"…We are proud to honor the heroic deeds of this young man. Thanks to his leadership, knowledge, and quick thinking, a massive disaster was averted, and the lives of dozens of Pokémon were saved. In recognition of his valor, we award him with…"
The voice rang out through the streets, washing over the crowd that had formed around the entrance of Lumiose City Hall. The city mayor, a middle-aged woman with greenish-gray hair, was standing at a podium and speaking to the reporters and bystanders who had come to watch the short event. Brock stood stiffly off to the side, a few feet away, looking exceedingly nervous and hoping he wasn't expected to make a speech. Ash and his friends were all in attendance, listening proudly, with the exception of Serena and Iris, who were making early preparations for their Performance Battle a few hours later; Clemont and Bonnie were attending in their stead.
A round of applause broke out, as well as a chorus of flash bulbs, as the mayor handed Brock a medal attached to a yellow ribbon. The two shook hands briefly, exchanging words that nobody else could hear over the sound of the crowd, before they both turned to leave, and the audience began to disperse. Ash led the others through the crowd, intercepting Brock as he was trying to find them.
"Congratulations, Brock!" Ash was the first to speak, clapping his longtime friend on the back. "You're a bona fide hero now! You got a medal and everything!"
"Hah! Yeah, I guess the medal makes it official, doesn't it?" Brock mused. "I, uh, didn't look too nervous or anything up there, did I?"
"No, not at all!" Shannon lied. "You were just fine!" Everyone else hastily nodded in false agreement, and Brock let out a relieved breath.
"You've had quite a stay in Lumiose City, haven't you?" Clemont spoke up. "First you win top prize in a cooking competition, then you get a medal for heroism."
"I knew that any good friend of Ash and Serena had to be someone special," Bonnie added, her voice sincere and full of wonder. "And I was right!"
"Eheh, thanks…" Brock looked around for a moment. "Where is Serena, anyway? And Iris?"
"They're at the amphitheater," Shannon answered. "They left early to get ready for the showcase."
"I think they're figuring out their outfits and makeup and stuff," Madison explained further. "Serena said she had to 'work on' Iris." She paused for a moment. "Um… don't tell her I told you that."
Shannon giggled. "I'm sure Iris gets it. She's never been a part of anything fancy like this." Ash's mind recalled one incident in Unova when they were younger, when a spiteful Iris tried to fit in with a group of uptight high-society girls, but he didn't mention it. It wasn't really representative of the girl they knew, and he wasn't about to bring up any memory that involved him wearing a dress.
"If we want to get good seats later, we should probably go eat now," he suggested. "The showcase is only a couple hours away."
"Let's go, then," Clemont concurred. "I wonder if the two of them were able to eat. Do you think they'll be hungry?"
"Maybe we should bring them something," Brock suggested. The others agreed, and they all turned to find a good restaurant to eat at, as Ash pulled out his phone to ask the performer duo about their food preferences.
It was a little over an hour later when the group arrived at the open-air Lumiose City Amphitheater, and while most of them went to get seats for themselves, Shannon explored the corridors behind the stage in search of the dressing rooms, holding a paper bag filled with warm food. After a couple minutes of searching, she located the door she was searching for, stepping up and knocking on it gently, then opening it slightly and speaking through the crack.
"Serena? Iris? It's me! I've got noodles!"
"I want noodles!" Shannon could hear Iris calling out from inside, making herself heard over the low rumble of other girls getting themselves ready. Shannon opened the door a little wider, unsure if she should step inside, when Serena's face appeared in front of her.
"Thanks so much, Shannon." She opened the door wider, reaching out to accept the bag. "We're both starving." Shannon nodded, looking over the performer, surprised at her appearance. Her normal kimono outfit was nowhere to be found, and in its place was something closer to a sky-blue ballgown, with plenty of bows and lace. The flower in her hair had been replaced with a headband decorated with pearls - fake ones, Shannon assumed.
"That's not the same outfit you wore last time," she observed.
"Nope, it's not." Serena smiled, stepping back to give Shannon a better view. "What do you think?"
"I think you look great!" Shannon answered. "Why the change, though?"
"My kimono dress was too understated," Serena explained. "I needed to glow myself up to match Iris."
