Days after they left Geosenge Town, Ash and his friends were walking into the downtown area of Brackish Town, with additional companions in tow. At Iris's heavy and unnecessary insistence, Shannon had happily agreed to travel with the group, eager to spend time with her best friend. Ash had a new companion of his own as well, after successfully defeating and capturing the Sigilyph that he had chased all over town. Some practice battles between Sigilyph and Axew had told him that his new Pokémon had a quiet but honorable nature, and a visit to the Pokémon Center had informed him that his new Pokémon was female. How Nurse Joy managed to figure it out, he did not know; his knowledge of Pokémon biology began and ended with what attacks they could perform.

As they ventured into downtown and toward the Brackish Town Theatre, all eyes were on Serena, almost literally. It was hard to ignore the occasional glances from the townsfolk around them, who recognized her from either the Coumarine City Showcase or the advertisements for it that had briefly appeared all over the region. Ash could tell that she was uncomfortable receiving attention from all angles, but she was doing her best to take it in stride, walking forward with a smile on her face.

As they approached the showcase venue, Shannon leaned in closer to Iris, her voice low. "Iris, is this…" She gestured toward a couple looking in their direction. "…Normal?"

"Not really," Iris whispered back. "She's been recognized before, but it's never been quite like this."

"They're probably wondering if I'm going to win," interjected Serena, who was perfectly capable of hearing both of them. "Performers winning their first two showcases is uncommon. Winning the first three has never happened."

"Is that worrying you at all, Serena?" Brock asked.

She shook her head. "I'm trying to not think about it at all, honestly. I'm just treating this like any other showcase."

"Really?" Ash wondered. "I thought you might have some super-special performance routine ready for tonight."

"No, I don't, really. I'll try my best, but I've been putting most of the work into my Performance Battle with Iris. That's the one I really want to be good."

"You should make this one really good, too!" he responded, the energy rising in his voice. "Think about what it would be like to make Kalos history! They'd be talking about you for decades!"

"Ash, stop!" Serena turned a bit red, her palms moving to her warm cheeks. "You're going to make me nervous!" She grinned even as she blushed and protested; the idea sounded a lot more appealing when he said it.

As they finally reached the theatre, they were greeted by a fairly thick crowd, composed of performers, performers' families, and spectators. They merged into the throng, looking for the entrance to the venue, quickly splitting into two groups to find it more quickly; Ash and Brock started walking along the left side, while Serena, Iris and Shannon went to the right. After a few moments of walking, trying to navigate the crowd, Serena managed to spot the front entrance, as she exhaled in relief. Before she could turn and call back to Ash and Brock, however, she heard a female voice speak teasingly into her ear.

"Well, well, look who it is."

She jumped, startled, and quickly whirled around toward the source of the voice. She found herself looking into the red eyes of a familiar blue-haired girl around her age, standing with her hands clasped in front of her, an innocent yet devious smile on her face.

"Ah!" Recognition quickly flashed across Serena's eyes, as she remembered the competitive performer and baker she had tangled with on her first journey. "Miette!"

The girl smiled wider, glad to be recognized. "I was hoping I'd see you here. You've really been lighting up the showcase circuit, huh?"

Serena grinned wide, stepping forward as the two girls clasped hands, greeting each other like old friends. "It's great to see you again! How have you been? Are you competing here tonight, too?"

"Of course! I'm not here to watch, that's for sure." Miette grinned back. "I saw a video of you in Coumarine City last month. That was the best performance I've ever seen!"

Serena beamed as the two of them spent a moment catching up. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she had some reason to be worried or unsure about Miette, but she didn't care to think about it right now. She was more than happy to have another friend to talk with, especially one who understood what performing was like. Iris and Shannon stepped back and gave them their space, going to fetch Ash and Brock themselves.

"How have you been doing so far?" Serena asked. "Have you won any showcases yet?"

"No, not yet," Miette responded, smirking a bit. "Not all of us have Princess Keys coming out of their ears."

Serena smiled sheepishly. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize!" Miette insisted. "You deserve those wins. You've always been a great performer." She adopted a confident smirk. "If you want another one tonight, though, you'll have to beat me to it."

