Serena, now armed with a Piplup, decided her next stop would be Slateport City. The water-type had come into her life in a rather different way than Fennekin. Professor Birch had shown her the Hoenn starters and she had stared. She didn't want another fire type. Fennekin had been her very first pokemon so a fire starter somehow felt wrong to her. The professor seemed to have caught on to her difficulties though and mentioned that he had another pokemon in his care – a starter from the Sinnoh region he'd just finished healing – that was in need of a good home. She'd fallen in love at first sight.

Unfortunately, She'd read very limited information on contests in one of the in-flight guidebooks on her way to Hoenn and now was the time to put it into action. Unlike most of the showcase stadiums in Kalos, the venues here – contest halls she remembered – were beautiful and dedicated completely to contests. Some of them even allowed for open-air performances. That idea made Serena smile, reminding her of the impromptu victory celebration she'd led back in Lumiose City in the aftermath of defeating Zygarde. Taking a deep breath, Serena walked into the local Pokemon Center with her Pokedex at the ready.

"Hi, how can I help you today?"

"Hello, Nurse Joy! I'd really like to register as coordinator." Serena looked at the display screen, waiting the right spot to place her Pokedex.

Nurse Joy stared at her. "Oh dear. You're not from Hoenn are you?"

"No. I just came here from Kalos to compete." Serena drew her hands toward her chest, eyes wide. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course not!" Nurse Joy chirped. "It's just that coordinators don't register at Pokemon Centers like trainers. You need to go to a contest hall and get your pass there."

Serena put a finger just above her chin. "My contest pass?"

"It allows you to compete in contests all across Hoenn. You'll also get a ribbon case and a guidebook to help you with all the basics."

"Do I need go to a specific one or –"

"Not at all! The closest hall is right here in the city."

Serena brightened. "That's perfect! It looks beautiful so I was going to visit today anyway."

Just under an hour later she had her pass and the promised information in hand. Scanning through it she realized that the battles were going to be much more akin to the one she had with Aria that led to Fennekin evolving. The intensity that seemed to be involved was somewhat different than she'd originally expected. The only time she and her pokemon had really trained alone – or much at all – were when they practiced their routines. Of course they helped intervene to foil Team Rocket from time to time, but that was hardly the same.

She'd seen Ash train for gym battles dozens of times. There was even her fight with Jimmy to defend Ash's honor. It might be tough, but she assured herself that she would be able to figure it out and find a way that worked best for her.

The first day was exhausting and she felt…ick. She'd sweated it out plenty with performance training between the training itself and the runs she took to keep herself fit for dancing around the full stage, but it was mostly the Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon doing the falling and explosions had been few and far between. Now they had to figure out elegant attacks and potential combinations without her pokemon knowing what was coming next. It reminded her of Rhyhorn training – sweaty and dirty – though she'd thankfully avoided scrapes.

Serena was also incredibly hungry. As she dug into a second helping she paused and snapped a picture.

Contest training is hard! My second helping!

It was taking some time and she considered using it to try and delete the message. What would he care anyway?

The person you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time.

What?

Serena went up to her room at the Pokemon Center and changed into her pajamas, flicking on Pokevision. The top videos were fun enough and she particularly enjoyed Shauna's latest episode. Her channel had become increasingly popular ever since she'd finished in the Top Five of the Master Class. She was on vacation and this week's focus was on an adorable Staryu she'd met on the beach just past Lavender Town. Maybe she should try posting again too Serena mused. Piplup was new and they could adapt some of the things they'd been working on to dazzle after showing him off.

After a few more clips, she lay belly-down on the small bed, her head propped up by her hands as she scrolled through live channels and movie options. Nothing suited her fancy. Deciding to just tuck herself in for the night, she pulled herself up and slipped under the blankets.

She opened her Pokedex.

Message not sent. Tap to resend.

She slid it closed.