Shannon's eyebrows shot up. "What have you done with Iris?" She took a step forward and turned her head to peek inside, freezing in shock as she saw Iris standing at a mirror, adjusting a golden tiara resting on top of her head. Her hair had been pulled back into a massive ponytail, and her long bangs had been tied up into two loops on either side of her face, connecting on the back of her head to form what looked like the plumage of a peacock. Her normal outfit had been replaced with an extravagant dress; a cream-colored top with pink highlights connected to a flared-out pink skirt that reached nearly to the ground, with an enormous slit in the front that showed off her legs.
Iris finished getting her hair tied up and turned toward the door, revealing a large, gold-plated pendant hanging from her neck. She grinned from ear to ear as she saw the stunned expression on her friend's face. "You like it?"
"Yeah…" Shannon responded without thinking, before her mind returned to her. "You look like… a princess of some exotic country somewhere."
Iris snickered at the strange simile, feeling a bit warmer as Shannon took in the sight of her, looking at her in a way she never had before. "I'll take that as a compliment." Shannon grinned as Iris stepped forward, reaching hungrily for the bag and pulling out her food.
"There's going to be way more performers at this showcase than the others ones I've competed in," Serena continued, as Iris took a seat and started eating. "There will probably be seven or eight girls competing in the Performance Battle round. Any way we can stand out is good for us… as long as we're standing out in a good way."
"I'm sure you're going to blow them away," Shannon reassured her. "With all the secret practice you two have been doing, I'm guessing you have something really wild in the cards."
"Oh, we do." Serena grinned. "Iris is a real out-of-the-box thinker. We've got some really exciting stuff planned." She reached into the bag and grabbed her own bowl, sitting next to Iris.
"I can't wait." Shannon smiled and took a step back. "I'll let the two of you eat. Good luck! I'll be cheering for you both!" She stepped out the door as the other two girls waved at her, their mouths full. She gave Iris one last lingering glance before stepping away, going to find where Ash and the others had found seats.
Hours later, the enormous Lumiose City crowd was watching the sixth of seven Performance Battles, as a Vaporeon and a Gogoat danced and battled their way across the stage. Serena had sailed through the Theme Performance round, as everyone had expected, giving her the final Performance Battle slot. Ash and his friends were anxiously awaiting the premiere of Serena and Iris's Performance Battle, the contents of which the two girls had kept close to their chests. Shannon had briefly left her seat, trying to race to the restroom and back before the real show began, not wanting to miss a moment.
In a waiting area backstage, Serena was giving her Delphox one final pass with a brush, while Iris paced back and forth, filled with nervous energy. Both of them were running the performance routine through their heads, worried that they might forget something or miss a cue. They continued these routines until a voice from nearby captured their attention.
"Serena? You're up in a couple of minutes. If you're ready, you can move backstage."
Serena nodded and smiled, standing up and looking toward her partner. "This is it, Iris. Are you ready?"
Iris nodded back, able to feel the blood pumping through her veins. "Ready as I'll ever be." Serena returned her Delphox to its Poké Ball, and the two girls walked through the door that led them behind the stage, on the right side. Iris stepped up to the stage entrance, watching as the two Pokémon on stage attacked each other weakly, sacrificing power in favor of elegance and showmanship. She couldn't help but grin.
"Look at that… if that's the level of the competition, we've got this in the bag." Her eyes turned to the crowd, the grin falling away as she saw the size of it. "Whoa… there's a lot of people here…"
Serena stepped up beside her, looking out at the audience. "Yeah, it looks like it's a full house. Or close to it."
"I didn't think there would be so many people watching…" She looked over the faces in the crowd, feeling as if they were already looking at her, sizing her up. "There weren't this many in Coumarine City…"
"Lumiose City is the biggest city in Kalos," Serena explained. "And they don't always have showcases every season, so when they do, it's a big deal."
"Right…" Iris muttered, as the eyes in the crowd began to multiply, growing exponentially, until there seemed to be millions of them. Millions of eyes watching her, judging her, as she engaged in some strange dance battle that she had never done before, in the most outrageous outfit she'd ever worn. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest, her stomach starting to twist up.