"I'll do my best." Serena's eyes quickly glanced around, not seeing anyone who looked like they were intentionally staying close to Miette. "Have you been traveling with anyone, or is it just you?"

"It's just me, as usual. How about…" Miette did the same, briefly scanning the crowd. Her eyes suddenly lit up, as she saw a very familiar male someone approaching from a few feet away.

"Oh wow! It's him!" She immediately switched focus, brushing past Serena and running toward Ash as quickly as she could. Serena watched her go, her blood turning to ice as soon as she realized what was happening. Instantly, she remembered exactly why she felt the need to be worried.

"Ash! I can't believe you're here!" Miette ran right up to him, taking him by surprise. "You remember me, don't you? Your old dance partner?"

It took Ash a moment to remember what this girl was talking about, her overly friendly gaze bringing back memories from years past. "Miette! Yeah, I remember! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," she answered, leaning in flirtatiously, her hands clasped behind her back. Her eyes quickly took him in. "You've certainly grown, haven't you?"

"Ah, yeah…" Ash rubbed the back of his head, not having thought much about it. "We all have. It's been a while, huh?"

Serena stepped up to the two of them, glancing over Miette, nervously noting the specific ways in which she had grown over the years. Miette was a couple of inches shorter than Serena, but was noticeably more full-figured, and she was certain Ash had noticed as well. Perhaps it was from all the baking, she thought to herself.

"What have you been up to?" Ash continued, not wanting to be impolite. "Have you been practicing your performances this whole time?"

Miette shook her head. "No, I haven't. I've mostly been working on my bakery business." She reached into the bag that was hanging from her shoulder, rifling through it and producing a tin. She opened it and presented it to Ash, revealing a number of fresh-looking profiteroles. "Go ahead, try one!"

"Thanks." Ash smiled and reached in carefully, plucking one from the bunch and taking a bite, his eyebrows raising as he tasted it. "Whoa! That's good!"

She grinned wide. "Isn't it the best you've ever had?"

"It's up there, for sure," he answered diplomatically, fully aware of the other baker standing at his side.

"We should go in and get some seats. There's already a lot of people here." Iris stepped forward, grasping Ash's sleeve and starting to pull him along, sensing that he needed to be rescued from this conversation. He eagerly followed her lead, relieved, turning back toward the two performers.

"We'll see you guys later! Good luck, Serena! You too, Miette!" Miette grinned and waved at him as he departed, keeping her eyes locked on his as best she could. Serena waved as well, relieved to see that she was the one Ash chose to make eye contact with as he left.

"We should get inside, too. The first rounds are going to be starting before too long." Miette turned and headed in the other direction, toward the performers' entrance. Serena watched her for a moment before taking a deep breath and letting it out, following a few paces behind. She knew she had no reason to worry. She reminded herself that she was the one Ash had come to Kalos to see, not Miette. Even so, it was frustratingly hard for her to cast off her lingering doubts in Miette's presence. As she walked through the door and entered the theatre, she hoped that not every girl who flirted with Ash would make her feel like this.


Some minutes later, Serena had changed into her performance outfit, and was walking toward one of the many mirrors in the dressing room, needing to apply her makeup. As she approached, she could see Miette in the corner of the room, doing the same thing. She tried not to look her way.

Miette's eyes followed Serena as she walked robotically toward one of the mirrors, setting her makeup bag down. "You seem pretty nervous."

"I'm fine," Serena answered, unzipping her bag and taking out a hair brush, the strain evident in her voice.

Miette smirked a bit as she carefully applied mascara to her eyelashes. "I know why you're upset."

"Mm." Serena started tending to her hair, not wanting to have this conversation.

"You don't need to worry. I was just having some fun earlier." The mascara brush moved to Miette's other eye. "I've forgotten all about our 'other' competition. I won't get in your way."

"That's good to hear." Serena continued brushing her hair, staying silent for a moment before changing her mind. "Because I already won a long time ago."

"Really?!" Miette quickly turned to face Serena, surprised and excited. "You finally let him know how you felt, huh?"

"I did." Serena remained terse, as she put down her hair brush and reached for her blue flower clip.

"Well, what did he do?"

