Serena smiled. This was it, the finals of the Grand Festival.
Time to tip her hand.
"Latias, go my queen of the skies!"
The pokémon was unleashed with a shower of sparkles from the seal. It didn't hesitate a moment, whipping into a series of aerial maneuvers to show off.
The crowd went wild. She could see Ash cheering for her from the box seats. She smiled. It was time to win this. She was at her zenith. The culmination of two years of dedicated training had brought her to this point, and Serena wasn't about to let it go to waste.
"Serena Delpech wows the crowd with a Grand Festival first! A legendary pokémon!" The announcer's voice boomed from the speakers.
"How can her opponent possibly respond?"
The blue-haired girl across the field from her smirked.
"You thought this was gonna be that easy?" Serena's eyes narrowed. The announcer may have been playing it up for drama, but she was under no illusion that she could just rest on her laurels. Her opponent was a Top Coordinator, one of the best. This was going to be a tough fight to the bitter end.
"Let's go, Arceus."
The crowd fell silent in shock, and Serena felt her heart seize up in terror.
"Arceus, judgement."
There was nothing Serena could do as Arceus let loose a dazzling storm of meteors, which came crashing down over the whole field. There was nowhere for Latias to go.
Latias plummeted to the ground, unmoving.
Serena ran up to her pokémon.
"Latias, are you okay?" She hugged the pokémon. This wasn't normal, Latias wasn't just knocked out—she wasn't breathing.
"Latias is unable to battle. Dawn Hikari wins the Ribbon Cup with a stunning battle out!"
Serena watch as the judges came forward to hand Dawn her trophy.
"Someone help! I think Latias is dying!" She yelled. Despite there being three Nurse Joys in the judges panel, no one listened. They were too busy cheering for Dawn.
She saw Ash jump over the banister separating the box from the field. Everything's going to be alright, Ash will know what to do. She calmed herself.
Her relief was short lasting, as she saw where Ash was headed. He wasn't coming to help.
He ran up to Dawn.
"Congrats, Dawn!" He yelled, and pulled the girl into a hug. Dawn smirked at Serena over his shoulder, before turning and kissing him.
A few excruciating seconds passed before she pulled away and pointed at Serena.
"Arceus, judgement."
~ ⁂ ~
Serena jolted awake, tears in her eyes. She looked to her side; Ash was snoring lightly, sound asleep.
"Ash." She nudged him. "Ash! Wake up! Please!"
He looked at her confused, rubbing his eyes. He blinked, before his face lapsed from confusion to worry.
"Serena, what's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?"
"I just – I had a really scary dream." She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ash hugged her.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
She shook her head.
"Just… hold me, please…"
Ash gave her a peck on the lips.
"Alright."
She rested her head against his chest. Everything's gonna be alright, she told herself. As long as I have Ash here.
That was the problem though, wasn't it?
Still, the sound of his soft breathing comforted her enough that it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
~ ⁂ ~
Serena's appeals performance was up. She'd been waiting a while, since they went in reverse order of preliminary ranking.
"I'm sure you all remember her from the preliminaries! She's already won herself two awards, best preliminary, and—it should go without saying—best preliminary from a rookie. Please welcome back Serena Delpech!"
She strode onto the field to a raucous applause. She smiled and waved to the crowd, and they went even wilder.
The announcer let the crowd quiet down before continuing.
"Coordinator, show us your pokémon!"
The pokéball expanded in Serena's hand. There was an element of strategy here. She could use up to two pokémon, which certainly made it easier to put on a good appeal, but any pokémon she used from this point on could only be used after she'd used every pokémon in her party, which might make it harder in the battle rounds.
And of course, there was an element of keeping your cards close to the vest. You didn't exactly want your opponents knowing all the pokémon you had with you. Sure, that aspect would more or less evaporate by the time the semifinals got around, since by that point she'd have no choice but to use every pokémon in her party, but it was still worth keeping in mind.
"Sylveon, let's do this!"
Sylveon appeared in a blast of pink confetti.
There was a light applause from the crowd, but nothing too enthusiastic. She smirked, she'd expected that; after all, Sylveon was something of a typical choice for a contest. It didn't matter, they'd be applauding soon enough.
The photo of her face on the small screen to the left of the array moved over to let a photo of Sylveon join it. A timer appeared on the right-most screen, and the camera feed on the center screen switched from her to Sylveon.
"You have ten minutes. Begin!"
As difficult as it was to time a short performance, Serena knew from experience that long performance could be even trickier. Start too soft, and you could lose the judges before it even really began. Start too hard, and you could leave yourself without any way to give a wowing finish.
Sylveon used her antennae to emulate a curtsy, and began to dance, spinning around the field like a ballerina. The crowd seemed confused, but impressed. Having a pokémon dance was somewhat strange in a contest, which tended to focus more on moves.