"I'll be right back." Iris turned and walked away from the stage, moving quickly, searching for the closest door she could find.
"Iris?" Serena turned to watch her, shocked. "Where are you going?"
"i just need some air." Iris reached out and shoved open the first door she saw, immediately searching for another, unable to hear Serena calling her name and running after her.
Further back in the amphitheater, Shannon was speed walking down a hallway, looking for the door that would lead her back into the audience. As she tried to find a sign or some other navigation aid, she watched a door open ten yards ahead of her, gasping as Iris stepped out of it and came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, breathing heavily and resting her hand on her chest. Serena appeared behind her an instant later.
"It's alright, Iris," she consoled. "Just relax. Take a few deep breaths."
"Iris?" Shannon jogged closer. "What's wrong?"
"Oh! Shannon!" Serena looked up in surprise, but it quickly faded. "Everything's fine. Iris is just experiencing a bit of stage fright."
"I am not!" Iris insisted, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. She could feel her face burning with humiliation; it was bad enough that Serena had to see her like this, but now Shannon was as well. Iris couldn't even pinpoint what the problem was. She was incredibly confident in everything she did. She'd battled in front of large crowds before, and with much higher stakes. Why was she feeling like this now? What was the matter with her?
"This happens to everyone, Iris. It happened to me, too." Serena reached out and rested her hands on her partner's shoulders. "It's worst right before you go on stage. Once the performance starts, then the butterflies go away. Trust me." Iris didn't respond, wishing that butterflies were all she was feeling; right now, she felt as if she could throw up on the spot.
"Serena, you need to get ready to go on stage." The performer turned to see the blonde stage manager standing in the doorway, not looking pleased at this delay. "You've got thirty seconds."
Serena nodded, turning back to her Battle Partner. "We have to go back on, Iris. You're going to do great, I promise. You have this down pat." Iris nodded, not saying anything in response, trying to catch her breath.
"We'll be right behind you, Serena," Shannon spoke for Iris. "I'll take care of her." Serena nodded and disappeared backstage, and Shannon reached out to take Iris's hand in hers, leading her backstage as well. Iris followed her, not resisting; if she fought this now, she would never survive the sheer embarrassment.
As they walked through the darkened space behind the amphitheater stage, they could hear the familiar voice of Monsieur Pierre over the speakers, thanking the previous performer and her Battle Partner. Serena glanced back at the two of them for a moment before taking her first steps onto the stage, the lights not yet shining on her. Shannon led Iris to the edge of the stage, standing behind her with her hands on the girl's shoulders, feeling them rise and fall with her rapid breathing.
"You're going to be just fine, Iris," she soothed, speaking softly into Iris's ear. "Don't look at the audience. Just keep your eyes on Serena. Are you watching her?"
Iris nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "Yeah…"
"Good." Shannon moved her hands to Iris's back, stepping forward and shoving her friend onto the stage as hard as she could.
Iris bit off a yelp, quickly regaining her balance after taking several steps forward. She whirled around and stared at her friend in shock; Shannon gave her a wave and an encouraging smile before disappearing, running back to find her seat. Iris growled and turned away, forcing herself to step forward and take her position, her mind running through all the ways she could hide Shannon's body after the show.
"And for our final performance tonight, we have the lovely and talented Serena of Vaniville Town, and her Battle Partner, Iris!" Iris could hear the applause and cheering wash over her; it was clear Serena was a Kalos favorite. She forced herself to look forward, away from the audience, keeping her eyes on her partner from across the stage. Serena was giving her a cheerful smile, trying to put Iris at ease, and Iris couldn't tell if it was working or not.
Serena reached down to her hip, grabbing the Poké Ball that was attached to it and bringing out her Delphox, who had been dressed up for the occasion in a frilly dress and matching hat. Iris did the same, summoning her Altaria, who had been costumed with bows and an overlarge vest that was decorated with sparkling stones.
"Let's get started!" Serena declared, pointing toward her opponent. "Delphox, use Flamethrower!" Her Pokémon raised the stick it held in his hand, summoning a stream of fire. Iris watched it approach, her mouth opening automatically to respond, as it had so many times in rehearsal.