"He didn't really have time to do anything. I was already leaving." She slid the clip into her hair, placing it carefully. "We didn't see each other for a long time after that." She let a gentle smile creep across her face, as she started to relax. "But eventually… he came back to Kalos to find me."

"Wow… how romantic." Miette grinned wide, turning back to her mirror and double-checking her makeup. "Maybe I should have said something to him when I had the chance, after all."

"Maybe so… but I'm glad I did something first."

Serena reached for her foundation, pausing for a moment as she held it in her hand, a question suddenly burning in her mind. "Actually… why didn't you say anything to him? You had plenty of chances to tell him you liked him. Goodness knows I was taking my sweet time."

Miette sighed. "I never really had a chance with him, Serena. Not when you were around, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Serena." She used a brush to lightly adjust her blush. "You were always traveling with him, so he was always thinking of you, not me." She lowered her hands, looking down, her voice getting quieter. "Plus, you were kinder than I was… and prettier than I was…"

Serena turned to face her, eyes wide, never having heard her express vulnerability like this. "Miette…"

Miette shook her head. "It doesn't matter. At the end of the day, he only liked one of us the way we liked him, and it wasn't me. I can't compete with that."

"Miette… he didn't like me like that, either," Serena responded. "I liked him, not the other way around."

"If you say so."

The two of them continued preparing for their performances in silence for nearly a minute. Eventually, Serena spoke up again, her voice quiet. "Thank you for giving me that chance."

"Don't mention it." Miette started packing up her bag again. "I won't be granting you any favors tonight, that's for sure. If you want to make history, you'll have to go through me first."

Serena smiled into her mirror. "I'm planning to."

Miette smiled as well, taking a deep breath and letting it out before turning and heading toward the door. "Good luck out there."

"You too, Miette." Serena's eyes followed her as she walked out the door, exhaling as well, proud of herself for saying what she did. She continued applying her makeup, focusing on the competition in front of her, having no intention of losing this one, either.


One hour later, Ash, Brock, Iris and Shannon were sitting in the theatre auditorium, watching as Miette finished her solo performance, the first of the night. The audience watched with rapt attention as she spun through the air with her plump Slurpuff, powered by the Psychic ability from her cat-like Meowstic on the ground. As she was slowly lowered back to the stage, the crowd broke out into delighted applause; she grinned wide as she felt the waves of adulation from the audience, curtsying to them in thanks.

"Thank you, Miette, for that spirited performance!" the MC declared from the side of the stage. "Next up, please give a big Brackish Town greeting to Serena, from Vaniville Town!"

The audience's applause filled the auditorium once again, with Ash and his friends cheering louder than anyone else, as Serena walked out to the center of the stage, her three Pokémon in tow. She took a moment to wave to the crowd, with a motion that she had clearly practiced over her years of performing. The crowd was buzzing, cheering longer than they normally would, all of them excited to see if this girl would be making history tonight.

As the applause died down, her Sylveon and Delphox each took a step in front of her, ready to begin. Delphox raised her stick into the air, using her Fire Spin attack to summon rings of flame in the air, while Sylveon used her Fairy Wind to create a ball of pink, shimmering wind in the center of the rings of fire. Just as the music kicked in, the Fairy Wind exploded outward, sending the flames expanding in all directions. The fire died out just as it reached the audience, hitting them instead with a blast of warm air that felt almost as though it were charged with magic of some sort. Serena grinned wide as she heard their excited gasps, and she and Pancham began to dance.

Ash grinned wide as he watched the performance begin, powered by the sort of upbeat and poppy music that she had danced to several years ago. The routine may not have been as visually shocking as the fire ribbon from Lagoon Town, but all of her moves were perfectly on point, as well as her Pokémon's. The crowd was energized as they watched, all of them drinking deep from the energy that Serena was giving off with her dancing and her dazzling smile.

