It's hard to believe that we're already at Book 5 of this series, but I hope you all enjoy reading it!

I don't normally interrupt my stories from the beginning but this one takes a bit more of a set up due to it's unique nature.

If you're only newly finding this series, please don't worry. One Who Chases is a series of stories that can be read separately, as each of them will have their own contained narrative. But as you read them, you will see the pieces of the mystery come together as the connecting thread that leads to the true ending becomes more and more evident. Feel free to go back and read the older stories if this is the first one you found.

As far as when this story takes place, it occurs just before JN99 "スパイクタウンのマリィ！" or 'Mary of Spike Town!' or 'Battling Turned Up to Eleven!' in the dub. We'll be here for just a bit longer though, so once you reach that episode, you'll be fine to continue the story. (Or go ahead and read without watching, just note that there'll be some things that are referenced that you might not remember...! The main anime is definitely an important companion to this!)

The cover for the series was made for me by Rohanarts on Twitter! Please also check out their comic Dandelion at rohancomics dot com

I would also like to thank my beta readers Mezamun, Penachu, and Viroro. Thank you all so much for reading the story and giving your feedback all this time.

One final note, but these are all written fairly far in advance. I did make some changes to fit a certain character's updated appearance, but this still occurs before JN115 イーブイとニンフィア! 出会いと再会！！' Eievui and Nymphia! Encounters and Reunions!' (I'll add the dub title to this once it's available). The reason for that is because it was all written before then, as well.

Without any further ado, I hope you enjoy this story.

It stood on a hill on the outskirts of his hometown.

It was an imposing manor from an indistinct point in the past. Made of sturdy stone blocks that only needed the occasional repairing over the years, the building had stood vacant (and reportedly haunted) for many a year, with himself among the believers. But not long ago, the 'for sale' sign that seemed forever bound to sit in front of it was finally removed, and crews began repairing the brickwork and upgrading and replacing the electrical wiring inside the walls.

Soon, the most advanced computer systems, complete with solid-light projection capabilities were installed, and behind it in a glass dome was built an enormous park, capable of supporting the lifestyles of a truly incredible amount of creatures.

This old manor was being turned into a research laboratory for these mysterious creatures called Pocket Monsters, or Pokémon for short.

On the day the laboratory had opened, named after its operator Professor Raymond Cerise, he had been invited to work and study there as a special assistant called a research fellow along with another boy his age. That was how he first met Ash Ketchum, and how his life had begun to take a long, strange turn.

Through it all, he had worked with Ash, helping Professor Cerise study Pokémon all over the world as he, himself, pursued his own goals. After seeing the mythical Pokémon Mew in his youth, he had become obsessed with meeting and capturing the creature, but along the way he had made a lot of new friends, captured a great many Pokémon, and (he could finally admit) grown a bit as an individual.

Yet through all of this, Ash was a bit of an enigma.

While he was always excitedly facing forward to their next task or his next challenge in the World Coronation Series, Ash was usually quite mum on his own past, only making vague references towards it in conversation, or worse, only bringing up a fact when it was most relevant. This was how Goh had learned that his new good friend was the first Champion of the Alola Region, almost by accident when Ash was accosted by a pair of brothers who were apparently huge fans of his.

Of Ash's other friends, he felt like he knew some, though there were obvious gaps in his knowledge as well. Through his discussions with the classmates Ash used to have in Alola, it would seem that he was already an experienced trainer when he showed up there, and he had only spent about six months in the region before participating in the Alola Pokémon League where he won his title. Goh had also briefly encountered the Unova Champion Iris who was another friend of his, as well as the Pokémon Coordinator Dawn on multiple occasions. Brock, the Pokémon Doctor, was someone Ash always seemed to have a funny story about, and upon meeting him in person, Goh could see that the stories gave him the full measure of the young man.

While they were all good friends with Ash, Goh felt like he was still not getting the full story. It felt much like their pursuit of the strange feather; something Goh was only learning about piecemeal that he'd have to fully construct on his own later.