"Now!" Serena gave her cue, and Sylveon did exactly what they'd rehearsed.
It was an old technique, dating all the way back to her showcases in Kalos. Through lots of practice, Sylveon had learned to release the fairy wind slowly, rather than in a rush of air, leaving sparkles trailing behind her antennae, which now trailed behind her like streamers.
Serena glanced at the clock. If there'd been music, Sylveon could've probably done this entire performance alone, but as is she needed to keep careful track of time to cue her.
"Double team!" Where there was one, now there were two. Sylveon created an illusion of dancing with a partner, aided by the pink sparkles which somewhat obscured the field. She bowed to the mirror image, and offered an antenna to her phantasmal partner.
They twirled around the field whipping up the dust from the fairy wind, which sparkled in the light.
"Let's up the tempo, Sylveon!" The pink evolution dispelled its illusory partner and began to pirouette with a grace which would make any ballerina jealous.
One.
Two.
Three.
Serena counted in her head, and Sylveon sashayed without further input, before beginning again, even faster.
One.
Two.
Three.
This hadn't been easy for Sylveon to learn. Spinning on one leg was hard enough for bipeds, a quadruped wouldn't generally have the balance for it. Luckily, Sylveon's long antennae let it stabilize itself. It jumped and backflipped, landing once more on a single leg.
One.
Two.
Three.
Sylveon's pace had built up to a fury at this point. At this point, Serena didn't even have to watch the clock. She could practically hear music in her head, letting her know when to give Sylveon the cues.
"Double team!" Serena gave the command, and suddenly there was a ring of them, all dancing in sync.
"Now, like we practiced, misty terrain and fairy wind." The circle of dancing Sylveons almost looked like it was performing some sort of unnatural ritual as the blue fog whipped into a vortex, interspersed with sparkling pink particles.
"Finish it off with misty explosion." The circle of Sylveons froze facing the center of the vortex as the real one strode inside and began to glow.
The shockwave sent the mist and fairy dust so far out it showered over the audience. Sylveon stood panting on all four legs once more. Serena strode over to join her pokémon, and both of them curtsied.
The audience broke into applause. Some audience members began to stand.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
She heard whistling from the audience.
Before long Sylveon's performance was getting a standing ovation. Eventually, the applause began to die down.
"Serena Delpech's Sylveon steals the show in an unconventional but astounding performance. She may even have outdone Milotic's preliminary routine! Let's see what the judges have to say!"
Mr. Contesta was the first to speak.
"It's performances like this which show us just how far Pokémon Coordination has advanced as an art form, and just how far it still has room to grow. Indeed, it just goes to show how much a unique background can aid a coordinator in putting together a top tier performance. I think after this those of us on the Pokémon Activities Committee may have to consider a change of the rules to allow musical accompaniment to performances in future years. What do you think, Mr. Sukizo?"
"Indeed. I could see such a change being a valuable addition to coordinators' arsenals. A few years ago, I would've perhaps seen it as detracting from the purity of showcasing one's pokémon, but you all know I had the same opinion towards costuming, and even seals a few years back, and look at where we are now. Recent history shows us that such tools, rather than masking the inner beauty of pokémon, help contestants bring it out for the world to see.
"Even if the choice of pokémon was perhaps a tad cliché, Ms. Delpech's Sylveon shows that there is more to an appeals performance than just flashy moves, though, as always, they certainly play a part."
One of the three Nurse Joys on the panel chimed in a dissenting note.
"That's all well and good, but I question if dancing en pointe is the healthiest thing for a Sylveon's delicate joints, especially when performing so physically demanding a move as double team. We all know a coordinator must be penalized for techniques which are dangerous to a pokémon's health."
Serena began to get nervous.
Her colleague rebuffed the accusation.
"Sylveons are fully mature, extremely combat capable pokémon. We're not talking about a Happiny here. I doubt such a dance can cause anything that a short visit to a Pokémon Center can't fix."
The original Joy responded.
"Perhaps not once, but over the course of an entire coordinating career? I see potential for long-term injury."
The third Joy interjected. "I think this is an academic question for us to debate at another time. As far as I know there are no studies on the matter, which means, as per the contest rules, it is entirely acceptable. In any case, let's reveal our scores."
Each judge pressed a button, and the scores showed up on the screens on the front of their booths.
10, 8, 5, 10, 10.
The announcer continued.
"Well folks, that cinches it. With the highest score so far at 43, and only twelve more performances to go, Serena Delpech has guaranteed her place in the battle rounds."
The crowd went wild again. Serena smiled and waved. She could get used to this.
Eventually the cheering died down, which was her cue to leave the field.