"Altaria, Dragon Breath!" Her Pokémon stretched its neck forward, a green beam of energy shooting out of its mouth and colliding with the oncoming flames. The two attacks cancelled each other out, forming a series of flaming green rings that radiated outward, dissipating before they hit the audience.
Iris saw Serena's smile grow, her face filled with pride, and she felt her stomach starting to settle, the nerves sinking to the bottom. Her voice was more confident as she issued her next command. "Now attack with Steel Wing!"
Her Pokémon flew forward to attack, its wings glowing a bright white, and it began to spin around as it swung its wings near Delphox's feet. Serena's Pokémon danced away skillfully, hopping and spinning about, before responding with another attack of her own. As Iris watched the two Pokémon battle each other, she could feel her fear starting to melt away, her terror replaced with a nervous excitement that made her hair stand on end. She felt a grin spread across her face, as she wondered what she had even been afraid of.
As the Performance Battle continued, Serena listened closely to the crowd's muted reactions. They had watched six excellent performances already, and so far the seventh one wasn't doing anything to wow them, especially considering the reputation Serena had garnered. She was unfazed, smirking confidently. The real performance hadn't even begun.
"Altaria, use Moonblast!" Iris commanded. Her Pokémon charged up a large pink ball of energy in her mouth, launching it toward Delphox; she danced out of its path, and the attack continued on, directly at Serena. She let it approach for another moment before cartwheeling elegantly out of harm's way, landing in a crouched position as the attack burst against the amphitheater wall, blowing her hair back. The shocked gasps from the crowd were music to her ears.
"Use Fire Spin!" she countered, getting back to her feet. Delphox drew a circle in the air with her flaming stick, sending out large rings of flame at Iris and her Pokémon. Iris ran forward and hopped onto Altaria's back, and the bird Pokémon took off like a rocket, flying both of them through the flaming rings before zooming upward into the sky, to the sound of more gasps and a few shrieks from the audience.
Iris was feeling electrified now, her fists clenching, ready to drop some jaws. "Get in there and use Pluck!"
Altaria cawed and swooped down toward Delphox at high speed, snatching the flaming stick out of her paw and flying away with it. Altaria tossed it to the side, and they both watched it fall to the ground, threatening to snap in half when it hit the stage. Serena raced forward and leaped into the air, snatching the wand out of the sky, twirling it like a flaming baton as she landed. She then held the stick up in the air, pointing it toward her flying partner, and Delphox focused her pyrokinetic powers on the wooden device. The audience gasped once again as a Flamethrower attack erupted from the stick as Serena held it aloft, which Altaria carefully dodged. As Iris bobbed and weaved through several carefully placed Flamethrowers, she could hear the crowd start to roar, the first time they had done so in the middle of a Performance Battle.
Iris eventually turned Altaria around to face the performer below. "Stop her with Dragon Breath!" Her Pokémon fired off an energy beam once again, aimed directly at Serena; the blond performer tossed the flaming wand back toward Delphox before rolling out of the way, avoiding the blast.
She grinned as she got back to her feet, turning back toward her Pokémon. "Let's do it, Delphox! Mystical Fire!" Delphox's eyes shone as she formed another set of flaming rings in the air, which she followed up by opening her mouth and spewing out a column of flame. The rings and the fire blast combined into one massive attack, and the audience watched with rapt attention as the attack swept over Iris and Altaria, swallowing them completely. A chorus of piercing screams rent the air, as the blast appeared to roast Iris and her Pokémon alive.
Inside the flaming column, Iris was holding onto Altaria as tightly as she could, making herself as small as possible so she could fit inside the Safeguard bubble that Altaria had thrown up at the last second. She could hear the sounds of terror coming from the audience, laughing as one loud observer begged for the performance to be called off.
"Here we go, Altaria," she spoke into her Pokémon's ear, as she grabbed at her pendant with her right hand. "Time for the big finale!" She flicked the pendant open with her thumb, revealing a rainbow stone that had been set in the center, and she grasped it tightly in her palm. Beneath her, a marble-like stone attached to Altaria's vest started to shine brightly, and the Pokémon began to glow and transform underneath her.