The audience weren't the only ones watching the performance with rapt attention. From the stage right entrance, a young performer with curly brown hair had her eyes locked on Serena, watching with a mix of amazement and anxiety. Madison could already feel her heart pounding at the idea of following this display, not knowing why the crowd would have any interest in her after watching the experienced performer who was now on stage. She had to force herself to look away once the routine was half over, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Don't worry about her, she told herself as she exhaled slowly. You don't need to beat her. You're not here to win a Princess Key. You're here because you promised Serena you'd try performing one last time. You just need to make the crowd happy, and then you'll be happy. Her pep talk to herself had zero effect whatsoever, her nerves coming right back as she turned her attention back to Serena, who was animatedly dancing with Pancham amidst a backdrop of embers and glitter. She felt her Swellow nuzzling her cheek from his perch on her shoulder, and she reached up and pet it gently, trying to clear her mind as the performance on stage started to wrap up.

The song concluded as Serena raised her arms and beamed at the crowd, Pancham posing triumphantly in front of her, with Sylveon and Delphox at either side. The audience burst into applause once again, cheering loudly at the display they had just seen. Serena had easily met the expectations they had all had for a potentially historic performer.

Serena let out a breath, relieved and a little exhausted as she walked over to stage left, the announcer thanking her once again for her performance. Now all she had to do was wait for the final performance to conclude, and the results to come in. With her performance behind her, and her nerves no longer able to ruin it, she started to allow herself to get excited at the idea of doing something nobody else had done before. A nervous grin spread across her face as she stepped off stage.

"…welcome to the stage, Madison!"

Serena abruptly stopped in her tracks, her eyes shooting open as she heard the familiar name. Up until now, she had been so focused on her own performance, as well as distracted by Miette's presence, that she hadn't paid any attention to who else was performing in the showcase. She quickly whirled around, gasping as she immediately recognized the young girl walking out toward center stage. She took a few steps forward, standing in the doorway and calling out, trying her best to be heard over the sound of the audience.

"Good luck, Madison!" she shouted, cupping her hands to her mouth. "You're going to do great!"

Madison looked toward the sound, shocked to see Serena cheering her on so eagerly. She put on the best smile she could, giving her a small wave before turning back to face the crowd. Her heart raced faster than ever as the lights came down, a single spotlight focusing on her; she was thankful, in the moment, that the bright light prevented her from seeing the hundreds of pairs of eyes that were now fixed on her.

As her music began, she felt her Swellow leaping off of her shoulder, spreading his wings and starting to fly above her in a small circle. Her body started moving on its own, muscle memory kicking in as she leaned forward, one leg extended out behind her as she grasped her Roselia in both hands. She shifted her weight, pirouetting in a quick circle before tossing her Pokémon into the air to be caught by Swellow. As the two Pokémon flew about in a circle, Roselia began spreading a Sweet Scent that quickly reached the audience, who inhaled it deeply.

Madison felt herself relaxing a bit as the audience let out a satisfied sigh all at once, glad to be starting off on the right foot, literally. As she glanced upward at her Pokémon, her eyes caught sight of a single dark feather that had molted from Swellow's wing, which was now drifting slowly toward her. She froze for a second, not having expected it to fall, and overly scared of anything that might be seen as a mistake. An instant later, however, her mind suddenly formed a plan, and she took a quick step forward, reaching up and snatching the feather between her index and middle fingers. She couldn't help but grin as she heard a couple audience members gasp in surprise, having correctly assumed the loose feather was not an intentional part of the performance.

As the orchestral music started to pick up speed, her dance routine began in earnest, the molted feather still clutched lightly in her hand. With each successful move, she felt her nerves slowly melting away, as the steps in her performance appeared in her head one after the other. Spin here. Plié here. Reach out and catch Roselia. Leap into the air as Swellow flies underneath. Pose and hold perfectly still, as a Petal Blizzard flies all around her, threatening to cut her if she moves a muscle. She was no longer listening to the crowd, not daring to let anything distract her and ruin the performance, just like in Lagoon Town.

As the music started to reach its climax, Madison leaped back to the center of the stage, starting to spin slowly on one leg. As she did, she could feel the air around her whipping into a frenzy, creating a small whirlwind in the middle of the stage, courtesy of Swellow. From behind her, Roselia used a Petal Dance to create a flurry of petals, which quickly got caught up in the swirling wind and surrounded her, rising upward in a beautiful spiral. The petals spread out as they hit the ceiling of the venue, eventually falling and landing among the amazed spectators.