But investigation into Ash's past wasn't something that Goh would ever address with him directly. He had enough skeletons in his own closet that he wasn't interested in swapping horror stories with his friend. Just as long as he remained focused on the future, Goh would continue to face forward as well, and they would let their past lay still.

Having spent time back with his own family over the past few days, Goh couldn't help but think more intensely about his friend, though. Especially since thinking about his other friend he expected to see today filled him with a certain amount of dread.

After he, Ash, and Chloe had returned from the Johto Region, Professor Cerise closed the laboratory for a week so that everyone could enjoy some time away from working, and it was a respite Goh appreciated. But it was time to return to work and research, especially given the information that they had uncovered in Ecruteak City. Goh had only brought a few of his Pokémon, leaving the rest in the lab in the care of Chrysa and Ren who unfortunately wouldn't get the same days off, but at least the labor of feeding the Pokémon was split between them.

Goh still felt sorry for the two lab assistants, at least.

He stepped into the laboratory doors, closing the doors behind him before opening his zipped-up jacket and letting the Grass-type Chimp Pokémon Grookey out into the open air. The other three Pokémon he had brought home with him - Cinderace, Inteleon, and Argent - seemed satisfied to stay inside their Poké Balls. He was greeted inside by the sound of scampering feet across the wooden floor as the yellow-and-brown Puppy Pokémon Yamper rushed out to greet him as well.

Behind the puppy was a familiar, friendly face to Goh. She was dressed in her yellow overalls and gray blouse, and her maroon-and-pink hair was in its familiar braid. Chloe gave Goh a gentle, welcoming smile that caught him somewhat off-guard as her hand went to the pouch that hung off the necklace around her neck. The front of the pouch was a small stone of jade that matched the color of her eyes, though not the intensity. In her arms was her partner, the fluffy brown Normal-type Pokémon, Eevee.

"Welcome back, Goh," she said.

Goh felt his palms grow slick, and he passed his hand through his hair. "Yeah, thanks. Welcome back to you, too."

Welcoming her back somewhere she didn't live was a bit awkward, but Goh couldn't help saying it like that.

Time had a funny way of playing tricks on him, and this was the first time he had seen Chloe since leaving for his home, an apartment in Vermilion City. The last time he had really spent any time with her was in Ecruteak City, in the Johto Region, where she had impressed him with her grace and charm. After an incident where Chloe was nearly killed, Goh purchased the pouch for her as a gift, filling it with the Sacred Ashes that was the result of their research into the legendary Pokémon, just in case her near-death experience had any lingering side effects.

He couldn't deny that there was a feeling growing stronger in him, and his thoughts could give it a name, but his courage wasn't quite there to speak it, which left him acting awkward around her.

For her part, Chloe didn't seem to mind. She giggled at his silly actions before putting her hands behind her back and leaning forward. "So, did you have a good break? It's been really quiet without you and Ash running off for zany adventures all the time."

"Well, things don't go crazy all the time," he said, shrugging. "Sometimes things are actually pretty normal." He paused, scratching his chin. "Speaking of which, is Ash back yet?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, I think he's running late," she said. "Which is exactly what you'd expect from Ash, but that's neither here nor there."

Goh couldn't help but chuckle. "Well he does like to sleep in…"

"Grookey," the chimp added.

"Well, I've enjoyed my time off," she said. "It's been nice being out of school for a few days."

"Oh yeah…" he said, nodding, "but you don't go back until next week, right?"

She smirked at him, her expression radiating smugness. "That's for you, too, isn't it? Unless you finally dropped out, though I'm not sure how that'll look for you."

"Oh, ha ha," he said, rolling his eyes at her teasing. "I know that. But you're the one who has to go in eight hours a day, five days a week. I get to spend my time researching Pokémon and solving mysteries."

"And how are you doing with that?" she asked, her confidence not flagging in the slightest. "Have you thought about that scroll we got from Morty at all?"