"Now I sure have worked up an appetite from watching such delectable performances. We'll be having a one hour dinner break, during which our multitude of vendors and restaurants on the grounds will be happy to take care of any cravings you may have. After the break, we'll be back to see what our Top Coordinators have in store!"
~ ⁂ ~
Once more, Ash was waiting for her outside with the Champion and Top Coordinator turned gym leader in tow. This time, Serena happily noted that May and Dawn were nowhere to be seen, no doubt doing some last minute preparation for their performances on the practice fields.
"Serena! That was amazing!" Ash hugged her, and Serena quickly took the chance to escalate it into a kiss. She giggled at the look of happy surprise which crossed his face for the second time in the exact same situation.
I wonder how many times I'll get to see that look before he gets used to it. Knowing Ash, it might be forever, and Serena couldn't help but hope for that.
"Ma petite chérie! A marvellous performance, you truly have outdone yourself," Fantina greeted her. "Now, may I invite the two of you to have dinner with us? My treat."
Serena looked at Ash, who seemed fine with the idea.
"I'd be happy to accept," Serena answered. It'd be nice to get to know Ash's mentors. Actually, she couldn't quite figure out what the deal with Fantina was, but it seemed an accurate enough description for the time being.
"Sounds fun!" Ash responded.
Fantina beamed.
"Consider it a double date then."
"Don't I get some say in whether it's considered a date?" Lance asked.
"No," Fantina shot back.
"You know saying it doesn't make it so, right?"
"Mon chéri, if you will not give me your heart, I will be more than satisfied with your soul."
Lance gulped, but stayed silent. Serena was starting to see why Ash had been so scared at waking up to the words "mon chéri."
~ ⁂ ~
Fantina ordered a bottle of wine which cost more than Serena's plane ticket to Hoenn. She was starting to get an idea of just who might've arranged that dinner for them. The extravagant woman gave Serena the honor of tasting the wine and once she indicated it was to her satisfaction—and quite frankly far above it—the waiter moved to pour it into a decanter.
Fantina interrupted him. "Monsieur, I'm certain the show impresses many of your guests, but there is no point to decanting a wine for a mere fifteen minutes. Just pour it into our glasses, s'il vous plaît, we are not exactly at liberty with time."
"As you wish, Madame Fantina." Serena knew the woman was famous, but just how often did she come here that a random waiter knew her by name?
Her thought was interrupted as Fantina directed her attention to her.
"Ma chérie, you may just be the most talented coordinator I've seen in years. Everything I would expect from a fellow Kaloçienne. Both of your performances were simply splendid. I regret that I did not have a chance to properly congratulate you yesterday."
"I'm not usually one for contests, but even a battle-hardened Champion like me can admit to being impressed by the power that Sylveon displayed, and the control it had over it," Lance gave his own approval. "I've seen a lot of trainers neglect training their pokémon for control in favor of maxing out sheer power, and it tends to end badly."
"Well, it's kinda par for the course for us coordinators," Serena deflected the praise.
Fantina chimed in. "Indeed, c'est pour cette raison I do my best to encourage young trainers to consider pokémon coordination instead. It's unfortunate that so few heed my advice. Ton copain est un exemple typique."
Serena almost spit out her wine. "Ash? A coordinator?"
"Do not undersell him, ma petite chérie. He made the top 8 in the Wallace Cup you know."
"You were a coordinator Ash?" Serena asked him in shock. That didn't jive with her image of her boyfriend at all. Elegant was not usually the word to describe him.
Ash laughed, scratching the back of his head like he always did when he was put on the spot.
"It was kinda a spur of the moment thing. I've only been in two other contests in my life."
Serena stared at him in shock.
"You… made top 8 in the Wallace Cup… the most prestigious open-entry contest there is… on a whim?" She was practically yelling by the end of it. "Do you know how many Top Coordinators don't get that far? I hear they're even considering making the Cup count for Top Coordinator status."
"Such a waste of talent," Fantina remarked sorrowfully.
"Fantina, stop trying to leverage his girlfriend into helping you steal my protégé. I got to him first fair and square."
"Mon chéri, I am doing no such thing. I'm merely making note of his wide array of talents."
"Right…"
Their banter was interrupted as the food arrived.
Serena decided she was going to need to get Ash to give her a comprehensive rundown of his adventures. Preferably sooner rather than later.
She felt heat rise to her face as she imagined the two of them together on stage for a doubles contest. She quickly dispelled the image. It was never gonna happen. Ash had his own dream, and as much as she would love it, he wouldn't be the Ash she knew if he was willing to give up on it.
"So, Madame Fantina, how did you end up a coordinator in Sinnoh? From what my mom tells me, back in the day that sort of travel wasn't as common as it is today, and you certainly could have easily been Kalos Queen."
Lance seemed to choke on his food.
