In a small town in southern Kalos, an older woman with short brown hair was tending to her garden, trimming some weeds while humming to herself. The woman's name, Grace, could be seen on her mailbox, each of the letters having been cut out of various magazines and pasted onto the side of it by a young girl many years ago.

As she worked, she heard her pet Rhyhorn slowly walking up closer to her; it didn't sound like he was grazing in the yard, as it often did. It walked right up to her side and used its nose to gently nudge her arm, making a sound partway between a roar and a mewl.

"Hi, Rhyhorn." She reached out and gently pet its horn, absentmindedly, before going back to her weeding. She expected it to turn and walk away, but it nudged her arm again, a little more forcefully, making a louder sound than before, clearly wanting her attention.

"Rhyhorn, sweetie, I'm busy…" she muttered, keeping her focus and not looking away. She sighed as the Pokémon nudged her arm once more, and she nearly pushed it away before she heard a giggling sound, which stopped her right where she was. Looking over at Rhyhorn, she could see the arms and legs of someone riding on top of it. She glanced upward, surprised, and found herself looking into the beaming face of her daughter, Serena.

"Hi, Mom."


"What would you like to drink?" Grace asked, as the pair entered the kitchen. "I have water, juice, I have a tea kettle ready to go…"

"Tea sounds nice," Serena answered, smiling and sitting at the kitchen table. She glanced outside and watched as her three Pokémon stretched out their limbs and got some exercise; Pancham and Sylveon played with Rhyhorn, while her recently-evolved Delphox stood nearby and watched, amused.

"I see you've kept your hair short. Did you ever end up growing it back out?"

She nodded in response. "I tried going long again while I was in Kanto, but I ended up cutting it again. It reminded me too much of when I was younger."

"That's fair," Grace answered, walking to the stove, where she had a kettle of water simmering on low heat. "I think it looks better like this, anyhow." She turned up the heat under the kettle.

Serena smiled, turning a bit pink. "How has everything been here?"

"Oh, you know how Vaniville Town is." Her mother leaned against the counter near the stove, waiting for the water to boil. "I don't think anything has happened here since you last left. It's the same quiet, sleepy town it always is."

"Well, that's perfect for me," Serena responded. "After the whirlwind that was Sinnoh, I could use a few days' peace and quiet."

Grace grinned wide. "That bad, huh?"

"I got my schedule completely wrong. I had to practically run through the entire region to make it to all the Contests I wanted to participate in. I didn't have a single day to relax." She sighed. "I feel like I lost ten pounds while I was there."

"You're lucky you didn't make yourself sick." Her mother glanced over her, uncomfortably noting the weight Serena had lost, as the tea kettle came to a very quick boil. "You just take it easy while you're here. We'll get some good food in you and you'll be back in top shape before you know it." She reached over and turned off the stove, grabbing the kettle and a pair of tea cups.

"I've been craving your food for months, Mom." Serena grinned. "And thankfully, my schedule here won't be so hectic. I'll have plenty of time between each showcase to travel and enjoy Kalos."

Grace poured hot water into each of the cups, adding a tea bag to each one, before handing one to her daughter. "Are you planning to see your friends while you're here?"

"Definitely." Serena held her tea cup carefully, taking the string of the tea bag and moving it up and down in the water. "I've already told Shauna that I'm here in Vaniville Town, and we're going to spend a lot of time together before I leave. She's competing too, but we've agreed to not go to the same showcases." She took a sip of her tea, a bit too early, wincing at the heat.

"You don't want to get in each other's way, hm? That's sweet."

She nodded. "We're going to see each other at the Master Class showcase at the end of the season, if we make it." She blew on her tea to cool it down. "And at some point I'll stop by Lumiose City so I can see Bonnie and Clemont."

Grace nodded as well, taking a sip of her tea. "What about the other boy you were traveling with? The one with the black hair and the hat?"

"Ash? He doesn't live in Kalos," she replied quickly. "Even if he did, he's always traveling to catch Pokémon and compete in conferences. Who knows if we'd ever run into each other." She quickly went in for another sip of tea, despite its temperature, in an attempt to hide the smile that emerged on her face whenever she thought about him, even five years later.

"Oh, really?" Grace replied. "That's too bad, I liked him." She took another sip of her tea, as Serena went for an even deeper drink of hers, now needing to hide a light blush. "Well, if he's anywhere in Kalos, he's sure to find out that you'll be in Coumarine City."

Serena glanced up. "What do you mean by that?"

Her mother smiled. "You haven't watched any television since you got in yesterday, have you?"

"No, but what does…" Her eyes widened, as her mind put the pieces together. "You aren't saying what I think you're saying…"

Grace grinned wide. "Come on into the living room. I'll show you what I mean."


Three minutes later, Serena was seated at their computer, watching the screen with wide eyes, with Grace standing behind her. On the screen, an advertisement for the Coumarine City Showcase was playing, featuring a number of performers that were slated to be there. Roughly ten seconds into the video, Serena could see a picture of herself appear, next to her name.

"They're playing these all over Kalos, starting today, since this is the kickoff event of the performance season," her mother explained. "They were just able to squeeze you in at the last second, after our phone call."

"I… I can't believe this," Serena spoke quietly, as she watched herself appear in a montage with the other performers, the ad coming to an end. "They're putting me on TV? This is…" A thought occurred to her. "Did I even consent to this?"

"Apparently, you did," Grace answered. "It was in the paperwork you signed before the last Master Class." She rested her hands on the back of the computer chair. "They told me when they called me. They were asking if I had any more recent pictures of you, so I sent one."