He chuckled. "Unlike some people who only seem to have time to worry about other people's homework, I have been looking into the mysteries that surround the feather we found-"

"The feather that we don't have any more," she corrected, still teasing him.

"-that we found and still have, even if it's not exactly in the same shape we found it in," Goh continued, pressing past her teasing. "And there might be a lead that I've come up with, though that's why I wanted to talk to Ash."

"Well, hopefully he'll show up soon," Chloe said, mischief still flashing in her emerald eyes. "Sometimes it feels like you need him to lead you around."

He shrugged, looking at Grookey while flexing his arms and posturing. "She says that, Grookey, but she's the one who got saved by me going on three times so far? Four if you count Felix."

"Grooki grooki groo!" the chimp laughed, tapping his stick against Goh's forearm as he flexed his arms up.

Glancing back at her, he saws her cheeks puff into a pout, a shade of pink coloring them. "I do not count Felix since that situation was all your fault." Then came her sigh, which was as sure a sign of her concession as it was of her coming to a decision. "...but I guess you did save my Dad and me from Team Rocket, and you tried to fight Ho-Oh for me."

"You better watch out," he joked, winking and wagging a finger at her. "You're accruing quite a debt, Miss Cerise. You might not appreciate it when I start asking for repayment."

She stuck her tongue out at him before continuing. "I didn't say you actually beat Ho-Oh. And you already owed me before everything in the Raizen Mountains. You're just barely catching back up."

He couldn't hold it in any longer and began laughing out loud, which quickly spread to Chloe and their Pokémon. It felt good to return to how things normally were between them after the awkwardness of their initial reunion after what amounted to a holiday break. Even if they could pick at and tease each other, in the end they had a strong friendship that Goh treasured, and if he'd learned anything in the past months, it's that he wouldn't trade it or give it up for anything.

The door behind him opened up, and with a shout of "Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late!", both he and Chloe turned to see Ash re-entering the lab, his trusty Pikachu on his shoulder.

Goh stepped towards his friend and offered him a fist, which Ash accepted, bumping his own fist against it. "I was afraid you got lost," Goh said, smiling.

"I just had t' pick up my Pokémon from Professor Oak's," he said, gesturing. "Besides Pikachu, the rest are kinda too big to keep in my house."

"You could probably get away with Lucario," Goh said, putting a hand to his chin as he thought through the line-up Ash had caught since arriving at the Cerise Laboratory. "He's not too tall."

"Until he blasted a wave of Aura and broke all his mom's good plates," Chloe joked, drawing a snicker from both Ash and Goh.

For his part, Goh was happy to be with his friends again. Even with the small selection of Pokémon he brought home with him, it was usually just them and Goh. His parents were usually working, and his Grandmother had her own life to live.

It was a lonely existence. But with his Pokémon by his side, as well as his close friendships with Ash and Chloe, he knew he'd make his way forward.

"Uh…wait, Ash?" Chloe asked, pointing behind him. "Where's Mr. Mime? Didn't he come back with you?"

"What are you talking about? Mimey's right-" Ash turned behind him and looked before his eyes went wide. "OH MAN, WHERE IS HE?! HE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME, RIGHT PIKACHU?!"

Pikachu shrugged. "Pikapika, Pikapi."

There was the sound of a muffled "Mime!" coming from the door that had closed right behind Ash as he entered. Ash approached it and pulled it open, revealing his Mr. Mime, having traveled with him, holding a few large boxes in his hands. And as he walked in, a few more boxes floated in behind Mr. Mime, carried by the Pokémon's psychic powers. Ash checked outside, looking to see if there were more boxes, but the three Mr. Mime carried and the four that floated behind him seemed to be all there was.

"What is all this stuff?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ash chuckled bashfully. "Well, you know how my mom likes to cook. She sent us a bunch of leftovers to eat. I just had Mimey carryin' 'em."