Outside, beams of light shone out from the flames, growing in intensity and lighting up the already-bright stage even more. As the flaming attack faded, the audience gasped once again as they beheld the cloud-like, cotton-covered form of Mega Altaria, with an unscathed Iris still riding atop her. The Pokémon cawed proudly as she spread her wings, the sound carrying over the noise of the audience.
"Now, finish it with Sky Attack!" Iris commanded. Altaria turned and started to dive down, quickly building up an incredible speed. As they got closer to the stage, Iris pushed herself off of Altaria and fell a few feet to the ground, landing delicately; her Pokémon continued forward, beginning to glow white as she dove at Delphox.
"Counter it with Psybeam!" Serena commanded. Her Delphox focused on the flaming wand in her paw, and a beam of multicolored light shot out of it, directly at Altaria. The bird Pokémon continued to push through, as both she and Delphox strained with all their might, and the gap between the two slowly closed.
Once Altaria was a couple of feet away, Iris gave one last command. "Dragon Pulse!" Altaria opened her mouth and spat out a turquoise ball of energy at her foe, and the attack exploded almost immediately in a brilliant flash of colored light. As the light and the smoke faded, Delphox twirled her way toward the center of the stage, raising one paw in the air, which Altaria landed on gingerly. Seconds later, Serena and Iris leaped forward and stood in front of the two Pokémon, clasping two of their hands together and raising their arms to the sky, their Performance Battle finally concluded.
The audience erupted into massive applause, with cheers and whistles ringing out into the night, as the two girls caught their breath and took in the sight of the crowd. Serena eventually let go of Iris's hand and curtsied to the crowd, while Iris gave a bow beside her, unable to stop smiling even if she wanted to. They both returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls, as Monsieur Pierre returned to the stage.
"What a finish, ladies and gentlemen!" he declared. "Now, please welcome the other contestants back onto the stage!" Serena and Iris walked off to the side, as six other beautiful and well-dressed performers stepped onto the stage, standing in a line and waiting to be judged.
"Now, it is time to cast your votes!" he continued. "Your Glow Caster wands have seven buttons on them, each with its own color, corresponding to the keys in front of each of our girls. When I give the signal…"
As Pierre explained the voting procedure, Iris glanced down the line of girls, surprised to see that there were so few on stage. As she counted, she realized with a start that she had forgotten the instructions she had been given before the performance began. She was supposed to leave the stage when the final judging began, as only the performers were supposed to be on the stage, and not their Battle Partners.
Iris's heart dropped as she looked around the edge of the stage, wondering how she could possibly leave now without drawing attention to herself. As she started forming a plan, she felt Serena reach out and grasp her hand, holding it tightly. Iris glanced back at her curiously, watching as Serena looked out stiffly at the audience, her chest rising and falling anxiously. Iris's eyes widened in shock. Had Serena been this nervous the entire time, and pushed it down in order to comfort her Battle Partner? Was she this nervous during every showcase, and she had just gotten good at hiding it?
Iris quickly changed her mind, squeezing Serena's hand back as she stood by her side. Serena had given her support as she wrestled with her own anxiety, and now Iris was going to do the same in return. She was exactly where she needed to be.
The line of eight girls watched as the votes began to be cast, a rainbow cloud of light flying through the air and onto the stage. Some of the colors were much more represented than others, with a couple of the girls receiving a paltry number of votes, while others were swamped. Serena and Iris both tried to count the lights as they flew through the air, but it became too difficult to keep track of the four most popular colors. After the votes had finally settled, however, the result was clear for everyone to see.
"We have our winner!" Monsieur Pierre announced, as the audience began to roar with applause. "Our champion performer, with her incredible Performance Battle, is none other than Serena!"
Serena and Iris's faces lit up, and they immediately turned to embrace each other excitedly, laughing and squealing in delight as they jumped up and down. The MC let them have their moment of celebration, giving them a few seconds of uninterrupted applause, before continuing.
"This victory gives Serena her third and final Princess Key, making her the first performer to receive all three this season! Serena is now the first official entrant into our Master Class competition, where she will have an opportunity to claim the title of Kalos Queen!" He produced a golden key with a red ruby embedded in the handle, and he turned toward a glowing Serena, who held out her key ring, her hand nearly trembling with relief and excitement. The man skillfully attached the key onto the ring, and she held it in both hands, staring at it in admiration.
