have been scared when the others suddenly ran off like that," she said, calming him down.

[Yeah, but now it'd feel awkward to go over there now,] he stated.

"Don't worry, we can go together," she replied.

Rhyhorn was a bit surprised but quickly shrugged it off and Serena led him to the others. All while Alec and Palermo watched from their booth. Alec had a proud smile while Palermo looked indifferent, but there was a small amount of interest in her eyes.

Serena's POV

After winning the theme round, Serena went back to the waiting room to watch the other performers. In the last round came Amelia and Serena mainly focused on her. Amelia got the Rhyhorn over to her in a similar way she did, except she used Attract to do so instead of Speaker Aura.

Unsurprisingly, she ended up winning the theme round as well. Serena then finished getting herself and her team ready, brushing Braixen's tail so it looked better. "There, that looks nice," she said as she put her brush on the table.

[Serena… I'm worried. What if I mess up like last time?] Sylveon asked.

"You won't. You've practiced really hard for this. You'll do fine. I'm sure of it," she told her.

[I know but…] Sylveon started but her voice faded out.

Serena then got an idea and pulled out a basket and opened it to reveal four Poké Puffs. "Here, eat this before you go out. Give you the energy you'll need," she offered.

[I want one! Give me!] Pancham shouted, trying to grab one but Skiddo held him back.

[Now hold on a second,] he told him.

"Don't worry, I made one for each of you," Serena stated, giving one to Pancham and Skiddo.

[Thanks Serena,] Braixen said as she gave one to her.

Serena then held one out to Sylveon. "Here, this one's for you," she said. Sylveon took it with her ribbons and took a bit. "Sylveon, it's okay if we're not perfect. All I ask is that you give it your all when you dance out there and have fun," she added.

"It's time for our next performer, Amelia!" Pierre announced from the screen nearby. Serena was tempted to watch her, but the door opened which got her attention.

"Serena, you're up next," she was told.

Serena nodded and she and her team followed her out. Amelia then came down as Serena approached, the girl wearing a confident smile acting like she already won. Serena chose to not pay her much mind, however, instead walking past her and taking her place on the platform. "And next up is… Performer Serena!" Pierre announced.

Serena smiled at the crowd while doing a curtsy. Once she was done, she got started. "Braixen, Flamethrower!" Braixen spun her branch and hit one end on the ground while it was coated in fire, sending a ring of fire around Serena and her team. While this was happening, Serena spun like a top with Pancham, Slyveon, and Skiddo running around her.

"Fairy Wind and Razor Leaf!" she called out. Sylveon and Skiddo unleashed their attacks and they spun like a tornado bringing the fire up with the sparkling pink wind and glowing green leaves. "Pancham, you're up!" Pancham was thrown into the air by Sylveon before coming down and using Stone Edge on the ground to disperse the flames in beautiful orange sparks before shattering.

The five then started a dance routine and Serena could hear that the audience was impressed. Moving to wrap it up, Pancham used Stone Edge once again to create two lines of pillars that Sylveon and Pancham jumped on before using Flamethrower and Swift to create a fire star in the air. Skiddo then launched Seed Bomb into it causing it to shatter into more orange sparks.

After striking a final pose, the audience roared with cheer. Once Serena was off the stage, she and her team returned to the waiting room while the other performers did their routines and she let the adrenaline wear off. "Wasn't that lots of fun?" she asked her team.

[Yeah it was!] Pancham stated.

[We did pretty well,] Braixen added.

[I think so too,] Skiddo agreed.

[I'm just glad I didn't mess up,] Sylveon replied, relief in her voice now that the performance was over for them and sounding calmer.

Once all the performances were done, they were all back on stage with the other performers, the girls with stoic expressions while Amelia seemed confident. Pierre was explaining what happens now but Serena didn't pay much attention to it as she waited for the voting to start.

"And we have our votes. The Fleurrh Pokémon Showcase winner is… Performer Serena!" Pierre announced.

"Alright!" Serena cheered once she got over her initial shock and her team swarmed her into a group hug.

After retrieving the key from Pierre and returning to the center, Serena contacted Shauna. "Congratulation's Serena," Shauna told her.

"Thanks. It's like a dream. I can't believe I'll get to stand on the same stage as Aria," Serena replied.

"Well, it's not a dream. And I'll be up there too," Shauna added.

"Well, I'm not going to lose."

"Good, because I don't plan to either."

"Serena, come on! We've got a surprise for you!" Bonnie called out.

"Alright, Bonnie. I have to go, but we'll talk later," Serena said.

"You got it," Shauna replied before hanging up.

"Come on! Hurry up!" Bonnie told her before running inside.

Serena entered and was surprised by the feast in front of her. "Oh wow! You made all this food?" she asked Clemont.

"Well, Cassidy gave me a hand, but yes," he answered. "I even made special Pokémon food for your team," he added.

"There's more than enough for everyone, so dig in," Cassidy told the group.

The group enjoyed their food and once everything was eaten and cleaned up, Serena went to her room with her team planning to groom them. "Alright, let me get my brush and we'll get to it," she told them as she reached into her bag but couldn't find it. "Huh, where did I… Oh, I must have left it back at the showcase," she realized.

She quickly ran back to the stadium and they thankfully had her brush there. "This what you were looking for?" the employee asked.

"Yeah, thank you," she replied.

"No problem."

As Serena was about to leave, she noticed Amelia talking to an older woman Serena tried to recognize but couldn't quite place it. "Hold on, this is unacceptable," Amelia protested. Serena hid behind a wall and watched, something compelling her to stay. "Mine was a much more polished performance than hers was."

"But the fact remains that you lost," the woman stated plainly with little emotion. "That's simply how the audience judged it. Isn't there something more productive you can do now?"

"But I want to become a better performer than Aria!" Amelia protested.

"You can't just win with a perfect score. The only person who can come up with something more than that is you," the woman stated before walking to her limousine. Amelia turned and walked back into the building. "Young lady, what were you doing there?"

Serena realized she'd been caught as the woman looked at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I promise," she told the woman.

"About your win, are you satisfied with the way you performed?" she asked.

Serena was caught off guard but took a moment to think it over. "I think what I did was fun," she answered, getting agreements from her team.

"I see. What's next, Speaker?" Serena was too surprised to offer a response. "There's something you lack to become Kalos Queen. Until you know what that is, you'll never be able to beat Aria," the woman finished before entering her vehicle and it drove away.

"She knew I was a Speaker? But how… No, I shouldn't worry about that. It's not important," she thought to herself before feeling Sylveon's ribbon wrap around her arm and she nuzzled her leg.

[You good Serena?] she asked.

"Yeah, let's go back," she answered. That night, the woman's words kept repeating in Serena's head, as she tried to find the answer, but the more she thought the further the answer seemed to be.

The next morning, Serena received a message stating where the Master Class Showcase was being held. She quickly told the others. "So where is it?" Alec asked.

"The message said it will be in Gloire City, but that's quite the detour from Snowbelle City," she answered.

"Then that's that. Let's head to Gloire City," Ash told her.

"But… what about your gym battle Ash? And I know Alec and Liz want to see their hometown again?" Serena questioned.

"They're not going anywhere," Alec answered. "I'll admit, I'd love to see Snowbelle again, but the Master Class is a worthwhile detour."

"Yeah, so let's get going," Ash told her.

"Ash… Alec... I…" Serena started, feeling tears of joy building in her eyes. She then hugged Ash around the neck catching him off guard. "Thank you," she said.

"It… it's no problem Serena," Ash replied, returning the hug.