"I guess that explains why he couldn't open the door," Goh said, chuckling to himself. "Anyway, let's get these into the lab, since we need to talk about what we're doing. It may not seem like it, but we really don't have a lot of time."

Chloe and Ash both blinked in his direction as he headed into the lab where Chloe's father and assistants were.

The banquet Mrs. Ketchum had prepared for everyone at the lab was still piping hot when they opened the pans and containers that Ash and Mr. Mime had brought with them. There were croquettes, bowls filled with rice, salad, and fresh baked rolls. Fresh fruit was also provided, and a bottle of ketchup that Pikachu eyed greedily. It was exactly what Goh had come to expect from the cooking provided by Ash's mother, and everyone sat on the couch together, taking part in the meal.

Joining Goh, Chloe, and Ash were Professor Cerise, Ren, and Chrysa. Everyone was sitting down, enjoying the meal around the table when Goh stood up.

"Okay, so we definitely have to talk," he said. "I did some research online while I was home about the scroll we got from Morty."

He unfurled the scroll in front of them. Drawn on the tattered parchment was the figure of a man sitting in a throne, holding his arms out before three objects - a red and green feather surrounded by spots of light in the colors of red, yellow, and blue, a silver-colored feather, and a pale blue crystal.

"This is the scroll you showed us before, yes?" Professor Cerise said, adjusting his glasses. "Have you discovered anything about it?"

"Not quite," Goh said, shaking his head. "But, there's only one way we can really solve this mystery, and that's by pursuing the three objects listed in the scroll. And we already have one."

"Kinda," Chloe interjected, but she said nothing else.

Goh continued despite her interruption. "So the next one we need to look for is a Silver Wing."

Ash's eyes went wide, and an excited grin grew on his face. "You wanna go find Lugia!"

Goh grinned widely back towards Ash. "Exactly! There's only one Pokémon with silver feathers that can be considered Ho-Oh's equal, and that's Lugia!"

"But how do you plan on finding Lugia?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, we've seen it twice in Vermilion City. Are we just going to wait for it to show up again?"

He tutted at Chloe, wagging his finger. "Didn't I say we had a limited amount of time?" he said. "The reason being, there's actually a way to track Lugia."

"Track Lugia?" Ren asked, almost choking on the rice. "How?"

"I bet I know how," Chysa said, nodding. "The only way a true fanatic tracks anything." She locked eyes with Goh, sneering. "You used your online sources, didn't you?"

Goh sneered back. "A fellow fanatic, I see," he said. "But yeah, I did search for sightings online of Lugia. And there's actually a few that have a pattern."

Chloe blinked. "There are? Where?"

Goh stepped back towards the holographic projector in the lab and held up his hand, causing the projection to come alive, and the holographic interface to appear. He waved his hand over the projection and made a map of the world appear before zooming into the ocean just off the coast of Kanto. There was a large chain of islands that stretched south of Cinnabar Island, but Goh zoomed into the middle of this archipelago, revealing a large island with three smaller islets nearby.

"This is Shamouti Island," Goh said. "Every summer, they hold a festival on Shamouti Island that celebrates Lugia."

Professor Cerise nodded. "I recall about three or four years ago, there was a disturbance in the Orange Islands and Lugia appeared there," he said.

"People got it on camera, too!" Goh said, pointing to the professor. "But anyway, that's just the start. Next is…"

He zoomed out and zoomed in somewhere else, showing a large city on a coastline. "Here! This is Fula City. Every year, at the end of summer, there's a Lugia sighting during their local Wind Festival." As he spoke this time, he tapped the display, and there were images of Lugia flying over the bay near this place."

"But Goh, the end of the year is in two days," Chloe said. "If you're saying Lugia is tied to these two places, where is it now?"

Goh chuckled confidently. "Well, do you know what these places have in common?"

Chloe, Ash, Ren, and Chrysa all tilted their heads in confusion, but Professor Cerise nodded. "Ah…! I see!"