"Thank you, everyone, for attending this fabulous showcase, and helping us to usher in our very first Performance Battles!" Pierre continued. "I hope to see some of you again at a future showcase! All of you, have a wonderful night!"
Hours later, the overjoyed collection of traveling friends had managed to fall asleep in their beds at the Pokémon Center, after lots of congratulation and celebration, which included a cake that Clemont and Bonnie had purchased for this victory. After the adrenaline and sugar had worn off, Serena had crashed hard and was barely able to keep her eyes open, and everyone else took this as a cue to get themselves to bed as well. They were now sleeping soundly and happily, enjoying the final night of what had been a thoroughly satisfying visit to Lumiose City.
A rudely loud voice from outside their door roused Shannon from her sleep, and she sighed in disappointment as she found herself out of her dream and back in the Pokémon Center. As the voice faded and the traveler walked further down the hallway, she let her eyes scan the darkened room for a moment, coming to rest on Iris's bunk. She blinked and sat up, taking a closer look as she realized the bed was empty. She stood up and looked around, confused, wondering where she might have gone at this time of night, whatever time that was. Moving to the window in hopes of finding some sort of clock, her eyes widened in surprise as she saw her friend standing outdoors in her sleep clothes, arms outstretched.
Outside the Pokémon Center, Iris was standing on the narrow lawn in her bare feet, feeling the cold and dewey grass beneath her toes, letting the night air fill her lungs as she breathed deeply. She still had adrenaline coursing through her veins, her heart racing excitedly as she replayed the showcase over and over in her head. The feeling of accomplishment was almost immeasurable, and she was as proud of herself now as she was when she became the leader of the Opelucid City Gym.
"Iris?"
She turned around to see Shannon standing at the door, a curious look on her face. "Shannon? What are you doing out here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I couldn't sleep." Iris smiled and relaxed. "I was still thinking about the showcase."
Shannon smiled back warmly, walking closer. "You were really incredible out there. You should be proud of yourself."
"Thanks! I am, trust me." Iris grinned a bit. "I still can't believe you actually pushed me onto the stage like that."
Shannon giggled lightly. "Well, I didn't have a lot of time… Serena said that the nerves got better once you were on stage, so I decided I was just going to get you on stage the fastest way I could."
"Well, I'm glad you did. And she was right. As soon as the performance began, everything got easier."
"I'm glad to her that," Shannon responded, before changing the subject. "When did you get an Altarianite, anyway? I didn't know you had one of those."
"I got it a few weeks before I came here," Iris explained. "Drayden helped me to track it down, and he helped me train Altaria to Mega Evolve, too. That was what got me interested in coming to Kalos in the first place. Tonight was my first real opportunity to use Mega Altaria, though."
Shannon smiled, stepping closer. "That was a pretty amazing debut. You should be proud. I know I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Shannon. It's like…" Iris tried to find words for how she was feeling. "Have you ever done something you didn't think you could do, and afterwards, it's like… you're sort of floating on a different plane? It's like the night isn't even there, and you can't feel the cold, because you feel so warm inside, and it's this otherworldly moment that you wish would last forever?"
Shannon cocked her head a bit, grinning. "I can't say I have. It sounds wonderful, though."
"It is." Iris smiled back. "I feel like I could do anything right now." The two girls kept their eyes on each other, drawing energy from their smiles, as a moment passed in silence. Shannon was the one to break her gaze, glancing down, realizing she had something that she needed to get off her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Iris," she began, as her friend stepped closer. "There's something I need-"
Her eyes abruptly shot open, her voice and her heart stopping, as she felt Iris's lips press against hers.
She froze in place, shocked, unable to react as Iris's face filled her field of view, her entire body focused on the sensation of the soft lips that were now kissing her. After a second, or maybe it was an hour, Iris stepped back and opened her eyes, her stomach once again in knots, but for an entirely different reason. Both of them were blushing deeply, though it didn't show through Iris's dark skin.
"Shan-" was all Iris managed to say before Shannon threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Iris's neck and kissing her as if her life depended on it. Iris couldn't help but laugh as she embraced Shannon back, and the two kissed each other sweetly but passionately, weeks of tension unraveling all at once. The rest of the world vanished as they melted into each other, nothing else mattering but the two of them.