The recorded orchestra continued to crescendo until it finally reached the final note, a powerful stinger that punctuated the air. Just as the music came to an end, Madison stopped spinning and finally threw the loose feather into the air. Caught up in the final vestiges of the whirlwind, it twirled upward like a helicopter blade, flying many feet above Swellow before coming to a stop, slowly floating down as the lights faded to black.

Madison finally allowed herself to breathe, as the stage lights came back on and the crowd broke into raucous applause. She looked out at the delighted faces of the audiences, hearing the whistles and the cheers over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She clasped her hands to her chest, feeling her cheeks flush and her heart swell, in disbelief of what she had just accomplished. She could feel the familiar sensation of pride and excitement that she had felt performing for her family, multiplied a thousand fold. As a wide smile spread across her face, she knew full well that this was not going to be her last showcase.

"A big thanks to Madison for that elegant and inspired performance!" the announcer declared, as Madison continued staring out at the crowd. She eventually noticed some movement beside her, watching Miette and Serena walk back on stage; she quickly hurried to her position on stage right, embarrassed that she had forgotten the directions she had been given beforehand.

"Finally, it's the moment you've been waiting for: it's time to cast your vote and decide who will receive tonight's Princess Key! Don't forget that a green vote is for Miette, a pink vote is for Serena, and a yellow vote is for Madison! Everyone take your Glow Casters and vote now!"

The performers and the audience watched as colored balls of light began to fly through the air, zooming toward the three key holograms that had appeared in front of each performer. The crowd was noisier than usual as they cast their votes, all of them curious to see if Serena would manage to pull off three victories in a row. Madison's eyes were quickly darting back and forth between Serena's key and Miette's, crossing as many fingers and toes as she could. She knew that Serena's performance had been good enough to win, but she was nervous about the outcome all the same.

As the final votes came in, Madison's eyes widened as she saw the final tallies. It had been a close contest, but in the end, Serena had a clear margin of victory over Miette. She nearly shouted with excitement, thrilled that her idol had managed to do what nobody had done before. She took several steps forward as the crowd started to applaud, calling out toward Serena.

"You did it! You really did it!" she exclaimed, as Serena turned to face her. "Congratulations, Serena!"

Serena burst out laughing, saying something that Madison couldn't hear as the sound of applause drowned her out, pointing back toward Madison's key. Madison's eyes followed, curious as to what she meant, and she froze on the spot as she finally looked at her own key for the first time. She quickly looked toward Serena's, then back to her own, repeating this several times in utter confusion. No matter how many times she looked, her own key still appeared to be more full than Serena's.

"What an incredible upset!" the announcer's voice rang out. "We have our winner, ladies and gentlemen! Winning her very first Princess Key, it's Madison!"

Madison's hands quickly moved to cover her mouth in shock, as she watched the audience cheer and applaud, some of them getting to their feet. She couldn't form words, or thoughts, or muster any sort of conscious reaction to what was happening; it was all she could do to continue standing, her legs beginning to tremble. She felt tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

As she tried to work up the wherewithal to speak, or move, or anything, she yelped as she felt herself being lifted several feet into the air. Glancing downward in surprise, she could see the smiling face of Miette on one side of her, with the beaming face of Serena on the other side, as they lifted her up on their shoulders.

Her breath was shaky as she looked out at the cheering crowd again, feeling as though her heart was going to burst. She eventually closed her eyes tight, tears cascading down her cheeks, overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment. She tried her best not to sob as the applause washed over her, never having felt such happiness as this before, not even aware that happiness of this magnitude existed. She let the feelings of the moment fill up her heart and soul, forming a memory that she would hold onto for the rest of her life.


The next day, Ash, Serena and the others were stepping out of the front doors of the Brackish Town Pokémon Center, their bags on their backs, ready for another couple days of traveling. The streets were buzzing with activity, but after last night's showcase, much less attention was being given to Serena. With the potential to make history gone, she had become just another performer once again.

"Well, that's that," Serena spoke, as they started walking down the street. "I've got at least one more showcase ahead of me now." She glanced back toward Iris. "Looks like you're not off the hook for that Performance Battle. Sorry, Iris."

"Hey, I'm not upset about that," Iris replied. "After all the practice we've been doing, we'd better have a chance to put it to good use. I don't want to have wasted all that time."