"There's an undersea current that flows around the Orange Islands and Fula City, gathering warmth before flowing north. The current's really important because it brings warmth to all sorts of places, affecting the climate and weather of those places. And wouldn't you know, there's one more place along this current that has a festival that celebrates Lugia?"

He zoomed into a region that was hexagonal in shape, zooming into its northern coast. He put his finger right in a bay between two cities.

"Right here! In the Kalos Region!"

"No way," Ash gasped, "in Kalos?"

Goh nodded. "This is a place called the Sea Spirit's Den," he said. "The undersea current that flows through the Orange Islands turns back towards Kanto at this exact spot, and in a small town near the Azure Bay, they hold a New Year's Festival to thank Lugia for bringing warmth to them. And there's a cave where Lugia is supposed to rest during the festival, so we'll just go in and catch it!"

He emphasized his determined plan with a fist pump, but Ash stood and shook his head and waved his arms. "Wait, no, you can't do that!" he protested. "You can't catch this Lugia."

Goh raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why not?" he asked. "I'd have to catch it to get the feather, right?"

"You can't," Ash said. "Remember what Professor Cerise just said about a turbulence in the Orange Islands?"

"A disturbance," Goh said, crossing his arms as he corrected his friend, "but go on."

"Well, I don't talk about it much, but I was there when it all happened," Ash said, his face looking deadly serious. "Y'see, this bad guy flew in his flying fortress like pow, but then when everyone got caught up in the festival, he attacked and snatched up the legendary Pokémon! And when they got grabbed up, it messed with the weather to the point where Lugia had to get involved! We managed to take him out with a blam, but it still took a miracle for everything to turn back to normal."

Chloe rolled her eyes, sighing. "You lost me."

Professor Cerise stood. "What Ash is saying is that this particular Lugia maintains the very ocean current Goh just explained."

Goh felt his heart sink. "What…?"

Professor Cerise stepped up next to Goh and opened a screen, showing the ocean's current around the Orange Islands. "There's an old legend that's passed down in the Orange Islands," he explained. "It's said that the ocean current that begins its path around Shamouti Island is the source of all the ocean's waters. And while that particular legend might only be a story, it is true that there is a great ocean current that flows through the area, specifically around Shamouti and the islets nearby: Fire Island, Lightning Island, and Ice Island. This current, which they called the Beast of the Sea, was the subject of a joint research paper by Professor Oak from here in Kanto, and Professor Ivy who lives in the Orange Islands. They noted that Lugia's presence here is because it swims through the ocean, protecting and maintaining this current."

Ash nodded. "That's right. So there's no way you can catch Lugia." He frowned, apologetically. "Sorry, Goh."

It was the death-knell for his idea, unfortunately. "But… the feather… Lugia…" His shoulders slumped down, and he let his head drop down, defeated.

"It was a good try," Chloe said, shrugging. "But things don't just work out because you want them to. It's not like you can just go ask Lugia for the feather."

To this, Ash responded with a shrug. "Well, why not?"

Everyone turned their gaze to him. "What do you mean, 'why not'?" Chloe asked. "You just said-"

"I said that Goh can't catch Lugia," Ash explained. "I never said anything about him not being allowed to meet 'em. And Lugia'd probably not mind lettin' Goh borrow a feather, since they're already friends with us!"

Goh felt his eyebrows raise. "Wait… are you saying that the Lugia we met that day was one you already knew?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah! I was chasin' Lugia after I started to battle 'em, and then we ran into each other! Pretty crazy, huh?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, pretty crazy! You always seem to have secrets you're keeping, Ash."

Ash couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah, I am. That's why I'm the craziest."

"Not that any of that matters," Chloe said, sighing. "But you're sure you'll be able to just walk up to Lugia and ask them for a feather?"

"If there's a way into that cave where Lugia's supposed to rest like Goh said, then definitely!" Ash's optimism was unmatched as he pumped his fist, Pikachu leaping to his shoulder to add in his own cheer as well.