They eventually had to break for air, taking a moment to recover as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. Both of them were giddy and grinning like children, in delighted disbelief, as they continued to hold each other in their arms.
"What were you going to say?" Shannon eventually asked.
Iris shook her head. "It doesn't matter. What about you?"
"Oh, well…" Shannon's eyes fell again. "It's just… when we found each other in Geosenge Town, I… wasn't completely honest with you."
Iris blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I said that I was here in Kalos to go on a Pokémon journey, but… that's not the truth," Shannon confessed, bringing her eyes back up. "I came here to find you."
Iris smiled warmly, touched. "I thought it might have been something like that," she admitted. "Thank goodness you did."
"Yeah…" Shannon nodded in agreement. "And now, after… this… I need to leave again. I'm going to go right back to missing you."
"Do you want me to come back to Unova with you?" Iris offered.
Shannon shook her head. "No, you shouldn't. I already got what I came for. You still have a journey to finish." She grinned. "It won't be long before I see you again, right?"
"No way. You're going to be the first person I visit when I get back home." Iris smirked. "Maybe it's better that I stay here a bit longer. Ash is going to be floundering without my help, especially with Serena."
Shannon giggled again. "So you're going to be his wingman? I didn't think you were the romantic type."
Iris laughed. "Not a chance. He's just hopeless. He's going to need all the help he can get."
Shannon grinned wide. "He'll have a good coach. You definitely know how to make a girl happy."
The two of them leaned in and continued to kiss each other for as long as they dared, giggling excitedly as they did so, until their cold feet eventually forced them back inside.
"You're now the first performer this year to receive all three of her Princess Keys. How does that make you feel?"
Serena smiled politely, sitting with her hands clasped on her lap. "It feels amazing! This was beyond my expectations. I was confident that I could get myself to the Master Class a second time, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. It's…" She took a moment to settle on the word she wanted. "It's validating. It feels like a confirmation that I'm doing the right thing with myself."
The brunette reporter she was speaking with nodded, writing quickly into her notebook as she sat across from Serena. "So being a performer, is that your plan for your future?"
"I don't know about the far future, but it's all I want to do now," Serena answered. "I'm devoting everything to performing and becoming Kalos Queen. Right now, that's all I'm thinking about."
The reporter nodded again, continuing to write, faster than Serena had ever seen anyone write. "Let's talk about that Performance Battle last night. That was something wild. You and your Battle Partner were the only ones in the competition to join in the battling with their Pokémon. How did you think that up?"
"I actually didn't," Serena explained. "That was Iris's idea. She asked me if there was a rule about performers staying on the sidelines. I told her no, but that was how Performance Battles always worked. She asked why, and… I didn't really have a good answer. From there, we just let our imaginations run wild."
"I think a lot of performers might end up following your lead now," the reporter commented. "Speaking of, your Battle Partner is pretty noteworthy herself. How did you end up performing with a Gym Leader from Unova?"
"Well, she's… she was a friend of a friend, you could say." Serena grinned involuntarily as she thought about the bizarre circumstances of choosing her Battle Partner. "I was going to partner with someone else at first, but it didn't end up working out. Iris was traveling with him, and she stepped in to help, and we gelled perfectly."
"Well, that's fortunate," the reporter responded, half-focused as she continued to write. "Before we wrap up, is there anything you would like to say to the people and performers of Kalos?"
Serena held her chin, thinking for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully. "I want to say that… this region, it's given me so much, and… I want to try and give back to Kalos, too. That's why I want to be Kalos Queen. I want to put smiles on the faces of everyone around me. That's my dream."
The reporter gave her a wide smile. "I think that's a wonderful dream to have, Serena." She finally finished writing, placing her pen in her shirt pocket. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I'll send you a copy of the article once it's published." She stood up, and the young performer followed her lead. "Best of luck in the Master Class!" Serena grinned and thanked her, shaking the woman's hand before turning to leave.