"I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to make history, Serena," Brock offered, echoing a sentiment Ash had made several times the previous night. "That would have been a pretty amazing feat."

"Oh, I don't care about that," Serena responded, shaking her head. "As long as I get a chance at the Master Class, I'm not bothered about the rest." She smiled warmly. "Besides, Madison really earned that win. You could tell how much it meant to her."

"Serena!" Everyone turned and stopped as they hear a voice calling out in their direction. They turned and looked back toward the Pokémon Center, to see a ten-year-old brunette waving and running in their direction.

"Oh! Speaking of." Serena grinned and ran toward Madison as well, and the two of them quickly reached each other. "Hey, Madison! Congratulations again on winning last night! You did an incredible job."

"Thanks, Serena." Madison smiled wide as she looked up at her companion. "Are you all leaving town now? Where are you going?"

Serena nodded. "Yeah, we are. We're going to loop around the southern edge of Kalos and make our way back to Lumiose City for the next showcase." She smiled gently. "What about you? Will I be seeing you at any more showcases?"

"Well… it's just, I…" Madison quickly grew flustered, as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say next.

"Hm?" Serena blinked in surprise, watching as Madison fumbled for her words, as her other friends walked up behind her. "What is it?"

Madison looked back up at her, still struggling a bit, before taking a breath and letting it all out. "Please let me come with you, Serena!"

Serena's eyebrows raised in response, a bit taken aback by the forcefulness of the request. Madison waited a moment before continuing.

"You… helped me so much back in Lagoon Town, and I… I want to keep learning from you! I want to be the best performer I can be, and I know that if I'm watching you and learning from you, then maybe I could!" Her hands were clenched into fists, and her eyes were closed, almost as nervous now as she had been before her performance. "I know we're technically competitors, but please let me come along! Please say that it's okay!"

She opened her eyes again, looking up at Serena's stunned expression, as well as the surprise written on the faces of all her friends. Her heart sank a bit, worried that she may have been too eager, too forceful. She waited with bated breath for some sort of response.

Shannon was the first to speak up, looking toward Serena. "Well, you can't say no to a request like that, can you?"

Serena turned back toward her, smiling. "I sure can't." Her gaze returned to Madison, specifically toward the backpack she had with her. "You don't have a tent in that bag, do you? We do a lot of camping out."

"Ah… no, I don't…" Madison's face fell, fearing that she was being rejected. "I've been traveling by bus, staying in Pokémon Centers…"

"Well, that's alright. We'll get you a sleeping bag and you can stay in my tent with me."

Madison's face lit up, and she rushed forward, clasping Serena's hand in both of hers, unable to believe her good fortune. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Serena laughed, delighted and amused by this turn of events. "This is going to be interesting. I've never had a student before."

"I promise I'll be a good one!" Madison let go of Serena's hand, the rush of elation starting to wear off a little. "So where are we going first? Are you headed right to Lumiose City?"

Serena shook her head. "Not directly. We're going to Cyllage City first."

Ash nodded and stepped forward a bit, standing next to Serena. "I'm going to be battling at the Cyllage City Gym. I've got a Cliff Badge to collect."

"Cyllage City Gym?" Madison repeated, confusion evident in her voice. "You mean you guys didn't hear?"

Ash froze immediately upon hearing her words. Even without knowing what she was about to say, he could feel his skin turning cold, knowing whatever news she had to impart couldn't possibly be good news. "Hear what…?"

"The Cyllage City Gym is closed!"

"What?!" Serena exclaimed in shock, as the entire group gasped involuntarily. "When did it close?!"

"Just a few days ago!" Madison answered, already sounding a bit apologetic. "The Gym Leader left town and everything!"

"You can't be serious…" Ash held his head in his hands, instantly stressed to the point of being nearly overwhelmed. "No, no, this can't be happening…"

"We need to get to Cyllage City, pronto," Iris spoke up. "We need to figure out what's happened there."

She turned and started heading toward Route 10, and the others quickly followed her. Serena reached out and gently grasped Ash's arm, pulling him along as he tried to keep pace. As they made their way to the edge of town, he could feel his dreams of winning the Kalos League starting to slip away yet again, a feeling that he had become all too familiar with over the course of his journey.