"Then I guess we're headed for the Kalos Region," Goh said, offering Ash a fist bump, which Ash quickly returned.

Chloe stood up, frowning. "H-Hey! What about me?" she said. "Can't I come, too?"

"Feels like you're wanting to come on a lot of these adventures lately," Goh said teasingly.

Chloe scowled at him, and through her annoyance, he saw a flash of hurt in her eyes. "Are you saying I can't come?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. The more the merrier, you know? It's not like school's back yet. I'd-"

He froze as his mind held back saying that word, and he coughed, stopping himself before giving himself a moment to rephrase.

"It'd be a lot of fun, I mean. The more the merrier."

With those words, he wiped the unhappiness from Chloe's face and replaced it with a smile.

Ash threw his arms around both of them. "Alright, then that means we're headed to the Kalos Region, everyone!"

Professor Cerise looked over the three teens and gave them a nod. "Good luck, everyone! I look forward to hearing about your findings as soon as you come back!"

The next several hours were a blur to Goh, as they prepared, left, and caught a flight to the Kalos Region before landing in Lumiose City the next day. Chloe, who had never been this far before, was snapping pictures of the Prism Tower like a tourist before being hurried along by himself and Ash.

Their next step was a bus route that took them through Coumarine City and its giant tree, and it was a route Goh had taken with Ash before when they went to visit Shalour City. However, their destination today was a smaller town nearby called Lunargent Town. The town was only a short distance from Coumarine City, and it sat on the edge of the Azure Bay.

"Hey," he said, still sitting on the bus and looking at his phone. He held Grookey in his lap. "Look at this. It says here that the Azure Bay is what separates the Kalos Region from the Galar Region. We're actually kinda close to Wyndon right now."

Ash looked over at Goh's phone with Pikachu peering over his shoulder. "That's really cool! I never thought about tryin' to swim from Kalos to Galar like that!"

Goh chuckled uneasily. "Well it's probably not the safest thing to try out… This is the busiest area in the world when it comes to moving cargo, so if you tried that, you might get hit by a ship."

Sitting next to Goh, Chloe was dressed in her sky-blue blouse, denim pants with pink flower-petal designs embroidered on them, and her tan cap. Around her neck, she still wore the pouch with the jade embedded in it that contained the Sacred Ashes, held by the silver chain. "Maybe we can at least see the ocean a bit," she said as Eevee sat in her lap. "It's always different, no matter where you go, after all."

"Eievui!" she chirped in agreement.

Looking up from his phone, Goh saw that the bus was coming to a stop, and the entire small town was decorated with a festive atmosphere. Streamers were hung from rooftop to rooftop, and as the bus came to its stop and he and his friends stepped off, he was immediately hit by both the smell of the sea drifting in from the north, as well as scents of flowers and food that were wafting in from that direction.

"Looks like the festival's just gettin' started, huh?" Ash asked, the excitement in his eyes matching his tone.

"Well, if it is a New Year's Festival," Chloe said, holding Eevee in her arms even now. "And New Year's Eve isn't until tomorrow. This is probably just how the celebration starts until they ring in the new year."

"Well, while we're here, we might as well check out the festival, right?" Goh said, shrugging. "Lugia is going to show up, so maybe someone in the festival will have seen them already, so we know we can go check out the Sea Spirit's Den."

With a shout of agreement between the three of them, they headed down the street towards the sea.

Goh kept his eyes open as they walked through the town. Like many of the Kalosian Towns he'd seen at this point, the buildings all seemed to be in bright colors, and most looked to be made of stone, which told Goh that this city was quite old, and its traditions also likely ran deep. In many ways, it reminded him of Ecruteak City in Johto, though rather than reflecting the culture of the Johto Region, Lunagrent Town had its own flair.