Her daughter nodded lightly, still dumbfounded and in disbelief, not looking away from the computer. "This just… can't be right…" she muttered. "I'm just some girl… I'm not famous, I'm not important…"

"Just some girl?" her mother replied, leaning down and letting her arms slide around her daughter's shoulders. "Who was the person who put on that performance in Lumiose City after the Team Flare debacle? Who brought smiles back to everyone's faces when they really needed it?"

"Mom…" Her voice wavered a bit, as she leaned back into her mother's embrace.

"You're a very special girl, Serena," Grace continued, holding her tighter. "There's magic in your smile. You can lift people up with your energy; you can change their lives for the better. That's what makes you important."

Serena closed her eyes, not knowing what to say in response, still struggling to mentally process how quickly everything was happening. Her mother stayed quiet as well, letting Serena take the time she needed, happy to have her back home and more proud than she could say. Neither of them said a word for several long moments, but through this gentle, loving contact, mother and daughter were able to convey everything that needed to be said.

"I thought I would be twenty-five when I got to this point, not fifteen," Serena finally spoke after a little while, her eyes still closed. She grinned a bit, becoming less dumbfounded and more amused. "Does this make me a teen idol?"

"Oh gosh, perish the thought," her mother replied, laughing. "Please tell me you're not going to become a diva and let it go to your head."

"I'll do my best." Serena sighed happily. "I guess this means I need a new outfit. I don't think I can use the same old things I wore in Sinnoh. I'm starting to outgrow them."

Grace grinned wider than she had all day. "I've been waiting for you to say that, actually…"

"Why were you…" her daughter began, before realizing the answer to her own question, her eyes opening. "Oh Mom, no, I don't think I can take any more surprises today."

"Last one, promise. Come on up to your room."


Minutes later, Serena walked into her old bedroom upstairs, eyes quickly focusing on her mother, who was standing in front of her closet, hands about to open it.

"Now, I know you don't like my fashion sense," Grace began, "but I really think this is going to be perfect for you. I had it custom made. Give it a second, then honestly let me know what you think."

She opened the closet door and stepped aside, and Serena gasped as she saw what was inside, covering her mouth with her hands. Hanging inside the closet was effectively a knee-length white kimono, with blue floral designs intricately woven into it. The outfit also included a pair of white shorts, as well as a large blue flower attached to a hair clip.

"Oh my gosh, Mom…"

Grace grinned wide at her daughter's reaction, knowing she'd hit this out of the park. "It was originally full-length, but I asked them to make it shorter, so you could still dance in it."

Her daughter continued to stare at the outfit, eyes following the lines, taking in all of the subtle details. "Mom, it's beautiful…"

Grace smiled warmly, walking right up next to her daughter. "I'm glad you like it, sweetie. You're going to be the prettiest and classiest girl on that stage."

Feeling her mother's presence next to her, Serena quickly turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around her, burying her face in her mother's shoulder, feeling tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Thank you so much, Mom. Thank you for everything you've done. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Of course, sweetie," Grace replied, holding her daughter tightly, sliding her fingers into her hair. "You deserve this. If you're going to go out and chase your dream, you deserve to be as prepared as possible."

Serena stayed quiet, not letting go, touched by the amount of support her mother was showing. Five years ago, Grace was skeptical of her dream of being a performer, not believing her to have the internal strength to go through with it. Now, her mother was her biggest cheerleader, always encouraging and supporting her every step of the way. The two stayed like this for a few moments before Grace spoke again.

"Serena, I had a question I wanted to ask you, and I want you to answer truthfully." Serena nodded, looking back, still lightly keeping her arms around her, as Grace continued. "Do you remember the Skiddo race the two of us had, way back when?"

Her daughter nodded again. "Of course I remember."

"If you had lost that race, would you have kept your word? Would you have come home and become a Rhyhorn racer, and given up your dream of being a performer, like you said you would?"

Serena thought it over for a second, not having considered it before. She didn't have to think about it for long, and she quickly shook her head. "No."

Her mother grinned wide, pleased. "That's my girl."

Serena smiled back, resting her head against her mother's collar gently. "I'm going to do it, Mom. I'm going to become Kalos Queen. I'm going to make you proud of me."

Grace leaned down and gently kissed her daughter on the top of her head. "You've become such a strong, confident girl, Serena. I can't imagine being more proud of you than I am now." The two stayed like this for another few moments, before Grace took a step back.

"I should get working on some lunch. I imagine you're at least as hungry as I am."

Serena smiled and nodded. "That sounds great."

Her mother smiled back. "You stay here and rest a bit. I'll call you down when it's time to eat."

She stepped back and left the room, as Serena sat down on her bed, appreciating the familiar feeling of the mattress underneath her. She looked back at her brand new performance outfit, grinning from ear to ear, before she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, sighing happily. She listened to the sound of her Pokémon playing outside, as well as the footsteps of her mother walking downstairs, letting her mind empty out all of its stresses and worries about the upcoming showcases.

She let her mind wander, thinking about being back in Kalos, and she found her thoughts coming back to Ash, as they sometimes did when she thought about home. She pictured herself going out and finding him, after she had been crowned Kalos Queen. She imagined how she would show him how she had grown, and what she had done with the confidence and guidance that he had given her so long ago, for which she would be forever grateful. She wanted him to be as proud of her as her mother was now.

Serena smiled warmly, feeling her cheeks flush red as she imagined the various ways in which their reunion might play out. She let her imagination go on for a bit before stopping. There would be plenty of time for him later; for now, she wanted to just enjoy the feeling of being home again, as if she was a young girl with no responsibilities. She rolled over onto her side, eventually drifting off for a quick nap.