Ash, Brock and Madison were standing on a sidewalk in downtown Lumiose City, waiting for Serena to emerge from the newspaper office. They had said their goodbyes to Clemont and Bonnie earlier in the morning, and now Serena's interview was their final task before they departed. Brock was the first to spot Serena as she stepped outside, waving to her as she approached.
"How'd it go?" he asked, cutting off Ash as he tried to ask the same thing.
"It went well, I think," she answered. "It was kind of formal, but it was a nice conversation. I'm pretty sure I didn't embarrass myself, at least."
"I'm sure you did great!" Ash was encouraging as always. "We should have Clemont send us a copy of the paper when it comes out."
Serena nodded. "I'm going to send one to my mom, too. She'll be thrilled, I bet." Madison nodded in agreement, her smile fading a bit at the mention of Serena's mother.
"Hey, guys!" The four of them turned to see Iris waving at them, having returned from seeing Shannon off at the airport. "How did it go, Serena?"
"It went… fine…" Serena paused, as she saw Iris's eyes looked red and puffy. "Are you alright?"
"You look like you've been crying," Madison observed.
"I was." Iris rubbed her right eye with her arm. "It's fine. I'm just going to miss her, is all."
Brock nodded in understanding. "You'll see her again soon, when you go back to Unova."
"Mhmm." Iris looked toward Ash. "So what's our next destination? Your next Gym Battle is in Anistar City, right?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah, but we're not going there right away. We're taking a trip back to Laverre City."
"Laverre City?" Iris repeated, confused. "We already went there once, though. Why are we going back?"
"I got a call from Shauna this morning," Serena explained, grinning wide. "I'm going to be in a music video with Aria, the last Kalos Queen!"
"What?!" Iris's eyes shot open. "Seriously?!"
"Yes!" Serena was bursting with excitement. "They're going to be filming it in Laverre City. Shauna's going to be in it, too!"
"That's so cool!" Iris was beaming, thrilled to see her friend's success. "You're going to be a superstar by the time we leave!"
"They want us to be there in three days," Brock continued. "We need to get going now if we want to make it in time."
"Well, let's go!" Madison spoke up, eager to meet a former Kalos Queen for herself. The others agreed, continuing to talk as they started making their way toward Route 14. As Serena and Madison discussed Aria and music videos and other such topics, Ash stealthily fell back until he was walking alongside Iris.
"Hey, are you doing alright?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"I'll be fine." She looked back at him, touched by his concern. "Thanks for asking."
"That's good," he replied. "I was worried that Shannon leaving might be harder on you."
"How do you mean?"
"Well…" He rubbed the back of his head. "I kind of… saw the two of you last night."
"You—?!" She quickly cut off her shocked reply, looking down at the ground, feeling her face heat up. "Ah, geez…" She couldn't even be upset about him watching her, since she had spied on him and Serena in the past, and turnabout was fair play.
"Sorry…" he responded quietly. "I'm really happy for both of you, though. I think you two are great together."
Iris felt herself smile despite her embarrassment. "Thanks… I hope we are."
"So, are you two a couple now? Girlfriend and… girlfriend?"
"We're going to talk about it when I get back," she answered. "But we probably will be."
"That's great." Ash smiled as he looked forward again. A moment later, his smile turned to an amused grin, and he snickered lightly.
She turned back to face him. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," he answered. "Just thought about all the times you told me that Attract didn't work between girls."
"That's…!" She felt herself blush even harder, incredulous. "That's completely different!"
"It's fine," he replied coolly. "It's okay to be wrong once in a while, you know."
Ahead of them, Madison noticed a muffled commotion happening behind her. She turned her head to see Iris and Ash caught in a subdued scuffle, with Iris trying to grab at Ash while he attempted to fend her off.
"I think Ash and Iris are fighting about something," she mentioned to Serena.
"Just ignore them," Serena answered, used to their vaguely adversarial relationship by now. "They'll get it sorted out soon enough." The two trainers continued sorting it out as the group left downtown, on their way to Laverre City.
Author's Note: As our heroes leave Lumiose City, it seems like a good time to take a break for a few weeks. I have other projects I need to work on, and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles isn't going to play itself. I promise not to be gone long.
In the meantime, let me know if there are any Pokémon you would like to see Ash or anyone else add to their team. I may take some of my favorite suggestions and use them in future chapters!