There were many decorations hung throughout the city in colors of red, yellow, and blue, each with silver accenting. Goh frowned as he thought about the colors from the temple, as well as the names of the islands near Shamouti that he had read about during his research for all of this.

There was a legend he came across in his searching that sounded more like something out of a fairy tale, but it indelibly tied the three colors to Lugia and the Festival. Unfortunately for Goh, the order was still wrong - Fire, Ice, and Lightning as opposed to Fire, Lightning, and Ice (or Water, as would be represented by Suicune), but he was beginning to notice the connection these three elements seemed to have in their repetition the world over.

As he delved into his thoughts, he, Chloe and Ash wandered into the town's square, where around the edges there were stalls and booths set up. Some seemed to be selling trinkets, while others seemed to be small games for younger children to play. Even with all the chatter and festivity, there was a haunting melody that seemed to rise above the crowd, sung with the voice of a young girl. Goh smiled at the sight, his mind wandering back to when he was small enough to play such games back home in Vermilion City until he was yanked from his thoughts by Chloe's arm.

"Goh, look!" she said, pulling on him. "There, on the stage!"

In the middle of the square there was a large round stage and atop the stage there was a young girl, dancing. She was wearing a silver-colored furisode, with its long sleeves tinted blue, with a dark blue sash around her waist that matched the color of the ocean's depths. Her dancing was practiced and flowing like the waves of the ocean, though her partner Pokémon at her side wasn't a Water-type but a Fairy-type. Her short, honey-blonde hair flowed with her movements, and when her crystal-clear blue eyes passed over Goh, he was taken aback at their depth. It took him a moment to even realize that the singing he was hearing was coming from her, as the microphone she wore was small enough to almost be unnoticable.

This girl, whoever she was, stunned even Goh with her beauty and grace, so much so that he hadn't even had a chance to look at the Pokémon who was matching her elegant dancing.

"Her Pokémon, too…!" Chloe said, pulling out her own phone and pointing it at the Pokémon.

On her phone's screen, a picture of the Pokémon appeared. Most of her body was a pale pink, but her ears, tail, and the tips of her feet were much darker, while ribbons that streamed from her neck and ear wrapped around her, ending in blue tips that matched the clear blue of her eyes. "Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon. A Fairy-type, and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its Trainer's arm as they walk together. By releasing enmity-erasing waves from its ribbons, Sylveon stops any conflict."

Chloe gasped. "Another Sylveon…?"

Eevee's eyes went wide, and with a "Vui!", she leapt from Chloe's arms and raced through the crowd, eliciting a cry of from Chloe as she chased after her Pokémon.

Unfortunately for her, she was too late to stop Eevee from leaping onto the stage, and she immediately began copying the graceful dancing of Sylveon and her partner.

Goh knew Chloe would be mortified by the interruption, so he raced to her side to try and help and smooth things over, but as he did, he realized there was someone missing.

"Where did Ash wander off to now…?"

He came to Chloe's side as she was apologizing, reaching for Eevee who continued to dance on the stage with the girl and her Sylveon. The dancer kept her cool and continued her routine, even with Eevee presenting an unexpected obstacle. With a twirl, she threw her arms wide and she and her Sylveon stopped their routine as the song came to an end. Eevee, though, continued to spin until she fell over.

As the crowd began to clap and cheer for the dancing girl, she approached Chloe's Eevee and picked her up. Her microphone was still on, so everyone could hear her speak.

"I almost felt like I had gone back in time the tiniest bit. You're definitely a good dancer, little one."

The girl in the furisode scooped Chloe's Eevee up into her arms, and the Pokémon beamed back at her, wagging her tail. Carrying Eevee, she approached Chloe at the edge of the stage and crouched down, handing Eevee back over. "I guess she belongs to you?" the girl asked.

"She does," Chloe said, gratefully accepting Eevee back. "Thank you very much!"

The smile on the girl's face didn't falter. "She's a very good dancer. Are you a Pokémon Performer, by chance?"

"Pokémon…?"