Fantina gave him a firm smack on the back.
"I must concur with mon chér collègue, I think that is a story for another time."
Serena noted that there was definitely a strange dynamic between those two. Despite what Fantina had said, she wouldn't peg them for a couple, even a one-sided one, but there was a history there. Almost like a brother-sister dynamic, if a very weird one with incestuous undertones—or they would be if they were actually siblings, which it was clear they weren't. Another thing to ask Ash, maybe he knew more than she did.
"That said, ma petit chérie—"
She really does overuse those pet names doesn't she?
"—I'm far more interested in your story. Ton copain has of course divulged his side of things, but I'm dying to hear the tales of your journey through Hoenn. By the looks of you now, and how Ash described you, you have changed quite a bit."
Serena glared at Ash. Just how had he described her if that was the response?
Ash looked taken aback.
"Ah, there's no need to be angry at him, he said only good things. But when I see you now, I see better." Her tone became slightly venomous at the last word. "I see a young woman who, quite frankly, far exceeds him in passion and quite possibly skill."
Ash squirmed and Lance gave Fantina an annoyed look. "Must you always?"
"Mon chéri, I am merely looking out for the children. Someone has to." The last words were practically dripping with toxins, to the point that Serena felt her appetite shrinking by the second.
She wasn't quite sure what the exchange was about, but it gave her the distinctly unpleasant feeling of being used as a tool, or even a weapon. Especially considering there was no way she exceeded the Ash she knew in passion, and certainly not skill.
She cut it off.
"Well, when I came to Hoenn, I was honestly pretty terrible. It took a long time before I even got my first ribbon."
She noticed Ash listening intently. That's right, he hasn't actually heard the story yet.
"I couldn't figure out what was wrong, because my pokémon were, in all honesty, absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't say I'm the best stylist, but their costumes weren't shabby either, and they put on a pretty decent performance. I did make runner-up in the Master Class Showcase after all. That's not me being conceited, the audiences were raving at my performances, but the judges hated them.
"I only made it to the battle round twice before my big break, and while I'd say I can hold my own in a battle, the time limits are very much designed to avoid battle outs, in favor of style victories. I was knocked out in the first battle both times on points.
"I'd say the big thing I learned eventually is that unlike in showcases, where all that matters is how spectacular a pokémon's performance looks, in contests, judges care a lot about not seeing too much of a coordinator's hand. Once I learned that, I swept the last five contests of the season clean."
Ash seemed impressed, and that made her feel giddy. Ash had always been supportive, and even congratulatory, and he'd never made her feel like he thought of performers or coordinators as less than trainers, but it was hard to say she'd seen him genuinely impressed with her before.
"Sure, there's some leeway there, my preliminary here in the Grand Festival kinda broke that rule, but I'd say while the costume was essential for that performance, what really carried it was Milotic's acting, her ability to imitate a Gyrados enough to fool the judges until the grand finale.
"In a showcase, the performer is the star of the show. In a contest, the pokémon is the star of the show, and judges don't like it when the coordinator steals the spotlight. The coordinator's job ends when the pokémon steps on stage. If the coordinator has done their job right, anyone could take over at that point with a bit of direction and the results would be the same."
"Bravo, ma petite chérie!" Fantina put down her silverware to clap. "I believe Monsieur Lance would back me up in saying that the job of a trainer is much the same."
The Champion, for his part, gave a noncommittal grunt.
Fantina continued, "You've mastered on your own in a couple of months what it takes many years to learn with guidance. This is why I say you are perhaps more skilled than ton copain. Many trainers struggle to acknowledge the intelligence of their pokémon, preferring to micromanage their every move."
At this point, Serena was angry. This woman… this… fiend… was using her to get at Ash.
"Ash isn't like that!" It took every ounce of her willpower—every lesson of etiquette her mother had ever ingrained in her head—not to slam her fist on the table.
"I've seen him train. We trained together just yesterday. His pokémon are more independent than mine. I saw him switch off training Charizard and Infernape, and they each responded to each other's moves perfectly without any input."
Fantina leaned in, towering over her.
"Tell me, ma chérie. When you saw him train, did you like what you saw?"
Serena froze. She looked at Ash, who was staring at her. She could see his eyes begging for an answer.
She stood up and flung her napkin onto the table.
"We're done here."
~ ⁂ ~
"Serena, wait!" Fantina watched Ash chase after the girl.
She leaned back lazily and swirled her wine before taking a sip.
Lance was glaring at her. It was adorable that he still thought he could scare her.
"Fantina, what is your game?" he asked her through gritted teeth.
"Mon chéri, I could ask you the same question, yet I think we both know the answers to our questions. How do you Galarophones say it? Ah, yes—" She narrowed her eyes at him. "—Check."