"...Performer?"

Goh found himself finishing Chloe's sentence.

Her smile didn't move, but Goh did catch a hint of surprise in her blue eyes. "I see," she said. "I guess you two aren't from around here, huh?"

"Actually, we're from-"

"YOU GUYS!"

Goh, Chloe, and the dancer turned to look at Ash pushing through the crowd, both he and Pikachu holding cones filled with bright pink cotton candy. He came up behind his friends, but when he looked up at the dancer, his eyes went wide, and his face was filled with wonder.

The dancer's cheeks burned pink, and she gave him a gentle smile. Sylveon extended a ribbon out towards Ash before the dancer stood back up and turned back to center stage.

"Thank you all for coming out here today!" the dancer said, spinning as she spoke. "This was only a taste of the full performance! I'll be giving everyone an amazing show tomorrow at the Whirlpool Ceremony, so please come again!"

And with those words, she descended the stage and disappeared into a booth set up nearby, cordoned off with tall curtains that hid the goings on behind them.

"What an incredible dancer!" Chloe gushed. "And she even has a Sylveon, too! Isn't that so amazing, Goh? Ash?"

Goh averted his eyes, not wanting to look at Chloe and let her see how the dancer left such an impression on him. The image was tinged with guilt, now, but he pushed it aside. "Y-Yeah, her moves were really impressive, right Ash?"

The only thing that either of them heard was the crowd continuing to speak and mill about. Goh and Chloe both turned to Ash, who was continuing to stand there with the same look of wonder that he had when he locked eyes with the dancer.

"Ash…?" Goh asked. "Are you okay?"

Ash turned to him, dropping his cotton candy from his hand as he did. "Huh? Y-Yeah, totally."

Chloe's eyes went wide and she reached for the falling treat, but Pikachu leapt into action, catching the cotton candy before it hit the ground. "Ash, are you feeling alright? You almost dropped that…"

Ash slapped his palms against his face before nodding. "Yeah! Totally! I'm feeling fine!" He grabbed his cotton candy back from Pikachu before finishing it off in seconds.

Goh furrowed his brow, wondering just what was happening. The dancer left an impression on him, sure, but Ash never seemed to be the kind of person who would be impacted by that.

He was once again reminded that Ash concealed many mysteries.

"Anyway, we still need to ask around about Lugia, right?" Ash said. "Let's see what we can find. Maybe some of the folks around here know some stories…"

Goh nodded, refocusing his attention on the crowd that was drifting around the three of them. "Maybe someone in authority, who's involved with the festival?" he asked.

In the back of his mind, he thought to himself that the dancer would likely know a bit more about what they were seeking, but they'd have to approach her, and Goh worried to himself what Chloe's reaction would be if he suggested they go seek her out first thing, so he tried to be indirect with his suggestion.

"Maybe we can find someone associated with the festival," he said. "After all, this festival is about Lugia, right? They'd know where we could meet them."

"Sounds like a good plan," Ash said, nodding. "Maybe we can find a festival organizer or something."

"Maybe I can be a tiny bit of help?"

The voice came from behind Goh and Chloe, and the two of them turned around to see who had approached them.

Standing before them was a girl who, upon closer inspection, looked to be close to Goh and Chloe's age - a teen, in other words. She wore black felt hat on her head, covering her short, honey blonde hair. The black turtleneck and pleated skirt she wore were very stylish, he thought.

They were the same colors he wore, after all.

The mystery girl had long black socks up to her thighs, and brown boots that went up to her shin. All of this was accented by the pink bracelet she wore on her wrist.

Her change of costume made it difficult for Goh to square, but this girl was clearly the dancer from before, now dressed in a completely different outfit - one he could only assume she wore normally when not performing.

"You're-"

Goh's statement was cut off by Ash walking past him and Chloe, locking eyes with the girl who had appeared before them.

"Serena…"

The girl, Serena, smiled back at him.

"It's nice to finally see you again… Ash."